What’s Up, Wednesday?

This is a weekly blog meme that I thought I’d do as a one-off today. What I liked about this idea was that it is four simple questions relevant to the writer.

 

What I’m reading:

Although I don’t have much time for casual reading at the moment, I’ve just started ‘All Creatures Great and Small’, one of the anthologies of the memoirs of the vet, James Herriot (I believe there is/was a TV series based on the memoirs, too). What I like about what I’ve read so far is the voice and style he uses in his writing: fluid, full of character, humorous. It’s engaging.

 

What I’m writing:

I’m mostly editing at the moment. However, I am going through and rewriting Of Jackets and Phones and A Game of Murder. Whilst not always attentively, I run them through my mind – and, especially, the setting of A Game has been sparking my interest.

Against my better knowledge (good old cognitive dissonance!), I’ve also started When The Clock Broke’s sci-fi sequel, though I’m keen to keep the working title under wraps for the moment until I’ve written more than simply three chapters (and a chapter-body plan)!

 

What Else I’ve Been Up To:

I went shopping on Monday to get myself a few new articles of clothing and jewellery for a certain event *cough* that is happening to me next week. However, I’ve been run-down this week; I go from pulling against my metaphorical leashes, to letting them tie me down. I can tell because I’ve been giving up easily when learning new skating moves.

 

What Inspires Me Right Now:

As I mentioned before, I’m celebrating Mary’s Month by going through the decade of the rosary, and every Wednesday afternoon, it feels as if my soul has been cleansed – that inspires me not only spiritually, but also emotionally.

In writing inspiration terms, I keep finding new pieces of music that have been altering my moods in an instant (music does this to me a lot). I’ve been listening to a lot of rock-style pieces, as the protagonist of WTCB’s sequel – were I to mutate her – is very much a rock song.

What about you? How is your week going?

Analysing the Poirot Music

What’s not to love about David Suchet’s Poirot series? He’s been acting the role since before I was born and it still feels unique!

And then there’s Captain Hastings, your average cliché Englishman who says “I say!” at all the right times! The whole team of acting do a super job bringing those stories to life.

But that’s not what I want to talk about today. I want to talk about one of my favourite theme-tunes, ever!

I’ll admit: I easily fall in love with catchy tunes. But I find there’s something really special about the original Poirot one. This leitmotif captures the imagination just as much as the acting does.

(I’ve never liked the triangles in the visual of the introduction, though…)

If one listens carefully – with a musician’s ear or a writer’s ear – one might say the piece has three acts. (I’m going here from the full version, which is, of course, more extensive than the music leading the introductory credits, which I was originally going to look at alone.)

The first (0.00 – 0.20) introduces us to the character of Hercule Poirot: sprightly, sophisticated – there’s even a hint of his superficial lack of modesty within the piano accompaniment, large, round chords and notes as they are.

Too, in that, we hear the hints of mystery already, as suggested by the clarinet’s hollow tones. There’s something stark and cold coming, but Poirot is about to fix it.

The second ‘act’ (0.22) sees a B-pattern melody come into play as Poirot investigates. A new revelation appears, where Poirot must change his hypothesis, and hunt after a different clue.

At about 0.32, we get some percussion - the heart-racing movement as the little grey cells rush ideas through. The piano plays down a high [major, I believe] scale to add to the ordered rushing the characters must be doing now.

Of course, Poirot gets back on track (at about 00.40) – and the music returns to its familiar A section, with the running up and down scales of the chord patterns and the flourish at the end to add something conclusory. However – the full version (starting 1.13) has another trick up its sleeve to extend the Three Act Tragedy. The second the piano linking-motif changes and dissonance of the reverse phrasing rings out, one knows there’s going to be trouble. As Poirot races to stop the killer murdering again, the key changes and the chords draw out a shriller sequence of the A section. It’s almost a mockery.

Even so, if you listen, this extension has two or three ‘acts’ so it falls to resolution. This is quite a cold section, harsh, where only brass provides some warmth. The clarinet is silent as Poirot rethinks his plan.

As the creativity of music goes, the relationship between the three main instruments makes the piece. From the antiphony around 1.34 to the clarinet’s following of the brass’ phrasing at 1.23 – 1.28, and the double-bass’ constant ‘heartbeat’, as such, the arrangement always mimics Poirot’s chase of the answer! Good will always prevail.

