Dear Santa Booklist - by Tracy Darnton

Is it too early to mention the C word? Another year has whooshed past and here’s my annual list to Santa of my most wanted books to find in my stocking on Christmas morning. It's my time to restock my non-fiction books. 

I always like to get a ‘craft’ book to feed my writing and this year I’ve plumped for Malorie Blackman’s Just Sayin’ My Life in Words. I heard her speak at Toppings in Bath recently – and if you haven’t watched the Imagine - Malorie Blackman What If?  episode yet, I recommend it for every children’s writer to remind you of how amazing Aunty Malorie is and why we all write for young people. (Imagine is packed with kid lit royalty).

Haruki Murakami is another fascinating writer. So I’d love to read his collection of essays Novelist as a Vocation for an insight into his routines and writing.

I’ve been able to get back to more galleries and museums this year so next must-have is Katy Hessel’s The Story of Art Without Men which I bought for someone else but haven’t read myself yet. I saw her speak at an interesting panel at Cliveden Literary Festival in October and was amazed to discover the complete lack of women in The Story of Art tome by E.H. Gombrich -  and, shame on me, I hadn’t even noticed at the time of reading it.

There have been books by Andrey Kurkov in my house for a while but until the Ukraine invasion, I’d never got round to reading them myself. I loved Death and the Penguin which those lovely folks at Mr B's Emporium have been recommending for years, and we’ve been steadily increasing our collection of his novels. 

So going on the Christmas wish list is Diary of an Invasion which collects Kurkov’s insightful columns and broadcasts from this year.

In a big change of mood, for my next desired gifts, I’ve gone full Agatha Christie. Creek House in my last thriller, Ready or Not, was based on Agatha Christie’s beautiful house, Greenway on the River Dart. Lately, I’ve been writing a new YA inspired by one of her best-loved books – and I had my first trip this summer to Harrogate Crime Festival, based at the Old Swan where Agatha Christie was found during her disappearance which gripped the nation in 1926.

So what better than a game of Agatha Christie bingo after Christmas lunch? 

Followed by dipping into Lucy Worsley’s latest: Agatha Christie – A very elusive woman.

That’s my list. One reminding me of the welcome return to trips to bookshops, lit fests and museums, and the importance of good writing in making sense of our world and times.

 

 

Tracy Darnton is the author of YA stocking thrillers Ready or Not, The Rules and The Truth About Lies, and her short story is included in the YA anthology I’ll Be Home for Christmas. Please feel free to put them on your Christmas list. 

S

Reading Resolutions by Alex English

It’s the beginning of the new year, and, like many people, my thoughts have turned to plans and goals for the year. For me, it’s not just the calendar year that’s new. I’ve recently graduated with a masters in Writing for Young People, which has meant the end of two years of structure in an otherwise freelance life. The novel I wrote during that course has been polished and sent off, and I’m now eager to get on with new projects. So what should I do now? What should I write? What should I read?

One thing I loved about my masters course was being told what I should be doing. I loved working through the reading list, being set homework and having regular meetings with my workshop group. So this year, I’ve decided to set my own reading list. Here’s how I’m breaking it down.

Keeping up to date 

Because I write for young people, I do at least attempt to keep up with the torrent of new and exciting books that are coming out. I live in France so it’s difficult to browse English titles in bookshops, but I’m sometimes disappointed if I read the next big thing without dipping into it first. I’ve recently discovered the free downloadable extracts on lovereading4kids and will be using those to sample new releases before deciding which ones to read in full. The Lost Magician by Piers Torday is top of my list.

Lost gems 

At the other end of the spectrum, I’ve recently discovered a passion for out-of-print titles. There’s something very exciting about getting your hands on a copy of something old and unusual. Joan Aiken is one of my favourite authors and I am gradually working through her back catalogue, picking up secondhand copies of her out-of-print short story collections and lesser-known novels. I’ve also recently enjoyed Help! I am a Prisoner in a Toothpaste Factory by John Antrobus and Rebecca's World by Terry Nation. I’ll be seeking out more rare reading treasure in 2019.

Non-fiction 

I have got into the (bad) habit of only reading non-fiction when it’s research, but in 2019 I plan to change that. I received a clutch of interesting titles for Christmas and in 2019 I’ll be reading non-fiction with a sense of adventure and exploration, rather than searching for something specific.

Fiction in translation 

I’ll also be looking to broaden my 2019 writing horizons by reading more fiction in translation. Last year I read and loved The Beast Player, an epic YA fantasy by Japanese author Nahako Uehashi, translated by Cathy Hirano. I’ll be keeping a close eye on Pushkin Press for their new releases.

Just for fun 

And finally, just to counteract all that planning, I’m also going to read for the sheer fun of it, something that can often be forgotten once writing becomes a serious part of your life. I’m going to browse for unexpected books in real bookshops whenever I get the chance. I recently moseyed around Waterstones and picked up Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss and Ms Ice Sandwich by Mieko Kawakami. They don’t relate directly to anything I’m planning to write, I just liked the look of them. Sometimes planning to be spontaneous can be the best planning of all!

