Books from the year I was born

My poor neglected blog. I can't believe it's nearly been a year since I last fed you. Never mind, I am here now so I thought I would tell you what I have been up to the past year.

Mostly I have been working and attending medical appointments. I have watched far too many TV series and read far too few books. I have been learning Norwegian (det går bra) and doing a limited amount of writing (det går ikke så bra).

Tomorrow, I turn 50 years old. So I decided to see what popular books (according to Goodreads) were published in the year I was born: 1972. Let's see how many I've read, shall we?

Book #1: Watership Down by Richard Adams

I have never read this book, but a lot of people say this is their childhood favourite. It has had a huge influence on children's literature, so I’m putting it on my to-be-read list right now.

Book #2: Ways of Seeing by John Berger

I haven’t read this one either. The blurb says it is a book about art and how we look at pictures. It sounds interesting, so I think I’ll try to track this one down as well.

Book #3: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

Another children’s classic that somehow passed me by… I wonder when I’ll get to a book I have read.

Book #4: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

This is the first book in Judy Blume's Fudge series, and although I don’t remember reading this one, I definitely read Superfudge (we studied it in year 7 or 8).

Book #5: Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl

I’ve read this one! This is the second book in the Charlie Bucket series and follows on from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I remember the great glass elevator leaving the chocolate factory and flying over the town, but it’s been so long since I read it, I can't really remember what the story was about.

Book #6: The Farthest Shore by Ursula K Le Guin

A few years ago, I purchased a volume containing the first four books of the Earthsea Cycle. This is book number three. Wonderful works of wizardry that have clearly had a huge impact on fantasy fiction.

Book #7: Invisible Cities by Italo Cavino

I haven’t heard of this book before. The description says it is about Kublai Khan and Marco Polo. Wonder if it is still in print?

Book #8: All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot

I don’t recall reading this, but surely I must have. The old BBC series with Peter Davidson (aka the fifth Doctor) was a delight.

Book #9: The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov

I believe Isaac Asimov is a very prolific science fiction writer and even coined the term robotics among others. Alas, I have not read any of his works and probably should remedy that.

Book #10: Amphigorey by Edward Gorey

Amphigory apparently means a nonsense verse or composition. And if nothing else, I have learnt a new word today.

How many books have you read from the year you were born?

Launch for South of the Sun

It's launch day tomorrow for South of the Sun: Australian Fairy Tales for the 21st Century. Online event starts 6.30pm Friday, 2 July. Find details here:

https://www.facebook.com/SouthoftheSunAnthology

Launch events for South of the Sun

Some online launch events are being planned for South of the Sun in May. 

Official launch - Friday, 21 May, 6.30pm. Stay tuned for details.

Facebook Live event - Saturday, 22 and Sunday, 23 May, all day. You'll be able to watch videos of contributors reading snippets from their stories.

And of course, don't forget to pre-order your copy of South of the Sun: Fairy Tales for the 21st Century.

https://australianfairytales.com/

https://www.serenitypress.org/product-page/south-of-the-sun

South of the Sun

South of the Sun: Australian Fairy Tales for the 21st Century can be pre-ordered now from https://www.serenitypress.org/product-page/south-of-the-sun. 

Read all about it at https://australianfairytales.com/.

As well as a short story contributed by yours truly, there are tales by Carmel Bird, Sophie Masson, Cate Kennedy and Eugen Bacon.

Stay tuned for details of the official launch happening in May. 

A Winter's Promise - Christelle Dabos

 Melbourne is finally nearing the end of its long lock down, and the threat of COVID-19 has diminished here, for the moment at least. I’m finally getting a few hours to myself now and then, and I can feel my creativity returning. It’s time to dive back into ‘life amidst the unreal’.

I have an idea for a book and some characters I’m excited about, so I’m having fun playing around with that at the moment.

