The success of a great novel does not lie entirely in the hands of its hero. Many of my favourite novels come with a surprise gift – the character who is most interesting of all, who is not the main protagonist. This is the character you wonder about later, the character that seems to step outsideContinue reading “Minor Characters Who Highlight the Theme in Great Fiction”
Category Archives: Books
Structure, Collapsed Middles and Fiction Writing
One of the greatest challenges I have found in writing a novel can come through a surplus of ideas. Which ones do you choose, and which have to be set aside to be used in another novel? The result of trying to pack in too many ideas is often a collapsed middle. So the best way to dealContinue reading “Structure, Collapsed Middles and Fiction Writing”
Mystical Circles, Emotional Charge on the Spiritual Journey – How Life Itself Inspires an Author
Over the last few months, some readers have been asking me, “What inspired you to write ‘Mystical Circles’? And, as I have just issued a revised edition of the novel on Kindle with a new cover design, I thought now would be a good moment to answer some of those questions. The story evolved outContinue reading “Mystical Circles, Emotional Charge on the Spiritual Journey – How Life Itself Inspires an Author”
Mental and Emotional Byways, Complexes and Hang-Ups in Fictional Characters
Having just read an interesting blog post about depression, I was led to reflect upon how easy it is to allow your own “principles” to override compassion, empathy and honesty about the reality of human life. This applies to all of us, but there is a special challenge here for those of us who write stories, andContinue reading “Mental and Emotional Byways, Complexes and Hang-Ups in Fictional Characters”
Currents, Backwaters and Muddy Tributaries in Fiction: and the Fascination of the One Star Review
Reading a novel is like going on a voyage down a river. Sometimes the water’s smooth and calm, sometimes rough; occasionally you may find yourself in whitewater rapids; and ultimately it flows into the sea. If your boat gets ambushed by a rogue current and becomes snarled up among tree roots and rushes in aContinue reading “Currents, Backwaters and Muddy Tributaries in Fiction: and the Fascination of the One Star Review”
Searching for Love… And Craving Celebrity
In my last post, on the case of Jimmy Savile, I wrote about the dark side of celebrity. We live in a society obsessed with celebrities – the gods of this secular age. And we try to convince ourselves that fame would guarantee entry into a perfect region of love, wealth and success. Yet theContinue reading “Searching for Love… And Craving Celebrity”
Places of Inspiration Part 4: The White Garden at Sissinghurst and the Flambuoyant Spirit of Vita Sackville-West
Near Sevenoaks in Kent we find the house formerly owned and occupied by writer Vita Sackville West and her husband Harold Nicolson. Now handed over to the safekeeping and care of the National Trust (something Vita once swore she would never do!) this house and its much beloved White Garden is a place which has inspired many.Continue reading “Places of Inspiration Part 4: The White Garden at Sissinghurst and the Flambuoyant Spirit of Vita Sackville-West”
Places of Inspiration Part 2: The Heavenly City: A View of London
What is your view of the city? Is it a place you work in, and suffer all the stress of commuting? Or perhaps it’s a place you live in? In my novel Zoe emails her sister with these words: Hi, you in crowded, stressed old London from me in the peaceful, perfect Cotswolds… But thoseContinue reading “Places of Inspiration Part 2: The Heavenly City: A View of London”
The Psyche of a Cat and Emily Bronte’s School Essay
Cats both domestic and wild have been worshipped, adored, feared, coveted, persecuted, psychoanalysed, parodied, wondered over, painted, written about, sculpted, photographed… and there is no sign of this fascination ever abating. Some of us find cats enchanting; others greatly prefer dogs. Personally, I love both; but admit that I’ve probably spent longer pondering the psyche of aContinue reading “The Psyche of a Cat and Emily Bronte’s School Essay”
Good Friday, The Magic of Believing, and Success and Failure
Once I tried to live by the magic of believing, in which positive thoughts always attract good circumstances into our lives – until I realised success and failure in this world cannot be understood in such a simplistic way. How straightforward life would be if that was so. The truth is none of us knowContinue reading “Good Friday, The Magic of Believing, and Success and Failure”
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