My 2016 – Don’t blame the Year
- At December 29, 2016
- By Niel
- In Writing
0
2016 has been an odd year. In spite of its cavalier attitude to celebrity lifespans and its blatant disregard for commonsense voting, opinion poles and the general prospects for the future of humanity, my 2016 has been a bit, well… meh! It’s not been a bad year, I’ve had some really good times, a fantastic holiday, and made some good progress with my writing. But I can’t call it a good year either. It’s been a year of waiting, a year of plodding on, a year of… hang on! This sounds an awful lot like 2015!
And therein lies the problem with 2016. It hasn’t given me the results I was hoping for. But then it’s not 2016’s fault, it just happened to be the year on watch while I didn’t fulfil my potential. Likewise 2016 didn’t kill all those great artists, writers, actors and musicians we lost this year, it was just happened to be there when it happened. 2016 is the lamp-post that we all drove into on a dark rainy night. It’s not the lamp-post’s fault. It’s not 2016’s fault. The only person I can blame for me not getting where I wanted to this year is me.So when 2016 turns into 2017 I’m going to do everything I can to get me where I want to be by 2018. But before I dive into my over-complex plans for world domination, here’s a brief look back at my 2016.
January
I start the year by planning what I hope to achieve in the next twelve months. Some of this happens, some of it doesn’t. I also release the third video in my new YouTube series, Writing & Stuff, featuring advice for writers from my agent Juliet Mushens.
February
More Writing & Stuff fun, this time with my good friend and collaborator Chris Chatterton. We talk about picture-books and making a living as an illustrator, all from the inside of a car at night! I also complete draft two of Project Artichoke.
March
For tax reasons I spend the month as a tree. For the most part this is an extremely enjoyable career change. I enjoy the wind blowing through my branches, the early morning conversations with the birds and insects, but there’s a dog called Muffin who relieves himself on me every day. My bark shows signs of staining. I really want to kick Muffin.
April
The third draft of Project Artichoke is done, and I manage to do a few drawings to go along with the text. I don’t get enough time to draw these days, so it’s a fun diversion. I’m also appointed at the Patron of Reading at North Durham Academy Academy.
May
I’m invited by the Queen to play in her back garden and eat tiny sandwiches. Hard to believe but it’s actually true! I behave myself and manage not to get involved in an international incident. Really, it wasn’t my fault.
June
I fulfil a lifetime ambition when I meet Apollo Astronaut and all-round legend Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin. They say don’t meet your heroes but Buzz didn’t disappoint. He was funny, eccentric, energetic and enthusiastic, keen to promote the colonisation of Mars and beyond.
July
I finally get some copies of the Brazilian edition of Timesmith, even though it’s been out over there for about a year. Apparently this is due to a temporal rift in the space-time continuum that has opened up in the local postal depot. The postman babbled about dinosaurs and robots, he even said Trump would be President, but I could smell alcohol on his breath so I’m not sure what to believe.
August
I take a much-needed holiday in the beautiful landscape of Lake Garda in Italy. I take a break from writing too, leaving my laptop in England so that I could completely relax and read books. The only downside of the holiday is the return to reality at the end.
September
The first draft of my latest book, cryptically known only as Project Nova, is done. This is my fifth book! How on earth did that happen? The shock of this plunges me into a deep coma that lasts for eighteen seconds.
October
I am officially named as the new Chair of the Society of Authors regional group, Authors North. The power goes to my head and I invade Waterstones in Middlesbrough and declare it as an independent state. I am accepted as the foretold leader of legend, until the food runs out and we resort to using books as clothing, weapons and sustenance. The new republic lasts just six hours. Fourteen people remain unaccounted for.
November
One of the most influential comic artists of my youth, Steve Dillon, passed away this month. Steve was a major inspiration in my early years trying to be a comic artist. His work continued to innovate and inspire throughout his career, and his death is a massive loss to the comic industry.
December
In the rush towards Christmas I manage to squeeze in an amazing night watching Rogue One, including a cast and crew Q&A. And I discover an intriguing connection between me and the director Gareth Edwards. I also manage to finished the second draft of Project Nova. The third draft will be done over the Christmas break, ready to be sent out in January.
So that was 2016. Thanks for reading, sharing, buying my books, coming to my events, and all the other things that you do to support me and other writers. I hope 2017 is the year you want it to be. Niel x
The Editing Iceberg
- At November 23, 2015
- By Niel
- In Advice, Writing
- 2
If you’ve ever written a story you’ll know how important editing is to the process. Without it (unless you’re some sort of alien genius) your story will be flabby or under-developed or just not as good as it could be. Editing is the only way I know to make a story better.