How do you map out your reading year? Are you a planner like me or do you just take it as it comes? Have you sniffed out any out-of-print gems or stumbled upon a must-read for 2019? I would love to hear all about it in the comments.

My Five Best Books about Writing, By Dan Metcalf

We've all done it – paced the floors of bookshops and libraries looking for that great 'How To' tome that will tell us exactly HOW to write the book that is lurking in the back of our heads. I'm here to tell you now – it doesn't exist. The only way to write your book is to do exactly that: write it. You'll find your own way of doing it which is unlike any other. You may stumble and trip, and end up with (metaphorical) bloody knees, but you'll emerge the other side confident and ready to write the next one.

That said, it is kind of fun to read about writers and their quirks; like finding out that Philip Pullman will only write on a certain lined paper pad, or how much wild turkey Hemingway drank before starting a project. So here is my missive for you: my best books about writing. Let's dive in...

Monkeys With Typewriters by Scarlett Thomas

Scarlett Thomas is the author of best-selling books such as The End of Mr Y and Our Tragic Universe, so her writerly background bodes well for this guide on ‘how to write fiction and unlock the secret power of stories’, and as a member of the Creative Writing faculty at Kent University, you know you’re in safe hands when you open this weighty tome on all things literary.

The academic background is soon apparent as the first section of the book looks at the theory surrounding fiction, calling into play Soctrates, Plato and Homer. The style is fluid and accessible, and illuminates great swathes of fiction, discussing the difference between narrative, story and plot, the eight basic storylines and Joseph Campbell’s monomyth. If you’re put off by the classic nature of the chapters so far, then hold your horses, as part two focuses specifically on the practice of writing.

Thomas looks in depth at the process of creating a character, likening it to Stanivlaski's method of acting. The text is light on do-it-yourself exercises, and chooses instead to show examples of how other create their progagonists and supporting casts. There is the interesting example in the chapter entitled 'Writing a good sentence', where she suggests having a bank of words and setting yourself a 'budget'. Some types of words are cheap (E.G. Concrete nouns are free), while others will cost you dearly (Adverbs cost £20!).

This is a hefty book which should be drank like a fine wine, but not the sort of workbook that will sit by your laptop full of pencil scribblings. It's value is undeniable, but only to those prepared to put the work in to get the pearls of wisdom out.

Writing Bestselling Children’s Books by Alexander Gordon Smith

This handy tome has the distinct advantage of being written by a bestselling children’s author, a fact which not all creative writing manuals can boast. Alexander Gordon Smith is the author of the Escape from Furnace series and The Inventors, and his tone and style in this inspirational book is light and approachable.

Broken into 52 short chapters, each expressing an idea or tip to drive your writing, the book is full no-nonsense truths, such as: ‘You have to make time and space to write!’, ‘Know your hero’, and ‘All good children’s books are driven by conflict’.

The layout and design of the book is easy to read, with bold headings and pull-out quotes to catch your eye and guide you around the book. The writing has a wonderful humour to it too, making reading text an enjoyable experience, even if you end up not putting the ideas into practice. Each chapter ends with a small Q&A between the writer (you) and the teacher (AGS), and if you work through the book you really feel like you’ve worked through a course with an affable tutor. With it’s 52 chapter structure, you could even work through this once a week, and have a whole year of inspiration! Great stuff.

On Writing by Stephen King

This part-memoir and part-guide gives King an excuse to flex his teacher muscles (he used to lecture in – where else? - Maine) and we find that the ol'fella is tenacious about grammar and punctuation (his own bible for writing is The Elements of Style by Strunk & White). It's full of amazing tales from his childhood and how he would study serial killers from the news – fuel for later scribblings.

Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman

By thedemonhog [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

The veteran writer of The Princess Bride, Marathon Man, All the President's Men and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid lifts the lid on Hollywood and tells the secrets that no one else dare to tell: that Nobody Knows Anything. Whilst this is not a writing guide, it is a fascinating memoir by one of our greatest screenwriters. See also the sequel 'Which Lie Did I Tell'?

The Story Circle by Dan Harmon

By Jesse Chang (07 dan harmon) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Ok, this isn't a book. I'm going all millenial on you and sticking a blog post in my list (SHOCK HORROR!). Dan Harmon is the creator and head writer of the brilliant sitcom Community (sometimes, when he isn't being fired from his own show...) and Rick & Morty. Apart from being a very funny guy, he's a genius when it comes to breaking down story structure theory. Ever heard of The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell? Or The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler? No? Well you should read them too (the latter is a simplification of the former). What Dan Harmon does in this inspirational series of posts is to break down how to structure a story even further.

While I maintain that no book will teach you how to write, this concept has done more to help me in my writing life than any other.

So what would be on your list? Let me know in the comments or catch up with me on facebook and twitter.

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Dan Metcalf is the writer of Lottie Lipton Adventures and Codebusters. Visit him at danmetcalf.co.uk.