tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287843792011-12-15T02:42:14.567ZA blog by a young British writer about stories, myths, legends and writing fiction.Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.comBlogger601100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-79491564322825572742008-01-30T11:44:00.000Z2008-01-30T11:48:15.295Z

I recently sent my mansucript off to the Writer's Workshop (www.writersworkshop.co.uk) for a critique by one of their editors, most of whom are published authors in their own right. I've now received my report and will start another review, taking their recommendations into account. If you're having trouble finding an agent for your novel, then I'd really recommend you try them out. It's a paid

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-85760321043060346122008-01-25T11:23:00.000Z2008-01-25T11:41:27.857Z

Should you have titles for the chapters in your book? Some writers do it and some don't, and arguably, some stories are better suited to them than others, as I'm finding out while plotting my current novel. The trick is thinking of a name that both identifies the key event of the chapter without giving too much away! Also, you have to beware of clichés—I personally have a bad habit of thinking up

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-923332659214332562008-01-24T12:35:00.001Z2008-01-24T12:35:56.893Z

The His Dark Materials trilogy has inspired me to write several blog posts and has also touched the story I’m currently writing by reviving a plotline that had been gradually dumbed down. You guessed it—it’s to do with young love. As far as my main story that I’m trying to publish, I may have to revise some key points to make sure they contrast slightly with the ending of the Amber Spyglass. In

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-76236967942513172572008-01-23T10:53:00.000Z2008-01-23T10:58:54.949Z

Why is it that The Amber Spyglass had to have such a bittersweet ending? Why couldn’t Pullman have written the story so that Will and Lyra could have stayed together at the end? Was it really all that hard? Would the story have been any less popular? Of course not. Thinking about it though, I probably would have written the ending in broadly the same way. Happy endings aren’t memorable or

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-74954202514218127022008-01-22T14:02:00.000Z2008-01-22T14:03:10.776Z

At the end of the Amber Spyglass, we learn that since daemons (people's souls) cannot survive for long in a world other than their own, Lyra and Will must return to their separate worlds and never be together again. Also, they cannot even periodically visit each other since to do so would involve leaving an opening between the worlds, which causes Dust to be sucked out of the worlds and into the

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-85180629387931838892008-01-22T12:25:00.000Z2008-01-22T12:27:05.536Z

I forgot to mention that I saw the movie based on the Northern Lights book, called The Golden Compass. I enjoyed it, mainly because of the great visuals and acting, but sadly the plot was a little hashed in places, probably because the scriptwriters had to work to condense the plot into the space of 100 minutes. The depth of the story, including the background of the characters, was lost a little

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-82366802840055447142008-01-22T12:22:00.000Z2008-01-22T12:24:11.595Z

I hope you'll forgive me for gushing on about His Dark Materials a bit more--the emotional tide that swept over me when I finished reading the book is beginning to draw back, but I know the story and the characters will stick in my mind for a very long time to come. That's the power of emotion. At the end of the day, I think that storytelling in all its forms (novel, film, theatre etc) is really

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-30581692319456495152008-01-21T17:29:00.000Z2008-01-21T17:47:19.288Z

Skip this post if you haven't yet read Phillip Pullman's amazing trilogy and don't want a spoiler!Last night I finished reading The Amber Spyglass and I was almost moved to tears. It would have been a memorable story anyway, but the last few chapters seemed to be tearing my heart out. Now, I'm a grown man and usually have little time for touchy feely emotion, and this was the first time that any

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-63027012413304322402007-03-02T14:23:00.000Z2007-03-02T14:50:25.091Z

I first came across the name Lilith while reading an Italian short story about two Jewish prisoners in a concentration camp during the Second World War. One of them had noticed a shadowy woman huddled near an old pipe and asked his companion who she was, upon which the latter replied that the woman was Lilith, the first wife of Adam. He goes on to relate the traditional Jewish legend of Lilith,

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1162243593349730162006-10-30T21:26:00.000Z2006-10-30T21:26:34.113Z

Hello all! It's been nearly a month since I last posted, mainly due to increased activities at work and other writing projects. I've been taking a bit of a break from my main novel, just to clear and refocus my mind. From tomorrow, I'm starting a final review of my prose, and I aim to have a final draft by mid-December.Anyway, the topic of my post today is the importance of leaving aspects of the

