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How a single image can lead to an entire novel: on listening to author Ian Beck

December 8, 2011 by Jacqui Lofthouse Filed Under: Authors, Books, Motivation, Productivity, The writing life 7 Comments

Question: What can a writer learn from an illustrator?

Answer: The fact that we don’t have to know the entire plot before we begin.  Indeed, we might know nothing at all about our story but if we have a strong ‘hunch’, it’s important that we follow it.

Earlier this month my daughter and I attended a talk at the Richmond literature festival with the author/illustrator Ian Beck.  Beck was there to talk about his new novel The Haunting of Charity Delafield.  I had expected the talk would be more interesting to my daughter than to me, but I was wrong because as Beck described his working process, I recognised it as the same process I use when I write novels myself, the same process that I recommend to clients time and again:  the organic method of development.

Beck was, in the first instance, an illustrator, having trained at Brighton College of Art in the sixties, where one of his tutors was Raymond Briggs.  After working as an illustrator for magazines and in the recording industry for several years (his work included the album cover for Sir Elton John’s ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’), he moved into children’s book illustration in the ’80s.  More recently, he has written novels for children and young adults.

A single image

Beck’s latest novel ‘The Haunting of Charity Delafield’ began life as a single image, similar to the one that now graces the book cover, seen here.  At first, he thought the girl in the red coat might be a character for an illustrated book – perhaps about a girl who had lost a puppy.  But that idea didn’t work and Beck put the image on a Christmas card and left it alone for a while.  Slowly, however, after a long break, Beck told us, the idea for a longer novel began to take shape.  He talked about visiting a garden, Levens Hall and realising that ‘her garden is a bit like that’.  He visits a particular house, full of mysterious objects and understands that Charity (at that time, in fact, he called her ‘Rose’ and her maid was ‘Charity’) lives in a big Victorian house full of peculiar things.  It is the perfect place for a haunting.  Soon Beck was writing a story about a girl raised alone, knowing little of the outside world, “confined to her overly-protective father’s Victorian mansion with its labyrinth of secret corridors and abandoned rooms.”

‘Stories can begin in all kinds of odd places,’ Beck said.  ‘The important thing is knowing how to recognise it.’  It was three years from the time of that first illustration to the completion of the novel. It’s clear you can’t rush an organic project. Beck has a shed in his garden where he writes, but he’s equally comfortable scribbling for half an hour in a coffee shop.  He believes it is vital to be ‘open to imagination, allowing things to happen’.  His early influences were illustrations such as Pauline Baynes’ image of Mr Tumnus in Narnia, and books such as The Borrowers and Dr Dolittle.  He admires the work of Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac and Harold Jones in Lavender’s Blue: A book of Nursery Rhymes.

But what about the plot?

I didn’t ask the question ‘but how did you work out the plot?’  Why?  Because as an organic writer myself, I understand that when we begin with character, setting, relationships, questions – the plot emerges as part of the process.  Of course, different writers have different methods of developing plot and I do not underestimate the importance of a good structure in a book.  One of the reasons I always advocate organic growth is because I believe that when characters are fully realised, they end up doing things that we don’t expect them to do.  The more we write about them, the more we understand them and all of our best-laid plans can go awry.  I will write about ‘good plot structure’ in a subsequent post. But I highlight Beck’s method of starting with an image or a hunch, even if you don’t know where that will lead you, because I am deeply aware of how many authors are held back by a sense of ‘not knowing’ where a novel is going.  Whereas ‘not knowing’ can be the powerful thing. ‘Not knowing’ is, so often, what the creative process is all about. We have to be brave and we have to face the blank page and we have to recognise that there is mystery in the creative process. If we are to produce our best work, we must remain open to uncertainty.

You can find out more about Ian Beck and his earlier ‘Tom Trueheart’ novels on his website here.

If you’re interested in the organic method of writing, my ebook Get Black on White offers a simple introduction.  Or do sign up for the newsletter on this website for regular fortnightly advice and motivation on the writing process in your in-box.

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Comments

  1. 1

    Voula says

    December 9, 2011 at 4:36 am

    This is so interesting Jacqui…. I am in the early stages of my second novel and reaching to find the right spot for me between its organic unfolding and a structured plot. I was recently struck by a comment by Joanna Trollope in an interview: “I start with a theme, and a sense of how the book will end; I structure it loosely, a third at a time, to allow the characters to develop the details of the plot.” I found this idea really appealing, as I love the organic method, but can feel anxious if it is too open. Your post really struck a chord, as I feel my way to the best process for me. Thanks!

    Reply
  2. 2

    Sue Hyams says

    December 9, 2011 at 10:22 am

    What a great post – especially as I have just finished reading Ian Beck’s excellent book. Fascinating to see another writer’s process, and I absolutely agree that letting the characters develop and grow helps form the plot and give it depth.

    Reply
  3. 3

    Jacqui Lofthouse says

    December 9, 2011 at 11:17 am

    I’m so glad you enjoyed it Voula and I like Trollope’s idea of structuring a book a third at a time. Sue, great to hear that you’ve already connected with Beck’s work and that the ideas here resonate with you.

    Reply
  4. 4

    More Info says

    January 24, 2013 at 5:14 pm

    I don’t know whether it’s just me or if perhaps everyone else encountering
    problems with your website. It appears as if some of the written text within your
    posts are running off the screen. Can someone else please comment and let me
    know if this is happening to them as well? This could be a problem with my web browser because I’ve had this happen previously. Thanks

    Reply
  5. 5

    Jacqui Lofthouse says

    June 12, 2013 at 9:26 pm

    Hello, sorry I just saw this comment – yes, it is most likely your browser I believe as I have had this issue with my own site on an older computer with a non-updated browser. Do let me know if the problem persists however.

    Reply
  6. 6

    H.S. Palladino says

    July 14, 2013 at 6:09 am

    Oh, I so needed this post. Have been frustrated about my fiction writing lately as I have no idea where my story is going and I can’t seem to relax about it … Thanks!

    Reply
    • 7

      Jacqui Lofthouse says

      July 14, 2013 at 8:09 pm

      Glad you liked the post! It’s been a while since I’ve posted here, but I hope to put up some archive posts and a few new ones in coming months. Great to hear that this gives you confidence to believe in the process…

      Reply

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