And the Winner is...

Not me. I was put forward for the Curtis Brown Award this year but didn’t make it. Still, I must keep pushing on. The last couple of weeks have been steady and I have made progress. I have read two novels (William – An Englishman by Cicely Hamilton and The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West) and drafted Chapter Four. I have also read an autobiography of a woman who appears as a character in Chapter Four (there are only four copies in the UK and one library willing to lend it) and now need to work this into a second draft of that chapter. I have also started drafting Chapter Five and ordered archive material for next week.

Chapter Three

I am pleasantly surprised to have finished chapter three this week. The bulk of it is dialogue,which I really enjoy writing. I sketched out the key points that needed to be covered and then ensured that the links between the ideas followed a logic that would make the dialogue totally natural. All I then had to do was write it (I say all but there were a lot of rests, head rubbing, distraction activity, staring out of the window and flapjack). A great deal of research has gone into it; so much of which is now on the writers equivalent of the cutting room floor but was necessary.

Once Upon a Wartime

Due to Easter and the Royal Wedding, the UK has virtually been on holiday for the last two weeks. All very nice but it means I haven’t done much writing (although reading and research has continued as I can do that with someone else in the house). In an attempt to mix holiday with study, I went to the Once Upon a Wartime: Classic War Stories for Children Exhibition at the Imperial War Museum. This features five stories: War Horse (Michael Morpurgo), Carrie’s War (Nina Bawden), The Machine Gunners (Robert Westall), The Silver Sword (Ian Serrailier) and Little Soldier (Bernard Ashley). It is an exhibition designed for both children and adults and includes information on life at the time of the novels to provide context and objects (e.g. a letter from some children to Kitchener begging that he let them keep their horse as well as Kitchener’s reply – no he didn’t take it). One of the most exciting things for me were the objects relating to the authors themselves, everything from Robert Westall’s typewriter to the actual sword that inspired Ian Serrailier and the painting of a horse that hangs in Michael Morpurgo’s kitchen. There were also original typewritten manuscripts complete with scribbled comments from the editors. The ideas for the stories as well as characters were also set out. Carrie’s War and The Machine Gunners were key stories for me as a child so this exhibition was a treat.

Osterley Bookshop

I've had a quiet week reading 'The Well of Loneliness' by Radclyffe Hall and enjoying the unseasonable sunshine. I also made another trip to one of the most gorgeous secondhand bookshops - the Osterley Bookshop in Chiswick, West London. It is in a building that was once a Tube station, crammed with books on an incredibly diverse range of subjects and all at very reasonable prices. I picked up John Buchan's Greenmantle in a lovely 1950's Penguin print for £3.50. Not only do they sell books but also bric a brac and jars of honey. It was wonderful to crawl round on the floor going through piles of old books, listening to the pigeons cooing while the sun came in through the ivy covered windows. Maybe I could become their writer in residence - all I need is coffee, cake and an old desk.

Progress

This week I had my second tutorial. I had submitted the first two chapters of the novel to my tutor and then focussed on research and the thesis. I didn’t want to continue writing until I knew that I was going in the right direction. The feedback I have now received is very positive so I can now start chapter three with confidence. After three and half months of working on my own, it is good to know that all the effort has been worth it. Only another 96,000 words to go!

In Their Own Words

This week I was back at the Imperial War Museum. I have now moved from documents to sound archives. The experience was very different. The documents have been incredibly valuable but it can be time consuming (deciphering handwriting), people tend to write in a different tone to the way in which they speak and you don’t get to ask questions. The oral history I worked with yesterday was in some ways the opposite of this. I could sit back and listen and just like a radio programme, fall into imagination without distraction. After a while the room disappeared and I was somewhere (and some time) else entirely. Once they got over the initial stilted delivery, the interviewees used their own ‘voices’ rather than the more formal communication of a letter. In addition, the interviewers were excellent at asking the right questions and drawing out examples.

Free Books

My current bibliography is rather extensive and somehow I don’t think I have identified every book that I need to read. Also people have a habit of continually publishing them. This means study can be expensive and any savings are always welcome. The majority can be found through the library system but I just wanted to highlight Project Gutenberg and archive.org with regard to novels. These sites are fantastic in that the novels are free and I can search the text and copy and paste quotes, which makes things a lot easier. It also means that it doesn’t take a great deal of effort to check out books that might be useful but then aren’t. The only problem is I am an old fashioned book lover and so reading on screen isn’t a pleasurable experience. This week I gave in and after reading the most beautiful book (May Sinclair’s Tree of Heaven) from Project Gutenberg, I caved in and bought a physical version. The recent publishing runs of it are expensive but I managed to find a 1918 edition for under £10. I know I’m missing the point but I loved the book and nothing can replace the feel and smell of book that is nearly one hundred years old.