Susan Elliot Wright

Review of Jubilee, by Shelley Harris

2012-02-24T18:38:00.000Z

Well, what a treatthis book was. A clever idea, beautifully realised. Satish Patel is apaediatric cardiologist with a guilty secret. The secret is revealed quiteearly on, but we then want to know why Satish is in this situation, and why he is so upset by the idea of appearing ina staged photograph to recreate the one taken of him and his neighbours in aJubilee street party in 1977. The shot, taken when Satish was eleven, became an iconic representation of'multicultural Britain', and made the photographer's name.

The narrativeslips seamlessly back and forth between the present and the day of the streetparty. It's soon clear that something awful happened to Satish that day,and that whatever is was occurred as a result of the casual racism that wasinherent in 1970s British society. As we meet the children and adults who appeared inthe original photograph, we see how their behaviour and attitudes range from asimple lack of understanding to outright racist cruelty.

The author maintains the tension right throughthe novel, revealing the past little by little, and showing us the effects that that past has had on the present. The readeris gripped by a number of questions, but as we wonder whether Satish will comeout of this with his career, family and friendships intact, we want to know inparticular what happened to him that day that was so traumatic. When therevelation comes , it is unexpected, deeply shocking, and brilliantly handled.I finished the novel a few weeks ago now but am still haunted by one particular scene. The most upsetting aspect of what happened, and perhaps the most distressing for the young Satish, is the reaction of the mostly well-meaning adults to whom he goes for help and comfort. This is powerful stuff.

Satish is a hugelysympathetic character, and his character and those of his family are utterlyconvincing. One or two of the minor characters weren't quite as vividly drawn,but this is a minor criticism because it had very little effect of the overall storytelling,which was pacey and well-judged. The period detail was perfect - enough to givea sense of the era but without laying it on with a trowel. I also loved thelast section of the book in which there are some immensely satisfying events,leading us to a perfectly balanced ending. An enjoyable and affecting novel.

To read my other reviews or find my recipes, see this post: http://selliotmedia.blogspot.com/2012/02/links-to-all-my-food-bits-reading-bits.html?utm_source=BP_recent

To find out more about me and my work, visit www.susanelliotwright.co.uk

Links to all my Food Bits & Reading Bits

2012-02-16T18:22:00.001Z

When I first startedthis blog, every post included a 'writing bit', a 'reading bit' and a 'foodbit'. Often, the reading bits were book reviews, and the food bits includedrecipes or meal ideas, usually (but not always) vegan or vegetarian. Alas, I soon realised that, in my enthusiasm,I'd rather underestimated the time it would take to write three differentcomponents each week, so I now tend to stick to one or two subjects. But I've realised that the titles of theposts only refer to the writing bit, so in this post, I've listed all therecipes and book reviews (the early ones are very brief - they get longer!) that I've written so far, and I'll keepadding to them as I write more, with the most recent first.

20 Jan 2012 http://selliotmedia.blogspot.com/2012/01/review-of-hurry-up-and-wait-by-isabel.html?utm_source=BP_recent

Book: Hurry up andWait, by Isabel Ashdown

Food: Soya mincewith herbs, garlic, tomatoes and red wine

8 Jan 2012 http://selliotmedia.blogspot.com/2012/01/hows-everyone-elsegetting-on-with-their.html?utm_source=BP_recent

Food: Red bean dahl

22 Dec 2011 http://selliotmedia.blogspot.com/2011/12/its-christmas.html?utm_source=BP_recent

Food: Festive cashewnut roast with sage, onion and apricot stuffing.

11 Dec 2011 http://selliotmedia.blogspot.com/2011/12/whens-right-time-to-share-your-novel.html?utm_source=BP_recent

Food: Veganchocolate pots

2 Dec 2011 http://selliotmedia.blogspot.com/2011/12/nanononsense-aftermath.html?utm_source=BP_recent

Book: This is How,by M J Hyand

Food: a three coursevegan meal: Butternut squash soup, sausages, sweet potato mash and red winegravy, baked peaches

25 Nov 2011 http://selliotmedia.blogspot.com/2011/11/nanowrimo-week-4-champagne-time.html?utm_source=BP_recent

Book: PartialEclipse, by Lesley Glaister

Food: a week's veganmeal ideas

19 Nov 2011 http://selliotmedia.blogspot.com/2011/11/nanowrimo-week-three.html?utm_source=BP_recent

Book: Sister, byRosamund Lipton

Food: a week's veganmeal ideas

12 Nov 2011 http://selliotmedia.blogspot.com/2011/11/nanowrimo-week-2-nanonaughty.html?utm_source=BP_recent

Book: No book thisweek - it's NaNoWriMo month!

Food: a week's veganmeal ideas

4 Nov 2011 http://selliotmedia.blogspot.com/2011/11/nonowrimo-first-week.html?utm_source=BP_recent

Book: My PerfectSilence, by Penelope Evans

Food: a week's veganmeal ideas

29 Oct 2011 http://selliotmedia.blogspot.com/2011/10/now-entering-nanozone.html?utm_source=BP_recent

Book: Blackmoor, byEdward Hogan

Food: Ratatouillecrumble

21 Oct 2011 http://selliotmedia.blogspot.com/2011/10/what-makes-goodquery-letter-writing-bit.html?utm_source=BP_recent

Book: The StillPoint, by Amy Sackville

Food: Vegan burger & chips

14 Oct 2011 http://selliotmedia.blogspot.com/2011/10/tips-on-finding-agent.html?utm_source=BP_recent

Book: The Devil'smusic, by Jane Rusbridge

Food: Smoked haddockpie

7 Oct 2011 http://selliotmedia.blogspot.com/2011/10/creating-believablecharacters-07october.html?utm_source=BP_recent

Book: Glasshopper,by Isabel Ashdown

Food: Butternutsquash and walnut risotto

30 Sept 2011 http://selliotmedia.blogspot.com/2011_09_01_archive.html

Book: The Eleganceof the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery

Food: VeganCassoulet

23 Sept 2011 http://selliotmedia.blogspot.com/2011/09/creative-writingclasses-worth-doing.html?utm_source=BP_recent

Book: A Visit fromthe Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan

Food: Vegan cupcakes

16 Sept 2011 http://selliotmedia.blogspot.com/2011/09/its-all-about-pace-and-weather.html?utm_source=BP_recent

Book: The Road Home,by Rose Tremain

Food: Vegan sausages and mash with red wine andonion gravy

For more about me and my work, visit www.susanelliotwright.co.uk

When your characters speak

2012-02-04T13:14:00.000Z

The Writing Bit

How do you make yourdialogue convincing ? It has to berealistic enough to be believable , but your characters shouldn't speak exactly like real people, and you onlyhave to eavesdrop on a few conversations to see why. Real people say 'um' and 'er'; we waffle; we go off the point; we don't finish oursentences; we use the wrong word; we can't remember why we started telling youthis in the first place. Characters can't get away with that (well, once,maybe, to make a point about the character).

But by and large,what your characters say should be more interesting, meaningful and to thepoint than what real people say, and they should say it in more interestingways. If you catch your characterwittering on about something that really isn't relevant to his/her character,the scene, or the overall story, it's time to shut them up!

Dialogue is awonderful way of 'showing' rather than 'telling', but we do need to 'tell'sometimes, such as when showing would clearly bore the pants off our readers. Sofor example, it's ok to summarise:

'How was work,' he asked.

She sat heavily on the sofa and sighed. 'You don't want to know,' she said, and then proceeded to give him a blow-by-blow account of her day.

In terms of thecharacters and their relationship, maybe we do need to know that they had thisdiscussion, but we don't need to hear the blow-by-blow account of her day, sosummarising in this way is fine.

Speech attribution

He said/she said.That's it; it's all you need. Anythingelse is an authorial intrusion, because the reader is likely to notice it, and when a reader notices thewriting, it means that he or she has stopped reading, albeit briefly. Ok, we can probably get away with 'hewhispered' (or muttered/yelled/shouted); and I don't think the reader is likelyto trip up over 'she asked' (or replied/added/continued) but please, oh please,avoid speech tags that are unnecessary or inappropriate at best, and at worstpompous, overblown or archaic. I have seen all of the following used as speechtags in contemporary fiction: opined;interjected; retorted; exclaimed; remonstrated; expostulated; and (I kid you not) ejaculated.

The simplest tag ofall, 'said', is virtually invisible on the page. If you feel you're using ittoo much, can you show who's speaking by their actions, or just by what they'resaying? For example:

'Hey, at last!' Hestood up, smiling, his arms outstretched.

She hurried towards him, dropped her bags athis feet. 'I'm so, so sorry!' She leaned in and kissed him. 'First I couldn'tget a taxi, then the traffic was horrendous and the stupid man keptgoing on about what was wrong with the transport system in this country,and ...oh sorry, I'm rambling. But I mean really, do I look like the sort ofperson who would be interested in - '

'No, darling, youdon't. Anyway, you're here now.' He leaned over and pulled out the chairopposite. 'Sit down. Drink?'

'Oh lovely. G and Tplease.'

He looked around for awaiter. 'Gin and tonic for my companion, please.'

She giggled. 'Ooh, getyou. "my companion" indeed.'

He leaned back in hischair, a smile spreading slowly over his face. 'So how would you describeyourself?'

'Let me see...girlfriend is too young; ladyfriend is too old. Mistress? No, then people wouldthink you were married. Shame; I quite like the idea of being a mistress.' Sheleaned towards him and lowered her voice. 'How about lover?'

Ok, it's not themost riveting piece of dialogue I've ever written, but I think you'll agreeit's fairly easy to tell who's speaking, and not a speech attribution in sight. I'm not a fan ofqualifying 'said' with adverbs, either (she said, angrily) But that's probablya whole different blog post.

So to sum up: he said, she said - fine. That is all.

The Food Bit

If you don't went tospend too long faffing around in the kitchen, this garlicky mushroom pasta is dead easy and quite delish.

Bring a large pan ofsalted water to the boil and pop in enough pasta (egg-free if you're vegan) fortwo. Meanwhile, slice about 300g of mushrooms. I use a mixture of portobello,chestnut and ordinary closed cap mushrooms. Put in a pan with some olive oil and cook over a medium heat. Crush twobig fat cloves of garlic and chuck that in with the mushrooms. Add a good grindof black pepper, a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard and a slosh of white wine.Cook for a couple of minutes - they should be more or less cooked by now - then add about 100ml of string vegetable stockand a squeeze of lemon juice. When theliquid has more or less evaporated, taste, and add salt and more pepper ifnecessary, and chuck in a handful of chopped flat leaf parsley. Mix with the cooked pasta, adding more olive oil ifliked, and serve.

This goes well with most types of pasta. For even more flavour, add a few driedporcini (wild mushrooms). Soak in alittle boiling water first, then add to the fresh mushrooms. You can use theremaining water as a base for your veggie stock, but make sure you strain itfirst because the mushrooms are sometimes a bit gritty. Suitable for vegansif you use vegan wine (or use more stock instead of wine).

To find out more about me and my work, visit: www.susanelliotwright.co.uk

Review of Hurry Up And Wait, by Isabel Ashdown

2012-01-20T19:18:00.002Z

No 'Writing Bit'this week, because it's a book review instead.

TheReading Bit

When I first startedreading Isabel Ashdown's Hurry Up And Wait,I thought it was going to be anenjoyably nostalgic look at teen culturein the mid eighties. And it was, but then things took a much darker turn andthat' s where the story really took off.

The main section ofthe novel is set over the course of the 1985/86 school year, and is framed bypresent day sections at the beginning and end. My own teens were a littlebefore this, but the dynamics of teenage friendships were the same then and Isuspect they aren't too different now. Teenage girls are often fickle, theirfriendships coming and going like the tides. One minute, girls can beinseparable, intense, hanging on one another's every word; the next minutethey're indifferent at best, spiteful and cruel at worst. This perennial truth is well observed andexpertly portrayed in this novel.

