8 Juicy Themes to Discuss in Your Next Book

Themes are one of those beautiful parts of writing that often evolve with the story. Either your characters will reveal unexpected facets of themselves that open up a new dimension to your book, or you’ll suddenly notice a factor that connects every conflict in your story together. It’s a very satisfying moment indeed, but sometimes, it just doesn’t happen. And you look back over your WIP, and you don’t know what on earth the reader could take away from this. If you struggle with developing themes, you’re not alone. Writing a book is like spinning a dozen plates, and nobody has twelve arms, so one or two of your plates are bound to topple. But with a little extra planning, you can stabilise that troublesome wobbly thematic plate. So here are a few ideas for themes that will add a deeper layer of discussion, and personality to your novel.

1)Loneliness and isolation. The greatest value of themes, is that they can explore what it means to be human. And there isn’t a more human feeling than that of loneliness, nor a more relevant discussion for current times. We all have a fundamental fear of being alone, and I’m not just talking about when your mum leaves you at the supermarket checkout to go and get something she forgot. There are plenty of different ways one can feel isolated, and you can choose all or any one to explore:

. Physical loneliness – Thousands of people around the world are currently experiencing this very thing, in a magnitude rarely seen before. People who live alone, who will often go days without talking to another soul face to face. People who have been cut off from their friends and family, and do not know when they will see them again. Physical isolation, although in small doses is calming and pleasant, in the long term has all sort of effects on a person’s mental health. It can lead to depression, to anxiety or to the primal terror of feeling unprotected and unsafe.

. Emotional loneliness – This is the type of loneliness you feel when you’re at a party, and you feel like you just don’t belong there. Nobody’s talking to you, nobody’s listening to you, and it’s a world class horrendous feeling. This type of loneliness stems from a lack of feeling understood as a person, and results in the sensation of feeling abnormal and apart from the world.

. Romantic loneliness – Adult human beings are biologically driven to find a mate, in whatever that constitutes personally to you. It’s an instinctive drive, and you cannot fight it, and no matter what those ‘you don’t need another person to complete you’ posts tell you, it’s very normal to feel like there’s a gap in your life without a romantic attachment in it. While it will not be as damaging to your characters as physical or prolonged emotional loneliness, romantic loneliness is a frustrating, and valid emotion to explore, and often links in to the former two.

2)Power. It’s a classic, Shakespearean theme, and I doubt it will ever not be relevant. Whether you’re talking about a grapple for political power in the court of your fantasy epic, or depicting siblings jostling each other around in the familiar hierarchy, human beings are greedy things. Selfish characters are delicious characters, and power is a self centred, primal desire. As well as the struggles of obtaining and keeping power, it’s always an interesting avenue to explore the emotional effects being in a position of power can have on a person. How does it change them? What do they have to sacrifice? And what are you trying to say about the nature of power through your story? In Netflix’s ‘The Crown’, Princess Elizabeth is abruptly thrust into a position of extreme rank after the death of her father. As the series progresses, she has to repress her individuality and be willing to damage her familial relationships in order to preserve the idea of the monarchy. The comment I took away from this was that despite their glamorous, butler sprinkled lives, the royal family have to endure emotional sacrifices that make us very glad we the viewers, were not born into such ‘privilege’.

3)Memory/The Past. Although they say it’s best not dwell on it, people are undoubtedly shaped by their pasts. If you are one for lush backstory, this may be a great theme for you to explore. Have you got one character desperately clinging on to the memory of a deceased loved one, and another who would give anything to forget a traumatic event they suffered? Let your story discuss different attitudes towards the nature of the past, and whether there is any value in paying attention to it. Or perhaps you wish to present the different atmosphere, rules and practices of a past time, and compare them to those of today. Our memories can often gloss over or romanticise the past, of alternatively negatively dramatise it, be it personal history or the world’s history. And how does the past affect the future? The possibilities for thematic discussion really are endless with this one, and it opens up so many doorways for an imaginative plot and cast .

4)Love. This seems like the most generic, most cliched of themes, but it’s one that a novel with any depth, should at least approach in some capacity. Parental love, romantic love, the love between friends, self love, each of these forms of love could very well be their own theme. And not to forget its antithesis, hate. Write about that thin line between these two intense feelings, compare and contrast the way different characters display or react to love. What does the word mean to you? Is love a purely good, honourable feeling, or can it drive a person to horrific ends? Even if the subject isn’t your primary concern, it should be displayed in some capacity throughout your story. If all of your characters can’t stand one another’s presence, or are merely acquaintances for the entirety of the novel, the result will be a cold, heartless drudge, which your reader will forget about the second they close the book. Why should anyone love your book, if there’s nothing moving enough within it to love?

5)Betrayal. There is no worse enemy than one whom you once deemed a friend. It can range from infidelity, to the telling of a trusted secret, and it happens all too frequently in real life. The fantastic thing about a novel which discusses betrayal, especially when it’s done well, is that twists are everywhere. The reader never knows quite what to expect, or which characters to trust. And if you can get the reader to feel betrayed by a character which they loved, and trusted either as a narrator, or a good friend/ally/partner to another character, then that’s a new level of gut-punching. Unreliable narrators are very valuable allies with this theme. Or are they…..?

6)Sexuality. We live in an age where high school kids can analyse the portrayal of sexuality in Marlowe’s Edward II on their A-Level exams. Only around a hundred years ago, if a character was so much depicted explicitly as pregnant, people would recoil from the book hissing. And this is a brilliant societal reformation for literature, because sexuality is a fascinating theme. Now, when I say sexuality in a thematic sense, I’m not referring to gratuitous sex scenes every chapter, and a massive eighteen plus label slapped on the cover. I’m talking about approaching the philosophy of sex, be that attitudes towards it, sexual orientation or how issues surrounding sex are dealt with in society. It’s also a great way to put your readers right inside your character’s head; sexuality is such a personal thing, and it can provide a big insight into a character’s psychology.

7)Obsession. Obsession is a negative form of passion, and passion elevates the stakes of any story. And often it’s an uncomfortable topic to read about, because everyone is obsessed with something, or has been at some point. We’ve all fallen just a little too hard for someone, got a little too dedicated to our work, or gotten a little too into a favourite TV show. And you can pepper stuff like that in, but in order to write a book about obsession, you’re going to have blow it right up. Killing Eve is an excellent example of this; Eve Polastri is obsessed with female assassins, to an extent where her job with MI6 interferes greatly with her personal life. This only gets worse when she begins hunting Villanelle, and professional obsession blurs with romantic obsession. This is also a great example of how obsession can be used to reveal a hidden dark side to a character, or alternatively even a hidden lighter side. Bonus points if you an make the reader understand the obsession in question; in Killing’s Eve’s case, the writers made Villanelle charming, funny, original and equipped with a killer wardrobe. Who wouldn’t be obsessed?

8)Murder. It’s the most heinous offence most of us can imagine committing, and the most taboo and immoral act in modern day society. To end another person’s life is such a vile act, that most countries will no longer permit this treatment towards even murderers themselves. So what could compel a rational human being to do such a thing? How do those who commit murder so naturally justify their actions? And are there any situations where it is excusable? Add depth to your novel by exploring these questions, rather than getting bogged down by the mechanics of police proceedings. In my personal opinion, I don’t care whether Detective Johnson or Detective Smyth is going to scope out the crime scene, I care about why there is a crime scene in the first place. What circumstances could have possibly led to this? And I am not suggesting you excuse the actions of a murderer, but it’s always interesting to have them explained, and to understand the circumstances that resulted in such high stakes.

Now this is by no means anywhere near a complete list of all the great literary themes, because they are ultimately endless. If you have a topic, which you find interesting and have an opinion about, and there is a discussion to be had that is large enough to underpin a great story, then you have a theme. Don’t try and bog down your story with too many, or you won’t delve deep enough into them; three or four should be more than enough, and it’s even better if you can get them to bleed into one another. I know they can sound like something straight out of English Literature class, but discussing themes is one of my favourite parts of writing; they are perfect vehicles both for your opinions, and for you to stretch your writing muscles as hard as you can.

By, Rowan Speakman

(All images sourced from Unsplash.com).

Queen Mary I (1516 – 1558)

When one thinks of Tudor queens, the first image that springs to mind is that of Elizabeth I, and the story of her mother, Anne Boleyn. Their’s are stories of fire, beauty and victory, and so they are forever the emblem of the beginning of an age where queens ushered in great eras of prosperity. But in their shadow, is the untold story of England’s first Queen Regnant, the firstborn child of Henry VIII, Queen Mary I. Remembered only in popular history as ‘Bloody Mary’, a Catholic tyrant and the villainess in the epic tale of her younger sister’s reign, Mary’s many sufferings, achievements and virtues are often buried beneath this caricature image.

In 1509, Henry VIII ascended to the English throne, bringing his new Spanish wife, Catherine of Aragon, to power with him. Their marriage was not only one of initial affection, but it preserved the alliance with Spain, which the death of Henry’s brother, and Catherine’s former husband, had almost destroyed. Yet Catherine insisted that her marriage to Arthur was never consummated, and thus their union was unhindered and seemed prosperous and blessed. But their marriage was soon to be blighted by a series of miscarriages, stillbirths and infant deaths, the most devastating being the death of their son and heir, Henry, in 1511, a matter of weeks after his birth. But in 1516, Princess Mary was born, and the royal couple rejoiced, for despite her gender, she was a healthy child, and a promise of an heir to come.

The princess enjoyed an uncommon amount of attention from her parents, who lavished the precocious, merry child with an exceptional education. This was overseen by her mother, her governess and by renowned Spanish humanist Juan Luis Vives, who Catherine also commissioned to pen a book on the nature of female education. The queen was intent that her daughter should inherit the throne after Henry, and saw the virtue of wifely obedience and the skill of governance as two traits that could work harmoniously. Catherine of Aragon was the daughter of the famed Isabella of Castille, and descended from a line of fierce female rulers; it was natural that she should wish to carry this tradition to English soil, and as her pregnancies continued to end in tragedy, this outcome seemed an entirely possible one.

In 1525, Mary was named Princess of Wales, and moved to Ludlow Castle at the age of nine; however, historians question the finality of this, as her entitlement was never officially documented. Indeed, Henry was primarily concerned with securing a husband for Mary. She was a key political tool on the European royal marriage market, with her excellent bloodlines, her keen intelligence and her skills with music and language. The princess had been ensnared into many unsuccessful betrothals, including one to her cousin, King Charles V of Spain, when she was only six. I could write a book about everything wrong with that idea, but fortunately for Mary, the engagement was cancelled when the vast dowry Charles demanded would not be accommodated for.

