Finished my edit of the second book of my new series. This one really excited me!! I never know, when I complete a first draft, how it will read several months down the road. Does it all hang together? Does it need to be ripped apart and re-structured? Does it work? It's not until I return for my first edit that I get a sense of whether or not I achieved what I set out to. Sometimes I think I've done a great job, only to realise I have a long way yet to go. On other occasions (Lord Loss was one such time) I feel like I haven't done a story justice, only to realise with delight that it's far stronger than I suspected. This fall into the latter bracket. I though the book was pretty good back when I first the first draft in January, but reading through it half a year later, it got me buzzing!!! It's very dark, a true descent into an underworld of viciousness, madness and murder. But, hell, it's FUN!!!! The first book of the series had to deal with racism, so it wasn't as much of a riot. But having got the ground rules out of the way, I was freed to cut loose a bit more in the second book, and I think it's a good 'un!!!

I'm also starting to run with the new idea I had the other day -- much of the series is still a mystery to me, but I've seen the way I need to go in the next book (or at least part of the way), and I've got a better scent of the story now. Young writers often ask me how do I get ideas, as if there's some magic involved in the process. And I guess, in a way, there is -- but it's not in getting the ideas. As I often say, EVERYONE has ideas -- we all day-dream and dream at night and let our imaginations drift off during quiet moments. What you do differently as a writer is fix onto a few specific ideas and push them further, bounce other ideas off of them, run them through a mental mill and start interrogating them, asking what would happen if you do THIS with the idea, what would happen if you do THAT with the idea. Like a detective following the trail of a clue, you can't teach yourself to always spot a vital clue, but you CAN teach yourself to make the most of it when you do. The more you write and play around with stories, the more you'll be able to do with a good idea when it comes to you.

I've said it before, but I'll say it again. Ideas are NOT the key to being a good writer. Knowing how to handle a good idea, and how to turn it into a lean, mean moster of a story IS. You can have a great idea for a book at any stage of your life, at any age, under any set of circumstances. But to turn that into a great book, you need to have the experience that only comes with lots of writing. Wannabe writers who sit around asking, "How is it done?" are going to stuggle to advance. Wannabe writers who actually push ahead with their stories and struggle with them and tease them into shape will learn and figure out by themselves how it's done -- and they will soar. The magic's in the doing, dude -- you've got to find it for yourself!!!

I've been busy editing the first couple of books of my new series over the last two days - I finished off the first and am almost halfway through the second. They're fairly short, especially the first one -- I want them to be breakneck, swift reads, so I won't be spending much time dawdling in them!! I also cleared my fan mail pile again -- hurrah!!

I've spent the last few nights preparing for my appearance at the Edinburgh festival. I always like to do one or two world-exclusive readings at Edinburgh, and this year I'm actually going to be reading out three pieces for the first time anywhere in the world!!! Before I do that, though, I had to choose which extracts to read, and then edit them down (I never read directly from a book, but trim it down for a live reading). I still want to edit the extracts a bit more, and then I'll have to practise a few times, but I've chosen the parts I want, which is the most important thing. New readings, generally speaking, aren't as much fun for me or an audience as the old reliables (nothing in my canon beats my Cirque Du Freak or Lord Loss scenes). But, hey, they're NEW!!!! I think the thrill of hearing an extract from an unpublished book, knowing you're beating everybody else in the world to the punch, more than makes up for it being a bit stiff and unwieldy!! At least that's the way I see things...

Watched Jackie Brown again last night, which I enjoyed more than I thought I would. I liked it first time round, but it had dwindled in my memories and I wasn't sure if it would hold up. It's certainly not as much fun as Tarantino's first two films, and it's a bit slower and longer than it should be, but it was still an enjoyable flick. I saw a 1970s horror film called The Sentinel this afternoon. It was directed by Michael Winner, so it was never going to be a classic (Winner made one or two interesting movies, but he a very poor director generally speaking!), and the two leads were dreadful. But it had an amazing supporting cast, made up of old movie legends and up and coming stars, and some interesting story quirks, so it was never less than watchable. It also gave me a germ of an idea for my new series, which I'm warming up to the more I think about it -- a good (or desperate!!!) writer can find inspiration in the most unlikely of places!!!!!

