How Not to Get Writer’s Block

For the second in our ‘How not to…’ series, our author Edward de Chazal offers these thoughts on how not to get writer’s block:

‘Writer’s block’ refers to that most conceited of states – a perceived inability to create through language. Among creators, writers alone identify with the condition: who would accept ‘gardener’s block’ from the person hired to landscape their grounds as an excuse for work not done?

Yet, as most writers will testify, we do periodically suffer from it. And it can be agonizing in mind and body.

Indeed, the mind holds the key to overcoming writer’s block, for it surely doesn’t stem from lack of time or space.

Here are seven ideas for conquering it:

Carry a notebook and pen – discover how the most unexpected moments (waiting for a train / sitting on a rock by the sea) can bring forth creation.  

Set yourself little goals throughout the day – when you reach the top of the hill / pour out your first coffee, write at least three lines.

 Keep a diary – add up your daily word count and display it / feed it into a spreadsheet, thereby plotting your progress while building motivation.

Give yourself treats for set targets – a guiltless evening glass of claret is yours whenever you reach your daily 1000 words. Otherwise, sadly, it’s just sparkling water.

Time yourself – set the stopwatch for one hour and aim to reach 500+ words – even if half is padding some will be editable up to acceptability or better.

Write the easy bits first – yes, leave those tricky passages for later and write the lovely scenes that you really want to indulge in. These will add up to thousands of words and you’ll have broken through the dreaded WB.

Relocate to create – related to my first idea, get out of your comfort zone and go somewhere new: a café in town; a railway station; and yes, a rock by the sea.

Try one of these ideas and watch your writing flow. Try all seven and see it fly!

Edward de Chazal

How Not To Write Action Scenes

Here at Resolute Books we’re thrilled to be starting a brand new series on the blog today: The ‘How Not To’ guide to writing. You can expect posts such as How Not To Write Dialogue. How Not To Build Worlds, How Not To Write Historical Fiction and How Not To Write Crime Scenes, all from different authors within Resolute Books.

Today the series is kicking off with Paul Trembling, author of the crime thriller Local Killer, on how action scenes should - or shouldn’t - be written.

How not to write action scenes

Of course, not every story has, or needs, an action scene. (So you might want to skip this altogether.) But if you do have them - or even just one of them - in your story, then it’s probably a fairly crucial part. Very often the climax of a novel will be an action scene, a full on, high octane, no-holds-barred final confrontation between two (or more!) major characters. And if you’ve just spent the last 80,000 words working your way up to that, you absolutely need to get it right!

The big problem that you - and all writers - have with an action scene is that you’re trying to do two opposite things at once. One the one hand, pace is everything, and you need to keep things moving or even accelerating all the way through. On the other hand, you’re introducing the reader to a potentially very complex situation, with a lot of things happening in a very narrow time frame, and you need to give them enough information to be able to visualise that. Unfortunately, description tends to slow things down: dialogue might work better but it has its own limitations - in an action scene it has to be short and snappy, there isn’t time for long conversations.

In my opinion, the key to a successfully written action scene is getting the right balance between these two things. And the way not to write a good action scene is to miss out on one of them.

So, for example, if you go all out for pace in your action scene then you run the risk of leaving your reader confused. They know that a lot is happening, but they’ve no idea what. And when it’s all over and the dust has settled (yes, do avoid clichés) they’re asking, ‘So how did we get to this?’

It could well be argued that a period of utter confusion is an accurate rendition of real-life experience in an action-scene type situation. Very often, people who find themselves in that sort of environment, especially if they have no training or past experience, will not know what is happening, and afterwards won’t be able to give a coherent account of what did happen. You can use that in a book - but not too much. Too much and your reader’s going to get fed up with not knowing what’s going on.

The other extreme is where everything is laid out in clinical detail, every moment described. Something like…

’As soon as Hannah opened the door, Professor Darkness fired. But he was on the other side of the room, a range of forty feet, and due to the floating-barrel design his automatic pistol was not very accurate at that range. The bullet struck the door just above and slightly to the left of Hannah’s head. A wooden splinter from the door struck her on the forehead, just above her left eye. It drew blood but caused no significant damage. She instinctively threw herself to the floor before the Professor could fire again, drawing her own pistol as she did so.’

In that paragraph, you know exactly what is happening, in every detail. But imagine a full length action scene written like that? It would be slow reading. It wouldn’t generate much excitement or tension. In short, it would be the very antithesis of an action scene.

