Writing Tips (#TuesdayTips)
-
TuesdayTips186
Seek Out New Audiences
Welcome to this week’s Tuesday Tip. This time, I want to talk about seeking new audiences.
One of the pleasures of writing a long-running series is that you get to know what your readers want. Fans of my DCI Warren Jones series are looking for detailed police procedurals with lots of twists. My books have moderate profanity (exclusively in dialogue, not in the narration), not too much gore and much of the violence takes place off the page. There are limited references to sex and some dry humour.
But, the downside is that it can sometimes restrict the stories I tell. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Many very successful series have avid followers who enjoy the fact that they know exactly what they are getting. That doesn’t mean a lack of creativity, or a formulaic approach to writing – nobody could accuse authors such as Michael Connelly of such things. His two main series, Harry Bosch and Micky Haller, give readers exactly what they want, but each book goes from strength to strength, with inventive and innovative plot lines and stories.
But sometimes writers want to expand the scope of their writing and do something a bit different.
From a purely commercial point of view, writing new books in a different style can bring in different readers, who may then seek out the author’s other work. Not all your current readers will find the new series to their taste, but done well it can be a tremendous benefit. I imagine that if one were to draw a Venn diagram of the readership of the Harry Bosch series and the Micky Haller series, there would be a significant overlap of readers who enjoy both (like me), some additional readers who adore legal thrillers and skip the Harry books, as well as some who stick with the police-based Harry books. Of course, Connelly has cleverly intertwined the two characters in recent years to capitalise on both readerships (and really delight fans of both series!).
The same arguments can be made for the decision to write standalone thrillers alongside series. An increasing number of authors of popular series are also stretching their wings with standalones. Steve Cavanagh, writer of the Eddie Flynn legal thrillers, is an excellent example. In addition to that ongoing series, he also has some very popular non-legal thrillers. I reviewed Kill For Me Kill For You in my #RecommendedRead blog.
So What Should You Consider?
A new series in a similar genre with different characters:
Liz Mistry has two series set in the police procedural genre. Her DI Gus McGuire series features a male protagonist, whilst her DS Nikki Parekh series features a female detective of Asian heritage. Both involve the structure of the police procedure, but have very different characters and a different ‘feel’ to them. I look forward to seeing what she does with her upcoming Solanki and McQueen series, the first of which, The Blood Promise, is due out in May.
Write in an entirely different sub-genre.
Leigh Russell writes the extremely popular Geraldine Steel series of police procedurals. Now numbering over 20 entries, plus related spin-offs from one of the secondary characters, the books are well-grounded, ‘traditional’ police series. However, she has also branched out into ‘cosy crime’ with her Poppy series, featuring Emily and her pet dog, Poppy. On the face of it, these target two very different sets of readers, but in practise crime readers are an open-minded bunch who are very loyal to authors and many existing fans of Russell will doubtless try the Poppy series, whilst fans of cosies (or dog-lovers) may try these and decide to give the Geraldine Steel series a go as well.
Use the opportunity to change your voice.
We are accustomed to writers having a particular ‘voice’. But that voice, whilst reflective of the author’s personality, is often only a glimpse of the person behind the words. Perhaps a new series or a standalone is an opportunity to write in a different way? Maybe you fancy exploring characters that are less serious, or want to inject more humour into the narrative? Or switch from dry humour to more overt or even farcical prose? I once had a review that complained that having laughed out loud at my acknowledgments, the reader was disappointed that my DCI Warren Jones books weren’t a laugh-a-page comedies. A harsh criticism perhaps, but I know that when I write short stories as an exercise, they almost always end with a punchline and a gag. Two sides of my personality, I guess.
Similarly, you may have an urge to write books that are more/less violent. Perhaps you have an idea for a character that demonstrates a creative and innovative use of profanity that would shock your usual readership? And then there’s sex. Feedback on a draft of one of my earliest Warren Jones novels included the suggestion that I cut a sexually explicit scene. It wasn’t titillating (quite the opposite) but it felt out of place and may even offend some of my existing readers. It was a good suggestion, and I duly removed it. Perhaps different books might explore sexuality differently?
