Writing Outside the Story

By Rosemary Bird-Hawkins

In this feature I’m going to explore the idea of writing outside the story. This is not the same as going off on a tangent, or writing something to be edited that will have its place in the book, rather it is a way of discovering more about your characters and the world you are creating, a way to discover back story and motive. 


In an interview for The Paris Review, Ernest Hemingway once said, ‘I always try to write on the principle of the iceberg. There is seven-eighths of it underwater for every part that shows. Anything you know you can eliminate and it only strengthens your iceberg. It is the part that doesn’t show. If a writer omits something because he does not know it then there is a hole in the story.’ 

I would suggest that knowing your world makes it substantial, gives confidence to your writing which seeps through to your reader. No matter whether you’re writing a fantasy, historical, or contemporary story, the worlds in which your characters live must be convincing – they must function under the rules that you have created (fantasy) or that used to exist (historical), or that exist now (contemporary) – and there must be a sense of wholeness embedded in your writing (that hidden part of the iceberg). 


So, how do you get to know your world, how do you write icebergs? 

1. Get to know your world: 

If you’re creating a whole new world you need to understand the rules that it exists by. Why does it have three moons? Why can people fly? What are the consequences of these rules? This information may not be necessary to the plot, or even fully explained in the story, but because you know the reasons they’ll be there behind the words, it will show in the way everything fits together and make sense. 

If you’re writing a historical piece you’ll need to do some research to understand the world of the past and how to recreate it. Investigate all the small details such as what did people eat? Where and how did they buy their food? What was the popular entertainment at the time? How and when did people get their news? These details will build up the world for you to know inside out. 

The same is true for real-life contemporary writing: learn what you’re writing about, discover the nuances. Google and YouTube are great aids for this; with a little perseverance and a decent internet connection you can get in touch with people who can feed your knowledge. 

2. Less is more: 

Once you know everything it’s tempting to drop it into your story like a boulder and leave it there as a monument to the depth of your world. Be wary of this, one or two carefully placed words often work better than a whole paragraph of description or explanation. Read the opening lines of George Orwell’s 1984 and see how perfectly he sets a tone of otherness and gives us enough information to understand something of the world we are about to enter. 

3. More is also more:

Knowing and seeing things clearly in your own head sometimes means that you forget that others need to be led where you want them to go. They cannot see what you see, you have to show them. It really helps to get a fresh mind to read your work and ensure that you’re using enough touches of description and world building to allow what you know to translate onto the page. 

4. How speaketh thou? 

Be wary of colloquial dialogue and using slang words. Colloquial dialogue is hard to get right and can become a barrier between your reader and your character if not done convincingly. Slang grows old incredibly quickly and can really make a story feel out of touch. Using one or two words consistently can be all you need. It’s a ‘balancing act between keeping the story and the characters accessible, while leaving the language with just enough special vocabulary or dialogue to remind us that we’re in another time [or place].’**

5. Get to know your characters: 

Write short scenes or vignettes of all your characters’ childhoods, or most informative years – even minor characters – fix in your head the events that shaped their lives, and so their motives. Write it from their point of view, you could even try first person, and your background characters will become more than just a useful way to move the plot on or reveal information. If a character isn’t fully formed enough to have a back story or a scene from their past, do they really have a role to play? 

6. Drawing out inspiration: 

Try drawing your characters and pinning them up where you work. You could draw a picture of them at the start of the novel and another of how they’ll look by the end. What changes have they been through? How does this manifest itself physically? I ‘google’ images (normally manga images because I like that style) and then use that as a basis to help me draw mine. 

7. Character collages: 

You could also cut out pictures from magazines or catalogues (obscure magazines are good because you get a range of different people). Create a character collage to represent different aspects of the character – their hobbies and interests, their loves and hates, what drives them. 

