David Almond's writing tips

[altariel]

I just finished The Fire-Eaters by David Almond. It is set on the north-east coast during the Cuban missile crisis, and is about a young boy called Bobby Burns, who is struggling with various difficulties, not least his new grammar school and the meaning of sacrifice. Almond's prose is spare and vernacular, and image-laden. Obviously I would give up a leg to write a book like this. Bits of it reminded me of Riddley Walker. Not faint praise.

I had been putting it off reading it, because Skellig was one of my favourite books of 2004, and I was worried it wouldn't be as good, but the library wants it back at the end of the week. As you've probably worked out already, I wasn't disappointed. It's a very similar story to Skellig (about hope and miracles), and I think there are more subtleties to it. I could bang on for ages about how the men and the boys smoke and learn to smoke.

But I'll save you that and instead offer you his writing tips, in lieu of actually going off and doing some writing of my own. It is nice to know that a proper writer also uses tricks like double spacing to cheer himself up about how the damn thing is progessing.

Comments

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

Lots of good advice there, but this one wouldn't work for me:

When you write on computers, write in page view (ie, you can see the whole page on the screen). It's great to see a new page open up.

His eyesight must be a lot better than mine.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Actually, that one doesn't work for me either - I have the page on 125% these days. He might have a really good monitor - the benefit of winning the Whitbread twice, I suppose!

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

Eh. He doesn't have 'hit word count every two minutes.'

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I know that feeling. Sometimes I write down target figures on a bit of paper nex to me, so that I can cross them off as the day goes on...

[mevennen.livejournal.com]

Skellig was great!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

A terrific book. The Fire-Eaters didn't give me the same electrifying "wow!", but it's a subtle book with many wonderful touches.

[lamentables.livejournal.com]

Hello.

I'm a big fan of Almond, although I don't think all his output measures up to Skellig. I can, however, recommend the latest, Clay.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Hello.

Skellig wowed me so much I was really unsure about trying another of his books, but I'm very glad now I've read The Fire-Eaters. I'm picking up his books as they appear in the local library, and I'll definitely keep an eye out for Clay - thank you for the recommendation.

[fictualities.livejournal.com]

I like very much the way the first five suggestions are all about various ways of keeping the actual process of writing going: journaling, editing, dividing the task up into parts small enough not to be terrifying. Only in the last three does he talk about what conventionally one might think of as the "sources" of the ideas one writes about. Maybe the most important of his suggestions is made implicitly in this ordering: writing does not mean getting an idea and writing about it; writing means writing, and eventually getting an idea.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Maybe the most important of his suggestions is made implicitly in this ordering: writing does not mean getting an idea and writing about it; writing means writing, and eventually getting an idea.

Oh, I like that insight - thank you for that.

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

What a wonderful link!! Thanks for sharing. I feel somewhat inspired already.

Almond's prose is spare and vernacular, and image-laden. Obviously I would give up a leg to write a book like this.

Ah, but see, that's what I think about you. :)

[mikekellner.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting this. It is just what I needed to read.

Just great advice. I tend to wait until I have the idea full on before I begin writing, which means I don't do much. Previously, I began writing without a plan and ended up in a lot of dead ends. I need to find the middle somewhere.

A thought on monitors. I like big old style TV tube monitors, they still make them, and they are not that expensive. They are the part of the computer that connects you to the output, and the thing you look at all day. I know being a starving artist makes it hard, but when you get some cash, consider investing in the thing you use most each day. A good video card to drive the good monitor, so it does high res at a high frame rate is nice too. Any modern PC has more CPU horsepower than you will ever need for typing. Spend the extra cash on the part you look at, nout more power. I build web sites, write, and surf using a 1998 PII/266, but it has a good video card and a 19" NEC monitor.

Also, if you are having a hard time reading the tube, it could be your eyes. As you get older, you need reading glasses, the kind with a prescription, not the cheapies sold next to the sunglasses stand. I do not use bi-focals, I have real reading glasses for use at the computer. My wife has them that are full size glasses, and has to switch glasses to get up and walk away, because she has bad vision. Much easier on the eyes.

mk

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I have a lovely new(ish) flatscreen monitor for my PC in my office, but tend to do most of my writing on the laptop, because it keeps me away from the internet and makes me focus.

I definitely need to get my eyes tested, it must be seven or eight years since I had new glasses.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

*blushes* Thank you - I'm not feeling terribly wordsmithy at the moment, just throwing words on the page and hoping some of them land in an interesting shape.