If a novel was good, would you care if it was created by Artificial Intelligence?
Inspired by an article in the Guardian, click here, this was a question posed a few weeks ago by Devon Book Club, a weekly forum on Twitter discussing all things books.
My response was one of resistance. My exact words were, ‘This is so inhuman it makes me shudder’.
Tuti Island
Two decades ago, or thereabouts, I was in the Sudan. Last year, after returning my revised manuscript to the publishers, I thought about a snippet from life in North Africa, and a place called Tuti Island. The snippet begins with a walk along the river Nile, where I spotted some boys tormenting a small turtle they had fished. Feeling sorry for the turtle, and possibly unwisely, I handed over a few Sudanese pounds in exchange for the turtle. I headed off down the river, intending to release it, but everywhere I went, the curious boys followed. Unable to find a quiet spot, I took the turtle home, filled the sink with water and stones, and fed it flakes of fish. It wasn’t ideal, but then I heard about Tuti Island, a nearby place which friends were sure would offer a quiet spot for releasing the turtle. So one day I put the turtle in my basket, caught a bus, then a boat, arriving at the small island situated where the White Nile and Blue Nile meet. I found a deserted strip of sand, placed my turtle in the water, and watched it swim to freedom.
I never forgot that island, or the colours and designs the Sudan inspired. And so my recent painting is titled ‘Tuti Island’.
Christmas and New Year have been a series of quiet reflections. Following a year of ill health and loss, it’s a comfort to slow things down, to take deliberate note of the small details, and breathe the fresh air. With its dark evenings, crisp air and sodden ground, winter feels like the perfect time to just take the time, to take stock, to gain a wider perspective, to remember that the moment is now to create what we choose.
As a writer who also indulges in painting, I am no stranger to the blank page, and the blank canvas. And yet perhaps it’s never really blank to start with. We create, and we recreate, capturing moments, thoughts and lives we’ve known and returning them to us in fresh new forms.
The last decade saw my first novel published, the new decade promises more. So much of Return of the Mantra was inspired by life in Africa: people, places, situations I had known, recreating the real into an almost unrecognisable fantasy. The Warder picks up the story ten years on, and by this time it really does have its own life and momentum. I was particularly encouraged to see a recent comment on Twitter from a reader, saying how much they loved the character, Wanda. He was inspired by orphaned children I had known, out of a desire to create an unlikely hero, a gifted young boy. In book 2, aged 18, Wanda takes a more prominent role. Together with his female counterparts they are exposed to a land beyond their shores, and so continues their journey in understanding that the world is not a dichotomy of black and white, good and evil. Rather, it is shades of grey, cause and effect, where personal growth and self-discovery are essential in realising the effect each character has. Not too unlike the real world.
And on that note I wish you a Happy New Year and a peaceful new decade.
So after what has proven to be a challenging year in more ways than one, it seems like a good idea to focus on the good news, and there is lots. Most recently my publisher has produced an updated front cover for Return of the Mantra, ready for reprint, to include the series titles – Blood Gift Chronicles Book One.
AND we’re ready to go with international distribution!! Click here
Blood Gift Chronicles is now a hashtag and edits for The Warder are well underway. I’m excited to see the story taking shape, and the characters come alive on the page. I learnt to love the rewrites a long time ago, to keep going with that extra effort to make the story as good as it can be. And so this is where my head is at most of the time, with my beloved book 2.
It’s been a challenging few months, all the more reason to appreciate the ordinary, like walking independently thanks to the support of my physiotherapist. On the many sunny days we’ve enjoyed over summer, it’s been great to get out and about around Devon, breathe fresh air and just appreciate the surrounds.
A question came up a while ago, at a local book club: how important is place in a story? For me, as a writer, it’s essential. It’s the first heartbeat that begins the planning process. It’s the atmosphere you will be ensconced in as a reader, and the writer. It’s the place that will define the rules, the culture, the day to day life. It’s the thing that sparks my imagination the most.