In 1532/1533, determined to produce a male heir, Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn, ending his twenty-four year marriage to Catherine. Even as this event forever shifted the country, so it would alter Mary’s life irreparably. Catherine was dismissed, and Mary was never to see her mother again, communicating only through secret correspondence. The seventeen year old princess was declared illegitimate, stripped of her titles and banished form court to live with John Sheldon and his wife. Anne ordered that Mary was to be beaten if she declared herself a royal princess, or her mother the true queen. Yet Mary would not yield, nor would her mother, and both refused to declare that Catherine’s marriage to Henry had been unlawful. This humiliating and cruel treatment, from those who had robbed her of her beloved mother and of her birth right, forever altered Mary as a person. Henry and Anne may not have gone as far as to order her execution, but they undoubtedly murdered the spirit of the once joyful princess of England.

When Elizabeth was born in 1533, Mary was forced to become her lady-in-waiting, despite being seventeen years her new sister’s senior. The next year, Henry passed the Act of Supremacy, and fully separated from the Catholic Church; with this newfound extension of his authority, the king demanded an oath of fealty from those at court, under the 1534 Treason Act. Still Mary refused, as to take the oath would mean to renounce her mother. Nor would she concede to enter a convent, despite pressure to do so. Mary’s determination and faith in her place in the world, is indicative of a woman with reserves of self resolve and self respect. Despite the shift from Rome, Mary continued to worship as a Catholic, under the faith of her Spanish ancestors. Yet her refusal to take the oath led to the threat of her execution, but with the intervention of Thomas Cranmer, this sentence was reduced to house arrest.

Catherine of Aragon passed away in her Cambridgeshire castle in 1536, without ever having laid eyes on her only daughter again. Yet fate would have it, that in May that same year, Queen Anne would be beheaded, under charges of treason, adultery, incest and conspiracy against the king. It is interesting to contemplate whether Mary would have rubbed her hands with glee, or perhaps felt a shred of pity for Anne, who ultimately fell victim to her father’s tyranny. Regardless, Anne’s demise paved the short road for Jane Seymour to take her place as queen. Jane would prove an instrumental figure in aiding Mary back into her father’s favour; under her influence, Henry offered his eldest daughter a pardon (for the crime of simply existing, might I add), if she admit to the incestuous nature of her mother’s union. Mary, clearly worn out by her ordeals over the years, conceded, an action she would later come to deeply regret. Her father gave her a household of her own, and new betrothal plans (lucky Mary), and Jane remained ever respectful towards her new step daughter. The two women were often seen holding hands while walking together, in a public display of Mary’s renewed status; Jane did not extend such favour towards Elizabeth, presumably because of her association with her predecessor. Upon the birth of Prince Edward, she was made his godmother, and was a key part of her brother’s christening. Indeed, Mary was said to have been greatly relieved at the eventual arrival of a male heir, perhaps hoping for a settled and comfortable life as the sister of a future king.

Mary’s failed betrothals continued to pile up, even as her father’s wives did likewise. The princess lived in close quarters to Catherine Howard, when she became queen in 1540, despite there being no love lost between the two women, most likely due to her being eight years Mary’s junior. In 1541, she again moved to live with her brother, succumbing to serious illness and deep unhappiness over the next year or so. Ill health was something that the princess suffered with her entire life, and it had a wearing affect on her physical appearance and no doubt on her emotional state, especially when accompanied with the trauma she was no doubt recovering from. Yet upon her father’s marriage to Catherine Parr, Mary was granted yet another benevolent stepmother. Catherine made considerable efforts to bring all of her step children closer, yet she shared a particularly close bond with Mary. The two women had shared interests both in terms of academics, and in terms of fashion, which even managed to bridge their religious differences.

In 1547, King Henry finally died, his sickly son Edward taking his place on the throne. As he was still a child, the Lords of Somerset and Northumberland served as regents; under his brief reign, church services were switched from Latin to English, further deepening the major religious alterations his father had made to the country. Fearing Mary’s strong Catholic faith, the Privy Council appointed Lady Jane Grey, Edward’s cousin, as the heir to the throne, marrying her to the son of Lord Dudley. Upon her brother’s highly expected death in 1553, Mary fled to Norfolk with her supporters, while a reluctant Jane was placed on the throne. However, the Council had not anticipated the rush of support for Mary, and quickly switched their allegiances when they foresaw the outcome of the crisis. Princess Elizabeth rather wisely chose to support her sister’s claim, as the 1544 Act of Succession meant that any right she had to the crown, rested on Mary’s position.

Thus Mary marched into London, and took her father’s throne. Now a woman of thirty-seven, she was hearty, bold and sincere despite her struggling health, and lacked Henry’s inclination towards cruelty. Mary immediately reinstated her parents’ marriage as legitimate, and prompt executed both Dudley and Northumberland, before ordering the release of prominent Catholic prisoners. The new queen was unrelenting in her desire to put into place the ideas and beliefs which she had held for so long, yet had no such desire to have Lady Jane executed. However, a Protestant rebellion swiftly broke out under the command of Thomas Wyatt, which was soon to change the fate of the unfortunate young woman. Mary’s forces crushed Wyatt’s, the people of London rallying behind her magnificent speech and the command of the Catholic Thomas Howard. Yet Wyatt again advanced upon the capital, and, fearing that he would place Jane as a figurehead for his rebellion, Mary was forced to have her head, shortly before she took Wyatt’s.

Mary’s adamance to steer England back towards Rome may have shown her conviction as a leader, but her actions as a result of this goal were great political blunders, which revealed a supremely out of touch side to the new queen. Eager to cement her bond with Spain and to produce an heir, Mary wished to marry Philip II of Spain, the son of Charles V. Perhaps ‘wished’, is an interesting word for it, as Mary had no personal desire for marriage, or to have intercourse with a man, yet she was adamant in her selection of husband for the sake of securing her reign. This choice was highly unpopular among the nobles, who feared Spanish influence over England’s governance, and wished her to wed Edward Courtenay. Yet Mary’s response was merely, ‘my marriage is my own affair’, paying even less heed to the wishes of her advisors that many kings before her. The nobles were also reluctant to agree to her desire to overturn the new laws laid out by her father after the dissolution of the monasteries, as they had gained much land and profit from the changes they ushered in. Yet Mary managed to get Philip down the aisle, for better or for worse. Her new king found her unattractive and unappealing, despite her affections for him, and spent a lot of time in Europe, where it was assumed he had many mistresses. Mary suffered the effects of any false pregnancies and as her health continued to deteriorate, her symptoms were often mistaken for those of being with child; on one such occasion in 1555, Elizabeth was even called to court to witness the birth of her niece or nephew, yet no child appeared.

That same year, Mary revived the laws against heresy, leading to the infamous burning of three hundred Protestants including Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury. This particular execution highlights an undeniable detriment to Mary’s character; her religious radicalism was such that it eclipsed any leniency towards a man who in the past had defended her from the block. The burnings would take place mostly on market days, so as to ensure the greatest possible amount of spectators. It was the violent nature of these executions, rather than their numbers, which earned Mary her nickname, ‘Bloody Mary’; even by the standards of an era where extreme pain was a regular part of life, these killings were considered brutal. Mary’s poor reputation was only deepened by the unpopular and unsuccessful war with France, in which Calais, the last English holding in mainland Europe, was lost.

However, Mary’s private life remained very much at odds with the brutal, radical ruler she was becoming known as. Despite her piety, Mary adored gambling, if the records of her privy purse are anything to go by; although this is a seemingly small observation, it may prompt the suggestion that in a personal capacity, Mary was not as stoic and gruff as she was known to be publicly and monarchally. The queen remained further and further pained by her false pregnancies, her absent husband and her rapidly declining health. In 1558, a fatal bout of stomach cancer was mistaken for another pregnancy. Her dislike of her popular sister, around whom several attempts at revolt had been centred, made the queen reluctant to name her as her successor. Yet, as it became clear that she was on her deathbed, Mary conceded. She died at the age of forty-two, with the words, ‘When I am dead and opened, you shall find Philip and Calais lying in my heart.’

If those heartbreaking final words are not evidence of the human being behind the villainess painted by history, I do not know what is. Yes, Mary’s brutal executions fuelled by religious zeal, were undeniably terrible, but it is certainly not inconceivable that their use throughout history as a definition of the queen’s personality, could very much be attributed to her gender, and to her comparison with Elizabeth. People love a black and white story, with Mary as the old, Catholic witch, and Elizabeth as the beautiful young Protestant queen. Yet we simply cannot ignore the disdain and cruelty which Mary endured, her enormous strength of character and self belief and her accession to the throne against the greatest of odds. Hers was a life both of triumph and tragedy, and her final words carry home the point, that her greatest desires were perhaps that which she had been denied her whole life; a loving family and a place of remembrance and glory among the ranks of the great Tudor monarchs. Therefore we must remember Mary, and show more leniency towards that memory, for ultimately she was the country’s first Queen Regnant, the eldest child of Henry VIII, and an undeniably impactful woman.

By Rowan Speakman

(All images sourced from Wikimedia Commons).

Station Eleven – Emily St. John Mandel (2014)

(SPOILER WARNING FOR: STATION ELEVEN)

. Unless one has been living under a literary rock, you have probably heard of Emily St. John Mandel’s 2014 masterpiece Station Eleven. And I promise I am not merely jumping on the bandwagon when I say it is one of my favourite books of all time. Brought back into discussion by the current predicament of the world, Station Eleven is a story about the endurance of art and humanity through unbelievable devastation. Spanning decades between a time before the impact of the ‘Georgia Flu’, and the aftermath of its high death toll, the book follows with great intimacy the connected lives of the various artists affected by the pandemic. Every character and setting is afforded the utmost beauty and nuance, as Mandel takes the topic of an apocalypse, traditionally one very scientific and clinical, and turns it into a stunning portrayal of human emotion and a comment on the vitality of artistic creation.

. The novel opens with the death of one of its primary characters, self-absorbed actor Arthur Leander, who has a heart attack on stage during a performance of King Lear. Meanwhile, out beyond the snowy streets of Toronto, a deadly virus is sweeping across the world. Its onset is chronicled through the eyes of Jeevan, a journalist who witnesses Arthur’s death, before receiving an ominous warning from his friend at the hospital, and rushing to gather provisions and get to his brother’s apartment. It’s an eerie and impactful opening, with that terrifying aura of something that could happen with such swiftness. 

. The next character we are introduced to is Kirsten, as the narrative cuts forward decades to the aftermath of the collapse. Kirsten is part of a familial group of musicians and actors, dubbed the Travelling Symphony, who perform up and down a stretch of eastern Canada, travelling from town to town to entertain survivors of the pandemic. The Symphony embody all that makes Station Eleven an incredible novel; instead of focusing on a scientific cure, or the nature of the virus itself, Mandel’s concern is the survival of what makes us human. Not how we survive physically, but how we survive spiritually. The Symphony’s wagons are pulled by horses, their costumes are falling apart, and their members a ragtag bunch with a wonderful family dynamic. They are evidence of the remarkable nature of humanity; they spend their lives among all the pain and death, trying to bring some joy outside of the simple concept of survival to those they meet. The phrase ‘because survival is insufficient’ is painted across one of the wagons, and the essence of what they represent is as simple as that.