The first draft is your chance to get all those ideas out, to throw stuff at your story wall and see what works and what doesn’t. But the real work happens in the edit, this is when you really get to know what your story is about. You can play with themes and structure, you can develop characters – hell, you can even delete characters! If you follow my YouTube series Writing & Stuff you’ll have seen me talk about merging two characters into one: each character serves a purpose in your story. Sometimes you might find you’ve got two characters who serve the same purpose, but you only really discover this in the edit. The edit is where you make sense of your amazing stream-of-conciousness first draft. (Jason Arnopp calls it Draft Zero, Stephen King talks about writing with the door closed.)
“Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open.” – Stephen King, On Writing
Editing is what makes authors look good. But don’t get me wrong, I detest editing! I’d love it if everything just worked on the first draft. Sometimes it goes really well, the ideas come quickly, the solutions to the narrative problems are clear…
But usually problem-solving just means thinking over the plot for hours at a time. A lot of editing is done away from the keyboard when you’re busy doing other things. Your subconscious is still trying to fix the problems with your story. You can usually tell a writer who is editing by their far-away distracted expression.
My first book, Sorrowline, went to seven drafts before it was ready to be published. Editing is hard, hard work (not like being a nurse or a policeman or a child minder, but hard work, relatively speaking). Certainly, it’s the hardest part of the writing process, and will take the longest time to get right. In fact it’s like an iceberg, with far more lurking below the surface that you can see above the water. But, to push the metaphor down your throat, you really have to take a big breath and dive down deep into those icy waters to make sure your story is working as well as it could be.
It helps if you take some time between completing your first draft and editing. Take a week or two away from it, go outside, see people, have a life, so when you return to your story you can read it like a stranger and see what works and what doesn’t.
I’ve just finished the fourth draft on my latest work-in-progress, and I think I know what it’s about now. Each time it gets a bit tighter, a bit more polished, but it never gets easier. Each edit ends with the tired triumph of a job completed, even though you know it’s never done, it’ll never ever be done until it’s published.
Previous posts on writing advice:
July Edit – part 3 – The End
- At August 03, 2015
- By Niel
- In Writing
- 0
Mission accomplished! Draft 4 is complete! It’s taken a month longer than I had originally planned but I’m there now, so who cares how long it took!
Structurally the second half of the book is quite different than it was in draft 3, shifting the focus onto the characters rather than the situation. As Steve Chambers told me recently: simplify the story, complicate the characters. It was very good advice and I’m happy with where the story is at now. My wife is reading it first, then it’ll be taken by a pincushion* of winged unicorns to my agent. Wish me (and the unicorns) luck!
*Collective noun for winged unicorns.
July Edit – part 2 – Hampstead reccy
- At July 20, 2015
- By Niel
- In Writing
- 0
I’ve made some actual progress this week. It feels like I’ve hit the brow of the hill and can see what’s left to do. I’ve just started on Chapter 24, so only 9 more to go! (Unless I decide to write some more new ones!)
The good thing about getting lots done on the edit is that your subconscious joins in and works on it when you’re not. I had a strange dream last night where I made lots of really good decisions about the end of the book, but I can’t remember any of it now! But I’ve had a phrase nagging at me from the back of my head for the last few days: lagrange point. This has proven to be very useful! Thanks, sub concious!
I think it was also vey useful to go and reccy another London location. You might have read my previous update on London locations here. Both trips have been invaluable, adding in some much needed first-hand knowledge, and even sparking story-point ideas! The main target for this trip was Hampstead station, the deepest tube station on the network.
Hampstead station sits at the top of a steep hill – part of the reason for its platforms being so deep is because the station is so high! I walked the hour-long route my characters would take, finding some really useful visuals along the way. The station has two entrances, but one is shuttered up. If you ever read The Death of Goldilocks you might spot that it’s this second ‘entrance’ that my characters use. (That’s presuming the book gets published and this bit remains intact. Who knows?)
The ticket hall is small, which suits my needs. When it came to writing this scene it was so much easier once I’d been there, had taken these photos and looked about the space. It might seem a bit self indulgent to visit a place like this but it’s amazing how many extra things you can use once you’ve stood there! I’d highly recommend this as part of your writing process, if you’re a writer. If you’re a plumber that’s cool too, I’ve a leaky bath that needs looking at.
The station has lifts down to the platform but I took the stairs, as my characters would. There’s more than 320 of them!
I really enjoyed being alone down here on the stairwell. It was so unused and dirty, just loads of grimy pipes and cables. Heaven for a writer. Hell for an obsessive compulsive with hygiene issues. 
Little details really help to conjure up a narrative picture: security cameras covered in dust, those amazing metal riveted walls! But these numbered plastic wallets was unexpected. They seemed to indicate the number of flights of stairs. This one was the last one; number 16. But there was one or two more flights after that before I was on platform level.
Did I mention it was dirty? This was my hand after using the handrail for just a few flights of stairs! Yum!
