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Plan of action re: Ice Palace book
I brainstormed in my novel diary re: what I need to do to get the book moving again. I tried to identify what it is that is making me get stuck and think of a plan of action to address the problems.
Points of unease:
Opacity of Jack
Vagueness about how Rolf and Jack are allied
Feel that book doesn't have enough characters. All I really have are Solveig, Ingrid, Agnes, Jack and Rolf.
Lack of knowledge about architecture
Unease about proposed climax of the book. I haven't really sold it to myself; to me it smacks too much of the climax of my first book. Ugh. Like chewing used chewing gum.
Have not convinced myself that I have figured out satisfactorily What Happens To Rolf
I don't know what the fish are up to.
What does magic have to do with the story? The emotional arc?
Unsure about the dream opening sequence.
I thought about that if writing this book is metafiction, then this book is about self-doubt. How does the ice palace fit in?
Plan of action:
1) For the next week, try freewriting any way I can think of to get into Jack's mind:
Write from the P-O-V of someone in his apartment building
Someone who sees him on the bus (does he ride the bus?)
A coworker (not Solveig)
Someone who sees him at the neighborhood coffeeshop (does he drink coffee?)
What would a journalist say who interviews him about architecture?
Try applying the questions in the List Yourself book.
2) Once I have finished reading Tim Powers' Declare, start to try reading possible source books. Architecture, esp. in Twin Ciites. Any folklore (esp. Scandinavian) re: fish.
3) Think about how much time should be devoted to writing (per day? per week?), no excuses.
4) Reassess status of Jack at beginning of October.
Points of unease:
Opacity of Jack
Vagueness about how Rolf and Jack are allied
Feel that book doesn't have enough characters. All I really have are Solveig, Ingrid, Agnes, Jack and Rolf.
Lack of knowledge about architecture
Unease about proposed climax of the book. I haven't really sold it to myself; to me it smacks too much of the climax of my first book. Ugh. Like chewing used chewing gum.
Have not convinced myself that I have figured out satisfactorily What Happens To Rolf
I don't know what the fish are up to.
What does magic have to do with the story? The emotional arc?
Unsure about the dream opening sequence.
I thought about that if writing this book is metafiction, then this book is about self-doubt. How does the ice palace fit in?
Plan of action:
1) For the next week, try freewriting any way I can think of to get into Jack's mind:
Write from the P-O-V of someone in his apartment building
Someone who sees him on the bus (does he ride the bus?)
A coworker (not Solveig)
Someone who sees him at the neighborhood coffeeshop (does he drink coffee?)
What would a journalist say who interviews him about architecture?
Try applying the questions in the List Yourself book.
2) Once I have finished reading Tim Powers' Declare, start to try reading possible source books. Architecture, esp. in Twin Ciites. Any folklore (esp. Scandinavian) re: fish.
3) Think about how much time should be devoted to writing (per day? per week?), no excuses.
4) Reassess status of Jack at beginning of October.
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Though I normally would not stoop to pouncing on typos, this from you is hilarious.
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I wonder if the "living constitution" theorists get tired of zombie jokes?
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Isn't this part of your heart of flesh - heart of stone dichotomy though, the hard becoming soft, the frozen beginning to move? And the phrasing of "coming to life" -- rejecting the heart of stone not just for softness, but for living, for openness to others, for creativity -- is beautifully conveyed through the imagery there.
I say write your opening, and keep going. You can always excise it later if you so choose. Or maybe you can have Solveig dreaming that she is one of the statues, frozen and unable to move, waiting for the Thaw.
(Also, v. amused by "moving statutes.")