Sarah is always slightly on the edge of agroup of three, so she's particularly vulnerable to the whims of Kate, the coolest of the three andvery much the leader. When Kate decides to make Sarah suffer, she leads thethird girl, Tina, in a campaign oftaunting and bullying. And yet Sarah -an all-round nice, sensible girl - isstill attracted to Kate as a friend, despite Kate's cruelty and betrayal.

Hurry Up And Wait shows brilliantly how vitalthese unsatisfactory friendships seem at the time. For Sarah, whose mum diedwhen she was tiny and whose dad is older and less cool than the other dads, herfriendship with Kate is central, but her increasingly close connection withKate and her family leads to an event that has a devastating effect on Sarah'slife.

This novel is atreasure trove of period detail and of authentic characters. Some, such asSarah, her dad, and one or two of her friends, are thoroughly likeable; others,such as Kate , Dante, Jason, and theawful teacher Mrs Minor, range from the not-so-likeable to the distinctlyunlikeable. But all are convincing. The novel starts in the present day withSarah, aged almost 40, arriving for a school reunion. She then takes us on ajourney through her memory as she relives that turbulent final school yearbefore bringing us back to the present where she faces the truth of what happened all those yearsbefore.

I enjoyed IsabelAshdown's first novel, Glasshopper, butI enjoyed this even more. The style is so easy to read that before you know it, you're two thirds of the way through the novel - I read thelast third in one sitting! I'd say hurryup and read Hurry Up And Wait!

TheFood Bit

Freezing out, isn'tit? When you're cold right through andfeel the need for some warming vegan comfort food (yes, is does exist), try soya mince with vegetables,garlic, red wine and herbs. This is a'one pot' dish, so you'll need a large pan.

For two people,you'll need one onion, a couple oflargish potatoes, a few carrots, and a handful of other veg - whatever you'vegot in the fridge, really. I made this the other night and used half a red and half a green pepper, some mushrooms and three babysweetcorns that were left over from a stir-fry. But broccoli works well, too,and so do green beans. You'll also need 50g of savoury soya mince, about twopints of vegetable stock, half a tin of chopped tomatoes, a heaped teaspoon of tomato puree, three cloves of garlic (crushed), some mixed herbs and a goodslosh of red wine.

First, peel thepotatoes and carrots and cut into chunks, then boil in half of the vegetablestock until almost cooked through. Make up the soya mince following theinstructions on the pack but use some of the veg stock instead of water. (It's usually 'add 150ml water to 50g soyamince and leave for ten minutes') Chopthe onion and fry in olive oil until soft, then add garlic and cook for a minute or two. Add all otheringredients except the stock and tinned tomatoes fry gently for a few minutes.Add stock and tinned tomatoes and simmer until all the veg is cooked and theflavours are absorbed. Taste, then season as required with salt and freshlyground pepper. You can also add more stock if required - I usually serve thisin bowls. You don't really need anything else with it, but is there's sauce tobe mopped up at the end, crusty bread is good.

For more about me and my work, visit my website: www.susanelliotwright.co.uk

A room of one's own - where do you write?

2012-01-15T13:22:00.000Z

Jilly Cooper writesin a gazebo in the grounds of her Cotswolds home; Jeanette Winterstoneuses an outbuilding that she describesas a cross between a shed and an office - she calls it her 'shoffice'; and Roald Dahl famously wrote in a shed at the bottom of his garden.

When the childrenwere small and I was an occasional, dabbling writer, I wrote at the kitchentable so I could keep an eye on what they were up to; I've also been known towrite in the car, in bed, or even in the bathroom - there was a time when thatwas the only way I could get a little time to myself!

These days, I'mlucky enough to have my own study. I have all I need: desk, office chair,bookshelves, books, a couple of comfy chairs and even a halogen heater forthose days when the central heating just can't warm someone who is sittingstill for hours at a time. The dog lies at my feet and photos of my loved oneslook down on me from the walls, which are also adorned by pictures that I like,plus framed certificates, awards etc. There's also a corkboard with'interesting things' pinned onto it. It's a great room. I love it.

Why then, do Ireally struggle to write in it? I canwrite this blog, I can write letters, I can write student reports and I can doall my lesson planning. But when it comes to the novel, I seem to dry up.

Recently, a friend offered me the use of adesk in her office for a few weeks until her new employee started, and I wasamazed at how much I achieved. So I tried to analyse why. What wasdifferent? First, the desk was clear and tidy - nothing on it but the pc andkeyboard. At home, even though I try to clear my desk every night, there arealways a few things that it doesn't seem worth putting away. Second, my friend was sitting opposite me andworking - if someone else is working, I feel guilty if I'm not working too!Third, no home telephone - at home, you're at the mercy of people who knowyou're there and think it's ok to call you for a chat in a way that theywouldn't dream of doing if you were 'at the office'. And fourth, I didn't use the internet. Therewas a connection, of course, but because my friend was working away in the sameroom, I felt far less inclined to spend time on Twitter, following interestinglinks or just chatting.

So now I no longerhave use of the office, I need to find a way of working that's just as effective. At the moment, I'm using cafes. I love the little independent tea and coffeeshops, but these can be almost too friendly and intimate, and anyway, I'd feelguilty sitting there for ages with one drink. But the big, impersonal places likeStarbucks and Costa are perfect, because as long as you buy something, they don't seem to mind you takingup a table. So for an outlay of roughly £2 for a coffee, I can stay comfortablyfor two hours and get quite a lot done.

When I thought about it, I realised that it's probably because theseplaces have all the elements I'd identified before: the table is clear -just a laptop and a coffee cup; there are plenty of other people around workingaway on their laptops; there's no landline telephone, and you can put your mobile on silent; and finally, there is aninternet connection if you want it, but with everyone else around working orchatting, you're less likely to use it.

So, at a 'rent' ofabout £4 a day for two 2-hour sessions, it's way cheaper that renting anoffice. If I do two sessions, I'll come home at lunchtime to deal with emailsetc. If I'm only doing one, I'll use it for fiction, then I'll do the otherstuff at home.

If I had a biggarden, I think I could make a 'shoffice' work, maybe in the form of an oldcamper van that doesn't go any more, but in the meantime my 'office' will beStarbucks or Costas, because I'm finally making some progress. I wonder how many novels are currently being penned in Starbucks and Costas?

What about you?Where do you write? Where would you write if you could choose an ideal place?

For more about me and my writing, visit www.susanelliotwright.co.uk

How's everyone else getting on with their New Year's resolutions?

2012-01-08T13:07:00.001Z

How's everyone else getting on with their New Year's resolutions? Even if you don't call them 'resolutions', it counts if you made any sort of plan of action for the new year. Last week, I publicly declared my intentions with regard to my plans for my working day in 2012, so how have I done so far? Hmm.

Write for at least two hours every morning: Well, including this one, there have been five mornings since I wrote that post. One was wiped out by a long dental appointment, and I'm taking a chunk out of this one to write the blog. (Really, I should use the afternoon for blog-writing, and I'll attempt to do so from now on.) That leaves three, and although I hit my target on Thursday and Friday, I confess to spending Saturday morning browsing holiday cottages online. So, given that the only valid excuse was the dental appointment, I've had a 50% success rate (and also, of course, a 50% failure rate.) Mark: C+ -you have made some effort, but not enough -must try harder.

Resume 'Morning Pages' - three pages of freewriting, preferably on waking: Oh dear. I have failed dismally here; haven't done it even once. Crazy, because when I was doing this regularly, I found it very useful. Maybe I need to start getting up earlier so I can't use lack of time as an excuse. Mark: F - dreadful! Appalling! Abominable! Must pull your socks up!

Do all teaching preparation, reading students' work, writing reports etc in the afternoon: Yes! Have restrained myself from trying to get these jobs 'out of the way' in the mornings and ending up allowing them to stretch into the whole day. This week, I've only had reports to write for a couple of my Open College of the Arts students, and by leaving it until after my writing session to work on them, I've felt that I've achieved a lot more by the end of the day. Mark A+ - good girl!

Restrict Twitter activity to two half-hour sessions during the working day: There have been four full days since this post, I've managed to stick to this on three days. On the other day, I realised that over an hour had passed with me just reading tweets and blogs, retweeting things and 'chatting'. Twitter is a wonderful resource for writers, and the camaraderie and friendship is hugely supportive, but Twitter can gobble up a lot of time. I really intend to get to grips with this. Mark: B+ - a good effort.

Take one or two days off from writing activities each week. Use these to catch up with household stuff, and to do something nice as well: Well, I took yesterday off, did some laundry, went to the theatre to see a excellent production of Stephen Sondheim's Company and had a Thai meal in the evening. So I think that counts. Mark: A- - good, but you didn't do the shopping. Don't start relaxing too much; you have a novel to write!

The Reading Bit

Just a thought this week - have you noticed that when you're reading a novel on a Kindle, it's quite hard to remember the title of the novel and the name of the author? This is because you're not looking at the cover every time you pick it up. Love my Kindle, but not sure I like this aspect.

The Food Bit

As promised last week, here is the recipe for Red Kidney Bean Dahl:

1 tin kidney beans

Half a tin chopped tomatoes

1 onion, sliced

4 cloves garlic

2 green chillies

1-2 tsp tomato puree

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

Oil for frying

Spices: 1/2 tsp each of cumin seeds and black mustard seeds, 1 tsp each of tandoori masala, turmeric, and garam masala. If you like a bit of a kick, 1/2 -1 tsp chilli powder (I'd start with 1/2 tsp!)

Put the tomatoes, chillies and garlic in a blender and whizz into a paste. Heat oil in a pan, then add the cumin and mustard seeds and cook for a few seconds, then add the onion and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the blended paste and all ingredients except the beans. Cook for a minute or so, then add the beans and about half a pint of water. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, and adding more water if needed. I like mine quite saucy (if you see what I mean). Serve this with some boiled basmati rice and naan bread or chapatis. There's enough here for two if it's the main dish, but we sometimes freeze it in smaller quantities and have it with, perhaps, a spinach and potato or green pepper and potato curry.

For more about me and my work, check out my website: http://www.susanelliotwright.co.uk

First post of 2012 - a writing plan!

2012-01-03T20:51:00.000Z

HappyNew Year! My apologies for late posting this week - I have a number of prettytop-quality excuses: a funeral, Christmas & New Year and the houseful offamily that go with them, a vicious head cold, plus a couple of days of paid work. I still have the cold but theother things are thankfully behind me now. I didn't even get round to putting atree up this year, and anyway, it didn't seem appropriate to decorate the housewhile we were still so close to my father-in-law's death in mid-December.

Withoutall the decorations and cards to take down, it should have made the 'gettingback to normal' a bit easier, but I still seem to be struggling to get on coursefor 2012. Does anyone else feel like they're trying to run up the 'down'escalator?

I haven't even had time to make my New Year's resolutions. Well, I don't make resolutions as such, but I do usually start the year with some sortof plan of action with regards to my writing, and I'm usually ready to hit theground running on the first of January (or the second, should the first besomewhat shortened by a hangover and a lie-in). But this year, we've somehowgot to the third day of 2012 and I still don't really have a plan, so I'm going to make one now, 'live' on the blog! If you don't have your own plan yet, feelfree to adapt mine. I really can't faff about this year, because I have atwo-book deal (hoorah!) and that means I actually have a deadline and need to deliver the second book ontime.

Ok, so in 2012 I will:

Write for at least two hours every morning, in two or three sessions. I find it's better to have a time commitment rather than a word commitment, because there are some days when the words just won't come, and I don't see the point of beating yourself up every time you don't hit a thousand words (or whatever). If I spend the two hours at my keyboard, thinking about my novel, I'm convinced something will happen. Won't it?

Resume 'morning pages' as recommended by Julia Cameron in The Artist's Way - three pages of stream-of-consciousness writing every morning, preferably on waking. This year, I might combine this with journal writing, so that the freewriting comes from what I've done, seen or thought about in the previous 24 hours.

Do all teaching admin, lesson preparation, reading students' work, writing reports, student tutorials etc in the afternoons only, thus keeping the mornings clear for writing. I have a habit of thinking I'll get teaching things 'out of the way' first, only to find they then stretch into the whole day.

