I feel like devoting all my time to the book, but it's just not possible. It's been a busy month/year and I'm beginning to feel exhausted.
I tell everyone that I've finished the first draft of my novel and proudly proclaim that I've written 80,000 words. In truth I abandoned it, but the new version is really taking shape, written in the first person and it seems so fluid. I'm using most of the material in the first draft and re-writing it in the new style.
I'm going to aim to keep it short, the book I have in mind is Kerouac's The Subtarraneans, which I read many years ago. It's about his brief, intense relationship with a girl. I'm still reading Joyce and revisiting The Wasteland.
I've written 6,000 words of the new draft, I wanted to spend the weekend wrtiting, but I was exhausted and the children were all poorly, as well as my wife. I ended up baking Denis The Menace buns and a groovy chick cake on Sunday, such is life.
Got a very busy December then I have two weeks off over Christmas. The kids are getting a desktop computer for Christmas, which I hope will free up my laptop on a weekend.
I'm trying to get a second draft of 60,000 words written by Jan 19, the day I started the book.
I have also edited a collection of poetry which I'm going to publish in the new year.
I want to write more, but I'm feeling drained. It's been a tough year.
Monday, November 28, 2005
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
A work in progress...33
I can't believe a month has almost passed since my last blog.
I had a nasty viral infection which laid me low for about a week, and then there were deadlines at work etc so not much time or inclination to write. I even stopped work on the book. I was getting terribly confused and have been trying to figure out where it was going. I didn't write anything for about a week but I didn't abandon it all together.
Joyce's Ulysses has really opened things up for me and has shown me the way. I have written 77,000 words and could easily go on, but I re-read the completed opening chapters and decided it was not what I wanted to write. I have decided to change the voice and tone of the novel, keeping the characters and most of the narrative and scenarios, but writing it in the first person. I want it to be a spontaneous piece of prose that the reader simply can't put down. I'm going to go back to Jack Kerouac's The Subtarraneans has an influence. This was quite short, focused on a relationship and was intense. I remember reading it pretty much in one go.
I'm also using some ot the techniques of Joyce and Elliot. I'm looking at the book as one long poem, I don't care about the structure, in this respect it may have the feel of DJ mix, I'm sampling all sorts of stuff, lots of references, but most importantly it's going to be original.
Feeling very excited. I have already started rewriting, I'm going to really go for it, not bother about word counts - it may make only 40,000 words, I don't care. I have pretty much done all the hard work, I have fleshed out the characters, kind of know what works and what doesn't, so it's really down to me.
Money has been a big problem, I'm earning a good wage but it doesn't seem to be enough to support a family of four. This has caused some depression, at times I feel like giving in, why bother? But at the end of the day I do love writing. I am goping to get there, I can feel it, I know it.
I had a nasty viral infection which laid me low for about a week, and then there were deadlines at work etc so not much time or inclination to write. I even stopped work on the book. I was getting terribly confused and have been trying to figure out where it was going. I didn't write anything for about a week but I didn't abandon it all together.
Joyce's Ulysses has really opened things up for me and has shown me the way. I have written 77,000 words and could easily go on, but I re-read the completed opening chapters and decided it was not what I wanted to write. I have decided to change the voice and tone of the novel, keeping the characters and most of the narrative and scenarios, but writing it in the first person. I want it to be a spontaneous piece of prose that the reader simply can't put down. I'm going to go back to Jack Kerouac's The Subtarraneans has an influence. This was quite short, focused on a relationship and was intense. I remember reading it pretty much in one go.
I'm also using some ot the techniques of Joyce and Elliot. I'm looking at the book as one long poem, I don't care about the structure, in this respect it may have the feel of DJ mix, I'm sampling all sorts of stuff, lots of references, but most importantly it's going to be original.
Feeling very excited. I have already started rewriting, I'm going to really go for it, not bother about word counts - it may make only 40,000 words, I don't care. I have pretty much done all the hard work, I have fleshed out the characters, kind of know what works and what doesn't, so it's really down to me.
Money has been a big problem, I'm earning a good wage but it doesn't seem to be enough to support a family of four. This has caused some depression, at times I feel like giving in, why bother? But at the end of the day I do love writing. I am goping to get there, I can feel it, I know it.
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