I have come across both mistakes, and in some cases they have ruined entire novels - otherwise quite good novels. In one case, adventurers fighting a dragon found time to engage in a long conversation whilst doing so. Quite apart from slowing down the pace, it was totally unrealistic.

We could go to the other extreme and strip the scene down to the bare essentials:

“Professor Darkness fired and missed.”

Which is short and snappy, but which tells us nothing about the scene, gives no idea about location, doesn’t help us to visualise events. If the scene continued like that, the reader would know what happened, but not how.

The first draft needs to be made shorter and faster, without losing significant detail: 

“As soon as Hannah opened the door, Professor Darkness fired from the other side of the room, hitting the door and sending wood splinters into her face. She dived to the floor, drawing her pistol as she did so.”

This gives a clearer picture. There is some ‘wiggle room’ on what could be included, but I’ve chosen to highlight the speed of events (it happens as soon as the door is opened) the distance involved (giving a reason for the Professor to miss) the closeness of the miss (sending wood splinters into her face) and Hannah’s reaction (which again shows the speed of events, and so adds some pace).

I’ve chosen to miss out some less significant details. It’s not necessary at this stage to give the exact size of the room, just to give an impression of space and distance. More exact descriptions can be slipped in later, if necessary. The details of the Professor’s pistol aren’t important here either. The reader doesn’t need to know exactly were the bullet struck or precisely what injuries Hannah sustained from the splinters. If the injury does become significant later, that will be the time to mention it. (“Blood was dripping into Hannah’s eye from the wood splinter. She wiped it away and aimed again.”)

The next time you read an action scene, take a moment to look at the nuts and bolts of it. In particular, look at the balance between pace and description. Do you understand what’s happening? Is it exciting? Does it work as an action scene?

Then go and write it yourself!

Repression Ground: a review by Paul Trembling

Our author Paul Trembling, author of crime novel Local Killer, which was published earlier this year, reviews our latest publication, E.M. Carter’s (Liz Carter’s) first novel, the dystopian thriller Repression Ground.

Repression Ground by E.M. Carter

“'Repression Ground' is a novel which can be read on two levels.

On the first level, you can read it as a well paced and exciting story of young people (and some older ones) slowly coming to recognise the true evil of the society they live in, and struggling to find a way to escape. And as such it works very well. The character development is very deftly handled, especially with 'Girl C' who is forced to move from an enthusiastic supporter and a willing participant of the system to become a rebel against it. A vital part of this development are her companions, people who she comes to value whilst realising that the state - Newland - does not value them at all.

The reader learns about Newland through their eyes, but the clever bit is that we - looking from outside - recognise the horror of this dystopian world long before the protagonists do. However it's only as they are forced to dig deeper into the truth of it that they discover just how monstrous a society has been built on the wreckage of the Britain we know today. Newland is a fine example of world building - and a terrible place to live. Escaping from it seems almost impossible, even with the loyalty, courage and talents that the companions display. Their attempt to do so leads to the sort of climax for which the term 'nail-biting' was invented!

But there is a second level, and thoughtful readers will come to it - perhaps during a pause in the action, perhaps in retrospect after they've finished. This level is about the basis of Newland society. All it's members must be 'Productive'. Their value as people depends on what they contribute to society. E.M. Carter does a brilliant job of showing us, subtly but clearly, just what that attitude leads to - the casual cruelty, the blatant hypocrisy, the systematic evil. But she also shows the essential weakness of such a system, for people can rise above that, can learn a better way of valuing each other and themselves.

This second level makes 'Repression Ground' a profoundly powerful book - and perhaps all the more so for being well pitched for a YA audience. They are, after all, the people who will have to live in whatever future world we are creating. But we all need to consider what would make that world into a Newland-like dystopia.”

A Tarnished Crown in a Sparkling Setting

Resolute Books member and author Sue Russell had a fantastic weekend at the official launch of both Resolute and her friend Claire Dunn’s new novel. What did she think of this work of historical fiction? You can find out below.

New enterprises are always fun, but also challenging. When my friend and fellow novelist Claire Dunn came up with the idea of forming an independent collaborative consortium of authors, I was all for it. Over the last year, we have slowly built up what has become Resolute Books into a group of eleven authors, editors and designers.