. Kirsten is an actress, recovering from the guilt of being unfaithful to her partner, Sayid, and working as an integral part of the familial infrastructure of the Symphony. A particular joy within this, is Kirsten’s friendship with musician August; I was half desperate for them to get together, but the purity of their friendship and their oath to be no more nor less than the best of friends, was much more valuable to the story that any attempt at a romance could have possibly been. Kirsten carries with her the novel’s namesake, a comic named ‘Station Eleven’, from before the collapse. And this brings us to her other vital connection; on the night Arthur died and the pandemic hit, she was performing as a child actress in the King Lear production. And on that same night, Arthur gifted her the Station Eleven comic. 

. Station Eleven is the magnum opus of arguably the most important character in the whole book, Miranda Carroll. Miranda is a diligent, quietly independent young woman, working as an assistant at a shipping company whilst developing her comic sketches, prior to the collapse. After her boyfriend becomes abusive, Miranda kindles a relationship with Arthur, who she knew prior to his fame. The two get married, Miranda becoming the first out of four wives for Arthur. But there is never really a glimmer of him having saved her, or her being dependent on his fame and status for any identity. There is something wonderfully certain about Miranda, a quiet, unspoken surety of herself and an ability to survive on her own. ‘I repent nothing’, remains her mantra, and it’s a reminder that she does not have to be apologetic for her independence. But Miranda’s private, grounded nature is not compatible with Arthur’s increasingly swish lifestyle and vapid social circles. Her story seems to reach a pinnacle at a dinner party, filled with aforementioned vapid friends, which marks the end of her marriage. Arthur is having an affair, and Miranda is relegated to the background among all the important talk. So she quietly goes back to her art studio, and back to herself. There is such a reassuring sentiment to this; no matter what happens, Miranda knows who she is, she has Station Eleven, she has her quiet strength. I find this understated power incredibly admirable, and reminiscent of how many writers feel about their work. The comics follow an explorer named Dr Eleven, trapped in a realm called the Undersea. Dr Eleven bears many striking similarities to Miranda herself; there is even one panel featuring a dinner party that parallels that fateful one. There’s something deeply heartbreaking about that, that highlights the very real pain of isolation and exclusion of a woman with so much concealed potential, who thought her creations would never be seen. When the virus hits her, Miranda dies alone on a beach, looking out towards the lights of the ships, in utter isolation, believing she will never be remembered.

. Yet through all the years, Station Eleven is Kirsten’s connection to a world before the one she has known. She carries it all her life, through her separation from the Symphony, through all of the dangers she faces, all the way to the Severn City airport settlement, where she is finally reunited with the Symphony. The entire sequence in which the Symphony are hunted by a religious fanatic known as The Prophet, and Kirsten and August become separated from their family, is gut wrenching, and provides some of the most touching scenes of their friendship. Another equally devastating scene shows the fate of Jeevan and his brother Frank in their Toronto apartment. They watch the television die, and the lights of the city go out, and the realisation slowly creeps up on them over the months. Frank is wheelchair bound, and they cannot stay any longer in the deserted apartment… You can imagine what happens next, and it was agony to read.

. And yet through all of the suffering, Station Eleven has the most beautifully hopeful of endings. Jeevan eventually builds a family of his own, becoming a local doctor of sorts. Arthur’s best friend Clark sets up the Severn City airport settlement, with the company of those who were abandoned in the waiting lounge all those years ago. And in that lounge, he assembles a collection of relics from before the collapse, finally joined by Kirsten’s copy of Station Eleven. And on the night the Symphony are reunited, there is music, and life all throughout the airport. Kirsten climbs to the top of the observation tower, and in the distance, she sees the lights of electricity. The lights of hope. It’s a beautiful ending to a beautiful tribute to the artistic nature of humanity, and its unending resilient ability to connect people. Through decades, through disaster, through death, art, music, books, theatre, can connect, can reach out from person to person. 

. It truly is the most gorgeous, so poignantly relevant story. Mandel’s writing is magnificent, her ability to give intimacy to such a scopey spectacle a rare gift. Her writing never forces its emotion down the reader’s throat, it just lets it sit there, as it is, if you understand my meaning. This is a style which seeps perfectly into her next novel, The Glass Hotel, which I actually read first, and instantly fell in love with. Her other works, The Singers Gun, The Last Night in Montreal and The Lola Quartet are on my shelf ready for reading. 

. Canadian author Emily St. John Mandel is surely cementing herself as my favourite author; her work embodies all which makes literature great, and I honestly struggle to find fault with it. Rest assured, her entire bibliography will most likely fill this category by the time it is finished.

To read more about Emily St. John Mandel and her books, click here.

To buy a copy of Station Eleven, click here.

My Writing Process

Ah yes, actually physically writing, the agony of most writers. Completing a manuscript takes a lot of planning, dedication and hard work, but it’s an enormously gratifying process watching your idea form into the bones of an actual book. We all have different approaches and methods when it comes to writing, in much the same way everybody studies differently; some people can write a manuscript in six months, some in two years. Some people write better at night, some during the day. Some of us are devoted planners, and some of us are pantsers. There really is no hard and fast way to go about it. But it’s probably safe to say that the thing almost all writers will struggle with is getting the book through the first draft, and being able to finally type THE END. I feel I’m getting quite a bit better at this, as I’m sure many people are during lockdown; since COVID hit, I’ve managed to produce two manuscripts which I am pleased with, and I know I’m not the only one. So here are my methods and tips to help break down the daunting process; if they help you, great, if not, that is also completely fine. Everyone’s brains are wired differently, and the book industry would be so boring if they were all wired the same.

1)The Ideas. The moment where inspiration first sparks; you hear a song, you watch a movie, you’re talking to a friend, or you’re one of those lucky people who’s just been on one of those mythical things called a ‘holiday’. Your first idea could be a theme, a character or multiple characters, the plot, or even just the aesthetic. Regardless, it makes you take out your notepad, or go on a walk to have a mull over the concept. Or maybe you’ve just had a whole new angle on an old WIP or character. But it’s cementing the ideas into a proper story concept that is the most brain wracking step, and one I am really struggling with at the moment. It feels like you’re solving a Rubik’s cube, and you’re so nearly there, all the pieces are almost aligned, and this could be such a great Rubik’s cube, but you’re just a few squares off. So here are a few things you need to have concrete (for now), before you start your outline:

.Your blurb – it doesn’t have to be pretty or book-cover-ready, but you need to have a paragraph that does the job of a blurb. Who is the story about, and what does the plot follow? You should know this from the get go, so you don’t end up straying of task.

.Your central characters – for me, this is usually where the plot will come from, as my books are usually character driven. I recommend having around three or four CCs, and make sure you know them as well as you can before you start writing. Understand their lives, their personalities, their relationships, their arc and their role in the plot. For more of my advice on character crafting, read my 10 Tips to Help You Craft Great Characters post. My current issue with the novel I am planning, is that I have too many characters, with too much going on, so I am torn between splitting the overcrowded book into two different stories, or combining characters. Looks like I will be at the drawing board for some time to come…

.The central conflict – what fuels the story, and changes your characters? What event connects every corner of your story together? For example in Catherine Steadman’s ‘Something in the Water’, the plot revolves around the protagonist and her husband discovering a bag of riches on their honeymoon, and how they deal with this discovery.

2)The Outlining. This is the section of your planning which will determine the structure of your novel; its pace, its length, your POV characters, first person or third person and chapter quantity and length. This is one of those times when writing really does become an artful blend between the emotional and the technical. And it can make or break your entire manuscript.

. Be prepared to sacrifice half a forest’s load of notepad pages, to the scribbles of scene ideas and ordering. Nothing in its early stages looks pretty, but having your plans on paper makes it so much clearer than holding them in your head.

.Make sure all of your scenes are a service to the story in some way. Yes, we’d all love to throw our characters a cute slumber party and watch them play spin the bottle, but I highly doubt that’ll do anything but bog the pace down.

. Decide what your POV situation is – most of the time, third person is the safe answer, and if you have a cast of complex characters, there are a lot of benefits to multiple POVs. But be careful not to overdo it, and stretch out your reader’s investment paper thin. In some situations, first person POV is the best option, if you feel that the new level of intimacy is a service to the tone or the themes. It’s also important to determine which chapters should be from which characters perspective; who is the most affected by what occurs in these scenes, who has the most interesting and refreshing take on the events unfolding, and who will this scene reveal the most about?

. Get out your post-it-notes and clear a space on your wall! These are invaluable, and so easy on the eye. Have a post-it-note for each chapter, and use colours to order them as you like; for example green for David’s POV, and orange for Jennifer’s. Now you have a planning board, which you can edit so neatly and easily!

3)The First Draft. This is usually the stage where a lot of people give up and burn out. And it’s not surprising, because it’s by far the most tricky stage. Not only do you have to unfold all of your planning, and confront what works and what doesn’t, you also have to now think about language and prosaic style. And not to mention, it takes a significant amount of hours, which as I mentioned, varies from writer to writer.

. Remember to enjoy yourself – if you aren’t passionate about what you are writing, and you aren’t having some fun along with all that work, it can often show in your writing. And not only that, it’s just an unpleasant experience for you. And if you find yourself not enjoying it, that doesn’t mean you don’t have a love of writing anymore; just because you had one bad trip abroad and got food poisoning, it doesn’t mean you aren’t up to being a traveller. We don’t hear this enough, but enjoying writing your first draft should be the priority, before marketing potential, before originality before anything. If you feel you have a few issues such as this, look at it later when you’re doing editing and rewrites. For now, just enjoy being in your element.

. Don’t be afraid to let the story evolve beyond your outline – often, our best ideas and character points don’t come until the actual writing gets underway. You can’t get the real feel for a house from the particulars, you have to go look around, and you never really know a person through online chat, you have to meet them in person. It’s the same with your plot and your characters. This goes for themes and messages as well; in fact, you rarely find the real depth of these until you get well into the novel and you know it back to front.

. Have a writing schedule, but don’t beat yourself up when you inevitably don’t always stick to it – writing is tiring, and often requires a certain mindset. If you wake up on a planned writing day feeling like you’ve just been hit by a boulder, or you’d rather have a day out than behind a computer, that is more than fine. Do not beat yourself up, and I speak as someone who is notorious for doing just that. If you are dedicated enough to be so overly strict with yourself, your book will get done. Trust me.

4)The Break. You’ve just finished your manuscript, and you’ve accomplished more than so many by just doing that. Yes, it won’t be perfect just yet, but it’s your baby. You made that. So you deserve a break to revel in your achievement. Take weeks, months if you want. However long you need to refresh yourself.