What do you think about writers seeking new readers through doing something a bit different? Have you any recommendations for authors that have reinvented themselves?
As always, feel free to comment here or on social media.
Until next time,
Paul
If you are a writer with a tip to share, or fancy writing a fictional interview between you and one of your characters, please feel free to email me.
-
TuesdayTips185
Conspiring To Increase Sales
This week’s Tuesday Tip looks at the thorny issue of conspiracy theories and the potential pitfalls of including them in a novel.
For the purpose of clarity, I’m talking about real-life conspiracy theories, such as Paul McCartney dying in a car crash and being replaced by a body double, rather than a fictional conspiracy within a story, such as several characters plotting to kill another.
It sometimes seems that we live in a society that is increasingly in thrall to ever-more outlandish conspiracies. This is not a new phenomenon of course; the numerous theories surrounding the shooting of JFK, and debate over whether the moon landings were real (spoiler: they blatantly are) date back to the 60s and there were no shortage of other strange theories before then. But social media (and I suspect pandemic-induced boredom) seem to have massively amplified the discourse around even the most outlandish claims.
A few months ago, our regular pub quiz even featured a novelty round about conspiracy theories. Much to the surprise of my teammates, I managed to get 13/14 questions correct, on topics ranging from Avril Lavigne being replaced by a body-double, QAnon, Chemtrails and the Pizzagate scandal (a particular favourite of mine, concerning claims that there is a paedophile/cannibalism ring being run out of the basement of a Washington DC pizzeria, attended by Hilary and Bill Clinton – the fact that the restaurant in question doesn’t have a basement hasn’t dissuaded radical Trump supporters from sharing and amplifying the story).
For those interested, I lost the final mark when I couldn’t remember the name of the unproven (and rather toxic) alternative treatment for Covid (Ivermectin).
To dispel any doubt, I should make it absolutely clear that I don’t believe ANY of these theories, I just spend more time in the madder corners of Facebook than is perhaps healthy.
In an amusing twist, there is a conspiracy theory that the more outlandish conspiracy theories are being propagated by hostile states such as Russia to sow division and influence elections. Ironically, I find that particular theory far more persuasive than nonsense such as Covid was a hoax, that 5G masts cause cancer and that autism is a result of ‘vaccine injury’.
Of course these crazy theories have fantastic story-potential. Dan Brown has made a tidy sum merging genuine historical fact with fictional theories in his Robert Langdon thrillers, most notably The Da Vinci Code.
But there are pitfalls that you need to consider.- Most obviously, you run the risk of validating and amplifying these theories, many of which are harmful. The surge in preventable, serious childhood illnesses due to misinformation about vaccines is one such example.
- The topics are very divisive. You could argue that having people arguing about your books is likely to boost sales. But at what cost?
- Your Amazon ratings might take a hit. People who disagree with the way you have treated their favourite pet theory may take revenge by means of a 1 star rating. The more organised may even summon like-minded conspiracists to join them. Of course this isn’t a phenomenon limited to conspiracy theories. My fifth DCI Warren Jones novel, Forgive Me Father, which involves abuse centred around the Catholic church, has a lower average rating and more 1 and 2 star ratings than most of the rest in the series. The first written review appeared within hours of the book becoming available (far quicker than anyone could have realistically read it) and objected strenuously to the book’s theme. I strongly refute the characterisation “Catholic-bashing posing as literature” – I have never written literature in my life!
- “Interesting” correspondence. Years ago, letters from those with a somewhat tenuous grasp on reality could be immediately identified by the writer’s use of a green felt tip pen. These days, emails, direct messages on social media, and Amazon reviews are sometimes (but not always) written in ALL CAPS.
Of course, none of this should dissuade you from writing the story that you want to write. Self-censorship is sometimes the worst form of censorship. But forewarned is forearmed, as they say.
Alternatively, you can always embrace the controversy and turn it to your advantage. Judging by the numbers of members on some of the more extreme Facebook groups, a novel that provokes discussion amongst folks who believe that the 2020 US election was stolen because Donald Trump was about to expose a plot to use chemtrails from aircraft to seed mind-altering substances into the atmosphere to hide the fact that the moon landings were faked by Democrats who were scared that they would expose that the Earth really is flat, and reveal their secret base hidden behind the Arctic ice wall where they sacrificed small children for the Lizard people who actually rule the planet, should generate some sales.
