17/1/2011 Some more plotting and planningI have decided to add some references to the First World War to my novel. After all, in 1925, the wound was still very raw. The Great war will come and literally haunt the characters.
14/1/2011 Bonkers storyI have just spent ages scribbling down the background story for my second novel. After much agonising over the kind of elements I could be bringing in to the story to make it intriguing, I have decided to look in the direction of Egypt, ancient cults and the God Thoth.
Thoth was the God of Wisdom, Time, Astronomy and the Patron of scribes. He is crucial to the novel because there is a story line about time-travelling/moving from one era to the other. The background story spans a long period of time, but most of the action will be taking place in 1925 (ideal as the tomb of Tutankhamun was discovered in 1922 and Egyptian stuff got very popular then), although it will have an initial contemporary setting. All this means there will be a massive amount of research; I am not attempting to write an historical novel though, and I am not a scholar. I will try and concentrate my efforts on the writing style and characterisation. I cannot deny that I am slightly worried about the proportions this is taking now... But because my first novel was after all quite simple and minimalist in terms of plot and style, I find it exhilarating to be trying out something completely different. The Edwardian actress has mutated slightly and has become a (very) troubled (ex)Gibson Girl who used to be a very serious and gifted Shakesperian actress. 29/12/2010 The second novel is nagging at me ...I have just finished my first novel and haven't really started to send it to publishers and already, a second story has been nagging at me. It has actually be doing so for a while but only vaguely. I've known for a while that I wanted the second book to be inspired by the Gothic genre, and that I wanted my main characters to be male, especially a young boy of 11-14 with an unusual personality. Ideas have started to burst into my head at an increasing rate these past few days and I have become completely obsessed by it... Which is positive, I presume... Yet, I shouldn't lose sight of my first novel and should work on a longer version of the synopsis to send to hypothetical publishers...
A busy 2011 as far as I'm concerned... I am not usually a very optimistic person, but I am allowing myself some hope... 30/11/2010 Tomorrow ... Tomorrow ... I have written more than I thought I would today and I have suddenly realised that tomorrow will see the "THE END" tag being typed up at the bottom of the page... I am actually ahead of (my latest) schedule, which is immensely satisfying. This will give me a good three weeks to work on the corrections and the synopsis before I enter the ms for the competition...
I have 93,791 words, which is a lot. I will probably reach the 95,000 mark tomorrow when I finish... I got a little bit emotional, because one of the characters dies and I could feel this little knot in my throat while I was typing this person's last moments - it's still there! I suppose it is a good sign. I am lucky enough tp have never witnessed a death, and this one is a little bit unusual and reflects on the rest of the novel. A good day, then. I cannot wait for tomorrow evening. 22/9/2010 To do, or not to do?I am a Muse is taking shape, slowly, laboriously. I think I am still not spending enough time on it, and I am worried I will not manage to keep to my self-imposed deadline for the completion of the first draft... But there is still hope, I guess.
I have so many things to do on this site still, as at the moment it is definitely not good enough. I am hoping to add to the links page soon, as well as putting together a better Home page. It is also my intention to add some content to the "Writings" section very soon. In the meantime, I must try and concentrate on this one book project at the moment, but I have found that my mind wanders towards other shores from time to time, namely: - My second book. I have already said that I was planning on trying to write a Gothic Novel. I'd like this book to be rather surreal, full of strange human beings and other flawed creatures. I have already almost decided on giving the "main character" tag to a fragile, troubled, orphaned young adolescent boy ... - Several years ago, I had an idea for a comic book aimed at teenagers. I'd like to go back to that story and maybe use it as a basis for a book for teenagers. The story is quite simple: mature, very intelligent teenage girl into art and music lives with clumsy and cute dad and tries to keep him out of trouble... This might have been used 3,000 times already but I am blissfully unaware of it and therefore, it doesn't count! 12/9/2010 Biography?I have been so busy this week, what with the book and setting up my boyfriend's new venture (it's a pleasure, really, not a chore). I haven't even given 3 seconds to the author biography that I am supposed to write for this website.
What am I supposed to put in there? How can a biography influence readers' idea of who an author is? I will have to think about my own interest in writer's biographies. I am always fascinated by people whose lives have been full of surprises, attempts, twists and turns, people who have LIVED, and who have demonstrated a unique approach to life. These are the people I have admired. I do not want to be admired, I just want to write, and if people like what I write, then so be it. I have often read that an author should be able to pitch himself/herself and should be able to build an identity in a certain genre, i.e horror writer, chick-lit, etc. I do not think I would be able to put myself in a strict category, because my writing follows my varied and ever changing moods and personalities. I perfectly know what type of writer I do not want to be, but cannot put my finger on the type of writer I'd like to be. It would be far too restrictive to give myself a title because I myself do not know what I will be writing in the future (apart from the fact that after I Am a Muse, I will be getting started on an attempt at writing a Gothic novel - with a twist.) |
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August 2024
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