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1161536435507548112006-10-22T18:00:00.000+01:002006-10-22T18:00:35.726+01:00

I know I haven't posted for the last month, but do bear with me, as I will be again very soon. Today, I have a special request, although quite unrelated to the usual topic of this blog. My girlfriend is on a study placement at Roo Gully, a kangaroo sanctuary in Western Australia, where she's working along with some other volunteers. Since they are a charity, they rely mainly on donations to keep

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1159391163700550042006-09-27T22:06:00.000+01:002006-09-27T22:06:03.933+01:00

I've been blogging a lot about scenes, conflict, dialogue, description and all sorts of other concepts involved in writing fiction. You should think of these as general guidelines and ways to structure your thinking, especially when starting out. But don't take it as hard science. This is fiction, not physics. It's not a hard science. Think about an artist. They must learn to use all kinds of

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1159215893112287012006-09-25T21:24:00.000+01:002006-09-25T21:24:53.420+01:00

In my last post, I mentioned that scenes are composed of action, dialogue, description and introspection. However, I didn't say anything about what the former actually was (I'd done an earlier post on scenes). Basically, introspection is the character's thoughts about what's happening in the scene; in other words, the character is 'internalizing' the action, ascribing it some meaning and forming

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1158960176914809542006-09-22T22:18:00.000+01:002006-09-22T22:22:57.013+01:00

Recall that there are three aspects in each novel: character, plot and setting. Let’s take a look at the latter.Most ideas for new novels begin with one of the above. Either you have an idea for a character but no full story yet, or a story but not the characters, or perhaps you have the setting. A hotel, a workplace, a distant land, a country estate, a forest. I personally have been motivated

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1158788319109207002006-09-20T22:38:00.000+01:002006-09-20T22:38:39.273+01:00

If a novel can be thought of as being a perfect fusion of story and prose, then there has to be some structural form that actually brings the two together.  This structural form is the scene, though it is not the only one.  In fact, there are four major elements that form a work of fiction: scene, half-scene, narrative and exposition. Let's have a look at each one:Scene: A scene usually consists

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1158615519938013352006-09-18T22:38:00.000+01:002006-09-18T22:38:40.166+01:00

I read an interesting article in the Times this morning, about an author who has just had his first novel published after 50 rejections. William Prye spent over three years researching and writing "The Alexander Cipher," a novel about a search for the tomb and hidden treasures of Alexander the Great. After each rejection, William would revise his manuscript and send it out again. He even admitted

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1158354219217718172006-09-15T21:59:00.000+01:002006-09-15T22:03:39.230+01:00

When an ordinary reader is asked to judge a book, they will most likely comment about how much they enjoyed or disliked the novel. They might talk about the characters they liked/hated or the parts of the plot that were the most exciting, evocative, or parts they personally related to. All in all, they will give a very subjective review of the novel. Ask ten different readers what they think of

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1158178445955163592006-09-13T21:12:00.000+01:002006-09-13T21:14:05.963+01:00

When reviewing your manuscript, take the time to read the text aloud to get a feel for the rhythm and fluency of the writing. Prose has a sound of its own, just like poetry or even music. Do the sentences flow smoothly into each other, or are they choppy and awkward? One of the worst culprits is alliteration in the wrong place. For example:The man held up the can.Try reading that aloud, noticing

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1158007450320818072006-09-11T21:14:00.000+01:002006-09-11T21:50:51.300+01:00

At present, I am in the finishing stages of revising my novel. I have been trying to improve both the story and the prose in an effort to take it to the next level before renewing my search for an agent. One of the things that I have learnt during this time is just how important it is not to skimp on the details. By details I mean such things as character mannerisms, speech patterns, subtlety in

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1157746773371354192006-09-08T21:17:00.000+01:002006-09-08T21:19:33.380+01:00

Melodrama is where characters do or say things that have been added mainly for dramatic effect, and are neither reflective of the personalities of the characters involved nor of the risk level of the situation. It is also possible to describe melodrama as a series of overreactions or exaggerations that do not fit the circumstances, i.e. there is no real drama. A classic example is someone walking

