I've actually not written much in the way of words on paper in the past few weeks. Mainly, I've been thinking of the future and where the story will turn next. I had a 'eureka!' moment concerning the opening line to chapter four, which caused me to click my fingers and shout 'Ha!' to myself at home. But I didn't go further than that. Just letting things gel in my mind, ensuring that I capture the thought process that made me think of it. I have to be careful. I'm sure I'll be writing over Christmas and New Year, though I'll be as social as possible while doing it!
I had a similar moment of limbo while rewriting the beginning to Sword. The very beginning I came up with was written a bit wooden-like, but the idea was right. For some reason, I had a flashback about it - probably because I am using flashbacks as part of that dreaded word 'exposition' - to when I posted the new beginning at Litopia. I got something like four reviews. FOUR! Or something like it. PALTRY! That was the beginning of the end for me there, but not before I made sure everyone knew it wasn't good enough - the number of reviews, I mean, not my work. I've never felt such disgust and I suspect the memory of it will stay with me forever, as I've never forgotten it. It hit home to me how alone a writer is. I've mellowed now, of course, though I'll never be an active member of a forum again because of that time. I've pointed a few writers in the past year at Litopia, as I still believe it's a worthwhile website for any writer, and I understand it has changed a bit since then. But I've no idea if they joined or even looked.
This made me think of something. Something I learned while at Critters. If you can help another writer, then do it. Even if you don't have fantastic thoughts about what you've read, just do the best you can. Be honest. Always be honest. But do it. Never, ever, ever do nothing. And especially if someone's helped you, then you must return the favour at least. Everything helps.
That is the writer's lot: to help yourself, of course; and, while doing it, help other writers. Make sure you do!
Tuesday, 18 December 2007
Tuesday, 27 November 2007
To catch a moonbeam
And reveal it to the world.
That is my quest in writing.
I was never sure if I'd done anything like that when I wrote Sword - though I stand by what I did and the plans I made for its future. But I learned so much from writing it, so I'm glad I did.
With my latest work, I'm more aware of what I'm doing. And showing more patience in allowing the moonbeams to shine and play upon the page. But am I able to record the glitter of their light - at least, in a manner artistic enough to reflect their lustre back into the critical eyes of the reading world? You'll have to wait and see!!
I'm very happy with the prologue and the first chapter. Two very different pieces, but linked, nonetheless.
The introspection of chapter two reflects very well the introspection of my blog. The beginning of chapter two, however, is causing me some concern, even though I feel this chapter has a very good feel to it. I'm working on it.
Chapter three begins the movement into the narrative through dialogue. The ending of chapter three needs to be improved, which I'm also working on. Polishing both these last two chapters is a little more difficult, as they were written before the prologue and first chapter. But they are beginning to match. More than that, they are helping make me more aware of the immediate future of the story. I've just left them for a day or two, so I can gather my thoughts a bit more and also allow some freshness when I look at them again.
Pretty close to moving into chapter four, though I won't do until I'm happy that two and three are as they should be.
At the last check, there were 29 pages typed up so far, including two later chapters. Ha! They say an agent or editor can tell from the first page - even from the first few lines or seconds - whether a piece of work is any good. But I know I may have to send more than the prologue and first three chapters. Maybe that's all I need. Maybe not. I'll ask. But not before I've written enough to satisfy my need to prove I've created a true beginning. A beginning worth reading.
Then there's the synopsis. And the covering letter.
Cor! I'm making plans already!
Actually, it feels great. Two months and I'll be sending it off. It's a fact, an actual deadline. Hold on to your hats!
That is my quest in writing.
I was never sure if I'd done anything like that when I wrote Sword - though I stand by what I did and the plans I made for its future. But I learned so much from writing it, so I'm glad I did.
With my latest work, I'm more aware of what I'm doing. And showing more patience in allowing the moonbeams to shine and play upon the page. But am I able to record the glitter of their light - at least, in a manner artistic enough to reflect their lustre back into the critical eyes of the reading world? You'll have to wait and see!!
I'm very happy with the prologue and the first chapter. Two very different pieces, but linked, nonetheless.
The introspection of chapter two reflects very well the introspection of my blog. The beginning of chapter two, however, is causing me some concern, even though I feel this chapter has a very good feel to it. I'm working on it.
