Amanda Berriman (Skylark)

I wouldn’t have said that any of them give any indication as to the target readership. I’d just assume it was an unusual character name, with possibly a hint of sci-fi, but it doesn’t give anything away about the story.

AnGal sounds like dystopian specfic YA to me. Of the others the first and last have s more generic feel – they just give me a kids/YA vibe – while the other two hint more at speculative, maybe darker. All of them feel kids/YA I think.

Without any other information I would assume the title was the name of the MC (or just possibly an invented country) and guess that it was YA or children’s fairy story or fantasy

It’s a toss-up between a children’s picture book and the ‘unofficial’ biography of a Hollywood A-lister.

Without any other information, I’d probably guess at a YA novel.

I’m living on me nerves, so I am, wondering where the next comp entry is coming from… I know there’s one out there. I can feel it, see?
And it scares me.

Sometimes definitely control! E.g. ‘Suffering a tyrant may be bad but tyrannicide leads to civil war, which is worse’ – see Plutarch via Shakespeare via this morning’s ‘In Our Time’ 😉

As Orwell wrote ‘Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past’ – and to my mind, the past = the historical narrative =…[Read more]

You lot are fantastic! Thank you all so much for brainstorming for me 🙂

@seagreen and @janeshuff – I think you’re really onto something there with The Time Stealer/Snatcher’s… and using that to bundle the series together. Going to ponder that.

@jd73 that made me snort – Iron Maiden’s back catalogue 🙂 But I love them. And I’m leaning…[Read more]

Control or to warn?

And I suppose that’s another thing…. we all choose the stories we want to hear!!

Philippa,
“when desire burns too hot, it destroys” is pretty close to the mark for Angal.
“When obsession takes root, it destroys.” Hmm. Hmmmm.

Stories: Also to control … as with one generation instilling fears into the next with stories of the dark and its unseen creatures.

I’ve also come to realise that themes / controlling ideas are basically the reason why human beings have always told, written and read stories.

We are all trying to understand how the world works and how best to live our lives within it.

Maybe it’s something as simple (elegant) as “when desire burns too hot, it destroys”?

I think mine is: “only when culpability is deeply acknowledged can true reconciliation occur.”

I’ve often wondered what I would say if I was asked about my theme, or controlling idea. I can think of several words, but not a single sentence that I could trot out, and that’s not good enough.

I think it’s easier if you’re writing a specific genre. With genre-bending it becomes more difficult.

Must give this some serious thought.

Tick Toque

Thanks guys! I’m going to try and draw up a shortlist for Sarah today…

I really appreciate all the help