Day Eight

Trying to get back into the swing of things after yesterday’s non-writing.

It’s interesting and suprising to me how many people have, reading these updates on the site or on facebook, a) Enquired as to the progress of the project b) wished me luck on the project and c) asked the eternal question;

So. What’s this book you’re writing about anyway?

This is probably the hardest question to answer.

It is also probably the best question to be asked, as it is so difficult to answer, it makes you check and re-evaluate yourself. Check your motives and your ideas and first principles.

It’s one of the barriers against falling into a self fulfilling self indulgent maelstrom of bullshit. It’s what stops you going native. It’s what keeps you honest.

So. What is this bloody thing about anyway?

In short; I’ve only had a week.

The way I write. In particular the way I’m writing this, is that a lot of the plot and the narrative will become clear during the process. It’s not so much that the thing writes itself. It’s more that, as you write you are forced into making decisions. Storyline decisions, character decisions, tonal and thematic decisions. Making these decisions, and then crucially looking back on those decisions and realising that something either works (and should be kept) or doesn’t (and should be binned).

In this way, you kind of sculpt the thing out of rock. Slowly uncovering, archaelogically, the parts that are true.

So. What is this thing about?

As of today. It’s about a person who finds himself at a point in his life that he never intended to get to, and doesn’t want to be. It’s about him discovering that his own situation is something that has recurred. That has happened to people in his family, for generations and cycles. It’s about his own work in uncovering their stories, to understand his.

Of course, this could all change by tommorow. Or next week. Or the week after.

Total Wordcount so far (after eight days): 6,991

Daily Wordcount: 881