Hello! Welcome to Issue 7! We’ve donned our elf hats to bring you a special festive edition, featuring books to read over the holidays and a gift guide for readers and writers. If you fancy being an elf too, head to p. 17 where we share some information on our exciting #ELFIE competition! This issue also features a sad goodbye to our amazing dramatic writing lecturer Lucy Tyler, who is going to be teaching at Reading university from January. The very best of luck, Lucy, and we’ll miss you! Grab a mince pie, sit by the fire and have a very Merry Christmas! We can’t wait to see your Elfies!
The Editors Charl Harrison & Ash Hartridge
3
An age-old debate - “Talent VS Hard Work�, and which is the most creative? Is it better to wrestle with the words, or wing it? p6
We hot-pick the gifts you should be getting for Christmas. p16
Alumni and students say goodbye to the lecturer of dramatic writing. p26
How to survive a degree when you are studying later in life. p10
Before I start, let me put into my own terms the everlasting 'talent vs hard work' debate. Both terms should be handled with care. So I made my own: Wingers and Wrestlers. The winger being the person who can 'wing' their writing, the wrestler being the person who needs to have a long fight with it first. I could quote Stephen King and Dave Grohl. I could talk about the 10,000 hours theory. I could rant about how annoying it is when people write their assignment the night before, and still get better grades for their piece even though you've spent a whole semester polishing yours. But that's too easy. If you are a winger, then you might be able to write something quickly that is good and publishmaterial after just a few drafts. That's fine, if you're fine with that. But imagine if you at the
6
same time worked with it longer and harder to make it even better. Look at it like sports: you can say 'wauw, I didn't train very hard, but I still won silver' or 'oh, I need to train harder so I will win gold next time'. Not that writing should be seen as a competition - that debate belongs in another article - but you get the analogy. If you're fine with silver, that's absolutely fine and you shouldn't be judged for that. I know a lot of wingers who aren't fine with silver, they don't rely on winging and they put lots of effort into their writing. Respect for that. If you are a wrestler, you might not be able to make a wonderful piece by trying to wing it. Neither after the second draft, or the fourth draft. But you can still head for the top. The road is long, and it will take time and effort, but in the end you'll eventually get there. Same sportsanalogy applies here; you can say 'wauw, after all my hard work I got the silver, I did a good job' or 'oh, I just need to keep going and next
time I'll get gold'. If you're fine with silver, that's absolutely fine and you shouldn't be judged for that. I know a lot of wrestlers who aren't fine with silver, and they are eager to learn and ingest every piece of knowledge and advice they can get. Respect for that. A tendency among wingers is that some people get arrogant, and believe they are superior. When they see wrestlers struggle, they laugh at them. Not cool. Others become so self-assured that they never really nurse their craft, they just believe they can, indeed, wing anything. Among wrestlers, some people tend to think their work is better than it actually is because of all the effort. Lots of effort is cool, but sometimes effort does not equal quality as fast as they'd hoped. Sometimes, even if they feel like they've reached the top, there's a winger who does it just as good, or better, blindfolded, and with his/her right hand tied to a toaster. It's the hard reality; dry your eyes and get over it. But do
not give up, like so many other wrestlers do; they compare their work with someone else's and say 'nope, I'm never gonna be that good.' I don't believe this can be true; the more anyone works with something, the better they get. I believe the best part is when the two types blend together. Wingers who wrestle with their work, wrestlers who wing the aspect of learning and crafting, and all sorts of mixes in between. Sometimes a presumed winger becomes a wrestler, and sometimes a presumed wrestler becomes a winger. I don't know if people are born wingers. There are too many types with different skills, habits, opinions, and mindsets to even try to discuss that. I believe anyone can be a wrestler, and achieve gold in the long run. If you're a winger: Awesome, embrace it. If you're a wrestler: Awesome, keep going. If you're a mix: Awesome, embrace it and keep going.