8. Character questionnaire: 

Create a questionnaire and fill it out as your character. Include abstract questions that you may not have thought about such as what sort of music does your character like/dislike? What’s their favourite food? What is their most treasured possession? The answers may be more revealing than you think. 







All of these exercises are obviously time consuming, but they’re also fun and a unique way of getting to know your story. I would suggest that it’s best to play around with these ideas if you’re feeling low on motivation or stuck on how to move the story forward. I think nothing makes writing stronger than the confidence of really knowing and understanding your world and your characters. An example character questionnaire can be downloaded from my blog

**Paver, Michelle Writing historical novels for children from Children’s Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook 2009 (A&C Black Publishers Ltd: 2008) p.129

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Rosemary Bird-Hawkins has an MA in Writing for Children from Winchester University and has been running creative workshops for children for ten years. She has worked for various publishers as well as freelancing as an editor. She currently lives in Dorset with her husband, cat, two rabbits and a house full of books and instruments. Rosie writes fantasy and dystopian fiction for children and hopes one day to be published. Until then she continues to seek out more stories, while encouraging others to explore their writing abilities. For further resources and information about running writing workshops, you can visit her blog.

Ten-Minute Blog Break - 7th January

Welcome back to all you word-wranglers and picture-makers, for a whole new year of blogging. Christmas and New Year is a time for both gazing back and looking forward, so we've got a mix of both on the Blog Break today.


Kathy Evans starts her festive blog with an apology - for not having had enough time to write during 2013. But in the midst of all her other responsibilities, "slowly something stirred in the space between words" and she has begun to furiously write a new book. Hooray!

Jane Heinrichs looks back on a super-successful 2013, and instead of making resolutions, picks a single word that encompasses her approach for 2014. I really like this idea and decided to plump for "do", meaning that I will get on and do stuff this year with minimal faffing around. I can't control what other people think of my work, but I can increase my opportunities by getting that work finished and out there!

A simple year-end round-up is clearly not enough for Notes from the Slushpile. Instead, we have 4 authors for the price of 1 as Teri Terry, Maureen Lynas, Candy Gourlay and Addy Farmer each give their highlights for the writing year that was.

Nicola Morgan greets the new year with a rather startling question: What does your existence do to the world? Nicola thinks that authors can make the world a better place and sets out an inspiring list of things she's doing in 2014 to make a difference.

One problem with New Year's resolutions is that outside events sometimes get in the way. Juliet Clare Bell blogs about how her plans to become more organised in 2013 were knocked off track by the sudden death of her mum, SCBWI member Margaret Storr. But 2014 (Clare assures us) will be a happier year, and her advice to herself to JUST DO IT! fits in very well with my new word for the year.

Sue Hyams had a pretty rubbish 2013 as well, but she transmutes that into a joyful list of intentions for 2014. Intensive reading, Tom Hiddleston fandom and experimental cookery? Sounds like it's going to be a memorable year!

Nick.

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Nick Cross is a children's writer, blogger and all-round techno-ninja. In 2010 he was a winner of Undiscovered Voices with his zombie comedy Back from the Dead and currently writes short fiction for Stew Magazine.

This week on his blog, Nick wonders if writers have forgotten the Girl Power legacy of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And, in case you missed it, he also posted another awesome archive ramble through The Museum of Me - Special Collector's Edition.

New Beginnings

As a builder’s daughter, to me this suggests all the excitement of construction. I imagine all that planning and creativity going into a new site. But when you build, you also need to clear the ground. You might even have to demolish first. Sometimes this can be a joyous orgy of guilt-free destruction!

For us as people, we can often need to get rid of old stuff; chuck out the metaphorical chintz. The post-Christmas period can be a good time to shift physical and mental clutter. Are there projects that need to go, ways of working that hold you back? This is the time to be honest with yourself and get shot of them. I admit it can be sad to let go of unfinished dreams. It’s like clearing a neglected garden. But the taller the construction, the deeper you have to dig the foundations.

