Internet allows you to research a lot of data and to save time. However, they need to be verified for each project and to go deeper is necessary. Very often, I follow specific training courses. Let’s take the example of detective stories and mysteries. Taking a few forensic science courses gave me some insights. Just like listening to authors of historical fiction expose their problems of writing. I have always thought that being opened to new knowledge and perfecting oneself in one’s profession were essential. Exactly as to teach them afterwards. All these exchanges are humanly enlightening.
Using your senses
Very often, it is our visual sense that is the most solicited. As far as I’m concerned, I like to experience the following from time to time during a walk: I watch and describe the landscape. It is a field where the hay has been cut, all around the trees and in the sky the birds. Then I close my eyes and listen. I hear their singing, the sound of a vehicle in the distance, the blowing of the wind.
Then I feel a cool breeze on my skin that gives me goosebumps.
Now I smell the multiple smells all around.
Then I touch a blade of grass. What gives me the most difficulty is the use of taste so I drink some water that I brought on my bike.
To improve the description of a text, I like to perform this exercise. It is possible for any chapter or scene.
Book Fair 2022 Palau del Vidre
On Sunday, May 22, a Book Fair in Palau del Vidre (Pyrénées-Orientales) will take place.
At 3 p.m., I will participate in a discussion with the authors Catherine Barcelonne and Elisabet Guillot about the fantastic novel. At this time, I will reveal some of my writing processes and we will talk about the different influences of this style. Come and meet us for an interesting theme.
Throughout the day, activities will be offered to you with speakers and many writers. Do not hesitate to come and discover them.
The full program is below:
10:00 a.m Opening of the book fair
10:30 a.m Reading of an extract by Jean-Philippe Lapeyre
10.45 a.m Reading of an extract by Thérèse Cau
11:00 a.m Reading of extract by Adrien Ballayre
11:30 a.m Reading of an extract by Fabienne Clolus Pierre
11:45 a.m Reading of an extract by Laetitia Bonnafos
2:00 p.m. Discussion : “multifaceted literary creation” with Matthieu Urban, author and composer. Questions from the audience.
2.30 pm Discussion: “artistic creation and communication around the book” speakers Jules Morice – addon, Emma Morice – amme gallery. Questions from the audience.
3:00 pm Discussion : “the fantastic novel” with the authors Céline Valette, Catherine Barcelonne, Elisabet Guillot. Questions from the audience.
3:30 p.m. Reading of an extract by Catherine Barcelonne
4:00 p.m. Reading of an extract by Christelle Assenat
4:30 p.m. Reading of an extract by Christian Dang
5:00 p.m. Reading of an extract by Gisèle Gonneau
5:30 p.m. Reading of an extract by Marité Kurtz
Children’s corner with Haikus creations filmed by the students of the Jules Verne school.
6:00 p.m. Closing
The book fair is organized by the Town and CAC 66 (authors association)
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Feedback about this event
We were 35 authors and everything went well. I met the public and professionals. My conversation about the fantastic novel met some success. I enjoyed working on this theme with Elisabet Guillot and Catherine Barcelonne and listened to readings of other authors. Thank you all.
Improvisation
When I write improvisation grids for the guitar, I use libre office. Sometimes I need to draw chords diagrams. There is a useful extension that I would like to share with you:
https://extensions.libreoffice.org/en/extensions/show/chorddiagrams
The evolution of writing
As a professional, I think about the evolution of writing. And, of course, I ask myself all kind of questions to which I try to find a solution. They are not necessarily the best but having a vision of the future allow you to anticipate.
Here are three issues we should think about :
As an author we can facilitate accessibility by offering files whose content is structured through the use of style sheets. Publishers will then be able to continue the accessibility process.
Regarding the recycling of paper, there are labels that are more compliant than others, similarly vegetable inks are possible. That said, print on demand seems an alternative.
Finally, DRM does not seem to me to promote the dissemination of a book for the public. Similarly, the multiplicity of formats according to a particular type of equipment restricts reading.
Book festival of Paris 2022
On Friday, I went to the Book Festival by train. This event allowed me to discover new authors who came especially from India. I acquire knowledge about myths influences. I attended two conferences, one of them was on Indian literature and the other on the emergence of children’s books.
Then, during a literary café organized by various organizations, I learned about the evolution of the market through a survey of formats (print, digital and audio). Then, I made contact with a few publishing houses, bought 2 books as well as the quarterly magazine Alibi (thriller). A busy professional day.
Links :
On the road of a new book
On the night of April 10, I dreamed of the heroine of my future fiction. I had been working for several days looking for ideas and documenting myself on several subjects. I felt like my notes were deep and correct but I couldn’t visualize my main character.
Then, during a dream, she appeared, playing one of the scenes from my book as if she were participating in the writing. She showed me something I hadn’t thought of. We then discussed his suggestion without having to introduce each other. It was the first time I experienced this and I feel relieved knowing that we are definitely on the right path.
Historical fiction : searching information
When you have an idea about a subject that requires accurate historical information, it’s not always easy to know where to search. Here are some tips that I learned. They could be useful to you. The documents come from several types and are not all in the same place.
People houses:
Letters, intimate correspondence. Testimonials from the era or descendants (stories passed down within the family or heard)
Archives: (national archives etc.)
Medical reports
Minutes
Birth certificates
Period newspapers
Theses: (specialized websites, universities etc.)
History student theses
Books :
Current authors who have written on or around the same topic
Local fund:
Public Library
Alias or not ?
When you began to write to publish, this question comes to you. What are the reasons for using an alias? I think, they are of two kinds. The first is to preserve your anonymity, the other one to create a second identity.
There are situations where authors feel a danger by publishing under their real name. Let’s take the case of the denunciation of illegal or violent acts through a book, thus providing testimony as a victim (illicit activities within a company, by example).
In a different case, opting for a pen name is also the possibility of publishing texts in a new style. Some authors do this with the aim of testing a new audience. For my part, I wrote a first short story under a pseudonym. I didn’t want to reveal my name when posting at that time. Then I realized that I felt it was important for me Several years later, I replaced the pseudonym (used for my novel) with one of my surnames.
Add metadata
To wait from publishers is very long. Which has its advantages and disadvantages. Waiting feeds anxiety but it’s also a good time to communicate about your work, learn new skills and explore the different possibilities of your future book. For me, that’s what I’m doing right now.
During the creative process, I like to explore the arts. Playing music or/and drawing allows me to come back to my book.
This week I scanned drawings and learned how to embed metadata into the file. I thought sharing this tip with you might help you too.
Metadata allows you to add information to an image: the title of the image, the name of the author, the year, rights etc. which may be useful. If you want to do this, you will need to use photo manipulation software. For my part, I chose Gimp. To add metadata, open your drawing with the software, go to the image menu and click on add metadata. Save the file.