Chapter three begins the movement into the narrative through dialogue. The ending of chapter three needs to be improved, which I'm also working on. Polishing both these last two chapters is a little more difficult, as they were written before the prologue and first chapter. But they are beginning to match. More than that, they are helping make me more aware of the immediate future of the story. I've just left them for a day or two, so I can gather my thoughts a bit more and also allow some freshness when I look at them again.
Pretty close to moving into chapter four, though I won't do until I'm happy that two and three are as they should be.
At the last check, there were 29 pages typed up so far, including two later chapters. Ha! They say an agent or editor can tell from the first page - even from the first few lines or seconds - whether a piece of work is any good. But I know I may have to send more than the prologue and first three chapters. Maybe that's all I need. Maybe not. I'll ask. But not before I've written enough to satisfy my need to prove I've created a true beginning. A beginning worth reading.
Then there's the synopsis. And the covering letter.
Cor! I'm making plans already!
Actually, it feels great. Two months and I'll be sending it off. It's a fact, an actual deadline. Hold on to your hats!
Sunday, 25 November 2007
Help!
The Fab Four are on tonight. For me, this particular era showed them at their coolest - the ultimate boyband. I've always regarded myself as the fifth Beatle - a title also given to George Best, among others, so I guess I'm in high company.
Help! is a brill movie and I couldn't resist posting a small video excerpt from it on this blog. It's been up for a while now, and I can't imagine ever taking it off. One of my favourite songs ever.
Help! is a brill movie and I couldn't resist posting a small video excerpt from it on this blog. It's been up for a while now, and I can't imagine ever taking it off. One of my favourite songs ever.
Holograms
I was listening to the Litopia podcast and the discussion concerning the Kindle. It's pretty obvious that there is scepticism, however much there is acceptance that something needs to happen. As I see it, what it comes down to in this modern world of aesthetically-driven products is how it all looks, not what it does. And the Kindle can be made to look a whole lot better.
The advantage the music world has over the book world is that, as far as listening goes, it just had to get the sound right and the rest was easy.
The book, however, is reliant on the eye. If it doesn't look right then you've lost. Infinitely more difficult.
To me, you have to try to reproduce the look of the book: it's a natural entity that has evolved into what it is now.
My idea of what should happen is possibly a long way away from what can actually happen at this moment. I don't know very much about that bit, so it might be a lot closer than that. But I do think that they should give up this idea of temporary 'bridging' with things like the Kindle, and raise the stakes a notch or two. Perhaps everyone should be trying to reproduce the book using something like holograms, probably via mobile phone technology.
I was reminded of Jean Michel Jarre and his use of lasers to create musical sound.
I've actually no idea how far away from this kind of thing holograms are, but can you imagine how great it would be to not only read a virtual book which is hovering before you in mid-air, but to also be able to view 3D pictures and even watch videos designed especially for the book.
Imagine merging The Lord Of The Rings book and film!!!
Are holograms such a crazy idea? Maybe there is something even better - ahem! and don't say the book itself!!!
The advantage the music world has over the book world is that, as far as listening goes, it just had to get the sound right and the rest was easy.
The book, however, is reliant on the eye. If it doesn't look right then you've lost. Infinitely more difficult.
To me, you have to try to reproduce the look of the book: it's a natural entity that has evolved into what it is now.
My idea of what should happen is possibly a long way away from what can actually happen at this moment. I don't know very much about that bit, so it might be a lot closer than that. But I do think that they should give up this idea of temporary 'bridging' with things like the Kindle, and raise the stakes a notch or two. Perhaps everyone should be trying to reproduce the book using something like holograms, probably via mobile phone technology.
I was reminded of Jean Michel Jarre and his use of lasers to create musical sound.
I've actually no idea how far away from this kind of thing holograms are, but can you imagine how great it would be to not only read a virtual book which is hovering before you in mid-air, but to also be able to view 3D pictures and even watch videos designed especially for the book.
Imagine merging The Lord Of The Rings book and film!!!
Are holograms such a crazy idea? Maybe there is something even better - ahem! and don't say the book itself!!!
Saturday, 24 November 2007
The Fourth Chapter
I know how the fourth chapter begins. I haven't considered fully the whole of it, though I have briefly thought of what it should be about. Another step forward, though I can only apologise to you, the reader, for the lack of proof here in this blog.