Had a family party at the weekend -- it was my aunt Maureen's 25th wedding anniversary. We held it at the Woodlands House Hotel, which is fairly close to where I live. Had a great night -- the room was the perfect size, the food was tasty, the band (Keep In Touch) were top-notch, the company was ideal!! I was up dancing for much of the night, which is a rare enough sight! I have to admit, I haven't been naturally blessed in the dancing department, and am fairly graceless on the dance floor. But when I've had a few drinks, I don't care -- in fact, I start to think I'm John Travolta in Grease!!! So up I hopped and off I boogied for a night of swift-footed fun!!! Hola!!!!!

Went to see the new Harry Potter film on Saturday morning. It was nice and dark, so of course I enjoyed it!! In truth, I don't think any of the films fully capture the magic of the books, but they take a bloody good stab at them!!!! Given the size of the novels, I don't think anyone could have done much of a better job of them. I also think they improved once they stopped being overly faithful to the source material -- I remember watching the first movie and thinking they just tried to cram too much in. To make a thick book work as a 2 hour movie (or even a 2 and a half hour movie!) you have to cut lots of it out and focus on the parts that will work for a movie audience. Fans who can't accept that, who moan about characters or plot lines being dropped, are simply being unrealistic, and don't understand the fundamental difference between a book and a movie. It never bothers me if a movie isn't faithful to its source material -- I only care whether or not it works on its own terms. Something worth bearing in mind when you come to watch The Vampire's Assistant, because it's going to be a film which is VERY different to the books!!!!

I also saw Pulp Fiction again over the weekend. What a great movie!!! I don't know if I'd still consider it one of my Top 10 favourite films of all time, as I did when I first saw it back in the mid-90s, but it's certainly not too far outside! If only all of Tarantino's films could work as effortlessly and majestically as this one...

Today I started editing the first book of the series which I'm working on to follow up my one-off fantasy book and four-books series. Even though I've completed first drafts of the first three books of the sereis, most of the rest of it is still in the dark -- I've no idea whether this will be a short or long series, or where exactly I want to go with it. I have some ideas, and scraps of scenes which I want to write, and I had an idea for what might be the end of the series a few days ago. But for the most part, it's not there yet. This is fairly common when it comes to writing a series (at least in my experience). I know everything looks neat and straightforward when the books are published, but the creation is often a chaotic, uncertain time, with long periods of struggle to make breakthroughs and take things forward. I wrote the first book of the series more than a year ago, and I'd been playing around with ideas for at least a couple of years prior to that. Right now I'm bouncing ideas around like crazy, exploring different angles, piecing things together a bit at a time, deciding on how I plan to proceed. There's no simple way of making ideas flow -- you just have to keep punching away and exploring until things begin to link up. And if they don't? Well, you just have to keep believing that they will -- a lot of writing is self-faith. Without that, you're sunk before you begin!!!!

Finished my latest edit of my fantasy book (I'll be revealing the title and a bit more info about the book in just a few weeks, so bear with me!!). My editors notes definitely helped me patch up some problem areas -- including a few problems areas that I didn't know WERE problem areas until she pointed them out!!! There were no glaring, major flaws, but a series of small tweaks and twists which help the story flow more smoothly and make more sense. It's always good to get another's person's thoughts on your story when you bring it to an advanced stage -- by the time of the 4th or 5th edit, you've spent so long inside the story that it can be difficult to be objective about it. Things which make perfect sense to you might not make perfect sense to readers who aren't as immersed in the world of the tale as you are. It helps to have someone come along and ask questions and poke sticks into the ribs of the book. I was happy with the book book prior to this latest edit, but I'm a lot happier now, and I hope you guys will be too when you read it!!