What about you? Got any favourite theme-songs or leitmotifs that match their programme?

Shiny, Inspirationally Bloggy [Award]

Ya, that was a bit of a strange title. ‘Shiny’ is one of my favourite words, purely for its morphemic value: shy-knee – almost.

Anyways, Avery Thorne of BloodOverIthaca nominated me for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. Thanks, dude! I love talking about myself You can see the rest of the awards I have amalgamated under the ‘Blog Awards’ link in the sidebar-menu.

The Rules:

1. Display the Award Certificate on your website
2. Announce your win with a post and link to whoever presented your award
3. Present 15 awards to deserving bloggers
4. Drop them a comment to tip them off after you’ve linked them in the post
5. Post 7 interesting things about yourself.

And now for the next set of seven points. Hang on… *thinks*

1. I like to string together strange sentences that prove I can use general linguistics skills. I was particular proud at remembering during a school-House competition that πλοῦτος is Greek for ‘wealth’ – hence ‘plutocracy’. Once I stop learning Latin as a subject, I intend to continue linguistic exploration to prove that I have not lost the skill entirely.

2. I use to wear insoles constantly. Before I started skating, I had incredibly weak ankles caused by no specific problem, a combination of environmental growth and genetic issues. I can still make them click on cue.

3. I am right-handed, eared and balanced, but left-sighted and footed.  There are numerous tests one can take to find out (Google?), but sometimes you just know. I’ve always been better at balancing on my right foot and I automatically cover my left ear when I’m trying to tune to pitch – however, I find it naturally easier (and it’s said that most right-handers and left-footed) to spin and jump off my left foot, and this provides some issues now that I have started combining the balance and spin/jump exercises.

4. I simultaneously love and hate my front teeth. I guess you could say I’m buck-toothed, and my front two are angled outwards like a softer version of: / \  I was never allowed corrective orthodontics because I still have half my baby teeth.

5. People say I’m an extrovert, but I’m actually, internally incredibly shy. I couldn’t meet people when I was little. I’d just hide behind my parents. I still can’t answer the door or pick up the phone if I don’t know who it is. I attribute this to my anxiety, especially as I get really anxious in big crowds. I’m working on my confidence, but I reckon this is why I get so nervous before doing what I love: performing.

6. I seem to be doomed to use out-dated browsers. My family computer was out-dated before I started using it – now it is ancient compared to the laptops and goodies my friends have. I still use my dad’s laptop – without internet. I am proud of not falling for every new product, though.

7. Looking after nature means everything is treasure.  I am a collector. I can’t help it – I still have little toys from my childhood. I guess I mention this point because I’ve chosen my halls for next year. By the 9^th May, it will be booked for when I get my results. Thus, I am currently trying to ‘spring clear’ all the clutter in my drawers; I have to learn that one day, for instance, if I marry, I will not be able to keep these things. Nevertheless, I have this inability to throw/give away things that I might one day use. The month I let my mother clear away my long white socks, I had to act Alice. See, bad idea.

 

My new home…

Now for the nominees! (I’m gonna do ten, otherwise the long tendrils of blog-connections won’t stretch enough) *party popper*

Jae – because she’s always interesting, even when interviewing other people. Check out her April’s Featured Blog posts this month.

Mystic Cooking Ladies - intelligent discussion of writing and drawing life.

Avonlea Writer – a teen writer with an eye for steampunk and traditional stuff like me!

The Looney Teen Writer – concise, effective posts about writing and the world…even if they are a little mad!

Box of Thoughts – it’s one of those moments where you find out a real-life friend has had a blog all along. Good, real stuff.

Charley Robson – I don’t care if you’ve had the award before, you inspire me with your strange bopping and emails. xD

UponAtlas – Again, you’ve probably had the award before, but you were the first commenter on here and that gets cookies.

Storytelling Nomad – fantasy writing, travel and awesomeness.

NevilleGirl – blogging for much longer than me, but the posts on writing, reading, homeschooler and random are still fresh.

Yawatta Hosby – releasing debut novel soon; her journey to publication is fascinating to read about.