5)Rereading and Rewriting (The Second Draft). This is not so much of a linear process as the planning, outlining and writing, and can often blur with the break. The break is also valuable as casual thinking time, to mull over your story and to think of anything you need to add, alter or remove. Maybe there’s a character that feels flat or one dimensional, or maybe there’s a chapter that was too rushed. Your thoughts will be confirmed or denied upon rereading your work after the break.

. Make sure your prosaic style is as consistent as possible; the style of a romantic comedy written in modern day London, is going to be utterly apart from that of a regency romance, or maybe you’ve shaken things up and mixed the two? Either way, make sure your style is consistent, and that it flows. If there’s a sentence or a paragraph that doesn’t fit, altering it can make all the difference in regards to the reading experience.

. Make sure all of your secondary characters are necessary, and give them a sprinkle of complexity if possible. This was one of the biggest factors I changed when I altered my summer WIP, as there were a few characters that just felt a little too difficult to understand in their cruelty. Never create a person who is wholly good or evil, even if they are mostly one or the other. This elevates your novel from one that is black and white, to grey and more open to discussion and opinion.

. Make sure all of your subplots are resolved, and that they complement the main plot in some manner. There’s nothing more unsatisfying that a conflict that never amounts to anything or an issue or person that is forgotten about. Remember Arya’s face changing ability in Game of Thrones? And how she never used it in the final season, and it was utterly irrelevant? Nobody wants to be in that position.

. The redrafting process for me is usually one that is drawn out for almost as long as it takes me to do the first draft. It takes time, the advice of others, going away and coming back, and rereading and checking again and again. In this stage, you’re never really finished, and that’s no bad thing.

6)Editing and proof-reading. Despite the cost of ink and paper, I highly recommend printing your manuscript off at this stage, if you haven’t already. It’s not only just more pleasant than staring at a screen, it enables you to make physical notes, which you can then apply to your document. You are never going to get every single grammatical, or punctuation error, especially when your eyes know what they want to see. But you can polish your work as much as possible, as dull and laborious as it may seem. At this stage, you may also want to format your manuscript, if you wish to send it to agents or editors. Here’s the basic formatting for a Word document manuscript:

. Font size 12, Times New Roman

.Line spacing 1.5

.Three asterisks (***) at scene breaks

. Page breaks between chapters

. Begin the chapter half way/two thirds of the way down the page, and capitalise the chapter heading. If there’s two headings e.g. CHAPTER ONE, THE CLIFF, leave a line space between the two headings and another between the headings and the text.

. Make sure all your paragraphs are indented at the beginning, apart from the one at the beginning of a chapter.

. Make sure there is no line spacing between paragraphs.

. Create a cover page (for the sake of page numbering, remember to select ‘Different First Page’). Put your title in the centre in capitals, space, ‘by’, space again, then your name in capitals. In the top header (not capitalised) put your book title, name, address, phone number and email. And in the bottom, put your word count and genre.

.Page numbers – again, make sure to select, ‘Different First Page’, before clicking on the Page Number button. Then, when you click ‘Insert’, ‘Page Numbers’, unselect the button that says ‘Show Page Number on First Page.’ Then go into ‘Format Page Number’, and change the starting number to 0. Then go and put your page numbers at the top of the page (I do top right), and they should start from your Chapter One page, the page immediately after your cover page. Then add your last name and book title before the page number (e.g Smith – The Dog / 1).

. And remember to add THE END at the bottom of your last page 🙂

Well, that’s my writing process! I hope it helped you in some way, but if you have a different process, stick with what works for you! It’s your book and your baby, at the end of the day, and I wish you the best of luck with it.

Written by,

Rowan Speakman

For great writing tips, check out best-selling author Jenna Moreci’s YouTube Channel!

(All images sourced from Unsplash.com).

Aphra Behn (1640 – 1689)

Aphra Behn was not only one of the most influential dramatic writers of the 17th Century, but the first Englishwoman to make a living out of her writing. A poet, a translator, a playwright and a novelist, Behn’s work was heavily criticised for its supposed scandalous nature, to an extent which that of no male writer of her skill would have been. And these are circumstances which continue to have parallels even in a modern day society. 

Behn was born in 1640, shorly before the outbreak of the First Civil War across England. Despite her aristocratic society in her adult life, she was said to be the daughter of a barber and a wet nurse, making her rise to prominence and success even more astounding. The work The Histories and Novels of the Late Ingenious Mrs. Behn, further details her as the daughter of a John Johnson of Canterbury. Yet this version of events states that Johnson was a relation of Lord Willoughby, who appointed him lieutenant general of the Surinam colony in the South Americas. Her 1688 novel Oroonoko, has further bolstered the theory that Behn travelled with her family to Surinam, where she could have encountered the inspiration behind the novel in question. Johnson was said to have died during this expedition, and Behn returned to England and married a Dutch merchant named Johan Behn in 1664, but the marriage did not last long, and they separated before his death in 1665. A marital separation in the 17th Century was yet another remarkable feat, but Behn continued to use his name, most likely in the hope that appearing married would give her better social standing.

Behn was a staunch Royalist, and was said to have acted as a spy for Charles II during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. However she shortly retuned to London, where she may have spent time in debtors prison, due to her having to borrow money for her travels, unassisted by the king. Her debts, accompanied with the inevitable financial struggle from her husband’s death, may have been the catalyst for Behn deciding to attempt to make a living from her writing. 

In 1670, Behn’s first play, The Forc’d Marriage, was produced, beginning her journey towards becoming one of one of the most renowned plawrights of her time. She worked for both the King’s Company and the Duke’s Company, established by Charles II after the Restoration. Yet her first works, such as The Dutch Lover and The Amorous Prince were not commercial successes; in fact, her ‘big break’, did not come until 1677, in the form of The Rover. Her career was established, and she went on to pen at least nineteen plays. From observing the titles of the four plays mentioned here, it seems as if Behn’s less successful works, were those with titles of the romantic or marital ilk, and were thus not taken seriously. Nobody wants to hear about love from the point of view of a woman, for therefore she would have autonomy about the concept; this rather acutely mirrors how a lot of great female written romances in today’s world, are branded as ‘Women’s Fiction’, and placed quite adamantly apart from their male counterparts. However, in a manner similar to that with which she published many of her plays anonymously, Behn gave ‘The Rover’, a title less revealing of it themes.

For years before her career as a playwright, Behn was a keen poet; such poems were early indications of her skill and versatility, and their style creeps into all of her works. Indeed she was said to have inherited the gifts of Greek poet Sappho; she became known as ‘The Incomparable Astrea’, utilising her codename used during her time as a royal spy. Her poetry was published in her 1684 and 1688 collections, containing fifty-five poems overall. Her signature voice as a poet is marked by audacious accounts of current events (such as the hysteria surrounding The Popish Plot) which were easy to discern upon close inspection by an intelligent eye. Female sexuality was also a recurring topic in Behn’s poems, another facet which earned her great criticism, and was a daring move clearly tuned to the developments in society during the Restoration period. She responded heartily to the praise she earned, addressing poems to members of her social community, and using satire in order to make commentary. Her voice was remarkably distinctive, with a great lyricism and musicality to it. All of these factors paint an undeniable picture of a highly intelligent woman, who was socially and politically aware, with an ability to make her voice heard in a manner which could not be ignored. Today, however, it is Behn’s novels which draw the most literary attention. Her 1688 work Oroonoko, the story of an enslaved African prince, depicts issues of racism, gender and slavery in a manner rarely seen during such a period.

Behn died in 1689, at the age of forty-nine and with a still firmly positive literary reputation, despite her lack of popularity with King William and Queen Mary. She was buried in Westminster Abbey, to honour her contribution to poetry. A mere few days after her demise, an unnamed young lady published, ‘An Elegy Upon the Death of Mrs A Behn, the Incomparable Astrea’. The emotive tribute questioned ‘who now shall fill the Vacant Throne?’, left by Behn in the realms of literary genius. The author also laments how the death of Behn marks the end of a period of female vocality in literature; ‘Aspiring Man has now regain’d the Sway’. Such outspoken pain from a female writer is ample evidence of the affect that Behn’s successes and determination had on the writers around her, and how deeply they connected not only with her work, but with the person behind it. However the writer acknowledges Behn as not a perfect role model, as her life, particularly her sexual life, mirrored that depicted in her work. However, it will never be known whether she was a truly promiscuous figure, as in past times, any sexual relations on a woman’s part outside of marriage were considered excessive.

 In 1696, ‘Memoirs on the Life of Mrs Behn By a Gentlewoman of her Acquaintance’, was published, oddly combining the subject’s own life with that of her fictional characters, not an unusual practice in the studying of the lives of authors. The biography was an embodiment, it seemed, of the debauchery of the Restoration court, and Behn was becoming strongly attached to these associations. During this period, she was condemned and dismissed along with the attitudes and libertinism of the period. The study of Behn resurged in the 1920s, when she became a focus of the literary attentions of Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West. Both of these women had an interesting take on Behn; while they praised her as the foundation for the careers of all female writers, they also seemed more concerned with what they imagined she should have written, what they created her origins as and her role in feminist history as opposed to her actual work. I find this to be a highly interesting point of discussion, which I can see both sides of; it is important to remember someone for the person they were outside of their occupational achievements, and for what they gave to the world as a whole, but it can hardly be disputed that with male writers, the content of their work is given far more historiographical attention. Writers live and breathe their work, and in a way, remembering the true nature of it, is to remember them most accurately. 

Indeed throughout the twentieth century, Behn’s nature has been approached from many angles; as a political symbol, a revolutionary and as a feminist martyr. Historians seem incredibly anxious to place her in a neat box, but in truth, no person, let alone one of such complexity and importance, can ever really be positioned under just one banner. She was a political player, a symbol of female vocality, a woman of immense passion, and above all, a skilled poet, with a versatility of craftmanship that enabled her to make her mark upon the world.  

By, Rowan Speakman.

To buy a copy of ‘Oroonoko’, click here.

To view the full list of Behn’s works, click here.

(All images sourced from Wikimedia Commons).

Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte (1847)

(SPOILER WARNING FOR: WUTHERING HEIGHTS)

. I was acutely surprised to learn that Wuthering Heights was Emily Bronte’s only novel, and although it is a tragedy that the world didn’t get to see more of her talent, her one work remains better than a lot of authors’ entire bibliography. Set in the wildness of the Yorkshire moors, Bronte’s classic tells the story of how the obsession between Catherine Earnshaw and foundling Heathcliff consumes and destroys the lives of all around them. Deliciously dark and powerful, it’s a story which breaks the mould of the impression one usually forms when thinking of a Victorian novel; and no screen adaptation has yet to do justice to the razor-sharp writing of the book.

. Bronte’s choice of narrator is the Earnshaw/Linton’s reliable servant Nelly Dean, who recounts the events of the last few decades to the new tenant of Thrushcross Grange, Mr Lockwood, who is deeply shocked by the coarseness of his landlord, Mr Heathcliff. She recalls her time working for the Earnshaw family, and the arrival of Heathcliff as a gypsy child under Mr Earnshaw’s guardianship. It is from this young age, that Heathcliff and Catherine, Earnshaw’s daughter, form the tightest of attachments. ‘Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same’, Cathy informs Nelly, and this quote, although often grandly over-romanticised, quite neatly sums their relationship up. 

