Thoughts on creative writing – Ruth Livingstone

Stamping on the Monsters

Looking for monsters? My worst enemy is myself. But I rummaged around in my memory and pulled out my old art teacher

Early Morning Writing

A Birkbeck writing tutor recommended Dorothea Brande’s excellent book, Becoming a Writer. I found Dorothea’s exercise of early morning writing incredibly useful. It really freed up my writing ‘muscles’ and allowed me to work more productively.

More recently, the writing guru, Julia Cameron, advocated a similar practice, which she calls morning pages. When I found a copy of Julia’s book The Artist’s Way in my local Oxfam shop, I couldn’t resist buying it. Continue reading “Stamping on the Monsters”

Why you should put the ‘you’ into your writing: 2nd person POV

I am a BIG fan of the 2nd person point of view.

As a reader, it plunges you into the writing and forces you to pay attention.

As a writer, when we allow our reader to stand in the shoes of our character and to experience the world through their eyes, ears and skin, we deliver a powerful emotional experience.

Continue reading “Why you should put the ‘you’ into your writing: 2nd person POV”

5 Year Writing Project, March update

At first I was dismayed. I had not set out to write a children’s book. But then I thought about it some more and I decided this was a possible way forward, and one that allowed me to keep true to my original vision and concept of the novel.

Five Year Writing Goal

I’m taking part in Misha and Beth’s Five Year Project and my five-year goal is to write a novel and get it published.

In this monthly recap I will outline how I’m struggling with point of view and with tone. And then I will tell you of my plan for a way forward.
Continue reading “5 Year Writing Project, March update”

Historical Fiction – pitfalls

Do you know the feeling when you suddenly realise you have made a horrible mistake? And does this sometimes hit you in the middle of the night? Well, that happened to me during the early hours of this morning.

I am working through the second draft of my novel, The Reluctant Scribe, set in 7th century China and the Tang Dynasty. There is a scene where I write “eight of us stood in our line on the marble step”, and another line goes “I followed the Dean who led me across the marble“, and another -“I shuffled from foot to foot, sliding my toes across the marble tiles”. I am sure there are other mentions of marble if I continue looking…

But here is the problem:

The Tang used mud brick and wood in their buildings.
They did not use stone or marble.
Arrrrhhhh.

And here is the solution:

I am going to have to run a word search for every reference to ‘marble’ in my novel, and find a more appropriate replacement.
Thank goodness for technology.

That is, I am sure, only one mistake among many.