silk scaffolding...

I have sort of mentioned how things are going with my new book – but, going by some queries I’ve received, not clearly enough… so I thought I’d write a few words…

Firstly, the new book, the one I’m working on – let’s call it “KK” – is, as I’ve said before, a novel set in the past – the real past… I’m not going to say what it’s about – I believe that books, like other creative ventures, have to be carefully nurtured, kept close: premature exposure to the outside world can hurt them.

Though it’s historical fiction, the process of writing KK is turning out not to be that different to writing the Stone Dance. Perhaps that’s not so surprising – I often claim that the Stone Dance is a sort of historical novel: it’s just that I had to invent the history upon which it is based. In the case of KK, the source of the research is not my imagination, but history books and academic papers. That said, ancient history is sparsely documented and so there’s a lot of scope for imagination…

So, I have completed the ‘general research’ phase, during which I read freely in all kinds of peculiar directions – both widely and in depth – to ensure I have a sufficient grasp of the period. I am now ‘constructing’ the framework for the book itself – what I am hoping will be my ‘silk scaffolding‘. Though, this still involves research, it is research that is much more tightly focused on the ‘actual’ book.

I would like to point out that, for the The Third God, it probably took me at least 2 years to reach the stage I’m at now… I say this to give my reader AND myself hope that KK is not going to be years in the writing. What is exciting is that I am beginning to see the landscapes, to ‘know’ the characters, to hear the whisper of their voices… I can already feel that it’s going to be quite a trip… :O)