My revision of the prologue and first three chapters is almost complete. Because the third chapter was written before the prologue and first chapter, I needed to rethink a few things. Changes have been made and I'm nearly there.
This is a critical stage in the story, where the narrative must swing into action after the scene has been set - though I've been careful not to overdo the scene-setting: the flashbacks will explain a lot of the whys as the story moves along.
I'm not afraid any more. It's a time for boldness, a time for looking at my notes and re-evaluating and reaffirming. And acting on what I believe.
Solvey is absolutely right: the narrative must be relentless. But when I do need to move backwards, and sideways, the quality of my writing must make it a pleasure and not a bind. The prologue is a look backwards, a look into the past, and I like it very much. It informs as well as introduces. I must keep that up.
No matter how excited I feel, I can't allow it to affect my thoughts while I'm writing. I'll applaud myself one day, but only when I'm actually in print. Of course, that may never happen. So applauding now would be the wrong thing to do, wouldn't it?
My revision of the prologue and first three chapters is almost complete. Because the third chapter was written before the prologue and first chapter, I needed to rethink a few things. Changes have been made and I'm nearly there.
This is a critical stage in the story, where the narrative must swing into action after the scene has been set - though I've been careful not to overdo the scene-setting: the flashbacks will explain a lot of the whys as the story moves along.
I'm not afraid any more. It's a time for boldness, a time for looking at my notes and re-evaluating and reaffirming. And acting on what I believe.
Solvey is absolutely right: the narrative must be relentless. But when I do need to move backwards, and sideways, the quality of my writing must make it a pleasure and not a bind. The prologue is a look backwards, a look into the past, and I like it very much. It informs as well as introduces. I must keep that up.
No matter how excited I feel, I can't allow it to affect my thoughts while I'm writing. I'll applaud myself one day, but only when I'm actually in print. Of course, that may never happen. So applauding now would be the wrong thing to do, wouldn't it?
Tuesday, 20 November 2007
Kindling interest
It's an oddly untechnical word: Kindle. For a new computer gadget, I mean. Doesn't grab you by the wotsits, does it? Still, it's by Amazon, so I suppose they know what they're doing.
I've been waiting for ages for a proper ebook gizmo-thingy - I believe it's the single-most reason for the lack of progress in ebook downloads and sales. Books just don't look the same, even on a laptop, and they certainly lose their lustre when printed out on A4, no matter the quality. The problem, I guess, is that the reader has to display flexibility. Not a good marketing ploy when the reader is the one who's paying!
The music industry has experienced a right old shake-up with the ease of download and portability of whole albums and catalogues. The consumer has won hands down - and so have the record companies, if they've got their marketing right.
I can't say any more until I've had a go with one. I will be asking: is it big enough to forget the technology involved? is it small enough (or unobtrusive enough) to carry around? is it heavy? is it too thick (it really needs to be thin)? if it's big, will it be foldable, say, into mobile phone size? I could go on, and the number of models will go on, I'm sure - sounds a bit critical of me, but the mobile phone world has ensured a cynical view until I'm convinced otherwise!
A very interesting development.
I've been waiting for ages for a proper ebook gizmo-thingy - I believe it's the single-most reason for the lack of progress in ebook downloads and sales. Books just don't look the same, even on a laptop, and they certainly lose their lustre when printed out on A4, no matter the quality. The problem, I guess, is that the reader has to display flexibility. Not a good marketing ploy when the reader is the one who's paying!
The music industry has experienced a right old shake-up with the ease of download and portability of whole albums and catalogues. The consumer has won hands down - and so have the record companies, if they've got their marketing right.
I can't say any more until I've had a go with one. I will be asking: is it big enough to forget the technology involved? is it small enough (or unobtrusive enough) to carry around? is it heavy? is it too thick (it really needs to be thin)? if it's big, will it be foldable, say, into mobile phone size? I could go on, and the number of models will go on, I'm sure - sounds a bit critical of me, but the mobile phone world has ensured a cynical view until I'm convinced otherwise!
A very interesting development.