7
How different is your Did you finish A House novel compared to the Made of Stars before sections you sent out? How did you connect you started sending The characters are the with your publisher out your excerpts? same. The narrative Burlesque Press? The pieces I published structure is fairly differEvery year the Univer- came about before I ent. In the first drafts sity of Tennessee has a started publishing the they liked the characters Creative Writing contest book as a whole. They but thought that it was and I usually placed were really all over the too choppy, they wanted third. The wife of the place and didn’t have it to blend a lot more. So first place winner actu- their own narrative arc I ended up taking out a ally ran Burlesque Press yet. I was still figuring lot of the chapters I had and I got chatting to her. out where I wanted to initially published as it At that point I’d been begin and end it. Send- seemed to be a lot of the looking for a small press ing it out in excerpts same things happening and one that would be a really helped me to form again and again. good fit for a first book. the book. I got a lot of So, I sent her my novel great feedback from ediand it went from there. tors telling me what Do you tend to plan It really shows that con- worked and what didn’t, your novels or do you nections are everything so sending out excerpts let it develop on its – make business cards before I finished the own? and take book really helped deI free-wrote a lot in this them to velop the novel. book. In other areas of events. my life I like to plan, but
8
when I do that in my writing the language becomes too stilted and there are no surprises. I try and write for fifteen minutes without stopping. I break through writer’s block that way. That’s where I am with the sequel to A House Made of Stars at the moment and it’s how I’m figuring out where the different characters will go.
going throughout the scenes for my character, to show how she would get through it.
At what stage of developing your novel did you think about marketing it?
Marketing is really good to start thinking about straight away. Social media has been huge for me. When I had the book accepted, I made a website on WordPress which was What have you found good as well. Word of most challenging in mouth makes all the difwriting your novel? ference too so the earlier There have been difficul- the better, really. ties throughout writing it. It was really difficult writing the violent scenes in the book and I didn’t always feel ready to write the scenes yet. When I’m washing the dishes or whatever, I’m writing the scenes in my head, I’m thinking about it, but I would never do that for the violent scenes. But, it was necessary to keep
At what stage in your publishing career would you consider setting up a website? I don’t think there’s a set time. For sure before putting out your first book. Fictionaut.com is a great place to get feedback and make connections. In terms of a website, go ahead and set one up now…
Thanks, Tawnysha! She’s left us with a few top-tips to getting and looking for publishing. Check them out!
9
With the highest percentage of mature students falling into the 2539 age category, it’s likely to expect an increase in the presence of family and work commitments in the lives of these students. Balancing out studying with an active adult life probably poses the greatest challenge for any student.
10
Get your family on your side. That moment when you innocently say to your husband ‘Did I mention I’m lectures all day tomorrow?’ or ‘I promise this is the last social I’m going to…this week,’ will go much more smoothly if your partner or spouse is genuinely excited for you and the new path you are taking. The whole family will be feeling the consequences of the decision you have made, because there is only one of you to go around and now your time becomes split in (even) more directions. It’s important that they understand why this is important to you, however I am a firm believer that if you are
happy then the positive vibe will extend to those around you, too. Get some funding if you can as studying nowadays is not cheap. Depending on your personal circumstances and income, you may be eligible for loans, grants, scholarships, bursaries and other types of financial help. Consult the UCAS website for further information on what might be available. Carefully choose the institution you are planning to study with. When making your choice, you need to consider issues such as location and accommodation, the exact structure of the course and even how flexible and
supportive they are around your study/life balance. One of the things which attracted me to UoG instantly was Lucy Tyler’s endlessly positive attitude about any potential obstacle I mentioned to her, whether it was picking the right modules to fit around my childcare schedule, worries about work, or potential plans to expand my family, her approach was always one of ‘no problem.’ Be prepared for some sacrifices. If you are planning to study alongside your normal commitments, you may find that certain things have to give, whether that is TV time, Facebook time, maybe even gym time. In my first year, I found that I physically didn’t have enough hours in the week for all the modules I wanted to do and for my usual fitness regime, so I cancelled
my gym membership and made sure I got some exercise at home, in between other stuff. Write down your long -term goals which you ho p e to a chi eve through your studying, and get excited. It’s not going to be easy when you’ve been ‘on the go’ all day, you’ve just managed to put the children to bed and now y o u have hours of studying or essay writing ahead of you and all you want to do is crawl under the duvet. Think about the reason WHY you’re doing this in the first place, and in times of tiredness or over-saturation go back to that reason and really think about it, until you’re all fired up again! You’ve made
a conscious choice to develop yourself and this will undoubtedly bring you many pleasures and advantages going forward, so work hard, enjoy it and get excited about your future.