Restrict daytime Twitter activity to two half-hour sessions a day - this will be difficult! There is so much on Twitter that is of interest to writers, not to mention the simple, pleasant chit-chat with other writers. But Twitter can easily gobble up a morning.

Take one or two days off from writing each week. These days can be used mainly for boring but essential stuff such as shopping, housework, household admin etc, but should also contain something nice - coffee or lunch with a friend, a walk in the countryside, some time reading all the fabulous blogs that are around, or even a short train journey to somewhere new - anything to recharge the creative batteries and allow time for story and characters to develop. I'm particularly keen to take a few train journeys this year - going to new places always helps to sharpen my observational skills.

And finally, I've realised that by having three sections to this blog - the Writing Bit, the Reading Bit and the Food Bit, I've bitten off rather more than I can chew, so in 2012, there won't be three sections every week, but there will always be either something about writing, or a book review. And there will usually be something about food.

TheFood Bit

Thisweek, because of the excuses/reasons stated at the start of the writing bit,the food bit will be brief. It'll be simply to tell you that as I type, VeganHusband is downstairs knocking up Red Bean Dhal - does anyone know thedefinition of dhal? I always thought it meant 'made with lentils', but this ismade with kidney beans. He's made it before and it's absolutely delicious,especially if you like your curries to have a bit of a kick - this should seeoff the last of my cold! He's cooking some basmati rice to go with it, andwe're going to pop to the Indian restaurant down the road in a minute to get asag bhuna and a garlic naan to have as side dishes. I'll get the recipe out of him later and willpost it next week. The garlicky, spicy aroma is now wafting up the stairs, and there's a glass of wine down there with my name on it!

For more about me and my work, check out my website: http://www.susanelliotwright.co.uk

It's Christmas!

2011-12-22T12:23:00.000Z

The Writing Bit

No Writing Bit thisweek - it's Christmas, and the only writing I'm doing is shopping lists, gifttags and Christmas cards!

The Reading Bit

When I look backover my Reading Journal (great Christmaspresent!) I see that I have read 33 books this year, still long way short of my target of 50. Includedin the total were two memoirs, but the rest were novels, including fourre-reads.

So, my top 10 readsthis year (some new, some not so new), in no particular order, are:

The Road Home, by Rose Tremain - this was oneI'd read before but returned to it because it's such a beautifully craftednovel with a wonderful central character.

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan -original and surprising. I thought it might be a bit 'tricksy' and annoying,but it's currently in my lifetime top 10. See my blog post September 23 for avery brief review.

The Rapture, by Liz Jenson - strange, chillingand beautiful. You need to be prepared to suspend disbelief, but it's worth it.

So Much for That, by Lionel Shriver - somereaders found this a depressing book, others viewed it as a rant against the UShealthcare system. The subject matter - terminal illness - is certainly notcheery, and there is an element ofranting. However, the novel is ultimately uplifting and I found it incrediblymoving and honest. Possibly one of the most affecting novels I've ever read.

The Testament of Jessie Lamb, by Jane Rogers -set in the very near future after an act of biological terrorism, this is notthe sort of novel I usually go for, however, this is both a page-turner and a'make you think-er'.

The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver -how on earth did it take me so long to get around to reading this book? If youhaven't read it yet, you must do so immediately! I have to say that the first few pages were abit hard to engage with, but once I'd got into the book and knew the charactersbetter, I re-read these pages and found them moving and beautiful.

The Devil's Music, by Jane Rusbridge, wonderfulsetting, a family tragedy, vivid and beautiful writing - what's not to like?See my blog post October 14 for a review.

The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte PerkinsGilman - this was another of my re-reads. It's a short, chilling novel ofmadness. The character's post-natal depression is mismanaged by herwell-meaning doctor husband, and she ends up in a worse state than she was inthe beginning.

This is How, by M J Hyland - the writing isspare and precise; the character odd but affecting. See ,y blog post December 2for a review.

The Little Stranger, by Sarah Waters - whatfun! A creepy, supernatural story set in a huge, chilly and decaying mansionhouse. The pace doesn't slacken for a minute and it's not until quite near tothe end that you get an inkling of what's going on. Wonderful!

The Food Bit

As promised, hereare a couple of fab vegan Christmas recipes:

Cashew NutRoast with sage, onion & apricot stuffing

About 25gof vegan sunflower spread

1 mediumonion and 2 sticks of celery, finely chopped

1 teaspoonof marmite dissolved in about half a pint of hot water (you can use veggiestock, but marmite helps to bind everything.)

500g nuts(I use a mix of cashew nuts and almonds)

2 tbspsoya flour

1 tbspchopped fresh parsley

1 tsp,dried winter savoury (or you can use mixed herbs)

3-4 slicesof bread made into crumbs

salt andpepper to taste

Fry theonion and celery in the sunflower spread for a few minutes. Add the marmite inhot water (or veggie stock, if you’re a marmite-hater) to the onion and celery,then stir in the soya flour, nuts, herbs, breadcrumbs and salt and pepper andmix well. Allow to cool slightly, Grease a loaf tin. Place half the nut roastmixture in the tin and press down, then add the stuffing (see below) and pressdown well again, then place the rest of the nut roast mixture on top. Bake inthe oven for about 40 minutes at mark 4 then turn out of the tin while stillwarm and serve sliced. This goes really well with all the traditionaltrimmings.

Stuffing

6 slicesof wholemeal bread, made into breadcrumbs

About 80gsunflower spread

3 tspdried sage (or 8 of fresh sage, chopped)

1 finelychopped onion

About 100gchopped, dried apricots

salt andpepper to taste

Fry theonion in the sunflower spread for a few minutes. Add other ingredients and mix.

RedCabbage with apple

1 redcabbage, sliced finely

1 smallred onion, sliced finely

2 medeating apples, grated

1 tbspsugar

1-2 tbspredcurrant jelly

2 tbspwine vinegar

1/4 tspground cloves or half tsp allspice

Salt to taste

Put all ingredientsexcept redcurrant jelly and salt in a pan, bring to the boil, then cover andsimmer for about 40 minutes. When cooked, stir in redcurrant jelly and add saltto taste. At this point, you may want to add more sugar/vinegar or redcurrantjelly. Just keep adding little by little and tasting as you go along.Non-vegans might like a bit of butter stirred in just before serving.

Merry Christmas!

For more about me and my work, check out my website: http://www.susanelliotwright.co.uk

I have a book deal!

2011-12-18T14:41:00.000Z

The Writing Bit

This week, I havesome rather wonderful news: I'm delighted to announce that my debut novel, The Things You Didn't Know, is to be publishedby Simon & Schuster in 2013 as part of a two-book deal. I am thrilled tobits about this, as I'm sure you can imagine! So my message this week is, don't give up! This novel has had long journey,and as the publishing climate has becomemore and more difficult, I began to wonder if my beloved characters would eversee the light of day.

So I thought itmight be interesting if I were to outline this novel's journey:

After completing thenovel, then titled Footsteps, to thebest of my ability, I began to seek representation. I was lucky enough to receive an offer very quickly, although I was unable to take it up because the agentconcerned was about to go on maternity leave. However, this gave me theconfidence to keep approaching agents. I then received a number ofrejections and began to wonder if the first offer had been a fluke. But then I received two offers of representation in the same week!

I met both agents, and chose Kate Shaw(then of Alexander Aitken, but now of The Viney Agency) because she had ideas for the book andsuggested revisions - including a major structural change - that I just knew were good.

So, I spentaround seven or eight months doing these revisions, and after a bit moretinkering, we felt the novel was ready to go, and it was sent out to severalmajor publishers. It didn't sell onthat occasion, but came very close indeed, with three of the editors sayingthat they'd been very tempted, four wanting to see my next novel andone - oh joy - actually taking my agent and me out to lunch. This particulareditor had reservations about one of the characters, and so I set to workon more revisions, more subtle this time, perhaps rather too subtle, as it would later transpire,because Kate felt I hadn't quite gone far enough with the changes. We talkedabout sending the book out with the new title to the smaller publishers, but then decided to putit aside for a while and concentrate on a second book.

I put the manuscript awayfor a whole year, during which time I wrote a radio play (currently under consideration with the BBC) and played around witha few different ideas for my second novel. When I looked at The Things You Didn't Know again, I saw things I hadn't seen before,and did yet more rewriting. I was still unsure about a particular section, so I sent that section to a freelance editor for some professional feedback. Getting a fresh pair of eyes on yourms can be invaluable - you become far too close to it after awhile. The editor made a brilliant observation about the order of events - by rearranging thingsslightly, that character's story would be much clearer and more logical.Hurrah! I knew this was the right thing to do, and I spent the whole weekendbusily re-ordering and rewriting, then rereading for 'continuity' errors.

The novel went outagain, and bingo, a two-book deal with the wonderful Simon & Schuster! I couldn't be more thrilled and excited!

So, if you're tryingto get your novel published, my advice is: don't be in too much of a hurry - ifa major revision will improve your novel, take the time and do it. Consider putting your work aside for severalmonths so you can view it more objectively. Consider obtainingprofessional feedback on your work andbe open to suggestions, (only if they chime with you, though) even if it means a lot of work, and finally, don't give up!

The Reading Bit

No reading bit, thisweek, I'm afraid. We've been busy and preoccupied with a family bereavement - myfather-in-law died rather suddenly earlier in the week following a fall just aweek before. This has obviously had ahuge impact on the family, and thingsare in a state of flux at the moment. It's very strange to have had the good news about the book deal in thesame week as this very sad news about my father-in-law.

Next week's blog will appear a little earlier than usual - hopefully midweek - with The Reading Bitcovering my 'Top Reads of 2011'.

The Food Bit

No food bit eitherfor the same reason (see above). However, watch this space for some gorgeous,vegan-friendly Christmas recipes in the next few days - it'll be a bumper crop:a wonderful nut roast, some apricot and walnut stuffing and the nicest and mostfestive red cabbage with apple you have ever tasted! Trust me!

For more about me and my work, check out my website: http://www.susanelliotwright.co.uk

When's the right time to share your novel?

2011-12-11T11:56:00.001Z

The Writing Bit

So, you've finished the first draft of your novel; you have a story, a world, and a beginning, middle, and - oh joy of joys - end. You're probably bursting to show it to someone. You've written a book and you know that at least some of it is really very good indeed, so why not?

Although it'snatural to want to show your nearest and dearest how clever you are, there area number of reasons why it's best to wait.

First, I shouldperhaps make the distinction between showing your work to writing friends forfeedback and/or constructive criticism, and showing it to your partner/mum fora well-deserved pat on the back.

Showing it towriting friends:

Writing friends are useful for spotting sections that don't work so well, repetitions, overwriting, lack of pace, inconsistency of tense, etcetera, etcetera. You may have shared individual chapters or scenes already, and if you haven't, now is perhaps a good time to identify the parts of your novel that you're not so happy with and get some feedback from people who know what they're talking about.

Having said that,I'd still caution against showing the whole of your first draft to too manypeople at this early stage. You'll need to 'save' readers for future drafts. Weall get to the end of a first draft with the hope that it'll just need a bit oftweaking and it'll be ready to go, but in reality, it's likely to go throughsignificant redrafting that may includestructural changes, adding and deleting scenes, even getting rid of entire characters.The problem is that once someone's read your novel a couple of times, they toobecome too close to it to view it objectively; they may also be thrown by thechanges you've made, because they remember the first version.

If you have writingfriends who are kind enough to commit to reading your entire draft, use themwisely! Don't give it to anyone until you've re-read it after leaving it for atleast six weeks to 'ripen'. Then, whenthere's no more you can do, give it to a writing friend whose judgement youtrust - but only one at a time. There's no point in giving it to four people(assuming you're lucky enough to have four willing readers) only to find thatthe first one to finish spots something big that you know you need to change.If you use one reader at a time, you'll have fresh eyes on every draft - muchmore useful than a jaded reader who's almost as close to it as you are.

Showing it to yourloved ones and non-writing friends:

This group of people tends to fall into two categories - those who'll tell you what you've written is sheer genius, and those who'll try to give you what you've asked for - honest feedback. The first group is of limited critical value for obvious reasons.