I can’t believe I still have many, many soft toys…

Things I Love/Hate about Downton

This is probably going to be a purely subjective post as it came to my head as such. With the fourth series of Downton Abbey underway, I know it has divided opinion: whilst creative and stylish, it is also, apparently, inaccurate in, for instance, the sense of how nicely the servants are treated. So I have been told. I just keep my eyes peeled for factual points I can use in my stories.

 

THINGS I LIKE:

The acting. I don’t think there’s a weak actor amongst the cast (even the dog!). Everybody obviously enjoys acting in the programme, and that brings the stories to life. Too, those characters are brought into vivid creation by their actors’ incorporation of voice, tone, movement: everything! Good acting makes me proud.

20s. As you may well know, I have started to become something of a 1930s existant, so, of course, I was excited to learn that Downton has moved away from the war and into the 20s – perfect timing, too, as I (slowly) write the prequel to 30s-set A Game of Murder, and I can update my mental impressions of the period to employ the style into my novel.

It’s Alexandra and Christophe all over again (except, Christophe was butler rather than valet, but who cares?)!

The storylines. Although some storylines lack much interest, or dissolve way too quickly for my liking as both a viewer and a writer, many really make me sit forward, thinking “this is a great story that I wish I written.” In particular, Bates’ and Anna’s love story and Bates’ subsequent arrest captured my interest.

And, yes, I cried when Lady Sybil died. Her voice may have got on my nerves at times, but she was a gentle, creative character – and no woman deserves to die in childbirth.

The Dowager Countess even has her own memes. That’s how amazing – :’)

Script. In particular Dame Maggie Smith’s. There are some genuinely brilliant lines in the script, worth communicating to the world. I draw attention to the Dowager’s, because her character is one central to the changing times; she highlights what fear and wariness of change we all have inside ourselves. Plus, she makes me laugh every time.

Set. Not only is Highclere Castle lavish in itself, it provides a wonderful backdrop for the series. I particularly enjoy the colours of every room – each has something different to give to a scene. As a stage actress, I know how important scene is for acting.

 THINGS I DISLIKE:

Couples. Firstly, I was never convinced by the whole Matthew and Mary sub-plot; it just tasted contrived to me. Mary’s hard exterior and confidence in society made her a match for Sir Richard, whilst the softness of Matthew made him fit for Lavinia. Sometimes the pairings in storylines work well (Lady Sybil and Tom), but this can only work to an extent. See the soapyness point below.

At least THIS picture does not make me want to roll my eyes. Awesome fan-art by marzo20

The characters. Sometimes I’m tempted to stop watching Downton altogether, because I have no sympathy for the characters and what they are doing.

Perhaps because of my bias of having protagonists myself who are servants (A Game of Murder), I find I’m caring about what happens to the servants a lot more than the Downton family themselves. The servants are more genuine characters often, whilst the family don’t ‘fit’ without leaning towards stereotypes sometimes. As I said above, I love the acting from everyone…it’s the cores of the characters that I’m not so sure about.

It leaves me not caring. The whole of the third series, I felt nothing about Mary’s fertility problems. Whether it was just the distinct lack of chemistry between the two or the plotline, rather than the show, I don’t know.

But, I think what keeps me watching Downton nowadays is the style and the period, rather than the transitions the changing family is going through. It feels too rushed, so that I find myself brushing their problems aside. Ah.

Soapy. My worry – as I have with a lot of TV shows nowadays – is that actors start to see Downton as the ‘place to be’, but get tired of their role after a series or two. This leads to characters coming in and out of the show, leading to sometimes-contrived circumstances. Yes, the show spans many years and death is bound to happen, but it has come to the stage where, to me, it feels like “oh look, another one’s dead”, in the same way this happens in soaps.

Script. Sometimes the script has lines that I wouldn’t put there. It’s not bad writing, it’s just bad compilation of lines, making some conversation less genuine. I have to stop and think “this would not happen in real life”. It may be the past, but even the past was not so.

However, there’s no doubt that Downton Abbey is extremely popular. My Google image searches were instant, showing that people do invest an interest in the lives of these fictional characters. No wonder Fellows is happy.

So, anyway, that’s my creative consultation (!) on the series, and something casual for my blog today.

The Thrill of a Good Book

I rarely ever read a book in a day. I make an exception for Agatha Christie.

In fact, I spent such a good proportion of yesterday reading ‘Death in the Clouds’ that I thought there wasn’t going to be a post today; reading leaves me so ungrounded, distracted and airy.

