#GuestFriday with author Val Penny and a sneak preview of her next book
Hi all and welcome to #GuestFriday.
Today, I'm so very lucky to welcome Val Penny to my blog, who talks about plotting and then shares an excerpt from her book, Hunters Revenge, which is out next week.
(What a perfect cover)
Article about Plotting in Novels
Thank you for having me on your blog
today.
I think that plotting is central to
writing a novel, but it is a highly individual process. No two authors plot in
the same way. Some plot organically while others plot in a very orderly
fashion. Many writers even plot differently from one book to another. Some
write scenes: hundreds of scenes that interest and excite them and then they
stitch the scenes together to from the novel. While others visualise the way
the book will take shape using dozens of bits of paper laid out on their desk
or even on the floor. It must be important to make sure the windows are closed
if you plot this way!
Some authors use tree diagrams,
spreadsheets or mind-maps to plot and there is software available to download
on line for this.
However you plot your novel, the
goal is the same, to allow the journey the plot is about take, that will last
several months, to become a novel. It is important that you, as an author,
choose between the 'organic' and 'orderly' methods of plotting so you are
comfortable that your choice works best for you and the book you are setting
out to write. I plotted my first novel 'Hunter's Chase' organically but, after
attending a course run by Sue Moorcroft at last years' Swanwick Writers' Summer
School, I plotted the sequel 'Hunter's Revenge' using diagrams and
spreadsheets. Neither is wrong. Both have strength and weaknesses and either
can be successful for crafting a novel.
Writers who follow an organic way of
plotting, approach the outline largely as a form of awareness of the story,
rather than as an actual document to be followed strictly. Many view the
outline not so much as a planning device but more of an analytical tool that
helps strengthen the final draft by indicating the flaws in the story-line.
Some authors begin with an idea and
just jump in to tell the story. They write steadily and regularly until they
have written tens of thousands of words. Then they go through the organic draft
and delete large chunks and add other pieces until the final manuscript is
complete.
Other authors, like Sue Moorcroft,
plot meticulously and there is no doubt that plotting an outline is hard work.
However, having undertaken an outline on 'Hunter's Revenge', I found myself
writing my novel with confidence. I was happy that one chapter followed another
in a sensible sequence. My characters retained their identities. Of course, at
the end of the first draft, there were flaws, but I found I was able to repair
those readily.
Whether you plot organically or in
an orderly fashion, the important issue is that you can tell the story to your
readers and that you, and they, are satisfied by your novel.
Val Penny is the author of The
Edinburgh Crime Mysteries. The first on the series, 'Hunter's Chase', was
published by Crooked Cat Books on 02.02.2018 while the sequel, 'Hunter's
Revenge', will be published on 09.09.2018. The third book in the series,
'Hunter's Force' will follow shortly.
All books are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and The Edinburgh
Bookshop.
She is an
American author living in SW Scotland. She has two adult daughters of whom she
is justly proud and lives with her husband and two cats. She has a Law degree
from Edinburgh University and her MSc from Napier University. She has had many
jobs including hairdresser, waitress, lawyer, banker, azalea farmer and
lecturer. However she has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of
being a ballerina or owning a candy store. Until those dreams come true, she
has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories and novels.
Hunter’s Revenge
Prologue
East Germany, January 1968
The last thing Georg did on his
eighteenth birthday was kill a man.
He really hadn’t meant to kill the
Stasi officer in front of him, but it was him or Georg – and Georg did not want
to die. It was the first time he’d seen a corpse. The streets were slick with
ice. The man lost his balance and cracked his head on the pavement. Georg
stared down at the body: there was blood and brains all over the pavement. He
looked into the officer’s eyes. They stared blindly to heaven, but Georg knew
there wasn’t a Stasi officer on earth who was going there. He looked away from
death and towards his friends in horror, but when they saw what had happened,
they scattered. Georg picked up the officer’s gun and began to run.
More Stasi officers appeared as the
boys fled.
Georg was out of breath when he got
home.
“What’s the rush, son?” his father
asked.
“Shit, Dad! It’s bad.”
“You’re drunk! No language in this
house, boy,” said his grandmother.
“Dad, the boys and me were leaving
the bar to come home and we saw a Stasi officer”
“So?”
“We were laughing and having fun.”
“And?”
“For a laugh I knocked his hat off.”
“Idiot! You know Stasi have no sense
of humour. Ever. So what next?”
“He pulled his gun and told us to
stand silently against the wall.”
“And you apologised and complied, I
hope.”
“I panicked and punched him. He
slipped on the ice and fell over. He hit his head on the ground, and when I
checked him, he wasn’t breathing. He was dead. I just took his gun and ran.”
The silence in the room was
deafening.
“You did what? You fucking idiot!
Did you really punch a Stasi officer? Are you mad? You
know we don’t even have to openly engage in resistance to draw the attention of
the Stasi and incur its retribution. Just failing to conform with mainstream
society can be enough. Shit! I sired a fool.” Georg’s father’s red face
reflected his rage.
“And now you are here,” his
grandmother added. “You ran home, leading them straight to us. We will all die
now. Thank you.”
“What is all the noise?” Georg’s
mother came through from the kitchen, drying her hands on her apron. His twin
sister Ingrid and younger brother Wilhelm followed her. They looked bewildered.
Their father rarely raised his voice, especially not to Georg.
As his father explained the issues,
Georg’s mother burst into tears.
“They will kill him,” she whispered.
~~~~~
Hunter's Revenge is available for preorder here
Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog today Katy.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate your support.