Six chapters in and I couldn't be happier with how this is going. I am still a long way from the finish line but everything is moving along nicely.
As I mentioned previously my characters are beginning to come alive, beginning to act on their own. I have divided them up for you into protagonists and antagonists. (All names are just working names and are subject to change)
Protagonists:
Sidney Hollinger: The hero of the piece, killed in a hit and run accident Hollinger has come back from the dead with psychic powers and he doesn't know why. He was a rebellious youth but has worked all his life in menial work being beaten down by the system unable to change anything. The main thrust of the story is his journey from someone who is submissive and events carry him along into a strong individual who takes charge of his life. I have put a lot of myself into this character even though he is a good twelve years older than me. I tried to imagine what I would be like if I had stayed in my dead end office job. I have also used Winston Smith from Nineteen Eighty-Four and Bernard Marx from Brave New World as inspiration for this character.
Nick: The mysterious stranger who knows a lot more than he is letting on. He helps Hollinger discover and use his powers and he is not what he appears to be.
WPC Hayes: This heroine is damaged goods, abused as a child she threw herself into the police for what she sees as all the right reasons. She is willing to go to lengths that the other heroes may not.
Sam Worthington: A journalist, confident, cocky and naive. This character is the me that was. An uber lefty, he sees the way of the world as a problem that can be fixed, he hasn't yet been disillusioned. And that is all you are getting on this guy, there are twists coming up that I am NOT going to reveal in this blog.
Leonard Noone: A reality TV star whose actions - although they seem irrelevant at the time - have a massive impact. He suffers from depression and sex and drug addictions. His story is one of redemption.
Antagonists:
The Praying Mantis: A serial killer whose actions bring the cast of protagonists together.
Gabriel: Quite literally the angel of death. Hollinger has cheated him and he is out to get his soul.
The Government: Yes I know that old chestnut. The backdrop of the story is a pre-dystopia, the events leading up to a Big Brother style dictatorship taking control. I believe that it adds a bit more flavour to the world I have created and if I write a sequel - I have a whole "Hollinger Trilogy" planned out - they will have a more central role as the villains.
So yeah, all in all it is going really well. I still reckon that I won't be finished this year but if I am going to do this I need to do it properly.
Hasta la vista, baby.
Saturday, 30 May 2009
Wednesday, 20 May 2009
Between the Spirit & the Dust
Wow - what a week!
Anyone who follows me on Twitter will already know that I have suffered from writers block recently; I couldn't seem to get anything down on the page. But the last few days something just clicked and I couldn't stop writing if I tried. First drafts of chapters 2 and 3 are done I am half way through chapter 4.
I have had to change the title of the book. "Sympathy for the Devil" is already taken, not just by any writer but by Holly Lisle whose workshops and web pages I use as a resource regularly (if you are interested in becoming a writer I strongly recommend visiting http://hollylisle.com/)
The working title is now "Between the Spirit & the Dust". It is a reference this Emily Dickinson poem:
Death is a Dialogue between
The Spirit and the Dust.
"Dissolve" says Death -- The Spirit "Sir
I have another Trust" --
Death doubts it -- Argues from the Ground --
The Spirit turns away
Just laying off for evidence
An Overcoat of Clay.
Next week I will give a bit more of an insight to my characters, but right now I am going to crack on with finishing chapter 4. Strike whilst the iron is hot so they say. Whoever they are.
Anyone who follows me on Twitter will already know that I have suffered from writers block recently; I couldn't seem to get anything down on the page. But the last few days something just clicked and I couldn't stop writing if I tried. First drafts of chapters 2 and 3 are done I am half way through chapter 4.
I have had to change the title of the book. "Sympathy for the Devil" is already taken, not just by any writer but by Holly Lisle whose workshops and web pages I use as a resource regularly (if you are interested in becoming a writer I strongly recommend visiting http://hollylisle.com/)
The working title is now "Between the Spirit & the Dust". It is a reference this Emily Dickinson poem:
Death is a Dialogue between
The Spirit and the Dust.
"Dissolve" says Death -- The Spirit "Sir
I have another Trust" --
Death doubts it -- Argues from the Ground --
The Spirit turns away
Just laying off for evidence
An Overcoat of Clay.
Next week I will give a bit more of an insight to my characters, but right now I am going to crack on with finishing chapter 4. Strike whilst the iron is hot so they say. Whoever they are.
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
Progress and Influences.
They say to be a writer you need to be a reader first, trying to write a novel before fully appreciating the structure and rhythm of prose is like trying to run before you can crawl. Even as an avid reader I am not finding writing easy, but it is damn rewarding when you write a passage which just flows - something that you can be really proud of.
Recently I started trying to read "Gravity's Rainbow" by Thomas Pynchon. I just could not get into it, reading it felt more of a chore than a pleasure. This book is supposed to be one of the greatest pieces of American literature since World War 2, so maybe I will come back to it at another time and give it a chance.
I then picked up "The Corrections" by Jonathan Franzen and, well, just wow! I am only about 100 pages in, but his characters really breathe. It is the sign of a great writer if you recognise something of yourself in the characters that you are reading about... Even if it isn't always your best qualities.
