Have you ever heard of grey literature?

Grey Literature


Have you ever heard of grey literature? I must confess that I hadn't, until recently.  Let me enlighten you...

Grey literature is the information or research created by people e.g. academics or companies e.g. government, businesses, charities, that remains unpublished or not published in commercial form. 
 
 
 
 


Good examples of grey literature include the following:

• Theses and dissertations
• Research reports and studies (unpublished)
• Government reports and policy statements
• Conference proceedings, meeting minutes, memorandums
• Market research
• Maps
• Factsheets, bulletins and newsletters
• Technical reports and specifications
• Blogs (this article!) emails and tweets, facebook posts
• Clinical trails and datasets
• Grey literature implies written items, but it can also refer to video footage, presentations, items on YouTube etc.

 

One of the good things about Grey Literature is that it can appear in this form first, then progress onto commercially published formats. It's handy if you're researching or studying. You'll find lots of it at your local library.

 

 

The Legal Eagle

The Legal Eagle

Do you know the laws associated with writing? All writers have to work within the laws, but what are those laws and how do we stay within them?

The Oxfordshire English dictionary defines Libel as: 'a published false statement that is damaging to a person's reputation.'

Libel can happen even if you don't intend it to upset anyone. Libel is always written, whereas slander is spoken defamation. It will take three people for Libel to occur; a writer, a person whose reputation is damaged and a reader. It applies to anything written, on page or screen. If you're writing fiction and you describe a real person but give them a fake name, and that person is identifiable, you could be in danger of libel. Be careful. It's wise to observe traits and characteristics but to mix them up so that you're not putting a 'real person' in your work of fiction, even if you claim otherwise. The dead are safe because they can't put in a claim against you, but if your writing affects a living relative, you're still at risk.

Copyright exists to protect writers and includes designs, patents acts and the written word.  Whenever you put pen to paper or words to a screen, copyright is established. It's your own intellectual property. When the written word is soled to a publisher or publication, the author is granting the publisher the right to produce that text in book format, or newspaper article. Only the copyright holder can decide how the text can be used.  As most works are produced on a screen now, it is easy to establish the owner and date of creation.



Plagiarism is when one writer uses the words of another and passes them off as theirs. Always write your own research and be careful to use your own words. It is easy to accidentally be guilty of plagiarism these days, with PC work and copy and paste facilities.

If, after careful consideration, you find yourself in hot water, seek advice from writers unions and citizen advice. On that note, get writing. Don't let the above stop your creative flow. Whilst it's private between you and your page/screen, you can be as free as you like!

Creating Believable Characters

   How do you create a believable character?

Fiction is about making things up. Simple.
The trick is to hook your reader early on, the first word ideally. Stories that have stood the test of time always have memorable characters in them. So, how do you make your characters stand up off the page and leap about in your reader's imagination?

Lots of people create versions of themselves. This isn't terribly wise although most writers do throw the odd aspect of themselves into one or some of their cast. In a perfect world you'll love your main character. Remember that whilst you're writing your novel, you'll be living with this character in your head, day in and day out. You've got to like them or you'll send yourself crazy.

Your reader needs to feel empathy and affection towards your character. The reader needs to want the character to get out whatever tricky situation you've engineered for them. They need to be routing for them all the way. Make your characters human. That sounds so simple, doesn't it? Give them realistic dreams, back stories, thoughts and mannerisms. Make them real. Can you imagine them? What do they look like? How would they react if someone crashed into their car in the supermarket car park? You need to know the answer to that, even if it has no relevance to the story. You need to know them inside out. It's the only way to make them jump off the page.

There is no such thing as a perfect person. We all have faults, weaknesses, strengths and quirks. No-one is totally good or totally bad. Lay your clues throughout the storyline and let your reader work out who they like and who they don't, and why. Your job as the writer is to lead your reader along the path you want them to take but it shouldn't feel forced. Characters can help with this. If a situation in your storylines calls for an upheaval, use your characters reactions to make this happen. It's easier than you think. Go on, give it a try!

When it all gets too much...

Sometimes it can feel as if the world is resting on your shoulders. Modern life is difficult enough without adding to the strain. When it's getting you down, take a deep breath, and write.  Write anything at all, scribble away until you feel calm again. Trust me, it really does work.  According to Stephen Kind, On Writing; "The situation comes first. The characters - always flat and unfeatured, to begin with - come next. Once these things are fixed in my mind, I begin to narrate.  I often have an idea of what the outcome may be, but I have never demanded of a set of characters that they do things my way. On the contrary, I want them to do things their way. In some instances, the outcome is what I visualised. In most, however, it's something I never expected."

 

So, do you have a master plan?