Whilst in recovery from a recent illness, I’ve had more time to read. Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorofor, and Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adenyemi, are now on my list of firm favourites. Both works of fantasy, both Nigerian-American authors, the sights and sounds of Nigeria ooze colour from the pages.
I’ve talked before about how various African landscapes influenced place and culture in Return of the Mantra. It’s a subject I also incorporated into a recent guest blog I did. Click here. Books 2 and 3 venture further into the unknown world of creativity. Awaiting the edits of Book 2, revisiting the first draft of Book 3, I’m reminded of the importance of place, the importance of digging deep for those details that will bring to life a land of my imagination. I’m excited for these new lands that I can see so clearly.
Place also features in my painting life, in the form of abstract landscapes, mostly African inspired.
At Market:
Home:
Long Walk:
These three pieces are from a collection I call Perspectives, capturing snapshots of rural township life in South Africa. When I started this collection I decided on three pieces. Now it is finished, there may be more. As is so often the case, one thought generally sparks another…
Today I am pleased to welcome the incredibly talented Susie Williamson. Author of Return of The Mantra, one of favourite books of 2018 to my blog for another female author spotlight interview. DS: Welcome Susie. Thanks so much for agreeing to the interview SW: No problem Dan. Thank you for having me. DS: Lets begin […]
It’s been a while since I last wrote a blog; actually 3 long months. Life can throw you curve balls, and I recently had one thrown at me. A bout of pneumonia saw me rushed to Exeter’s A&E, then onto Plymouth for surgery on my lungs. Recovery was going well until I picked up a secondary infection. Looking back I am in awe of the NHS. Plymouth were unable to help so contacted London’s Brompton hospital, who drove down to collect me and take me back to the capital. Being sedated in ICU I have no memory of the Brompton, only waking up back on home turf at the Royal Devon and Exeter hospital.
There’s a cold wind blowing and grey clouds brewing. Time to ‘batten down the hatches’. Apparently, in winter, we actually produce hormones that make us sleepy, designed to restore body, mind and soul. Well, whilst I appreciate cosying up on a cold winter night, my mind still races on. It seems, for me at least, the writing struggles to keep pace with the thinking.
It never gets old, seeing the book I wrote in print. I’m generally hopeless at remembering dates, but 24th May 2018 will likely stick for a long time to come: the date I held my first published book. Since then I’ve ventured out, introducing people to the story of Return of the Mantra. I appreciate each person who has taken the time to let me know how much they enjoyed it. A recent moment of excitement when it appeared as Day 8 of a reader’s book advent list – thank you twitter.
And now I’m working on a sequel; I’ve lost track of how many years ago I started it. The first book was complete, with an ending, but there always was going to be loose ends. I decided to re-visit the characters ten years on (in their world). And as they struggle to come to terms with their own history, a whole new land is introduced. In the planning stages I looked at some of my paintings and had a thought.
The paintings that offered up inspiration were hand-painted mosaics – though at this stage I couldn’t possibly tell what it was that inspired the story!
Desert Mosaic
City Mosaic
Both canvasses are big, approximately a metre square to fill with painstaking detail. Always it comes down to inspiration. So I thought of oases in the desert, the detail of henna, and the vibrancy of Durban amid the grey. It took a total of almost three months to complete the largest, in what felt like a sort of meditation. Tuning out and focusing on the detail is not dissimilar to writing.
Each project goes through the same cyclic process. For the sequel, I’ve thought, I’ve written, I’ve edited and hopefully now I’m on polish. And as I tighten the narrative and fine tune the characters, the world gets sharper in my mind. It’s not a world of black and white, but rather varying tones of grey. And yes, there’s a book 3, although think and write is about as far as I’ve got with that, so a long way to go. But first the polishing of book 2, and hopefully, with perseverance, it will find itself in print, nestled on my bookshelf.
Happy Tuesday!
