mccdawn-blog

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What to call a strong, female character?

I had a discussion recently about the central character of the second book, a girl I called Sharia. I quite liked the idea of a girl living in a society where women are truly equal being named for a legal system where, it is argued, that is not the case. A friend told me I was risking a fatwa - especially with the story I was putting her through.

So then I thought I would try and find a less contentious name, something that meant "blood" but cannot find any. Blood, the blood of girls and women, feature strongly in this book.

One of the closest I could think of was "Juno" but as that name is the title of one of the nicest girl-friendly ever films / stories I think it is already taken.

I want an accessible name, something that could mean something in my story. If I cannot find an alternative I think Sharla might win - close enough to the original but without the risk of a whole unnecessary argument about race and religion.

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It's Done!

Phew, 150k words is far too long so I shall be editing it down now - perhaps get a couple of short stories from it. But the writing of those two words 'THE END' was such a brilliant feeling.

The first was a story of a post menopausal women thinking her life was over and finding it was not. This is the story of her granddaughter who has all of life ahead of her and just wants to make sure she is the best person she could be.

Then life happens.

I have loved writing it. I was challenging, took a lot of "how can I write a story about a girl and not make it every who-does-she-marry story ever told?". At every turn I was faced with my own prejudice, my own misogyny, my own perceptions of how a girl might feel being brought up without the conditioning we had. How a boy might be.

I have realised that boys are just as much the victims of their upbringing as girls are, so how they are brought up in a world where all genders have equal value matters.

It is done. Now for the scissors.

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Bossy!

Still struggling with the name of the country. In the lead is a version of Egualia, Joy's suggestion. Eugalia?

Just written a scene in which a woman is calling her little girl 'bossy'. "Nobody likes a bossy girl". You can imagine how that goes down with my characters. And, in a scene of pure indulgence (which Charlottemight be the only person to understand) I am going to tell her to be the Princess of Bossyland.

Writing is great, you get to indulge yourself no end!

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I have a book with my name on it

Just took delivery of my copies of The Rider which contains my short story (joint first prize whooo hooo) which I will be giving to family. If you want a copy it is on amazon!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rider-Various-Authors-ebook/dp/B074L8QR4W/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1502133168&sr=1-1&keywords=the+rider

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It’s even more official - someone bought it!

So yesterday I had my very first conversation with someone that went:

“I bought that book on amazon, the one with your short story in it, I really enjoyed it.”

Not a mate, not a relative, a real reader!

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What’s in a name?

If you had to name a country, one where women are equal and you love where you love, what would you call it?

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It’s Official!

Having drafted the first book (working title = For the Good of the Hold) and about a third of book 2, I sent the rough draft to Crimson Cloak publishing to see what they thought of it.

Blow me down they only went and sent me a contract! For the whole series!

I may climb down off the ceiling at some point, but I am not guaranteeing anything.

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The Second of the Series

I had thought I would not really enjoy writing a younger woman. I was very comfortable writing a post menopausal mother but considered the grand-daughter to be quite the challenge. But even at this great age, I can still remember what it felt like to be young,  to fall for soft words, to obsess about clothes, to wonder what the future holds. To lie and be lied to. To dream and have those dreams founder. I had thought it would be hard, and I put it off. Now it is underway I cannot leave it alone.

27,000 words in and its just as enjoyable as the first. More so as I have found a Bengali Folklore Tale that can underpin this one with a truth that can carry the narrative far better than anything I could make up.  Mixing unusual truths with fantasy is just exhilarating. some of the most outlandish things I write are just truth.

The magic in this one is different, more internal, more strategic. The feminism might turn out to be more cutting edge, too. Let's see.

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Feedback from a Beta reader:

Anyway, I must tell you that I loved it! I thought it was well written and I can't believe you just sat down and rattled it out. It really is very, very good.  The characters are well rounded and I loved Gudrun being of a similar age to myself. I found her funny and believable. It was great to have so many strong female characters in the book, especially one in her later years. Not many writers are brave enough to do that. The storyline held together beautifully and I love you have left it open for further adventures.  As the first of a series (which I hope it is) it sets the scene nicely and the narrative gives an in-depth description of the people and places of the Hold. This sets up subsequent books for more complicated plots and more villains and villainesses. I think you should move further into this fantasy world, with your imagination it will be amazing.

Yep, I’m dancing on the ceiling!

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Quandary!

So the first book has as its central character a post menopausal mother (hello!) who goes on a bit of a journey (sorry!) and ends up in a place nobody expects her to be. 

The second book starts on the same day as the first but the central character is the post menopausal mother’s grand-daughter, who starts at age about 11 - 13, matures during the story and goes on to do great things.

So now I am wondering if the second book should in fact be the first book? Just because it seems like it might be a Young Adult story, which is fairly popular, whereas the first / could-be-second book is a voice you just hardly ever hear, that of a mature woman uninterested in finding love. So should I lead with the Young Adult because there is more chance of getting interest or should I take the challenge of launching something that is nothing like anything I have found. Yet.

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Seconds out!

The second book is now well underway with nearly 7,000 words so far. Its a minor character in the first book who becomes the central character here. A girl, becoming a young woman, making sense of a world where little truth is fixed, where countries arrange their affairs in very different ways, and she wants to be the best person she can be. Without compromising her values. 

But what is truth, actually?

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Time for seconds?

We were at book group last night and I was telling the ladies about the book, which is at editing stage, beta reading stage, and the "what next" question came up. I think I always knew this was not going to be a one book story, but I thought I should get the one done before thinking about the next. Thing is, I just can't stop. This one character from the book, a girl at the threshold of womanhood, just wont let me be. 

So with the first out for editing (thanks Maggie) and with readers (thanks Hilary, Patsy and Stella) I have started number 2.

Anyone fancy having a go at creating a cover?

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Getting going

I have had such fun over the last couple of months, getting a whole book done. I have always thought I would love to write, I have always loved words. But it was always a back-of-the-mind thing. A 1′ll-do-it-when-I-get-round-to-it thing. Working full time, getting a family through life, making a home, all that. that took the time, the energy, the resources. But now I have space and time, I decided that it really was time to do it. 

I’d never written anything before, so when I was googling about  writing and came across the Crimson Cloak competition, to write a 3,000 word short story about a picture they put up, I thought it was something I should do. 

I’d always thought that you start with an outline, work out a beginning, a middle and an end, and let that frame the work. Just like, in my career, I would structure a bid, a report, a procurement outline. But that was nothing like what happened. As soon as I got going the characters really did take over (I had read about this happening but thought it an affectation on the part of the writer). It didn’t exactly write itself, but it flooded out. I thought ‘Hey, that nice!’ and sent it off, glad to have written my first thing.

Imagine my surprise when I won!!! (Okay joint first but I won!)

I had created a world where there were Talents. Talents that get Spotted. I could make this a thing. I quit my job, knowing I could take a year off, and set to. And now its done. 106,000 words. Unsurprisingly it has a central character that, like me, is a post menopausal woman, a mother, who is at a point of change in her life. She hasn’t got a Talent herself, but she certainly has an effect on those that do. 

Now all I need is a title. And I might change the names about a bit. 

And yes, I have written about a place where women have the opportunity to have the same life as men, where marriages are not meant to be forever, where men bring up other men’s children happily, a wide family network untrammelled by unrealistic expectations, no stereotypes about who you are, whom you might love, what you may do to make a living.

So of course it is a fantasy novel.