Reviews and Redemptions

Last lock before London?

'The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.'  Well, that Oscar Wilde fellow knew a thing or two about writing and writers, and as I watch for reviews of Grand Union, the 4mph thriller with windlass-wielding Daphne Randall as its heroine, I'm not going to disagree.  Reviews are how you know that there's anyone out there reading your 'stuff'.  It's lovely when your friends say a kind word or two, but when they are from people who don't know you and aren't afraid to be honest, they are especially valuable - even if they aren't brimming with superlative praise.

For example, there's a '3 star' on Amazon.com which gives good marks for technical merit but fewer for artistic interpretation, but that's fine - it would be dreadful to make a bad job of describing the 'boaty bits' when they are an integral part of the story and likely to be so whenever Daphne next casts off (not for a little while - maybe next NaNoWriMo).

The other independent opinions are both 4 stars, which is tremendous for a book dashed off in a month, and include some lovely and helpful comments. 'Liked the feisty main character, Daphne'.  Good news, as I suspect some readers will despise her from the moment she bids Margaret Thatcher 'good riddance'.  I have to agree that 'The plot has some implausible elements' - not least the bit where Councillor Randall quits politics on a point of principle, one might cynically suggest, having sat through the real version of that budget meeting! - but hopefully the worst of the proofing errors mentioned have now been zapped and the revised version has uploaded successfully.

The other review is also friendly and encouraging, concluding with the possibly slightly suggestive, 'I empathised with Daphne her main character and I would willingly share a lock with her anytime should our boats be travelling along the same stretch of canal!'  All the way to the pub, perchance?

Careful now...!

Close to home - Ivy House lift bridge, Caldon Canal

I remember how excited I was with the first couple of reviews of Severe Discomfort - also unsolicited - started to come in.  The first, which started, 'Have just read this, and really rather enjoyed it. It was quite difficult to get in to, but after a while the characters grew on me-at the beginning they seemed unsympathetic and dull, but now I want to know what happened to them...' is about as good a review as you could hope for, encouraging people to stick with it and give Lyn and Terry a chance to develop as characters.

Many of the original cast have reunited for another tale and Claimant Commitment is being released in monthly episodes (the third part free this Sunday).  I've been publicising it, and the earlier books, via various anti-austerity and disability support Facebook Groups.  There have been some really encouraging and supportive comments from readers on some of these too, but also some quite sobering observations.  Just recently, sharing a link for Limited Capability, two people commented that they had started reading it but had stopped because they had found it too realistic and too close to their own situations for comfort.  It was tempting to wade in with some reassurances, though how to do so without ending up in spoiler territory?

What it did make me appreciate is that, when you are writing about real situations, even through the eyes of imaginary characters, you have to be mindful that readers will include people facing the same challenges.  The laughs and the love scenes (which aren't always a hit with serious activists) are in there to lift the clouds and lighten the load for them, and for anyone who isn't a complete benefits geek and needs to take a step back from the misery for a moment.  Life is hard enough for claimants and their families, without adding to their fears by bringing too much unremitting trouble down upon people they have identified with.

So I try to stay real, without losing hope.  My heroes have to win through, at least to some extent.  Especially with an election on the horizon, we all desperately need some optimism. 

And part of that optimism might be an unexpected redemption, or at least a partial rehabilitation, for an old foe.  Gary Pike may yet get to play a somewhat Gollumesque part in the current tale, though with Garys allegedly an endangered species, I had probably better not actually kill him off!