Here, better late than never, is my contribution to the Elwood Writers ‘Currents’ series, where members of the group talk about what they’re currently working on. Jenny started the ball rolling with her post from 17 July 2022, followed by Helen on 2 November of that year.
Initially I wanted my second book to be a linked collection of four novellas, each exploring an aspect of life after dark. There are some people for whom daytime spaces can be alienating, even suffocating – for them the night can be a source of ease, and it’s that ease that interests me. But as I began to write the stories, the lines between them blurred, they began to overlap, and I came to realise that it might be more useful to think of the work as a novel.
I’ve been constructing the novel piece by piece, building a narrative from smaller stories and vignettes – writing in the spaces, elaborating, moving parts around, solving problems of place, structure, tense and point of view as I go. I might think, here’s a pertinent episode: how do I fit it in? It’s an absorbing project.
In an Elwood Writers workshop in 2022 I set myself a goal of having an entire draft ready by the end of 2023. A lot happened for the group last year, and the months sped by faster than I had anticipated. So I adjusted the goal to the end of this year. Which is already in sight. Or maybe it’s ages away, depending on your attitude. But whether looming or distant, I enjoy having a deadline of some kind in mind – it keeps me on my toes. And there’s always room for adjustments.
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Lovely, Barry. It’s a privilege to watch it unfold.
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Thanks, Margaret – what a lovely thing to say.
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It’s fascinating how a writing project evolves Barry – it almost leads the author. Four novellas morphs into an intriguing premise for a novel exploring themes of darkness. We never quite know what’s going to happen once the pen touches the paper. And – having goals that shift with life and time is all part of that process.
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Thanks for commenting, Helen. I love what you say about shifting goals – you’re right, it’s an innate feature of writing, because who can predict where our pens will take us.
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I almost choked on my gingernut cookie when I came across this in the EW inbox yesterday. What was I doing checking emails during afternoon tea. Anyway, what a nice surprise! I hadn’t forgotten about the post, but had stopped expecting it anytime soon. But I knew you’d come up with the goods in the end. Thanks, Barry – so interesting to read this account. Good luck with it all, and keep us posted. Next up in this series is Margaret, I believe.
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Did somebody say cookies!
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