What is your favourite conspiracy theory? Have you ever been tempted to turn it into a story? As always, feel free to comment here or on social media. (ALL CAPS optional).
Until next time,
Paul
-
TuesdayTips184
TV review:
Forensics: The Real CSI.
This week’s #TuesdayTip is a TV Review for Forensics: The Real CSI, available on BBC iPlayer (https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m0004p7f/forensics-the-real-csi).
Now in its fourth season, the documentary focuses on West Midlands Police’s Forensic Science Service. Each episode focuses on a single investigation, with footage following the technicians around the scene, body-worn camera footage from officers, and shots of the scientists in their paper suits in the laboratory.
The detectives are featured, with video of them interviewing suspects etc
But the thrust of the show focuses on the Crime Scene Investigators and technicians, with face-to-face interviews with various forensic experts, some of whom are in most episodes.
The series features a wide-range of different crimes, not just murders. Highlights of the current series have involved episode two, Time of Death, which utilised phone analysis, DNA evidence and witness testimony to close the net on the murderer of a young woman. Episode 4, Confession of a Killer, opens with a man phoning the police to admit to killing his flatmate. He subsequently claims self-defence and the police use blood spatter analysis, retrieved data from phone handsets and CCTV to probe his claim.
Probably the most unusual – and frankly scary – episode is episode three, Untraceable Guns, which involves the retrieval of a haul of illegal weapons, including versions of the assault weapons commonly used in US mass shootings. The investigation takes a frightening turn when it emerges that the guns are homemade, using a commercially bought 3D printer and widely available plans from the internet. This episode gives a fascinating insight into the work of NABIS, the National Ballistics Intelligence Service. The experienced officers and technicians are visibly shaken by the potential ease with which these untraceable weapons can be manufactured.
Episodes from previous series include online grooming by paedophiles, indecent exposure, armed robberies, arson attacks and rapists.
The programme is a goldmine for writers of crime fiction and a fascinating watch for anyone interested in how modern UK police forces use cutting-edge techniques to solve a wide variety of crimes.
I highly recommend it.
As always, feel free to comment here or on social media.
Until next time, all the best,
Paul.
If you are a writer with a tip to share, or fancy writing a fictional interview between you and one of your characters, please feel free to email me.
-
TuesdayTips183
Block Buster
Ideas To Thwart Writer’s Block
Headline Act(ivity)
Today’s #TuesdayTip is another Block Buster – a short exercise to either bust your writer’s block, or just a fun writing challenge to practise your skills.
Last year, I set an exercise where you found a news story, extracted the key details, then wrote a fictionalised account of what happened. #Tip136 Getting To The Meat Of It.
Today’s tip is going to take that principle and strip it back even further.
Go to your favourite news source and pick a headline.
That’s it. Don’t even read the story.
Now use that headline to write your own news story.
The fun thing about this activity is that there are loads of ways to approach it.
For example:- Take a headline that features names. Tabloids assume that their readers know who ‘Kate’ is. Will your story feature the Kate they are referencing, or are you going to feature a different Kate?
- Take a headline that doesn’t feature names. This frees you up to be as inventive as you like.
- Take a headline that just sounds quirky. Man finds Taylor Swift’s face in Greggs pasty is replete with possibilities.
- Take a headline that is banal and desperately dull. Planning committee to meet Tuesday. What are they planning? Why Tuesday?
Remember the rules:
- Set yourself a time limit.
- Write without stopping, editing or overthinking.
- Write whatever comes to mind and don’t worry if it doesn’t make sense.
- It doesn’t matter if it has nothing to do with the scene that you are stuck on.
If you are a writer with a tip to share, or fancy writing a fictional interview between you and one of your characters, please feel free to email me.
Have fun,
Paul
-
TuesdayTips182
Precision Or Pedantry?
Welcome to this week’s Tuesday Tip.
When does precision tip over into needless pedantry?