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1157578142888564302006-09-06T22:25:00.000+01:002006-09-06T22:29:02.906+01:00

A dialogue packet is a way of avoiding all those repetitive “he said” and “she said”s that can quickly litter a page. Instead, you structure your paragraph in the following format:Stimulus - something happens to the character, evident from the textInternalization – the character ‘internalizes’ the event, perhaps by thinking about it or relating it to a previous eventResponse – the character says

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1157401799531141262006-09-04T21:28:00.000+01:002006-09-04T21:29:59.546+01:00

Why has Harry Potter been so spectacularly successful? What is it that has propelled these novels to such great heights in publication, and not to mention brought immense riches to its author? Lately, I have been blogging a great deal about the importance of character in fiction, and we can again bring this point to bear. Virtually all of the characters in Harry Potter, including Harry himself,

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1156963309497142752006-08-30T19:41:00.000+01:002006-08-30T19:41:49.510+01:00

Work and workplaces make for some of the best story material. The reason is quite simple: workplaces have an ample supply of the essential ingredients for a good story: conflict and character. Most workplaces are full of book-worthy characters: the lazy worker, the boss, the scrounger, the guy who wants a rise and will do anything to get it, the new employee eager to make an impression, the spy,

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1156447755117818362006-08-24T20:28:00.000+01:002006-08-24T20:29:15.130+01:00

I have been blogging lately about the importance of character in novels. This is part of a wider context: a magical threesome that I like to call the silver balance. There are three scales in this balance of fiction: character, plot, and setting. No one of these is more important than the others—they need to be kept in balance to produce a good work of fiction. Believable characters, solid plot

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1156272502169818932006-08-22T19:47:00.000+01:002006-08-22T19:48:22.180+01:00

Over the last month or two, I’ve been reading a book called “The Conjuror’s Bird” by Martin Davies. The reason it’s taken me so long to read it is I’ve been (a) busy with work, and (b) reading more exciting Dan Brown books. Anyway, the book is a parallel narrative set in both the present and the eighteenth century. It’s about a mysterious stuffed bird, apparently the last in its species, which

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1156189026962698662006-08-21T20:36:00.000+01:002006-08-21T20:37:06.976+01:00

How many drafts should you do for a novel? In my opinion, as with many things, three is the magic number. However, each draft has a specific purpose and is not just about vague ‘revision’ or ‘improvement.’Let’s start with the first draft. This is when you are sitting down to write your story for the first time. Here, things like grammar, punctuation, vocabulary and even style ought to be the last

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1155755762853569192006-08-16T20:10:00.000+01:002006-08-16T20:16:02.966+01:00

We are all so busy these days that we just can’t find enough time to do our writing, unless, of course, we have the luxury of being a full-time professional writer. For most of us, we have to try to find the time to do our writing.The first thing to remember is that writing should be thought of as pleasure and enjoyment, not hard work. If it is your dream to get published and make a lot of money,

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1155568904771935322006-08-14T15:57:00.000+01:002006-08-14T16:21:44.896+01:00

What is it about some novels and films that make them so memorable? Right now, in the UK, there's a TV talent show to select a lead actress for a theatre production of The Sound Of Music. So many people around the world adore that film. Why? Now, having never watched it, I can't make the best judgement, but my guess is that the main character, Maria, is someone the audience warms to. Her

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1155227912663656292006-08-10T14:35:00.000+01:002006-08-10T17:38:32.816+01:00

Most published fiction nowadays falls into a recognized genre. Genre allows publishers to use their experience of marketing books of a similar kind, and enables them to target the audience that they know will buy the book. Booksellers know whereabouts in their shop to place the book and how many copies of it to order, based on how popular the genre is. Put simply, genre is a useful tool for

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1155136365379178432006-08-09T12:13:00.000+01:002006-08-09T16:12:45.570+01:00

Sometimes we can be too eager to finish a chapter or even an entire novel. If left unchecked, that overeagerness can often turn into impatience, sheer laziness and eventually result in a half-baked story that not even the author will want to read.Why? The reason is quite simply that when you are impatient you tend to rush things. As most of us adults know (I hope), things don't usually turn out

