Wrinkles
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| Image: Precious Khyatt |
The sub-zero temperatures that have gripped the country over the past few days have finally begun to lift and it was mildly warmer this morning as a result. I noticed it wasn’t quite so cold when I got up at the back of 4am this morning for work, and instead of seeing frost-coated cars and ice-laden roads, I saw drops of dew running down windows and a damp sheen glistening off the street.
I got my 2k down on Blood Ties extremely early today as a result of my pre-dawn start. Most days I’m up around 5am to start writing, which at this time of year is always pre-dawn so I suppose today was a middle-of-the-night start.
The early start played havoc with my system despite it only being an extra hour lost. By 10am I was ravenous and by 4pm, after two one-hour meetings, I was ready to drop. When I got home I lay down for an hour before the family got home, which is just what I needed to be able to get through the evening. You see, I had to logon to the systems at work at 11:15pm to take care of some standby work, so as far as the day job goes, today was a long and hectic one.
As far as the Lennox novel goes, I’m spotting holes in it already. I added an extra 500 words through re-writes today alone, after I started going back through to revise the story despite being about 40% through. I also have a decision to make whether I want to write more from the mystery murderer’s point of view or just leave it all up to Lennox. I’m not sure. I think I may need some changes in the angles to stir it up and provide a wider basis for growing the suspense.
I read a fantastic study of McIlvanney’s Laidlaw off the Internet today, which gave me some things to think about for developing Blood Ties in my own way. I don’t want Lennox to appear like another hard-boiled police detective – there’s enough of them – and while I think they have their place, Lennox isn’t quite like them.
He’s his own man, and while I, the author, may be influenced by Laidlaw, Rebus, Thorne, Dalgliesh et al, I would hate for Lennox to be seen as just another tough-line copper to line up alongside them. Worse than that, I would hate to be accused of trying to imitate anyone else’s work.
It’s vital I get across the personality and type of person that I know Lennox to be through this novel, and it’s this that is causing me the most wrinkles on my forehead. If it works there will be more Lennox books to come; if I mess it up, it fear could be the end of him.
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January 9th, 2009 at 4:41 am
Never fear messing up, Lennox will survive anything you can throw at him and come out the other side in a new book I’m sure. I don’t know how you write at 5 am, I am able to get up, walk and think at that time but as for writing, well I have to have a cup of tea first! I tend to write my books from start to finish and then look so I don’t have the issues you have at the 40% mark and when I rewrite I tend to take 5000 words out than add 500. I guess that means I waffle through the first draft process! Good luck with it and give my regards to Lennox.
Bernard J Rossi
Author & Poet
http://www.bernardjrossi.com
http://www.eloquentbooks.com/Room22.html
http://www.eloquentbooks.com/ArlingtonReef.html
January 9th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
You know how much I adore Lennox. I have no doubt you’ll do right by him.