I began writing this blog nine years ago today. It’s been a journey of interviewing authors, like Matt Haig and SJ Watson, sharing book reviews and writing news, as well as writing posts on the craft of writing, which have proved highly popular. I’ve met some wonderful people along the way. Thank you to all of the people who follow and engage with these posts.
Plot is arguably one of the most important elements of fiction writing – from it stems, the characters, the mood, the pace. It sets the scene for the whole tone of a fiction novel, so it’s important to get it right. When you’re writing crime or thriller novels, it is absolutely key, and there are ways of raising the stakes to keep your reader hooked.
Here are a few that I noticed, while watching the BBCs recent new thriller, Vigil. If you haven’t seen it, you can watch it on catch-up. As a writer, it’s difficult not to consider plot, when watching high-tension drama on television and and in Film!
The plot hinges on a Detective Chief Inspector Amy Silva (played by Suranne Jones). DCI Silva works for the Scottish Police Service and is sent to HMS Vigil, a Trident nuclear submarine, by helicopter for three days, at first, to investigate. Shortly after the mysterious disappearance of a Scottish fishing trawler, a member of the crew on Vigil is murdered, and DCI Silver has been sent to investigate. The series takes viewers on a journey into a world of submarine warfare and security threats.[Skip ahead to the next paragraph to avoid a plot spoiler] Having lost her husband in a car crash, where the car is submerged in water, Amy manages to rescue only her daughter. She suffers from flash-backs, depression and anxiety, for which she is taking medication.
Much like Carrie, in Homeland (a highly-skilled, but bipolar CIA operative), it’s this vulnerability that makes Silver so likeable and her achievements all the more impressive as the plot unfold (see no. 2 in raising the stakes). Finding character flaws and vulnerabilities draws the reader to the character. The human need to connect through vulnerability is best illustrated in Brené Brown’s TEDxHouston Talk, The Power of Vulnerability. In this twenty minute TED talk, she describes vulnerability as uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure, but says that vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our most accurate measure of courage. It’s this courage, despite character flaws and vulnerabilities, that makes the best protagonists so appealing and keeps viewers and readers hooked.
DCI Silver’s investigations, along with her team on land, create conflict between the police, the Royal Navy and MI5 (see no.5 in the list of raising the stakes). She is in a challenging physical environment (see no.1) in a confined space, away from her daughter, her normal routine and recent partner, DS Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie), leaving her conflicted.
While there were a few plot holes and inconsistencies in places, it was a gripping series, with tensions ramping up towards the end. The finale provided both the tension and resolution that viewers were hoping for, with some impressive redemptive qualities.
You can find out more about plot, tension and story arcs, from several of my other posts (links below):
Narrative Arc: Shaping Your Story (one of my most read post’s with almost 15,000 views)
Plot, Characters, Homeland, and What You Need to Achieve to Keep Readers Engaged
What we can learn from Beauty and the Beast About Plot, Tension and Obstacles
You can now listen to some of my stories, poems and novel extracts on SoundCloud.
I hope you enjoy these. I will be adding to the collection over time.
Independent Publisher, And Other Stories, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this autumn with a redesign as well as physical and digital events. They invite you share your book photos and videos with fellow readers using the hashtags #AndOtherShelves and #aos10, as well as tagging them on Instagram (@andotherpics), Twitter (@andothertweets), Facebook (@AndOtherStoriesBooks), YouTube (@andothervideos) and wherever else you hang out.
I’ve supported them for some time and have my name inside the covers as a previous subscriber. Deborah Levy’s Swimming Home, reviewed here, is one of my favourite books. Their authors are bold and daring, with each book surprising the reader. I love the variety of styles and the different settings and cultures in which the stories are set. These are just a few that I own, but I have more scattered around the house in various places. I don’t like to be too far from a book! I love the cover designs, too.
Founder and publisher Stefan Tobler says that the team will mark the milestone from September on into the new year with new designs, online events and in-person parties and bookshop displays. The publisher’s titles will get a different look from September onwards, thanks to new house-style typefaces as well as the appointment of an art director, designer Tom Etherington.
Reflecting on the early days of And Other Stories, Tobler says: “To be honest it feels like a minor miracle that the press started at all. I was a single parent, not living in London, and so not getting out all that much. I had never worked in publishing. It was amazing how ready with advice others in publishing were, like Pete Ayrton, and organisations such as Arts Council England.” He notes that while And Other Stories was something of a pioneer with its focus on translated writing and its subscription model when it began, in the last decade the landscape for both has changed a lot (The Bookseller, 23 July 2021).
And Other Stories publishes contemporary writing, including many translations. As a publisher, they aim to push people’s reading limits and to open up publishing so that, in their own words, “from the outside it doesn’t look like some posh freemasonry.” They believe that more of the English publishing industry should move out of London, Oxford and their environs. In 2017 And Other Stories moved their main office to Sheffield and recieved a warm welcome. The move helped them to discover great new writing from the North of England, including Tim Etchells’ Endland, Amy Arnold’s Slip of a Fish and Rachel Genn’s What You Could Have Won.
And Other Stories is made up of readers, editors, writers, translators and subscribers, with books distributed widely through bookshops, although they say that subscriber support is what makes the books happen. They now have about 1,500 active subscribers in over 40 countries, receiving up to 6 books a year. If you are interested in subscribing, click here.
Do you have any And Other Stories books? Let us know and share any snaps in the comments…
I will be reading one of my short stories at an online performance of positive stories and poems celebrating local and national environmental initiatives with Pens of the Earth next Wednesday 22nd, 7-9pm. Sign up at eventbrite
Pens of the Earth and spoken word troupe T’Articulation invite you to an online evening, via Zoom, of prose and poetry inspired by environmental initiatives. Come and hear writers perform work written in response to our various themes including fresh pieces written for our 2021 Small Differences Add Up theme. (Submission window closes 30th September.)
These stories and poems celebrate local environmentalism – bringing a message of hope and empowerment through imagined encounters, actions, events, and settings; increasing awareness of our surroundings, our connections, and our ability to effect change.
We are also delighted to welcome Jenni Jones, Sustrans Liveable Cities & Towns Officer for Portsmouth, as our guest speaker. ‘School Streets are coming to Portsmouth!‘ She’ll tell you more…
Tickets to this event are free. However contributions to our Wilder Portsmouth fundraiser are greatly appreciated: donations will help seed change in the city, benefiting both people and wildlife.
The Zoom link will be emailed out to you the day before the performance. Please contact the organiser if you don’t receive it.
F C MALBY 
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