11
Change of Heart is a novel by Jodi Picoult which questions redemption and religion in the story of Shay Bourne, who is put on death row for killing a seven-year-old girl. This is the story of a misunderstood foreigner, the legality and morality of the death penalty and a little girl who will not survive without the heart of the man convicted of murdering her sister. But we should look at
12
the underlying question - if the son of God first appeared as a lowly carpenter, why not a prisoner on death row? Shay dabbles in healing (and the odd resurrection), turning water to wine and splitting a tiny stick of gum between seven greedy men. The American public begin to compare him to Jesus and even bring their ailing loved ones to essentially worship at the gates of Concord state prison. The desperation the author paints on the American public largely coincides with Marxist ideas of belief systems as a social opium. Shay’s existence as a deity, unbelievable as it may be, incites widespread worship and hope. Moreover, many
sociologists believe that the time-honoured stronghold of religion is largely a result of our need to explain the unexplainable and give us hope where there would otherwise be despair. Picoult also invites discussion about the deliberate selection of the contents of the bible by political figures and whether religious truth lies within the Agnostic gospels. Even from a few internet searches, it becomes evident that Christians largely label these notions as heresy. To try to resurrect the
illustrious story of Jesus’ crucifixion in a modern day setting is both risky and remarkable. The story goes that Jesus gave his life to repent for humanity’s original sin in the Garden of Eden. It could be argued that to describe a repetition of this 2000 years on is to suggest a failure on His part, suggesting we are once again in need of redemption. There is nothing as controversial as hanging an innocent man. The persistence of capi-
tal punishment in numerous states in America has been the subject of much dispute over recent years. Shay wins the hearts of the narrating characters and the reader and much to our combined horror; it be-
comes clear that not only is he innocent but he remains resolute that he will give his life in exchange for Claire’s. Shay is but a character in a story, fashioned for a purpose. Each year, four out of one-hundred people who are executed in the US are innocent. Once upon a time, a faultless man was nailed to a cross and whether you believe it or not - are we still any better than the men who hammered those nails?
Gone are the days of Martin Randall dismissing genre fiction to the first years in the opening weeks. To those of us who’ve been around for a few years, this reversal in opinion forces us to consider if the real Randall was abducted to any one of an array of planets out there in the vast nothingness of space.
Often the case, in my experience of what I’ve read, it’s due to the hang-up of world-building, and falling into the trap of cliché characters. Both of these could take a while to explain, so, albeit briefly, we’ll focus on one for the purpose of this article.
