Because the programme on Ian Fleming intrigued me ( and I am in the final stages of edits for this Victorian), I went in search of his 1964 article on thriller writing. What I also found was an account of when he visited the great French writer --Simenon who wrote the Maigret books. And I do agree with Fleming that Maigret reads much better in the original. I went through a Maigret phase in my senior year of high school...
Although I doubt I could ever incorporate their methods into my way of writing, it makes for interesting reading. Both men enjoyed writing short books and I thought it was interesting that Ian Fleming was the person who invented/popularised the modern technique of anchoring -- namely giving product placement or real details so that the fantastical seems to be real and the reader is able suspend disbelief more readily.
Blake Snyder has an excellent post about five questions to help you determine your spine. The spine in a romance btw -- is the growth of the emotional relationship between the two protagonists. It is not the individual growth. If you focus on individual growth, you (or rather I) lose the focus which must be the relationship...
My goal for today is to finish putting the edits on. I did a 156 pages yesterday and have 156 pages to do today.
Showing posts with label Ian Fleming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ian Fleming. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
At the coalface
I am currently doing the final edits to the Victorian governess wip. It apears to be moving in the correct direction.
On Friday, I am going on holiday for a week -- Sorrento, so there is lots to be done before that.
Yesterday, there was a lovely TV programme on about Ian Fleming on the BBC. Joanna Lumley was so obviously a fan of the books and the lifestyle. (Personally I have loved the books ever since as an 11, I discovered them in a used book near our cabin in Sierra Nevadas and snuck them home. ) It was interesting to hear how he worked -- 2k every morning for 3 months a year in Jamaica. Also, that he was highly receptive to his editor's suggestions. And some of his notebooks were shown. Sometimes it would a snatch of dialogue. Sometimes just a word or two. Quantum of Solace appears as just a phrase. I believe you can watch the programme again iplayer if you are in the UK.
Sebastian Faulks discusses some of Fleming's style which is suited to action writing. Lots of active verbs, hardly any adverbs or adjectives, short sentences and very few semi-colons. It is the sort of prose one learns from being a journalist.
On Friday, I am going on holiday for a week -- Sorrento, so there is lots to be done before that.
Yesterday, there was a lovely TV programme on about Ian Fleming on the BBC. Joanna Lumley was so obviously a fan of the books and the lifestyle. (Personally I have loved the books ever since as an 11, I discovered them in a used book near our cabin in Sierra Nevadas and snuck them home. ) It was interesting to hear how he worked -- 2k every morning for 3 months a year in Jamaica. Also, that he was highly receptive to his editor's suggestions. And some of his notebooks were shown. Sometimes it would a snatch of dialogue. Sometimes just a word or two. Quantum of Solace appears as just a phrase. I believe you can watch the programme again iplayer if you are in the UK.
Sebastian Faulks discusses some of Fleming's style which is suited to action writing. Lots of active verbs, hardly any adverbs or adjectives, short sentences and very few semi-colons. It is the sort of prose one learns from being a journalist.
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