It’s a vexed question that I find myself wrestling with periodically. Recently (Tip180) I talked about how one of the hallmarks of an inexperienced, or under-edited, writer is too much information, incorrectly placed. Hand-in-hand with that can be a tendency towards unnecessary attention to detail, at the expense of pace, flow and story-telling. This is a separate issue to the balance needed between authenticity and realism (Tip149).
I pondered this question most recently when editing the first complete draft of a novel. As I’ve mentioned before, I have a tendency to write out of sequence, with minimal planning. I also typically leave my timeline and internal chronology until late in the process. Therefore, in order not to be caught out by errors in timing, I usually avoid specifying dates and times as I go along. For example, I might write ‘It had been XXXX days since the woman was murdered’, replacing the XXXX with a more precise timing once I have a structured timeline in place and there are unlikely to be any major changes to the order of the narrative.
But how necessary is that precision, and can it even be detrimental to the style and flow?
In a recent case, my timeline told me that it had been six days since a couple had met in a bar for a drink. But when I wrote that, it seemed out of keeping with the fairly casual nature of the surrounding prose. In the end, saying that it had been several days since they had last met just looked, and sounded, better.
English is a language that serves us well, whether we are scientists for whom accuracy and precision are essential, or poets for whom style is more important. Prose, especially fiction, requires both.
We can say ‘it was six days’ or ‘a few days‘.
‘The car was parked 150 metres from the junction‘ or ‘the car was parked a couple of hundred yards from the junction‘.
‘It was a balmy twenty-one degrees Celsius‘ or ‘a warm and pleasant day‘.
So ask yourself the following questions.- How necessary is precision? A forensic scientist delivering their findings may give exact measurements, whilst an eyewitness would likely give an approximation.
- Is the degree of precision in keeping with the character?
- Is it in casual dialogue or more formal dialogue?
- Will the degree of precision (or lack of) be important later in the story?
- How does it sound? When you read it aloud, does the prose flow correctly?
One final point: a lack of precision can also allow for some wriggle room. By keeping things approximate, we can avoid the eagle-eyed reader spotting that our character’s kids are going to school on a weekend …
What are your thoughts on precision? When does precision become needless pedantry?
As always, feel free to comment here or on social media.
Until next time,
Paul
If you are a writer with a tip to share, or fancy writing a fictional interview between you and one of your characters, please feel free to email me.
-
TuesdayTips181
TV review:
Catching A Killer:
A Diary From The Grave.
Today’s #TuesdayTip is a TV review. Catching A Killer: A Diary From The Grave, shown recently on Channel 4 and available on My4, is actually a repeat of an episode first shown in 2020, but it is worth a watch.
My wife and I were already familiar with the sad and twisted tale of the murder of Peter Farquhar and the alleged attempted murder of his neighbour Ann Moore-Martin by the trainee vicar Ben Fields. It has featured in other true crime series, and was made into a superb BBC TV miniseries, The Sixth Commandment, starring Timothy Spall and Anne Reid.
However, this episode includes Fly-On-The-Wall documentary techniques and takes us into the police investigation. It’s worth watching because of the insight it gives into a complex investigation. It’s also chilling, because of the significant amount of footage of the killer Ben Fields in interviews and also his interactions with police officers within the station. What struck me most was the scary politeness and indifference of Fields. Fictional serial killers are often portrayed as charming individuals and it has become a clichéd hallmark of psychopaths. Here we see it in action. Fields is unfailingly pleasant and polite to all he meets, acting exactly as one would expect of a trainee vicar seen as the bedrock of the church. Rarely, if ever, does that mask (if it is one) ever drop.
Most poignantly, the title for the episode comes from use of Peter Farquhar’s own diaries, read aloud by a very good voice actor. In them Farquhar, a closeted homosexual who struggled with the conflict between his sexuality and his faith, records his growing love for Fields, along with the decline in his faculties as Fields slowly poisons him. The callous betrayal of this much-loved man is truly heart-breaking. Judicious use of interviews by Farquhar’s friends – many of whom were former pupils that kept in touch with their influential teacher – shows that he truly was deeply loved by all who knew him.