Reading-wise, I read Midnight Sun by Stephenie Myer, which in turn led me to re-read the entire Twilight series. It’s an interesting experience, going back to it, looking at it more from a writer’s perspective. I can see the flaws that many others have criticised, but I can also see the author’s growth as a writer. As a reader, I can’t join in the literary snobbery though. I still love it.

Audio-wise, I’ve been listening to A Winter’s Promise by French author Christelle Dabos, translated by Hildegard Serle and brilliantly read by Emma Fenney. The variety of voices Emma brings to the reading is simply astounding, and all of them so convincing that I’m besotted with the characters. I wonder if it would be the same if I was reading the book instead of listening to it. There are flaws in the story – mainly slower bits that could have been cut down – but the unusual setting and characters, the lack of sappy romance (though romance is there simmering away unrequited), and the quiet strength of the protagonist, make for a compelling story. The cliff-hanger ending may bother some people, but I’ve quite happily moved on to book two, The Missing of Clairdelune, to seek the answers to questions raised by the first book (and listen to Emma read some more).

A quick summary of A Winter's Promise - In a world that has shattered into arks, descendants of the family spirits of each ark have special powers. Animist and mirror traveller Ophelia is betrothed to Thorn, a taciturn man from the Pole. In the months before her marriage, Ophelia must learn to survive this dangerous place full of enemies and intrigue. But who can she trust?

“Here, before you, I predict that your husband’s will is going to shatter against yours.” - Ophelia’s Great-Uncle A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos

The Future and the Past

The Future: Expiration Day by William Campbell Powell

Expiration day is an unusual futuristic novel. Although set in a dystopian future, it’s a poignant and heart-warming coming-of-age novel about what it means to be human.

To maintain peace in a world where few human children still exist, a corporation called Oxtet creates teknoid children for adoption. Tania Deely discovers only two children in her entire school are human. The rest undergo regular upgrades to give them the appearance of growing up. To maintain the illusion, most of them don’t know they’re not human.

In this confusing world, Tania writes a diary describing her life, loves, hopes, dreams, fears and doubts. But as her friends disappear one by one (even the human ones) Tania realises every family faces an Expiration Day.

I highly recommend giving the audio book a listen. Gabrielle de Cuir gives a terrific reading.

 

The Past: No Small Shame by Christine Bell

As the first World War begins, a young Scottish migrant is embroiled in her own battles at home in Australia. Mary’s determined build a better life for herself and her loved ones, but is hampered by a reluctant husband, an overbearing mother, and the general attitudes and opinions of the day.

Between all the heartache, Mary’s warmth and compassion shine through. Every time I put the book down, I found myself worrying and wondering what would happen, always hoping the best for the characters.

These two books couldn’t be more different and yet at their heart they both feature strong female protagonists who strive to make the world a better place.

Who decided who got to go where and when? Or what a person could or couldn't do? Who wrote the rule book? - No Small Shame by Christine Bell

Lockdown faves

It’s a bit over a month since a state of emergency was declared here in Melbourne, so thought I’d compile a list of lockdown faves so far.

Favourite TV series: The Man in the High Castle (Amazon)

A fantastic show full of compelling and complex characters set in an alternate history where the Nazis won the war. Rufus Sewell is particularly exceptional as Obergruppenführer John Smith, a ruthless man who will do anything to protect his family, including turning his back on everything he believes in, (and who happens to have the most tongue-twisting job title in the world. Props to the actors who had to say it repeatedly).

Favourite movie: I only watched one and it was dreadful. Hopefully something better comes along next month.

Favourite book YA: Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater

A book about dreamers and the dreamed. If a dream will sleep forever when you die, you have a lot to live for. It’s a great premise well executed. Can’t wait for book two to come out.

Favourite book MG: The January Stars by Kate Constable

Two sisters accidentally kidnap their grandfather from a nursing home and go on an adventure to find him a new place to live. A beautifully written, heart-warming tale with a sprinkle of stardust magic.

Favourite book PB: Cicada by Shaun Tan

I expect nothing less than brilliance from Shaun Tan and Cicada does not disappoint.

