First Tutorial

I had my first tutorial this week. There is good news with regard to my MA dissertation but hopefully more of that in later posts. In terms of the PhD, one of my concerns was the ‘chicken and egg’ question with regard to research. I have a propensity to want to complete a piece of work almost as soon as I have begun it but that is not possible with something that is designed to take three years. My tutor made me feel better by telling me it was ok to go and just read for a few months before starting the novel. I am still going to make a start on it next week but I feel the pressure is off.
Although the novel is planned in terms of the story, I have not yet decided on the point of view. My initial feeling is that it should be first person and linear. But can I hold the reader’s interest? Again, my tutor took the pressure off and told me to simply play around with it, try different approaches until it feels right.
I do have a good feel for the tone that I want to create. Although it is an historical novel, I want it to feel contemporary. I want the focus to be on the characters and not too much historical detail. The aim of a good historical novel is to help the reader explore contemporary issues that are perhaps still too raw or that have not yet had a line drawn under them; an ongoing social discourse. I have read Frederick Manning Her Privates We (1929) and Rose Macaulay Non-Combatants and Others (1916) this week and am struck by just how contemporary they feel.