The second group can be useful, but I'd say don't use them until you're at or near publishable standard. The reason is that people who've neverwritten a novel have no idea justhow difficult it is and how much revision and redrafting is perfectly normal.When you tell a non-writing friend that you've written a novel, they may behappy to read it and give you feedback, but remember, the only terms ofreference they have are published novels, and that's the standard they'll be judging you against.

Most people acceptthat writing a novel is difficult, but they often think that's because of the sheervolume of words. When I started my first novel I had this idea that I'd startat page one, write through to the end, then do a bit of editing - even a lot of editing - and then it would be finished.I didn't understand that this is something that only happens rarely for some lucky writers, and it's the exception rather than the rule.

So your non-writingreaders may unwittingly knock yourconfidence because their expectations are just too high. The best advice is, Ithink, to wait. Use readers sparingly, one at a time, draft by draft. I wishI'd had this advice before 'using up' all my readers in drafts one and two!

The Reading Bit

No book review this week, but I thought I'd just mention how useful I've found the 'reading journal' a friend bought me for Christmas last year. I don't know about you, but I can read a book, love it, but totally forget the story within a few weeks, so when I recommend it to friends and they ask what it's about, I look blank. The journal allows me to keep a record of what I've read, who wrote it and what I thought of it - anything from a few details to a full review. So at a glance, I can tell you everything I've read this year with details of plot, characters and how the story's told. There are also pages to record books I've leant to others, and a space to list books I want to read next. If no-one buys you one of these for Christmas, treat yourself!t

The Food Bit

This is the easiest, bestest Chocolate Pot recipe ever - and its vegan!

Simply melt 100g dark chocolate in the microwave or in a bowl over a pan of hot water (some dark chocolate contains milk, so check the ingredients first.) Then stir in 150ml Alpro soya cream and a tablespoon of brandy. When thoroughly mixed, pour into shot glasses and put in fridge to set. Serve garnished with a couple of physalis (those little orange fruits with a papery husk) just pull back the husk and set the fruit on top of the chocolate pots. Yum yum, piggy's bum. It's very rich, so small servings are good.

For more about me and my work, check out my website: http://www.susanelliotwright.co.uk

NaNoNonsense - the aftermath!

2011-12-02T23:03:00.001Z

TheWriting Bit

This is the last postthat will mention NaNoWriMo (until next year!) So, it's over! You have 50,000words of story and a hangover from the champagne you’ve been knocking back injustified celebration. What do you mean, you haven't had any champagne? As I pointedout in last week's blog, NaNoWriMo founder Chris Baty advised us topurchase champagne at the start of week 4 so it could be chilled and ready forwhen we crossed the finish line. If you haven't had champagne yet, buy somenow. It's THE LAW!

For me, it's been anenjoyable but intense month. It's been pretty time-consuming; the house is atip, the laundry's piled up and I've been neglecting friends and family. (Ireally must phone my mother.) And apartfrom the less-than-riveting prospect of catching up with the housework andlaundry, I’m aware of a very slight ‘down’ feeling, too, a bit of a sense ofanti-climax. All that writerly camaraderie is over, and instead of the buzz andexcitement that goes with the daily challenge of hitting the word count, we’releft with the reality – a very, very veryrough draft.

I don't know aboutyou, but mine’s a bit of a hotch-potch, a Frankenstein’s monster of a draftwith lots of bits that might work in themselves but don’t necessarily gotogether. Between page 1 and page 109, I’ve changed the ages of the two maincharacters; I’ve changed their parents' personalities; I've turned a nice experience one of them hasin the early pages into an unpleasant episode later on, and on page 100, or thereabouts,I decided it might work better if my characters were sisters rather thanfriends - a change that will alter atleast the first few chapters.

So basically, it's allover the place, and the ideas are still coming - and changing. But I'm notgoing to be too disheartened by the problems with my manuscript. The process ofwriting a novel involves a massive amount of rethinking, reshaping and rewriting,and the great thing about having taken part in NaNoWriMo is that I feel I'vetaken a bit of a shortcut - I was always going to write thousands of words thatwould end up being changed or cut; I've just done it much more quickly.

My plan now is toprint it out, read it through and see what I've created. I'll use a highlighterpen to mark the bits I want to keep, then I'll try to put them in some sort oforder, even if it's only 'beginning, middle and end'. And then I'll start thelong, slow process of redrafting.

Did you take part inNaNoWriMo? How did you find the experience? And if you didn't do it this year,are you tempted for 2012?

The Reading Bit

I heard M J Hylandspeak recently at a writing Masterclass; she was incredibly generous with herinsights into the writing process, and she was also enormously entertaining and good fun, so I bought her most recentnovel, This Is How - I often buy bookslargely because I like the author!

This Is How is written in the first person,present tense, from the point of view of Patrick, a young man who arrives tostart a new life in a seaside town after a broken engagement. Patrick is aloner, at odds with the world. Clearly much brighter than the rest of hisfamily, he studied psychology at university, but dropped out after a year inorder to become a car mechanic, something at which he excels. Patrick knows where he is with engines - they're less complex than people. AlthoughPatrick would like to have friends, he finds it difficult to engage with peopleand to express his feelings. Throughout the novel, he says one thing whilefeeling something completely different. Often what he feels is intense and evenviolent anger, but it's a repressed anger. Repressed, that is, until one daywhen he commits a single, violent act, apparently not realising the magnitudeof what he's doing until afterwards.

The novel then followsPatrick as the consequences of this spur-of-the-moment act unfold. The prose isspare and there's a lot of dialogue. Patrick's observations are brief andstraightforward. The complexity of his thoughts and feelings is shown by whathe says and does, rather than by us being privy to his thoughts. I can't say alot more about the plot without giving too much away, but suffice to say thatthe closeness with which we follow Patrick has theeffect of making him a hugely sympathetic character, even though he often seemsstrangely detached and emotionless. Despite his sometimes violent feelings, heis usually polite and courteous to everyone, and when he acts on his violentimpulse, his regret and guilt are almost palpable. Hyland writes Patrick so vividlythat we feel almost part of him; we feel the physical sensations he experiences, seemingly in place of emotions. We even feel the unexplained pains in his neck andshoulders that plague him throughout the novel - a subtle touch suggesting a character who is contantly burdened.

This is not a thrilleror a 'secret-to-be-revealed' type novel, and yet I still found it an absolutepage turner. Patrick is a powerful,heartbreakingly sad and brilliantly evoked character, and he will stay with mefor a very long time.

The Food Bit

This section is whereI tell you how I've managed to feed Vegan Husband in a reasonablyinteresting way over the past week. I occasionally still eat fish and dairy products, so I'll talkabout non-vegan food now and again.

Father-in-law coming for Saturday lunch, so we're going to start with a spicy butternut squash soup, then veggie sausages and mash with red wine onion gravy, followed by baked peaches and vegan ice-cream.

For the soup: peel and dice a butternut squash, put in a roasting dish with a quartered onion, a couple of cloves of crushed garlic, some fresh thyme and a sprinkling of chilli powder and salt. Pour over some olive oil and mix so that everything's coated. Roast until the squash and onion are soft, then add about a pint of vegetable stock and whizz until smooth. Add more stock for a thinner consistency, check seasoning and serve.

For the sausage andmash: we love the Linda Mc Cartney veggie sausages. The trick is to make sure you don't overcook them. For the mash: when thepotatoes are cooked, add some unsweetened soya milk, a dollop of vegansunflower spread, (or just some olive oil), and about a tablespoon ofwholegrain mustard. Season to taste. For the gravy: slice an onion and frygently in olive oil until soft. Stir in a little flour and cook for a minute ortwo, then add some strong vegetable stock, some red wine, a bay leaf, a goodpinch of dried sage and a dessertspoon of dijon mustard. We'll probably havesome broccoli and carrots with this, or whatever veg is knocking about in thefridge.

For pud: cut a peachin half, remove the stone and fill the hole with chopped pistachios, hazelnutsor almonds (or all three). Sprinkle on some muscovado sugar and bake in the oven until soft. Serve with ice-cream ornon-dairy ice-cream - Swedish Glace is very good.

NaNoWriMo Week 4 - Champagne time!

2011-11-25T14:53:00.001Z

The Writing Bit

So, we're nearlythere! I've found it helpful over the last three weeks to read No Plot, No Problem, by Chris Baty, founder of NaNoWriMo. The bookis full of useful tips and is designed to help you through this 30 days ofmadness.

At the beginning of the chapter that coversweek 4, he says, 'I'd like you to putthis book down, put on your shoes, grab your keys and go to the grocery store.Seriously. Go now.' He then concedes that it's ok to go later if you must, butthe point is to buy a bottle of champagne ready to crack open when you crossthe finish line (well, he says buy two, actually - he reckons your nearest anddearest deserve a bottle for putting up with your absence from family life, butI say, have a glass or two of mine and be grateful!)

Having doneNaNoWriMo last year, I can tell you that you will be amazed at just how pleasedwith yourself you'll feel, even if what you've written isn't exactly greatliterature. I was childishly thrilled when, having uploaded my 50,000 words andbeen verified a 'winner', I got to watch a short video of the NaNoWriMoorganisers outside their office clapping and cheering their congratulations. Iknow I'm sad, but Reader, I watched it twice.

Last year, I'd madesure I'd ordered a bottle of champers to be delivered with my grocery order,due to arrive between 3pm and 5pm on the 30th November. But then disaster struck;it snowed. Heavily. I got a text saying the delivery would be delayed by an houror two. Ok, fine. Then another text warned that delivery was estimated foraround 9pm. Ok, well, I was ready to celebrate earlier, but I'd survive. Thenat 8.40, Customer Services phoned to say the van couldn't even get out of thedepot - there would be no delivery that night. 'But I've got champagne coming,' I said. 'I need to celebrate!' 'I'm very sorry,' the nice man said, 'butcongratulations, anyway.'

Fortunately, myhusband, who had cheered me on all the way through and did deserve some champagne of his own, to be fair, heroically donned coat, hat, scarf and gloves andset out to walk to Waitrose, which is a ten minute walk away in fine weatherand closes at 9pm. People, it was a tense time. The snow was deep, the walking wastough; would he make it in time? And if not, would they take pity if he poundedon the door , perhaps thinking him in need of medicine for a sick child? Oreven milk or bread? And if they then opened the doors, would he have the nerveto blithely pick up a bottle of pink fizz and declare it essential?

Happily, at 9.15, assnow-covered and red-nosed as Santa himself, my hero returned, and together, wecelebrated my 50,000 words.

This year, I have totell you, there is already a bottle in the cellar.

So, my fellowNaNoWrimers, get thee to the shops and be prepared! The last mile is, as theysay, the hardest mile, so we need a considerable carrot, and I find a good bottle of bubbly fits the bill rathersplendidly.

Come December, wecan have a look at those 50,000 words and see what we can do with them, but fornow, keep calm and carry on!

The Reading Bit

Partial Eclipse byLesley Glaister was published in the mid-90s, and I read it then for the firsttime. Something made to go back to itthis week and I wasn't disappointed. It's only just over 200 pages long, but Glaister manages to get two completestories into this short novel, as well as an interesting subplot. The firstperson narrator, Jenny, is in solitary confinement at the start of the novel,and with no mental stimulation whatsoever, she is forced to turn to her ownmemory and imagination and she takes us through two alternating stories.One tells of the events leading up to her crime, andthe other is centred around Jenny's ancestor Peggy, who was deported forstealing a peacock. This vivid andgripping story is a product of Jenny's starved imagination, and the parallels with Jenny's own story of forbidden love aregradually revealed.

I love manythings about Glaister's writing, but inparticular, the sensuality of it, the wealth of detail and the vivid andinteresting characters. Jenny's naturistgrandparents, for example, and her grandmother's new friend Ursula, who turnsout to be not quite what she seems.

As Jenny's story unfolds, we see how she is drawn into a doomed loveaffair with a philandering older man, and we are able to see the things that Jenny cannot see. We know before long that this can't end well, and indeed it doesn't, but it'snot until very near the end that we learn the truth about Jenny's terrible crime and it's consequences.

If you like a dark tale and you haven't discovered Lesley Glaister yet, you're in for a treat!

