A Farewell to Forms

Just finished that grant application. Phew.

In addition to a draft excerpt from the book, I also needed a synopsis of the whole twisted plot. I've spent the afternoon trying to set it out clearly. I'm at the point now where it soooo reads like Raymond Chandler/Dashiell Hammett; I need to let it go before I introduce a smoking gun and a falcon of the maltese kind...

What is that little plaintive sound? Could it be coming from the cafe across the road? Might it be a beer pleading 'Drink me, drink me'. I'm on the case!

Which came first

Scribbling away at a grant application today.

It's kind of a chicken-and-egg situation, in that the grant would help me to do a bunch of research for the next book, but in order to apply for it I should include a draft from... the next book.

I've really worked hard at not sounding sarcastic.

The hows and wheres of writing

Welcome back, little broadband connection. You were missed.

Another glorious weekend. I've been in for my session of learning to swim like a fish; now for some reading and writing.

And the news is, I'll be writing something else entirely, for Cured with Death is all finished. It's edited, polished, spell-checked. We have parted company. It was an odd feeling, waking up and not going straight for the file.

So the work to get it published begins. Meanwhile, I'm working on a short story, and writing my first screenplay treatment. It's a different approach for me: normally I have a clear idea of the end, the beginning and a few key scenes in between. Apparently, in screenwriting, you save yourself much torment by mapping the whole thing out in advance - a brief scene-by-scene description. Any plot/character weaknesses are highlighted, and when you sit down to write the script proper, it just flows. That's the theory, at least. So I'm giving it a go. It's hard: not to get distracted by dialogue, not to skip ahead to the climactic scenes, but the method teaches a lot about pacing and structure.

And I'm doing some ghostwriting as well. Busy busy.

This has been mentioned all over the place this week, but just in case you haven't seen it: The Guardian have posted their series on writers' rooms. You can see where writers write here. Very interesting: I loved Seamus Heaney's, and Jonathan Safran Foer's - who wrote in the Rose Reading Room of the 42nd Street Branch of the New York Public Library. Now there's a place to make you think big thoughts...