Noah threw up great big chunks of vomit last night, all over the new carpet and then spent the night in bed with me. It was a shame as I was looking forward to a night in bed on my own without a child next to me. It is also a shame as I was hoping to do some writing today but I'm not sure if I can with Noah in the house. He's watching 'Horrid Henry' at the moment so I might be okay.
I've been thinking of the first part of the Nicky story and I've almost got it worked out in my head. It's going to start with me resisting Heaven, going there, being sucked into some labyrinthine bureaucracy, meeting Nicky as they had re-created him, and wandering into the wilderness with a backpack of papers with my largely silent brother in tow. Before sleeping I will open these papers and discover Topsy and Tim books, notes written to Nicky, and a birth certificate (perhaps) or a medical record. I fall asleep and I am in the past - in the caravanette watching me kick Nicky in the leg (perhaps). This will be the basic structure throughout. It will be a journey and will be memories and factual records all mixed into one. I'm excited about it and I think it will work.
Marina said she thought I should give Nicky a voice. At first I was resistant. My Nicky couldn't speak - he didn't have a voice, only a low grunting groan. But lately I've come to think that perhaps she is right and I need to have him speak as well. The way I thought I could do it was by using Topsy and Tim books. These were the books (along with Mr. Men books) that Nicky negotiated his way around the world. Topsy and Tim explain everything - dentists and doctors and hospitals. I could have Nicky read these books and then begin to speak through them. His language could be the simple third person language. As the book progresses so does his language.
While I was writing this I thought of some more books that I could read to get me a hold on the style and the plot. The Chinese-English Dictionary for lovers has the narrator learn the language as she goes along. I should read Pilgrims Progress again as they have to carry stuff around with them. Also Jung - 'Modern Man in Search of a Soul' and 'Seven Basic Plots' - looking at the Quest in particular. What we are looking for could be any of these: God, a reason for the pain, a place to be at rest. We are looking for a reason for living.
Having now looked at these themes, I'm not sure if I'm bright enough to carry it off - but I think it is worth looking at, and worth trying to do. If I can pull it off it will be sensational, if I can't it will be dire. There will be no just okays about this piece of work. I'm going to need as much help as I can I think. Perhaps I should go and see Tobias if I can, book myself in tomorrow and have a chat with him.
I've been thinking of the first part of the Nicky story and I've almost got it worked out in my head. It's going to start with me resisting Heaven, going there, being sucked into some labyrinthine bureaucracy, meeting Nicky as they had re-created him, and wandering into the wilderness with a backpack of papers with my largely silent brother in tow. Before sleeping I will open these papers and discover Topsy and Tim books, notes written to Nicky, and a birth certificate (perhaps) or a medical record. I fall asleep and I am in the past - in the caravanette watching me kick Nicky in the leg (perhaps). This will be the basic structure throughout. It will be a journey and will be memories and factual records all mixed into one. I'm excited about it and I think it will work.
Marina said she thought I should give Nicky a voice. At first I was resistant. My Nicky couldn't speak - he didn't have a voice, only a low grunting groan. But lately I've come to think that perhaps she is right and I need to have him speak as well. The way I thought I could do it was by using Topsy and Tim books. These were the books (along with Mr. Men books) that Nicky negotiated his way around the world. Topsy and Tim explain everything - dentists and doctors and hospitals. I could have Nicky read these books and then begin to speak through them. His language could be the simple third person language. As the book progresses so does his language.
While I was writing this I thought of some more books that I could read to get me a hold on the style and the plot. The Chinese-English Dictionary for lovers has the narrator learn the language as she goes along. I should read Pilgrims Progress again as they have to carry stuff around with them. Also Jung - 'Modern Man in Search of a Soul' and 'Seven Basic Plots' - looking at the Quest in particular. What we are looking for could be any of these: God, a reason for the pain, a place to be at rest. We are looking for a reason for living.
Having now looked at these themes, I'm not sure if I'm bright enough to carry it off - but I think it is worth looking at, and worth trying to do. If I can pull it off it will be sensational, if I can't it will be dire. There will be no just okays about this piece of work. I'm going to need as much help as I can I think. Perhaps I should go and see Tobias if I can, book myself in tomorrow and have a chat with him.
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