 

Personally, I life to plan my novels, but lots of writers just let the words flow onto the page and only scramble control of them once the first draft is completed. I like planning, I like the safety of knowing where I'm going with my story. Essentially though, I always leave myself a little "wiggle room" so that when that extra twist sparks into life, I can find a way to include it into the novel. Often, that extra special twist is something I don't think I would ever have thought of in a million years. It's always as if the characters have told me. It comes to life whilst writing, not whilst planning.

So, to plan or not to plan?

Well, it's a personal choice. Try it both way and see what works best for you. After all, we can't all be the same!

 

Trade Secrets....

  Elephants never forget, apparently. Sometimes I wish I were as lucky. There are endless streams of tips and snippets of advice out there just waiting to swamp the aspiring writer. If only we could remember it all when we really need it.

 

Well here's the good news, wait for it, you don't need to!  Your aim as a writer is simple. Just write. Just write a book you'd like to read yourself. Sounds so easy when you say it like that, doesn't it, but how do you begin?

 

Virgina Woolf once said, "So long as you write what you wish to write, that is all that matters; and whether it matters for ages or only for hours, nobody can say."

 

The first hurdle to overcome is fitting writing into your life. It can be tricky to find five minutes in today's hectic schedules, let alone longer. If you're serious about writing but struggle to find a moment or two, start by reviewing your week. Take an average week and look carefully at where you could shuffle things to save yourself time. Ultimately, if you want to write and you're serious about it, you'll find a window of time somewhere.  In an ideal world, you'll find yourself a slice of time each week when you're at your best. Some people are at their best in the mornings, others in the evenings, some even in the twilight hours. Find your best time and do everything you can to clear your diary.

 

Writing becomes a habit. Find the time and keep going. Don't quit. Before too long you'll have written far more than you ever thought possible.

 

"The art of writing is all about the inspiration of the moment and the excitement of riding the wave of an idea."  According to Elizabeth George (Write Away).

 

The trick is to keep going, even when inspiration seems to be reluctant to join you. It's a discipline, one to be adhered to if you want to succeed.

 

It's tempting to wait until inspiration finds you, as if by some magical spell, but instead, remember that real writers write. If you want to be a writer you need to make the ideals come to life, make them happen, create them, and make them yours.

 

So where will you get your ideas from? It has to be the most popular question asked. Well, look around yourself. Watch people, politely of course. Don't stare.  If you watch people for a little while, you'll find yourself wondering what they're doing, where they're going next, why one of them is hobbling or the other has a torn sleeve.  Don't look for too long, just enough to spark off your thoughts, then let them go, swiftly pick up your pen or laptop and start to fill in the gaps for yourself.

 

Family and friends will be happy to offer ideas. Keep them, all of them. You never know when you may use them. The news and the media can also spark off ideas for great plotlines. Keep up to date with the world. The next newspaper article you read could send you into a creative dream world.

 

So there you are, keep going and keep your eyes and ears open to suggestions. Most importantly, keep writing and don't give up.  Oh yes, and one more thing, make sure you read a lot. It can only help!

 

Good luck!

Surprises

The other day I was approached by someone, their opening line, "I've just seen you in Hertfordshire Life."  My reply, "excuse me?"  Even now, I've no idea how the article came about but I'm only too grateful.

 

The feature refers to my first novel, "Beneath The Daisies", published May 2011 and coloured page 87 of the April edition of the magazine.

 





Life really is a mystery sometimes, which is quite a statement to make for a mystery writer!

Be quick - kindle edition only £1.02

Quick - I've no idea how long the price will stay this low....

Hurry - get your Kindle edition of 'The Dancer's Ghost' for just £1.02
Limited time only.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dancers-Ghost-Jayne-Marie-Barker-ebook/dp/B00GDKK006/ref=la_B007EDJ7SW_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396293781&sr=1-4

Just how far away is your paradise?

 

 

How far away is your paradise?

 

We never quite know how close we are to our dreams, do we? The key is to keep going because it could be just round the next corner.

 

Setting goals:

• One trick is to set yourself a realistic goal. Make sure it's 'do-able'. We all love to dream of a world where things happen according to plan without obstacle or delay, but sadly this path tends to be a bit elusive.
• Create a plan that fits around your existing timescale and keep to it.
• Tell your friends and family that you're busy working when you're working towards your dreams. If you've worked out your timetable well, you should be able to carry on without interruption. If you find this doesn't work, re-think your timetable and be firm about when you're busy.
• When things don't go accordingly to plan, don't despair. Keep going and put a smile on your face.  Sooner or later, you will make progress.
• Don't forget - the best things take time!

March has been a hectic month for me and we're already three quarters through.... Here's hoping the last few days go as well as the first have.