But, as I tossed the book away and stretched the crick out of my neck at 11pm with a satisfied sigh – satisfied, though not entirely pleased (whodunnit was a character I was hoping it wouldn’t be, sir) – I knew exactly what I was going to write about.

the iconic cover

When a French moneylender dies in-flight on the Channel Crossing, her murder seems impossible: she was surrounded by empty seats. But murder it has been – of that Hercule Poirot is certain, especially when police discover the murder weapon, a tribal blowpipe and poisoned dart.

But Poirot knows the case is not as simple as archaeological obsessions and petty loans; and his interests turn to three clues: a stray wasp, a second teaspoon, and a mysterious piece of luggage he will tell no one about.

(Summary by me)

my own copy: a special edition set hardback

THE GOODS

Christie’s distraction techniques. She had a uniquely simple way of creating mystery, and this novel is no different in its depth of complexities. It’s the fact that her distractions possess distractions themselves – the red herrings ate red herrings, so to speak. And, whilst I saw into one level that Japp and French detective Fournier didn’t, the deeper level and the real clue(s) I missed.

Characters – including an eccentric mystery writer (is there any other?)! It amuses me to think that Christie is portraying and parodying herself there; after all, she did the same in the character of Poirot’s good friend, Ariadne Oliver. This just proves that every writer has the motive and opportunity to cameo themselves into their novels!

wonderfully portrayed by Zoe Wanamaker

 

THE BADS

I read the book in a day to satisfy my curiosity – no mystery left unsolved, and all that – but I could have put it down around the middle chapters, which dragged a little, especially those not centred around M. Poirot.

Third person omniscient. I honestly have no issue with Christie’s style as a reader, but, now that I’m a writer, I can see that people would take issue with her broad, brash use of third person omniscient. Indeed, even in the very first chapter, we are treated to a go-around of the thoughts of each suspect prior to the murder. Later, there is a chapter called ‘The List’, which lives up to its title by being, almost entirely, comprised of a list. Using my amateur sleuth eye, I found it fascinating and sprightly: “Handkerchief (stained). Fountain pen (leaking).” but I can see why we are advised away from that sort of writing.

As much as I love Christie’s plots and tone, I wonder if she’d get a publishing deal with the business nowadays.

Overall

I’d never say no to reading an Agatha Christie novel – indeed, I’d definitely read ‘Death in the Clouds’ again, because of all its idiosyncrasies and unique twists. And Poirot is spectacular as ever! Most characters are vivid, the plot is sensible, yet fantastic – and, of course, it was the mystery that held onto me into the night.

Ten agrees with my book choice…though I wonder which mystery was the “good one” that fooled him. I’d bet for Murder on the Orient Express or And Then There Were None, which I call Christie’s ‘non-traditional’ solutions.

“Agatha Christie! I was just talking about you the other day. I said ‘I bet she’s brilliant.’… What a mind! You fool me every time. Well, almost every time. Well…once or twice. Well: once. But it was a good one!”

I couldn’t find the exact video clip to the quote (which I happen to know off the top of my head like the Doctor Who and Mystery nerd I am), but here’s Ten getting excited at solving a mystery with Agatha Christie:

 

The Agatha Christie Reader gives a tidy review of ‘Death in the Clouds” #7th place.

Now to find the television/film adaptation (apparently broadcast before I was born)…

Books, TV, Plotting…

Last week, I watched one of the series of Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes episodes, and it seems to have stuck in my head ever since. I can’t entirely say why, except that its plot grabbed me. The title ‘the Master Blackmailer’ suited some of the differences between the episode and the story; Conan Doyle’s original adventure was one in the Return of Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton.

Anyway, I enjoyed it. I rooted for every good guy, I wished to see the bad guy fall (though I was also reminded of Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, due to the same actor, Robert Hardy!). Overall, I was particularly pleased with the craft. It definitely did better than the previous one I watched: the Last Vampyre. Umm, what?

The one thing I was a little disappointed in, though, was, what appeared to me a lack of resolve. That’s not to say the plot didn’t come to a close and the antagonist got his comeuppance – I felt that the little things I wanted to see fitting together didn’t come so neatly. And that’s frustrating.