. Cathy is a person who will never be truly content within the regulations of society, no matter how hard she esteems to try. From a child to an adult, she displays characteristics so wild and fiery, that there are few people who wish to have her acquaintance. Yet with Heathcliff, a sulky, brooding child, she is finally truly accepted. And not only is she accepted by him, she is idolised by him, and the two grow only wilder and wilder, to the disgrace of their family. But Cathy has another side to the coin of her tempestuous nature; a desire for a place in society, clearly as evident as her desire for freedom. She wants the best of both worlds; to be accepted for who she is, and to be esteemed in social spheres, and I cannot fault her for this. Unfortunately, Cathy was born in the late eighteenth century, when a woman’s choice of husband utterly defined her entire life. We must keep this in mind when considering Cathy’s next decision, but it doesn’t really soften the gravity of the cruelty of it. 

. Cathy succeeds in wooing Edgar Linton, the young master of the neighbouring Thrushcross Grange, who is Heathcliff’s antithesis in every way, and is, in my opinion, the true hero of the novel. In a story full of quite vile, albeit interesting characters, Edgar remains the only complete example of kindness and gentility, yet it is his money and good looks, equating to a desirable position in society, that Cathy lusts for. She marries Edgar, to the approval of her brother Hindley, her decision breaking Heathcliff’s heart to the extent of him fleeing the country. 

. Catherine and Edgar live a peaceful three years together, before Heathcliff appears at the door, and demands entrance back into her life. At this point, Edgar is utterly disregarded, while his wife entertains Heathcliff regularly, the latter doing nothing but insult him behind his back and setting his eyes on Edgar’s sister Isabella, for the sole intention of hoping to gain her estate. This is also the point where all possible sympathy for Heathcliff’s character dissipates, as his vileness and pathetic jealousy escalate to the point of destroying the one person he claims to adore. And his following conduct confirms my rejection of the popular sentiment that Heathcliff loves Catherine so truly.

. It is revealed, as the reader has been suspicious of for a while, that Cathy suffers acutely from a debilitating mental illness, which sometimes strays into the realms of psychosis. It is triggered by psychological stress, which is continually provided by her supposed ‘great love’. Heathcliff’s cruel and rude behaviour escalates to that which is threatening, culminating in Edgar punching him in the throat (an iconic moment), and telling him to get his moody, bitter backside away from his pregnant wife. This event sends Catherine spiralling into a nervous breakdown, and confines to her room for months. All the while, Heathcliff pushes to see her, stalking the house and threatening to break in; in short, he is attempting to take advantage of her mental illness, and it’s frankly disgusting. Meanwhile Edgar dotingly cares for his wife, despite her often cruel treatment of him, and somehow Heathcliff still has the audacity to say ‘If he loved with all the powers of his puny being, he couldn’t love as much in eighty years as I could in a day.’ Smells like insecurity and denial to me. Heathcliff’s love is an all-consuming, greedy thing, but because it burns so hot, it is often mistaken in popular culture for being stronger than a love akin to Edgar’s. But the former is not what real love is; real love is selfless, caring, steady and warm, not selfish, cruel, raging and hot. And Heathcliff is many things, but I don’t believe he is a stupid character; so it is an interesting suggestion that he may be rendered insecure by Edgar’s capacity for real love. 

. Heathcliff does succeed in gaining entrance to the house, and his reaction to Cathy’s state is admittingly, heartbreaking. There is, among the dark depths of their adult toxic bond, an echo of the powerful innocence of their childhood. Both long to go back to their days of running wild across the moors, with nobody else but each other for company. The purity of their childhood friendship does beg the question as to whether the binding bond Cathy and Heathcliff share is actually a romantic one, for it seems to go beyond earthly lovers entanglements. Returning to the idea of their souls being one and the same, indeed when Cathy dies, Heathcliff has some mysterious contact with her ghost, and happily, and quite knowingly joins it himself at the end of the novel. A modern, grounded viewpoint is that their relationship, regardless of whether it is truly romantic or not, is one of toxicity, and it’s a very well-founded argument. But it’s easy to forget the supernatural element to Wuthering Heights, and the suggestion that Cathy and Heathcliff were indeed bound by something beyond earthly law or society. 

. And so Cathy dies in childbirth, in a scene that causes the reader to double take, for there was only the subtlest of prior hints that our doomed heroine was pregnant. It is generally agreed that the omission of any explicit reference to her condition, is due to the Victorian controversy around putting an idea in the readers head of any sexual scene whatsoever. Because sometimes, a baby just comes out of a woman, for no reason, and people just bought that I guess. Anyhow, the child is irritatingly called Cathy, so I will make it easier and refer to her as Cathy Junior. And so, while Edgar and Nelly spend the night devastated and grieving, Heathcliff pulls the most peak Heathcliff stunt ever, and elopes with Isabella, just to kick the Linton family down a bit more. His treatment of poor Isabella is utterly vile, himself and the trio of chauvinist dunces at Wuthering Heights taunting and isolating her to the point where she snaps and makes a break for it, but not before scalding her repulsive husband with some grade A verbal burns. Isabella sets off south, where she gives birth to her own child, a boy called Linton, presumably just to irk Heathcliff (in this instance, I’m very glad there was no further explanation into the cause of pregnancy, because I very much do not wish to imagine that occasion for poor Isabella). 

. At this point the reader is introduced to what is most likely the sweetest story of love in the novel; that between Edgar Linton and his daughter. Cathy Junior has all her mother’s spirit and charm, but has a remarkable kindness and capacity for endurance, despite her spoilt nature. But she soon grows tired of her father’s overprotective nature, and ventures out towards Wuthering Heights. There, she becomes oddly smitten with Linton Heathcliff, who returned north after his mother’s death, and was forced out of Thrushcross Grange and back to Wuthering Heights by you-know-who. And it is in these circumstances, which Heathcliff exceeds our expectations for his cruelty, and takes them to a whole other level. One might rationally think, that he would have some love for any child of Cathy’s; but his ridiculous hatred of Edgar extends to his daughter, whom he manipulates into a marriage with his sickly, equally malicious son, who is as pathetic on the outside as his father is within. This cruel hatred of two people who are basically children, is evident enough that the love Heathcliff felt for Cathy, was not what love truly is. So, as Edgar is lying in bed dying, Heathcliff takes full advantage of the impending power vacuum, and incarcerates Cathy Junior at Wuthering Heights, forcing her to wed Linton and to give him control of Thrushcross Grange. Cathy Junior does not take this lying down, as she is desperate to say goodbye to her dying father. As if her distress didn’t make this particular chapter a painful enough read, Heathcliff proceeds to beat her about the head, and smashes up her portrait of Edgar, taking the one of Cathy for himself, just as he takes the one from the Grange; that, dear reader, is vile possessiveness, not love. 

. It doesn’t take long for Heathcliff’s sickly offspring to die off, and Cathy Junior is left miserable at Wuthering Heights, and the butt-end of such vicious misogyny that if I were her, I would have been reaching for the shotgun within the first month. She is treated with nothing but hatred, has her books taken (that’s just unnecessary torture), and her lip split open, with no defence from anyone. Even Lockwood, upon visiting the Heights, one moment insults her, and then comments on how he wishes to possess her beauty for himself. Meanwhile, Heathcliff himself begins to sink into a pit of madness, digging up Cathy’s grave and wandering the moorland for entire nights, until he eventually dies of what is presumably starvation, with his hand out the window, reaching out to Cathy’s ghost.

. I truly do not believe that Bronte intended for Heathcliff to become such a romanticised figure in popular culture, and this view of his character says far more about the reader than the writer. It is more reassuring to think that the Heathcliff-frenzy arose from various film adaptations, which do not depict his cruelty as explicitly as in the book, and mask what little is shown with the face of a good looking and popular actor. Not to mention Kate Bush’s masterpiece of a song, which does seem to quite accurately capture Cathy’s perspective. However, the violent nature of Heathcliff’s character in the novel, prompts the reader to wonder what Bronte herself witnessed, in a time when the decency and propriety of societal values, provided a shelter from the cruel realities of the world, especially for young women. I also find her choice of setting curious; even though the book was penned in the 1840s, it is set in a period stretching between the 1770s and 1800s. Perhaps Bronte did not wish to appear to be suggesting that such brutal things could occur in a Victorian society, or perhaps she wished to write what we would equate as a period piece. Regardless, the book polarised its readers, many being disturbed by the darkness depicted in it. Yet the Victorians had an undeniable morbid fascination with such topics, so its success was almost guaranteed. 

. In truth, I do not believe Bronte even intended for our takeaway from Wuthering Heights to be that of a passionate love story. It is a commentary on the conflict between wildness and civility, something that would have been highly relevant in Victorian society. And Bronte remains diplomatically fair as to her opinion in regards to this discussion; savagery has its merits, its simplicity, but not without the price of a loss of humanity. And Wuthering Heights is evidence that people of such animalistic nature, will surely destroy the lives of anyone gentle around them. Yet, the characters of the Lintons, are evidence that there is equal strength in a good heart, and keeping it good despite any savagery’s attempt to blacken it. 

By, Rowan Speakman

10 Tips to Help You Craft Great Characters

It’s very rare that you come across a great novel with thinly written characters, with the exceptions being daringly original concepts, with a story that is better conveyed through plot as opposed to character. However, these are exceedingly rarely done well, and personally I have never been affected by a book, film or series, that did not give its characters enough attention. So here are my top ten tips for character crafting, which have helped me time and time again in my writing. I am by no means an expert, so this list is definitely not concrete; at the end of the day, we all plot and write differently, so all, some or none of these tips may work for you. But, as characterisation is my favourite part of writing, and I know it is equally some people’s most dreaded part, I thought I’d share some advice that I’ve learnt over recent years.