 

Keep going with your aspirations. It's the only way forward. Best of luck.

 



Question Time!

It's question time.... put the kettle on and settle down for a quick tea break.
 
1) What genre do you like to write?
Crime fiction. I like seemingly impossible mysteries.

2) How long have you been writing? What prompted you to start writing?
I first started to enjoy creative writing as a child, aged about eight years old. Imagination prompted me to write. There were too many ideas and tales spinning around in my mind.  I wrote my first novel when I was sixteen. I call it a novel but in reality it would be called a novella. At the time though, I didn't know this!  I studied English Literature for A-Level and read Margaret Atwood. This was the turning point in my writing life; when I thought, I want to write, to create the imagines for other people just as she had for me. When I reached my early twenties I began to dedicate time to writing every week.  Now, a decade later, I find myself with three published crime thrillers on the shelves.

3) What inspires you to write?
Other people, things I see, hear, random thoughts, almost everything. Most of all, I'd have to say other writers. In particular Jane Austen, Agatha Christie and Margaret Atwood. I am also inspired by tales told from an unusual angle or viewpoint. I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Time Traveller's Wife' by Audrey Niffenegger and Zadie Smith's 'White Teeth'; both very well written and unique.  The English language inspires me. Every day there are words or phrases that fit together in harmony, and make me smile.

4) When a story idea pops into your head, how long does it typically take to write it (from start to finish)?
About ten months, give or take a week or two.

5) What did you find to be the most difficult part of the writing process? Easiest?
The research is the easiest part. People tend to be very happy to assist with literary research. Plotting and planning I find very enjoyable. The middle section of the first draft is the most difficult. It is like finding your way through fog. By this time, I may have deviated from my plan very slightly (often for the better), and need to find my way back to the path!  Things always come right by the end.

6) Of all your characters whom do you most relate to?
That's a tricky question but I have to say Cathy in 'Distant Shadows'.

7) Is there one of your characters that you did not like when you started writing about them, but found yourself liking by the end of the story?
Yes - Inspector Allen. I planned to have my main character solve the mystery, and didn't initially want to feature the police very much. This all changed once I added Inspector Allen. I knew I would have to have a police character to tie up the loose ends and bring justice forward, but I hadn't planned on him entering the books quite so much as he did. During book 1, 'Beneath The Daisies', he developed in my mind and by book 2, 'Distant Shadows', he was fully formed, persistently entering scenes I hadn't planned for him to be in!  Strangely, I am not sure I would like some of his habits or characteristics in real life, but in my fictional world I can't help smiling about him.

8) What is your least favorite part about writing? The Most?
Promotion is the most tricky for me, simply because I don't have the experties or natural abilities of others in this area. Technically, promotion isn't writing, and maybe that's why. The most exciting bit is writing the final chapter. There is a mixture of relief and excitement when the story is almost told.

9) When you are not writing or editing what do you do for relaxation?
Aside from writing, my other grand passion in life is dance. I have various amateur examination achivements in Ballroom, Latin, Argentine Tango, and Salsa. In former years I learnt Carnival Samba and performed in carnivals across the UK. As we speak, I am in training to take my first dance teachers qualification exam. Dance brings a lovely social side to life, by contrast to writing, which tends to be solitary.

10) What genre of books do you like to read?
Surprise, surprise - I like reading crime fiction. Anything with a mystery to solve wins my attention quickly. Tales with unsolved mysteries dating back in time are a particular favourite of mine. I also enjoy romantic fiction from time to time, and the classics. Shuffling the order of genres to read works well, and retains variety.

11) What author(s) do you enjoy reading? Why?
I like to read a wide variety of authors because variety is the spice of life. I can't really pick an absolute favourite, but the top few would include Elly Griffiths, Adele Parks, RD Wingfield, Linwood Barclay, Lynn Shepherd, Jane Austen, Alison Bruce, Agatha Christie, Margaret Atwood, Audrey Niffenegger... there are lots!!
Every year I read 'Pride and Prejudice' and enjoy it as much as the first time.