Now, I have to hand the volume of the Complete Sherlock Holmes, and I read the story today. (Most of Doyle’s Holmes works are bite-sized enough for me to read in half an hour.) I can see why the plotting was of no fault of the programme; in fact, a lot of what was televised was created – and in the short story we catch up with Holmes meeting the antagonist, but in the TV programme, this does not happen for a least a third or a half way through. Events that were merely touched over in the writing were embellished and explored in the episode.

I’m afraid to say, in my books, this wins a point for televised adaptations…or this one at least.

As I was saying, it was these little things. Perhaps because I watched the episode first, I am biased to it, but I did enjoy that it built up to the antagonist’s reveal – it gave us viewers a fuller introduction to Holmes’ client – and to her background and (as an extra from the episode) her friendship with the latest woman who had suffered similarly at the hands of Milverton. In this way, the stakes were livened and deepened in the TV programme more than the written story. It linked. And that’s what I like to see in my stories.

Do I dare to use the word? Yes: sub-plots weren’t so neatly done in the book. One sub-plot, in particular, sparks my interest, but with nothing in the story and not much conclusion in the video:

“You’ll be interested to hear that I’m engaged.”

“My dear fellow. I congrat –”

“To Milverton’s housemaid.”

“Good Heavens, Holmes!”

The upside with the Jeremy Brett episodes is that they are incredibly faithful to Doyle’s text (Brett himself made that so), and I recalled the exchange and the little after it as it was exactly.

But that was it. At least, as is the way with TV, we were able to see a relationship blooming between Holmes and the maid. This I found marvellous, because, as many of you may well know, Holmes does not feel love. Despite being false, I loved to see him charm the housemaid, Agatha, as the plumber with a terrible Welsh accent. (Yes, indeed, how was that a Welsh accent?)

Montage from Youtube time! Turns out I’m not the only one who loved the acting in these scenes, though some might be disappointed if they knew that wasn’t the way Doyle wrote it! I love Jeremy Brett – he was such a brilliant actor. Also, general emphathy on my part for Aggie, simply because that’s Agnetha’s nickname – and one feels for one’s own characters, you know (especially since she has her own heart broken in book one).

It helped that Sophie Thompson is such a good actress that I felt she really had fallen in love with Sherlock Ralph.

But this is where my main disappointment comes in. Holmes later arrives at the manor as himself, and we, the viewers, get a glimpse that Agatha has realised that her plumber is really a gentleman (after all, his accents weren’t so different!). We get that close up of her face, shocked, and the soundbite of one romantic thing Sherlock said to her…but that is it.

And I really expected more. No one pretends to be someone else, gets engaged as their alter-ego, and expects their fiancé to be okay when they realise that it’s been a lie. Come on!

What I would have liked to have seen – as a writer and an enjoyer of good TV – was some CONFLICT, preferably along the lines of Agatha turning around and saying to Sherlock, “how could you do such a thing like that? You call yourself a gentleman, but you acted so poorly to a vulnerable servant – and you broke a young girl’s ‘eart.”

Or, in the words of Eliza Doolittle:

“’E’s no gentlem’n, he ain’t, t’interfere wiv a poor gal.”

Yes, that is me, playing Eliza. I was pretty proud of the Pygmalion endeavour – three different accents in one play! And I got an A grade for my part

Just a point, you TV writers: if you’re going to improve upon implicit sub-plots of short stories, please do the duty to finish them off nicely for me.

The Brettish empire has some thoughts on the plot, too. Check out her opinion on Sherlock’s first kiss if you have a spare five minutes.

Ten Things I Love About Professor Layton

This post was well overdue. I don’t share my love of the Professor Layton DS games as much as I should on this blog. And, now, presenting…

Hershel Layton!

Yay, for fan-art! The best of my drawing skills

10. Enigmatic. One word. Should be my word of the week. Also: awesome. It’s Layton’s clothes to which I’m actually referring. Whilst the man himself has a lot of secrets, it’s his attire that is most enigmatic. He somehow manages to pull of the top hat (I love it!) and jumper/jacket combination. There used to be a teacher at my school who dressed with collar up-turned like so.

9. Action. Professor Layton may drink tea and stay up all night researching archaeology, but that doesn’t mean he is physically lazy. A competent fencer, Layton shows his skills off at the end of game when it comes to fighting the antagonist. And, of course, Layton always wins!

