Canadian Thanksgiving is coming — a big, glorious dinner for over twenty friends and family at our house — and then we begin our winter transition to Mexico.
It’s not easy moving an office back and forth. Or rather, I should say: it’s not easy for a historical novelist.
I’ve begun to give thought to which reference books to take with me. I’ve a stack of books I brought back with me from Mexico in the spring — still untouched.
How many will I really need? The Net (Books Google), and the fact that many books are now available to me on iPad, have changed the way I research. Even so, I will inevitably take a small suitcase—a very heavy small suitcase—filled with notes, papers and books. I do it every year, and every year the decisions about what stays and what goes torments me.
But the main thing I must do — before next weekend, I pray — is finish draft 5.2 of The Next Novel. I will print it out in Mexico, and read/edit it there. And then — by grace of the muses — I plan to have it ready to send to my agent, Jackie Kaiser, by the end of October.
Enormous Changes at the Last Minute: I think often of the title of Grace Paley’s novel, for it seems to capture my writing process (every time). I’ve a main character gradually, ever so gradually, coming into focus. I’ve entire chapters that need to be created to fill gaping holes in the reconstruction. The change from 3rd person to 1st not long ago seems easy by comparison.
In moaning to my writers’ group, poet Jenifer McVaugh said, “You’ve got everything. You’re just missing the heart of the story.”
Exactly. That’s what the process of writing a novel is about: finding the (damned) heart of the story. And it never, at least for me, seems to come early on.
Novelists out there: what is your process? Is there any way to avoid this somewhat frantic scramble?
And one more question: What do you think of the title This Bright Darkness?
{Image above: view from my office window.}
It could be that the afct that the main character is just coming into focus is linked to the heart of the story, once you go deeper into the charcter and discover his/her motivations or conflict or journey, then there will be more clarity, because it is often the character that carries us to the heart of the story, have faith in the character and let the subconscious guide you. You don’t need to know in advance where they are leading you, dive in.
I love the title, it intrigues and invites one in.
Bonne continuation!
Claire, thank you so much for your inspiring comment. Very helpful! And I’m glad you like the title. I’m hoping that it will be THE ONE.
I know this won’t make you feel better, but you made me feel better.
Honestly, I have so many writer friends who just seem to “know” where their main character is going (physically, emotionally, politically, etc.) before they put fingers to keyboard. Sometimes I think I am the only one who has to feel (or rather write) around in the dark a bit—not historically because knowing what historical events will be in the book is easy, but emotionally, waiting for my protagonist to find her voice and begin to react and act on her own to the history that is being made around her. Your line “I’ve a main character gradually, ever so gradually, coming into focus” reminded me I am NOT the only one who does things this way.
The light at the end of your writer’s tunnel will doubtless be as beautiful a novel as its predecessors. So push through to Thanksgiving and I am going to be thankful, sitting at my desk working on a first draft, that American Thanksgiving comes a little later :)
I am not a writer in the sense that you are a writer. But I find that when I write, the heart, as you call it, never seems to come early on for me either. I think I have become okay with that. I liken it to a love affair in that way. When your writing is meant to be somewhat emotional, perhaps that is just how it has to be.
I heard Terry Fallis speak last week about his award-winning book, The Best Laid Plans. He said he approached writing the book much like an engineer would design something. Something BIG. (Academically he is schooled as an engineer.). His 69 page outline pretty much laid it all out for him before he started the writing. But I sense political satire is a totally different beast.
I personally favour the love affair approach. ;-)
I like titles that are clever and can create illusions. I struggle with whether a title should give some kind of idea as to what the book would actually be about. (Who would dare say that “The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B.” is vague.)
Hi Anne,
Thank you for such a thoughtful comment. I wrote a 40-page outline before I started this novel, but that doesn’t keep the story from shape-shifting! I like your analogy of the love affair.
I’m looking forward to meeting you in a few weeks!
Good title! I always ask myself the same questions. If I find the secret, I’ll let you know! But back in the 1960’s, Margaret Laurence was saying the same thing.
Thank you, Lilian! This title is sitting well with me, but one never knows … Titles can be so tricky. Yes, find the secret if you find it! I had a few nice break-throughs today, so I’m feeling encouraged.
Lilian, BTW, that was a lovely clip of Margaret Laurence on your new blog.
I hope that there is a way to avoid that scramble. I’m trying alternative plotting methods but suspect I will be back in the frantic scramble shortly. Interesting title.
Liz, I had hoped so, too. I spent months on the plot! I think I should have given more thought to those classic questions: What does my character want? What gets in her way? Etc. But then, writing is the act of discovery. There was so much I didn’t know.
Thank you for your feedback on the title. “Interesting” usually means good, in that it raises a question.
What are you writing?