Wordsmiths of Melton just another good day.

We enjoyed a productive novel writing workshop today, with Merlene Frawley testing us with a couple of exercises to help with descriptive text, and observation skills. It was good too, to hear about everyone's work and how they are progressing. Bring on the next workshop.

For anyone wanting to try writing as a hobby I recommend you seek out a critiquing writers group and join in. You can learn so much from the other participants it will fast track your literary education and polish your skills.

For more information go to the Wordsmiths of Melton website: http://wordsmithsofmelton.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/wordsmiths-of-melton.html

I advise you to take a look at Merlene's site: ( http://merlenefawdry.blogspot.com.au/ ) where she has provided many helpful links.

If you find the articles people have posted interesting, please leave a comment. It polishes the ego of the Blogger or sets them straight either way your comment is important.

Thanks for visiting.

Les Gillespies Letters

This morning has been quite productive, as I build my the character of my ghost I have had to write a letter explaining the joy he gets from killing. I am now convinced I am developing the mind of a psychopath, finding a path to make the characters interesting is a challenge and my problem is to make theem different to the people I know.

The Character Bus

When I was reaching the end of writing Kundela, I posted a notice on my blog telling the world (or those few who pass by the blog site anyway) saying I had planned the final chapters and would be finished in a couple of days. This prompted Merlene Frawley to ask if the characters were screaming ‘Are we there yet?’ I responded with something about them being on a school bus. I thought was clever at the time, but it has helped me to gel the characters into progressing the outline of my new novel.

            I see myself as the driver, stopping to pick up each character, introducing some and only giving others a nod as they alight. Over the novel’s progress, all of these identities will reveal a bit more of themselves to the other passengers. Travelling to their place in the story, we will come to know what they do, and how important they are. The lead characters will ride the bus every day and those who are casual, will come and go, maybe only riding for one stop, their worth not really noticed over the journey but they remain important to the narrative.

            Merlene has set the class task a for this week’s session, we are to develop the characters of our stories into a readily assessable chart. This has been a huge task and although the new book has a few characters from Kundela, I am finding a need to write out complete character profiles for these old friends. In the process, I am getting to know who everyone is, how they all relate to each other and what their place is in the story.

            For this book, I have written an outline that has a more detailed and flowing format than the one I used for Kundela. Supported by a time line and a storyboard the whole process will be easier, without the need to search for character and plot details of earlier chapters. As they say when painting a house, preparation is the biggest part of the job. With a full tank of diesel and only a few characters ready for work. I’m about to shift the bus into drive and get these individuals to work.

            This bus won’t stop once the manuscript is finished either, I am in the marketing process at the same time as rewriting the draft. This requires building a profile of publishers and their submission requirements, and if that’s not enough, I have become something of a bother to people who I’ve met over the years. Facebook, Linked In, and other social media, are raked over when I remember a name of someone who may remember me.

            The creativity continues as I write synopsis and applications, all different taking care to eliminate mistakes hoping to pique the interest of the recipient. I have received an incredible amount of help and encouragement from Wordsmiths of Melton and Merlene. If I do find a publisher, it is because they accepted me and made me welcome.

More from the diary of Les Gillespies

Poverty and Youth

Unseen by many

And known by few

Cold city streets

Steal soul from you

I am putting a few bits and pieces together for my next book Les Gillespies Gold, and as his family discover Les's troubled past, they find a diary and unposted old letters. These writings are the clue to his demons and a lost gold reef.

Trying to build his character, causes me to explore my ability to create a far different character than I had originally devised.

I hope I can do him justice.

Zombies now getting ready to print

The Zombie Racers of Raggletown

This story has been reviewed by my coleagues and I have included some of their suggestions in my last draft. I hope to put it and more of these stories into a small book due for release with Kundela.

     

Children make more work

So much for taking the kids to the park to escape the keyboard. I have had bits and pieces of the new novel running through my mind for thee days. I needed to surface get some fresh air and release the inner grandad.

After playing on all of the equipment at one park I took them to another. Arriving back at the car Kyamah turned to me and asked when I would write something for children again. When would Wurugi have another book? We talked about many things as themes and a bunyip seems to have won favour as a project for the three of us. Therefore Montanna and I will collaborate on one book while I work with Kyamah on another.

Tonight I promised them a horror story and so I will spend the weekend working on: The Zombie Racers of Raggletown. How creepy can I make it? Not too creepy I hope.

Wordsmiths of Melton, your enthusiasm has rubbed of and therefore I blame you for energy that keeps me at the keyboard, enjoying every keystroke.

The poetry and writings of Les Gillespie

Les Gillespie is the ghost character of my new novel. In a lost diary, his family have found some clues to his surly and destructive make up.

This is one of those clues:

 GREED

At the throne of Mammon

I kneeled to pray

And to the clutch of Satan

I gave my soul away