8. Sensible. Some geniuses can be wacky and unpredictable (*cough* Don Paolo *cough*) – it comes with the impractical quantity of the intelligence. Hershel Layton is not so. He manages to keep a calm demeanour a good proportion of the time, a cheerful temperament whilst concocting answers in his powerful mind.

7. Kindness. Not simply because he’s a gentleman, but because he also has cares for the people he meets on his adventures, whether they are grandly affected by the evil or only slightly.

6. Mysteries. It’s more than just a puzzle game, and I love how a story of actual mysteries is weaved through the games, both for us to solve and for Layton himself to.

5. Music. This is more about the game itself than the character, but I love the music composed for Layton, especially his leitmotif, something which captures my interest and imagination every time I hear it. There’s a story in each well-selected piece.

4. Voice. Frankly, he has a dreamy voice. This is probably less to do with the voice-actor (Christopher Robin Miller) and more to do with the combination of image, mannerisms and voice.

3. Romantic. He may be tough at times, but Hershel once had a woman with which he was besotted. I am a sucker for reading/watching fictional characters fall in love and I really enjoyed the dynamics between Claire and Hershel in his flashbacks in The Lost/Unwound Future.  I may be the only person in the world to romantically ‘ship’ Flora-Layton (ie. Florton) (and I got a much older sense of her from the first game, like, my age) but Claire changed my mental pairing.

2. Gentleman. Who wouldn’t love someone who gives free advice on how to be a gentleman/lady?

1. Intelligent. Without intelligence, there would probably not be a reason/solution for each game, but that’s to why I praise him. Instead, it’s because of his clear, methodical attitude to each mystery. Although, in the end, it’s the user who completes each puzzle, the story would not exist without Layton’s inimitable knowledge of the way the world works.

 

Oh, and Happy Easter for tomorrow. My scheduled post isn’t about Easter, but it is about brains…and they’re kinda shaped like eggs… xD

Alex away! “Success!”

Another Next Big Thing

Basically tagged by Joan, I decided I do another Next Big Thing, a companion to my previous, but this time, about my other main novel.

What is the working title of your book?

A TALE OF JACKETS AND PHONES

the less-than-awesome cover I created when I was fourteen

From where did the idea for the book come?

Interesting story, actually: my school put on a ‘murder in the library’ research project, oh, four years ago, and I participated with my friends for the random fun of it. It was almost a waste of three lunchtimes, but good that it helped me cope with my depression at the time.
It also got me thinking…what if this murder had actually been real? How would everyone have reacted? I did very little on the spot, but when I went on holiday to Jordan that Easter, I befriended a girl slightly younger than me and started to talk about my ‘version of events’. When she said “you should turn it into a story,” history was sown.

What genre does your book fall under?

YA contemporary mystery.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I don’t know whether I’m allowed to elect myself for Agnetha King, main character, but, as a white, British teenage actress with blonde hair, I am eligible to play the part. Who better to play a character than someone who knows her best? I’ve been told that I can play younger, though there’s not much of an age-difference between us, and I would say that the greatest physical difference between us is that my hair is now darker, shorter and frizzier.

As Rosaleen Cloade

Eva Birthistle caught my eye when she played Rosaleen Cloade in Christie’s ‘Taken at the Flood’, but, researching her, I found that she’s also great at playing tough, changeable characters. Her short, blonde hair is how I had imagined Caroline Peterson, ex girlfriend to the deceased and key suspect in the police’s eyes. This actress needs to be flexible in her acting, as Caroline keeps changing herself, both voluntarily and involuntarily due to something mysterious. By the end of the novel, she’s almost a different person to the one Agnetha first meets.

Birthistle’s modern look – perfect for Ms. Peterson

It was more difficult for me to find an actor to play DCI George Leonard, simply because I don’t know the character enough yet (he only recently obtained a first name!). He’s a determined cop, but unsympathetic man when it comes to Agnetha’s feelings, so I needed someone with a stern attitude. I came across Adrian Lester. I’ve seen him play nice, but I think, after growing a moustache, he could also play a less friendly character.

