Category Archives: Planning a novel

April 18, 2011 · 2:51 pm

Choosing a Setting –Real or Imaginary

I chose the title ‘Riduna’ for my debut novel because I felt that the name summed up the magical image of the island of Alderney, which I held in my imagination. So much has been written of the Second World War and the tragic circumstances in which the island became a German concentration camp once the islanders had been evacuated. Certainly, anyone who has an interest in Alderney cannot help but read the amazing stories of how the islanders were dispersed at the beginning of WW2, and how many finally returned and painstakingly rebuilt their homes and their lives.

The story of ‘Riduna’ began in the late nineteenth century and, as many of you know who have been reading my blog, was inspired by the life of my great grandmother who was born on Alderney in 1865. An early blog tells of the real story of Harriet Hopkins, which is as fascinating as the work of my imagination.

I chose the name ‘Riduna’ to distance my novel from the more recent tragic period in Alderney’s history of WWII. Riduna, allegedly the Roman name for Alderney (as Aurigny is the French name; the local dialect up to WWII) spoke to me of a more romantic era, with military presence in bright red uniforms, catching the eyes of the local island girls. It told of a time of innocence (and not so innocent!) when the island was relatively protected from the outside world. (The island still is to a certain extent, although a friend and islander once said that I gaze on them with rose tinted spectacles!)

It is as I have continued to write, moving on to the First World War and beyond, that I have found it increasingly difficult to continue to use the name ‘Riduna’ and have, more than once, wanted to change the name back to Alderney. And yet, using a less well known name has its advantages, in that it allows more of a free reign for my creative juices to flow!

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Filed under Alderney, History of Alderney, Planning a novel, Riduna, Writing a novel

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April 14, 2011 · 4:17 pm

What’s in a name? An honest Blunder

Just a quickie to let you know of a pit I have fallen into with names, not just once but twice.

In the past families have often named son after father or grandfather and it is still commonplace to name a baby after a friend you admire or someone you love. That’s all very well in real life, or if the revered persona is diseased, but in a novel you get into deep water if you fall into this trap.

Before the final proof read in Riduna I had named the father of my hero Jo but also Edward’s cousin Young Joe (I know there is a male and female issue here but in my ignorance I did not think of that at the time) Well, this was all very well when Jo the father was on the island of Riduna but Joe the cousin was on Sarnia. They were different scenes which in those days were world apart. The problem came at the end of the novel when Joe visited Riduna.(Alderney) Oh dear. Then things got very complicated indeed. In the end I solved the problem by calling Old Jo, Joseph. That was all very well but I had also confused my editor who had changed some of the Jo’s to Joe’s thinking I’d made several typing errors and so I couldn’t resort to find and replace and had to painstakingly check right through the manuscript before publication.

Now, you would have thought I would have learnt my lesson. When I was planning my next novel which is both standalone and a sequel to Riduna and I hope to have in print by the end of the year, I returned to my original characters I realised my mistake. I had thought it cute for Joe and Harriet to call their baby daughter after their good friend Sarah Mortimer back on Sarnia. This was no problem because they were in Woolston and Miss Mortimer was in Sarnia. (Guernsey) By this time baby Sarah was now married and early in the novel she visited Sarnia. Pow! A helpful friend said, ‘You can’t call her Miss Mortimer all through the story; it sounds a bit strange.

With ingenuity I came up with a solution, but you’ll have to wait to read the novel to find out how!

On a personal note my mother’s home must have been fun to live in. My mum’s name is Patricia. Her brother, whose name is really Bryan, was nicknamed Pat after his father. Strangely enough his father’s real name was Dennis, but was nicknamed Patrick because he was born on March 17th, St Patrick’s Day. The question is, when my grandma, whose name certainly wasn’t Pat, called out ‘Pat’, I wonder who responded, or maybe no one answered at all!

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Filed under Planning a novel, Proof Reading, Writing, Writing a novel

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January 24, 2011 · 5:56 pm

Researching for Historical Fiction- A personal journey

I’m still a bit in awe of other people’s blogs with 10 tips for …….. and you must remember these key points when you………I’m afraid I find the advice a bit daunting, although extremely useful. If you are not a full time author – do not despair. You will reap your rewards from your diligent planning, thorough research, social media networking on Facebook and Twitter and blogging. It’s just that it might take a little longer.  I hope that my down to earth blog will give encouragement for lesser mortals like myself who are learning along the way.

Researching for Historical Fiction, ‘Riduna’ and Beyond

I will not repeat my previous blog which goes into detail as to how and where I researched for ‘Riduna’ but I do want to explain briefly my journey of discovery on how to research effectively. I wrote Riduna in a bubble. I delved into books and archives, looked up some (but very little) information on the internet, visited museums and libraries but the majority of my research I carried out on my own. (This may have been a reflection of my state of mind at the time, or just inexperience or lack of confidence)

After several months I poured through my notes and using my research and my initial plan side by side, I formed an outline of the story. After less than a year I was writing the novel, but I came to a standstill every now and then when I realised that I had gaps in my knowledge and understanding. I found myself writing different parts of the book, leaving huge chunks waiting for further research, which often involved a trip down to the Southampton area, back to Alderney or over to Guernsey. In fact I wrote my chapters set in Guernsey at the very end (apart from the final chapter which I always leave til last) when I could plan my trip to over there. (see Researching for Riduna  )

On researching for my new novel, whose name I have finally decided upon and I will share with you shortly, my methods have been so different. Alongside all of the above I have more importantly engaged with people, asked questions, referred to them for advice and started up a dialogue which has become a reward in itself, as I have formed new friendships based on mutual respect. The added bonus to this is in opening up of numerous avenues for the promotion and marketing of the novel once it is published. (Keep positive here) Mind you, I will need to give away many more copies as a gift of thanks and my acknowledgements will be lengthy!

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Filed under Historical Fiction, Marketing your novel, Planning a novel, Research, Writing, Writing a novel

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