The Food Bit

This is the lastweek that I'll be posting a list of what we've eaten during the week. Nextweek, once NaNo madness is over, it'llbe back to a recipe or detailed look at one meal each week.

Saturday: Butternutsquash and walnut risotto with rocket

Sunday: Pepper andmushroom fajitas with guacamole and spicy tomato salsa

Monday: Shop-boughtnut cutlets for him and Quorn escalopes with cheese and leeks for me, bothserved with new potatoes and a salad made with carrot, orange, tomato, chilliand garlic.

Tuesday: Kidney beandhal, sag aloo, basmati rice.

Wednesday: Peppersstuffed with risotto rice, vegan pesto, cherry tomatoes and pine nuts

Thursday: Vegansausages with red wine onion gravy andmash - we've had this a lot lately, but it really is the thing for a cold andblustery autumn night.

Friday: Oh dear -haven't planned tonight's yet. Probably a spicy tomato pasta bake with mixed leaves.

NaNoWriMo Week 3

2011-11-19T15:11:00.002Z

The Writing Bit

After my decision last week to swap what I’d written so far with something I wrote some years ago, I’m convinced that I made the right decision. (see my public confession in last week’s post!) I won’t say the words have been flowing easily – I’ve rarely had that pleasure – but I’m making steady progress, and I do feel more engaged with this novel, in spite of the fact that I know that much of what I’m writing now will end up being deleted.

I’ve been lucky this week in that I’ve been away on holiday, and am writing this in a tiny cottage in the Peak District. The village is so quiet that most of the time it seems deserted. Very occasionally, a car or a tractor goes down the street. Today, I’ve seen no-one but dog walkers and two women on horses, and yesterday afternoon, to my delight, a pig came trotting down the road. An anxious-looking man was in hot pursuit, and I wondered if the pig had come from the smallholding up the road that has a sign outside saying ‘fresh sausages’.

I found myself hoping the pig escaped; maybe it made friends with the golden retriever that was coming the other way. Or perhaps it found its way to another village where a widow and her lonely daughter took it in and kept it as a house pig, feeding it with apples from their orchard and lavishing it with affection for the rest of its life.

I digress. But allowing myself to invent a story for the pig reminded me that NaNoWriMo isn’t about agonising over whether that character would really do those things or whether that scene has any real relevance to the plot; it’s about being free to go where you imagination takes you, even if you don’t think what you’re writing is any good at the time. At the moment, my novel is ‘thin’, to say the least. But I’m allowing myself to go off at tangents, because sometimes that’s where you find themes, sub-plots and even new and interesting characters and storylines.

This week, I’ve tried to get ahead because I know that on my return, there will be emails to answer, phone calls to make, students’ work to read and comment on, and all the other things that make up ‘real’ life. So I’ve been having three writing sessions a day, aiming for a minimum of 700-800 words a time, and I’m roughly a day ahead now. Little and often is the trick!

Apart from that, my husband and I are relaxing in peaceful and beautiful surroundings, and doing nothing but reading, eating, drinking and walking the dog. But it's back to the real world soon.

The Reading Bit

Sister by Rosamund Lipton is a clever, fast-paced psychological thriller. Beatrice, the first person narrator, has abandoned her English life and family for an exciting, designer-label life in New York. She remains close - she thinks - to her younger sister, Tess, but when Tess goes missing, Beatrice flies home, determined to find out what has happened. During her search for the truth, Beatrice discovers some uncomfortable truths about herself as she realises just how little she really knows about her sister's life.

The plot is intriguing and the storytelling is accomplished, keeping the suspense and tension at just the right levels. Unlike some thrillers, the book has some emotional depth, and I felt the musings on grief were particularly poignant. However, I didn't find myself engaging with the characters as much as I'd hoped, and I struggled to sympathise with Beatrice. I found her frequent references to the closeness between her and Tess rather irritating - at one point I said aloud, 'ok, I've got it!' and her equally frequent declarations of love for her sister were cloying rather than touching.

There is a twist at the end that works very well (I guessed it before it was revealed, but that was ok) and I finally found myself sympathising with Beatrice in the last few pages. To sum up, a damn good thriller, but the characters lacked emotional credibility.

The Food Bit

As explained previously, throughout NaNoWriMo, I'm posting meal ideas (mainly vegan) rather than recipes . Even if you're not vegan, believe it or not, these meals are actually very nice!

This week, we had:

Saturday: Sausages, sweet potato mash, onion and red wine gravy, broccoli.

Sunday: Soya mince with peppers, mushrooms and new potatoes, cooked in a sauce made from tomatoes, red wine, garlic and herbs.
Monday: Vegan 'meatballs' with spaghetti and spicy tomato sauce.
Tuesday: Mixed bean cassoulet.
Wednesday: Creamy mushroom tagliatelle.
Thursday: Curry night: aubergine and chick pea, sag aloo, aloo gobi, chapatis.
Friday: Tapas: (I'm quite proud of this one!) vegan 'paella', patatas bravas, garlic mushrooms, aubergines with garlic and herbs.

NaNoWriMo week 2 - NaNoNaughty

2011-11-12T11:26:00.000Z

12November 2011

10:21

The Writing Bit

Oh dear. Iconsidered doing a normal 'keep-going-even-when-the-words-don't-come-easy' blog, but there's a dark creature that livesin my brain called a conscience, and he (for he is definitely male) won't letme get away with it, so here is my public confession: First of all, you shouldunderstand that I haven't cheated as such,it's just that the 15000 words I've actually written this month are nowlanguishing in another document where I'll pick them up at a later date, andthe 15000 words that now reside in the document named NaNoNovel2011 are actuallywords I wrote in 2004. There, I've said it; I've imported words from a novel Istarted years ago.

So how did I end upcommitting this NaNo sin? What happened was this: the second week of NaNoWriMois notoriously difficult; this is the week when the first flush of excitementhas worn off, and the words come more slowly. I was carrying on, though, trustingthe process, allowing my fingers to be ready at the keyboard for when new ideascame through.

Then about halfwaythrough the week, I'm walking through the woods with the dog, minding my ownbusiness and trying to plan my next scene (don'tthink 'whole novel', just think about the next scene, and then the next...)when one of the two main characters from my abandoned 2004 novel suddenly comesjumping into my head, and what's more, she's done something bad; very bad. Thenthe other one arrives, and she has quite a lot to say about it all, too, andthen a third character, who wasn't very important in the 2004 version is alsodemanding attention and he's turned out to be someone we really can't ignore.

Well, I told themall to shut up, because I was busy with another group of characters, and that Iwould come back to them in due course. But that night, they all climbed out ofthe box in the back of my brain and started getting up to all sorts of things.In the morning, I went straight to my desk as usual (I find if I can write foran hour before breakfast it gives me a really good start on the day'swordcount) but I just couldn't get into what I was supposed to be doing. Itried again later, but those three characters had staged a sit-in and there wasno way I could get past them.

So the upshot is,I've put aside what I'd already written for NaNoWriMo and pasted in a fairchunk of what I want to keep from the 2004 novel (it'll need rewriting anyway)and I'm now writing on from there. That's my confession. Now I wait for the NaNoPolice. In my defence, Iwill have written 50,000 new words by the end of November, but it'll be 15,000of a new novel, and 35,000 of a novel already started. What do you think? HaveI been very bad?

The Reading Bit

No proper bookreview this week, but I just want to urge you if you haven't already done so,to read Stephen King's On Writing. I'dsay it's a particularly useful book to read when you're in the middle ofNaNoWriMo. Not only are there great examples and tips on the actual craft ofwriting, but there's some very encouraging stuff about the process of writing,and about the story being a 'found thing', something that the writer uncoversthrough the writing process . It's a fabulously entertaining read, too.

The Food Bit

As explained lastweek, throughout NaNoWriMo, I'm just posting (mainly vegan) meal ideas. Even ifyou're not vegan, most of these meals are actually really very nice, although Imust admit, not all vegan grub is to my taste.

This week we had:
Saturday: went outto eat - Vegan Husband had the falafel burger with spicy potato wedges and salsa, I had asalad with cajun salmon & lemon goats cheese.
Sunday: vegan pizzas& salad (made these with 'vegan mozzarella', tomatoes, onion, garlic,olives, capers & artichokes)
Monday: my teachingnight, so I had salmon and ricotta ravioli, VH had lentil dahl and rice (heeats a lot of dhal!)
Tuesday: vegansausages and sweet potato mash with onion and red wine gravy.
Wednesday: vegetablepasta bake and salad
Thursday: burgers(made from Granose burger mix - v good!) in buns with soya cheese slice, servedwith chips and salad.
Friday: mushroom,pepper and cashew nut stir-fry with noodles and rice.

NaNoWriMo - the first week

2011-11-04T12:46:00.000Z

During November, like many other writers, I'll be blogging about NaNoWriMo because basically, I can think about little else at the moment. Normal blog activity will be resumed in December.

The first week is always exciting - you'vedecided you're going to do it, you've told the world, and you're now on thethreshold of this wonderful achievement. You'll have been thinking about yournovel for a while, and some of you sensible people with have drawn up a plan oran outline. Others. like me, will have dived in with nothing more than a vagueidea and a few characters. But with a bit of luck, the message 'quantity, notquality' will have got through and by now, you'll have a substantial number ofwords nudging up that little blue line on your author page on the NaNoWriMosite.

This is how myweek's been so far:

Day 1: Got up at 6.15, an hour earlier than usual,staggered to my study and switched on the computer. Resisted urge to checkemails, twitter, blog stats etc. Looked at screen and wished I had a plot.Typed three sentences, deleted two. (This is what you're NOT supposed to do -no deleting precious words until December!) Then I told myself that it reallydidn't matter because whatever happens, I have nothing to lose. Typed 730 words of rather poor prosein a very uncertain voice, then stopped for breakfast. Walked the dog, dealtwith emails and stuff, then typed another 700 words. Broke off to move aroundand then typed a little bit more. By theevening, I'd got to 1800 by typing little bits here and there. Voice not right;character not right; not sure I even need this scene!

Day 2: Sat at thecomputer and stared at it for a good ten minutes. Not knowing what to writecan be almost painful! Eventually,decided to write a scene showing one of my main characters having aconversation with her partner in which I attempt to reveal that he iscontrolling and that she's in denial. This, and her thought and actionsimmediately afterwards, kept me going for the whole day's word count!

Day 3: Slightlyeasier today. Getting into the dynamics of a relationship has proved fruitfuland has suggested several new plot possibilities for the future. Started a newdocument named 'nanonotes' (seeing ashow I still don't have a title for my novel) which I now keep open all the timeI'm writing so that I can make a note of things I might use later.

Today is day 4: Gotup relatively late for me (7.40) wrote another 500 words before breakfast, thistime from another character's point of view. Took the dog for a walk in torrential rain, which meant there were no otherdog walkers around (lightweights!) but which also meant I was able to thinkabout my novel. Came to the conclusion that this novel may be too ambitious -too many characters, too many stories. But because none of the stories is fullyformed - and I know none of them will beuntil I actually start writing them - I'm not sure which of them to concentrateon. So, I will continue to do what I'm doing now, writing bits from differenceviewpoints just to see what happens, what develops, and which of my four womenultimately pulls me into her world.

The Reading Bit

A brief review thisweek, because I'm still trying to keep my NaNoWriMo word count on track: My Perfect Silence by Penelope Evans startswith the powerful line 'I was four when I killed my baby brother'. The storythen goes on to show how this tragedy shaped the narrator's life and bonded her closely with her older brother Max,who becomes her protector. Little morethan a baby herself when the tragedy occurred, the narrator, Rose, doesn'tremember what happened and didn't really grasp the magnitude of it until someyears later, at which point she stops speaking. Max continues to protect and speak for her, even when his bride-to-be iskilled and Rose is considered the prime suspect. This certainly a page-turningread, and will probably appeal to Ruth Rendell and Lesley Glaister fans.

The Food Bit

I won't be posting actualrecipes during NaNoWriMo, but I thought it might be helpful for anyone stuckfor veggie/vegan ideas to see what I've cooked for dinner each night. Some ofthese recipes will no doubt find their way onto this blog eventually - let me knowif there's anything in particular that appeals!

