Writers Forum #99 January 2010

INSPIRATION
I
t’s hard to believe but this is my
THE WRITERS
’
immediately felt a connection
25th Ideas Store and what bet- and thought about the son using
ter way to celebrate than to get his pictures to help his mum see
in the carnival spirit, together with something of the outside world.
a camera – and a captive cat, to
IDEA
The husband would have to do his
complete the alliteration? bit and I was taken with the bizarre
The camera comes from a idea of him trying to recreate the
crime novel I’ve recently read and Olympics in the garage.
enjoyed, called Dying in the Wool ‘The Liverpool setting, captive
by Frances Brody (Piatkus). It’s a cat, holistic neighbour and neu-
delightful, well-paced book with a rotic daughter all gave the story
feisty heroine and some colourful texture and jostled for position.
characters, set against the dramatic
backdrop of a 1920s woollen mill.
According to Frances, her hero-
ine Kate ‘sprang to life’ from an
old family album from 1920.
‘I’d been poring over old photos,
STORE
Initially the cat had a starring role
in helping the woman escape. This
might have been appropriate for a
magazine story but for a compe-
tition it was a bit too cosy. Many
“what ifs” later it was clear the
This month Paula Williams talks cameras, carnivals – and a captive cat
not for research but just because I inspire me. I knew about the 1916 writer Eileen Gilmour, winner of son had to be the key.’
like to look at them,’ Frances says. explosion at Low Moor Munitions November’s ﬁ ction competition. Thanks, Eileen, for that fasci-
‘Kate came carrying her camera, Works, near Bradford. That trag- She says: ‘I’m always amazed how nating insight into the way an
looking at me, looking at her. edy wove itself into the novel. the strands of a story can come experienced writer tailors a story
‘Images are important for me. ‘It sounds odd, but I don’t feel I together, almost as though your for a speciﬁ c market.
I have a lot of retro postcards, make things up. I discover what’s subconscious has been secretly And now a touch of the carnival
and a 1920s scrapbook. Some of out there, waiting for me to ﬁ nd. planning behind your back!’ spirit I promised. I live in mid-
the photos are on my website, I build up a narrative slowly, organ- So what inspired Eileen to write Somerset where the November
www.frances-brody.com ically. Yet an idea can also come in her sensitive and warm story, Illuminated Carnivals are held.
‘Visiting locations can be inspir- a ﬂ ash and demand to be written A Small Step for Me and the Cat, These spectacular events are the
ing too,’ she goes on. ‘Dying in the quickly. I saw a police car outside about an agoraphobic’s attempts best free shows on earth, attract-
Wool is set in a ﬁ ctional mill vil- Waterstone’s. By the time I caught to ﬁ nd freedom? ing tens of thousands of visitors,
lage. I took the train to Bingley the bus home, I was writing Nickin’ ‘The original glimmer came from all happy to spend hours outside
and walked to Cottingley beck. Julius Caesar, a story about a girl a story in the local paper about an on a cold November night for the
That’s where two girls took “pho- caught shoplifting. That was broad- agoraphobic mum whose son had colourful, noisy and totally breath-
tographs” of fairies in 1917 – they cast on Radio 4.’ won a prestigious photography taking procession to pass.
fooled Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The idea of a story waiting competition and was desperate to Many years ago I used to belong
‘Real incidents and events to be found is one shared by get to the prize-giving,’ she says. ‘I to one of the smaller clubs and so
had ﬁ rst-hand knowledge of the
huge all-year-round commitment
FICTION
that goes into making the ﬂ oats
SQUARE
bigger and better each time.
My latest crime serial (the
sixth!) to be accepted by Woman’s
Roll a dice and circle all the ingredients for your next story…
Weekly is entitled The Carnival is
Over, the ﬁ rst part of which will
be published in the 29 December
Character
issue. I had such fun writing this,
(roll twice) Conﬂ ict Weather Setting 25
particularly as the carnival club
in my story, The Clappers (based
at the Bell Inn – and bearing no
Singer
Trying to lose
resemblance to any real carnival
weight
Gale force winds Nursery Silver Wedding
club!), have to produce their ﬂ oat
on an ever-shortening shoestring,
so their ambitious plan to do
Engineer
A guilty
Pirates of the Caribbean has to
conscience
Sunshine Kitchen Card game
be scaled down to Pirates of the
Bristol Channel. But who is out to
scupper Davy Jones… and why?
Salesman Feeling isolated Grey skies Carnival Pony
In the Fiction Square this month
each entry in the Object column
has something to do with the
number 25. (Thanks, Wikipedia!)
Dancer A new start Cloudy Garage Traitor Keep those ideas coming. And
do check out my website at
www.paulawilliamswriter.co.uk.
Security guard
A face from
the past
Heavy rain Launderette
M25 (or any
motorway) If you have a great way of
coming up with ideas for
stories and other writing, or
Child
Trying to turn ound success after inspiration,
back the clock
Fog Art class Christmas Day
f
email Paula at ideastore
@writers-forum.com
30 Writers
’
FORUM #99
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