Tow In
Posted on November 30, 2006
Regular readers may recollect that the book I’m working on currently is set in the tow truck industry which requires a fair bit legwork getting about talking to towies for background material.
Today I discovered a tow truck business not that far away that is almost exactly like the operation I’ve imagined and written about. The owner was really helpful and said that he’d had a tele-movie filmed there in the 1980’s called ‘Kings’ which I’ll try to get hold of.
I was able to ask him lots of burning questions I’d been hoarding since I spoke to the last contact I had and he introduced me to some of the drivers - who entertained each other by telling me crap and seeing if I caught on. Probably 50/50.
Anyway - still my beating heart! - he asked me if I’d like to ride in a tow truck for a day. Of course, I leapt at the chance and tomorrow morning 6.30am I’m going on ‘clearway duty’.
Gawd, the things you do for love.
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More or Less
Posted on November 29, 2006
Forget world peace, global warming or thin thighs - nothing raises my blood pressure like doing the annual household budget!
On a roughly annual basis - unless we conspire to forget about it - we sit down and work out what we’ve spent versus what we’ve earned this year and what’s going to happen in the next 12 months. We try to be incredibly mature about it but within minutes usually both feel like strangling each other (one less mouth to feed!).
Being self-employed, we both have something of a boom/bust mentality, a big cheque comes in and the belt gets loosened big-time. Then no money at all comes in for sometime but we still act like we’re rolling in it. Then we suddenly cotton on to the horrible reality of more going out than coming in.
As I’m two thirds of the way through writing this book, so in 82 minds about whether to hunker down and push for the finish or slow down the writing and get some paid work - which catapulted me into a dilemma about what sort of work I could do.
Good grief! I’m 52 I can do heaps of things - some of them really well.
I had a look on the job web sites and the air started to leak out of my balloon very quickly. Most jobs are for young ‘self-starters’ and the amount of effort doesn’t seem commensurate with the pay to these jaded ‘old’ eyes. Then I think about having to go to work, and driving and office politics and the stress factor. Man, I think we’ll just have to tighten that belt, notch by painful notch.
Then last night I continued reading Shantaram and thought about the slum where he lives with 25,000 others in huts made from scrap and really felt ashamed of myself.
The more we have, it seems, the more we think we need.
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Hot Writing Tips
Posted on November 28, 2006
It might just be a matter of what works for you but here’s a few tools I’ve found really useful in working on a novel:
Timeline: An excel spreadsheet showing the birth/death and significant points in each character’s life. Also helps to add in anything historically relevant ie. world wars etc. It’s a key factor because if you decide to change the age of a character you can straight away see how that will impact on the relationship to other characters.
Character Map: Something of an organic mind-map connecting characters with each other. When a character appears on the scene, regardless of how small their part, put the full name on the map and even street or location if it’s important. Saves trawling back pages to find out what the surname of the guy at the pub was or whatever.
Stickies: Sort of upmarket ‘back of an envelope’. I use a reasonable sized sticky pad - have them lying about the place - and note and ideas, scraps of dialogue etc then stick them all up on the wall in front of my desk for use as I go along.
Chapter Breakdown: v. helpful when revising to have a bullet point list of what happens in each chapter. Helps see the story overall and editors like it too, it’s a map of the terrain.
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Making Stuff Up
Posted on November 27, 2006
For anyone who aspires to write, particularly fiction, I highly recommend swimming and walking as meditative place to hone dialogue or that little phrase or the delivery of a one-liner that’s giving you grief.
When I’m not locked away writing, my life brims over with noise and constant interaction and interruption from people/TV/radio etc. I think we’ve got to a stage where we expect there to be something informing/entertaining us every waking minute. I certainly do.
I grew up on a farm and we didn’t have television until I was 13, so - and I’m not saying it wasn’t mind-boggling boring - I’d read, or draw or just wander around on the farm, thinking my own thoughts, making up stories, entertaining myself for hours on end without expectation of anyone doing that for me.
I find if I start doing laps of the sea pool or go for a long walk on the beach my mind buzzes around for a while concerning itself with general crap and then finally hones in on the bit of writing I’m doing. Before long, the characters start talking to each other and the conversation can head off in the most unexpected directions. I love it when ‘they’ do the work!
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Me Ol’ Darlin’
Posted on November 24, 2006
We watched a show on TV last night about Jamie Oliver’s trip to Oz. We’re so fond of that boy! Never having met him, you feel as though you know, just because he’s so natural and refreshingly honest. And bloody hard-working too.
Having been a homeless teenager myself at one time, I admire the work he has done with disadvantaged teenagers establishing the Fifteen Foundation and restaurants, more than I can say. It means so much to these kids to have anyone care about their future.
I’m absolutely bewildered as to why the press have given him a hard time over this project. The heart-ache of it, for him and all those involved, is screamingly obvious in the doco on the subject. And yet they persevere and are endlessly compassionate with kids, many of whom let them (and themselves) down by falling at the hurdles.
Jamie’s like the one-man boy next door show. Like a neighbour who cooks for fun. He parties all night and sits around his hotel room with his friends (his best friend’s a plumber) drinking pink champagne and singing together.
I particularly like the way he swears so much - as if he refuses to be glossed up and made-over, Hollywood style. I don’t think it’s an affectation or done for effect, I think he’s just venting his frustrations with a healthy bout of cussing - as you do.
You’re doing a fine job and we love you more than chocolate cake with sprinkles on top, Jamie.
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