Interestingly, the documentary camera crews accompanied the police as they interviewed witnesses, and supplied a fascinating insight into how these things work. After one such interview, the interviewee innocently asks if Fields has done something wrong. The police decline to answer that question, and it becomes apparent that the witness has not been told why they are interested in Fields. This is something we rarely see. I watch a lot of these programmes and had somewhat naively assumed that many of the interviews are either restaged later, or the person being interviewed actually knew why the police were there. To see the police carefully juggling the need to interview someone without giving away too much information was really interesting.
Even if you feel you are familiar with this particular story, I heartily recommend seeking out this documentary.
What did you think of this documentary? Did it add something to a story already familiar to you? As always, feel free to comment here or on social media.
Until next time,
Paul
If you are a writer with a tip to share, or fancy writing a fictional interview between you and one of your characters, please feel free to email me.
-
TuesdayTips180
The World(Building) Is Your Oyster.
One of the signs that can differentiate between a book from an experienced writer that has been professionally edited (either independently or via traditional publishing routes), and a less experienced writer who hasn’t had any professional input, is the volume and placement of detail.
Some months ago, I came across a short story. The author is an imaginative and enthusiastic amateur writing in the speculative fiction genre(*). The premise of the story was enjoyable and original, but the problem was that the author got rather too carried away with the world-building. The first part of the story was almost exclusively a description of the galactic federation in which the tale was set. It lasted several paragraphs, and included a potted backstory of how this organisation came about. It killed the momentum and pace, and I was getting bored by the time the actual story started.
Now this is not something limited to speculative fiction. Far from it, ‘world-building’ applies to all genres and is essentially the process of establishing where and when a story takes place, and the types of characters within it. It’s a form of backstory. The problem, is that after spending significant amounts of time imagining where our story is set, there is a real temptation to show the readers what we’ve been up to, at the expense of an actual story!
And this is where a good editor comes in.
Description is good. Description is essential. Even the most action-packed novel, that leaps straight into the story, will eventually have to start filling in some blanks for the reader. The question is how much and when?
So, to take our original example (and again, I’m changing details to avoid identifying the writer), we needed to know that the action takes place in the distant future, between alien species, who are part of a galactic federation. Somehow, that information needs to be passed on to the reader within the first paragraph or two. But what we didn’t need to know was when the federation was founded and by who, or precisely what the main protagonist’s species looks like and how it differs from others. Unless any of those details specifically impact the story being told at that precise moment, ditch them or delay their reveal until later.
One of the best world-builders in fiction was the late, great Terry Pratchett. His Discworld novels sprawled across a humungous, imaginative realm that grew bigger and bigger as the series progressed. Avid fans of the series (who have read and reread each book multiple times) are intimately familiar with this world, and so wouldn’t thank Sir Terry if the first few chapters were a potted re-telling of the entire history of the Discworld. By the same token, readers new to the series need to be able to pick up one of his books at random and dive straight into the story, with enough backstory to ensure they don’t put it back down in complete bewilderment.
So, after building your world, then starting your story, ask yourself the following questions.
1) Does the reader really need to know that detail?
Is it essential to the plot, the understanding of the wider context, an essential piece of character development (or in the case of comedic books, necessary in the lead up to a really good knob gag)?
If the answer to the question is no – cut it. Don’t be afraid to “kill your darlings” (Tips 27, 28, 29 & 30)
If the answer is yes, then ask yourself these questions.
2) Does the reader need to know this yet?
Can it be held back until later? As discussed previously, (Tips 64 & 68) you should try to avoid data dumps. They can be overwhelming to the reader. Trickle the information out slowly – it’s a novel, not a textbook.
3) Is this the right place for this detail?
As discussed numerous times in this blog, detail typically conflicts with pace. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Each novel has its own rhythm and there will be slower sections and faster sections. The placement of detail can help you dictate that pace.
And this is why an editor is essential. You are too close to your work to make that judgement, you need an impartial pair of eyes to help decide if information needs to be cut, pared back or moved.
(*) I am being as circumspect as possible here, since I would be mortified if the author in question thought I was using their work as an example on my blog. I have changed a few minor details, so there is hopefully no way to attribute this to them.