Saturday: Creamymushroom tagliatelle with crusty bread

Sunday: VegetableChilli with rice and grated vegan cheese
Monday: My teachingnight, so Vegan Husband cooked himself something with lentils while I had someprawn dumplings (reduced counter at Waitrose) and some stir-fried veg.
Tuesday:Spinach and vegan cheese filo parcels,crushed new potatoes, tomato & onion salad
Wednesday: Olive andtomato penne, rocket, ciabatta rolls
Thursday: Soya mincewith peppers, mushrooms, tomato, garlic, herbs and red wine, served with newpotatoes and broccoli.
Friday: Friday nightis usually either pasta night or curry night; tonight I think it'll be curry -I have some aubergine, sweet potato andchickpea curry in the freezer, so I'll cook some basmati rice and knock up somesag aloo to go with it, then I'll send VH down the road for some parathas orchapatis. Sorted!

Now entering the NaNoZone...

2011-10-29T12:09:00.000+01:00

The Writing Bit

Ok, so everyone'sblogging about NaNoWriMo this week, and I'm not going to try and bedifferent because frankly, that would beweird. If you've never heard of NaNoWriMo,let me be the first to welcome you toour planet. NaNoWriMo is short forNational Novel Writing Month, and it involves pledging to write 50,000 words ofa novel in 30 days, the idea being that at the end of the 30 days, you have arough draft or the bare bones of a novel. If you haven't signed up yet, here'sthe link http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/dashboardIt doesn't cost anything, it's great fun and it fosters a wonderfulsense of camaraderie among the participants.

With only a few daysto go, I'm frantically trying to prepare. Unlike many other seriouslyimpressive NaNo-ers, I have singularly failed to write an outline for my novel, or even tocome up with a title. I'm not sure where the story will start, and I only havea rough idea how it will end. I do know the characters though, because they'vebeen milling around in the foyer of my brain for several months. I alsoknow one or two of the themes, and I have at least three dramatic events linedup. That's it, though. What I'm not sureabout is, whether A is still pregnant or she's already had the baby; whether Bis still alive; whether A & B are still in contact with C; whether C hasever forgiven B and whether any of them really understand the impact on themall of what happened to D all thoseyears ago...

So basically, Ihaven't a clue. But when I start writing my 1700 or so words a day, I now something will come out of it. I hope it'llbe at the bare bones of my next novel, but even if it doesn't turn out to be aworkable draft, at the very least I'll have something to work on. It may wellbe crap, but crap but be rewritten and rethought and reshaped, whereas a blank page isjust a blank page.

And in order toprepare for this short bout of insanity, I'm doing some practical preparation by cooking great vats of vegetablechilli, curries and cassoulets to put in the freezer; I'm doing a mega shop toso that I won't have to faff around going to the supermarket too often; I'mcleaning the house (a bit - don't want to take this thing too far) and I'mattempting to get all my lesson planning done in advance. I'm having some physio to try and sort out my RSI (not a great way to startNaNoWriMo!) And I also intend to tidy my deskand study before Tuesday, though realistically, that may not actually happen.

Finally, I intend to spend a few hours immersingmyself in what I do know about thenovel by going through my most recent notebooks (the ones in which I've jotteddown my thoughts about this novel) with a highlighter pen so I can markanything I can use. Then, in the lasthours before it all kicks off, I will be having a jolly good think about whereto start. I've done it before, so I cando it again - and so can you! See you in the NaNozone!

The Reading Bit

Blackmoor by Edward Hogan is set against the backdrop of aclose-knit community forced to abandon the Derbyshire mining village in whichtheir parents and grandparents grew up.The main characters are the Cartwright family, George, his albino wife Beth, and their son Vincent. In the first chapter, we learn that BethCartwright jumped to her death in Blackmoor when Vincent was a baby. It's clearwhen we meet Vincent as a young teenager that he's unaware of the circumstancesof his mother's death, largely because George seems unable to even speak of hislate wife, and is barely able to speak to his son. As the story flips back andforth between Vincent's toddlerhood and teenage years, the sad truth of hismother's life and death in Blackmoor is gradually revealed.

There's a lot to like about this novel: the prose is simplebut elegant, the switches from past to present and from one viewpoint toanother are smoothly executed, and there's a wonderful sense of place. I felt the blurb on the back cover was slightly misleading (though that's not the author's fault). The blurb mentions 'a series of bizarre happenings' in the village' and tells us that a decade later, Vincent 'stumbles towards the buried secrets of his mother's life and death in the abandoned village.' I expected the story to centre more around Beth, whose neighbours believe she is 'an ill omen', and her connection with the 'bizarre happenings', but instead I felt slightly distanced from Beth, and indeed from her husband George, although I think we are meant to feel distanced from him, perhaps so that we can better understand how Vincent feels shut out by his father. Vincent is a well-drawn and convincing character, and I enjoyed his sections the most. I did enjoy this novel, but Ididn't engage as closely and consistently with some of the characters as I'd hoped to, and theplot never quite gripped me in the way that I thought it would. Havingsaid that, I'm glad I read it and I would certainly read more by Edward Hogan.

The Food Bit

Ratatouille crumble - this is a versatile meal that can be easily adapted to suit vegans and non-vegans, kids and adults. (Basically, just use margarine and real cheese if you don't want the vegan version, and if you're making it for kids, just cut the vegetables into much smaller pieces). First, make the posh ratatouille: you need an aubergine, 2 courgette, one each red, green and yellow pepper, one red onion, two cloves garlic and one and a half tins chopped tomatoes. Slice the garlic and set aside. Cut all veg into largish chunks, toss in olive oil, grind some sea salt and black pepper over the top and roast in a hot oven for about 20 mins, then add the sliced garlic and roast for another 10 minutes. When cooked, add the chopped tomatoes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

To make the topping:put about 50g vegan sunflower spread and about 50g flour into a blender, whizzfor a few seconds at a time until itresembles breadcrumbs. Set aside. Tear up a slice of bread and put into blender with some parsleyif you have any, a handful of nuts (anything will do - I used pinenuts lastnight) and some grated vegan cheese. Add some salt and pepper, then whizz until the bread becomes crumbs and mix with the flour and fat. Spread the crumble topping over the ratatouille and cook in a medium oven for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned. Serve with mixed leaves if you're feeling sophisticated, or baked beans if you wantcomfort food. This is enough for a family of four (or three big eaters). I virtually guaranteethis will be a hit - let me know if you try it!

What makes a good query letter?

2011-10-21T15:04:00.002+01:00

The Writing Bit

So, assuming your novel's ready to go out into the world and you've identified the agents you want to approach, (see last week's Tips on finding an agent you'll need a query letter that'll make them want to read your work. I'm not saying my way's definitely the best way, but I had a response from every one of the fifteen agents I queried and three offers of representation, so I must have done something right! For what it's worth, here's how I approached it:

Initially, I sent out five query letters by snail mail, asking if the agent would like to see the first three chapters and a synopsis. I didn't send the chapters at this stage because I'd been advised that if the agent then said, yes, please send your work, it would no longer be 'unsolicited' and would be likely to be read sooner than unsolicited submissions. They all wanted to see the opening chapters, and all responded within five weeks of me sending the chapters - three 'liked it but didn't love it' and two requested the whole novel. By the second round of queries, it was seeming like a bit off a faff, so I started sending the chapters with the query. The response was maybe a little slower, but not much.

So, the letter should be short, no more than a page. In that one page you're selling your book and yourself. Obviously you need to interest the agent in your story and characters, but you also need to demonstrate your professionalism and your writing ability.

Address the agent politely and formally, using both first and last names. Dear Jane Agent is more professional than 'Hi Jane', and it doesn't run the risk of irritating her with it's bezzy-mates assumption. It shouldn't need saying, but make sure you spell her name correctly.

I started my queries by saying I'd recently completed my novel as part of an MA. If I hadn't only just completed the MA, I'd probably have simply included this information in my writing biography (see below). Then I let her know I'd done my homework by telling her I was approaching her because she represented an author I admired. So you could say something like, 'I see that you represent Jane Author, a writer I admire enormously. I think my novel would appeal to a similar readership.' Or if you're lucky enough to have a recommendation, this is where you can say, 'Jane Austen suggested I contact you.'

Say what genre your novel fits into. If it's not as clear cut as 'romance', western', 'historical', could it be 'commercial literary fiction?' Or 'intelligent women's fiction'? Then pitch your novel. You have a paragraph in which to do this, so you're not looking at a full synopsis, but something similar to the blurb you read on the back cover of a book. Ideally, you should say who the main characters are, what the main thread of the story is, and when and where the story is set. If you've room, you could comment on the structure, e.g. 'The two characters' stories are intercut throughout the novel'.

Then comes your writing biography. If you have a writing MA or have done a few courses, say so. It doesn't mean your novel will be brilliant, but it'll tell the agent that you're a serious writer. (That doesn't mean you're not a serious writer if you don't have an MA!) Include anything you've had published, and any competition placings. Even if your previously published work isn't fiction, it shows that you can write, and it shows a level of professionalism. If your publishing history takes up too much room in your query letter, put it on a separate sheet. I'd written a number of non-fiction books and also had a few short story successes, so I listed these on a separate sheet and said on the letter, 'I enclose a brief writing biography' (brief being the important word!)

I ended by asking if they'd like to see the opening section and a synopsis, (or 'I enclose the first 50 pages')and I told them the full novel was around 80,000 words. You should always tell them if you're approaching several agents at a time, something like, 'I am actively seeking representation and so am approaching a number of agents.' Sign off with a simple 'yours sincerely'. Make sure you include full contact details and a stamped, self-addressed envelope. And then you wait...

This was my approach, and it seemed to work well - what's your experience?

The Reading Bit

I haven't finished the book I'm reading this week yet, so will tell you instead about Amy Sackville's The Still Point. Some weeks after finishing this novel, I'm still not sure. There are two stories here: a hundred years ago, Edward Mackley sets out for the North pole but then disappears, leaving his new bride Emily to wait in vain for his return. In the present day, Edward's great-great niece, Julia, is archiving the family's inherited belongings and in doing so, makes a discovery that shatters her somewhat idealistically romantic view of Edward and Emily's relationship. The past story is engaging and beautifully written - exquisitely so in places. But I found the present day story of Julia and her husband Simon slow, ponderous and rather pointless. Julia and Simon's marriage is fragile, though not quite broken. Not only were they distanced from each other, but I felt they were distanced from the reader as well, possibly because of the ubiquitous omniscient narrator, constantly reminding us that we are observing them from afar. I never felt close enough to Julia or Simon to care whether their marriage survived or failed. As I read, I kept waiting for something to happen, and I frequently considered abandoning the novel; and yet, somehow, I did keep picking it up, and when I finished it, I was glad that I'd read it. Also, I have found my thoughts returning to it even though I finished it weeks ago. A strange book, but I do recommend it - I think!

The Food Bit

This week, it's going to be more of a vegan recommendation rather than a recipe. We recently had the fancies for 'dirty food' - you know, of the 'burger and chips' variety; the sort of thing you never admit to your friends. I should point out here that himself is a vegan mainly for ethical reasons, not because he dislikes meat. Anyway, having found that most veggie burgers are either bean-based (not what we were after for this particular meal) or contain egg and are therefore not suitable for vegans, I discovered the Granose Burger Mix. You just mix it with water, leave for ten minutes, then form into burgers and fry for a minute or two each side. I served them in wholemeal buns with a slice of soya cheese, dijon mustard (me) vegan mayo (him), plus sliced cucumber and tomatoes and some shredded lettuce. I then whacked on a portion of oven chips and hey presto, guilt free 'dirty food'. Just the thing on a weeknight when you're trying not to drink wine! Even my son - and this is a young man who is no stranger to the Real Burger - said, 'I'm quite impressed with those.' Blimey!

For more about me and my work, check out my website: http://www.susanelliotwright.co.uk

Tips on finding an agent

2011-10-14T16:46:00.002+01:00

The Writing Bit

Ok, so you've finished your novel, written 'THE END' in big letters and poured yourself a large drink. Now you just need to find an agent...