Favourite book A: Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe

Okay, I read this just prior to lockdown, but it’s the most recent book for adults I’ve read, so I’m including it in the list. A fascinating study of indigenous agriculture and development prior to European settlement in Australia. There is much this country can learn about environmental sustainability here.

Favourite board game contest: Scrabble

I lost, but as far as Scrabble games go it was a corker. I started with four Ns, a Z, and zero vowels. We backed ourselves into a corner early on and, with barely any room to move, it looked likely we’d have to start again. The addition of two letters to an existing word got us out of trouble and my son scored a triple word score with a long Q-word. The most remarkable thing of all: at the end of the game there were only two 1-point tiles left.

A very close second in this category was when I bankrupted everybody in Monopoly *maniacal laugh*.

Favourite small moment: Standing in the backyard listening to dozens of birds hold a raucous AGM in the Leylandii trees.

Hope everyone's finding their own favourite moments in lockdown.

News, Views and Beauteousness

I was planning to call this post News, Views and Reviews, but realised I didn’t have much to review, and as an online rhyming dictionary insisted that beauteousness rhymed with news (???), I’m rolling with it.

First the news: I have had a short story called Curse of the Swan Prince selected for the anthology South of the Sun: Fairy Tales for the 21^st Century. You can read about it here: https://australianfairytales.com/

This is my very first acceptance for publication of any piece of writing I’ve done ever done, so it’s super exciting.

I’d had the characters I used in the story hanging out in my head for quite a long time. Years in fact. I knew they had a story to tell, but as I was busy working on other things, I kept pushing them aside. I finished work on my YA manuscript around the same time I saw the call for submissions to the anthology and knew these characters would be perfect for a fairy tale. It had been a long time since I’d attempted writing a short story, but in another twist of serendipity, I’d been reading an anthology called The Ghostly Stringybark, which gave me a really good feel for how to structure the tale. It all came together rather quickly, and I was proud of the result. I'm stoked the selection committee liked it too.

To views and beauteousness: For our annual family holiday this year, we went to Tasmania. Best holiday ever! Check out the scenery:

Bicheno Blow Hole

Sleepy Bay, Freycinet NP

Richmond Bridge

Franklin Wharf, Hobart

Horseshoe Falls, Mt Field NP

Marakoopa Cave, Mole Creek

Mt Round Lookout

Mersey Bluff Lighthouse, Devonport

View of Mt Roland from Wilmot

This is just a small selection of the hundreds of photos I took. If you've never been to Tassie, tick it off your bucket list asap.

The dark and the light

Two of the most recent books I've read have been polar opposites.

First I listened to the audio book of Sonya Hartnett's Surrender, in which a young man on his death bed remembers the harrowing events of his childhood. This incredibly dark tale recounts the twisted friendship between repressed Anwell (who at the age of seven accidentally killed his disabled brother) and free-spirited Finnegan. In a moment of bonding, Finnegan absolves Anwell from doing any wrong and names him Gabrielle. Finnegan vows to always do bad so that Gabrielle can always do good. Finnegan begins by setting fire to things and those things always belong to people who have crossed or slighted Gabrielle in some way. Gabrielle grows increasingly anxious at Finnegan's retribution and their friendship gradually erodes. As the lines between good and evil start to blur the story gets even darker.

Not a book for the fainthearted, but a beautifully told tale nonetheless.

And then there's The Rosie Result. I adore the Rosie books by Graeme Simsion. Heartwarming, funny and uplifting they are a delight to read. The first two books in the series probably had more laugh-out-loud moments than this third and final instalment, but as the parent of someone on the autism spectrum I found The Rosie Result highly relatable. Don and Rosie's son has issues at school. The school would like to have Hudson assessed for autism, but Don and Rosie are reticent. Don decides to take time off work (which wasn't going so smoothly anyway) to help. Applying his unstinting logic to the Hudson project, Don manages to make things a whole lot worse before they get better. 

Amidst the hilarity, The Rosie Result debunks many of the myths surrounding autism and addresses some of the problems faced by many parents with kids on the spectrum.