  1. Give your characters traits that are both strengths and flaws. Have you ever know someone who is a brilliant person in some situations or areas of life, but the worst company in others? Your sister whose chatty personality is great for drinks at the pub, but terrible when you need someone to just listen? Your friend whose calculating tendencies have gotten him far in his career, but make him an untrustworthy figure in the realms of friendship? I am not saying that someone cannot be a great conversationalist and a keen listener, nor an ambitious worker and a loyal friend, but every individual will have at least one trait which can work both ways. Traits such as fieriness, protectiveness, sobriety, or an analytical nature. Such duality in elements of your character’s personality can also add great variety to their relationships with other characters, and other’s perception of them. Your protagonist might hate their brother’s new girlfriend, because she’s a ‘control freak’. Meanwhile, their brother likes her ‘qualities of organisation and her prepared nature’. This will also highlight the differences between your protagonist and her brother. So the theory comes round in a nice circle.
  2. Think about your favourite fictional character. Why do you love them? What was it about that character that you felt personally connected to? Why were you the most invested in their story and growth? By no means copy and paste your favourite TV show protagonist and edit the little details to slot them into your own work. Figure out how to use the tools behind that character, rather than the character itself. For example, I will use Miranda from ‘Station Eleven’ (post coming soon); I adored her character because I admired her independence and quiet self- resilience, and because she was sorely mistreated by the people in her life who misunderstood her. The lessons from Miranda; give your character qualities which you personally admire or aspire to, and give them some conflict with the world, another character or even themselves, due to these qualities.
  3. Make a playlist of songs for your character. This sounds like way too much fun to be of any real use, but it really is. Not only is music great fuel for the imagination, but attaching it to your story and your characters adds an understanding of the emotions you wish to deal with in regards to this particular character. Sometimes it’s just the general atmosphere of a song which can remind you of a character, and sometimes the lyrics just fit their experiences in an uncanny way. The more diverse your playlist (without the songs contradicting one another), the more nuanced your character is. Even better; if you can order the songs to document that character’s arc and development, then you are essentially looking at a vague character plan, which you can build on as the plot requires. It’s quite embarrassing in fact, to admit the number of songs which remind me of the MC’s of my last few novels. But it’s an effective method, and it’s no coincidence that the aforementioned characters are some of my best. If you’re stuck on songs, try and picture what song you would choose if you were going to make an edit of your character; or have a listen to some of of your favourite albums, and see where inspiration strikes.
  4. Try and create characters which are a service to the themes of your novel. In an indirect way, the internal struggles your character faces should be in keeping with your theme(s). A very simple example; if you are tackling the topic of betrayal, have your character wrestle with a personal betrayal apart form the central plot; perhaps they were victim, perhaps they were the traitor, or perhaps they betrayed themselves or their principles? For further example, in one of my past WIPs, the principle theme was perception and romanticism; the main character had an ability to create her life as she wished, and had a taste for the finer things. Eventually, her life became so much about the external perception of her, she forgot who she truly was. Have your character’s personal arc carry your themes home to the reader.
  5. Consider your character’s sense of style. This is normally a storytelling tactic applied on the screen, as it’s a very visual method of characterisation. But, if you’re a cinematic writer, who wants to paint a visual feast in the mind’s eye, as well as a sucker for little details like me, it can be a very effective tactic. Minimal but meaningful descriptions of clothing colour, cut, or detail can reveal the character’s state of mind, or what state of mind they wish to portray. Clothing was a very important element in one of my most recent novels, with the characters intentionally utilising what they wear to manipulate their identity, and it’s an enormously fun technique which can contribute greatly to the aesthetic of your novel. However, do be careful to leave something to the reader’s imagination, and don’t describe every outfit in every scene.
  6. Try and create almost two different versions of your character, at the beginning and end of your WIP. Plan the person your character is at the start of the events of the novel, and the person they will have evolved into by the end of it. Then think about what caused this transformation, in personality, status or skills; what has this character overcome and experienced to get from here to there? Now, this does not mean give them a head transplant; make the evolution true to the character, and a natural progression from their experiences within the story. Consider which version is more true to the character’s authentic self (this also links to working out whether your character arc is positive or negative). Nobody wants to read about a stagnant character, and often these are symptomatic of listless plot. It is also vital to offer for the reader’s consideration, what similarities these two versions share, and what those mean for the character as a whole. Think about Sansa Stark in ‘Game of Thrones’; she starts the series as a naive, childish girl who believes in the myth of a fairytale romance. By the series finale, she is a calculating, competent leader and politician, and she achieves this through years of hardship and learning from being surrounded by some of Westeros’ fiercest players. But what Sansa retains is her ambitious nature (girl wanted to be a queen, and girl became a queen) and her capacity for strong morals, which are extremely revealing about the fundamental essence of her character.
  7. Steer away from worn out tropes, or reinvent them. I think by now we can all agree that we’ll usually put a book down if we encounter the grouchy alcoholic policeman or the raging, sexy warrior girl with no personality beyond that. However steering away from tropes is usually a little more daunting than this, as there is an argument to say that there is no such thing as a truly original character. But what’s reassuring is the fact that two people could look at the exact same character outline, and end up writing two completely different beasts. Everyone has different life experiences and ideas when it comes to characterisation, so if you put your heart and soul into it, but remain mindful of stereotypes, there’s a high chance you can avoid having your character categorised as cliche. Or, work to the advantages of existing tropes; try and dig beneath the skin of the charming rich boy, or the popular princess. Make what in other works would be their characterisation, some sort of act or facade, and then work out why this is a dimension of them.
  8. Draw on personal emotional experiences and beliefs. It’s generally bad practice to completely self insert oneself into one’s novel. Usually the reader can tell, and meaning no offence, few people’s lives are truly interesting enough to carry a story. However, you are a real person, and you want your characters to seem as real as possible, no matter what incredible circumstances the plot places them in. Taking some experience you’ve had or a powerful feeling you’ve felt and blow it up into an issue worthy of your novel. Chances are, you or your reader (hopefully) cannot relate to being married off for familial advantage, but you could relate to feelings of being used or objectified. Not only does this aid your personal attachment to your story, it also reaches out the hand of connection to your readers. You opinions and beliefs are also a brilliant source of thematic discussion; it is very easy to diagnose whether or not the author truly cares about the issues or subjects discussed in their book. And even if you as a reader don’t agree with the author’s views, if they are well articulated and argued, you can probably appreciated the passion that went into the writing. So if you’re feeling the need for a feminist rant (always), a thought provoking discussion about power balances in our society, or for criticising the nature of religion, be sure to weave it into your work, without hitting the reader over the head with it too much.
  9. Ensure you have a strong cast of characters to play off one another. Usually, a novel cannot be carried by one well written character. For most works, unless there’s a large amount of scale to your novel, three or four central characters are enough to provide enough conflict and narrative richness. These are the characters which require arcs, three dimensionality and sufficient narrative weight. However, it is also important that your secondary characters have a purpose in the story, and complement the journey of the central characters and your plot. For instance, Dr Mary Malone in the ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy is a secondary character who does not appear until the second instalment; yet her role of providing Lyra’s temptation and in the fulfilment of the witches prophecy is crucial. They are more like complex plot devices, if I dare say it. As for your central characters, if you have given them enough developmental attention, the concept of their relationships should come as a natural progression from this.
  10. Afford your reader a sense of intimacy with your character. No, not in a filthy way. Make one of the key relationships your character has, be with your reader. And let the latter see the character in all the mundane, difficult facets of their life. This doesn’t mean we need to see what Gary has for breakfast every morning, but we might need to get a glimpse of how Gary feels in the morning. Does he hate being alone with his own thoughts? Does he wish he wasn’t alone? Do mornings remind Gary of something that once happened at that time? Let the reader have the inside scoop about your character, let them feel in the loop; dramatic irony is your friend, and learning how to manipulate it can be a fantastic tool when is comes to crafting tension.

Bonus tip: You can do all the planning in the world, and you should do as much as possible, but your characters will only come to life once you start writing them. I know, actually writing is a terrifying prospect sometimes; but there is nothing wrong with trying something, deciding it doesn’t work, and heading back to the drawing board. Equally, in some cases, pushing through is key; in one of my latest manuscripts, I thought my writing was abysmal, and the main character flat, for the first few chapters. But this WIP quickly evolved into the best work I’d ever done, with the best characters I’d ever written. It’s important to distinguish between an actual problem, and being too hard on oneself, even though it can be tricky to tell one from the other sometimes. But your characters will only click into place once your fingers hit the keyboard, and when they do it’s the most satisfying feeling in the world.

By, Rowan Speakman

(All images sourced from Unsplash.com).

Agnodice of Athens (Fourth Century B.C.)

This addition to our ranks of history’s great women, is one that dances somewhere between truth and legend. Regarded as some by the first female doctor to have practiced, Agnodice of Athens is either an incredible milestone in the history of female careers, or the subject of a fantastic, and notable myth.

Agnodice was said to have been born sometime in the fourth century B.C.E., into a prosperous Athenian family. During her youth, she became aware of the exceedingly high mortality rates among women and their infants during labour, and was distressed by this unaddressed trauma which was exclusive to women. This realisation sparked in her a desire to study medicine and to practice as a doctor, a dream which seemed destined to prove futile in a time when women studying medicine, especially gynaecological medicine, was a crime that invoked the death penalty. However, her ambition could have been fulfilled had she been born not so many years earlier; prior to the implementation of Hippocratic medicine, women were instrumental in the process of childbirth, with expecting mothers being aided through the birth by female relatives who had had children themselves, thus creating the profession of midwives. Indeed midwives gained much esteem, even learning how to perform abortions and teaching women contraceptive methods. However, as expected, men became aware of the sexual independence and understanding of their own bodies that midwives were granting women. So, the Hippocratic teachings replaced midwives with male doctors, who both lacked the understanding of the difficulties of the process, and produced a feeling of discomfort and unwillingness in their patients. This was misconstrued as the mere uncooperative nature of women, and thus the death rate due to childbirth soared.

But Ancient Greek misogynistic problems require Ancient Greek cross-dressing solutions; Agnodice cut off her hair, changed her clothes and journeyed to Alexandria to study medicine under the tutelage of the Father of Anatomy, Herephilos. Upon her return to Athens, equipped with new medical knowledge, legend tells that Agnodice heard the screams of a woman in labour from the streets. As her attire was still male, her wishes to help were initially refused, until she revealed herself to be female. Thus, the child was safely delivered, and the demand across Athens for a certain doctor grew. Male suspicion arose, and Agnodice’s male alter ego was accused of seducing the women that he treated. 

Agnodice was shortly brought before a jury, where she supposedly and notoriously stripped naked to reveal the truth of her gender. I have yet to try this solution when I find myself in a difficult predicament. Naturally, this further enraged the men trying her, and the date for her execution was drawn up. Perhaps I will not try this move after all. Her salvation came in the form of those she had sought to help; many of the women who Agnodice had treated, as well as highborn wives of the men accusing her, rioted in protest. To abate their furious wives, the men of Athens amended the law in a surprising turn of events, to allow freeborn women to practice as physicians, upon the condition that their patients were restricted to other women. This show of female solidarity and gratitude has been linked to that depicted between the Sabine women, and adds a touching layer to the myth.

The only concrete record of Agnodice’s story lies in the book Fabulae, one of two poorly written books penned by Latin author Gaius Julius Hyginus; the story takes up only a single paragraph of the text. Many historians have honed in on this paragraph as being at least based on fact. Yet several elements of the story point towards its strength as a work of fiction, rather than a biographical account. The trope of disrobing is a recurring element in many a Greek myth; for example, archaeologists have discovered figurines of a mythical figure by the name of Baubo, who pulled up her dress to amuse Demeter, goddess of agriculture. Indeed, throughout all literary works, numerous fictional women have dressed in male attire in order to succeed in a traditionally male line of work. Agnodice’s name, meaning ‘chaste before justice’, also seems too fitting to be more than that of a fictional character. The version current archaeologists have of the text in question is notably not the original copy, rather one from the fourth or fifth century AD. The manuscript in question is now frustratingly lost, and we only know of its existence due to the fact that Hyginus, published in 1535, was based on it.