I got asked in one of my comments today whether or not I Twitter. The short answer is -- no!! To be honest, I think Twitter is for people who are either lazier or less wordy than I am!!!!! Now, I don't mean that to sound as critical as it probably does!! Twitter is great for the vast majority of people who just want to post a few lines about themselves on a regular basis, and who either don't have the time to do into further details, or find it hard to swiftly string a few paragraphs together. As you've probably gathered by this stage, I have NO problem writing quickly!!!!! I rarely spend more than 10 or 15 minutes on any of my blogs, and I usually find something to write about in at least a bit of depth, even if it's only to comment on what films I've been watching. Only laziness could drive me to Twitter -- if I got bored of waffling on (and I'm all too aware that most of the time I DO just waffle, which is pretty inescapable if you're going to blog as regularly as I am -- life just isn't especially interesting for most people most of the time!!), then perhaps I'll switch to Twitter. Until that day, make mine BLOG!!!!!

Speaking of films and TV... I watched True Romance again last night. I didn't love it as much as I did when I first saw it -- I can remember coming out of the cinema with a HUGE grin on my face first time round -- but it's still a hugely entertaining flick, with some absolutely brilliant moments and dialogue. I also saw the end of season 2 of House today. I wouldn't normally watch a series like this, but I think Hugh Laurie and the writers have created a truly brilliant character in House, so I watch it primarily to catch him in action. Having said that, in this episode a guy's eye popped out of his head (literally -- and we got to see it!!!), and one of his testicles exploded (thankfully, they didn't show that one!!!), which made it play out a bit like a Demonata episode!!!! I was in my element!!!!!!!!

I've been working away on my latest edit of the fantasy novel over the last few days -- I should hopefully wrap up work on it tomorrow. It's almost at its final stage -- my editor's notes have helped me iron out the last few remaining kinks (including a few I was previously unaware of!!), so if all goes according to plan, it should need just one more overall edit, then a quick check at the page proofs stage -- and that will be that!!

I finished watching all of the Coen Brothers movies -- what an amazing collection!! They aren't all classics, but there are no out-and-out duds anywhere among them -- even their less successful films are interesting and original in one way or another. Now I've started back on Quentin Tarantino's films. Watch Reservoir Dogs again the other night -- what a stunning debut!! The first time I saw it was at the cinema when it was originally released. I was at university and saw it in a cinema theatre in the Elephant & Castle, where I was staying at the time. The sound quality was absolutely DREADFUL and I came away liking it but not sure what all the fuss was about. It was only when I was actually able to properly listen to the dialogue when I saw it on video (remember video???) that I realised what a powerful piece of work it was!!! Can't wait for Pulp Fiction -- it's been quite a few years since I watched it, and I'm curious to see whether or not I'll still consider it one of my Top 10 films this time round...

A fan posted a comment today questioning whether or not I ever read the comments that are made about my blogs. The true and honest answer is -- yes!! I read every single one! It's very rare that I respond to a blog or email because of the sheer numbers which I receive every day (which I state openly on my profile and on the contact page of my web site), but I DO read them all -- I like to keep a close eye on you guys!!!! If that situation ever changes, I'll let you know (I believe in being open), but for the time being, SHAN IS WATCHING YOU!!!!!!

Finished reading the first Furnace book by Alexander Gordon Smith. Top-notch stuff!! VERY dark, fast-paced, action-packed, with a cliffhanger to die for!!! It reads very smoothly, which is one of the highest compliments I can pay a book. I know that many people think that the mark of a great book is the complexity of the language, that if you don't have to struggle to read it, it can never be anything other than average. I think that's elitism gone mad!! The very best authors -- Shakespeare, Dickens, Tolstoy -- always wrote in a way which was accessible to the people of their time. They were crowd-pleasers who knew how to keep their audience entertained, even while exploring all sorts of dark, complex areas and themes. It's extremely difficult to get a story to "flow", to create a true page-turner that will drag readers along without them even being aware of how much they're reading in any given stretch. As I've often said on this blog, I spend between 2 and 3 years working on any individual book, trimming it down, fine-tuning it, trying to get it to move from A to B to C as swiftly and effortlessly as possible. At the end of the day, I'm sure some people sniff at what I've created and dismiss it for being such an easy read, mistaking the ease of the read for the ease of creation. But there's nothing easy about what I do!!! The art of good writing is to MAKE it look easy! That's what Gordon has done here, the same thing that Anthony Horowitz does so well -- he put in a lot of hard work to create a swift, exciting ride of a story. I highly recommend it!!!