Juno Temple rocks the teen look in a lot of films. That’s why I’d choose her to play the mysterious girl who turns up whenever Agnetha is in danger. Whilst her hair would have to be cut, it’s pale enough and I love the springiness of it – and, with a bit of makeup, she could have a real pallid physique. I’ve not seen Temple in many other films, but I know she can play straight roles well – and I’d love to see her play the weak girl who has strength hidden deep within her.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

When her schoolteacher is murdered, Agnetha vows to solve the mystery and bring his killer to justice – for better or for worse, even when she and the only link to the truth are the next targets on the killer’s list.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I’ve always wanted to traditionally publish this set of books. Because Of Jackets and Phones was the first successful attempt I made at writing a full novel, there’s a lot of significance in having the Trilogy traditionally represented. Until then, however, I need to madly edit it.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

A few months, though no longer than half a year. I know I started this time in 2009, writing everything longhand in notebook(s); I finished typing up the draft just before the Christmas of the same year.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Um, I guess Nancy Drew, though I’ve not read any, but it’s a similar idea of a teen detective, though Agnetha is  lot ruder than Nancy. I’d not like to compare my writing to Agatha Christie’s works, but – as well as the fact that Agnetha makes allusions to Christie a few times – the style of ‘cosy’ mystery is very similar.

Oh, and it’s set in oxford, so I can say that you might be reminded of Morse/Lewis (I’ve seen all episdoes of Morse, though I’m too young to remember them when they were first shown, so I actually grew up watching Lewis). I’d love Agnetha to hunt murderers along DI Lewis and DS Hathaway!

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

Three people/things (excluding myself) pop into mind:

1. Emily Beswick, the girl whom I met and told my story to in Jordan. I owe her big time!

2. ABBA music and dubbed Doctor Who stories that I listened to/watched on YouTube. I intended to, at one point, write a story about those Rhino aliens, but it got shelved.

3. The teacher who ended up being the victim in the library research project, in whose form Mr. Josh Craig was born (and subsequently died).

OJAP was my first finished novel, so I say that I helped, having the gall to do it.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Explosions! Megaphone weapons! Cucumber yoghurt! Agnetha gets herself into a fair few scrapes, but the worst is when she finds herself trapped in a science cupboard at school…and she’s claustrophobic! The same scene I twisted for inclusion in my short story in last year’s ebook ‘Scream For Charity’.

Also, it’s the first of a Trilogy that gets darker as Agnetha grows into an adult.

That’s me done! Anybody who feels inspired to write a Next Big Thing post, feel free to link back here.

Soap-Operas: Influencing Writers Since Childhood

I was the girl who grew up watching soaps because her mother did, who sneaked in second episodes when the parents’ backs were turned, who wandered up the hill in her garden (yes, my old house came with a miniature hill), mumbling characters and dialogue to herself. I am the lonely, only child.

Of all the pictures of my garden, I have none of the hill…

The basic idea of soaps has stuck with me to this day – perhaps that may be the reason behind my subconscious scene-hopping (thank goodness it is no longer head-hopping!) due to the visual use of scene-changes to keep the pace of a soap lively.

I’m a very visual thinker. I currently have mind-maps of psychologists’ names hanging from my bedroom ceiling in preparation for my summer exams. I think it’s very natural that I have picked up the visuals of writing in this way. I ‘see’ the scene unfold in my head, and so I write it as I see it, from whosoever’s perspective it happens to be.

And this can be a problem. ‘When The Clock Broke’ was my first novel in third person and I’ve had to spend quite a bit of preliminary editing removing traces of omniscient person from scenes. It was as if I was a narrator standing from above – or watching the scene unfold from behind the screen of a TV. Too, I was faced with multiple POVs throughout, including only one chapter set from one of the MCs brothers’ perspective.

Now, this certainly wasn’t intentional. However, it does raise some ideas of problems for the following books. I’m guessing that they have to be set from several viewpoints, to make the rest of the trilogy equal to the first. I have a fair few ideas for the last book, but the second is still out of reach.

And, yes, I blame soap-operas for giving me this automatic view of mind when it came to writing that novel.

Nowadays, I’m not a big fan of soaps; I could be doing so much more in the time when I sit and watch them daily. Yet, they have become part of my life through the use of habit and my obsessions of routine. I even have a mind that is tilted towards life as a soap:

This week on Girls [I swear, the creators stole that title from my mind!]: As Alex continues to stress about whether she should play at the lunchtime concert, she becomes inundated with more work, school, editing, and the magazine. Which will she choose as her top priority when her final grade could depend on the choice? And Mother’s Day is looming for all the girls – how will they cope this year?