And to finish, a quote that is neither dark nor light, but important:

'I'm not a person with autism any more than I'm a person with lesbianism. I'm lesbian. I'm autistic. When I get a cold, I have a cold; I'm a person with a cold and I want to get rid of it. Medical help appreciated. But being autistic and lesbian – that’s who I am, and I’m not interested in anyone trying to cure me of who I am.' - Liz the autism activist from: The Rosie Result – Graeme Simsion

More Highlights

I sincerely hope there comes a time when I can be more consistent with my posts here – once every three to four months is not ideal, and my goal has always been once a month. However away from Life Amidst the Unreal there is that pesky interruption called life. You know the one, where there’s money to be earned, kids to get where they’re supposed to be at any given time, bills to pay, food to cook, appointments to attend, pain to ease or tolerate if it can’t be eased. The one where husbands injure themselves at work and require an operation and a chauffeur (luckily my daughter has her Ls now, so she can take over that job sometimes). The one where manuscripts won’t edit or submit themselves and blog posts won’t write themselves.

But enough of the Real! Time for highlights of the Unreal:

Writing highlights: I currently have three separate manuscripts out there in the slush. Two PBs and a YA. Also bashed out a couple of rough chapters for a sequel to my YA urban fantasy.

Reading highlights: Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, The Nancys by RWR McDonald, Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend, Ship of Dolls by Shirley Parenteau, and by Jaclyn Moriarty I read Gravity is the Thing and reread A Corner of White. I highly recommend all of these books and would happily read anything written by any of these authors.

Viewing highlights: Not a lot to list here, too many good books to read, and too much happening IRL. The Handmaid’s Tale (1^st series on Stan, 2^nd and 3^rd series on SBS on Demand), Yesterday (currently in cinemas)

Opening lines highlight: Madeleine Tully turned fourteen yesterday, but today she did not turn anything.

Oh, wait. She turned a page. – A Corner of White, Jaclyn Moriarty

Highlights

Been working hard getting my manuscript ready for submission, so here's a few highlights from Life Amidst the Unreal over the last couple of months:

Writing highlights: finishing off the YA urban fantasy I’ve been working on for what feels like forever. So close, so close…

Reading highlights: Take Three Girls by Cath Crowley, Simmone Howell and Fiona Wood; Mao’s Last Dancer by Li Cunxin; A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett; currently reading Vicarious by Paula Stokes.

Viewing highlights: The Bodyguard series on Netflix; Good Girls series on Netflix; The Cry BBC/ABC miniseries; Bohemian Rhapsody movie on DVD.

Holiday highlights:

Mount Kilcoy, Qld

Random river stones, Mount Kilcoy, Qld

Lake Somerset, Qld

And I'll leave you with a couple of "Royal" highlights:

Roger Taylor: You’re a legend, Fred.
Freddie Mercury: You’re bloody right I am. We’re all legends. But you’re right, I am a legend. 

- Bohemian Rhapsody

Rio: You wanna be the king, you gotta kill the king. This stuff's medieval darlin'.

- Good Girls

Sara: There's nothing so strong as rage, except what makes you hold it in - that's stronger. It's a good thing not to answer your enemies.

- A Little Princess, Frances Hodgson Burnett

Gap Year Nanny by Goldie Alexander

Part of the Shakespeare Now! trilogy (also available as an anthology), Gap Year Nanny takes Macbeth from historic Scotland and brings it to modern Melbourne.

During her gap year, Merri watches the rise and fall of her employers, corporate climber Stuart Macbeth and his wife Lorna, while looking after the couple’s young children. The familiar tale of greed and corruption plays out against Merri’s day-to-day problems, such as getting her charges to trust her, losing old friends, making new ones, and balancing a social life with the demands of her job.

Placing Macbeth’s main themes and characters in a modern setting (the witches make a memorable appearance as internet gurus) makes this book a great introduction for young people studying “the Scottish play” for the first time.

