The Graham Effect

Dear Readers,

Good news! I (perhaps successfully) swerved away from the, I fear, rather cliched route the characters had been starting to go down. The more I wrote the more they were held back by stereotype from other books, film, television and just seemed flat and boring. Cliche just doesn't interest me and I try to stay away from it if possible (unless a character might find it natural to talk in cliched terms. Then it is allowed. In copious amounts). Graham is quite simply a unique character and he will stay as he is. He is not a cliche. He is real.

But, better news - To tell the truth, I rather enjoyed just sitting and writing. With so many things going on, and new ideas for the story occurring everyday, I have not been getting many words on the page. Shameful. Today I sat at the dining table looking out on the parched grass in the field beyond the river, and put pen to paper. There is something lovely, I'm sure you'll agree, about the easy swirl of the nib on paper. It satisfies me to review the pages of blue scrawl, count them, decide on editing for next time (more about editing in future blogs). The fountain pen is a favourite tool of the trade. Sometimes a biro just won't cut it.

You may have gathered by now that the planning, which seemed so important in the early stages of this novel, has so far been of little use. This might be true as I lost the piece of paper which bore this plan but the writing is still coming and I am proud of the result. Sometimes the simplest things are the best, just evidence of creativity can make a person feel good. I'm not sure who said it, but this quote comes to mind: I like ideas - they are proof you are alive.

Now I just have to keep the ideas coming and remain excited about The Noble Cause for another 250 pages...

Book of the moment: A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters by Julian Barnes