Saturday, 17 November 2007
Revision
Right now, I'm in the middle of revising chapter three (the prologue and the first two chapters read very well, I feel, preparing for the third chapter and the movement into the story proper), but I was feeling a mite concerned about where I was heading. Of course, I forgot to remember(!) that I had made some notes concerning the fourth chapter - though I never named it as the fourth chapter - and the fifth chapter, then the sixth. My problem being that as I hadn't given these chapters numbers, I was causing myself a problem: where to go next. Now that I've identified where I'm going, I don't feel so bad. It's there! Slight panic over. My worry lines have now receded a touch.
Once I've revised chapter three, and improved the writing around its ending, chapter four takes a physical shift away from the hero (though the focus remains on him - he is being watched), and chapters five and six return to the hero and the movement into the story proper.
So, the first six chapters after the prologue are devoted to the hero. Despite the short-ish lengths of these chapters, there is a lot there - at least, I believe there is a lot there. And if this is truly a swing into the main narrative, then I will have achieved the objective I was working towards: a great beginning swirling into a great narrative. Ha! Even though I say so myself.
This is my reminder to myself, in my chronicle of thought processes while writing my latest work. In case I forget again!
Just gotta do it.
Don't worry: I will.
Once I've revised chapter three, and improved the writing around its ending, chapter four takes a physical shift away from the hero (though the focus remains on him - he is being watched), and chapters five and six return to the hero and the movement into the story proper.
So, the first six chapters after the prologue are devoted to the hero. Despite the short-ish lengths of these chapters, there is a lot there - at least, I believe there is a lot there. And if this is truly a swing into the main narrative, then I will have achieved the objective I was working towards: a great beginning swirling into a great narrative. Ha! Even though I say so myself.
This is my reminder to myself, in my chronicle of thought processes while writing my latest work. In case I forget again!
Just gotta do it.
Don't worry: I will.
Friday, 16 November 2007
Looking back...
For some reason, I found myself looking back. Just looking back, not chasing anything. Just looking back. Everywhere. Probably, my looking forward in time to the end of January caused my brain to do an about-turn!
You know, the one thing I miss the most is forums! Ha! You'd think I'd have had enough of them by now, but nope - even though I feel I can't go back to them, I do kind of wish I could post my latest work and have a stack of guys offering their opinions on it. I never seemed to fail to cause some kind of worthwhile discussion on my stuff, so I probably can claim to have an element of 'thinkability' buried inside my words of wonder! Might have been an illusion, so I won't push that one...
Only, I know my forum days are over - hell, I even helped kill 'em off! (My 'to thine own self be true' motto can get me into awful bother sometimes, though I can also claim to mean well, where some would probably say that I'm more like 'well mean'! lol)
I do ask myself, though, what's the point of doing all that stuff, getting involved, getting involved in discussions, arguments, other people's works, if it all isn't meant to help you stand on your own two feet? The whole point of it all is to get you to think all of the things that need to be thought, without anyone else having to prompt you. Or at least, you should try to. And it 's not like you actually do it all alone, as you meet people along the way who offer so much in the way of help and advice, and most of all friendship. The links on my blog show that. You can't have enough friends in life. Never forget that.
I guess what I'm really asking is 'If you pick up a guitar and strum a few chords, does it make you a musician?'
If you write a book, but go unpublished, are you a writer? Who will know that you are? Yourself? Great, but the memory of it will die when you do.
This isn't negativity I'm spouting here - the opposite, rather. I'm telling myself that sending off to agents is no proof of ability - authenticity, yes, if I've done all that I can. But it's no consolation if the reply is 'no', however well-put or well-mannered it is. I've had a few of those, you know: praise with a negative ending! Sends your head into meltdown, I can tell you.
So, January it is. I've said that. But I have to mean it. Only my best will do.
'You've set yourself a mammoth task, Peter,' Noel said. He's dead right, too.
I have to prove I'm up to it. I have to prove it before January. Not to myself. I will always call myself a writer. And so I am. But if I don't prove it by getting published, then the question will always be 'So am I?'
You know, the one thing I miss the most is forums! Ha! You'd think I'd have had enough of them by now, but nope - even though I feel I can't go back to them, I do kind of wish I could post my latest work and have a stack of guys offering their opinions on it. I never seemed to fail to cause some kind of worthwhile discussion on my stuff, so I probably can claim to have an element of 'thinkability' buried inside my words of wonder! Might have been an illusion, so I won't push that one...
