Third Year Reading List

The bad news: my laptop has decided to randomly break (I'm writing this on my boyfriend's laptop). The good news: I've got my reading list for next year. The modules I'm doing next year are Writing History Fiction, Advanced Fictional Writing, Writing Comic Books and Graphic Novels, Science Fictions, Creative Visions, and finally Creative Voice.

Out of all the books I have only read two so far, and one of them is the Writer's and Artist's Yearbook, so not too fun.

For Creative Voice I have to read the following:

Have a look at How to Write a Novel by Sandra Newman and Howard Mittelmark (Penguin) and The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook 2012 (A&C Black).

http://www.thebookseller.com/jobs.html
http://jobs.guardian.co.uk/
http://www.prweekjobs.co.uk/
http://jobs.thirdsector.co.uk/

Hypertext: The Electronic Labyrinth at http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/elab/.
Ebbflux at http://www.ebbflux.com/
The Multiple Perspectives of Jekyll & Hyde at
http://www.calumkerr.co.uk/jekyll/
E-zines: Blankpages at
http://www.blankmediacollective.org/index.php/news/blankpages/
The Recusant at http://www.therecusant.org.uk/
Print-on-demand: CompletelyNovel at http://www.completelynovel.com/.

For Science Fictions I have to read:

H G Wells, The War of the Worlds
Poul Anderson, Three Hearts and Three Lions
P K Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
Trudi Canavan, The Magicians’ Guild

I've already read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, you may know it as the film Blade Runner, and started on The War of the Worlds. It's a pretty fun reading list and I'm really looking forward to doing this module. 

For Writing History Fiction I have to read these books over the summer:

Mantel, Hilary: Wolf Hall (London, Fourth Estate, 2009; paperback 2010)
Taylor, Andrew: The American Boy (London, Harper Perennial, 2004)
Faber, Michel, The Apple and other Crimson Petal stories (Canongate UK, 2011)

Finally, for Comics and Graphic Novels I have to read:

Rene DeLiz, ed., Womanthology 
Neil Gaiman, The Sandman Vol1: Preludes and Nocturnes
Frank Miller, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

I'm really excited for this, Neil Gaiman and Batman? How much more awesome can you get?

As you can see I have a lot to read over the summer, but good things, no more boring things like Wuthering Heights. 

The Weather

A rather British beginning to a post - talking about the weather.

I'm finding it very hard to write at the moment as it is just so sunny. Who wants to stay indoors on their laptop when the weather is this great? Yes, I know I'm on a laptop now but that's because I've already been outside all morning. I have been working on things, don't get me wrong. I take a notepad out into the garden while I sunbathe. My idea for my ECP has been brewing for a couple of days now, just like the Herman Cake I was given by The Student Housewife, and now they're both ready to be put in the oven. Okay, I have no idea where that metaphor just went, my brain's been frazzled by the sun.

I guess what I meant was that my ECP idea has solidified into quite a workable story. I now have to actually start writing it. My ECP doesn't have to be handed in until March next year but I'm already prepared to start writing it, it feels way too soon. Of course, I have to have a meeting with Judy first, and hopefully she will like it, otherwise it's back to square one again. It's less of a romance now and more of a murder mystery. I never done any writing in this genre before so it will be interesting.

I wanted to write something more substantial in this post but I'm not ready to share my ECP plot and I'm too hot to think of anything else. Though last night I did have a dream that I got Firsts for my two environmental pieces, From Earth with Love and Gaia's Final Revenge. It was surprising dream, and an impossible one too as I didn't complete the word count for the second piece.

Oh well.

Time to go sit out in the sun again and forget my worries. 

Character Profile Sheet

Character Profile Sheets are very important in writing. And I have created the most awesome one ever. It is a combination of the two I have posted before. It has all the details you would need to define any of your characters. Fill this sheet out and you will know your characters back to front and inside out.