When it comes to my writing I believe that the influences of what I have read in the past are beginning to shine through, both "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman and "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov deal with the impact of Gods and devils coming to Earth. Although my initial idea did not come from these books - it came from working in a crappy office - they have definitely helped shape my idea into a serviceable plot.
Chapter two is coming along quite well, but very slowly. I am finding that my characters are starting to live for themselves, looking at where I want to go with them and turning to me saying "Nope, I there is no way I would do that, I am going to do this instead". I have my beginning, middle and end, but herding my characters towards them may be a longer journey than I first expected... But one that I am thoroughly enjoying.
Recently I started trying to read "Gravity's Rainbow" by Thomas Pynchon. I just could not get into it, reading it felt more of a chore than a pleasure. This book is supposed to be one of the greatest pieces of American literature since World War 2, so maybe I will come back to it at another time and give it a chance.
I then picked up "The Corrections" by Jonathan Franzen and, well, just wow! I am only about 100 pages in, but his characters really breathe. It is the sign of a great writer if you recognise something of yourself in the characters that you are reading about... Even if it isn't always your best qualities.
When it comes to my writing I believe that the influences of what I have read in the past are beginning to shine through, both "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman and "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov deal with the impact of Gods and devils coming to Earth. Although my initial idea did not come from these books - it came from working in a crappy office - they have definitely helped shape my idea into a serviceable plot.
Chapter two is coming along quite well, but very slowly. I am finding that my characters are starting to live for themselves, looking at where I want to go with them and turning to me saying "Nope, I there is no way I would do that, I am going to do this instead". I have my beginning, middle and end, but herding my characters towards them may be a longer journey than I first expected... But one that I am thoroughly enjoying.
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
Chapter one, and a little more about me.
Hey all,
Well as I was a little rushed with my last post I think I ought to give you a little bit more info on my progress.
The working title of my book is "Sympathy for the Devil", but that is subject to change.
I have prepared a little blurb which (hopefully) would get people excited about picking it up, here goes...
"Now that Sidney Hollinger has died it is time for him to really start living...
Killed in a hit and run accident Sidney Hollinger awakes to find himself with a second chance at life and strange psychic powers.
Aided by a mysterious stranger and pursued by an unstoppable force, Hollinger must fight for his survival and to avert a disaster of Biblical proportions."
The gist of the story is a play on Friedrich Nietzsche's statement that "God is dead", that we have killed him and that by committing the gravest of crimes we must become as God's ourselves.
My twist on this is that God is alive and well, but kept in the dark about events on Earth by the angels and demons that work for him. If the big G were to find out about the mess that we have made then these celestial beings would lose their immortality.
Now I think it is necessary to explain a little more about myself. I am a lapsed Catholic, but no longer a believer. I have a spiritual side but I don't subscribe to any religion. This is not some kind of Bible thumping story or morality piece. I just want it to be a good story; I think I am on to something pretty good.
That doesn't mean to say I won't have any problems doing this. As I was brought up Catholic, I am fairly unwise in the ways of the other major religions. I don't want this to be just about the Christian version of God. I am going to have to incorporate the major religions into this to illustrate that they all worship the same being, but none of them have really nailed it as a religion. It will involve a hell of a lot more research, but if I am going to do it I may as well do it right.
I had this idea a few years ago, picturing heaven as being run like an office with God as the MD. He would get all his information from reports given to him by middle management (the angels), but the figures being fudged by them to make them look better at their jobs than they really are. My problem was that I couldn't ground that idea with a suitable protagonist, someone relatable who people would actually want to read about.
I got the idea for a separate story a month or two ago about a guy who came back from the dead. It was just something I was playing around with, not really going anywhere with it. The guy would have an existential crisis about the absence of God... Obviously a light bulb flashed above my head, and I had my protagonist.
He awakes with psychic powers, by coming back to life he has become something new, upsetting the natural order of things. This might get noticed, so the angels are going to take him down.
He has an ally, someone just like him who will aid him, teach him to use his powers, and fill in the back-story of why he is being chased. The thing with this is doing the back-story without too much exposition, I want to show not tell.
So here is a taster, the opening paragraph. This is only a first draft so please be kind.
“Sidney Hollinger awoke to a baptism of pain, his lungs taking huge agonising gasps of air for the first time in seven days. His heart began to beat again, feeding his blood starved muscles, still stiff from the rigours of mortis. He opened his eyes but was greeted with nothing but darkness. His senses slowly returned like a small child’s hands warming against the fire after playing in the snow for too long. The blood in his body had not yet warmed his flesh; his skin broke out in goose bumps. He began to notice the soft feel of satin caressing the bare flesh of his hands, the nape of his neck and on the bald spot on the back of his head, where the gash from his accident was neatly stitched up. In any other circumstance he may have found his coffin quite comfortable.”
Like I said, it is only a first draft, but it isn’t that bad. A little tweak here and there is all that is needed.
And so I leave you to start work on chapter two. Until next time…
Well as I was a little rushed with my last post I think I ought to give you a little bit more info on my progress.