After the Twelfth Night, taking the Christmas decorations down leaves your house clean and perhaps a little austere. Clearing your working area, and your mind, of muddle can feel that way too. But think of the new bare space like an expanse of pristine snow – just waiting for you to put your mark on it.

What new and wonderful creation will happen there? A new year or a blank page is an adventure – are you prepared for it?

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@lockwoodwriter

K. M. Lockwood is a writing name of Philippa R. Francis. Once a primary school teacher, she became a graduate of the MA in Creative Writing at West Dean College in 2011. Her story The Selkies of Scoresby Nab was short-listed for the Mslexia Children’s Novel Competition and long-listed for the Times Chicken House in 2012/13. She was born in Yorkshire but now lives by the coast in Sussex. Her writing shows her deep fascination with British folklore and the sea. Her interests include reading, scuba diving and belly dancing, though not at the same time. She also blogs at the-wedding-ghost.blogspot.co.uk

Results - 3rd Slush Pile Challenge October 2013

This challenge was set by Mara Bergman of Walker Books. 

The winner of this challenge is Loretta Flockhart for the first chapter of her book titled Hungry Ghosts. Congratulations Loretta!

Mara Bergman

THE CHALLENGE was…

The first chapter of a junior, teen or YA novel; no dystopian, fantasy, vampires or zombies.  Please keep the length of a chapter to less than 2000 words.

We sent 15 anonymous entries to Mara Bergman, chosen randomly. We asked Mara to tell us why she chose Loretta's first chapter from Hungry Ghosts as the winning entry.

I've thoroughly enjoyed reading the entries for the SlushPile Challenge. Picking a winner was far more difficult than I had thought it would be, but after reading through the entries I soon found that several stood out above the others. I reread them a number of times before deciding the winning entry. Hungry Ghosts.

Susie, the main character, is an immediately likeable, spunky young girl. 

She comes home from school one day looking for her mother, Grandpa Si and Grandma Si to tell them her good news. When she can't find them she looks in one last place: the room where fragile things are hidden, where, Grandma had once told her, the Hungry Ghosts live. 

The first chapter in this story about a close-knit Chinese family (Susie is half Chinese, half English) is clearly written and full of character and warmth. The element of the Hungry Ghosts adds a wonderful sense of otherness, and of mystery - 

I'm intrigued by them and want to know more, especially what role they will play later on. 

All the characters are well drawn and I found reading Hungry Ghosts hugely enjoyable - the best test of a good story! 


Loretta will be meeting Mara Bergman for a discussion. We will be posting about Loretta's experience of participating in and winning this challenge in her own words soon.

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Chitra has published over 20 books in Singapore, UK, USA and India. She loves writing picture books, folktales and is also working on fiction for 7+ with a lead character brightly named Aurora. Chitra is a member of the Words & Pictures' editorial team, managing The Slush Pile Challenge.

Resolution

Apparently today, 5th January, is the day most people abandon their New Year's resolutions. So how are we doing?

I once knew a little boy who even at eleven had the good sense to realise that many resolutions are vain hopes and the only way to make one achievable was to be realistic so his was 'Eat more chocolate'.

We know all about SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Acheivable, Realistic Timely. There are few SCBWI groups who've adopted goal setting on a monthly basis. However making a resolution for the whole year often isn't very realistic nor timely.

Unless you make the right resolution. 

There those that we want to do or be and those that we should. I should not leave things to the last minute, I want to make up stories. The first is from my head but the second is my heart and soul. My resolve stops me giving up in the face of disappointment. There's a Bible verse I always think of here, Philippians 3:14. I like it best in the New International Version for the  'press on'; it's so physical and determined.