I look forward to reading the other two books in the trilogy – The Trytth Chronicles based on The Tempest and set in the future, and Changing History? a time-slip novel set in 1928 Berlin based on Romeo and Juliet.

The Best and Worst of Audio Books

I’m a big fan of audio books and listen to them in the car to make the commute less of a chore. It also gives me the opportunity to experience more books than I have time to actually read, and to experience books that I otherwise probably wouldn’t read because they’re ‘not my cup of tea’. Listening to them often makes them easier to digest.

The most recent audio books I have listened to pretty much represent the best and the worst things about audio books.

The best: Deep Waters by Ann Cliff, read by Anne Dover.

Set in the 1890s, a Yorkshire farming valley is slated to be flooded and dammed to provide water to the city of Leeds. Rachel is determined to fight for the land and the future of the community she loves.

The book is beautifully and subtly read by Anne Dover. There are no over-the-top character voices to pull you out of the story, and her accents hit the mark. A generous sprinkling of romance infuses the story without getting in the way of the main themes of progress, class, choices for women and how one person’s actions can make a difference.

The worst: Angel Catbird by Margaret Atwood, read by a full cast.

Part cat, part owl, part genetic engineer: I think he’s meant to be some sort of super hero, but he doesn’t really do much. The rest of the half-animals seem more proactive in fighting the half-rat boss-man and his army of evil rats. 

I have always wanted to read something by Margaret Atwood. I fear this was the worst possible introduction I could have had.

The atrocity starts with the fact that this is adapted from a graphic novel. How many times have you read a graphic novel and thought, Hmmm, this would make a great audio book? 

What’s that? 

Never? 

Me neither. 

Because graphic novels are all about the visual. I’m sure comics like Batman and Superman were presented as radio plays back in the day, and that’s the format used here. But the over-the-top voices, the ridiculous dialogue, the pointless, meandering plot all conspire to make this book unlistenable. I really tried, but by the third and final CD my brain started tuning it all out and I lost track of who was who and what was what. So, in one of those life-is-too-short moments, I gave up and turned on the radio.

Most audio books fall somewhere between these two extremes – some reading voices you could listen to forever, some pull you out of the story with character voices that don’t work, some books have strong storylines that make for riveting listening and some plots are just too convoluted to follow audibly. But the fact that I’m less invested in listening to a book than I am in reading one, makes an audio book easy to switch off if it’s a shocker, and an absolute joy to hear if it transports me beyond peak-hour traffic.

Book-Movie, Movie-Book

Some people refuse to watch movie adaptions of books they’ve read. The common consensus is that the movie is never as good as the book. But I find it hard to resist seeing characters come to life on the movie screen. Yes, it can be hit and miss, but it’s interesting to see what works and what doesn’t. Here are a few adaptions I’ve watched lately.

Everything, Everything (book by Nicola Yoon)

Book: I read this for my monthly book club. It’s a quick, easy, enjoyable read. The protagonist, Maddy, is a girl who lives an isolated life because she can’t go outside her house without getting sick. A cute boy moves in next door and a relationship of sorts develops, but how will they make it work? If you break it down the plot has some issues, but really if you over-analyse any kind of fiction it falls apart. Best to suspend disbelief and go with the flow.

Movie: I enjoyed the movie, but in this case, I felt the book was better. Mainly because some of my favourite moments in the book didn’t occur in the movie. In the book, Olly does parkour and teaches Maddy how to do handstands. In the movie, this part of Olly’s character is missing. Also, I felt that Maddy’s imaginary scenes with Olly prior to their actual meeting detracted from excitement of their first meeting irl.

Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List (book by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn)

Movie: Here is a case where I’ve watched the movie adaption before I have read the book. I feel hesitant to read the book, because I enjoyed the movie so much. Naomi has been best friends with Ely forever. Even though he’s gay, she’s secretly in love with him. In the interest of maintaining their friendship, they create a No Kiss list of boys they both like. However, they neglect to add Naomi’s boyfriend, Bruce 2, to the list, because, well, “some things are just obvious”. I’ve read reviews saying how annoying and ego-centric these characters are, but I think that’s the point. Through the breakdown of Naomi and Ely’s insular friendship, they are finally able to grow and become better people.