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1154961922967726322006-08-07T15:18:00.000+01:002006-08-07T15:45:23.070+01:00

To write well, you need to have good knowledge of the vocabulary for the genre and the target age group. Sometimes, it is easy to write prose that is riddled with duplication and using the same words over and over again. How many times can you write "suddenly", "hurried" or "run"? On the other hand, you don't want to get carried away by using lots of fancy words that detract the reader from

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1152639296857794532006-07-11T18:30:00.000+01:002006-07-11T18:34:56.946+01:00

Hooray! Today I've officially graduated with a first class degree in physics. What? Not English? Yes, that's right—I'm officially a science and maths person, but I also have an active interest in literature. I always like to have a balance of many things in my life, and things really couldn't' be better!Stay tuned for more posts. Promise!

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1151503614757541062006-06-28T15:03:00.000+01:002006-06-28T15:06:54.796+01:00

My goodness, it's been a few days since I posted. It's going to get worse when I start working full-time, but I'll try to blog more regularly…When writing fiction, it is important to be as concise as possible and to make every word count. Adjectives and adverbs can be useful at times, but when can wreak havoc with prose when misused.Let's recap some grammar. An adjective is a word used to

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1150995089226328482006-06-22T17:47:00.000+01:002006-06-22T17:51:29.313+01:00

I was just watching the Italy game in the World Cup and it was such a relief to see them go through. Yes, for various reasons I support Italy to win, although I also cheer on England whenever they’re playing. I won’t confuse the matter further by saying that I’m actually a Scotland fan…Anyway, I’ve been reading a book by Conn Igulden called “Emperor: The Gates of Rome.” It’s set in the time of

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1150741823369669632006-06-19T19:26:00.000+01:002006-06-19T19:30:23.466+01:00

I’ve recently started looking at how my novel starts over the first few pages, to see if I can do any improvements. Something I’ve realised is that in the past I’ve often paid too much attention to writing good prose and not enough to the actually story. A lot of authors fret over their ‘first paragraph’ and the ‘first line,’ thinking that a catchy sentence will help them to sell the book.However

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1150454374985605162006-06-16T11:36:00.000+01:002006-06-16T11:39:35.136+01:00

Writing good English is still an important part of creating a good novel. Of course, this statement should be almost as obvious as the fact that cheddar is yellow and that finding an agent is like looking for an invisible needle in a very large haystack. There are three aspects to writing good English: spelling, grammar and style. Spelling is making sure that your words are spelt correctly, i.e.

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1150398632958047302006-06-15T20:06:00.000+01:002006-06-15T20:10:32.966+01:00

The only time I ever read a copy of Reader’s Digest is when I have my six-monthly checkups with the dentist. Apparently, they’re now changing the rules of the NHS here in England so that you don’t have to go back every six months unless you really need to. Furthermore, the dentist will now only clean those parts of your teeth that actually need cleaning for health reasons, leaving the other parts

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1150397728613374492006-06-15T19:51:00.000+01:002006-06-15T19:55:28.683+01:00

OK, I realise that not everybody is a Robbie Williams fan, and he hasn’t managed to make it really big outside the UK. Still, I’m not going to discuss the ins and outs of pop music. The title of my post is an extract from the lyrics of a Robbie Williams song: “Come on let me entertain you.”The reason those lyrics appeal to me as a writer is because they embody all that a reader expects of a novel

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1150281454399201842006-06-14T11:34:00.000+01:002006-06-14T11:37:34.433+01:00

One other great way to come up with story ideas is to go out for a long, peaceful walk. Now this could even be in the middle of a busy town or city. The point is that you’re not actually going anywhere—you’re not in a rush. Just stroll along and observe what’s going on around you. Notice the shops and what they sell; notice the people having conversations. Go to a shopping centre (mall for those

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1150206214842390152006-06-13T14:39:00.000+01:002006-06-13T14:43:34.863+01:00

Thinking back on how I got the ideas for my last two novels, I notice that on both occasions it sudden inspiration more than anything else. Of course, I’d been actively searching for an idea, so it wasn’t as if the ideas just dropped out of thin air. I might also add that I don’t believe JK Rowling when she says she got the idea for Harry Potter out of thin air—she must have been thinking about

