The Problem with Reading

The problem for writers about reading is that you can’t stop being a writer enough to get really absorbed into a new book. If you also happen to be teaching Creative Writing at a university as I am it gets even worse. Each book you read, you start editing and I often find I start thinking in terms of marks. I even reedit my own book as I give readings at schools and other meetings. I used to think what they said about Anthony Minghella was an exaggeration – that he never finished work he just abandoned it. Now I think I’m even worse than him.
Take the book I’m reading at the moment. It’s a typical holiday read, written by an American about American women but with much of the plot playing out in Europe. However, there is plenty of back story set in the States. I initially found several of the sentences clunky and the only character I’ve met in depth somewhat unbelievable. The technology is way out of date – no blackberries, no mobiles being used in flight mode and no wireless internet. Still, the book is only a few years old and that is how fast technology is moving.
And yet. By chapter three I’m hooked.
I feel very much the same about the Harry Potter books. I can pick lots of faults with the writing. Yet the plots are superb. Plot is King. And interestingly, Stephen King claims he does not plot but just puts characters together and sees what happens. Yet his plots are almost perfect. All this analysis, hey? Reading won’t ever be the same again, I guess.

Workshop at Padgate High School, Warrington

I did enjoy this yesterday. This was part of the Masterclass series we offer from the University of Salford. I did a two hour gig with Year 13. I started off with a couple of warm-up sessions. The first was the “Angels / Gargoyles” exercise. This gets the students using language in perhaps a surprising way. They then moved on to do their own “opposite” word storm. Next was a mind-map of words and phrases about themselves, of which they then had to replace any one containing an ‘e’ with words or phrases without ‘e’. This gets rid of the clichés and stretches the imagination.
We then moved on to three ways of getting in to a story:
· The Stephen King method – take a scene and go from there. We examined that scene with our senses. This always leads to good writing in my opinion.
· Story theory – inciting incident, ratchet, crisis, climax, resolution – hints of golden segment
· Characters – hero, friend, enemy, mentor (who always steps out of the way at the right moment).
Finally, we did my character magic exercise – with fingers crossed behind my back again – and it did work. I actually worked with the teacher on that one.
I think they all enjoyed it. And you could have heard a pin drop whilst they wrote their little scene, having created their two characters. Lots of questions at the end. That felt good.
Yes, very satisfying.