While, at its essential level, worldbuilding exists in everything we write – it gives us the context of the actions and developments and characters, etc. When I asked Martin to ex- – it is an established trait of fantasy plain his newfound openness to genre and science fiction and the like, to fiction, he said that he’d seen some really push the boat out to explain to a good pieces in recent years that reader this new world, or new unichanged his stance on it. Simple as verse, or new realm, that our story that - which gets me to wondering; will take place in. Because of the unwhat is it that makes genre fiction known factor – that even a foreign ‘good?’ country can be googled for context in Plenty of people will try it – realist fiction – and the depth of I’ve been working with it for most of imagination used sometimes to create the course myself – these places, authors often get tied up but so often it falls flat, in the minor details, which if you take or doesn’t quite ‘work.’ a step back, and take a deep breath,
14
you’ll realise aren’t all that important. George R.R. Martin, famed for ASOIAF, claims he himself struggles to always remember the details of the expansive universe he created for the series of novels which birthed a more familiar Game of Thrones. He refers to a friend and confidante, Elio Garcia, to keep track of the microscopic details like the genders of horses, and the colours of characters’ eyes. Genre fiction, if you’re aiming for a best-selling series of ten, will inevitably become immersive and sprawling. That said, a solo novel alone will instead be faced with the challenge of world-building and story-telling in a single word count. A novella or short story, and this all becomes immensely hard to control. The key to making it work then, perhaps, is to take a backseat with world-building. As with regular concrete detail – a staple element of a believable story – the worldbuilding detail of genre fiction must be measured and with a point. Avoid getting caught up on a chapter explaining the rest of a new solar system, if none of the other planets are to feature in a primary way. And while the hero sits drinking mead in a Tavern, talking to an old drunkard, perhaps skip the part where he suddenly orates the grand
history of six great wars and four hundred years of political friction. Often, this peripheral detail is lovely for an incredibly keen enthusiast for the lore – I will happily immerse myself in the extended universe of Star Wars come rain or shine – but to a keen story reader, this will dampen interest. Detail must be carefully implemented for as much effect as the next line of dialogue, or the protagonist’s next action. Everything must matter. So if our sci-fiesque short story is about a planet colliding with another planet, then it may be worth talking in part about said planet…if anything is known about it. Similarly, if our fantasy story is set in the midst of a civil war, or a war against an invading race, or whatever the case may be, and it is relevant to the narrative of our protagonist, then make sure to tell the reader about it. It influences how a story is digested; it’s an additional ingredient in the melting pot of context. If this – make sure everything matters – is familiar, then I feel we’re on the same lines. The key to writing good genre fiction, is to simply write good fiction. Which, coincidentally, is also really difficult.
15
16
1. NOVEL TEAS Spend teatime with your favourite novels (£2.50) littlebookishgifts; 2. EDGAR ALLAN POE Putting your toes into Poe-try (£7.99) + 3. ZIPMARK Don’t lose your place after a hard day’s reading (£5.99) + 4. LIBRARY KIT Never lose the books you lend with this nifty set (£12.95) theliterarygiftcompany; 5. ZOMBIE BOOKENDS Put the Walking Dead to work! (£7.95) red5
1. GRAMMAR MUGS A fine bone china guide to grammar and literature (£9.95) theliterarygiftcompany; 2. STORY CUBES A great little game for inspiration available in a variety of themes (from £9.99) storycubes; 3. BOOKISH JEWELLERY Find the perfect accessory for the stylish writer (from £8.00) charlieblossom; 4. WRITING SIGN Now you can have a room of one’s own! (£7.99) littlebookishgifts; 5. AQUANOTES Always getting ideas in the shower? Write them down with this waterproof notepad (£10.77) myaquanotes
tr y e Po
io t c i
n
F
The falling night his haunt of choice, Commands the moon with ancient voice. Winter tail flecked grey and white, His skin is thick but his movements light. Immobile but fearless, his lessons learned, He heard the noise before he turned. A flash of fangs above poised claws, Snow retreats from weathered paws. Without his pack to break his fall, He knows he cannot stop them all. Into the reddened snow he’s thrown, Compelled by pride, he’ll stand alone.
20
Trees dressed in lights surround the skating rink, their stars, his eyes; December’s magic gold. They tread on ice as blushing fingers link, faint smiles and words are caught in clouds of cold. A ‘happy ever after’ tale she chose, though nobody is watching when it starts. The story of a monster and a rose, while sparks will fly amidst the logs and hearts. But hail will fall like needles from above, and both will strike if just to see who’ll bleed. With nothing more in common than their love, yet too alike in manner to concede. He takes her wrist as sleet thaws into rain, wondering if they’ll snowball fight again.