Here's me all set and determined for 2014

Often, of course, the things we should do we really should.  Those head decisions to change, for instance - I should write/draw regularly,  can take a while to to become resolve. Unless you're an especially disciplined person, this only happens with the support from other people. If your ambitions are the same as mine - to make better stories - SCBWI is a great place to find that support.   So I'm delighted that later in the month, probably when even the best of us have started flagging, Bekki Hill, as well as moderating the Yahoo SCBWI members group will be giving Words & Pictures readers some of her motivational magic. 

Do you have any flagging resolutions?                          Are any still going strong? 

It's lovely to start this year with such a hopeful banner from Shana Neiberg-Suschitzky. My hope is that with the talented Margaret Carey Scholarship winners and UV longlisters, we celebrated yesterday, we all soar in 2014. I especially hope that when the UV winners are announced this month, those that haven't 'won' hold on to that image, you're still up there just on a different flight path.

Next week we're back to normal: Tuesday Blog Break, Saturday Celebrations and Thursday Network News
Plus:

• Inspiration KM Lockwood style on Monday 
• World Building from Rosemary Bird-Hawkins on Wednesday
• Part 4 of John Shelley's excellent Picture Book Basics series - Drama, Action, Mood on Friday

A hope-held and Happy New Year,

Jan Carr

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Jan Carr is the editor of Words & Pictures. Her fiction is older middle grade, she blogs occasionally and loves to write in magenta. You can contact her at editor@britishscbwi.org.

Welcome in the New Year with the Margaret Carey Scholarship winners

We get 2014 off to a bang this week, and celebrate with Katrina Charman and Clare Welsh who won the Margaret Carey conference scholarships last year. Katrina is also on the UV longlist and we hear a few words from some of the other UV longlisters who are still biting their nails…

Margaret Carey

The Scholarship was set up in the memory of SCBWI volunteer Margaret Carey, a talented writer and illustrator who was a UV 2008 winner, and who in 2010 won the inaugural SCBWI BI Outstanding Contribution Award. The Scholarship helps to fund a place at the SCBWI BI annual conference for a fiction writer and an illustrator or picturebook author.


We were all fizzing with excitement when Katrina, our lovely Words & Pictures joint features editor, told us she'd won the scholarship. Katrina lives in a small village in South East England with her husband, three daughters and a manic depressive hamster.

@katrina_charman

 She tells us: “I have never been able to make it to a SCBWI writing conference before, so when I saw the call for submissions for the Margaret Carey Scholarship, I thought, why not, I've got nothing to lose. But, to be honest, I never thought I'd have a chance, so I sent off my submission and forgot all about it, until I got the email saying I'd won! I was gobsmacked, and danced around the house for the rest of the week. If it hadn't been for the scholarship, I would never have been able to attend, so I am beyond grateful to the SCBWI BI and all of the conference organisers, for the opportunity. The conference was a blast, from the extremely useful Friday Night Critique, to the closing remarks on Sunday. I came home absolutely exhausted, but bursting with inspiration and motivation, and the main thing that stuck with me, was to never give up on your dreams, and that the world of publishing is rapidly changing, so there are more options than ever out there for writers now.” 

 Less than a month later there was more amazing news for Katrina…

“I found out that I had made it onto the longlist for Undiscovered Voices. Again, I was in complete shock! I had to keep re-reading the email to make sure I hadn't misread it! I am still a bit in shock to be honest to be in such amazing company, so fingers crossed for everyone on the longlist. I wish we could all make it into the anthology!!"

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Now let's drink a toast for Clare Welsh whose picture book impressed the judges of the Scholarship. And since attending the conference led to Clare joining the Words & Pictures team, we are extra excited she won! 

Clare would love to say that becoming a writer has been a life-long ambition. Although the words of her infant school teacher, Mrs Marshall, "Never stop writing stories", have permeated her thoughts every now and again, her ambition, in fact, was to become an early years teacher, in which she succeeded in 2008. In February 2013 she became a member of SCBWI.

