Murdo’s Comments (group member since Nov 25, 2011)

Murdo’s comments from the Q&A with Murdo Morrison group.

Thank you all for your participation in my Q&A session. it was great to get an opportunity to answer your questions. I do very much appreciate your interest in my work.

Although our two day session is now at an end, please feel free to contact me any time you have questions or comments either through Goodreads.com or by contacting me at feedback@rosesofwinter.com.

Elin wrote: "Murdo wrote: "I was amazed that, after many hours of editing and proof reading, I still found some punctuation and other errors in the book..."

I've read a few galley proofs and never found a comp..."

I like that.

Elin wrote: "Murdo wrote: " Honestly, I found it hard to get the kind of critical feedback that I was looking for. There is a tendency to want to say only encouraging things when you really need to hear about w..."

You are welcome. Actually, I am enjoying this opportunity to discuss various topics with all of you.

I think that some authors and publishers need to put more effort into editing and proof-reading. Having said that, I do have more sympathy now with the odd typo that I find because I know how hard it is to get a book into shape. I do try to read posts in various sites where writers and readers congregate. It's hard to generalize, but in some of these I get the sense that less importance is attached to grammar and typos than I would like to see. A reader might ignore one or two but a general pattern indicates to many a lack of concern on the part of the writer. I really try to make my work as perfect as I can. I even try to make anything I post online as free of errors as possible. I think writers need to start thinking of themselves more as a 'brand,' and be concerned about the overall impression they convey.

Regarding word processors, here's my opinion. Spell checking and similar automatic features should not be relied upon. The book has to be read by a real person (preferably several) multiple times. In the later stages of editing this should be on a printed version. At the very end of the process, I strongly recommend going through a proof version of the book. I was amazed that, after many hours of editing and proof reading, I still found some punctuation and other errors in the book. Not many, granted, but one is enough.

Elin wrote: "Hi Marianne.

Marianne wrote: "I noticed Elin asks about 'beta readers' - what are they? I assume they are friends who get to see the raw early draf..."

'Beta-reader' is a term peculiar to the int..."
Thank you, that was helpful.

David wrote: "Hi, Murdo Are all the characters in Roses Of Winter based on people you remember from growing up? and How long did it take to do research for the naval battles."

In some cases characters were inspired by people I knew growing up. However, they were only a starting point in most cases. I often went off in different directions in terms of personality and behavior. Some of my favorite characters are completely invented. I would say that the majority of the 'cast' are totally fictional. The characters that probably most resemble real life prototypes are Charlie Burns and his daughter Ellen.

The research for the naval battles and for the Dunkirk scenes was time consuming. I had to portray the real history as accurately as possible. The convoy to Murmansk is based on the real convoy PQ17. My father was an engineer on the rescue ship Zamalek in that convoy. The Zamalek is the model for the Izmir in the story. In the book I have a section at the back that describes some of the real history behind the fictional story.

There is a response on the other topic in this group that also deals with similar issues. You might also find that interesting.

Marianne wrote: "Hi again Murdo, thanks for your very full and thorough answers to my questions. I noticed Elin asks about 'beta readers' - what are they? I assume they are friends who get to see the raw early draf..."

You are welcome. I very much appreciate your interest (and that of the others here) in my work. I only heard the term 'beta reader' recently. I think you are essentially correct as I understand its meaning.

Elin wrote: "Murdo wrote: "Writing fiction was very challenging in the beginning (it remains so but in a different way). I really had to learn how to create believable characters. Writing dialog in a credible w..."

Good morning (at least in the eastern US). I think that non-writers ( and possibly some would be writers) often underestimate the amount of work that goes into the craft of writing. What has helped me is that I have been an eclectic and voracious reader from a very early age. It helps if you have a sense of what good story telling and writing looks like.

