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A Writer of History

~ by M.K Tod

A Writer of History

Monthly Archives: November 2012

Blog Hop … The Next Big Thing

28 Wednesday Nov 2012

Posted by M.K. Tod in Historical Fiction, Writing Process

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

blog hop, Deafening, Fallen Skies, Frances Itani, Geoffrey Fox, historical fiction, Judith Ridgley, Kirstie Olley, Lies Told in Silence, Mary Tod, my writing, Philippa GRegory, researching historical fiction, Richard Sutton, Sarah Blake, Sophie Schiller, The Next Big Thing, The Postmistress, Unravelled, writing historical fiction, WWI, WWI fiction

Judith Ridgley tagged me for a blog hop called THE NEXT BIG THING. The idea is to talk about my WIP or a recent book I’ve written, answering 10 questions, and then tagging another group of authors to do the same the following week. I’ve chosen to answer questions about UNRAVELLED, a recently completed novel.

What is the working title of your book? Unravelled is the current working title, although at one time I called the book While the Secret Sits.

Where did the idea come from for the book? I’ve been working on this book since 2006, a time when I was living in Hong Kong with my husband but unable to work full time. Originally, the book followed the lives of my grandparents with particular focus on WWI, a war in which my grandfather fought, trenches and all. After many revisions, the story bears little resemblance to my grandparents’ lives other than two world wars and one spy training organization.

What genre does your book fall under? Historical fiction. Isn’t that what everyone wants to read?

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? I’m not a particularly dedicated movie fan, however, Kevin Costner or Colin Firth might be great leads, not too pretty, capable of being the strong, silent type who endured two world wars, operating wireless machines in WWI and training spies in WWII. Perhaps Cate Blanchett or Anne Hathaway for the female lead.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? Two wars, two affairs, one marriage. I came up with this tag line a month ago and really like it.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? I’m debating that point at this very moment and leaning towards self-publishing because the 100th anniversary of WWI is less than two years away and I believe my novel should be part of commemorating the sacrifice that occurred.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? About eighteen months since I was teaching myself about writing fiction at the same time. Now, if you were to ask about the time until this latest draft is ready – the answer would be another five years. In the meantime, I’ve written two more books.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? I like to think it’s similar to Fallen Skies by Philippa Gregory, or The Postmistress by Sarah Blake, or Deafening by Frances Itani. I’ve read many books set in WWI and WWII and these come to mind because of style and subject matter.

Who or What inspired you to write this book? As mentioned, I began with my grandparents’ lives but then research took over. The more I discovered about WWI, the more I wanted to write a story to explore the affects of war on ordinary people.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? I have written a companion novel called Lies Told in Silence that explores a portion of the story from another character’s point of view. The second novel is set in France during WWI.

And now to tag some other awesome authors …

Sophie Schiller is a writer of historical fiction and spy thrillers. She’s been on my blog talking about her book called Transfer Day. Her own blog is at  http://sophieschiller.blogspot.com

Richard Sutton has written two novels, The Red Gate and Gatekeepers about the O’Deirg family and the ancient secret they are charged to protect. He blogs at  http://www.sailletales.com

Kirstie Olley lives in Australia and calls herself a speculative fiction writer. Give her a round of applause for just completing NaNoWriMo!! She blogs at http://www.storybookperfect.com/.

Geoffrey Fox is American born but lives in Spain. He has earned a living as a writer – kudos for that, Geoffrey – and has several works of non-fiction as well as a book of short stories to his credit. You can find him at www.geoffreyfox.com .

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Tracy Chevalier – Remarkable Creatures

26 Monday Nov 2012

Posted by M.K. Tod in Books I've Read, Historical Fiction, top historical fiction authors, Writing Process

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

book review, historical fiction, Remarkable Creatures, ten ingredients of successful historical fiction, top historical fiction authors, Tracy Chevalier

I’m going to try something different. A few posts ago, I wrote about the ten essential ingredients for successful historical fiction. Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier is the first novel I’ve finished reading since that post. Chevalier was in the top historical fiction authors list so, why not rank her story against the list of essential ingredients?

Like a teacher marking the first exam of many or a judge ranking the first of many glorious dives, I will probably err on the side of being critical rather than generous. My apologies to the author.

Remarkable Creatures is the story of Mary Anning who has a unique gift: ‘the eye’ to spot fossils no one else can see. When she uncovers an unusual fossilized skeleton … she sets the religious community on edge, the townspeople to gossip – and the scientific world alight with both admiration and controversy. Prickly Elizabeth Philpot … becomes Mary Anning’s unlikely champion and friend, and together they forge a path to some of the most important discoveries of the nineteenth century.

(1) superb writing – Chevalier’s prose is a delight but I found her pacing too leisurely although one could argue that the pacing suits a character of quiet gentility like Elizabeth Philpot and the seaside town of Lyme Regis in the 19th century. The dialogue works very well, a great blend of speech patterns that identify the time and circumstances of various characters without weighing the story down in colloquial phrases and speech patterns. In terms of emotional resonance, I identified with Elizabeth’s desire to make a life for herself and her willingness to be unconventional, and empathized with Mary Anning’s passion for fossil hunting and her fierce drive to help support her family. The plot twists and turns although the story remains subdued. 7/10

(2) dramatic arc of historical events – Chevalier structures the story by tracing the timeline of Anning’s major finds using alternating first person narratives of her main characters, Elizabeth and Mary. While I found each voice engaging, ultimately the calm unfolding of this first-person narrative undermines the drama of discoveries that must have turned the scientific and religious world upside down. For me, tension was missing. 6/10

