Janet Cameron

In Britain, we have crocodile clips. Americans have alligator clips. (This is a crocodile) Photo copyright Janet Cameron (after the crocodile had been fed!) The influence of culture upon the variations in language used between America and Britain is raised in The Oxford Manual of Style. The (anonymous) author offers the following explanation: “Many Britons feel more at home with botanical than medical terminology, while many Americans feel the reverse, the result being that a Briton might have a “heart attack” while planting “antirrhinums” while an American would, more likely, have a “myocardial infarction” while planting “snapdragons.” On both sides of the Atlantic, the place where you can safely cross the road can be described as a pedestrian crossing. While Americans also use the word crosswalk, Brits frequently resort to the picturesque term “zebra crossing” signifying the crossing’s black and white stripes, or even “pelican crossing” – the latter stands for “pedestrian li...

Wikimedia, Fair Use There's a postcard on my kitchen wall bearing my favourite writing quotation: "Write Hard and Clear about What Hurts." The author of the quotation is the incomparable Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), whose novella The Old Man and the Sea remains one of my favourite reads. For me, this book changed the way I viewed my life. In simple prose, it explores what is most meaningful and painful about the human spiritual journey. Its central character, the fisherman Santiago, develops a relationship with another creature, the enormous marlin, which he hold in great respect for its courage, endurance and beauty – while trying to hunt it down and destroy it. Eventually, Santiago's central purpose shifts and the great fish's destruction is more about Santiago's pride than his hunger. Hemingway has been quoted as saying, "I tried to make a real old man, a real boy, a real sea and a real fish and real sharks. But if I made them good and true...

An unreliable narrator - First edition cover of Huckleberry Finn, E.W. Kemble, Public Domain An unreliable narrator is a story-teller whose account you cannot take on face-value. An unsympathetic unreliable narrator won’t share the reader’s values, won’t record things accurately, will be judgmental and in denial, maybe even reprehensible. They’ll try to fool and mislead you and you won’t know where you stand. The second kind of unreliable narrator could be a child, who will tell a story from his/her own reality. Frequently quoted examples used in writing classes of this kind of narrator are Huckleberry Finn in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Holden Caulfield in J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. An adult narrator could also be unreliable through their own lack of experience or knowledge. Even if part of the story is told accurately, the unreliable narrator will interpret the meaning in a weird way. Readers may disagree on the unreliability...

Photo Copyright Janet Cameron One of the key points about writing short stories is that they are about one thing and one thing only. It might be helpful to think of them as a slice of life, or a single situation. They must not prevaricate or diversify as a novel might, but must be cohesive. During the course of the story, something must change, although in atmospheric stories or stories about a situation, although little may happen - there must be revelation. Stories can encompass human experience, mood and atmosphere, or the ironies of life. Don’t have too many characters and, bear in mind, it’s easier if you keep the time-frame fairly tight. 1. The Story Based on Crossed Wires or False Accusation A character is challenged by some disaster, false accusation or threat to his/her reputation or well-being, but remains true to what s/he believes, sticking doggedly to personal principles. After a series of obstacles, the character may be vindicated – or not – whatever serve...

Precision is Everything. Photo Copyright Gareth Cameron The following tips will immediately improve your writing. You’re bound to slip up if you are writing or typing quickly, trying to get your ideas down. This is okay; it’s good not to stem your flow while you are feeling creative. You are the only one who needs to see your first draft. Carefully going through your work when you’ve finished your draft, then eliminating these errors, will make an enormous difference. Some people find it’s better to do their editing after they’ve had a break, rather than immediately. This is because editing is an objective exercise. A little distance from the passion you feel when you’re being creative is required, for editing to work well. 1. Overused Words Avoid overuse of empty words, such as: very, really, quite, fairly, suddenly. Because these words are generally overused, they have little impact on your writing. Use them sparingly. See how much more clout your writing has when it is...

Stay focussed! Photo by Janet Cameron with permission A writing student recently said, "Until you write about something, you can't find out what you know about it. I don't even know what I'm thinking sometimes, but I'm finding out by writing. I usually have some order in mind, but I never know what's going to happen."  How exciting is that? Focus How do you stay focused in the unpredictable world of writing?  This is the dilemma – that while needing to stay focused, many writers aren’t always clear about how things will pan out. This demands sincere self-belief and an intense single-mindedness specific to writers and journalists. Some of us are natural night-owls, but for most of us it’s far more important to get a decent night’s sleep. Sometimes, though, writers do need to challenge convention if they are to reach their goals. It’s a matter of discovering what works for you. There have been periods in my life when I have worked through ...