Our tagline, “For the joy of reading” encapsulates our vision. Beautifully written and produced books to give our readers the best possible experience, ranging across a wide expanse of genres.

Every new enterprise needs a launch and ours was last Saturday in the glorious surroundings of West Dorset. The sun was shining as a selection of authors awoke, drank their tea, munched their toast and set about the serious business of putting up tents, chilling champagne and constructing book displays. As well as being the official launch of Resolute Books, Saturday was the day Claire launched the first volume in the Tarnished Crown series of historical fiction.

6 of our 11 authors. From left to right, Paul Trembling, Edward de Chazal, Claire Dunn, Sarah Nicholson, Ruth Leigh and Sue Russell

Wheel of Fortune is now out in the world and available to be read. I have had the privilege of reading not only this first title but also the second, Sun Ascendant, and can say with confidence that it goes from strength to strength. The research behind the series, fuelled by the author's long-held love of the period, is deep and wide, but it never obtrudes; instead it underpins the narrative and adds a profound sense of credibility to a compelling story of one woman's battle for survival - her own and that of her lands - in a time of turmoil and ever-present danger. The author's knowledge brings the background to vibrant life, and her expressive writing makes for a page-turning and engrossing read.

At the end of this book I emerged, blinking and a little dazed, into the world of today from my immersion in the fifteenth century - such is this author's power of evocation. Even if you are not usually a reader of historical fiction, this series may well turn you into one!

The book duly launched on a tide of French champagne and hand-made canapes, the authors scattered to their homes in other parts of the UK, all clutching their own precious signed copy of Wheel of Fortune. If you would like to get your hands on your very own copy, all you have to do is visit Claire’s website at:www.cfdunn.co.uk or go to Amazon or a good bookshop.

Claire herself has the last word.

 “Wheel of Fortune is the story of two men, one woman, and a lie. Born into a period of intense conflict, all Isobel Fenton wants is to live in peace in her beloved manor of Beaumancote overlooking the river Humber and to tend her garden. But no one remains immune to the ripples created by the fight for the Crown and, caught in the web at the centre of power, Isobel must negotiate extremes of courage and moral ambiguity in her bid to survive.”

Crowned with History: A Chat with Author Claire Dunn

It’s a big week for multi-published author Claire Dunn. On Saturday 20th May she launches her new novel, Wheel of Fortune, a story of love, loyalty and vengeance set during the turbulent years of the Wars of the Roses. It’s the first book in her major new historical fiction series The Tarnished Crown. Fellow author Ruth Leigh caught up with her to ask a few searching questions.

So Claire, why historical fiction? What is it about this particular genre which you love? 

What’s not to love when there are ready-made stories waiting to be told? Often the stories that survive down the ages are those that capture the imagination, encompassing the very best - and worst - of humanity. The stories endure – Joan of Arc’s heroism in a masculine age; Alfred the Great overcoming the Viking hordes and many other familiar names and stories. These sparked my interest in history as a very young child. Right from the word go, watching the Wars of the Roses series on a grainy black and white television, it was the people behind the story I found interesting. What someone did was symptomatic of why they did it. And why did they? What made them act the way they did? As ever, motivations are not always clear in the pages of history, but it is my job as a writer to animate those names into real, identifiable individuals and, for that, I want to understand them as people.  But it is important that they are represented as fairly and accurately as possible - which can be difficult when there is a lack of information, or what there is has been corrupted over the centuries like an extended game of Chinese Whispers. 

What does a typical day in the life of Claire the writer look like? 

 Typical is not how I could describe any day of mine. Between dogs, the garden and family commitments there is always something happening, but I’m still writing away in my head despite the distractions. Writing takes the form of research, note-taking, plotting, editing, thinking. When I sit down with my laptop so much has preceded the moment when I start to write. And when I begin to write let no one dare interrupt me let alone ask what’s for dinner. I will write - usually in my study - for anything from 4 to 12 hours at a stretch, stopping only for coffee and a quick cuddle with Thegn and Millie, our irrepressible hounds.  

What kind of research do you have to do for your books? Do you visit museums? Ancient sites? I love researching! Research forms the backbone of anything I write and I’ve been studying the War of the Roses all my life.  It takes me all over the country (and the Continent) to castles, churches, manors and towns, medieval hall houses, tithe barns, cathedrals and guild halls - with some no more than a stump in a field.  Understanding the dynamic of place and landscape, and the role they play in the events that shape history, is part of the research I undertake for all my books. Research also takes me to museums to help enrich my knowledge and understanding and feed my stories. From fabrics to armour, jewellery to simple cooking pots, museums - local and national - are a fantastic repository of past life, as are archives with masses of original documentation. It used to be a slog going to the Public Records Office in London, though. Now, so much has been digitised that research can be done from the comfort of your home, although you can never capture the scent and sound of vellum and parchment through a screen.