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1150110479393191722006-06-12T12:04:00.000+01:002006-06-12T12:07:59.396+01:00

Check out this great article from the BBC on superheroes and how they have changed over the decades to reflect modern society.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/5041046.stm

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1150110228300018982006-06-12T12:00:00.000+01:002006-06-12T12:03:48.673+01:00

Chapters are more than just a relic of the times when novels were serialized in leading magazines and newspapers. They can be used as a creative tool to enhance storytelling. Some authors (like me!) actually use the chapter as the basis for their plots. This means that the author has a rough plan as to what will happen in each chapter and can arrange the events in such a way as to maximize the

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1149966255685739762006-06-10T20:00:00.000+01:002006-06-10T20:04:15.796+01:00

As any author knows, a query letter is for introducing your novel to an editor or agent. It is their first impression of both you and your novel, so getting it right is crucial. Of course, first and foremost in any author’s mind should be writing the novel as best as they possibly can, since at the end of the day it is the novel that you want to publish, not your letter. However, many new authors

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1149859263779875452006-06-09T14:17:00.000+01:002006-06-09T14:21:03.870+01:00

So, you’ve finished the manuscript, typed up your wonderful query letter and put everything into a nice envelope and sent it off to Publisher X or Agent Y. A few weeks later, the SAE you so carefully enclosed drops back through your door containing your manuscript and a form rejection letter.So you send off another submission and it comes back in exactly the same way. As does your next one, and

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1149765455108029052006-06-08T12:14:00.000+01:002006-06-08T12:17:35.116+01:00

http://www.wyrdhaven.com Take a look at this absolutely stunning website by the artist Beth Hansen, where you can preview and purchase paintings of fairies and other mythical creatures. I’ve known about this site for a long time and referred to it several times while trying to find inspiration for my novel, which revolves around fairies and Fairyland. To my shame, I’ve never bought anything so

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1149691173138559952006-06-07T15:36:00.000+01:002006-06-07T15:39:33.193+01:00

A few days ago I discussed the image of St. George and the dragon and its symbolic meaning. One point I skimmed over was the fact that St. George is a man. There are two different interpretations here, both of which amount to the same meaning.The first interpretation is that the dragon represents not only the untamed force of Nature, but also the feminine, or rather the fear of the feminine. In

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1149583542621056732006-06-06T09:42:00.000+01:002006-06-06T09:45:43.286+01:00

The Sleeping Beauty was one of the folk stories gathered together by the Brothers Grimm when they were preparing their famous collection of fairy tales. Many of these tales have deep symbolic meaning that goes far beyond their common perception as simple bedtime stories for young children.Let’s recap the tale. When the young Princess Aurora is born, she is cursed by the witched fairy/witch who

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1149519581452481952006-06-05T15:56:00.000+01:002006-06-05T15:59:41.523+01:00

The image of St. George slaying the dragon is an almost symbolic representation of Western civilization. It has powerful connotations that go beyond the legend that created it.Let’s start with St. George. He is portrayed as a product of the highest civilization. His shining armor is a product of technology and his triumph due to his bravery, chivalry and faith. Hence, we are talking about

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1149164042879840812006-06-01T13:10:00.000+01:002006-06-01T13:14:03.743+01:00

Talk to many experienced authors and they will tell you that finding an agent or publisher has gotten increasingly harder over the years. JK Rowling found an agent on only her second submission—call it luck, but even that kind of luck is itself becoming rarer. This is the era of big mergers in every part of the industry, all the way from publishers to the booksellers. Recently it was announced

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1149157148317607372006-06-01T11:15:00.000+01:002006-06-01T11:19:08.373+01:00

Thinking back to my earlier post on the Hero’s Journey, you might recall the stage of “Crossing the First Threshold.” This is the stage in the story where the hero takes the first step into the unknown. Continuing with my Matrix theme, this would be the point where Neo takes the red pill instead of the blue one. The threshold guardians in this case would be the agents preventing him from finding

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1149020313697785232006-05-30T21:15:00.000+01:002006-05-30T21:18:33.703+01:00