It was a bright sunny day with little white fluffy clouds in the sky. Photo copyright Janet Cameron There are clichés in all areas of writing, in story plots, scenes, phrases and titles, and mostly they need to be avoided. You can allow them in dialogue if your character would naturally speak in that way. Even so, it’s probably best not to overdo it. Here are five examples. Once you are cliché-aware and actively watching your own writing, you’ll find similar clichés everywhere. Once you recognise them, you can discard and/or replace them. Cliché  No. 1 :Story Plots These rules are found in the writing guidelines of most women’s story magazines: Avoid anything about twins. Since, and probably before Shakespeare, mistaken identify relating to twins has been a favourite plot. (Most mags won’t look at a story if they see the word "twin" in the text.) A wife discovers her husband’s lover is a man. (Or vice versa.) A conman tries to hoodwink a s...

Do you get fed up being interrupted when you're writing. Why is it any different from any other job? Image by Pixabay “ It's not my fault I don't have time to write," said a Writing Society colleague. "I'm too available. My sister called at 10.30 this morning to say she was fed up. Her entire life is the pits. I wish she'd left it till this evening, as I'd promised myself an uninterrupted morning at my computer. But I listen. What else can I do?" Does this sound familiar? It's the downside of being a freelance writer. You may feel bad about being unavailable, but that person probably has a sister, husband or friend who is in a so-called "proper job" and they wouldn't dream of turning up at their places of work with their problems. You, however, are a little more flexible, and in most people's minds, "flexible" means "not urgent" – maybe not even very important. You may be on a high, fully aware th...

Are you having a "storm in a teapot" or a "tempest in a teacup"? Depends whether you are a Brit or an American. Photo Copyright Janet Cameron Sometimes misunderstandings about words from across the Atlantic can cause great puzzlement, humour and even offence. This is particularly relevant when the words used are identical but contain different meanings, as opposed to separate words for the same thing. A classic example of the former is the word “billion” which, in UK, used to mean a million million whereas in America it meant a thousand million. Britain has now adopted the American usage. One can only imagine the misunderstandings that might have occurred before the meaning was aligned. The Same Word with Different Meanings Be careful whom you call “foxy.” In Britain; this means someone who is sexually attractive, while in some parts of America it’s a person with a fox’s legendary slyness and cunning. "Peckish" people in Am...

Letters of Desperation, kPhoto Copyright Janet Cameron Letters to Britain's Agony Aunts revealed the secret desperation of ordinary people confused by issues of gender and identity. Problem pages of past decades provide fascinating insights into everyday concerns. In the late 1900s, Agony Aunt columns began regularly publishing gay-related problems. These are some letters written to Agony Aunts in the 1970s and 1980s. Not My Daughter A woman wrote to the   Argus   and her letter was published on 21 January 1975. Her daughter had a crush on an older girl at school, a prefect on whom she doted. The young girl was just fifteen, but her whole life centred around the admired older girl. "Although I hesitate to say this, it's almost asif she's in love with her. One reads so much about relationships between the same sexes these days that I am desperately worried my daughter is a little abnormal in this respect." The woman was unable to discuss her ...

Don't let your demons get you down. Image Copyright Janet Cameron It happens to us all from time to time. Your creative fire has gone AWOL, your work is suffering, and there seems no way forward. The good news is there’s no need to panic, because highs and lows are part of life’s pattern. Being stuck in a rut isn’t necessarily the same as writer’s block. Maybe you haven’t stopped writing; you’re just producing the same boring old stuff and you’re not sure it’s worth the bother. All the same, you’re anxious to get going, so is there anything you can do to rediscover that cutting edge style of yours? Use your feelings: Your feelings are pretty intense right now. Use them. Write a poem or a piece of prose about your loss of inspiration, using pen and paper rather than your computer. Find a place to write that’s different from your usual spot – maybe a park, a cafe, a secluded nook in the garden. Pour out your heart without worrying whether what you are writing is publishable....

How many angles can you work with? Photo copyright Janet Cameron One of the most important decisions a writer must make when approaching a new work of fiction is that of viewpoint. If you feel you would like to write from an omniscient viewpoint perspective, then you have a few more angles to consider. It might be a good idea to play around with your first chapter by trying out a few different methods to see what works best. At least then you can make an informed decision. Omniscient Viewpoint In this third person viewpoint , the author and/or narrator knows everything that goes on in all the characters’ minds, all their thoughts, plans, ideas and motives. This viewpoint has a clear picture of what’s being plotted from every angle. The problem is that the focus is constantly shifting and this can make it difficult for the reader to identify with and warm to a character. Most readers are looking for a character, or a few characters that they can root for, or at leas...