Regardless, Agnodice, whether she be fact of fiction, has had an undeniable impact on many aspiring female physicians. Her story formed part of many campaigns for the education of female doctors from the seventeenth century. Kate Hurd-Mead, after receiving her MD from the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1888, suggested in her 1925 novel that Hyginus took the story of Agnodice from ‘an old book dealing with the history of medicine.” Jean Paul Rome d’Ardene used the tale to bolster his point in the 1759 discussion in regards to women’s rights to practice medicine. He pointed out that Athens during the time of Hippocratic medicine, was an anomaly compared to all other cultures at the time, all of which heavily incorporated female midwives in childbirth. I would wager heavily that no women were actually present during this debate.

It is an inspiring thought that there may be some element of truth to Agnodice’s story, even if the exact details and person in question were fictional folklore. Agnodice’s closest known historical counterparts were the likes of Hypatia of Alexandria, a famed philosopher and mathematician, and Greek doctor Metrodora, who lived around the same time as Agnodice supposedly did. The latter’s book, On the Diseases and Cures of Women, is the oldest known medical text to have been penned by a woman. There would have undoubtedly been many women in Hippocratic Greece, who were ambitious and keen in regards to the medical field, even if they have not been remembered. Agnodice represents them, and raises a vital point about a woman’s right to determine who treated her body, and to have a knowledge of its workings, in order to make her own informed choices about it. What with the unbelievably still poignant issue of abortion laws and contraception, what she symbolises could not be more relevant in modern society. The manner in which Greek male physicians dismissed a woman’s desire to be treated by a female gynaecologist, is in itself still an issue today; yet where it was once misconstrued as a lack of consideration for health, this desire is now deemed sexism. It also has disturbing similarities to American politicians, who disguise their obsession with controlling women’s bodies behind the paper thin arguments of the ‘pro-life’ campaign. These explicit issues presented in the short story of Agnodice, explain my reasoning for choosing her as an addition to this list. Despite her lack of definite historical existence as a person, the ideas and many unnamed real women behind her make a vital part of the team.

By, Rowan Speakman

(All images sourced from Wikimedia Commons).

His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman (1995 – 2000)

(SPOILER WARNING FOR: HIS DARK MATERIALS TRILOGY)

. Philip Pullman’s epic sci fi/high fantasy trilogy is one of the most acclaimed fantasy series of its time. Once known as a children’s book, it becomes more apparent with each closer inspection that the real nature of the story is far from childish in nature or intent. Set in a parallel world, the narrative follows Lyra, a young girl destined to change her world and many others, as she takes her place in a war between the established authority and the nature of free will. The story is split across Northern Lights (1995), The Subtle Knife (1997) and The Amber Spyglass (2000), although the first novel is sometimes known as The Golden Compass, in order for the simplicity of each book revolving around a mythical object.

. Lyra has grown up under the wardship of Jordan College in Oxford, her parents having supposedly died and her uncle, Lord Asriel, away on scientific expeditions. She is disobedient, dishonest and adventurous, these traits leading her to be hiding in a wardrobe, where she overhears Asriel’s expedition funds pitch to the scholars of Jordan College. Here, she first learns of the concept of Dust, a mysterious particle which embodies human sin; Asriel’s heretical ideas deem him a danger in the eyes of the Magisterium, the established religious authority. Meanwhile, children from Oxford are disappearing, including a handful of Lyra’s friends. Lyra is shortly whisked from Jordan College by the charismatic and glamorous Mrs Coulter, who takes advantage of her impetuous nature; yet she is urged not to reveal to her the gift given to her by the Master of Jordan; an alethiometer, an ancient instrumental of truth telling. Lyra is changed forever with the knowledge that Mrs Coulter and Asriel are her true parents, along with the discovery that her mother is behind the child abductions. She joins forces with the Gyptian people, and journeys north with the alethiometer to help free the captured children. In a northern institution, the Magisterium wish to control the nature of Dust, through the severing of child and daemon prior to the onset of puberty, as daemons are the bridge between Dust and human beings. As Asriel’s work against the Authority continues, he succeeds in opening a pathway in the sky to another world.

. Lyra follows her father through, and enters a world inhabited by the daemon devouring Spectres; here she meets Will Parry, a boy from our world, who is on the run. Will is destined to wield the Subtle Knife, a blade which can cut through the fabrics of worlds, and is searching for his father, an explorer. Lyra and Will join forces, evading the Magisterium in order to deliver their burdens to Lord Asriel, who is amassing an army across worlds to destroy the Authority (God) and restore free will. Lyra and Will journey from world to world, to the lands of the dead, ultimately coming to the place where they will fulfil the prophecy surrounding them, and their importance to the outcome of the great war. All the while, Lyra wrestles with her complex relationship with Mrs Coulter, whose motivations for hunting her blend between motherly possession and her ambitions as an arm of the Magisterium. Eventually the prophecy around Lyra is revealed; she is a reincarnation of Eve, and her reaction to her temptation will determine the course of the cataclysmic struggle. The temptation in question is Lyra and Will falling in love, and both succumb to it; however this is presented in a positive light, as a victory over oppression. The Authority is defeated, at the cost of both Mrs Coulter and Lord Asriel’s lives, but Will and Lyra are unable to remain together, as they will soon die if they do not return to their own worlds. So, with surprising maturity for a pair so young, they part ways with their settled daemons, meeting every year at a bench in Oxford park. 

. Lyra’s world is one that mirrors our own geographically, but with its own peoples and creatures, and words. The most notable distinction is the animal manifestation of an individual’s soul in the form of a ‘daemon’, taking a shape that fits one’s personality. Daemon’s are changeable in form until the onset of puberty, representing a child coming into adulthood. It is also implied that, similarly, daemons have a link to a person’s sexuality, taking on the gender of that the individual is attracted to; there is an additional sexual connotation with the concept of touching someone else’s daemon, and some critics have observed that forcefully grabbing another’s daemon could be a metaphor for rape. The entire novel is thematically concerned with the concept of breaking free from religious suffocation and embracing human sin and free will. Thus it has an ultimately rather positive, and oddly reassuring message, which I think is rather neatly summed up in the nature of daemons. If daemons are made of Dust, and symbolise the human soul, then Pullman suggests that what makes us human and individual, is our flaws and desires. And when a persons daemon is severed, they are lifeless and cold to an extent that they may as well be dead. Perhaps it can be argued that the conflict of the novel is equally ideal perfection versus the reality of the flawed nature of humanity, as much as a struggle between control and freedom. It’s a brilliant, thought-provoking conversation, bound up in an intricately fleshed out epic which serves as an exciting metaphor for its topic of discussion.

.This anti-religious sentiment earned the series much controversy, and was a possible reason why the 2007 movie adaptation, ‘The Golden Compass’, never had a sequel produced. In defence of the series’ critics, the scene where God explicitly dies in the final act of The Amber Spyglass, must have been viewed as acutely offensive to Christians. However, I do not think that was Pullman’s intent; the issue of the narrative derives more from how religion can be used as an excuse for violence and oppression, not from faith as a whole. There is in fact something almost biblical about the creatures and settings of the trilogy, and their roles within the story. The manner in which every fantastical element serves to bolster Pullman’s point is a testament to how the series is of the highest level of its genre. The witches represent the power of nature, and how it is unable to be tamed by human authority. The repressive arm of the Magisterium manifests itself in the eerie Spectres, which feast on human souls. The harpies, and the realms of the land of the dead, prompt the consideration of the nature of death, and the hauntings associated with it. Indeed, the novel ends with Lyra declaring that she will build a Republic of Heaven, highlighting that religion is a positive thing, when it incorporates truly holy values and its power is not abused.

. The trilogy has now been very accurately adapted into the BBC series His Dark Materials, which first aired in November 2019, with the third and final season due to air in 2021. A great strength of the series is it’s willingness to not only maintain the books level of in-depth discussion, but to extend it. For example, in the second season, Mrs Coulter is shown to have an ability to not only be unaffected by, but to control the spectres, demonstrating her capability to repress her humanity. This is also shown through her abusive treatment of her monkey daemon, which shows a unique insight into the self-hatred that plagues her nuanced character.

. Even years after I first read in, His Dark Materials has retained its place as my favourite fantasy series, and one of the only series I have reread so attentively. It is one of those rare fictional worlds which feels so vividly real, and so believable in its characters and in its themes. It has an incredible ability to morph under the lenses of its specific reader; to a child, it can still be a gripping tale of a young girl’s adventure across many worlds, as to an adult it can be a deeply opinionated narrative of a philosophical nature. To me, it has been both, and I await the final season with a hunger that is evident of the re-readability of the series.

.Philip Pullman is an acclaimed author of dark children’s fiction; Northern Lights earned him a Carnegie Medal in 1996, and The Amber Spyglass won the Costa Book award in 2001. His other works include The Book of Dust series, Clockwork, The Ruby in the Smoke and the Daemon Voices. Pullman was knighted in 2019 New Years Honours, for his service to literature.

By, Rowan Speakman

To read more about Philip Pullman and his work, click here.

To buy His Dark Materials on Amazon, click here.

My Writing Journey

My first attempt at truly writing a novel occurred when I was fourteen; I can hear the cringes, and trust, me no-one is cringing just as much as I. Fourteen is a most peculiar age, and it’s very hard for most of us to look back at anything we did at that time without the horror of ‘God, was I really like that?”, which for us writers also manifests itself as, ‘God did I really write that?’ But this would not be much of a journey if I only discussed its pleasant parts.

The monstrosity in question was titled ‘The Entity’, about a girl and her companions searching for an object to end the war in their stereotypical, Medieval-copy-and-paste fantasy land. I was just writing what I liked, and what I liked at the time was anything to do with Lord of the Rings (obsessed is probably a more fitting word). It had just about every fantasy cliche imaginable; the protagonist was beautiful but did not realise it, the creatures were generic and unoriginal, and there was a *shudders* prophecy. I’m at least happy to say that I only got about ten chapters into this beast, and then I got bored of it (as fourteen years olds tend to do in regards to most things). But everyone has to start somewhere, and I have an odd, begrudging fondness for The Entity, which has sadly been lost to the void of missing Word files.

