Blog | Alison Morton Author

Beta readers

Photo courtesy of Piotr Bizior

When I opened up an email today after a long weekend away, I was thrilled to find to read this from a beta reader:
(All character names changed – you’ll have to buy the book when it’s published.)

“Finished part 1 and having a great time!
I like X’s character. She is much less headstrong than the heroine in Elizabeth Moon’s book.
There is the baddie (he seems to hate her more than he should, is there something I don’t know?) who I think I will see more of in part 2 and oh I want so bad for X to get together with Y! Will they?
I love the idea of going from a nobody to someone of importance in another world/culture. This theme resonates quite strongly with people and works well as in Harry Potter!
Methinks this is so much better than Dan Brown and so far it has the same thrill, the same fast pace but superior writing.
I think X will shine later on and become a true heroine. Maybe she will save Y? Or Z?
I am loving it!”

And a few minutes later a new one pinged into my inbox:
“Wish I didn’t have to go to work! I want to finish it!”

Now all I need to find is an agent and/or publisher…

Double memories

Finding something that you know will give somebody else a great deal of pleasure is a smiley moment. Nothing is the same as watching the other person’s eyes widen. Their look of immediate disbelief dissolves as you hand it to them and they receive it with a huge grin on their face.

I decided to sort through my archive box yesterday; school projects, old passports, postcards and sew-on badges from all over Europe, wedding cards, my BA thesis, my ‘Man From Uncle’ secret agent card, a roller skate adjustment key, my army captain’s shoulder pips, my French business school papers, a number puzzle, letters from my mother and my then fiancé, my son’s baby hospital tag, newspaper cuttings, diaries.

My reactions ranged from embarrassment, laughter and sadness. I was deeply moved by some of the letters, but wondered why the hell I’d kept some other things. Definitely a series of Proust’s ‘madeleine moments’…

Folded in between the diaries, I found a slim stationery catalogue punched with six holes near the spine. It was no. 137, issued by Norman & Hill Ltd of 16 Newgate Street. London EC1 who sold Lefax, Filofax and Cardref systems. I recognised it from the time I had run my father’s antiques business. We had purchased some items from an estate and inside a drawer were stationery items, including a small ring binder with inserts. I have no idea what happened to the binder, but my historical genes wouldn’t let me throw the catalogue out. It was a fascinating insight into how people organised their business and family events and records. And it made a connection to my Filofax which, like everybody then, contained my life.

Finding it in this box now let me remember the original fascination I had with it then. A little message from history, like Christmas cake-making I blogged about in November.

But the pleasure of my husband’s face now was even better. You see, he is the king of the world Filofax community (www.philofaxy.com).

Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers, INCEPTIO, and PERFIDITAS. Third in series, SUCCESSIO, is out early summer 2014.

Shorts

I write novels. Sure, I’m waiting for my big publishing deal, but I love the long fiction structure: the opportunity to develop characters at length; to weave sub-plots; to plumb the depths; struggle to the surface; heap mounds of stuff on my protagonist; the false climax; to be a master of the universe.

But short stories? Hm.

I love reading them. I cannot but admire the mastery, the cleverness, the concentrated pleasure within a few thousand words. So what have I observed when reading them?

A short is often a glance, an incident which illuminates a whole world;
they mostly have one main character;
clarity and tightness underlie the whole piece;
a single point of view;
introduction of the conflict/crime/question early in the story;
spare and succinctly provided information; and
a good twist (or two) at the end.

I’ve been advised to keep the concept simple, to bash out a first draft around the one idea, then substitute one word for five.
I’m working on one at the moment. After a false start, I think I’m settled on the POV. This may sound laughable to the experts, but hey, I’m trying.

I’ll let you know how I get on…

Is it wrong to tweet on Christmas Day?

The immediate reaction is hands raised in horror. How crass, how selfish, how insensitive!

But is it?

I remember as a kid having ‘quiet times’ on Christmas day. We had the ecstasy of early morning present-unwrapping – scarf, pencils, jigsaw, books, new jumper – then breakfast, followed by the first ‘quiet time’ when we looked at our presents, mother noting who had given us what as a prelude to the ‘thank you’ letters. We were encouraged to read our books, play with Mecanno, draw, play with Dinky Toys, form plasticine models, but quietly.

After lunch, we could take that new bike/scooter/ roller skates outside and let off steam. A hour later, rosy cheeks and dribbling noses, we came in for Christmas cake and a cup of tea. Then another quiet time before supper and bed.

So seguing out of the 1950s/1960s in to the 21st century… Presents opened to a glass of bubbly and Christmas music via iTunes and AppleTV, fun, thank yous, whoops of joy, chocs opened. Then a quiet time descends, netbooks, iPhones, Mcbooks, new 3G Kindles come out in companionable silence. An hour later and we stir to get showered and dressed, food gets put in the oven, a neighbour’s child calls asking for a lead for his brand new electric guitar, more bubbly. Conversation and catch-up between family members, talk of the digital future centered on content dissemination and useability.

Waiting for lunch, another mini-quiet time.

So in today’s quiet time, we catch up on Twitter, FaceBook, email, buy Kindle books.

Is this really so bad?

Book3 and why I’m brutal to my heroine

Stories about the life of a well-off happily married woman with a sexy husband, three adorable, perfectly behaved children and a responsible, challenging, but enormously fulfilling job she adores would be tedious.

Who wants to read about Miss Perfect? Typical reactions would be: know-it-all, snooty cow and bor-ing; feelings would be envy, resentment and can’t-be-arsed to read on. If such a book ever got to print, it would be chucked out in the re-cycling after 50 pages. One of my beta readers gives a book 20 pages to convince him it’s worth continuing.

So what does a reader want (especially the 20-page one)?

The heroine in my book3 has overcome her start in life, beaten the bad guys, saved the world, and after a rocky start, has settled down with the love of her life. And we’re pleased to hear nobody’s trying to kidnap her, overturn her society or kill her as in books 1 & 2.

But wait, a big, BIG shadow looms out of her beloved’s past and causes every kind of havoc.

If I’ve done my job properly, readers have begun to like my main character, or at least empathise with her. Perhaps they want to be her friend, her sister or even her. But when the big shock hits, and she realises the trouble she’s in and starts devising a plan to get out of it, they want her to succeed.

Sorry. Not going to happen.

Betrayals, harsh choices, lies, guilt, natural conflict sharpened up by misunderstandings, bad attitude, kidnapping, knifings, trust broken, pursuit by maniacs, weakness, bad temper, death before dishonour, red herrings, comrades of twenty years dying, impossible deadlines to disaster, irrationality, frustration, stomach turning twists. And the agony of watching the character walk towards certain doom…

THESE are what readers want to see. So we as writers have to give our heroes and heroines the worst possible time. Then again. And again.

As the great Chuck Wendig says: After all, that’s what a plot truly is: a character who strives to get above all the shit the storyteller dumps on his fool head.

How cruel are you to your protagonist? And is it always justified?