Barny

Ooh, how interesting. And I like the idea of doing the exercise around a minor character to see what it may reveal about a major one. Even if it does result in the minor pushing in.

I remember Waltraut as being a well-established character of yours, even though I don’t remember reading anything about her. The writing, of what ought to be written, and the tearing up – is it weakness or selfishness? (my money goes on the latter).

Heartbreaking. Those inconsequentialities so poignant and the “plucking a sunripe fruit from a tree, pressing it against your cheek for the simple joy” such a vivid recollection of the good. Yet my impression is she got out – had the strength of character to get out – much earlier than many.
I’m wondering if she posted this, though?

Thanks Raine – son has been quite insistent about making space for himself! It’s his father who keeps eluding me, despite him having to be MC (apart from the usual duo of Luke and Baz)

Such a good series of thoughts, Kaz. So potent with the sheer physical bloody (pun intended) inconvenience of being female, and the subtle tension of having to acquire this knowledge and make the knowledge invisible too. And as for pre-teen daughters getting oggled. OH MY GOD THIS IS HAPPENING AND I WANT TO KILL ALL THE MEN EVER. Beautiful though,…[Read more]

Ooooh *noice* seventeen year old son voice!! So much in there – family tension, big family belonging & identity conflicts; and lust and some highly dodgy goings on. So cool. Can son be in your book as well as father?

Love the contrast between formality and impropriety in the first, Bella. Created a lovely sense of the ambiguity and desire, and an unreliable narrator too, me thinks. Nice. 🙂
The second letter – is the writer very young? It’s quite disconcerting and definitely sounds like the voice of someone too young to really be processing their own…[Read more]

I have had no time/mental capacity for this at all. But finally made time to read the Burroway chapter the other night & found it interesting. I quite liked the simplicity of the quote questioning whether a story has changed the character – ”What is visible now at the end of the story that wasn’t visible at the start’
Also loved the language in…[Read more]

Thanks Kaz – this inspired me to have a go at fleshing out a new character from an unexpected viewpoint, as well as bringing memories of my own then ending with an adult viewpoint. That endless circle, eh?

This is so clever, Kaz. And I didn’t expect it to go in that direction either. Wow. Excellent stuff.

Ow Wow Kaz. That is fantastic. Funnily enough I have just come to a bit in my WIP that made me think of this exercise. I might have a go at it too!

Oh crikey. That took me back and then whizzed me forward. I haven’t tried this exercise, but I think I will try to find time for it now you’ve done it and shown us just how powerful the stuff that comes out can be.

Very clever in the first one how the letter gives one impression of this inappropriate relationship, and then the following comment throws a whole new light on the situation.

Two fabulously disconcerting letters, Bella. The first one couched in the appropriately formal language of a teacher to a pupil but revealing a wholly inappropriate relationship and posing a lot of questions. The more I read it the more I began to think that Maximilian was the one pulling the strings and Waltraut was trying to escape him.

It occurred to me two minutes after posting this that I have an actual break up letter in my other WIP. So here it is for good measure. If anyone wants to comment don’t feel obliged to comment on both. I’m just putting it here since it exists.

Dear Lucien,
I don’t know how to soften the blow so I’m just going to tell you what happened on Saturday…[Read more]

Hi @Squidge. I didn’t always think her examples showed what I thought she was talking about but as I read the chapter while travelling yesterday was going to reread some of them to have a second look. The one about the burying something in the garden springs to mind.