The next project I attempted, would be my first ‘baby’. You know what I mean, the sort of WIP that covers every nearby notebook in illegible notes, that you plan in your head on the school bus and make playlists for? That kind. As all geeks do, I had drifted from my fantasy phase into my dystopian phase. The title of my first completed novel was ‘Resistance’, a weird sci-fi, drama, thriller hybrid about a group of people who were immune to the affects of radiation, and are subsequently captured by a company who wish to retrieve their artificial intelligence assets from the radioactive remains of Chicago. And that was only the first half of the story, the second being the protagonists journey to defeat said company as revenge for the psychological trauma caused by her capture. As you can imagine with a novel so overstuffed with concepts and unsure of what it was, Resistance came to a grand total word count of over 120,000 words. Now I’ll admit, it wasn’t really that bad by a long shot, given that I wrote it when I was only fifteen, at a time where I was not particularly happy. It was bizarre, but it sort of worked, and there was a nice little romantic subplot which was surprisingly sweet, coming from a teen who supposedly hated the ‘L word’ (ironically, the trials and tribulations of the ‘L word’ would in fact become central plots in my later, and far better, works). Back then, I thought Resistance was great, despite the terrible formatting and the stapled together chapters. I distinctly remember beginning it on the 30th of August 2017, and finishing it on the same day one year later. I posted it on Facebook, I harassed my poor mum into reading it on a daily basis. It was the WIP which first gave me the real writing bug, and I am grateful to my naive fifteen year old mind for that. But I never really considered doing anything with it.

Extract from my first completed manuscript, ‘Resistance’ – age 15.

At this point I took quite a substantial break from writing; in fact, I didn’t type a word for a good fifteen months I believe. Probably because I was just pretty busy, in a pleasant way; I’d started sixth form college, and my workload had increased, along with my social life. Of course I thought about ideas and still occasionally flipped open a notebook. And over the year, I planned several different versions of what I consider to be my first anywhere near decent novel, and the first I would submit to agents. It was a new kind of writing for me, and having a year out to develop and learn more about myself and people definitely benefitted. I also have to give credit to the amazing English Literature teachers I had while at sixth form. My ears were pricked more than most during English class, as I was separating what I learned into two different mental files; what will help me pass my exams, and what will help me write a good book. All of these factors had tuned my mind towards the weightier skills of characters and themes, and permanently cut me off from any interest I had in fantasy or dystopian. I am by no means dismissing either of these genres as childish or shallow; it is exceedingly hard to write a good fantasy novel, and I have never succeeded upon any attempts, so I salute those writers wholeheartedly. I found a particular groove, in the genre of literary fiction, drama and psychological tension. My reading interests swayed with this, into more classical works like The Great Gatsby, and into contemporary domestic thrillers, such as the works of Ruth Ware and Liane Moriarty, feeding my love of complex character relations.

I wrote my next novel in the winter of 2019/2020, during our last free months as a society before the pandemic hit. A dark family drama set in New York, which discussed my growing interest in perception, and how different we appear in the eyes of various people. It poured out of me over the course of three months, and was shorter and sharper than anything I’d written before. I do not think I really gave myself enough credit for this achievement, considering I was juggling exam revision, coursework, illness at home along with writing. But regardless, it was by absolute pride and joy, and I felt it symbolised the newfound confidence I was growing into. It is amazing what a supportive network of friends, and studies you love, can do to a person. The shy, silent, pushover girl from my years at secondary school was gone, along with my blonde hair, which became a recurring joke among my friends and I; there was Blonde Rowan, and Auburn Rowan, and they were the same person but the latter was so much happier, and more sure of herself. As I found myself in my changing environment, I found my voice in my writing. For the first time, I actually told my friends about my passion, and they supported me with a touching amount of heart. I can vividly recall on Valentine’s Day 2020, happily sitting down with my friends in the morning, beaming as I knew I was about to finish my novel. No sulking singlehood for me this year.

An extract from my Winter 2019-2020 manuscript – age 17.

And then the pandemic hit. And it was around this time (back when we all thought we’d be inside for a month tops), that I finally did it. I sent the first few chapters of my beloved baby off to a literary agent. A year ago I would have shrivelled up under the bed at the very thought. I was sucked into the frustration of cover letters, synopsis’ and formatting, all on my old red HP laptop, which was begging to be put out of its misery. And as expected, the first rejection letter came. My heart sank, so unused to the risks of putting itself out there. But I hit send again, twice more. One chase-up, and then a rejection, and one no-reply. In fact, I sent the manuscript to seven more agents, and one helpful local author who very kindly beta read for me. I learnt to diagnose which rejection letters were computer generated, and which were personally typed. I was acutely surprised by some of the kindness, and genuine compliments within them; literary agents are not, as commonly thought, evil, heartless individuals. The overall consensus; my work was good, but it did not suit the specific agencies and their listings. No-one felt a burning passion for my work, no-one loved it to death. And how can you expect someone to market your manuscript if they aren’t crazy about it? It stung of course, but it was honesty. And the kind responses made me luckier than most; being lost to the mighty slush pile is the valid fear of all aspiring authors.

But by the spring, I was tiring of my American socialite ridden second born child. My mum and my aunt had both fully read it, and were a big support base for my sending it off. So I carried hope for a few months, and then I believe I lost it in regards to that particular manuscript. Lockdown was stressful, as my family pretty much all suffer from a long term illness, which is more acutely terrifying given our isolated living situation. I wanted a break, and to write something fun just for the sake of writing. So I penned the first eight chapters of a bizarre, dark dystopian comedy, set in Greece, following a group of survivors of a pandemic who are hired for a repopulation programme. It was my first time dabbling in first person, and the results were insane and terrific fun. I adored the characters, the setting, and the atmosphere of my dark and dry sense of humour. But alas, my perfectionism/being hard on myself took over, and I was not satisfied enough with the result to make it my next big project. So I relaxed really for the spring months, in terms of writing, but my inspiration was stoked and turned regularly by the brilliant series I was watching, and the new books stocking my shelves. I think it was around this time that I first fell in love Emily St John Mandel, whose work embodies everything I love about literature.

An extract from the strange dystopian comedy I wrote in Spring 2020 – age 17.

And then came what I consider so far to be my magnum opus. My favourite child, the one that gets that extra slice of cake and gets to sit in the passenger seat. The initial concept hit me swiftly, and I remember saying to my mum, one cool evening on a dog walk: “I have this one idea, and it’s going to be really difficult, but if it works, it will be the best thing I’ve ever done.” I planned it in a matter of weeks, changing and altering dramatically as I went. For practical, as well as symbolic reasons, I waited to begin my new project until my eighteenth birthday, under the hope that my parents had been very generous and bought me a new laptop. I punched the air when I unwrapped a new MacBook (I am spoilt I know, but it was my eighteenth, and I couldn’t have a party); I could finally start my next project, with my new laptop, and the new label of legal adult. I begun the very next day, June the 27th, with a writing schedule and chapter plan laid out before me. I beat myself up about it, of course, as I do with every project. I got so caught on the second chapter, in particular the protagonist, that I considered paying forty quid for an online course in character craft. But I pushed through, and ironically, that character became one of the best I’ve ever written. The whole novel had taken on a new depth, darkness and psychological edge, and my characters were better than ever, now becoming my babies themselves. Every chapter was a new challenge, and the 1930s setting was actually bottom of the list. I poured my heart and soul into it, and filled it with my opinions and beliefs, in a way I had never done before. It was finished at the end of August, and I printed it off. I remember staring at the title page on my desk, and grinning with pride and joy. I didn’t think I could ever be so happy with something I had created.

Extract from my summer 2020 manuscript – age 18.

So I turned over my A4 page with my list of agents, and wrote a new title at the top. Round two, lets go! And, naturally the rejection letters have come in, some computer generated and some extremely complimentary. I’ve been up and down with it emotionally, some days doubting why on earth am I even trying, and some days looking at those kind emails and feeling such a surge of a encouragement that I know I simply have to keep going. But regardless, I was back in my writing groove in a way I had never been before. My desk began to be flooded with first draft print copies, manuscript folders and notebooks, and my walls were covered in post-it note story boards. Also, I had just achieved a place at Oxford Brookes to study Media, Journalism and Publishing, a light at the end of the tunnel of a gap year in lockdown. By the end of 2020, my path was very clear in my head; I was going to make a career out of my passion, one way or another. It was part of me now, and it is something that I will have through whatever life may throw at me.

Over the winter of 2020, I wrote my first novella, an emotional ghost story alternating between two timelines. With this one, I wasn’t as rigid with my schedule, and initially I only considered it a bit of fun. But it was different than anything I had attempted before; full of my signature darkness, but full of a tangible human warmth rather than a psychological edge. More about maternal love and self-love than romantic love this time round. And surprisingly on par with my last manuscript, albeit very different. I gave it to my aunt for some bedtime reading a few weeks ago, not thinking I would ever do much else with it. That night, I was sitting watching TV with my mum, and the door was thrown open. My aunt came in, lines of mascara running down her cheeks, Pukka folder in hand. “You have to get this published,” she insisted, sitting down beside me. I was quite taken aback, that my work had been received with such emotion, even by a family member. However it is still a novella, and unless you are an established author, it’s very difficult to get one published, so there remains a pin in that particular manuscript.

Extract from my 2020/2021 novella manuscript – age 18.

Now, it’s been almost a year of trying to get an agent, with two manuscripts and a shedload of synopsis rewrites. I have sent my summer 2020 manuscript to twelve agents as of this day, and I’m still very unsure of its future. I am currently hovering a little between projects, having started another WIP, diagnosed it wasn’t working, and thus heading back to the drawing board. I am currently also weighing the pros cons of potentially self publishing both or one of the latter manuscripts in this post. Once I have gathered more information, I may do a post about the process; I will see what I can find. I would like to try and complete one more manuscript before I head to uni in September, as I can’t image I’ll have much free time once I’m there. But Oxford is a fantastic city to be in for aspiring authors, both for inspiration and for connection opportunities, so I am very hopeful.

All in all, hopeful is the word I would like you to take from this post, if you have read this far, and thank you if you have. Regardless of whether my manuscripts get an agent, I self publish them, or they just sit quietly on my computer, I am immensely proud of the progress I have made with my writing during lockdown, and how far I have come from the age of fourteen to eighteen. As my fellow aspiring authors will know, writing can be a lot of work with very little external gratification. The planning, the outlining, going back to the drawing board, the first draft, the numerous edits. And then the cover letters, the formatting, the synopsis’, the hunting for agents and editors online. But even if it doesn’t feel like it, you are making progress step by step, and you are getting closer to achieving your dream. Contrary to the length of this post, I actually highly dislike talking about myself, and I hope none of my words came across as arrogant of my own ability; I have got a great deal better than I ever hoped to, but my writing is of course very far from perfect. But if there are any developments, good or bad, I will be sure to post an update. So thank you for reading, and have faith in yourself; it’s probably the greatest tool to success there is.

Written by,

Rowan Speakman

(NOTE: The latter three manuscripts mentioned in this post do have fixed titles, but for copyright reasons I did not name them; these are the three manuscripts in my portfolio of work that could possibly be published, so I simply wished to be careful.)