First, don't even think about trying to get an agent with a first draft. I've heard writers say they know their novel isn't really ready, but 'the agent can tell me what else I need to do'. NO!! True, most agents will give you editorial advice , but you are the author, and it's your job to make the novel as near-perfect as you possibly can before approaching an agent. If you've just completed a first draft, put it away for a few months and get on with something else, then go back to it with fresh eyes (see earlier blog - What to do with a novel that’s ‘almost there’) and you'll be amazed at how the flaws will leap out at you. You'll almost certainly need to do some significant editing and redrafting before it's actually ready. When it's as polished as can be, it's the time to start looking for an agent.

First, identify agents who represent authors writing for a similar market. Check out novels that would sit happily alongside yours and look at the acknowledgements page where authors usually thank their agents by name. You can then look up those agents and send them a query letter (more about query letters in next week's blog) saying, 'I see that you represent Jane Bloggs, whose work I admire. I feel my novel will appeal to a similar readership.' It's better to send to a named agent if you can, otherwise, your work may end up languishing for months in the 'submissions department'.

When I was seeking representation, a successful writer friend advised me to send a query letter before sending the submission; the agent will hopefully write back saying, 'yes, please do send me your three chapters', and hey presto, your submission is no longer 'unsolicited'!

So, here are a few more tips:

Make sure you're sending to agents who are likely to be interested - no point in sending sci-fi to an agent who only represents romantic fiction, or a children's novel to one who represents adult fiction.
Send to five at a time, and make clear that you're approaching other agents. As each 'no' comes in - and there will be some 'no's - send out another query. Keep things moving.
Send only what they ask for, i.e. First three chapters, first 50 pages etc. (although if there's a sensible break on p53, it's probably ok to send 53 pages.)
Check whether it's ok to send by email, or whether they want hard copy.
Make sure you include a synopsis, and again, send what they ask for. Check guidelines on the agency website. Some want one page; some want three.
Don't pester! Give them at least a couple of weeks before you follow up a query letter, and at least four weeks before you follow up a submission. Do so by email and be brief and polite. If you still get no response, it's probably best to move on.
Be grateful for any feedback and consider carefully what they say.
Don't be disheartened - lots of successful novelists were rejected many times before finding an agent!

See next week's blog: how to write a query letter

The Reading Bit

I found The Devil's Music by Jane Rusbridge immediately engaging for three main reasons: the subject matter (I'm a sucker for a tragedy that blows a family apart) the coastal setting, which is strikingly evoked in all its weather-beaten savagery, and the language, which is consistently assured and precise.

Andy's story is narrated in the first person, both as a child and as an adult, and his mother's story is told in the less common second person. I've only come across straight second person narration a few times before, and it hasn't always worked, but here the mother's second person voice is haunting and incredibly affecting. I remember once hearing a woman being interviewed about her experience of domestic abuse. I was struck by the fact that she referred to herself constantly in the second person, and I wondered if it was because she couldn't bear to inhabit the 'self' that had experienced such trauma; I wondered the same about this character, who has also had her share of trauma. Whether it was the author's intention to suggest this distancing from the traumatised self, I don't know, but it worked for me!

The story centres around Andy, who, following his father's death, returns to the family's seaside holiday home to prepare it for sale. Andy has been living in Crete, working in a taverna and trying to erase the sad life he left behind in England. When he returns to the very beach where, as a young child, he'd been left in charge of his baby sister Elaine, he is forced to face the memories that he's been trying to escape: memories of Elaine, labelled 'Mentally Deficient' soon after her birth, of his abusive father, Michael, and of his depressed and grief-stricken mother who abandoned him and his other sister Susie when they were children. There are happier memories of his rope-maker grandfather, who taught the young Andy how to make rope and tie knots, an activity in which Andy still finds comfort, as well as a means of artistic expression. As the story moves towards its climax, there's a truly surprising revelation, followed by a postscript in which we learn more about Andy's mother, this time from a third person viewpoint. I found the ending both satisfying and moving.

Jane Rusbridge's writing is vivid and controlled, and her attention to detail is meticulous, particularly the period detail, which was so subtly done that it felt effortless. I enjoyed this book immensely!

The Food Bit

This week, it's a non-vegan suggestion (back to vegan/veggie next week). Recently, Woman's Hour ran a feature on 'the perfect fish pie'. Well, I'm sorry Woman's Hour, no disrespect, but this is the perfect fish pie!

Smoked haddock pie (serves two)

Place half a small onion, one clove, and a bay leaf into a pan with 150ml milk. Bring to the boil, then lower heat and add about 350g undyed smoked haddock. Poach for about 5 minutes or until the fish is just cooked. Remove the fish, strain the hot milk and use it to make a white sauce: melt about 15g of butter and stir in enough flour to make a roux. Cook for a minute or two, then gradually add the hot milk, stirring all time. Simmer for about 10 mins, stirring often. Add 50ml single cream and a splash or two of white wine, then taste and season. While the sauce is cooking, boil about 350g floury potatoes for the topping. Flake the fish into a pie dish, chop one hard-boiled egg and add to the fish along with a handful of peas. Pour the white sauce over the fish mixture. When the potatoes are cooked, mash with 50g strong cheddar cheese and a dollop of Dijon mustard. Season to taste. Spread topping over the fish base and make a nice pattern with a fork. Brush with melted butter and cook at gas mark 6 (440F/200C) for about 30-40 minutes. Serve with a green vegetable and some grilled or roasted tomatoes.

For more about me and my work, check out my website: http://www.susanelliotwright.co.uk

Creating believable characters

2011-10-07T19:34:00.002+01:00

The Writing Bit

Have you ever been handed a sheet of paper with a list of questions, like: what is the colour of your character's eyes /hair; where was s/he born; what did his/her parents do for a living; what sort of clothes does s/he wear? Who is his/ her best friend? And so on.

I know some people find these ‘Character Generators’ genuinely helpful in creating characters, but I personally have a major problem with them, and I think they can sometimes set you off on the wrong track.

I believe that characters in fiction should develop organically; that fictional characters, like real people, are formed partly by where they come from and what their parents did, but also by the things that happen to them and the people they come into contact with. I tend to think about new characters almost as new babies; now if you're a parent, you'll know that a newborn baby, despite being the most precious, wonderful thing that ever happened to you, doesn't appear to have much of a character when it’s first born. But gradually, over the weeks and months, as your child comes into contact with various people, goes to new places and has new experiences, he or she begins to develop a very definite and unique personality and character. If you decide before you start writing how your characters dress, who their friends are, what they eat and so forth, it’s like trying to impose a ready-made character on your newborn baby. Parents help to gently shape their child's character over many years; they don’t dictate it at the moment (or even before!) of birth.

So before you start writing, by all means decide that you want to write about a forty-something doctor living in a caravan in Aberdeen, or a twenty-something mother at Greenham Common in the eighties. But let the characters themselves tell you the finer details by putting them in situations and seeing how they react. If you send your character on a date or for a job interview, let us see her choosing what outfit she'll wear; if a character has just had some news he needs to share with a friend, let us see who he calls and what he says.

Character should be slowly revealed; don't tell us she’s shy and lacks confidence; show her trying to think up excuses to avoid a party, or rejecting a red dress in favour of something less noticeable. Try to show, through thoughts, action and dialogue, not only how your character acts, but how s/he reacts. Obviously, you need to orchestrate your characters to a certain extent - you don't want to give them a completely free hand, in the same way you don't let your kids do exactly as they please. But if you put your characters in a situation and let them react, hopefully they'll surprise you now and again and do things you didn't expect – and that is the real joy of fiction!

The Reading Bit

I was immediately engaged by Isabel Ashdown's Glasshopper. The narrative alternates between thirteen-year-old Jake and his alcoholic mother, Mary. When we first meet Mary, she's recently separated from Jake's father and she's in a bad way. In the absence of a competent parent (Mary spends much of her time in bed, drunk) Jake does his best to hold things together, clearing up his mum's sick, doing the household chores and looking after his younger brother, Andy. Jake is a thoroughly likeable character but he's not whiter-than-white, so he's convincing. True, he steals from the kindly newsagent a couple of times , and sometimes he thumps his brother unnecessarily. But we forgive him, because he's hard-working and intelligent and kind and vulnerable.

The book opens in 1985 and goes back in time to Mary's childhood. As we follow her life through her teens, twenties and thirties, we see the choices she's made and the consequences of those choices, and we begin to understand what has led her to the depths she's reached when we first meet her. Both Jake's and Mary's voices are strong and convincing, and as the family's history unfolds and the narratives move closer together, there are moments of both joy and heartbreak as a number of secrets are revealed. I enjoyed the period detail, and I loved the minor characters. I felt Jake's voice was slightly stronger than Mary's, but maybe that actually emphasises the fact that Mary is in some ways a slightly diminished character. I found her story convincing and tragic, and I felt hugely sympathetic to her; if anything, I wanted more of Mary. I found this an immensely engaging and satisfying read.

The Food Bit

Butternut squash and walnut risotto

Even though they can be a faff to make, I absolutely love a good risotto, so when my husband became vegan, I set about trying to find a decent vegan alternative. Now, I have to be honest, real butter and parmesan definitely give this a more gorgeous flavour and texture than the vegan alternative, but this version is really most acceptable, and still counts as comfort food (especially when served with a large glass of red!)

Take one small or half a large butternut squash, peel and dice into cubes a bit bigger than 1cm. Season, coat with olive oil then roast in the oven until soft and slightly caremelised. While the squash is cooking, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan, then add a finely chopped shallot (or half an onion). Fry for a couple of minutes. Make about 600ml of vegetable stock in a small saucepan and keep it on a low heat. Add 150g Arborio rice and a crushed clove of garlic to the onions. Stir so the rice is coated in oil. Pour in a slug of white wine (if you’re vegan, check that the wine is suitable) and when that has evaporated, add a ladleful of hot stock. Stir. When this has been absorbed, add another ladleful. Repeat until most of the stock has been absorbed and the rice is cooked, but still ‘al dente’. Stir the risotto every couple of minutes. When the risotto is cooked, add a heaped teaspoon of vegan sunflower spread, a good shake of vegan ‘parmesan’ – it’s called Parmezano and you find it in the ‘free from’ section of the supermarket. Taste to get the amount right. For non-vegans, add butter and grated parmesan at this stage instead. Add the roasted squash , a handful of chopped walnuts and a good grind of coarse black pepper. Serve in the centre of the plate, topped with rocket and drizzled with olive oil.

No man (or woman) is an island

2011-09-30T12:46:00.001+01:00

The Writing Bit

This week, I taught my first creative writing class of the new term. Twelve lovely writers turned up, some I've taught before, some were new faces, but all were fizzing with enthusiasm. They are writers at different levels of experience, from those just starting to experiment with their creative talents to those who've been writing for years and/or are working on novels.

What often strikes me with a newly-formed group is how, when reading back an exercise, the writer will often preface the reading with 'it's not very good', or 'I don't think I've done it right'. They then usually go on to read something with a particularly vivid image, or a beautifully lyrical sentence, or a striking and memorable character, and they're often genuinely surprised at the positive response they get from the rest of the class.
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Gradually, over the weeks and months, confidence starts to improve and the apologies stop. Ok, it may be partly to do with the fact that the writer starts to notice the improvements in his or her own work, but it may have more to do with the positive reinforcement provided by the other writers. This is why I believe that one of the most important aspects of the writer's life is to have contact with people who are doing the same thing you're doing, whether it's face-to-face, or by telephone, email or social networking.
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When my new group took a break for tea, there was an immediate buzz of conversation as existing members caught up with what they'd been writing (or not writing!) over the summer and new members joined in with their own experiences and quickly became part of the group.

Of course, it's always going to happen that lasting friendships develop when a group of like-minded people get together, but I'd love to know whether creative writing classes have a higher friendship rate than, say, art classes, or French cookery. Because it seems to me that writers face a unique set of challenges that only other writers can truly understand, and for that reason, we have the inclination and ability to 'bond' quite easily. Once we've bonded, we support one another to aid survival in the world of non-writers, where people tend not to have their heads full of fictional characters constantly demanding attention.