Basic
Name:
Gender:
Date of Birth:
Age:
Birthplace:
Nationality:
Social Class:

Family

Family Background:

Marital Status: 
Children & Ages: 

Pets: 

Physical Appearance

Height:

Weight:
Hair Colour:
Eye Colour:
Tattoos or Piercings:

What do they sound like:
Typical Outfit:
Any Other Info:

What would you find in the pocket/handbag:

Accommodation

Where do they live (City, Countryside):
Living Arrangements (House, Shared, Rented): 

Do they share it with anyone:
What is their home like: 
How do they get around:
  

Personal Information
Hobbies or Pastimes:
Favourite Films:
Favourite Books:
Favourite Album:
Favourite TV Programme:
Favourite Sport and Team:
Favourite Food:
Favourite Drink:
Favourite Colour: 

Perfect Weekend:
Ideal Holiday Destination:

Personality
Best Point:
Worst Point:
Mannerisms:

Morals:
Fears:
What is the thing that worries them most:
What do they look forward to:
Temperament:

Have they lost anything important to them:
What do they hate most: 

What is most important to them: 

What are their obsessions:
Do they have an ambition:
What do they dream about:
What are their secrets:
Do they believe in religion or life after death: 
Do they get on with other people or avoid them:

Who do they love: 

Has their heart ever been broken:

Do they have a best friend or someone they can confide in: 
Did they have a happy childhood:
What were they like in their childhood: 

When were they happiest:

Education

Schools attended: 

Current year/grade:

How well are they doing:

Favourite Subject:
Most Hated Subject:

Profession

Job Description:

Degree of skill at occupation: 

How do they feel about their occupation:

Salary:
Hours Worked:
Job Satisfaction:
Reputation at Work: 

Creative Writing Dissertation - ECP

Last week I had a meeting about my ECP (Extended Creative Piece). It's the Creative Writing version of a regular dissertation. It takes the place of two modules, so I only have to do six modules next year, but that still means 12 pieces of coursework as well as a dissertation. The ECP includes an 8000 word creative piece, which can be a couple of chapters of a story, a collection of poems, a screenplay, literally anything involving writing! Then I have to do a 2000 word rationale, not so interesting. I'm not so good at these, but hopefully I will have a lot of help and will have improved by this time next year. 

So, my meeting was with Judy Waite, my ECP supervisor. She was my lecturer for Fiction for Children module, and Creativity in the first year. She's a fun, and very creative person. She also knows a lot about the children's and young adult publishing/writing world. She has written quite a few books like Game Girls, which you may have heard of as it was pretty controversial and in the news, Forbidden, and The Next Big Thing as well as many others. I haven't read any of them yet but I keep meaning to. 

My idea for my ECP involves YAF and textual intervention. For Christmas I was given a huge book of Edgar Allan Poe stories and poems and I thought that would be a good contrast to the typical teenager fiction. I had thought of doing something about Maggie who takes all the advice from women's magazines. Judy thought it sounded good, but was a bit too complex for an 8000 word piece. She seemed very interested in textual intervention, which I had forgotten about really. We discussed what I would have to research over the summer, like talking to librarians, people at Waterstones, and maybe any teenage girls I know.

I have to go back in June for another meeting. By this point I need a 500 word synopsis and three pieces experimental writing. This may seem easy but I literally don't know what to write about. Well, that's not quite true, I have a few ideas rattling about. 

The main character, a girl (name undecided) moves to a new house in a little town near a place called the Nevermoor. The house and town are creepy, like something from a Tim Burton film. Things start happening to the girl that resemble the works of Edgar Allan Poe, like a black cat with one eye, ravens flocking, and bodies under the floorboards. The house will have been the place of a murder and to find out who the murderer is the girl has to read Poe's books and find out the endings. Of course, while this is all happening she will meet a boy and romance will ensue. 

Or something.

I haven't fully decided yet. But I'll keep mulling it over and hopefully more will come to me. Probably when I'm trying to sleep. It reminds me a little of Neil Gaiman's Coraline. You know, she moves to a new house, with a black cat hanging around, and there's the strange little door and the Other Mother. I would like that same level of magical creepiness in my own piece. 

I still have a while to decide. Until then I will have to think, think, think! If you have any ideas or thoughts, just leave a comment.