And so it begins!

I sometimes wonder if my wife takes me seriously as a writer. She often tells me that she likes my work, but when I raised the idea of Pomerania with her it also raised her eyebrow! I tried to explain it as a character wandering through a strange, beautiful, even surreal world that exists behind the door of an apparently run-down Victorian house in an unidentified city of the world. Once they cross the threshold they meet a variety of characters, each representing a particular theme that I want to write about. She asked if it was going to be like the movie, ‘Pulp Fiction’? The answer was kind of yes and kind of no. It was a good analogy, only I have no intention of including all the violence. The conversation ended when I told her that she was going to be in the book as well.

The first draft is underway. I have one character, other than the protagonist that is, already clearly defined, and several others are taking shape. As usual for me, I am not interested in the structure of the book at this stage. Each theme will be written about separately, almost as a series of short stories (hence the Pulp Fiction reference I think), and then woven together with some elegant editing. I have an idea where I am going and how to get there, but nothing is set in stone as yet. As it is a semi-autobiographical work it will draw on some of the more significant experiences that I have had, both the good and the bad, as well as giving me the opportunity to explore subjects that interest me and about which I want to express an opinion. I am hoping to produce a story that can stand the test of time, perhaps by not being set in any particular time at all. The background and the environment are going to be both luxuriant and vague at the same time, which is probably going to be a challenge. There will be happiness and sadness, love and grief, learning through experience, and, I hope, a lifting tale of the human condition when it reaches its best.