Clare Welsh

Clare says: “As well as offering support, guidance and allowing me to network with other aspiring authors and illustrators, both locally and on-line, I was eager to attend the 2013 Winchester Conference. But unfortunately working part-time, with two three year olds meant that I simply could not afford to go. Coupled with this was a lot of self doubt. Whilst a kind teacher must have seen it in me 25 years ago, I found myself wondering, did I really have the talent? So I decided to write a picture book story that had been on the backburner of my brain about a thief who is terrible at stealing and wants to be burglar of the year. I entered it to the Margaret Carey Conference Scholarship. And then I forgot all about it”. When she received the email, she says: "I could literally be found screaming to myself every few hours! ...for days!” And the excitement didn’t falter. Encouraged that someone somewhere had seen something in her writing, Clare was determined to make the most of this opportunity, gaining industry contacts and interest in her picture book at the conference... and has also joined Words & Pictures to give something back to SCBWI.

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 Good luck to everyone on the UV longlist!

A little bird told me the results are out next week... And here are a few words from some of the excited UV longlisters… 

@CathJacobNews

Catherine Jacob juggles writing with being a mum to two little girls and her work as a now-freelance television correspondent. She says: "I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to be on the UV 2014 longlist. Even now, I have to keep reminding myself that it really has happened (and occasionally I sneak a look at the email telling me the news, just to make sure it's all real!) Whatever happens next, I've had a wonderful few weeks up on cloud nine, and am immensely grateful to the judges at SCBWI for deeming my extract good enough to be on such a prestigious list. Thank you!" 

@rosedeniz

Rose Deniz is a farm-girl turned expat, and writes from a neighborhood full of roses in Turkey. She holds an MFA in painting and says she carries a fistful of paintbrushes in one hand and a pen in the other. Rose says about being on the UV longlist: “It feels incredible. The news made my day, year, life! Seriously, I am thrilled, and totally honored. After years of plugging away, I feel one step closer to seeing my book published. I love being a part of SCBWI and its incredibly supportive community. I’d like to say a big thank you to the team who run the competition.” 

@FarinaAckerman

Farina Ackerman teaches and writes for young people in Oxford, where she prowls the same streets as many of her favourite literary characters. She says: ”I am absolutely stunned and thrilled to have been selected for the Undiscovered Voices longlist. The characters are very close to my heart so I am glad that others have enjoyed a little snippet of them. I shall now try not to chew my nails away completely over Christmas while we wait to hear who has made the shortlist. I wish everyone the best of luck and would like to say a big thank you to the team who run the competition.” 

Olivia Palmer

On the illustrator longlist is Olivia Palmer who says: "I’ve been drawing and painting for most of my life. I was amazed and thrilled to find out I was on the Undiscovered Voices longlist! I so enjoyed creating my entry, and felt very happy to have a new piece for my portfolio, but never expected to get this far! Thank you to SCBWI for organising this competition and all the other fantastic events and services you provide!” 



Please join me in saying a huge congratulations to Katrina and Clare and all those on the UV longlist... fingers crossed everyone and we’ll definitely be cracking open more bubbly next week!

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Tania Tay is an ex-advertising copywriter and has been published in Sable LitMag. She is currently writing a YA romantic thriller, and is on the editorial team at Words & Pictures.

Featured Illustrator: Shana Nieberg-Suschitzky

Debut Illustrator Shana Nieberg-Suschitzky created one of the winning entries to the 2012 SCBWI Undiscovered Voices compilation. She's our first showcased artist of 2014, check her gallery of images on the Featured Illustrator Gallery page.







To start with, thank you for inviting me to be this month's featured illustrator. It's a real honour and this is a fabulous magazine!

The Banner

This is an image from a personal project, Birdgirl. This was one of my first explorations using a lot of traditional techniques, including printmaking and watercolour, and then combining them in Photoshop.

