‘West of the moon, east of the sun’

There is a world which stands on the edge of time. A distance that is crossed only by transcendence. The far mountains call to me and I long for their story – the story they have told since the edge of everything became as sharp and focused as life. Beyond my sight there is a great adventure, eternal, mortal in the way we have come to perceive things. I may glimpse it when my spirits are low; when they stray, bleak and closed. The wind carries it to me: that far world. It is beyond wonderful; it is Truth I yearn to touch; to be held by the distant height above the pines. A scent and my heart lifts, running with the winds.

The sun is hot, searing my skin, but these winds are cool – cold and pure – they live within themselves, rushing against me to cool the sun’s heat. They blow from the place I see beyond the horizon. Of all the things nature offers, this is the greatest: this promise of adventure, eternal youth – it is linked to being alive.

For now I sit, head aching with human anxieties, which are suddenly so unimportant when the wind blows from the direction I cannot find the way to. There are no maps to guide me, save for the one imprinted on my soul.

Sidmouth

 From this little height granted by the bank of shingles, the crashing sea is muted. Things have softened and individual giants are heard only in the trances of the blast. These waves are a bare hint of the ocean’s power, but their roar is enough to command respect. The named cliff catches the echo in its hollowed undercutting; erosion has created a natural amplifier – a conical shell which the sea inhabits like a hermit crab. This human-scarred cliff cups the waves, holding them close as it backs inevitably toward the land. As if to say -

No, I cannot leave you sea: murderer and companion, friend and foe. The land is dry and empty, devoid of sighs, moving to an unseen cycle which does not include me. I belong to the coast, to the restless shifting tides of the moon; I know them well, for we have grown old together, shared the secrets of sky and sea. These are what we know, have served, guarded and directed, withstood for aeons. I have no love for earth, unless it be beneath the deep, or pounded by the surf, or encased within my red being.

These shallow cliffs behind me are friendly with grasses; green stems grow linear along their feet, contrasting verdancy with desert. Those other higher cliffs, of which I wrote, lie further, after three-quarters of a mile of shingle; they grow, reaching higher, diminish, then higher still. I do not know these cliffs; they are red monolithic spines – the backs of amphibian raiders long dormant. Will they wake? Perhaps soon, perhaps never. It depends on stories, and whatever I have the power to tell.

On Publishing

On May 19th, I went to a talk in the Strand given by this dude, Julian Friedmann. He’s meant to be a top screen and book writing agent, who’s keen to support new talent. Whether he’s any good or not, I got some valuable tips out of the evening which I thought I’d share with you.

What to include with a manuscript submission:

• A contents page. Different editors/agents like to peruse submissions in different orders.
• Short ten-line pitch that could possibly end in a cliff-hanger.
• Brief description of significant characters (2-3 lines each for minor; 5 lines for major).
• Your intentions. Why write this story? Why do you feel it is you who must tell it?
• 2-3 page synopsis (if it’s a novel), present tense. Don’t include back-story in synopsis, put necessary back-story in character bios.

The accompanying letter should not begin with ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ or ‘To whomever this may concern’. The writing/publishing industry is apparently quite informal and it shows far more professionalism to address your covering letter to the most relevant person; even begin the letter with their first name. If this is information that can’t be found on the net, then a secretary can usually give you the correct contact.

Should anyone find themselves in a position to pitch at a convention or literary event, here’s a few tips on verbal pitching:

• Brevity. Aim for 60 seconds.
• Don’t wait to write story. Pitch depends on who you pitch to. Work out how to pitch early in the development of your idea.
• Include the title, format (novel/play etc) and genre of your work.
• If you want your story to be easy to sell, it should be easy to pitch. 
• To aid in the explanation of more complicated stories, sometimes referring to a similar work can help.

General reminders I found useful:

• Story has to come from who your characters are. You can’t dump characters in a situation which could not have resulted from who they intrinsically are.
• Human behaviour, ie why people behave the way they do, is at the heart of storytelling.
• The ability of the author to exert objectivity over the psychology of a character is important.
• You are writing for other people, not just yourself; the primary relationship is writer-reader, not writer-characters.
• Let a character speak for his or her self. Automatic writing is a good way to generate the small details that make a character three-dimensional. With a wealth of description then available, you can pick and choose the unique traits/idiosyncrasies to weave into your characterisation.

A paler shade

I’m a-tryin’ the white. What do we think of the new bloggish style?

Sleeker?

Fresher?

Chaster?

Or altogether less mysterious? Does it belie my dark nature? Will I lead innocents astray?