What are your thoughts on world-building? Is it better to let your reader know everything up front, or should you hold some back and trickle it out more gradually?
As always, feel free to comment here or on social media.
Until next time, all the best,
Paul.
If you are a writer with a tip to share, or fancy writing a fictional interview between you and one of your characters, please feel free to email me.
-
TuesdayTips179
Stealing The Limelight
Welcome to the #TuesdayTip. This week, I am celebrating when a minor character unexpectedly takes over the reins.
We writers love a good cliché. Not in our prose, obviously – we and our editors strive to cut them wherever we see them – but when asked to describe the process of writing, hell yeah, bring them on! One of those clichés is that sometimes a ‘character takes over’ the writing. For the logically-minded non-writer, this is patently nonsense. You are the writer, everything comes from your mind. The character is a fictional construct from your mind. Ergo, you are still in control. Well, duh, obviously.
Yet sometimes it feels as if you aren’t in control of the process.
A related phenomenon is when a relatively minor character suddenly becomes more important. Like a character actor stealing all the attention from the A list celebrities.
I LOVE this!
When writing my third DCI Warren Jones novel, Silent As The Grave, I happened to be taking a creative writing class. Our homework was to write a short scene with two characters. Deciding to kill two birds with one stone, I chose to introduce the main antagonist’s henchman, Bixby. A minor character that was little more than hired muscle (he didn’t even have a first name). Over the course of those 300 words, the book was turned upside down. Bixby became one of the most intriguing characters I’ve ever met. By the end of the book, he was the most important and complex person in the story, other than my hero, DCI Jones.
More recently, in my current work in process, I introduced a female character who, whilst integral to the story, was little more than ‘utility character’ – a person that exists solely to help move everything along. Well, she wasn’t having any of that! Within a couple of paragraphs of me first meeting her, the entire focus of the book changed. It is now her story. Everything takes place because of her actions and it is her we are rooting for. And I am loving every second of writing her. And the amazing thing? The underlying premise hasn’t changed! My original two line idea is still there, in its entirety.
So, my advice? Take a leaf from my years of teaching. If a pupil is elbowing their way to the front of the class, don’t slap them down and make them return to their seat. Don’t stick to the original plan. Let them take over for a bit. If it doesn’t work, never mind, you can always return to the original idea. You can even cut them out and use them in a different book (the character, not the pupil!). Because, sometimes the end result is far better than it would have been originally.
What are your thoughts on this? Should characters stay in their lane? Would you rather stick with the original plan, or are you willing to take a risk and give them a bigger voice to see what happens?
As always, feel free to comment here or on social media.
Until next time, all the best,
Paul.
If you are a writer with a tip to share, or fancy writing a fictional interview between you and one of your characters, please feel free to email me.
-
TuesdayTips178
TV Review:
To Catch A Copper
This week’s #TuesdayTip is a TV Review for To Catch A Copper – a truly jaw-dropping fly-on-the-wall series about the work of Avon and Somerset Police’s Counter Corruption Unit. Filmed over four years, it is currently available to stream on All4, with new episodes airing each Monday.
When Jed Mercurio first started writing the award-winning BBC drama, Line Of Duty, he famously received very little assistance from the police (at least officially), and so his AC-12 unit is largely fictional. It was a brilliant series, but bore only limited resemblance to what really takes place in this incredibly sensitive area of policing.
So full credit to Avon and Somerset Constabulary for allowing TV crews behind the scenes to show what really goes on. And credit also to the Chief Constable of A&S Police, Sarah Crew, for taking part and being willing to speak, on camera, extensively about her own feelings on the subject.
At the time of writing, three episodes have aired. Officers that are subject to allegations of misconduct typically appear on screen, their interviews recorded without their names or identity concealed. Sometimes victims also appear, with some brave enough to also do so openly. There is extensive use of body worn camera evidence.
The preponderance of allegations so far have been of sexual misconduct, with officers accused of inappropriate sexual relations with members of the public, revenge porn, an attempt to use police resources to blackmail a man using sex-workers, rape and even grooming, sexual assault and unwanted sexual advances towards police cadets or new recruits to the service.