On my own front, I edited another 50 pages of my fantasy book. This one actually doesn't move as swiftly as most of my books. The nature of the story is such that I have to slow things down quite a bit and let the story ebb along rather than rush forward at breakneck pace. That's not to say it's a stagnant, slow story -- I very much hope that it isn't!!! It just works in a different way to most of my other published novels. It's good to try different approaches every now and then. There's always room for improvement in a writer's career, but you generally learn a lot more by experimenting than you do by simply sticking to what you're good at. For the most part, I prefer writing books like The Saga and The Demonata, where I can roar along at maximum speed, throwing twist after twist out at my unsuspecting fans!! But every so often it's nice to move down a few gears and try something a little less hectic. But for those of you who might be worrying that I'm moving into sweet Jane Austen sort of territory -- there's no need to panic!!! This book features beheadings, slavery, grave-robbing, religious zealots, and killer bats galore!!!!! There are slow, easy-going books -- and then there are slow, easy-going books Darren Shan style!!!!!!!!

I read a bit more of Furnace: Lockdown last night, and was tickled pink to see myself namechecked in the book -- the characters are discussing movies at one point, and make mention of the seeing the third Darren Shan movie!! I'm hoping Master Smith has strange powers of insight into the future and that this prediction of his will be a reality in a few years time -- I'm quids-in if they make movie sequels!!!!!! It was a good job I posted that blog before spotting my own name in the book, or people might have accused me of being vain and only mentioning it because of my mention!!! I'm hoping to finish it off later tonight, and will report on it here once done.

Edited another 50 pages of my fantasy book. My editor's notes, as usual, are proving extrmely helpful. I always scowl when I get notes through from an editor -- I always have a completely uncontrollable, sniffish moment of "How DARE she suggest that my work isn't absolutely perfect as is!!!!" Then I generally have a quick read-through of the notes, and again my hackles rise and I mutter angrily to myself -- "Well, I won't be taking any notice of THAT point!! Or THAT one!!!! Or...." Then, a bit later, when I actually sit down to edit again, I generally find that pretty much each one of her points is valid, and by paying attention to them, I help improve the book!! It's one of the things I think a lot of young authors worry about -- an interfering editor who tries to make them change everything that they like about their story!!!! Now, that DOES happen, so I won't say that it doesn't -- but in my experience it's quite rare. Editors want to help writers bring their work up to as high a point as they can, and usually they can spot things as a reader that you have missed as a writer -- it helps to be able to view a book from the outside. There will almost certainly be times when you don't see eye to eye, but in most cases a good editor is happy to go along with an author's wishes if an author feels very strongly about a certain point. But you do need to BE certain before making a stand -- you should always do as I do, and give yourself time to process an editor's feedback (or anybody else's), and really have a good think about it, before replying in haste and regretting it afterwards when you realise that the editor was actually right!!!

Saw No Country For Old Men again last night, which was absolutely fabulous, and The Happening this evening, which was a big pile of heaping elephant crap!!! I remember being so excited about M Night Shyamalan when The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable first came out, though I did worry at the time whether or not he'd be able to keep bringing out films with incredible, intriguing twists, or if he'd be able to produce interesting work in the absence of a decent twist. The answer, it has become clear, is that no he can't, on both counts. The Happening was awful, a film so bad that Ed Wood might have been partly responsible for it!!! I hope, if my standards ever drop away at such an alarming rate, that Lord Loss crosses over and eviscerates me before I can torment the world with any more creative crud!!!! From "I see dead people..." to "Plants talk to each other..." Give me strength!!!!!

Finished my latest edit of the fourth book of my 4 book series on Friday. There's a scene near the end that always chokes me up a bit when I come to it. I don't sit here blubbing or anything (I'm not THAT soft!!), but I do get a little lump in my throat, even at this, the fifth time round. It's one of the saddest things I think I've written, a truly tragic, heartbreaking moment. I won't say any more about it (don't want to spoil the surprise), except to say to keep a handkerchief at the ready when you come to read this in May 2012 (which is when the fourth book should be going on sale in the UK, if we stick to our current schedule).