As well as simply 'understanding', writing chums are invaluable for helping you to solve plot and character problems. I have one friend in particular who is great at this. When either of us hits a tricky phase in our work, we meet up or chat on the phone. Sometimes, one of us makes a helpful suggestion about the other's work, but often, it's the very act of discussion that stimulates ideas and raises possible solutions. 'Talking it out' seems to be the answer.

What do you think? Do you find contact with writing friends essential to your writing life? Or do you prefer to solve problems alone?

By the way, I met my friend on a writing course ten years ago!

The Reading Bit

This week, I am sad to report that I have given up on a book. I hate to do that, but let's face it, life's too short to stick with a novel that's not gripping you when there are so many others to be read. I'll always give a book fifty pages, and if I'm still unsure, I'll go to a hundred. But by p50 of The Elegance of the Hedgehog, I'd had enough. The story is told in two voices, one of which I quite liked, but not enough to really hold my attention, and one of which I found annoyingly pretentious (I know she was supposed to pretentious, but even so). After making the decision to leave it, I read some Amazon reviews; some readers loved it some hated it, and quite a few said they didn't like it at first but it was worth persevering with and they warmed to it over time. Maybe I should have stuck with it, but to be honest, I felt quite relieved to be able to start a new book. What do you think? If a book hasn't drawn you in after 50 pages, do you persevere?

The Food Bit

This cassoulet is great in chilly weather, but I'm happy to report that it goes equally well when eaten outside on a balmy Indian-Summer evening. I'm a cassoulet convert - I used to think beans were boring (well, on their own, they are) but this seems to hit the spot. I make enough for six portions and freeze what I don't use. Heat some olive oil in a large pan, then add a large onion, sliced; one each of red, green and yellow peppers, diced; one sliced courgette and a few quartered mushrooms. Fry for a few minutes, then add 3-4 fat cloves of chopped, crushed garlic. Then tip in: two tins chopped tomatoes and one tin each (drained) of cannelini, haricot, borlotti and black eye beans (you can use other types of beans if you prefer). Add about half a pint of strong vegetable stock, a good slosh of red wine, a rounded teaspoon of dried mixed herbs (or a good handful of fresh herbs) and a dollop of tomato puree. Let this simmer away for about 30-40 minutes, then add seasoning to taste. Serve with a green vegetable, crusty bread and a full-bodied red wine. Note: oddly, this tastes better if it's just hot rather than piping hot. Suitable for vegans, though check the wine.

For more about me and my work, check out my website: http://www.susanelliotwright.co.uk

Creative Writing classes - worth doing? (this post applies mainly to FE courses - I'm saving MAs for a future blog)

2011-09-23T12:46:00.001+01:00

The Writing Bit

There's much debate about whether creative writing can be taught, but does anyone question a musician for talking piano lessons? A vocalist for having a voice coach? A painter for studying art?

Even a modicum of talent can be nurtured. A good course can turn not-very-good writers into competent ones, competent writers into better ones and good writers into exceptional ones. Every writer, no matter how inexperienced, can learn to sharpen their observational skills, develop their descriptive powers and generally improve and hone their craft.

How should you choose a class?

I've often heard potential writing students advised to find a class where the tutor is well-known or at least published. It's certainly something you should consider, but it's not the only thing. Being published doesn’t automatically make someone a good teacher. The line between publication and non-publication is often a fine one, which means there are a lot of good and even exceptional writers who are as yet unpublished, some of them incredibly skilled and inspirational teachers. There are also a lot of published novels that really aren’t very well -written, and I don't think it's right that one tutor be considered better than another solely on the grounds that he/she is published.

As a student and as a tutor, I've met a number of CW tutors over the years. Many were and are excellent at what they do, incredibly generous with their time and knowledge. But I can think of at least three, all well-published, two quite well-known, who were appalling. They shall remain nameless! One was lazy, only giving students’ work the briefest of glances, often in class while another student was reading; another halved the class in a few weeks by shredding the students’ confidence, and the other, on advising a mutual colleague about running a course said, ‘just tell them they’re wonderful and take the money.'!!

So, here are a few questions that might help you decide:

Can you sit in on a couple of classes before joining? If so, you can see the tutor’s style and how the session works as well as chatting to the group about their experience of this tutor.
Is there a good mix of writing exercises, reading and feedback?
If the class only involves workshopping, might a writers' group be more appropriate for you than a structured class?
Does everyone get a chance to read their work?
Is the feedback sensitive and constructive?
How inspiring is the teacher?
Does he/she address the various aspects of the craft of writing, or is the feedback too general?

A creative writing class will provide contact with other writers, as well as precious time and space in which to write. A well-run class should also motivate and inspire, and can often lift your work to a whole new level. Good luck!

The Reading Bit

After the mixed reviews of A Visit from the Goon Squad, I approached it with some trepidation, but I have to report, it's brilliant! The characters leap off the page, a disparate bunch with assorted flaws, all of whom are connected by two key characters, kleptomaniac Sasha and her record-producer boss, Bennie, and all of whom we instantly care about, even when they're less than sympathetic. The narrative doesn't stay with Sasha or Bennie; it zooms off into other viewpoints, skips back and forth in time between past, present and future, and in one chapter, even takes the form of Powerpoint slides, a technique I thought I'd hate, but I loved it. The unusual structure emphasises the book's main theme of time and what it does to the characters - the ravages of ageing, how life doesn't pan out the way you'd planned it, and how sometimes, it's cut tragically short. Have you read it? What did you think?

The Food Bit

Whether it's the weather, (if you see what I mean) I don't know, but I was gripped by an overwhelming desire to make cakes this week. Given that my husband is now a vegan, knocking up a few cakes isn't quite as easy as it used to be, but there are a few decent recipes around, and this one for banana cupcakes is a favourite: Stir together 120g flour, 100g sugar, one tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt. Set aside. Whizz together one ripe banana, 80g vegan margarine (Pure make a good sunflower spread) 60g peanut butter & 80ml soya milk. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together and spoon into paper cake cases. Sprinkle dark chocolate chips or shavings on top (some dark chocolate contains milk, so check first) and bake at gas 5/190C for about 15 minutes or until golden. I like these best the next day, but Vegan Husband eats them warm. Instead of topping with chocolate chips, you can decorate with buttercream by whisking together some vegan sunflower spread and sieved icing sugar, then piping a pretty swirl on top. Back to main courses next week.

It's all about pace - and weather

2011-09-16T12:10:00.000+01:00

TheWriting Bit

We'vehad a good bit of weather in Sheffield this week. The wind's been so strong that it tore a hugebranch from an old horse chestnut tree in the park where I walk the dog, blocking the path and scattering acarpet of twigs and conkers allaround. I like weather you can't ignore,weather that reminds you that you're alive and that nature is a force to bereckoned with. I love the excitement andintensity, the exhilaration of being caught in wind so strong that you have tohang on to a lamppost to avoid being swept into oncoming traffic, or rain soheavy that there's no point insheltering because you know you can't get any wetter.

But it's also good when it stops. The calm andrelative quiet when you finally shut the door against the pandemonium of highwinds; the comfort of warm, dry clothes and a rough towel for your hair afteryou've been caught in a downpour and are soaked to the skin.

I'vefound this quite helpful in thinking about the pace of a narrative, which iswhat I've been addressing in my editing sessions this week. Yes, intensity andexcitement is great, but too much of it can be wearisome. By the same token,calm and quiet can be soothing, but if things are too quiet for too long, wefall asleep.

Sowe need to be aware of pace so that wecan actively enhance it.For scenes where you need to increase the pace or tension, use more short sentences than long ones, and choose words with 'hard'sounds, such as: c, k, p, t, d, g, b.For example, 'He picked up the pace. Hecould hear the killer behind him as hecut across the path. He stopped and turned.'

Forslower, more thoughtful or romantic scenes, use longer sentences with softersounds, such as: m,n, l, w, v, f, h, s. For example, 'As she lay sleepilyin his muscular arms, he stroked her hair softly and whispered the words she'dbeen longing to hear since the moment they'd first met.'

Sick bag, anyone? Dreadful clichés, I know, butyou see what I mean?

TheReading Bit

I'mcurrently re-reading The Road Home by the wonderful Rose Tremain. This novel isa masterclass in creating sympathetic and interesting characters. The maincharacter is so likeable that even when he does something bad later in thenovel, we forgive him. We even careabout the minor characters, all of whom have their own complete stories. A fine example of how sympathetic character +hardship + motivation and goals + obstacles along the way = good novel.

TheFood Bit

Veganhighlight this week was sausage and mash with onion and red wine gravy. After trying various vegan sausages, Idiscovered the Linda McCartney ones - very acceptable indeed. The trick is notto overcook them. Make the gravy byslicing onions (one onion per two people) and frying them slowly in olive oiluntil they begin to caramelise. Stir in enough flour to make a paste, adding atouch more oil if necessary, andcook for a couple of minutes. Addvegetable stock, a good slosh of red wine (not all wine is suitable for vegans)and a dollop of dijon mustard. I usually stick in a couple of bay leaves and asome chopped or dried sage as well, plus a few grinds of black pepper. Salt totaste. Cook for a few minutes until thick and gorgeous, then serve with thesausages, sweet potato mash and whatever vegetables you have knocking around.

It's my belief that 'some', 'a good slosh', and 'a dollop' are perfectly reasonable units of measurement. I hope you agree! If in doubt, taste.

What to do with a novel that’s ‘almost there’

2011-09-10T17:13:00.000+01:00

If you knowyour book’s good, if you’ve come pretty damn close to selling it but the dealis still elusive, you have four choices:

Keep trying — there are lots of small presses as well as mainstream publishers. Maybe the next editor it goes to will be the one who falls in love with it.
Self-publish — a respectable option these days. Many authors self-publish very successfully. Not to be confused with vanity publishing.
Put it aside and start a new book — good option if you've another idea that excites you. Many authors have actually published earlier novels after their debut.
Put it aside for a substantial amount of time so you can really get some distance — at least six months is good, 9-12 months is better.

The fourthoption is the one I chose a year ago. Most writers put work away for a coupleof weeks as a matter of course, and even this little bit of distance helps showup things like typos, repeated words, clumsy sentences, unnecessary words/phrases, and tense slips etc. I’ve just hauled my novel out of itsvirtual drawer after a year. I’ve readit again with fresh eyes, which sounds a bit like something you’d buy at acheap butcher’s but you know what I mean, and I asked myself the following questions:

· Does the narrative drag in places?

· Are there areas where the pace is a little hectic?

· Have I been telling when I should be showing?

· Have I over-explained?

· Will my reader care about my characters as muchas I do?

These arethe questions I feel are appropriate to my novel – you may have others, e.g.does the story start in the right place? Whose story is it? Is there enoughtension? Is the ending satisfying? I’mnot saying every writer needs to put every book away for a year – with a bit ofluck, you’ll get that publishing deal on the first round of submissions! But ifyou’ve come very near to a deal but not quite made it and you know that you,your writer friends and even your agent are way too close to see the problems,putting the novel away for a big chunkof time might be the answer.

So, this week, I’ve been going through my manuscript withhighlighter pens in various colours, marking out areas that need attention. I’mhappy to say that overall, I enjoyed my novel, and there are bits that stillmake me cry. But there are areas thatneed improving, and I plan to tackle these over the next few weeks. Watch thisspace!

The food bit

This week, I’m only going to introduce the food bit, becausethe writing bit is slightly longer than I’d planned and I don’t want anyonedozing off. I am passionate about food,and still occasionally work as a chef. My cooking life has become moreinteresting of late because of my husband’s interest in veganism. Now, vegetarianism is easy-peasy; you caneven do fine dining for veggies. But I’m finding veganism a little morechallenging. I’m on a quest, people. I won’t be cooking vegan every day, Iwon’t even be cooking vegetarian every day - I still eat fish, and veryoccasionally, chicken - but I’m massively reducing my consumption of these andof dairy produce. So, I’m on a mission to produce delicious vegan meals, as well as the odd non-veganmeal. Again, watch this space!