The Mentor is a character in particular, but a type of character. Mentor characters appear in almost of the great stories, and some not so great ones as well. Think Merlin from the legends of King Arthur, think Dumbeldore out of Harry Potter, think Gandalf the Grey out of the Lord of the Rings, think Morpheus out from the Matrix. What all these characters have in common is that they act the role

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1149019522697245922006-05-30T21:02:00.000+01:002006-05-30T21:05:22.736+01:00

Be warned – this post shouldn’t be here…Yes, today was my last official day at university. I finished my presentation on my teaching placement (yes, I’d been teaching physics to sixth formers at the local college) and said goodbye to everyone. It was quite emotional really, leaving the campus for the last time as a student and then making that final train journey back home. It’s been quite a

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1148924969308933092006-05-29T18:46:00.000+01:002006-05-29T18:49:29.350+01:00

Over a year ago, when I finished the final draft of my book “Lilah’s Dagger,” I submitted a few chapters to Usborne Publishing. Now, Usborne have been traditionally noted for their non-fiction books—you know, the large illustrated books for children. Back in 2004, they began moving into the fiction market and they’ve got a few titles up their sleeve. Since they were looking for new authors, I

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1148850603008723902006-05-28T22:07:00.000+01:002006-05-28T22:10:04.536+01:00

There are two things that can kill a piece of fiction: (1) too much telling instead of showing and (2) Not moving the story forward.Let's go through them one by one.(1) Show, don't tell is so critical that it really can't be overstated. Stories are about stuff that "happens", so your novels have got to show stuff that "happens". The problem for new writers is that they often worry that the reader

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1148828559253891492006-05-28T16:00:00.000+01:002006-05-28T16:02:39.270+01:00

Stories are all about conflict and risk. And the best conflict and risk happens with the unexpected. This is the best way to generate an endless stream of story ideas: just take any everyday situation, think about what you would normally expect to happen (boring), and then think about something dramatically different and unexpected (exciting). Stories are born in that magical gap between the

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1148726435189069782006-05-27T10:25:00.000+01:002006-05-27T11:40:35.200+01:00

On Thursday, my girlfriend and I went to see the movie of the Da Vinci code. It wasn't exactly by choice: we'd heard about the bad headlines and were instead thinking of seeing something like MI3. However, by the time we arrived, The Da Vinci code was about to start and it was a choice between going in to see a movie or hanging around for another three quarters of an hour. (I won't bother

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1148664143486204632006-05-26T18:21:00.000+01:002006-05-26T18:22:23.486+01:00

There are lots of techniques to help with building good stories, and one of them works by looking at the general theme of the story. This technique is best used after most of the characters and plot have been developed, but some finishing touches are required. The reason is that the theme only becomes obvious after the plot is ready. It generally is not advisable to start with a theme - readers

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1148664049282076912006-05-26T18:19:00.000+01:002006-05-26T18:20:49.290+01:00

OK, I want to grumble a bit about word processors. I've always preferred writing using solid pen and paper, then typing it up onto the computer once the first draft is ready. However, typing is both mechanical and time consuming, two things that can really spoil creativity and suck your passion. But I've never felt 'at home' writing a story from scratch on a word processor and I've been trying to

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1148653653462291332006-05-26T15:11:00.000+01:002006-05-26T15:27:33.476+01:00

In 1949, Joseph Campbell published a seminal work called The Hero With a Thousand Faces. In it, he described how many of the world's mythical stories seem to follow the same basic pattern, or are composed of the same elements. He summarised this pattern as the Hero's Journey.The Hero's Journey is a sort of blueprint for stories: it says what the different stages of a story are and how they unfold

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28784379.post-1148652338274464822006-05-26T14:55:00.000+01:002006-05-26T15:05:38.283+01:00

My name is Daniel Lacey, and I'm a young writer from the UK trying to find a place for himself in the murky waters of children's fiction. I've started this blog with three goals in mind:To share my thoughts, ideas and tips on writing techniques and story development.To discuss topics relating to myths and legends, and how these tie in with story ideas.To be able to share my own writing online and

Daniel Laceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834088530734378879noreply@blogger.com0