I love the way history is made tangible in the form of sculpture in stone or wood and paintings of oil or fresco on the walls of historic houses, in galleries and in the hushed dim interiors of churches. The very fact that some have been the target of religious vandalism tells its own story - and was the catalyst behind The Secret of the Journal series, which I began writing in 2009.

What do you love to read? Anything - as long as it’s beautifully told. Words and how they are used resonate, enthral, capture heart and mind. I enjoy a good mystery and I like interesting, well developed characters. Historical fiction is a magnet as long as it is as accurate as possible and faithful to the people and the period. 

If you could spend the day with one historical figure who would it be and why?  

It has to be Richard III. Why? We have a lot to discuss! 

And finally, who are you publishing this novel with, Claire?

With Resolute Books, which also launches on the same day as my novel. Resolute is an independent consortium of experienced authors, publishing genres as diverse as crime, memoir, Austen fan fiction, Cold War thriller and young adult.

 Wheel of Fortune is the story of two men, one woman, and a lie. Born into a period of intense conflict, all Isobel Fenton wants is to live in peace in her beloved manor of Beaumancote overlooking the river Humber and to tend her garden. But no one remains immune to the ripples created by the fight for the Crown and, caught in the web at the centre of power, Isobel must negotiate extremes of courage and moral ambiguity in her bid to survive.”

Website: www.cfdunn.co.uk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cfdunnnbooks

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claire.f.dunn/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/clairefdunn 

Wheel of Fortune can be bought from Amazon, all good bookshops and Claire’s website.

A Resolute Beginning

One of the greatest writers and poets of recent times, Maya Angelou, had this to say about how it feels to be a writer. 

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

Around 4 million new titles are published in the UK each year. They range from traditionally published bestsellers to first-time self-published books. They all have one thing in common, namely their authors, who want as many people as possible to read their beautiful words. 

In 2022, two experienced and multi-published authors came together to talk about a collaboration. They wanted to create a group of like-minded people who love words and are passionate about sharing them with the world. The group quickly grew to eleven members and the result is Resolute Books, a brand new enterprise which is being launched on 20th May. 

Resolute authors publish across a wide spread of genres. Our members write contemporary fiction, crime, YA, historical fiction, humour, thrillers and devotionals. Any book published under the Resolute imprint will be well researched, meticulously edited and a guaranteed page-turner. 

So who are we all? Please say hello to your Resolute authors:

Claire Dunn

Claire Dunn is an English novelist of award-winning historical fiction, mystery and suspense. Born in Lincolnshire, Claire spent her childhood moving from place to place with her Forces family, an experience which she believes helped fuel her imagination. It is as a child that she discovered a fascination for the past that led to an abiding interest in the Wars of the Roses and a lifetime of research. Following a degree in Medieval History she founded and ran a school for neurodiverse children and young people - students whom she describes as inspirational. Embarking on her writing career, she returned to her historical roots with Mortal Fire - the gold medal-winning first book in The Secret of the Journal series. She now lives and writes by the sea in Dorset with her family, assorted animals and over-worked coffee machine.

 You can find Claire on Instagram at @claire.f.dunn, on Facebook at Claire Dunn and at her website: https://www.cfdunn.co.uk/

Paul Trembling

 Paul Trembling has been making up stories for as long as he can remember and has no intention of kicking the habit.  Over the years, he’s worked as a seaman, a missionary, a janitor, in administration and latterly as a Crime Scene Investigator. He’s the author of twelve novels and short story collections, a mixture of crime, fantasy, science fiction and children’s fiction. His new book, “Local Killer” is published with Resolute Books on 20th May.

You can find out more about Paul at his website: www.yearningblue.weebly.com, at @paul_trembling on Twitter and @Paul Trembling on Facebook.  

