Speculation, Fact and Fiction

Did the last gigs of the year on Friday. Well, last public gigs, I am giving a talk on modern fantasy to some Singaporean students visiting Oxford in December. As one does.

Back to Friday though and the Guildford Book Festival. Really good to end the last month and a half's run of professional engagements on a high. My creative writing workshop was a sell-out and everyone seemed to really enjoy it - including sadaprilsky (score one for LJ!).

For the curious, the way I run these things is essentially me lecturing for an hour on the business of writing and then the craft of writing (or half the time available, coz given how much there is to say, I can go on and on and on...)

Then we all take a break and after that, we work as a group with me at the flip chart sketching out an imaginary novel. Starting with the choice between 'man goes on a journey' or 'stranger comes to town' and then ok, are we talking man or woman, where have they come from or are going to and why...

And it goes merrily on from there with me playing devil's advocate and highlighting issues about world building and character development and plot logic and wider references in books (genre and non-genre), film and tv that would need to be looked at. All of which shows how what I've been talking about in the first half actually works in practise.

It never, ever plays out even remotely the same way twice and this time we ended up with a potentially dark and even tragic steam-age fantasy where magic is alchemy and it's seen as the devil's work and practitioners are hunted down, presenting their friends with oh, such hard choices where the heroine's final escape is only facilitated by the self-martyrdom of her friend who's been trying all along to live a quiet life sitting on the fence but decides to make a stand... Great fun.

Haven't been buying a daily paper for a while now, being so busy they've been piling up unread. So I don't know if Simon Hoggart is still musing on giving lit fests a star rating system, in his Saturday column in The Guardian. Well, I already knew the one he's been rudest about isn't the Guildford Book Festival. Because I could identify the really rubbish one from what he's written - not that I have been a guest, thankfully. But we writers do talk to each other and believe me, word gets round...

Anyway, if he does ever issue his star ratings, Guildford should get the maximum number. Comprehensively professional organisation beforehand and at the event, friendly and welcoming organisers, booksellers totally on the ball as regards stock, showcards etc, generously stocked and comfortable green room for participants, all the kit needed for the workshop ready and waiting, including half-time tea/coffee - all food/drink for me between the afternoon and evening session supplied gratis.

Excellent venue in Guildford's Electric Theatre, both in terms of the seminar room and the actual theatre itself for the evening gig. Where there was tech! As in radio mikes, all sorted and tested beforehand. Coo, haven't worn one of those since I was a chorister.

Anyway the evening session was me, Mike Carey and Paul Magrs talking about the future of fantasy. Have had the pleasure of meeting Mike a few times now and knew him to be a entertaining and reliable fellow panellist. Reports from mutual pals (like desperance) inclined me to trust Paul would prove the same. And he was, so we had a very interesting and wide ranging chat that the audience certainly seemed to appreciate. Which was great, since when a festival is clearly working so hard for the authors and punters alike, it's nice to think we authors have given good value in return.

Then we did the booksigning and chatting thing and I headed back to my mum and stepfather's, since they live conveniently close. So we could chat and catch up and I could wake up whenever I wanted on Saturday morning rather than being in any sense duty parent. Hurrah.

Then I came home and did all the backed-up domestic admin like laundry and ironing and addressed shopping and other issues along with the rest of the household. Phew.

And now I am having a day off. A real day off. Watching telly and reading books and not doing anything to do with housework or homework or my work or any stuff like that.

Half term has now started so me and the lads are off into Oxford tomorrow to see the stage version of Michael Morpurgo's Private Peaceful so that's also a day off with added culture.

Tuesday will see me back at the book-in-hand. I now have eight weeks to get the first draft finished and then comprehensively revised and rewritten for presentation 17th December. Which is doable. As long as I don't have anything much else to do. Oh, like write that article for Vector on History at the Margins for the 1st of November. Um. OK, that's Tuesday then... Wednesday back to the book-in-hand.