Went out with my friend Kenny on Friday night. Had a few drinks, chatted about movies and football and music, the same old things we've been chatting about for more than 20 years now -- the mark of a true friendship is the limitless number of times you can share the same sort of conversation!!! I rounded off the night with a doner kebab and taco fries from Abrakebabra (the best name for a fast food restaurant EVER!!!). They always taste so sweet slipping down, yet so vile when I wake up the next morning with the taste still thick in my throat!!!!!

Took it easy on Saturday, just sat around, read a bit, watched a couple of films, surfed the web a while. I'm reading Furnace: Lockdown at the moment, by Alexander Gordon Smith. I'm enjoying it so far, which I'm pleased about, because Alex is a Shanster of many years standing!!! Assuming I like the second half as much as the first, I plan to give him a quote for the book, to hopefully be used in the American edition when it comes out. The book is already on sale in the UK, so check it out if you haven't already!!

Today I returned to editing duties on my one-off fantasy book, which comes out in the UK in May 2010. My editor has given me her general notes, so I'm going through with those in mind. As I'm sure I've said on here before, the first draft of this book was MUCH longer than it is now. I included all sorts of details about the world which I had created for the story. In subsequent edits I trimmed back and cut out most of what I'd written, as it wasn't necessary for the main story. But it seems I excised a little bit more than I should have a in a few places, so part of what I'm doing this time round is filling in a few of the blanks. That's the good thing about writing more than you need in the beginning -- if it turns out you need to add a bit more later, you've already done most of the hard work, so it's simply a case of carefully restoring slivers of what you took out, which is much easier than having ot come up with entirely new material!!! I've said it often on this blog, but I'll say it again -- never worry about including more than you need when you're writing the first draft of a story or novel. Even if you know you're probably not going to use something, if it feels like you should put it in, then go with your instincts. You might thank yourself later for taking the time and trouble -- in my experience, it's always easier to write a lot of new material in a first draft than it is in a later edit. First time round, you're resigned to having to come up with new material every day, so you're in a very creative mindset. Further down the line, you just want to tighten up and fine-tune, and it can be a right royal pain if you have to slip out of that mindset and back into the creative zone!!!!!

Just say the version of Journey to the Center of the Earth which came out last year and which co-starred Josh Hutcherson. It was an OK movie, easy-going family fun but a bit too far-fetched for my liking. Far more interesting, however, was Hutcherson, who proves again that he's one of the strongest teen actors around at the moment. I'm really looking forward to seeing what he does with the role of Steve in the upcoming The Vampire's Assistant movie...

With all the news of the last couple of days, I didn't get a chance to report on the outcome of the eBay auction of a signed set of my vampire books, in aid of Autism Speaks. Bidding was fierce and furious, and I'm delighted to be able to announce that in the end the winner bid a grand total of £440 for them!!! (That's a bit more than $715!!!) The winner, Jennifer, actually lives in Germany, which just goes to show that no matter where you live in the world, you'll find avid Shansters everywhere you turn!!! I was obviously very pleased that my books managed to raise so much money for such a good cause, but I was doubly pleased because they also made a lot more than any of the other books in the auction -- heh heh heh!!!! I don't believe in professional jealousy or oneupmanship when it comes to things like this, but at the same time, there's no denying the little stab of extra satisfaction that comes with being top dog!!!!!!! Thanks to everyone who took part in the auction, and better lukc next time to those of you who were unsuccessful on this occasion!

I edited more of the final book of my 4 book series today. I should hopefully wrap up work on it tomorrow, if all goes according to plan. Then it's back to my one-off fantasy book for another edit, and then (hopefully!!!) on to something new. The only problem with having as many books on the go as I normally do is that editing can sometimes get in the way of writing new material. I wrote two new books early this year, and had hoped to have at least another one written by now, but editing has kept getting in the way. Still, that's just the way it goes -- I suppose it's better to have plenty of work to be getting on with, than sitting there struggling to come up with something new!!!

I received a very nice email today from the mother of a boy who's just caught the reading bug:

I just want to say Thank You. My son, Brandon, is 14 and has a very difficult time finding books to read for his age. He's dyslexic and just will not follow through with any books normally. The other day I went into my local "Border's Books" store and found your books through a store associate. My son picked out the first book in the series and as of this morning, he is up to Chapter 9 and cannot wait to finish this so he can go get your next book. FINALLY!!! All he is talking about is your book now. Thank you... you reached a lost boy and now he is reading!