12)Tell us about your books. Where can people find them?
My website has lots of information: http://www.jaynemariebarker.com/
Blog http://jaynemariebarker.blogspot.co.uk/?spref=tw
Facebook page http://t.co/V1pP6dqA
Twitter @JayneMarieBarke
I'm also listed on Goodreads.com and LinkedIn.com
UK author page http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jayne-Marie-Barker/e/B007EDJ7SW/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1373976999&sr=8-1
US author page http://www.amazon.com/Jayne-Marie-Barker/e/B007EDJ7SW/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1373977066&sr=8-1

'The Dancer's Ghost' - back cover
Where we come from can change everything.
When a baby is snatched the famous parents keep the tragedy secret, but this doesn't prevent Joyce Capelli from searching, attracting trouble at every turn. An anonymous writer claims to know everything, but it will cost Joyce more than she realises. When a shot is fired all she finds is an open window, and a room of photographs.
In the modern day Rebecca Houseman finds herself widowed, suffering persistent dreams, and threatened. What she doesn't know is why. When the unconventional DCI Allen says her husband's apparent natural causes was in fact murder, she wonders what he was trying to tell her in his final breath.
A stranger is watching the Houseman family, an unsettling familiarity that could change everything. As the attempts grow increasingly deadly, the inspector strives to solve the case, but can he crack the mystery before the assassin finds Rebecca?
Meanwhile, in the 1960s, Joyce's delight at finding her baby is tragically short lived. What could ink Rebecca Houseman and the young dancer's missing baby all those years ago?
HS ISBN 9781849633291

I wrote 'The Dancer's Ghost' very quickly. It flowed naturally onto the page. The dance element was a delight for me to write, and something I had wanted to add into a novel for some years. It is a little sad but ends with new promise and hope. The story is about a lost child and the consequences that has on other people.
 
'Distant Shadows' - back cover
One shot in the dark and everything changes. When Richard Burkett shoots his victim in 1935, and gets away with it, he doesn't expect to be caught over seventy years later. The death of one man can affect so many lives...
Zoe Peterson is shocked to find two police detectives one being the captivating DC James Clark interviewing her grandparents about an unsolved murder.
Simultaneously Cathy and Stephen endure emotional turmoil in 1957. The revelation of her father's identity frightens Cathy.
Zoe is concerned about her father's health and her ex won't accept her ditching him; until James plants his size twelve's firmly into her life. Will finding the dying gunman and earning her grandparents' gratitude be enough for James to win Zoe's heart?
In 1957 someone is stalking Cathy, the shadows following her, the darkness choking her, until breaking point finds her in Stephen's arms and the awful secret is revealed. Wedded bliss could so easily be snatched away by terminal heartbreak.
A chance comment reminds James that the identity of the victim is more important than that of the murderer...
HS ISBN 9781849631761
 
When I was much younger I wrote a novel entitled 'The Letter', a purely romantic tale that featured Cathy and Stephen. This came to nothing with publishers at the time but in later years I had the idea of turning it into a thriller by incorporating a stalker. As time went by this idea developed and the title of 'Distant Shadows' sprang to mind. Finally, I sat down to re-work my original text and 'Distant Shadows' as we know it today is the result. It's a special story for me because in some ways, it was my first, although published second.
 
'Beneath The Daisies' - back cover
Sometimes love can be a shortcut to heaven - literally!
A gift from the dead? Sophie Harris thinks so until her appointed handyman - the delectable Andy - unearths skeletons in the garden of her inherited new home.
Could a secret murderer lurk in her family tree?
Simultaneously the buried victims live on in their own time - 1930's - as their story breaths through Elise's diary. The touching love story twists through intrigue and heartfelt sympathy; but can happiness ever be theirs?
Delving into family secrets, Sophie finds herself at the mercy of a poisonous pen, her life threatened - just how far will they go to keep the truth hidden...?
Police efforts do nothing to dent the poison pen's composure and a plot to murder Sophie begins to take shape. With the truth inches from revelation, Sophie is left clutching at the jaws of death; but will the police arrive in time?
HS ISBN 9871 84963 0733
 
The digging up of skeletons in the garden has been written by many people many times over but I was keen to have a go at it myself. Having always been fond of the inheritance link to the past, I opted to merge these two fields into one novel. I'm very keen on 'cold cases' and 'ancient unsolved mysteries', so 'Beneath The Daisies' ticked both boxes for me. It's the shortest of my three published novels, and the first to have made it past the slush pile, so I'm understandably pleased with it!

Hurray!!!

Fantastic review for #TheDancersGhost

http://promotingcrime.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/the-dancers-ghost-by-jayne-marie-barker.html


"This is a beautifully crafted novel, with the threads that link Joyce Capelli and Rebecca Houseman subtly interwoven. Both women are appealing characters and the story was compelling, especially strong in the description of the very different relationships the two women had with their families and the wonderfully vibrant descriptions of dance. This is a page-turner and I would definitely recommend it."

www.jaynemariebarker.com

 

 

With special thanks to reviewer:

Carol Westron is a successful short story writer and a Creative Writing teacher.  She is the moderator for the cosy/historical crime panel, The Deadly Dames.  Her crime novels are set both in contemporary and Victorian times.  The Terminal Velocity of Cats is the first in her Scene of Crimes novels, was published July 2013