October 21st, 2009

Hi all.

Please excuse the current state of the blog. I was changed to a new web address at the beginning of the year and have not had a chance to update it yet due to commitments on my current manuscript, The Devil’s Bodyguard. It’s and action/thriller about the earthly bodyguard of Satan, and that’s all I’m willing to say about it for now.  I hope to have it completed in early 2010 and will be more diligent in my postings here once it’s complete.

In the meantime I thought I would post something I recently talked about with my writers group about creating memorable characters. Hope you enjoy.

So I was reading the article at the link below yesterday and one of the points mentioned got me thinking.

It says “Write roles that will attract movie stars”.

Ok, sure this article is about screenwriting but as far as I’m concerned it’s no different for novels or plays.

Great actors are attracted to great characters because they offer them something to sink their teeth into. Readers are no different. They deserve character’s who make the reader question what they think is right and wrong, a character that makes the writer do the same.

But I digress.

The point I wanted to make was that when writing characters I think it’s healthy to think about what kind of actor would be attracted to the role if it were turned into a movie.

Would your hero make the likes of Denzel Washington or Charlize Theron want to play them? Or are you more likely to attract some lesser known who is only interested in a paying acting role and not the character.

At the moment I think of my lead as being played by someone like Eric Bana. It helps me to make my character the best/most interesting he can be. I want someone like Eric to want to play my character, to fight for a film to be made from my book because he believes the character’s deserve it.

As far as I’m concerned it’s character’s that make stories something special. Sure a good plot helps, but plot alone stops a good story from becoming a great one.

The Da Vinci Code had an interesting story but, with the exception of the albino monk, I found the character’s a bit uninteresting and as a result I wouldn’t go back to read it.

I should mention that I don’t think it’s wise to write a character for a specific actor though. You don’t want to limit yourself in the acts they can perform. Instead you want think of several actors who would find your character a challenge to play.

Make your characters elusive. Not all heroes have to have a witty comeback or be able to laugh death in the face. In fact those that don’t will usually have the more interesting story to tell.

I’d love to know who you would like to play your lead characters.

For me it’s; Gabe – Eric Bana; Satan – Hugh Jackman

http://www.movieoutline.com/articles/storytelling.html

Posted in Thoughts on Writing | 218 Comments »

Arctic Drift: by Clive Cussler

March 16th, 2009

I have been a fan of Clive Cussler for a long time. The first book I read of his was Inca Gold about fifteen years ago. I was captured by the scale of events and the pacing, which never seemed to let up. However since then I have found that my enthusiasm has begun to wane. Each new offering seemed little different from the last, and then I read two of his novels back to back and I was done. These novels, Valhalla Rising, and Serpent seemed to me to be the same story but with different characters, and I was unable to finish the latter, and have not read another of his novels since.(It should be noted that Serpent was written with a co-author who I feel may have done the majority of the writing.)

So I must admit that I was not massively enthused when I opened a Christmas present last year to find Arctic Drift, and it did sit on my self for several months while I read other novels. My loss. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and finished it in several sittings.

The novel starts off by introducing us to Dirk Pitt jnr and his sister Summer as they study plankton along the south Alaskan coastline in British Columbia. They come across a boat whose crew has died mysteriously and curious as to how this has happened they begin an investigation.

Now it should be noted that this novel has been co-written by Dirk Cussler, the son of Clive, and it would appear to me that this early section, and all sections revolving around Dirk junior are written by him. The early chapters did not grab me as later parts of the novel did and I can only assume that it might be Dirk Cussler’s writing style. Whilst similar to his fathers it did not grab me, so it was with great relief when Dirk Pitt senior turned up, along with the more familiar writing style that so absorbed me when I was younger. 

The characters have moved on a little in their lives since I last encountered them, no doubt from me missing a few adventures along the way. Dirk Pitt Senior is now head of Numa, the National Marine and Underwater Agency, although that does not prevent him from crossing paths with a deadly assassin, a crazed billionaire, and a deadly Arctic Winter, as he searches for the missing ingredient that could possibly bring to an end Global Warming.

Series favourites such as Al Giordino, Admiral Sandecker, and Rudi Gunn return, also in new role within Numa and the U.S. government, and as usual there are gun fights, explosions, and fist fights, all taking place in the most unusual of places. Just another day in the life of an ex navy man turned public servant.

So yes, Arctic Drift, like many other Clive Cussler novels involves boats and oceans, but you know what, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Once the story got going I was unable to put the novel down, foregoing the chance at an afternoon nap, a rare thing for me, in order to see what happened next.

If you have read any of Clive Cussler’s previous novels and enjoyed them, then I can safely say that this one is sure to please.

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Posted in Book Reviews | 308 Comments »