Only, I know my forum days are over - hell, I even helped kill 'em off! (My 'to thine own self be true' motto can get me into awful bother sometimes, though I can also claim to mean well, where some would probably say that I'm more like 'well mean'! lol)
I do ask myself, though, what's the point of doing all that stuff, getting involved, getting involved in discussions, arguments, other people's works, if it all isn't meant to help you stand on your own two feet? The whole point of it all is to get you to think all of the things that need to be thought, without anyone else having to prompt you. Or at least, you should try to. And it 's not like you actually do it all alone, as you meet people along the way who offer so much in the way of help and advice, and most of all friendship. The links on my blog show that. You can't have enough friends in life. Never forget that.
I guess what I'm really asking is 'If you pick up a guitar and strum a few chords, does it make you a musician?'
If you write a book, but go unpublished, are you a writer? Who will know that you are? Yourself? Great, but the memory of it will die when you do.
This isn't negativity I'm spouting here - the opposite, rather. I'm telling myself that sending off to agents is no proof of ability - authenticity, yes, if I've done all that I can. But it's no consolation if the reply is 'no', however well-put or well-mannered it is. I've had a few of those, you know: praise with a negative ending! Sends your head into meltdown, I can tell you.
So, January it is. I've said that. But I have to mean it. Only my best will do.
'You've set yourself a mammoth task, Peter,' Noel said. He's dead right, too.
I have to prove I'm up to it. I have to prove it before January. Not to myself. I will always call myself a writer. And so I am. But if I don't prove it by getting published, then the question will always be 'So am I?'
Thursday, 15 November 2007
Night Train
Noel the Ultimate Proofreader's thoughts on my writing alone seem to have struck a chord. Noel's normally right, so whether I was really listening or not never entered the equation. The fact that he said it was enough.
Writing as I do at night (mainly), sometimes gives me a feeling that I'm on some kind of night train, heading out on a journey whose ultimate conclusion is uncertain. However, the timing of this conclusion, I've come to understand, must not be uncertain - at least, I have to ensure that the timing is not uncertain.
It's now the middle of November, and I'm really pleased with the level of writing and the level of depth, or strength, I've achieved so far. After a year or so of thought, consideration and notes, the output of prologue and first three chapters - although written in a different order to which they now appear - gives me great cause for optimism.
I have certain vaguenesses concerning one or two events in the future happenings inside the tale, but they are largely deliberate (honest!) in that I want some form of flexibility in the writing of these events. I feel they are too important to attempt to decide right now, although I have already decided most of the future directions from this early point. I do want a new idea or two to jump out at me, and I hope this is a good way of allowing space for them to do just that. The ending of the first book (oh yes, there is to be a second book at least) has already been decided, so only a handful of roads can be taken before this ending. And there are some already-written chapters to help me decide the right way to go.
By the end of January, I hope to be about a third of the way in. This may not be a realistic aim. Then again, I may be even further along than that. It's impossible to say. But if I do get at least that far, then it's probable that I'll be on that part of the journey that can be described as the most critical: trying to find an agent. I may not actually be at a good enough point to enable me to send it off to agents, but I will be considering it seriously round about then.
I can tell you, the point I'm at right now seemed light years away when I first began it all. The mixed-up thoughts, the jumble of ideas, the vague events - I tied myself in knots trying to sort everything out, to unravel what I was thinking, feeling.
Jeez, to be able to even consider January to be a deadline!
So: January. Yeah. Has to be January.
This is becoming real now.
Writing as I do at night (mainly), sometimes gives me a feeling that I'm on some kind of night train, heading out on a journey whose ultimate conclusion is uncertain. However, the timing of this conclusion, I've come to understand, must not be uncertain - at least, I have to ensure that the timing is not uncertain.
It's now the middle of November, and I'm really pleased with the level of writing and the level of depth, or strength, I've achieved so far. After a year or so of thought, consideration and notes, the output of prologue and first three chapters - although written in a different order to which they now appear - gives me great cause for optimism.
I have certain vaguenesses concerning one or two events in the future happenings inside the tale, but they are largely deliberate (honest!) in that I want some form of flexibility in the writing of these events. I feel they are too important to attempt to decide right now, although I have already decided most of the future directions from this early point. I do want a new idea or two to jump out at me, and I hope this is a good way of allowing space for them to do just that. The ending of the first book (oh yes, there is to be a second book at least) has already been decided, so only a handful of roads can be taken before this ending. And there are some already-written chapters to help me decide the right way to go.