The glass shatters and he falls, and I fall with him. Lifeless bodies grounded, spread apart against the blank canvas, beside splinters and cracks, lips torn apart and rose rivers flowing across pale cheeks and silhouettes walking to and fro, collecting parchments and broken mementos. The dab and soak of a white sheet against cold skin, and the ripped smile opened as the soft blow of the cold night’s wind rustles through the tender and sweet. The reversal of sudden events and bodies levitate and eyes reopen and rose rivers retract to their closing crevices, screams distorted and tears soaked up. Silhouettes counter welcoming and the un-jarring of a door’s frame, footsteps vanish. Glass pieced logically together without hindrance, two above, eyes touching, caressing, moulding, and arms interlocked, spiralling upwards, waltzing vertigo. Back upon the towers ledge, the figure in the spectacles reaching out to hold onto the rising performers, a crimson dash typed into the back of his hem, before washing away, and the metallic shard removed rolls to the gun in the woman’s hand and the phosphorous wisps evaporate in a beautifully slow visionary display. Tangles and mangles and wounds as toes slip over the chance cusp and the image is safely designed. All above, reversal concludes, and so below. Falling reopened and shattering resounded, littered across the marble, a decadent delight.
21
y r t e Po
io t c i
n
F
Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf, Witches' mummy, maw and gulf Liver of the blaspheming Jew, Balls of a goat, and slips of yew Silver'd in the moon's eclipse, Nose of Turk and Tartar's lips, Add thereto a tiger's chaudron, For the ingredients of our cauldron. Once upon a time a few mistakes ago, I was in your sights, and you got me alone Round about the cauldron go, in the poison’d entrails throw. But I guess you didn’t care, and I guess I liked that and when I fell hard, you took a step back. And thrice the brinded cat hath mew’d. and thrice and one the hedge-pig whined.
22
But round and round about the cauldron go. I knew you were trouble when you walked in. So shame on me now. They flew me to places I’d never been. Make the gruel thick and slab, ‘cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in, Eye of newt and toe of frog, For the ingredients of our cauldron, Now I’m lying on the cold hard ground. Oh, oh, trouble, double, double, Toil and trouble, Fire burn and cauldron bubble! And the saddest fear comes creeping in Thrice to thine and thrice to mine And thrice again, to make up nine. Peace! the charm's wound up.
I knew you were trouble.
When Claire and her husband Dan move into a new house, their lives become interconnected with those of the neighbours who live near a derelict tower block marked for demolition. In an emotional rollercoaster of a story we begin to realise that each of these neighbours has a secret, some more pressing than others, and as we learn more about these characters, we start to doubt ou r preconceptions of them. The Secret Baby Room has been criticised as being hard to get into and often leads
you to doubt the motives of Claire, but its ending is satisfactory and leaves you wanting to know more about the future lives of Dan and his wife. Crime fiction expert Lee Horsley, author of The Noir Thriller, writes: ‘D.D. Johnston’s The Secret Baby Room is a tense and compelling psychological thriller. Claire Wilson’s investigation leads her not only towards the dark knowle d g e of past
crimes but towards an understanding of the damaged lives of those around her.’ Being Johnston’s third novel, his use of a female character as the protagonist is an exploration into what it means to lose a child and how it can affect the emotional health of someone. The characters have interesting quirks that set them apart from the norm, often breaking from the prejudice of certain members of the public. Overall, the book is an enjoyable read that sets itself apart from typical thriller novels.
23
Brave New World: Adapted by Dawn King A l d o u s Huxley’s extraordinary novel was brought to life at the Everyman Theatre this October. It tells the story of a future ‘World State’ in which humans aren’t born but created in labs in the ‘Hatchery and Conditioning Centre’ in London. Each human is programmed with specific traits, enabling them to be members of certain parts of society; from Alpha (the highest, intellectually superior caste) to Epsilons (the lowest caste). We are taken on a journey in which Bernard Marx, an Alpha male who fails to fit into the role of an Alpha, attempts to impress Lenina, a female Beta, only to bring John into their world. John has an Alpha father but has grown up on the ‘Savage Reservation’ outside of the World
State and we witness his rise and fall in this totalitarian state of genetic engineering, synthetic food and recreational drugs. There is no love, hate, pain, war or fear of death here, and John, who was born naturally and grew up reading Shakespeare has difficulties coming to terms with such a place. The uniformity of people living in the World State is exemplified throughout the play. Everything is clinical, characters are given the same clothing, hairstyles and mannerisms and they often move in sync. This is what makes the arrival of John the Savage so beautiful. Not only does he question, dream and love, he also creates a marvellous juxtaposition in this regimented habitat. One thing that this play does is make you think. It makes you question the society we live in and where it’s heading. Although a lot of what happens seems far-
fetched, certain ideas do seem eerily prescient: technology addiction, drug use, mind control, promiscuity and emotional detachment are all themes that King has made apparent in this imaginative and unsettling production. Right from the start, the physical aesthetics are intriguing. From labs to elevators to flying cars we are taken through a range of different futuristic locations with brilliant lighting and sound effects, and the use of video im-
agery and original music by These New Puritans’. Although some parts feel as though King has been a bit ambitious in attempting to fit the entire novel into the production, creating moments that are difficult to follow, all together this is a well-crafted, interesting and thought provoking play that I would definitely see again.