The working title of my book is "Sympathy for the Devil", but that is subject to change.
I have prepared a little blurb which (hopefully) would get people excited about picking it up, here goes...
"Now that Sidney Hollinger has died it is time for him to really start living...
Killed in a hit and run accident Sidney Hollinger awakes to find himself with a second chance at life and strange psychic powers.
Aided by a mysterious stranger and pursued by an unstoppable force, Hollinger must fight for his survival and to avert a disaster of Biblical proportions."
The gist of the story is a play on Friedrich Nietzsche's statement that "God is dead", that we have killed him and that by committing the gravest of crimes we must become as God's ourselves.
My twist on this is that God is alive and well, but kept in the dark about events on Earth by the angels and demons that work for him. If the big G were to find out about the mess that we have made then these celestial beings would lose their immortality.
Now I think it is necessary to explain a little more about myself. I am a lapsed Catholic, but no longer a believer. I have a spiritual side but I don't subscribe to any religion. This is not some kind of Bible thumping story or morality piece. I just want it to be a good story; I think I am on to something pretty good.
That doesn't mean to say I won't have any problems doing this. As I was brought up Catholic, I am fairly unwise in the ways of the other major religions. I don't want this to be just about the Christian version of God. I am going to have to incorporate the major religions into this to illustrate that they all worship the same being, but none of them have really nailed it as a religion. It will involve a hell of a lot more research, but if I am going to do it I may as well do it right.
I had this idea a few years ago, picturing heaven as being run like an office with God as the MD. He would get all his information from reports given to him by middle management (the angels), but the figures being fudged by them to make them look better at their jobs than they really are. My problem was that I couldn't ground that idea with a suitable protagonist, someone relatable who people would actually want to read about.
I got the idea for a separate story a month or two ago about a guy who came back from the dead. It was just something I was playing around with, not really going anywhere with it. The guy would have an existential crisis about the absence of God... Obviously a light bulb flashed above my head, and I had my protagonist.
He awakes with psychic powers, by coming back to life he has become something new, upsetting the natural order of things. This might get noticed, so the angels are going to take him down.
He has an ally, someone just like him who will aid him, teach him to use his powers, and fill in the back-story of why he is being chased. The thing with this is doing the back-story without too much exposition, I want to show not tell.
So here is a taster, the opening paragraph. This is only a first draft so please be kind.
“Sidney Hollinger awoke to a baptism of pain, his lungs taking huge agonising gasps of air for the first time in seven days. His heart began to beat again, feeding his blood starved muscles, still stiff from the rigours of mortis. He opened his eyes but was greeted with nothing but darkness. His senses slowly returned like a small child’s hands warming against the fire after playing in the snow for too long. The blood in his body had not yet warmed his flesh; his skin broke out in goose bumps. He began to notice the soft feel of satin caressing the bare flesh of his hands, the nape of his neck and on the bald spot on the back of his head, where the gash from his accident was neatly stitched up. In any other circumstance he may have found his coffin quite comfortable.”
Like I said, it is only a first draft, but it isn’t that bad. A little tweak here and there is all that is needed.
And so I leave you to start work on chapter two. Until next time…
Saturday, 2 May 2009
Long time, no see...
Oops.
Yeah, so I haven't really kept up to date with my bloggings. Sorry.
So, how much have I written...
Not an awful lot to be honest, but the muse gripped me by the throat and I have spent the last three days doing the first draft of chapter one. Its not great, its not rubbish, but it is only the first draft.
I can see about half a dozen things that I can change to improve it, but in the interests of actually getting something finished, have switched my ruthless self-editor off. I could spend the rest of the year editing my first chapter so I am just gonna crack on with chapter two.
My goal is to draft a chapter a week, only going through my book to tidy it up after I have finished the whole story. I want to get it sent off to an agents by the end of the year. Hopefully it is good enough for someone to want to spend their hard earned cash on.
So what story did I pick?
Rather predictably none of the ones which I listed before. I had a new idea that I just couldn't leave alone. Its about life, death, politics and religion, but thats all you are getting... for now.
Right I am off to do more work. Hopefully I won't leave it so long to my next update...
Yeah, so I haven't really kept up to date with my bloggings. Sorry.
So, how much have I written...
Not an awful lot to be honest, but the muse gripped me by the throat and I have spent the last three days doing the first draft of chapter one. Its not great, its not rubbish, but it is only the first draft.
I can see about half a dozen things that I can change to improve it, but in the interests of actually getting something finished, have switched my ruthless self-editor off. I could spend the rest of the year editing my first chapter so I am just gonna crack on with chapter two.
My goal is to draft a chapter a week, only going through my book to tidy it up after I have finished the whole story. I want to get it sent off to an agents by the end of the year. Hopefully it is good enough for someone to want to spend their hard earned cash on.
So what story did I pick?
Rather predictably none of the ones which I listed before. I had a new idea that I just couldn't leave alone. Its about life, death, politics and religion, but thats all you are getting... for now.
Right I am off to do more work. Hopefully I won't leave it so long to my next update...
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