By the end of January, I hope to be about a third of the way in. This may not be a realistic aim. Then again, I may be even further along than that. It's impossible to say. But if I do get at least that far, then it's probable that I'll be on that part of the journey that can be described as the most critical: trying to find an agent. I may not actually be at a good enough point to enable me to send it off to agents, but I will be considering it seriously round about then.
I can tell you, the point I'm at right now seemed light years away when I first began it all. The mixed-up thoughts, the jumble of ideas, the vague events - I tied myself in knots trying to sort everything out, to unravel what I was thinking, feeling.
Jeez, to be able to even consider January to be a deadline!
So: January. Yeah. Has to be January.
This is becoming real now.
Saturday, 10 November 2007
Maria's moving house!
And then there were three!
Probably much more than that, but my time capsule from Litopia is from a little farther back. Solvey, Rich and myself. Ah well, it is ladies first! The guys don't worry me, really - they will be published, one day, and go on to run blogs from their own websites. Just a matter of time.
Pretty soon, though, mgharris.net will be teeming with young people and bristling with technology. I can just see the orange phones, and ipods and t-shirts. It's gonna be fun, I'm sure.
I shall be watching with interest - from a safe vantage point, in case I get knocked over in the rush!
Probably much more than that, but my time capsule from Litopia is from a little farther back. Solvey, Rich and myself. Ah well, it is ladies first! The guys don't worry me, really - they will be published, one day, and go on to run blogs from their own websites. Just a matter of time.
Pretty soon, though, mgharris.net will be teeming with young people and bristling with technology. I can just see the orange phones, and ipods and t-shirts. It's gonna be fun, I'm sure.
I shall be watching with interest - from a safe vantage point, in case I get knocked over in the rush!
Tuesday, 6 November 2007
The magic of Turner!
Wednesday evening should see me officially no longer under the doctor and back in the land of job-seekers! Feeling so much more alive than at any time in the last couple of years, I find myself dotting around the Net and blogs and newspapers, scanning for information and inspiration. Every now and then I'll take a sidelong glance at my latest work, knowingly and unknowingly preparing for my latest writing surge. It will come, I know it will - and I'll be one step closer to the sending-off.
Looking around as I have been doing, my eyes have fallen on a few pieces concerning the Turner Prize. With Noel The Ultimate Proofreader's assertion that 'You've set yourself a mammoth task, Peter!' echoing in my head after I'd run through the plot and future events within the tale - and Noel is right, so I must be ultra-careful and diligent - a rather odd thought occurred to me that my 'off the wall' internal impression of my latest work could haunt me forever if I do not get it right. I love the Turner Prize, as it's incredibly challenging. Nowhere else is the question 'But is it art?' asked so frequently, and so seriously. Of course it's art. Thought is art! But the line between brilliance and mediocrity is incredibly thin. It is so apparent in the Turner Prize. I feel I'm close to that line and I have to be aware of it at all times. I don't want to end up at the wrong end of the Turner spectrum. Brilliance? I have to make it brilliant. One day I will be judged for real. That's for certain. If it's not brilliant, I will deserve to be unsuccessful.
Ha! This is some talking-to I'm giving myself! I'm close to writing something again and the tension is growing. Gotta be careful. If Noel's impression is one of hugeness (and it is my impression, too, and I didn't prompt him), then I know I'm going somewhere with it: it's what I intended. I got that part right, at least!
Looking around as I have been doing, my eyes have fallen on a few pieces concerning the Turner Prize. With Noel The Ultimate Proofreader's assertion that 'You've set yourself a mammoth task, Peter!' echoing in my head after I'd run through the plot and future events within the tale - and Noel is right, so I must be ultra-careful and diligent - a rather odd thought occurred to me that my 'off the wall' internal impression of my latest work could haunt me forever if I do not get it right. I love the Turner Prize, as it's incredibly challenging. Nowhere else is the question 'But is it art?' asked so frequently, and so seriously. Of course it's art. Thought is art! But the line between brilliance and mediocrity is incredibly thin. It is so apparent in the Turner Prize. I feel I'm close to that line and I have to be aware of it at all times. I don't want to end up at the wrong end of the Turner spectrum. Brilliance? I have to make it brilliant. One day I will be judged for real. That's for certain. If it's not brilliant, I will deserve to be unsuccessful.