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (book by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn)

Book: I read this book for book club several years ago and I didn’t like it. The plot seemed to wander aimlessly, and I found the writing uneven – I liked reading Nick’s chapters much more than Norah’s. There was also a storyline where Norah kept trying to force herself to do something that she really didn’t want to do and that annoyed me no end.

Movie: After enjoying No Kiss List, I thought I would give this DL/RC movie adaption a go and am happy to report that the movie was much better than the book. The annoying subplot was gone, and the story seemed much more coherent: Norah asks Nick to pretend to be her boyfriend for five minutes to get an annoying school mate (who happens to be Nick’s ex) off her back. They spend the rest of the night simultaneously trying to get Norah’s drunk bestie home, trying to find out where the best band in the universe is playing their secret gig, and falling in love.

Some adaptions where I liked the book better: The Cat in the Hat – Dr Seuss, Percy Jackson books – Rick Riordon, Howl’s Moving Castle – Dianna Wynn Jones, Twilight – Stephenie Myer, Bridge to Terabithia – Katherine Paterson

Some adaptions where I liked both the book and the movie: The Book Thief – Markus Zusak, Harry Potter franchise – JK Rowling, Hunger Games franchise – Suzanne Collins, The Fault in our Stars – John Green

Another adaption where I liked the movie better: The Time Traveller’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger

“I've read many more books than you. It doesn't matter how many you've read. I've read more. Believe me.” 
― Nicola Yoon, Everything, Everything

Blog renos and Anne With An E

As I have felt uninspired by my own blog for some time, I decided it was time for renovations. So here is the new look, the new theme, the new title. As much as I love and am grateful for my real life, “life amidst the unreal” is my escape. It is the life of books and writing, stories on the screen, of magic and possibilities. It is a place I hope you’ll join me now and then to see where I’ve been “living”.

My latest adventure has been the Netflix series “Anne with an E”, based on “Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery. Amybeth McNulty plays Anne to perfection. The beloved supporting characters: Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, Diana, Gilbert and Mrs Lynde et al are all faithfully portrayed. This adaption delves more into the characters’ pasts and introduces new characters adding further textures and layers to LM Montgomery’s story without diminishing Anne’s spirit and the essence of her rags to contentment story. And of course, no adaption of the book would be complete without the picturesque landscape of Prince Edward Island and its “Lake of Shining Waters”, “White Way of Delight” and the welcoming refuge of Green Gables.

“If you’ll only call me Anne spelled with an E I shall try to reconcile myself to not being called Cordelia.” – LM Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Where I've been lately...

Departure

Isle of Pines

Mare

Lifou

Noumea

Middle of Nowhere

Arrival

2017 Reading Summary

This year I read 83 books. The majority were published this century, with only 10 published prior to the year 2000 and, unusually for me, I didn’t read any published in the 19^th century or earlier.

Thirty-six were by Australian authors. Followed by US authors 28, UK authors 13, NZ 2, and Canadian 1. Would love to read more translations, or authors from non-western countries. Any recommendations?

Out of the 83 books, 10 were non-fiction, leaving 73 fiction books. There were 11 picture books, 20 middle-grade, 35 YA, and 16 adult (quite an achievement for me as I generally avoid adult literature, but audio books make it easier). I listened to 8 audio books in total.

Of the fiction books 30 were fantasy, 22 contemporary, 9 historical, 3 crime, 3 humour, 3 sci-fi, 1 dystopia, 2 survival.  One of the non-fiction books was in graphic novel form. 

