Routine Report from the War on Words

At least that’s how it has felt lately: like a war against words. I am also fighting a simultaneous war against cardboard cuts (like paper cuts but wider and easier to reopen) from excessive filing.

But I may have turned the corner on the writing front.

Some of you may have noticed I haven’t blogged as much as usual this week… no rambling treatises on time/travel… no (very niche interest) essays on elegiac poetry…

Well, that’s because something has come along. This something will be referred to as ‘Novel B’ in the pie chart breakdown of this week’s word count.

Yes, a new book-length fiction project (or BLFP, pronounced Blifp!, like when the television turns off suddenly because someone has knocked out the plug).

Something fresh to throw words at.

And throw words I have. Indiscriminately, in fact.

The biggest problem at the moment is the method of narration. I’ve tried third and first person. It means a lot of writing the same thing twice. Good for daily word counts, bad for making quick progress – but I feel like the voice will fall into place tomorrow.

‘Novel B’ (feel free to submit alternate working titles) is about ‘alternate realities’ without being ‘science fiction’.

The genre is fabular-meta-hardboiled-baroque-thriller.

The main character is male and was born in Palmerston North.

The other main character has no distinguishing features and will not have a single line of dialogue.

The final word on the final page will be enchilada.

Some of the above is true, while the rest is not untrue, exactly… unlikely is the best description.

Just thought I’d check in. Y’know, commemorate the moment when I still stood at the foot of an Everest (God rest your soul, Sir Ed) that could have been a fabular-meta-hardboiled-baroque-thriller, since the whole reason I’m keeping this blog is to track my progress. If you’re reading for very niche essays, I’ve got half of one on Monster Magnet’s 4-Way Diablo. Watch this space.