Personal Path

I had travelled down a couple of different creative paths before realising my dreams on this journey, but I think that I've always been a storyteller and a dreamer, I just started out telling stories through steel and glass first. After a degree in Architecture, I moved onto a Post Grad in Film and TV set design. I fitted much better in this world, though it still wasn't quite ticking the right creative box.
Then my Aunt approached me to write a book with her and to illustrate it, and that's the moment that the lightening bolt struck and it all slotted into place - I had at long last discovered my niche!

Character study from Bella visits the Dream Doctor

I have been writing and illustrating stories ever since. It has been a slow but necessary trajectory as I have been learning this discipline as I go, fuelled by sheer tenacity and an utter compulsion to tell my tales. I have been incredibly focused and driven in finding and developing my voice and style and the highlight so far was when I won a place in the Undiscovered Voices 2012 Competition. I had just started hitting my stride in both my picture book style and children's fiction style, so it was a wonderful moment to receive recognition for my work.

Isolya Undiscovered Voices 2012 Competition winning entry

Having two children along the way may have partially hindered my progress, but they have also provided me an incredible wealth of inspiration and insight, a lot of joy and a very good reality check!
 

Double page spread from The Slipper Thieves

I joined SCBWI in 2006/7 and I would say that it has been a fundamental help in my development as a writer and illustrator of children's books.

I am at present developing a series of books about my little penguin chicks, featured in the banner above. I love where I'm at now in terms of creating and spending time with my characters and the flow of my ideas. I am really enjoying creating the artwork, whereas I was much more nervous and fearful of even putting down a stroke when I first started.
I have a couple of publishers and agents who are showing great interest in my work, and since I started this journey I have had the great fortune to have received many pearls of wisdom over the years, helpful personal critique and increasing attention from several key respected people who work within the children's book industry.

Process

"I love to use a blend of traditional techniques, with a bit of computer magic".

 I do a lot of work inside my head first of all. It bubbles away, often when I'm sleeping or doing other things. Then I suddenly get that eureka moment, which is swiftly followed by a frantic scribbling down and recording of ideas. I love the immediacy of writing and have found that both with writing and illustrating I do my best early stages of work on loose paper, so I don't feel precious about anything.

I have a roll of detail paper that I use for rough artwork as you can work on different sizes and aren't just constrained by A4 and A3. When I get to finished artwork stage, I love to use a blend of traditional techniques, with a bit of computer magic.

I tend to create components of a piece using pencil, brush and ink, watercolour and/or acrylic. I have illustrated this below through a collection of components I created for my colour spread that I produced for an SCBWI project, run with Little Tiger Press.

 

Process Breakdown for Frog Sees the World image below

I then put these pieces together in Photoshop, where you can tweak away and enhance areas to your hearts content, rarely having to redo things by hand. Here is the finished piece below:
 

Colour spread from Frog Sees the World LTP SCBWI project

Tips

Be determined.

Listen to all the advice that you are fortunate enough to get from people in the Industry, they know what they are talking about.

Try to maintain your self-belief. Sometimes it can be hard, but if you persevere through a wrong turn and learn from it then you can come back so much stronger.

If you haven't already done so, then join SCBWI, it's amazing! Take advantage of all the events, conferences and workshops at your fingertips. It's so important to practise and refine your trade and SCBWI gives you amazing opportunities to practice, learn, develop and create great material for your portfolio. You've also got fabulous occasions to meet other people and to network.

I love Mike Brownlow's tip of "Marrying Well" - it's a hoot and would certainly keep you in brushes! However, I would say that we as artists are kind of meant to suffer for our art and it's that roller coaster of a ride that can fire you up and drive your ambitions.

Lastly I would say, embrace the failures! I have learnt so much from having to pick myself up and dust myself down, now I'm loving my work so much more than when I started out, because of these experiences.

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Click here for Shana's Featured Illustrator Gallery Page.
Or visit Shana's Association of Illustrators Portfolio 
Shana can be contacted at: shanarama@btinternet.com
Twitter: @Mumma_Penguin