Archive for the ‘Informative’ Category
How to get your novel reviewed
Posted on: December 23, 2011
If you think it’s hard getting your thriller or paranormal romance reviewed, you should try being an erotic novelist.
I sent my latest work to a reviewer and she was very sniffy about it. “That’s not respectable fiction,” she said. “That’s porn.”
I was not prepared to take that lying down. “I’ve put my heart and soul into that story,” I told her. “Give me one reason why it’s not a legitimate piece of art.”
“Take the opening,” she said. “Three scantily-clad women on a beach are being long-lensed by a pervert. That’s a classic voyeur story.”
Encouraged by her use of the word classic, I said, “He’s not a pervert. What man wouldn’t ogle three near-naked beauties given the chance?”
“All right,” she said, “then there’s the bit where the woman is in the pool and she’s thinking about masturbating instead of going shopping with her friends.”
“Inner conflict,” I said. “All women have to juggle their lives. This is a universal problem. You can hardly call that porn.”
“OK, what she thinks about in the pool might not be porn but that shower scene! That is most definitely porn with a capital P, O, R and N!”
“Character development,” I explained. “The man watching her is a catalyst for change and when she strips off her bikini, she is, if you like, shedding her skin and showing that she is ready to move forward in her life.”
She wasn’t even listening. “And I hardly dare even mention that sizzling sex action on the bed,” she said.
“It’s a metaphor!” I told her. I was getting exasperated now. “It’s a metaphor for empowerment.”
“Did you have to depict everything in such photo-realistic detail?”
“That’s where the artistry lies,” I explained patiently. There is no telling some people. “Besides, I was enjoying myself. Is that so wrong?”
So don’t ask me how to get your book reviewed. Most reviewers are simply on a different planet.
The unreviewed version of My Russian Spy is available now from all good ebook retailers.
Salem’s Lot: an acquired taste
Posted on: October 13, 2011
- In: Informative | Theory
- 1 Comment
‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
When asked which of his novels he thought would last Stephen King said The Shining, The Stand and Salem’s Lot. The ‘S’ novels.
I think they’ll all last because Stephen King has the knack of getting inside people’s lives and putting them on the page.
Stephen King reminds me a lot of Dickens without being as good. While Dickens can skewer a character in a single phrase, Stephen King recreates them with layer upon layer of trivial details. You might not like his characters but you can see them in your mind’s eye and in that respect they are real.
Another thing Stephen King does well is to vary the rhythm and syntax of his sentences, which means his prose is relatively free from noticeable mannerisms and you can read it for a long time without getting tired. This is the mark of a writer who has read and written a lot. It’s something the reader appreciates only subconsciously. Although his books are long, they are very readable. He doesn’t talk down to his audience. Some of the passages in this books are quite poetic and his vocabulary is very rich. But his sentences are elegantly constructed and the details he notices and presents are very pertinent.
It took me a while to appreciate how deeply literate Stephen King is. I am not a big fan of his but I admire his craftsmanship and I always find his books pleasurable to read. I have been drawn to his books more and more recently, since I have begun to write for publication. I think all writers can learn a lot from him, not so much from his book On Writing as from the novels themselves.
If I were being totally fair, I suppose I should give this 5 stars. But since he is not quite as good as Dickens and this is probably not his best book, I’ll give it only 3. Sorry, SK, but I don’t think you need a leg up from me.
Look who’s coming!
Posted on: September 28, 2011
One of the best things about sex is the anticipation. So to whet your appetite for treats to come, I’d like to tell you what I’ve been reading.
1. The Empty City by Berit Ellingsen. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!
2. Conmergence by Tara Maya. Tantalising when she flashes and a rare delight when she lingers longer.
3. The Panama Laugh by Thomas Roche. An express train of a novel.
4. Rashomon by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa. Terribly impressive.
5. The Spy Who Loved Me by Ian Fleming. Dark, dingy and dirty.
6. Asking For Trouble by Kristina Lloyd. Darker. Dingier. Dirtier. Damn good.
If I go quiet for a few days it will be because I am being deeply self-indulgent.
