Second Person, Present tense

(Written Friday 18^th January 2013; 16:45)

This is an exercise. I’m writing to you. You may know who I am. I may know you. If you do, then you know that parts of this are made up. On the other hand, maybe they are real too. Two aspects of writing which I hardly ever use are “second person” – You and “present tense”. I have decided to combine the two into this passage, as an exercise. I expect the result to be mildly uncomfortable both in the writing and the reading. I hope it will have a kind of immediacy. We’ll see!

I’ve planned this passage in my head. Not word for word, but the headings and the flow. I’m going to try and write it in one go, with little or no correction except for obvious mistakes and spelling errors.

Here I am, sitting looking across at you. The room is dark, lit only by the coals glowing in the grate and the hurricane lamp standing on the mantelpiece.  Some while ago you told me that you had taken to wearing a dressing gown. In my mind’s eye I have transformed this into a luxurious robe; the fabric is embroidered with a rich pattern which I can’t make out properly in the darkness. The collar and cuffs are trimmed with ermine. You are sitting in a high wing-backed chair, to the right of the fireplace and you have an embroidered smoking cap on you head. The tassel of the cap is hanging down on the side nearest me. Naturally, you’re smoking. Perhaps you’re surprised to learn that you are smoking a churchwarden pipe, which is long enough to sit comfortably in your right hand which is resting on the arm of the your chair. Each time you inhale I can see the tobacco in the bowl of the pipe glow brightly and then the brightness subsides.

On your feet you are wearing large fluffy “Garfield” slippers. I don’t know why I should think that you are, but it seems appropriate.

Maggie is sitting on your lap. From time to time I can see the firelight reflected in her eyes.  It is a strange mixture of colours; red when it reflects from the surface of the eyes and green when it reflects from the back (the retina). She is smoking a pipe as well. She has her left paw tucked under her and her right paw is in front of the, supporting the pipe. Naturally, her pipe is a little smaller. It has a meerschaum bowl with what I think is a curved amber stem.

I am sitting on the settee in front of the fire. The room seems to be a little larger than I remembered it, but that is a strange effect of the darkness. Outside the area illuminated by the fire it is difficult to see the boundaries of the room. In my imagination it could reach out to infinity. I don’t think it does because it does not feel cold. Maybe it should feel cold, because I get the impression that it is snowing outside.

On the table beside you there is a glass. When you lift it the amber liquid catches the firelight and sparkles.

If it is snowing outside, it must be winter. It is not cold in here. Everything is calm and comfortable.

(Finished 17:10, Pages: 1, Words: 569)

Moonlight

(Written Wednesday 9^th January 2013; 18:55)

The room was bright when he woke. As usual he had gone to bed leaving the bedroom curtains open and the light of the full moon flooded in. Keeping his body under the blankets he shuffled upwards so that he could look out of the window. The grandfather clock in the corner of the room said that it was well past midnight.

Reluctantly he slipped out of bed and knelt on the rug. He pulled the chamber-pot from beneath the bed and pissed in it. He felt relief flooding through him as the stream of urine struck the white enamel.

Curious, he decided to go and look out of the window. The bare floorboards beyond the rug were cold beneath his feet. When he reached the window, he paused and looked towards the horizon. The moon was high in the sky.

On a whim, he opened the French windows and stepped onto the balcony. The stone wall around it was lower than one might expect. It was barely higher than his knee The architect had been more concerned with the appearance from the ground than with safety. Casually he stepped over the wall so that he was sitting astride the parapet. Surprisingly the air felt warm. He brought his other leg over and sat facing outwards with both heels resting on the ledge at the base of the wall. He studied the moon. Slowly he rose and stepped forward. The night air was firm and resilient, like turf or an expensive carpet. After a moment's pause he began striding forwards and started climbing confidently towards the moon. He walked with measured paces. There was no need to hurry. After all, he had the rest of the night.  

 (Finished 19:10, Pages: 1, Words:250)

Let it be. Randomness

I overlooked this

(Written Sunday28^th October 2012; 11:07)

I only have till 11:30. I’m not going to dwell on the problems, I’m just going to write. I’ve going to try and be positive, no ranting or raving, just writing.

I started having more thoughts about “The funeral”, and how it could be built into a story. It seems to me it is a beginning, probably of the book and possibly a prologue before the main plot takes over. It could also have an epilogue as well which would be digging it up again. I think the theme is going to be “manipulation”. Somebody or something is making things happen; not controlling them, that is not what they want to do, but guiding them. Make this an alternative history or fantasy where someone is guiding things in the direction they want. They don’t always succeed, but they have enormous power which, for some unspecified reason, they are reluctant, unwilling or unable to use. The text can be an opportunity to speculate about the nature of gods and free-will.

Some of the chapters could be shaped around ritual. There is no need to make it obvious, I’m not trying to reproduce the ritual, simply use it as a source.  I can note down the bits I can use as an aid-memoire elsewhere.

That’s better. My mind is flowing a little more freely now. I don’t feel as “stuck” as I did earlier this morning. Time to get off to the cooking though. I would like to get that started and then I can come back here.

(Breaking off: 11:20, Resumed:... )