A Quick Update On Progress So Far Today
It has been a productive day for the book so far, and I am intending to do more work shortly. I've been writing a rather long bit that is revealing the past, and am hovering around 64.000 words at this moment. I do wonder if, in rewriting, I may wish to alter how this is structured, and somehow move more of this into the action in some ways, but I also see how it works in the structure of the book to have so much coming through in this way.
I also sense that their is a big change about to happen in this moment. The character who is so friendly to them, at this point, is not the nice guy he is pretending to be, though it is something that is having difficulty getting out. He is honest, at this point, except perhaps about his own motives. The shift that is going to occur is also the point, I believe, when the real action of the conclusion will actually occur.
It is close to that point, and when that starts, it will be a really exciting thing to write, on several levels, but I don't really have the entire thing in my head yet, though it does seem to be clarifying as I draw closer. Understanding the current moment in the story, and what is about to happen, will certainly clarify things. I do know certain things about the ending, and what is to come, but the ending working will hinge on a certain parallel construction in the plot that is yet to be revealed at this point. I sense it, and the parameters of it are getting much clearer to me as I get closer, but I suspect that I need a clearer idea of it before I really start writing.
In terms of considering my current status, one thing that is helpful for me is to see how this has been, already, incredibly successful as a learning experience. For one thing, I've come to recognize that novels as a form really are something that I enjoy. It is, of course, a challenge, but the truth is that it is, in some ways, easier and more freeing when you have the space and time of a longer work. It allows for a looseness that permits exploration in the process. Much of that may need to change through revision, but it still is one of the most rewarding aspects of writing for me.
As well, I have really come to recognize the novel as being made more out of words than I had realized in some sense. Of course, that has to literally be true, but it is natural to consider the novel as made of the things that the words convey, the plot, the characters, the ideas, all of it. As a poet, I had to really learn that a piece of writing is the words, and that all the rest is the repercussion of that. This is not an easy concept to convey, and I hadn't fully grasped it, maybe have not even yet, but I have certainly gained a much clearer grasp of how the novel's meaning is constructed out of language.
I think, as well, that I've gotten a better grasp on differentiating characters in terms of their dialogue and word choice, and also in how I allow characters to be shown and revealed. The changes that one character has undergone, in terms of the understanding that is brought about, seems to go a long way, and there are many different aspects to the story that have revolved around the revelation of new information about who different characters really are, or what they are motivated by.
I do wonder about how clear certain ideas are. They may not make sense right now, but that is a problem for revision. The challenge right now, and it is definitely significant, is in getting the ending on paper. I have a strong sense of it, and I know that the rest is percolating in my mind, so I don't have a lot of fear that it won't be there when the time comes, but I know it is going to take a good deal of work. I can't help but wonder, just what it is that I am going to learn from that challenge, though, especially since it is going to have some very unique formal and technical qualities which I am excited to explore.
I also sense that their is a big change about to happen in this moment. The character who is so friendly to them, at this point, is not the nice guy he is pretending to be, though it is something that is having difficulty getting out. He is honest, at this point, except perhaps about his own motives. The shift that is going to occur is also the point, I believe, when the real action of the conclusion will actually occur.
It is close to that point, and when that starts, it will be a really exciting thing to write, on several levels, but I don't really have the entire thing in my head yet, though it does seem to be clarifying as I draw closer. Understanding the current moment in the story, and what is about to happen, will certainly clarify things. I do know certain things about the ending, and what is to come, but the ending working will hinge on a certain parallel construction in the plot that is yet to be revealed at this point. I sense it, and the parameters of it are getting much clearer to me as I get closer, but I suspect that I need a clearer idea of it before I really start writing.
In terms of considering my current status, one thing that is helpful for me is to see how this has been, already, incredibly successful as a learning experience. For one thing, I've come to recognize that novels as a form really are something that I enjoy. It is, of course, a challenge, but the truth is that it is, in some ways, easier and more freeing when you have the space and time of a longer work. It allows for a looseness that permits exploration in the process. Much of that may need to change through revision, but it still is one of the most rewarding aspects of writing for me.
As well, I have really come to recognize the novel as being made more out of words than I had realized in some sense. Of course, that has to literally be true, but it is natural to consider the novel as made of the things that the words convey, the plot, the characters, the ideas, all of it. As a poet, I had to really learn that a piece of writing is the words, and that all the rest is the repercussion of that. This is not an easy concept to convey, and I hadn't fully grasped it, maybe have not even yet, but I have certainly gained a much clearer grasp of how the novel's meaning is constructed out of language.
I think, as well, that I've gotten a better grasp on differentiating characters in terms of their dialogue and word choice, and also in how I allow characters to be shown and revealed. The changes that one character has undergone, in terms of the understanding that is brought about, seems to go a long way, and there are many different aspects to the story that have revolved around the revelation of new information about who different characters really are, or what they are motivated by.
I do wonder about how clear certain ideas are. They may not make sense right now, but that is a problem for revision. The challenge right now, and it is definitely significant, is in getting the ending on paper. I have a strong sense of it, and I know that the rest is percolating in my mind, so I don't have a lot of fear that it won't be there when the time comes, but I know it is going to take a good deal of work. I can't help but wonder, just what it is that I am going to learn from that challenge, though, especially since it is going to have some very unique formal and technical qualities which I am excited to explore.
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