Other allegations have involved violent confrontations with the public, a failure of duty of care towards prisoners, and alleged racially-insensitive policing or unwarranted and poorly carried out stop and searches. The thoughts and feelings of victims and their loved-ones are also given airtime.
The show follows the team as they investigate these potential offences and we see the ultimate outcome of the proceedings.
This is not a comfortable programme to watch, not least because of the questions and debates it raises. Sometimes you find yourself outright disgusted at these officers’ actions. Other times, you may find yourself siding with the officers who appear to have done their job as well as they could under difficult circumstances. It certainly provoked debate in our house.
You also see the role of the Police Federation Representatives. I learned that they are not defence lawyers, nor necessarily advocates for the accused officer. Rather they are there to ensure that correct procedures are followed.
The outcomes are also a subject of debate and can leave you feeling angered at decisions made, whether by the IOPC (Independent Office of Police Conduct) not to recommend more serious disciplinary action or by the Crown Prosecution Service not to proceed with criminal charges. There is plenty of fodder here for the armchair lawyer. The cynic may also question the use of ‘reflective practise’, whereby an officer found lacking discusses what went wrong and how they could improve. At times, you feel that the officers involved are simply saying what they need to say to tick all the boxes and return to duty. And then there is the time taken; officers accused of very serious offences can spend over a year suspended on full pay, before resigning the day before their tribunal.
In the programme’s voiceover the narrator questions whether it is right that a system where the police investigate themselves is up to the task. Sometimes, you have to wonder …What are your thoughts on this series? Too kind to the police? Too harsh? Were you shocked?
As always, feel free to comment here or on social media.
Until next time, all the best,
Paul.
If you are a writer with a tip to share, or fancy writing a fictional interview between you and one of your characters, please feel free to email me.
-
TuesdayTips177
Space Is Pace
Welcome all! This week’s #TuesdayTip is a brief companion piece to last week’s discussion about rhythm and pace TuesdayTip176.A couple of years ago, I was sitting in the audience at a literary festival, listening to the authors on the panel discussing their writing. One of the authors was Steve Cavanagh, the highly talented author of the Eddie Flynn legal thriller series(*). Something he said really stuck with me.
Like a lot of writers, especially those in the thriller genre, when editing his prose, he keeps an eye out for pace. The Eddie Flynn thrillers area mixture of high-tension legal action, lower tension (but still exciting) legal skullduggery and heart-stopping action sequences. The pacing is always excellent and very well judged, with the reader in turns bowled along by the excitement of a fiery exchange or violent altercation, or allowed a well-earned breather as Eddie plots his next move.He said something very simple, but absolutely on-the-nose:
You can judge the pace of a scene by the amount of white space on the page.
Try it. Take a book off the shelf and compare different scenes.
Fast dialogue and exchanges between characters tend to involve short sentences, with rapid switching between speakers. Common convention is to start a new line each time a different character speaks. Furthermore, that first line is typically indented on the left-hand side. That means white space at both the beginning and the end of a line.Now look at a slower sequence. For example a person delivering an impassioned monologue to the jury. Typically, the paragraphs are longer, and with only one person speaking, there are fewer line breaks. The text is usually justified (the spacing between letters is subtly manipulated so that each line takes up the same width on the page). There is a lot less white space on the page.
The same goes for faster-paced action sequences, compared to slower-paced descriptive scenes. Shorter sentences. More line breaks. More and shorter paragraphs. All of these mean that the pace of a scene impacts the amount of white space.
Of course, a cynic might say that publishers are already clamping down on word count to counteract rising paper costs. How long until they start demanding that books are faster-paced so they use less ink? Unlikely, but never say never …
What are your thoughts on this? Is this an over-simplification? Could one write an algorithm to give a book a ‘pace score’? Is this a useful observation for writers or largely meaningless?
As always, feel free to comment here or on social media.
Until next time, all the best,
Paul.
If you are a writer with a tip to share, or fancy writing a fictional interview between you and one of your characters, please feel free to email me.(*) You can buy Steve’s books here or check out my reviews of Thirteen and Fifty Fifty here.