I had written various insubstantial things prior to embarking on a serious attempt to write. For example, I had a couple of non-fiction articles published in a magazine. I also had been working on what became A Hole Without Sides since the 1980s. This started out as an attempt to write down my memories of that time, perhaps because it was such a pivotal point in my life. That became a kind of 'workshop' for me. Interestingly, I have never taken classes in writing (that I recall) although I have taken some in English literature.

I only heard the term 'beta readers' recently. I used a small number of friends and acquaintances as test readers. Honestly, I found it hard to get the kind of critical feedback that I was looking for. There is a tendency to want to say only encouraging things when you really need to hear about what works and does not in a literary context. I think that, if you plan to use beta readers, you need to be selective.

One thing that did help was to read passages aloud. When I decided to record Roses of Winter as an audiobook, it helped me discover sentences and passages that did not work well.

The writing is only part of the process. Editing and proof-reading are almost a larger task than the writing of the book. Here is where good outside help is really needed. Typically you get too close to your work and fail to see flaws that are in plain sight. This is the part of the process where carefully selected others can be of real assistance.

I hope this answers your question.

Marianne wrote: "Hello again,
I forgot to ask you about 'A Hole Without Sides'(I hope I have the title right!). I believe this is a 'memoir'. It sounds very interesting. I think this came before Roses of Winter, ye..."

An afterthought about A Hole Without Sides: It is a very personal book and I surprised myself a bit by being so open in it. It explores a time in my life when I was seeking a new direction. I signed on with an organization called Community Service Volunteers and worked with ex-cons in Rutland and in a closed unit for adolescents in Bristol. The later part of the book is an account of my time working in mental health in Kent.

Elin wrote: "Murdo wrote: "I am working on a sequel to Roses of Winter that begins in the present day. I have it about 50% complete. After that I want to do something completely different."

Tha..."
Thank you and I appreciate you stopping by.

Murdo wrote: "Marianne wrote: "Hi Murdo
I enjoyed reading Roses of Winter very much. I wonder if the death of your father prompted you to write the book? If not, what is your attraction to this period? And like..."

I was remiss in not thanking you for your kind words about Roses of Winter. I guess I am very focused on giving the best possible answers.

Marianne wrote: "Thanks – I tend to agree with what you say about the working class Glaswegian/Scottish person getting their proper due in literature. You mention Alana Spence, about this time last year I heard hi..."

I knew him slightly, although I doubt if he would remember me. He was a year or two ahead of me in high school and I do remember talking with him on occasion. I am not surprised that he became a well-known writer. My memory of him is that he was always writing something down in a note book. I purchased a signed copy of his book Way to Go and I have several of his other books.

Marianne wrote: "Hello again,
I forgot to ask you about 'A Hole Without Sides'(I hope I have the title right!). I believe this is a 'memoir'. It sounds very interesting. I think this came before Roses of Winter, ye..."

That's right. I started A Hole Without Sides long before Roses of Winter. Interestingly, I thought originally that I would primarily write non-fiction works. The themes of Roses of Winter really called for a fictional approach.

Writing fiction was very challenging in the beginning (it remains so but in a different way). I really had to learn how to create believable characters. Writing dialog in a credible way is very difficult. For much of the early stages of writing Roses of Winter I felt that I was serving an apprenticeship. It is a quite different process from writing non-fiction. A lot of work went into getting Roses of Winter into shape.

I don't think I have a clear preference between fiction and non-fiction. I could imagine myself tackling a non-fiction book again if the topic called for it. OK, I am rethinking that a bit as I write. Maybe I have a slight preference for fiction because it draws you into a strange and beguiling creative space. Like good jazz (for me at any rate), creating fiction plays with your head. It is a quite different experience.

Regarding 'what next,' I have no concrete ideas yet. I would like to write something with an American historical theme.

I hope this tells you what you wanted to know.

Marianne wrote: "Hi Murdo
I enjoyed reading Roses of Winter very much. I wonder if the death of your father prompted you to write the book? If not, what is your attraction to this period? And like Elin, I'm curiou..."