Here’s an interesting breakdown I recorded this year:

Female Author/Female Main Character	30
Female Author/Male Main Character	16
Female Author/Neutral Main Character	17
Male Author/Female Main Character	5
Male Author/Male Main Character	9
Male Author/Neutral Main Character	6

Neutral main character could mean the story followed both male and female characters (such as The Guy, The Girl, The Artist and His Ex), or as in the case of many picture books, genderless characters. I also recorded most non-fiction under neutral unless it clearly followed one particular person or gender (such as Warrior Women).

What were my reading highlights of 2017? 

Reading Fiona Wood’s fabulous and funny YA books.

The Ghost Bride by Yangze Choo.

Discovering the Warriors books with my son (by Erin Hunter).

Northern Lights Phillip Pullman (La Belle Sauvage will be my first read of 2018).

Finishing Andrew McGahan’s Ship Kings series.

Yes, I’m behind the times but Girl with a Pearl Earring has been on my wish list for years. I was not disappointed.

Illuminae and Gemina by Amie Kaufman/Jay Kristoff - mind blowing.

There are so many more highlights I could add to this but I will stop here and wish everyone many happy hours of great reading in 2018.

Who, What, When, Where, How and Why? Making sense of it all.

So, the other day I was explaining some of the plot of my WIP to the folks at writers’ group.  This is the WIP I’ve been working on for seven years (on and off).  The one I was planning to finish this year.  The one I was hoping I would be able to send off to publishers very soon.  One more draft will do it, I thought.

But…It’s complicated. 

Now lots of novels have complicated plots.  Lots of books ask you to “suspend disbelief”, especially spec fic of which my WIP is one.  However, it’s important that any story adheres to its own internal logic.  It’s all very well for everything to make sense inside an author’s own head, but is that coming through on the page?

To sort out all the various strands of my plot, I mind mapped these questions:

Who? – This was an easy one to answer.  I wrote all the names of the main players, then linked all the secondary characters to them.  This gave me a clear idea of which characters have the greatest impact on the plot.

What? – For this question, I listed the main thing going on for the different groups of characters. Now I can see the main themes and conflicts at a glance.

When? – Although set in the present, my story dips into several different time periods (that’s why I love ghost stories), so here I listed who is present in which era.

Where? – The story is mostly set in Melbourne, but there are a few different places within Melbourne that the protagonist visits.  Here I can mind map the different “feel” of each place.

How? – Now we get more complicated.  Under “How?” I have listed cause and effect, which basically gives me a time line – this happened, because this happened, and that happened, because that happened, which leads me in a logical sequence of how seemingly unrelated things from history have impacted on the present day.  This is looking like a whole bunch of roots which come together to form the seed of the story.

Why? – I haven’t started this mind map yet, but I think this question boils down to motive.  Why do all the character’s do the things they do?  I know most of the motives already, but some are a little hazy.  I can’t wait to see what this mind map reveals.

The process of answering these questions helps me see what makes sense and where the manuscript requires more work to make it cohesive.

“Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.”
—George Orwell

Jane Austen's Bad Boys

Spoiler Alert! – This post assumes prior knowledge of Jane Austen’s works – if you haven’t read them, take note of Ms Austen’s own words: “The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.”

I began this post last year after a Jane Austen binge when I was unwell (a Jane Austen binge every couple of years is essential for good health and happiness). It’s high time I finished it (the blog post that is) – so here is a countdown of my favourite Austen bad boys.

6.         John Thorpe, Northanger Abbey – John Thorpe is probably one of Jane Austen’s most unlikeable characters. In contrast to her other bad boys, he has no redeeming features. He is uncouth, arrogant and spreads damaging lies about our heroine, Catherine. He doesn’t have the elegance or gentleman-like manner of any other Austen cad. Catherine “cannot like him” and nor can I.

“There is not the hundredth part of the wine consumed in this kingdom that there ought to be.” – John Thorpe

5.         Frank Churchill, Emma – Emma is an anomaly in Jane Austen’s canon in that none of the characters are really contemptible. Granted, Mr Churchill is not particularly well behaved, flirting with Emma and dissing the one he loves, all to hide his secret engagement to Jane Fairfax. But in the end, his aunt conveniently dies, all is revealed and Mr Churchill marries Jane as he always intended. Emma is not the least heartbroken as she wasn’t really in love with him anyway.  Besides, riding all the way to London to secretly purchase a piano for Jane means Franky-babe doesn’t cut it with the truly contemptible lads.