And look at the encrusted detail on the pipes and concrete! Everything was painted in charcoal!
Even the wall! Look at the water streaks, spots of soot and ash. Grime everywhere!
Finally, the end was in sight! 300+ steps later and a layer of dirt over my entire body and I had made it!
The platforms beckoned. Here’s a few panorama picture I took with my iphone. These really helped me recall the geography when I came home to write it all down. (I also use an app called Photosynth which can be helpful if you need to build up a larger picture or a 360 view.)
There are just two platforms at Hampstead. It’s a quiet station, which was great for me to explore. I found lots of little details, like a bunch of old alarm bells that probably haven’t rung in years! 
Here’s the platform in all its glory. So many details that a writer can use: the posters, the bins, the patterns on the floor, the shiny wall tiles, the electric signs. Or course I won’t use it all, the trick is to drop in some of those little details which make the place feel real without overloading or boring the reader. But it really makes writing easier if you root it in something you know. If you’re struggling with writing a scene, go visit it, or some place like it. It’ll be worth the trip.
July Edit – part 1
- At July 13, 2015
- By Niel
- In Writing
- 0
Almost the middle of the month already? How did that happen? Well I’m at the beginning of chapter 18, so it’s been super slow going over the last two weeks, but I’m hopeful for a quickening of the pace now I’ve got some of the biggest changes in place.
And I’m off to London later this week to reccy some tube station locations that feature heavily in the next few chapters.
June Edit – part 5
- At June 29, 2015
- By Niel
- In Writing
- 0
“Here’s the challenge, Niel: you’ve got a month to do the next draft of The Death of Goldilocks. Thirty three chapters in thirty days. Are you in?”
Yeah, I was in all right, right up to my neck! It was a good idea but hopelessly optimistic! (I might get that put on my tombstone.) I’m about halfway through the edit – page 126, somewhere in chapter 15. Lots still to do! So bring it on, July!
June Edit – part 4 – Euston reccy
- At June 22, 2015
- By Niel
- In Research, Writing
- 0
Eversholt Street shops and cafés
Chapter 14 is my home now. Almost halfway. Ah well, I’ll finish when I finish, but it’s not going to be by the end of the month, that’s for sure!
Still, I’ve made some good progress this week, and even did a reccy of some of the book’s London locations. I took a walk up and down Eversholt Street which is home to my two main characters. A lot of the early action takes place around their home, including a shop and cafe. I took pictures of most of the shops on the street to help me get the feel of the location right. I’m not using any existing shops in my story (although I’m so tempted to use the Skylight Café, given my story’s subject matter, but no one would ever believe it wasn’t a made-up cheesy pun!) but these pictures give a flavour of the places I’m describing.
Flats on Eversholt Street
It’s always really useful to walk through the locations. Google maps gets you so far but there’s so much more to learn by walking in your character’s footsteps. I’d imagined the character’s flat to be a bit more modern but the reality of the current houses on Eversholt Street are more run-down than I’d expected. They’ve got an earthy quality which I like but I’d never have known that without taking a stroll!
Next I walked to St Pancras Church which is just over the road from Euston Station. It’s a beautiful old church where my characters find sanctuary. I spent several minutes sat inside, imagining the events of my book taking place around me. As well as being really useful it was also a very relaxing and quiet moment. The reccy really helped to cement the story in my mind and it’s a process I’d recommend to other writers.
Outside St Pancras Church
Inside St Pancras Church
June Edit – part 2
- At June 08, 2015
- By Niel
- In Writing
- 0
One week in to my June editing challenge and I’m doing OK. I’m up to chapter 7, so I’m a bit behind schedule, but one of those chapters is almost completely new. I’m hoping I can pick up some pace this week but I’m entering a part of the book that needs some serious thought. One of the characters is going to be edited out and another will have to change quite drastically. Who knows where I’ll be at next Monday!
June Edit – part 1
- At June 01, 2015
- By Niel
- In Writing
- 0
“Here’s the challenge, Niel: you’ve got a month to do the next draft of The Death of Goldilocks. Thirty three chapters in thirty days. Are you in?”
This is the voice in my head, always challenging me, always taunting me, except when it’s singing songs I hate, or deleting important memories and replacing them with detailed plot breakdowns of ancient TV shows. On the face of it this seems an achievable challenge; one-ish chapter a day over the next month, then I’ve got draft 4 sorted! But it’s never that easy. Some chapters will whiz by, others are going to take days! Lots of days! And it’s not like I don’t do other stuff to do. I’ve got an animation project for a CBBC show to finish, mentoring for various digital companies, author events, not to mention real life! This could be a tricky challenge.
“Go on! You can do it! Probably… Hey, why not blog about it then, if you fail, everyone will know!”
Or it might just push me to get the job done. So here goes – thirty three chapters in thirty days. What could possibly go wrong?