Ruth Leigh

 Ruth is a novelist and freelance writer, the author of the Isabella M Smugge series, contemporary humorous page-turners with heart. Ruth is also a freelance writer and blogs at ruthleighwrites.co.uk. She writes for a number of charities and small businesses as well as speaking at schools, giving talks around Suffolk and critiquing other writers’ manuscripts. Her new book, “A Great Deal of Ingenuity: A Collection of Pride and Prejudice Short Stories” is published with Resolute Books on 1st June.

You can find her on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitter at @ruthleighwrites and at her website: www.ruthleighwrites.co.uk.

Sue Russell

Sue Russell is a prolific author with nine contemporary novels published under the name SL Russell. She and her husband divide their time between their house in Kent and a crumbling pile in Normandy which keeps them fit as they mow vast expanses of grass and attack nettles. 

You can find Sue on Twitter at @SueLRussell, on Facebook as @Sue Russell and on her website at: www.slrussell.org. 

Lindsay Rumbold

Lindsay is a book-loving engineer with experience in automotive, aerospace and defence engineering. Lindsay loves crime, mystery and thriller and is a big fan of the Discworld series. A keen baker and tea drinker, she is currently attempting to turn her black fingers into green ones, to the relief of the plants in her garden. She is publishing her debut novel, a Cold War thriller, with Resolute Books next year.

You can find Lindsay at @lins_rumbold on Instagram and Twitter and as @Lindsay Rumbold on Facebook.

Edward de Chazal 

Edward de Chazal is an award-winning writer who spent many years travelling around the world as an English teacher and who now lives on the Dorset coast. Edward writes and delivers educational presentations, teaches critical thinking using his own 4-Colour Thinking model, teaches English language, writes educational material for English language students and has been a judge on the British Council awards panel for innovative English Language learning materials. He can be contacted at: edward@emdechazalconsulting.co.uk. His debut novel with Resolute Books is out this year. 

Liz Carter 

Liz Carter is an author, poet and editor. She has written “Catching Contentment”, “Treasure in Dark Places”, and “Valuable” (The Good Book Company, coming 1 June 2023). She is publishing her first non-fiction book, “Repression Ground”, a dystopian thriller, with Resolute Books this year.. She’s the poet in residence for Wellington in Shropshire, offers a freelance service proof reading, formatting and designing books, designs book covers and interiors for paperbacks and e-books, edits videos, designs and maintains websites, offers commercial copywriting and produces designs for social media. 

She can be found on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok at @greatadventureliz and on Twitter at @LizCarterWriter. Her website is www.greatadventure.carterclan.me.uk. 

Andrew Chamberlain 

Andy is the Director of Development at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. At other points in his life, he has worked in sectors as diverse as banking, marketing and tech consultancy, as well as serving as a film extra and a pastor. He hosts the Creative Writer’s Toolbelt podcast, offering practical and accessible advice on the writing craft as well. He is the author of the Creative Writer’s Toolbelt Handbook, the Masters series of Christian thrillers and the sci-fi series The Centauri Sequence. 

You can find Andy at @andrewjameschamberlain on Instagram, @Storycraftpress on Twitter and @Andrew Chamberlain on Facebook. His website is: https://andrewjchamberlain.com/. 

Pen Wilcock 

Pen has written over twenty books, including The Hawk and the Dove nine-volume fiction series. Over the years, she has been a Methodist minister, a school chaplain and a worker at a hospice. These days, she lives quietly on the south coast with her husband and is the mother of five grown up girls. She’s on Twitter @PenWilcock. 

Russ Lucier 

Russ is a personal development coach for youth at a children’s charity and spent 21 years in the US Air Force. His love of motorcycles led to an unexpected leg redesign, due to an accident, which has led him to rediscover his creativity through writing. He plans to publish his memoir with Resolute Books in 2023. 

You can find Russ on Instagram at @rejoicing.bones, on Twitter at @rusty_lucier and on Facebook at @Russell Lucier. 

Sarah Nicholson 

Sarah is a Suffolk girl born and bred who moved to the northeast in her twenties, bringing up her family there. She has been blogging ever since she lost her husband in order to process her thoughts and emotions. Sarah loves writing flash fiction and is a double winner of the Retreat West Micro Fiction prize. She is planning to publish her memoir with Resolute Books in 2023.

Each one of the Resolute authors is passionate about writing and is looking forward to sharing their beautiful words with you.

Three of the members with website supremo Jason Smith at Ridley Hall last year while Resolute Books was in its very early stages of development

You can buy our books directly from the website, here:  https://www.resolutebooks.co.uk/

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