Travelling abroad...

Posted by Simon on 27th, July 2010 at 06:27:38

Well, only in the most modest of ways, admittedly - I'm off to Wales.

I'm giving a talk at the Writers' Holiday, a fine programme of events designed to help people who want to become authors.  It's at Caerleon near Cardiff, and if you're interested, there are more details on the News and Events page - www.thetvdetective.com/news.html

The event has a great reputation as hugely helpful for aspiring writers, and as a good fun time too, so I'm looking forward to my visit. 

There'll also be a little mistiness of nostalgia, I suspect.  I took my journalism diploma in Cardiff, which was my route into the media, and much of the reason the tvdetective books came about.  It's a great city, very vibrant, so I shall look forward to revisiting some old haunts. 

You know what it's like, when the ghosts of days gone by come back to stay.  I'm expecting a poignant time. 

To the more practically minded, I'm also taking my laptop so I can continue the work on the new book, The Balance of Guilt.  The editing is still going smoothly, with all remaining on course for publication in September.  Long may it continue!

That DJ thing

Posted by Simon on 24th, July 2010 at 06:17:46

You know sometimes how you can wish you hadn't said or mentioned something?!

I've noticed it's happened to me more than a little in my life.  But on this occasion I'm talking about my last post and the news that I was once a DJ.

I don't want to go into it, said I, or at least not here.  And now, naturally, It's prompted a few questions. So, aAs I promised to answer any that are rasied, here we go -

Ever since I was a kid, I've loved music.  As soon as I could, I got a paper round in my parents' newsagents and spent most of the money on records.  That's singles, 45rpm chunks of vinyl, none of this modern downloading stuff.  I like music you can actually hold in your hand.

Well, the love of music stayed with me, and when I went to college, I looked around for clubs and societies to join.  One seemed to match my outlook perfectly - a place I could indulge myself in music and also talk a lot.  The university radio station...

I joined, was trained up (radio studios look like the cockpit of an aircraft when first you meet them - scary) and duly began jocking.  I started doing gigs in local nightclubs too, and quickly realised I could make more money for less work than my original intention on going to college, which was to become a teacher.

So, when I left, I did some DJing for a while, got bored with that, then shifted into radio news, which finally took me into TV news.  And, of course, working in the media led me into this writing lark, and the tvdetective series.

A confession here.  This post has made me go a little misty eyed.  It must be the fond memories of some fun times of younger days!

One more thing to mention today.  I'm at the Writers' Holiday in Wales next week, talking about the books, how to write novels and get published.  If you fancy coming along, there are details on the News page - www.thetvdetective.com/shownews.html

Music

Posted by Simon on 21st, July 2010 at 07:41:23

Now, this is a good question -

Why don't I put references to music in my books, I'm asked?  Many authors often quote, or cite songs, to complement scenes.  Why not in the tvdetective series?

It's not because I don't like music. I love it.  In fact, music is how I got into the media and so eventually began writing - I used to be a DJ - but that's a tale too far for this post and a blog for another day!

So, back to the question, before I go off on another Hall meander. Well, I don't put much in the way of music in the books because I fear it can be exclusive.  If you don't know the songs an author is writing about, and you're not minded to look them up, it can be a frustration, a feeling that you're being excluded from a part of the story.  It's as simple as that. 

It comes from personal experience - I have read books where I hear about some song, and it frustrates me, because I don't know it.

The other part of the question is - what's my favourite music?  I like all sorts, but if you pushed me to one songwriter, or artist, I'd go for Paul Simon.  He's got the lot - his melodies are beautiful and haunting, and his lyrics so original and evocative. 

I'm always interested in receiving questions about the books - if you have one, you can get in touch via the contact page of the site - www.thetvdetective.com/contact.html

Writing Workshop

Posted by Simon on 16th, July 2010 at 05:21:14

Thanks to all those who came along to the Crime Writing Workshop last night.  I had a great time, and more importantly, I'm glad you did.  We can also be proud in raising some money for Oxfam and their work to alleviate poverty across the world, a very fine cause.

I can now reveal I was rather nervous about the whole event.  Firstly, I've done little in the way of trying to give people tips on how to write a book before, so it was a new experience for me.  Secondly, there's always that lingering question - who am I to try to teach?!

However!  I was delighted by the kind feedback (and the reassurances that it was genuine), to the extent that I'd be very happy to hold another workshop, if anyone is interested.  If you want to get in touch, about that or anything else, you can do so via the contact page - www.thetvdetective.com/contact.html

Last night was beneficial to me in another way, too.  It's often said that you learn as much as the people you're trying to teach when you attempt to pass on some thinking or experiences. That was certainly the case with me.  Preparing for the workshop made me think in detail about how a book works, and what the ingredients for a successful novel are.

I shall diligently attempt to apply those lessons in my future scribblings!

The Balance of Guilt

Posted by Simon on 14th, July 2010 at 06:44:50

A much awaited - and also rather dreaded - email has arrived from my publishers.

In it come the suggested edits for the new tvdetective book, The Balance of Guilt. 

The reason I always worry about this is the continual fear that I've overlooked some detail which would render the entire plot impossible.  That would mean, at best, a very large amount of rewriting work, and at worst, perhaps even having to start again, almost from scratch.

I'll give you an example of one little such error in a while, but first the main point of this post.

It's good news!  There were no major structural problems found by the editors, so it's only a question of some minor editing, a bit of tidying up, subbing and tightening, and some improved characterisation.

Phew!

That all means Balance of Guilt should be fine for release in September, as per the plan. 

As to the detail of the book, it's the first of the series to be set outside of Plymouth, and involves a terrorist atrocity, but more I'm not saying - for now, at least!

One more thing to mention here.  The Crime Writing Workshop I'm holding tomorrow night (Thurs) in aid of Oxfam.  If you've ever thought about writing a book, or just fancy an entertaining (I hope!) evening out, do come along.  There are details on the News and Events page - www.thetvdetective.com/news.html

Finally, about that previous little error in the editing process - an amused email from my publishers informed me that, in a previous book, the plot all seemed to hang together well, aside from the minor issue... of me killing one of the characters twice!