Today I have the privilege of hosting a guest post by author Julian Cundy on my blog. The blog tour will return on Thursday 21st June for my review of his book, Into the Summerland.
5 Inspirational Authors by Julian Cundy
Charles Dickens sits at the top of the tree for me. So much has been written about his characters, his capacity to portray entire societies in the microcosm of a handful of story threads, his compassionate approach to life’s less fortunate ones. All of this I love. For me, it is the sheer confidence that flows throughout his writing. You can see the development in reading the novels chronologically, but he is never less than compelling.
Dickens’ observation of human nature is so universal. The gallery is unparalleled: The rogues and villains, the pure and innocent, the plucky heroes, the pedants and rebels. I learned so much about presenting the nature first and the depths later. Of how some lives are irredeemably broken, while others may be salvaged.
Of course, Dickens is the master storyteller. Although the characters may threaten to dominate every chapter, the underlying reason why I read and re-read each book several times is the multiple threads of stories, carefully woven together. The convergence – often subtle, sometimes more broadly signposted – keeps me gripped to see how all the disparate tales will be resolved. If he were writing today, perhaps the descriptions would be briefer, but I recommend everyone tries the unabridged versions. There is so much there! This is why I spend so much time in day dreaming, sketching, planning and visualising my story lines before I get down to writing. You don’t need all the detail to begin, but you do need to know the high-level components and general direction.
Above all, Dickens writes like a man that needs to write. That sense of care for the right word used each time, the urgency in the telling of each tale. The firmness and certainty of delivery. My earliest writing were quite timid until I latched on to the delivery imperative. Charles Dickens taught me that well over a hundred years after his death. Your servant, CD.
HG Wells published his first novel The Time Machine less than 20 years after the death of Charles Dickens. Their literary worlds could not have been different. Whilst Dickens’ stories were firmly rooted in the Victorian society (apart from the historic novels) Wells’ mind was exploring the realms beyond his own time and indeed space.
The British godfather of science fiction is a marvel to me. His formative reading was Greek, Latin and English classics, but the ideas generated from his imagination were groundbreaking. Men on the moon? Travelling through time? Aliens invading earth? All this whilst still in the 1800s.
Well’s inspiration to me was the way he set the rules of context. However outlandish the situation he created, the characters had to be rounded and the story development credible. I best describe my own style of writing as portraying ordinary people in extraordinary situations. I like my readers to imagine ‘that could be me’ and for them to wonder how they would react.
It’s no accident that I fell into the Steampunk style, with HG Wells as one of my favourite authors. That sense of wonder, possibility and the excitement of the unknown to be discovered that Wells creates in his books; that Steampunk reflects in a modern retrospective fun way – puts a big splash of colour into my life.
JK Rowling is in many ways the modern yardstick that most of us measure against. Forgetting the stratospheric commercial success that she enjoyed with the Harry Potter series, it is the word that she created which is most impressive and inspirational to other writers.
I was introduced to Harry Potter a couple of years after the first few books had been phenomenally successful and just before the first movie was released. I had recently finished my degree (finally achieved at age of 36!) and someone bought me a gift pack with the first three books for my celebratory week in Cornwall.
By the time my train was passing through a suitably misty Bodmin Moor, I had already devoured the first book. The next two did not last beyond the following day as the ethereal Cornish autumn mixed perfectly with the tales from Hogwarts. I loved the books on so many levels.
The cast, whilst often portrayed through the eyes of the major child characters had enough about them to chime with my older perception. Like the best children’s movies that throw in a line or two just for the grown-ups. The perennial themes of good and evil, along with the haves and have-nots, friendship and loyalty were well delivered, without too much saccharin.
The main aspect for me was the discipline around the world she created. I learnt that you can dream up the setting that best enables you to convey your story, but you must remain true to its rules. There could be no unsubstantiated jumps – no “new rules” created only for convenience of plot gaps. I have used supernatural devices myself in my writing, ensuring the coherence. You can be as creative as you like, but respect the reader!
The two more conventional writers that formed early appreciation of storylines and structure were Agatha Christie and Jeffery Archer.
Dame Agatha’s books were always around as my Mum is a big fan. The first ‘proper’ book I read was The ABC Murders, when I was about eight. I remember well the already yellowed pages of this paperback, which still had the power to grip. The contrast of the genteel English settings with the brutal murders did more to develop my sense of dramatic timing and story pacing than any school creative writing classes.
Lord Archer’s blockbusters of the 1980s were a real education of plotting, suspense and pacing. The real-life characters and contemporary events gave them a really authentic feel. He continues to do this brilliantly. I learnt from this how locations, landmarks, key events and even famous people could be woven carefully into a storyline to help quickly establish the setting.
All of these authors have created worlds that I can escape to for a few hours at a time. It’s the kind of passionate, driven and high quality discipline that I aspire to achieve in my own writing.
If you want to learn – as we all should throughout our lives – then learn from the best. You won’t go far wrong. And if this enables me to achieve commercial success that will obviously be great. But the fulfilment of delivering a good story well told is hard to beat.
JC
About the Author
Living in Westcliff-on-Sea Essex, Julian Cundy is a British adventurer, dedicated day dreamer, wordsmith and observer of life and all its absurdities. He is a recognisable character in his home town thanks to his eye-catching outfits comprising fine hats, cravats, tails and spats.
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