Teechers by John Godber at Gloucester Guildhall January 13th – 16th, £10 Set in a modern secondary school, this fast paced, humorous play looks at the students putting on a play about the teachers and students of the school. An almost play-ception, this will bring back memories and the theme of playwriting is something we can all connect with. National Theatre Live at the Bacon Theatre: Les Liasons Dangereuse January 28th, £16.50/£12.50 The Bacon Theatre screens a range of National Theatre shows, giving us the opportunity to see some amazing productions right on our doorstep. The first show of 2016 will be an adaptation of Choderlos de Laclos’ novel in which two rivals use seduction to degrade each other. It is said to depict the debauchery of the French aristocracy before the French Revolution. Look out for more NT live screenings. Escaped Alone by Caryl Churchill at The Royal Court January 21st – March 12th, £35 - £12 Next year is the Royal Court’s 60th birthday and Churchill’s new play will kick the year off. It’s a story about four women in their sixties and seventies drinking tea in a garden. Lovely. I can’t wait to see what this inspirational playwright has in store for us.
27
Fancy writing something new over the festive period? Making lists is a great way to start a new project by brainstorming subjects you could write about. Here are a few ideas for lists you could make while the kettle’s boiling (or any other annoying circumstances where you have to do some waiting.) - Your pet hates/irritations - Your wishes - Unwanted feelings - People you admire - The best presents you’ve ever received - What you’d do if you won a million pounds - What you’d grab if your home was on fire - Your favourite childhood books - Things you could never forgive - Your worries
The Five-Minute Writer by Margret Geraghty
28
Our List
for keeping motivated over the holidays!
1. Listen to Christmas music! It’s sure to brighten your mood. 2. Give yourself a break in between work. It’s a good excuse for a mince pie! 3. Chat to people from your course about writing ideas and share your work. It helps to seek advice from your peers about your essays and to reassure you that you’re on the right track. 4. Keep reading – after all, that is key to being a good writer! The recommended amount is twenty minutes a day. That’s twenty minutes you get to escape from the chaos of Christmas. 5. Soak in the Christmas atmosphere – it’s the most wonderful time of the year! Enjoy the freedom of writing without the pressure of going to lectures. Good luck with all your writing over the festive period and we hope to see some of your work in the first issue of the New Year!
29
Tuesday 19th
Tuesday 2nd
Tuesday 1st
Welcome Back Drinks
Issue 8 Launch
Open Reading
The Frog & Fiddle
Smokey Joe’s Coffee Bar
The Frog & Fiddle
7:30pm
8:00pm
7:30pm
Tuesday 26th
Tuesday 9th
Tuesday 8th
Quiz Night
Open Reading
Book Club
Smokey Joe’s Coffee Bar
The Frog & Fiddle
Smokey Joe’s Coffee Bar
7:30pm
7:30pm
TBC
Tuesday 16th
Thursday 17th
Workshop Session
Easter Social
TBC
SU Bar
7:00pm
8:30pm
*Please note these are subject to change. Sign up to our newsletter or like our Facebook page for information about upcoming events.
Tuesday 23rd Quiz Night Smokey Joe’s Coffee Bar
30
7:30pm
31