writing Archives - Valette Céline

A few words from professor Will

Carmine Will is one of the characters of fiction created for Fantastic L.A.

Astronomer and lecturer, he works in parallel at the Los Angeles Observatory and collects art objects.

As you know, for several days will be visible the comet Tsuchinshan – Atlas with exceptional particularities. It was born in the Oort cloud an assembly of planets and celestial bodies, a journey counted in millions of years.

Professor Will invites all readers and you, patient Internet users to observe the sky from time to time, even if the events are not always the easiest. A little cosmic poetry.

Learn more about: Fantastic L.A.

Character and description

When creating characters in my stories, I use several techniques. One of them is to create a kind of outline from several descriptive elements. I try to imagine their physique, their character traits, but I also invent a personal story for them, which may be family or other. If I want to flesh out the descriptive part, I don’t hesitate to practice by going to a public place where I can observe several people. I try to imagine that one of them is the character I want to describe. However, it is important not to stop only at what we see. We must also use the other senses. Then knowing how to appeal to emotions and our ability to see that the person in front of us probably has not had the experiences that the fictional character should live in the story.

Music and inspirations

I really like Music, it accompanies me in professional life as well as in private life.

If I publish this post today it is also to talk about the importance I attach to listening to all styles of music, multicultural enrichment and meetings during festivals and concerts whatever they may be large or small sizes.

This weekend, I listened to the group Cuerteto Tafi as part of the Aspres spring festival. An event that I particularly like and for which I would like to post a link today so that you can discover a list of artists with open sounds and horizons.

“They can cut off all the flowers, they won’t stop spring.” an inspired quote from Pablo Neruda pronounced by the band during the concert

List of links to find out more:

France Info Culture website about the group

Aspres Spring Festival Blog

Through History and Literature

From March 8 to 22, 2024, events around women’s rights week took place in libraries and other cultural places in my area.

At the start of the week, I listened to extracts from several books by women authors during an evening hosted by a feminist reading club. During these discussions, several specific points were shed light on. After the club’s intervention, I added a comment on the vision of witches through History and Literature.
Later in the week, I attended a conference on the role of women during antiquity and in particular as philosopher.
Among the books proposed, I opted to read the novel the daughters of Egalie written by Gerd Branterberg.
In another setting, I read also rock’n roll witch from Pleasant Gehman who I worked on documentation about Fantastic L.A.
Currently, I am devoting myself to several artistic projects, however taking the time to discover and discuss current themes enriches my thoughts.

Complexity of characters

If your first fictional characters are created with acceptable qualities and drawbacks, they are often close to a form of impossible perfection. It is only when you progress through your process that certain questions will arise for you. When writing the sequel to a novel, for example, my vision of the characters evolved. I felt able at that moment to make them more complex. It is a crucial stage in the evolution of writing.

Thought 0518

What is the difference between science fiction and fantasy? the most widespread idea is that science fiction would not contain magic elements and would be oriented more towards stories more rooted in reality with many references to new technologies. This is not always accurate, there are special cases in the literature. As an author I think that the barrier between fantasy and science fiction must be crossed without any qualms. And the same goes for fantasy, crime fiction and historical fiction. It does not matter the classification given by a publishing house and the radius that my book will integrate in a bookstore, a public library and on a website. There is certainly a logic. ,However in terms of writing, I don’t currently want to lock myself into a genre or a style with predefined codes.

Thought 0421

As an artist, I am crossed by all kinds of emotions which interact on my job. This is not just about looking for inspiration and writing hundreds of books without interruption.
The world around me is important.
Today, I heard a program on the radio on France culture and which quoted a group of several authors in the United Kingdom. Its objective was to question the various publishing companies on their ability to control printing in order to move towards a more responsible use of paper.
This environmental issue had already worried me during the first COVID epidemic when I started my professional activity. And, I was indeed not the only one. Conferences on the malaise of authors facing their profession and the possible impacts on the planet had taken place at the BnF.
My comments are not those of all the authors, they engage only myself.
In a previous article, I proposed some lines of thought on a changing profession and they were as follows:

promote on-demand printing
the end of the D.R.M
accelerate digital accessibility (for all types of audiences)
remunerate the authors for their creation (for example: the systematic payment of an advance at the signing of a publishing contract rather than a payment at the end sales when not self-publishing)

Currently, there is a disparity between accessing and purchasing a physical book and a digital book. In the majority of cases, for digital it is access to online content under conditions clearly defined by the broadcaster. Which wouldn’t be a problem if we were talking about a reading subscription rather than a book purchase. In the case of a file purchase for the digital version of the book, if it is done without D.R.M, the author may be exposed to a sharing of the book without receiving the benefits, but this is not certain. In order not to hamper individual freedom, having a digital file in an open format is fairer. It is up to us to make the public aware of our working conditions as artists and our method of remuneration.
In the context of printing on demand, if the choice of the type of paper is recycled, certain labels should make it possible to ensure that it has not been treated beforehand and that the forest has not been over exploited. . As for the use of vegetable inks, they can prove to be an alternative to think about.
It has always seemed obvious to me that it is better to favor quality over quantity and that in any activity.
As an author, I try to act at my level by having a human and logical rhythm of artistic creativity, by talking about these ideas around me, thus proposing the result of my reflections. Everyone is free to use them.

Masterclass launch

I am pleased to announce the launch of my new Masterclass.

I am pleased to announce my new Masterclass. Selected by the C.N.L on August 24, 2022, sessions are still available for the months of October and November. I will soon give you news about the future 2023 session.

To find out more, go to this page.

The evolution of writing

As a professional, I think about the evolution of writing. And, of course, I ask myself all kind of questions to which I try to find a solution. They are not necessarily the best but having a vision of the future allow you to anticipate.
Here are three issues we should think about :

Digital accessibility

Paper recycling

DRM

As an author we can facilitate accessibility by offering files whose content is structured through the use of style sheets. Publishers will then be able to continue the accessibility process.

Regarding the recycling of paper, there are labels that are more compliant than others, similarly vegetable inks are possible. That said, print on demand seems an alternative.

Finally, DRM does not seem to me to promote the dissemination of a book for the public. Similarly, the multiplicity of formats according to a particular type of equipment restricts reading.

On the road of a new book

On the night of April 10, I dreamed of the heroine of my future fiction. I had been working for several days looking for ideas and documenting myself on several subjects. I felt like my notes were deep and correct but I couldn’t visualize my main character.

Then, during a dream, she appeared, playing one of the scenes from my book as if she were participating in the writing. She showed me something I hadn’t thought of. We then discussed his suggestion without having to introduce each other. It was the first time I experienced this and I feel relieved knowing that we are definitely on the right path.