(3) characters both heroic and human – In my opinion, Chevalier gets top marks for her portrayal of the two main characters and through their eyes, other characters such as Colonel Birch, William Buckland, Elizabeth’s sisters and Mary’s mother Molly also come alive. 9/10

(4) immersed in time and place – every historical novel comes with expectations of the time in which it is written. As a purchaser, one expects to be transported to another world and like a hypnotist’s subject I was ready to dwell in the early 19th century the moment I opened Remarkable Creatures. On page 9, this sentence was the compelling step back in time: “Once our brother married there would be neither the place nor the money for us all to live at Red Lion Square.” Descriptions of Elizabeth’s brother John, Lyme Regis, the Assembly halls and Margaret’s one chance to capture a husband solidified the era for me and Chevalier held all senses firmly in that period. 8/10

“The bathing machine, a little closet on a cart, had been pulled far out into the water to give her privacy.”

“And they find Bishop Ussher’s calculation of the world’s age as six thousand years comforting rather than limiting and a little absurd.”

Describing a salve made by Elizabeth’s sister Margaret, “made of beeswax, turpentine, lavender, and yarrow.”

“I expect your ichthyosaurus has a place in Aristotle’s Great Chain of Being.”

(5) corridors of power – Chevalier writes convincingly of the small town minister who is scandalized over Elizabeth Philpot’s notions that God’s creations might have become extinct, science battling religion. She also positions the leaders of England’s Geological Society and noted French naturalist and zoologist, Baron Georges Cuvier, as masters of their domains of power in evolving scientific thought. Another corridor of power is that of gender in the early 19th century. Men had all the power, brother over sister, husband over wife, even Philpot’s young nephew has more power than Elizabeth to enter the premises of the Geological Society at a crucial point in the novel. 7/10

“Besides which Mary Anning is a female. She is a spare part.”

“God in his infinite wisdom has peppered this world with mysteries for men to solve.”

(6) authentic and educational – I now know a lot about fossils, fossil hunting, and the debates prompted by Mary Anning’s discoveries. Remarkable Creatures also illuminates the prejudices of the times – the role of women, the spinster’s lot in life, country versus city, social classes and pecking order. Chevalier brings these details out seamlessly but without interfering with the story’s flow. Through Mary’s discoveries and Elizabeth’s learning the reader also learns. What could be dull, scientific information is anything but. 8/10

“Mr. Buckland handed me the blade, then sat back to watch me scrape along one of the ribs, freeing and brushing away the limestone that clung to it. Slowly a clear line emerged, and because I went at it carefully, the rib weren’t nicked or scored, but smooth and whole.”

“… quarrymen and not considered suitable for any but the most desperate women.”

(7) ageless themes – struggling out of poverty, the destructive power of jealousy, standing up for what you believe in and for people who are powerless, finding one’s identity, dealing with fame, the understanding that freedom has its price. These themes ring out with conviction. 8/10

Elizabeth: “So be it. A woman’s life is always a compromise.”

Mary: “She had too openly flouted the rules of what was expected from a girl in her position.”

(8) high stakes – reputation, friendship and love are at stake in the story. Significant matters although I sensed the outcomes early on which in my mind detracts from the impact. The most compelling matter is the friendship between Elizabeth and Mary. 6/10

In Mary’s voice: “It seemed whenever I found something, I lost something else. I found an ichthyosaurus and lost Fanny. I found Colonel Birch and lost Miss Elizabeth. I found fame and lost …”

(9) sex and love – the only significant male/female relationship is that of Mary and Colonel Birch. Chevalier renders it with charm, creating tension in the telling and a strong sense of poignancy in the conclusion. 7/10

“There I found out that lightning can come from deep inside the body.”

(10) dysfunctional families – the families of Mary and Elizabeth are not dysfunctional, although they operate in ways that modern readers might find unusual. From my perspective, minimal drama emerged from the family dynamics. 5/10

While I enjoyed the story, the characters and Tracy Chevalier’s writing, Remarkable Creatures is a quiet book and not a compelling page-turner. But then, of course, this is only my opinion.

An interesting exercise. What do you think?

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Does social media have rules?

22 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by M.K. Tod in Writing Process

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Facebook, Fast Company, social media rules, Twitter

Last week I looked at Twitter and Facebook and several folks offered comments on their preferences. From my own observations, it seems that writers use both venues with success. Regardless of your choice, it seems wise to understand the ‘rules’ involved. It is probably wiser to use the word ‘practice’ rather than ‘rule’ since there is no real enforcement.

Most of us jump onto these tools and bumble around for a while trying to figure them out. How often should I tweet? Or retweet? Should I follow if someone follows me? Do I need to ‘like’ something just because someone asks me to? Should I comment on each and every item my Facebook friends put out there?

Fast Company magazine included a brief article about the rules of social media that were solicited from industry experts and readers. A few of them stand out for me.

Be interesting. Be kind. Be consistent.

Make your info short and sweet for maximum interest and sharing potential.

Before you tweet/post/share, imagine saying it in person.

Connections are formed by conversations. Think telephone, not megaphone.

K.L.O.U.T. matters: knowledge, likeability, openness, understanding, trust.

Less shouting. Less selling. Less badmouthing. Less complaining. Less is more, when you’re social.

I’ve picked out ones I like and ones I think apply to both Facebook and Twitter. If you’re interested, you can jump onto Twitter and search using the hashtag #therules.

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