Ha! This is some talking-to I'm giving myself! I'm close to writing something again and the tension is growing. Gotta be careful. If Noel's impression is one of hugeness (and it is my impression, too, and I didn't prompt him), then I know I'm going somewhere with it: it's what I intended. I got that part right, at least!
Monday, 5 November 2007
Arthur of the North
Rich's exploration of Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight is particularly interesting to me. It's funny, but my main inspirations for Sword Of Isgarion came from Peter Pan and King Arthur. An odd combination, perhaps, but life's a strange trip at the best of times, so I'm not too worried about my mental health in that respect!
Every now and then I take a trip up the North East coast, to visit the island of Lindisfarne, usually with Noel the Ultimate Proofreader, and sometimes Noel's lovely wife Chris comes, too. Windswept, bleak even in summer, Lindisfarne is a place you never forget once you've been there. In winter, the winds feel like they are cutting you in two, and as you look across the sea and capture the sky above the stormy waves, images of vikings and longships flash inside your mind, and pitched battles resonate along the deserted beach.
And there, I picture time and time again the legendary figure of Arthur, who is now named King Arthur in legend-history, fighting the invaders who often pillaged the settlements and murdered the people of the North. The true Arthur. The Northern Arthur. Oh yes - Arthur is a northerner. It's a northern name, for sure. Never a king, possibly a captain of some kind, he was a mighty leader in battle. Little is truly known about him, and the main source of information is basically legend. A great one, too - the most romantic of all legends in the history of literature in England. To me, it stands above them all.
Arthur, now though, is classed as a southerner, dwelling at Camelot, with roots in Glastonbury and the like, and cuts a dashing figure - unless you read Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists Of Avalon, where Arthur is portrayed as an infertile king and Camelot is turned virtually into an old people's home. There, Lancelot didn't actually get together with Guinevere until he was an elderly, failing knight, by which time the great writing had faded, along with my interest, and the story drifted away into the mist of its own title.
This, of course, brings me to the Isle of Avalon. Can't find it anywhere down south. Neither can anyone else. A mythical place.
Perhaps.
Until you visit Lindisfarne Isle in the north east of England, when the mist has cleared and the tide has gone out, and you can drive or walk across to its shores from the mainland, as people have done for centuries. And when you visit the ruined castle and stand inside the abbey, it dawns on you that you are there. That you are in Avalon. You feel it every time. At least, I know I do.
Every now and then I take a trip up the North East coast, to visit the island of Lindisfarne, usually with Noel the Ultimate Proofreader, and sometimes Noel's lovely wife Chris comes, too. Windswept, bleak even in summer, Lindisfarne is a place you never forget once you've been there. In winter, the winds feel like they are cutting you in two, and as you look across the sea and capture the sky above the stormy waves, images of vikings and longships flash inside your mind, and pitched battles resonate along the deserted beach.
And there, I picture time and time again the legendary figure of Arthur, who is now named King Arthur in legend-history, fighting the invaders who often pillaged the settlements and murdered the people of the North. The true Arthur. The Northern Arthur. Oh yes - Arthur is a northerner. It's a northern name, for sure. Never a king, possibly a captain of some kind, he was a mighty leader in battle. Little is truly known about him, and the main source of information is basically legend. A great one, too - the most romantic of all legends in the history of literature in England. To me, it stands above them all.
Arthur, now though, is classed as a southerner, dwelling at Camelot, with roots in Glastonbury and the like, and cuts a dashing figure - unless you read Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists Of Avalon, where Arthur is portrayed as an infertile king and Camelot is turned virtually into an old people's home. There, Lancelot didn't actually get together with Guinevere until he was an elderly, failing knight, by which time the great writing had faded, along with my interest, and the story drifted away into the mist of its own title.
This, of course, brings me to the Isle of Avalon. Can't find it anywhere down south. Neither can anyone else. A mythical place.
Perhaps.
Until you visit Lindisfarne Isle in the north east of England, when the mist has cleared and the tide has gone out, and you can drive or walk across to its shores from the mainland, as people have done for centuries. And when you visit the ruined castle and stand inside the abbey, it dawns on you that you are there. That you are in Avalon. You feel it every time. At least, I know I do.
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