I had to think about this a moment. I am not sure that my father's death was the main trigger that prompted me to write the book. I felt compelled to write the book from a broader perspective. Yes, I wanted to commemorate men like my father, but it was more than that. I didn't feel that the working people of Glasgow that I had known growing up had been given their proper due in literature. There are some writers (Alan Spence comes to mind) who have a similar background and have drawn on that experience. In general, though, that time period and group have been neglected. I also wanted to tell the story of the merchant navy in the war. I thought that a fictional treatment would allow me to explore many aspects of the richness of that culture.

Another important goal was to convey an accurate account of the people and to correct what I thought were stereotypical portrayals of the working class Scot. The people I knew were tough, smart and had aspirations, many of which were only realized by the following generation.

It is fair to say that I felt compelled to write Roses of Winter. For me, it was a labor of love and I am glad I did it.

I am working on a sequel, which is about half complete.

Elin wrote: "Murdo wrote: "Thank you for this interesting question. It will require a somewhat lengthy answer.

Growing up I heard stories from my father, Donald Morrison, about his time in the merchant navy in..."
Thanks for stopping by. I am working on a sequel to Roses of Winter that begins in the present day with a new character who explores his past. It should resolve a lot of issues for readers who might be curious about what happened after the end of the first book. I have it about 50% complete. After that I want to do something completely different.

Thank you for this interesting question. It will require a somewhat lengthy answer.

Growing up I heard stories from my father, Donald Morrison, about his time in the merchant navy in WW2. He wasn't reluctant, as I recall, to talk about it but (it is clear to me now) must have left a lot out. His stories, however, did inspire some scenes in Roses of Winter.

My father died over two years before I started writing the book. Fortunately, at that time, most of my other older relatives were still alive. I set up numerous telephone calls with them using Skype. The relatives included my mother, two aunts and an uncle who had also served in the merchant navy. Their memories were very useful for information about the lifestyle of the period. I would prepare and ask a list of questions, which could get quite specific. Much of the domestic background in the book comes from these interviews. They also provided interesting details that only they would have known or would have been hard for me to find out on my own. For example, the small but interesting detail that there was a severe thunderstorm in Glasgow on the morning that war was declared. It helped add local color to the story. One of the rewarding personal benefits of writing the book is that the process made me engage family members about the past and record it.

I was able, using the Internet, to track down men who had served on my father's ship Zamalek, which is the model for the rescue ship Izmir in the book. Their input was helpful, especially in reading the chapters that describe the arctic convoy to Murmansk.

As helpful as that process was, I still had to conduct a great deal of research. For example, I chose to set a number of chapters in the Dunkirk evacuation. Inserting the fictional characters into the real historical timeline of events was challenging. Everything that happens in the backdrop of these chapters is based on detailed research of the real events.

I also had the challenge of presenting the history of the war through the eyes of the characters. We know how it turned out, they, of course, did not. I had to assume that the modern reader may not have the detailed knowledge of WW2 that people of my generation might. I decided to use actual newspaper stories and broadcasts to act as historical way points for the reader. When the characters read a newspaper or listen to the radio, those are the real historical media.

The trick was to keep all of this research 'behind the curtain' so to speak. It had to work in the context of the story.

One final note. Although some scenes in the book were inspired by my family's wartime history, the book is almost entirely fiction. While family lore places my grandfather at Dunkirk, almost nothing is known about the circumstances. The adventures of Charlie Burns at Dunkirk are totally made up.

I hope this answers your question. Feel free to ask more on this topic, especially if I didn't quite cover everything you are interested in.

I would like to welcome you all to my question and answer session. I have to admit, I am curious to discover what questions and comments await. I will try to respond as promptly as possible. Some of you are in different time zones and may experience a lag time. Everyone will get a response. I am really excited to get a chance to share ideas with you. It should be a fun experience.

Murdo Morrison
Roses of Winter
A Hole Without Sides