Review - The Canterbury Tales Vol I by Luke Bellmason

 

Have you ever read a book that was so well-written you kind of hate the author? That's pretty much my feeling for Canterbury Tales. It's brilliant.

Amazon Synopsis

Every ten years each spacer pilot must make the pilgrimage to Vale, where the mighty and all powerful Federal Galactic Spaceflight Licensing Authority resides. From all corners of the nine galaxies they come, on ships such as the GSS Canterbury.

To pass the time over their three nights journeying through the void each traveller tells their story. Volume One features the tale of the Smuggler, the Merchant, the Assassin and the Knight. Join them to hear their tales of rivalry, revenge, piracy, insurrection, daring escapes and adventure in this all new re-imagining of the original Canterbury Tales.

This is what Geoffrey Chaucer might have written if he'd owned a ZX Spectrum when he was 12 and wasted his formative years playing video games through the 1980's.

If you're not familiar with the original, here's an overview:

 

What I Liked

The first thing I noticed was the very literary and witty writing style. I was hooked by the first few paragraphs. I also like that each story has an element of social commentary just below the surface. That's what science fiction is supposed to do: use fantastical situations to make us look at ourselves.

Each character is unique and interesting. You also get the sense of a  much more complex world in the background without the author wasting page after page in useless worldbuilding exposition. There are moments of horror, adventure, romance and intrigue. It hit all the right buttons.

What I Didn't Like

I have to wait until next year to read the second part. Seriously. That's my only negative reaction.

Conclusion

If you haven't read Canterbury Tales Volume 1 by Luke Bellmason do yourself a favor and pick it up. I'm sure you're going to hate Luke as much as I do.

Links:

Luke Bellmason's Website

Luke Bellmason on Goodreads

Luke Bellmason on Twitter

Buy the Book: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk

Stages in the Writing Process - An Overview for Indie Authors

Source: http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/writing/secondary/writingprocess.html

I've taught business writing at a local college for the last six years. It has given me an opportunity to  appreciate the process of writing since it is a complete mystery to most people. Most experts will tell you writing should be done in stages. While the names and numbers of these stages vary, I've listed the most common ones below.

Pre-Writing (25% of Your Time)

For non-fiction works, this is when you:

• Analyze your Target Audience
• Anticipate their Response

Some fiction writers waste too much time waiting for "inspiration". They wait for the "right" story to come along.  However, if you understand your target market you will never run out of ideas.

I'll give you and easy example. Joss Whedon has repeatedly discussed coming up with the idea of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He was tired of seeing women in horror films portrayed as helpless victims. He wanted to see one kick butt.

So how does this relate to target markets? In many ways it all comes down to you. You know that old saying "write what you know?" If you're ever stuck for ideas ask these question;

• What kind of stories do I like?
• What did I like about those stories?
• What did I hate about those stories?
• What would make them better?

If you're trying to write for a target group you don't belong to (e.g. middle grade or YA), make sure you truly understand their needs and wants before you writing

Writing (25% of Your Time)

To be clear, "writing" has several stages. For my students, I break it into three basic categories:

• Research
• Organize
• Compose

Research includes worldbuilding as well as historical/factual research. I have a tendency to spend too much time worldbuilding. Remember ,most readers care more about story and character than worldbuilding. That's why they're reading a novel and not an almanac.

Organizing may include a detailed outline or a simple bullet points of key scenes and themes.

Composing refers to completing your first draft. The best advice I can give you is to power and just get it done. Too many authors waste time looking for perfection in their first draft. For most of us it's simply not possible. The real artistry comes in revision and editing, not the composition.

Revising/Editing (50% of Your Time)

And here's the hardest part. Most people have no clue how to properly revise or edit their work. Over the next few months, I'll provide helpful tips on how to properly edit your story or novel.


Links:
The Writing Process:  Target towards Public School Audience but a concise reintroduction
Perfection Your Writing Process   Focused on University Papers but very helpful.