Heh heh -- that made me think of the Ghostbusters theme tune -- "If you've got a lost boy... who just won't read... who you gonna call?!?" I love printing letters and emails like this, because I know how difficult it can sometimes be to convince reluctant readers to give books a try. I firmly believe that just about every child CAN be convinced to read, IF you can find a book that can capture their imagination and excite them. My books have done that over and over again, so -- at the risk of it sounding like blatant self-promotion -- I really do recommend trying Cirque Du Freak out on any reluctant readers if you're reading this and are a parent, teacher, librarian or whatever. If you're suspicious of my motives, go rent a copy from a library!!! I never intended for my books to appeal to reluctant readers -- I don't ever think about an audience when I write -- that's just the way they turned out. But they DO work, as the email above proves, with children who, for all sorts of reasons, don't like to read. I'm not saying my books will work in EVERY case -- each reader is different, drawn to different sorts of stories -- but they're a pretty damn good place to start in most cases...

It seems certain now that Universal are going ahead with their October 23rd release date for the movie in the States (no word yet on other countries -- I'll keep you posted once I find out), and also that the name has now been changed to The Vampire's Assistant. There's still a slim chance that they might retain the Cirque Du Freak title, but it's looking VERY slim -- even slimmer than a Size Zero model!! I have to admit, I'm disappointed by the decision to change, especially at this late date, as I think Cirque Du Freak is a much better and more fitting title. Unfortunately, the marketing people in the movie business often have the final say on key decisions like this. It shouldn't happen that way, but it does -- which is one of the reasons I took such a hand-off approach to the film, since I knew that time invested in the project would very likely turn out to be time wasted!!! A movie involves dozens, if not hundreds of people, and unlike with a book, it's very rare that one individual will have a complete controlling say over any given project. Rather than get closely involved from the start, and risk coming away bitter and twisted by the experience, I chose to stay distance from it -- and I'm delighted now that I did!!! Instead of feeling angry or betrayed or anything like that, I'm in a position where I can just smile ruefully and marvel at the shifting sands of the Hollywood mindset!!!

Mind you, having said all that, I'm going to have to show some decency and allow myself a little bit of a blush at this stage!!  Because the good Hollywood folk aren't the only ones who can change their minds when it comes to names -- I'm going to have to hold up my hands too on this one!!!! Most of you are probably aware that I started to re-release my adult novels last year, starting in the UK. I decided to release them under the name of D B Shan, since I wanted to make it clear that they were not for younger readers. At the time, my publishers, HarperCollins, argued strongly to keep the Darren Shan name. They made some very persuasive arguments, but I stuck to my guns and thus my first two adult books came out under the D B Shan moniker. Last month, my American publishers, LittleBrown, asked if I would consider using the name of Darren Shan for when Procession of the Dead is released next year. At first I was going to reject the proposal out of hand -- but then I realised that there were putting forth the exact same arguments that HarperCollins had!!! Now, when one person contradicts you and lists their reasons why, you can choose to ignore their advice and forge ahead as you are. But when another personal contradicts you, independently of the first party, and makes the exact same argument... well, that's usually time to pause and re-assess the situation.

Basically, to cut a long story short, I've decided to stop publishing my adult books under the name of D B Shan, and will instead be releasing all titles in future as Darren Shan. In the UK, the paperback of Hell's Horizon will come out under the Darren Shan name in a few months, and Procession of the Dead will also be rebranded once it is reprinted. I'm not sure what publishers in other countries will do, but I suspect they will fall into line with the UK and USA, and that all titles from me in future will come out under the Darren Shan name. We will take great care to make clear on the adult books that they are intended for older readers. One of the advantages of having just one name is that I will now be able to have a single web site, and it will be easier for me to collate all the news and information about the books, so that fans can more easily keep abreast of all the Shan goings-on.

Phew!! It all sounds very complicated, doesn't it?!? But it's a complication of my own making -- if I'd just listened to my publishers in the first place, we could have avoided the whole brouh-ha-ha!!!! Oh well, better that I see sense later rather than never!!