As you can see, I drafted this post last week. But I could have made another one up as I go to post now. “As Alex spends more time away from home, the essays pile up…” etc etc.

Why is it so easy? Because creating a soap tale for the week and paraphrasing it like that is almost the identical set-up of writing a hook or query. Protagonist, goal(s), issue.

Everybody needs good neighbours…

Soaps often sap away realism by throwing disasters at an entire neighbourhood one after the other. This would never happen in real life. And this is what truly annoys me about soaps, beyond their addictive quality.

On the flip side, I do care. (Even if I care about characters too easily. It’s what makes me a great actress ). This way of using disaster to grab the watchers’ attentions is what I think is pretty nifty about soaps. Writers should always inject – weave – drama into every scene, to keep the action alive. It’s something which I myself can struggle with.

That said, I couldn’t know whether my soap habit helps or hinders my writing. True, the melodrama is great for tension and building sympathy, but with such a range of topics, characters and plots nowadays, I think writing following the pattern of soaps would just be too complicated to work as a novel. Besides, the time I spend watching soaps might be better used for first drafts or editing!

What about you? Are there ever times that you feel that your life is following a soap? And do you think soaps help or hinder writers?

Best Moment Award

Awarding the people who live in the moment,
The noble who write and capture the best in life,
The bold who reminded us what really mattered -
Savoring the experience of quality time.

There’s nothing that says what makes a blog great. It has no official ‘way’; to say so would be kidding the voters, the vox populi. I don’t believe in formulae, except of the chemical kind.

When I started this blog, just over a year ago now, it was at a writing partner’s request. I had no idea what I was going to post about or say. And, to be frank, I still have no clue.

But that’s like life, isn’t it? We’re all bumbling along, waiting for the next hurdle, because that’s all we can do; preempting an act only works a third of the time. In the same way, I take each day as it comes on my blog – each piece of inspiration as it arrives, both through my emotional instability and the eclectic nature of my thoughts.

Imagine my surprise, then, to be awarded the ‘Best Moment’ Award from the folks at momentmatters.com, about being in the moment and existing beyond it. It was for this post - surprisingly popular – about what I might do to gain inspiration for my writing, be that of blog or novel.

Just as there is nothing that can make a blog, there is nothing that can, specifically, make an acceptance speech. I blog the (slightly altered) madness that pours from my mind, so it is only fair that this ‘acceptance speech’ should be just as rewarding in its rhythmic babble.

This is my own and I’d like to thank all of my readers who have kept with me up to this point, especially Jae and the Mystic Cooking ladies.

As a side-note, I don’t thank people enough, but I thank the same people too often. As such, if you are reading this, quicumque sunt – whoever you are – thank you. It’s enough that you’re here: a name once typed on a blog online can never mean greater than the thought of my words being absorbed.

 

The Rules

1. Create an acceptance speech, either by Video (to do a video post would have been fun, but I get really self-conscious knowing my own camera is pointed my way) or a written speech post.

2. Pass the award onto 15 other bloggers and their posts.

 

And now for my own nominees! I’ve tried to pick posts that I feel are deep and meaningful or greatly informative or that have helped me – because that’s what I feel being in the moment is about.

1. Brian Taylor for ‘Is the End really the End?’

2. AMB for ‘A Controversial Parenting Decision: Separating Twins’

3. Jae Dansie for ‘Happy Ever After?’

4. A Mind Divided for ‘Where Everything is Music’

5. Mystic Cooking for ‘First Love’

6. Bipolar Muse for ‘Emotional Intelligence: Practise It’

7. Chris Martin for ‘Join Our Family (One7)’

8. Musings From Neville’s Navel for ‘Dual-Enrolment and High School Homeschoolers’

9. The Loony Teen Writer for ‘The Dreaded Info-Dump’

10. Nicole Helm for ‘Two Weeks in the Books’

11. Miriam Joy for ‘E-books and Print Books: The Apocalyptic Showdown’

12. Laohutiger for ‘Gnomicon 278’

13. Erin Long for ‘Do Used Ebooks Spell Doom for Indie Writers?’

14. Katy Upperman for ‘One Word Wednesday #14’

15. Yawatta Hosby for ‘Running a Marathon, Not a Sprint’