“Our companions are excessively stupid.  What shall we do to rouse them?  Any nonsense will serve. They shall talk.” – Frank Churchill

4.         William Elliot, Persuasion – Anne’s cousin Mr Elliot became estranged from the Elliot family when he spurned Anne’s sister Elizabeth in favour of marrying for money. When the family move to Bath, Mr Elliot – now a rich widower and heir to the baronetcy – renews his acquaintance with Sir Walter’s family and shows impeccable taste by turning his attentions towards Anne. Anne however is irrevocably in love with Captain Wentworth and is not at all convinced of Mr Elliot’s sincerity. Her doubts appear justified when she spies Mr Elliot with Mrs Clay when he was supposed to be out of town.

Mr Elliot was too generally agreeable. Various as were the tempers in her father’s house, he pleased them all. He endured too well, – stood too well with everybody.

3.         John Willoughby, Sense and Sensibility – Willoughby’s a real rotter and by far the worst of the worst charmers in Austen’s novels. He sweeps Marianne off her feet (or at least carries her home when she sprains her ankle), fools everyone into thinking he will propose to her, then cruelly forsakes her for another. The Dashwoods later learn he disgraced then abandoned Colonel Brandon’s ward, which caused Willoughby to be disinherited by his wealthy Aunt and forced him to marry for money instead of love. When Marianne falls ill and her life is in balance, Willoughby has the audacity to come begging for forgiveness and declaring his unhappiness with the choices he made.

“Brandon is just the kind of man,” said Willoughby one day when they were talking of him together, “whom everybody speaks well of, and nobody cares about; whom all are delighted to see, and nobody remembers to talk to.” – John Willoughby

2.       George Wickham, Pride and Prejudice – What a wicked old boy is Wickham!  Running up gambling debts, charming all the women of Meryton (but finding them decidedly lacking in the essential quality of fortune), making everyone believe he is an officer and a gentleman, spreading lies and half-truths about Darcy, and topping it all off by whisking poor, foolish Lydia away from the safety of her family and friends without any intention of marrying her. In the end, he is caught, forced into matrimony (with the inducement of large sums of money from Mr Darcy) and banished to a regiment as far away as possible. Yet, despite all this, Austen manages to imbue in the reader a modicum of sympathy for Wickham – just another example of the brilliance of her writing.

“He is as fine a fellow,” said Mr Bennet, as soon as they were out of the house, “as ever I saw. He simpers, and smirks, and makes love to us all. I am prodigiously proud of him. I defy even Sir William Lucas himself, to produce a more valuable son-in-law.” – Mr Bennet after a visit from Mr and Mrs Wickham. (Mr Bennet btw is one of my all-time favourite characters in literature.)

1.         Henry Crawford, Mansfield Park – Unlike other Austen bad boys, Crawford may be charming but he makes no pretence of being good. He’s rich and conceited enough to always have some rakish scheme in the works, including inducing Fanny Price to fall in love with him. This backfires on him however, when he finds himself truly in love with Fanny. Mr Crawford genuinely believes that he could change his wicked ways if Fanny married him, and he does make a gallant attempt to be good for her sake. Fanny though “…was quiet, but …was not blind.”  She’s never fooled by Mr Crawford, and when he is rejected, he confirms Fanny’s misgivings by running off with Maria.

[He] went off with [Maria] at last, because he could not help it, regretting Fanny, even at the moment, but regretting her infinitely more when all the bustle of the intrigue was over.

Mansfield Park is the novel, more than any other Austen work, that stays with me long after a reading (or viewing).  It's in no small measure because of the complexity of Henry Crawford's character, and I always like to imagine what might have happened had Fanny become Mrs Crawford instead of Mrs Bertram.