Say not the struggle naught availeth. A thought that has been on my mind every time I have embarked on a new book. I like Clough’s emphasis on ‘struggle’, for what else defines the painstaking construction of a scaffolding that will take the weight of the story, the scouring of history for insights, the remorseless digging into a character to make him and her come alive, the ferreting for the word, THE word that will encapsulate the exact thing that my heart knows but my hand doesn’t, yet … Historical fiction gets trickier. There is the linear narrative: on this date, so and so did xyz. And yet, on that very date, so and so’s friend did abc, his colleague did mnop, and so & so himself did fgh besides the highlighted xyz and perhaps, just perhaps, an understanding of fgh is critical to make xyz come alive? And mnop - doesnt that segue into xyz as well?! There is logic - What in his life forged him to become the Great Leader? - but the writer must not forget to glean from several incidents the thread that ties that one defining moment to that particular misdemeanor in childhood. The writer must connect the dots, in order to make the reader see. And of course, since it is a story, it must engage emotionally: make the reader laugh and cry and gasp, and stay with the novel even as SRK flags his lungi on screen and Ekta Kapoor unleashes a fresh series of pearl-laden ladies ladling tarka dal in kitchens miraculously bereft of steam or sweat, and tweety bird, well, tweets. The writer must make the written word compete, and win. So, yes, back to Clough. Daily, as the writer grapples and wrestles and wonders whether to just throw her hands up; when six months have elapsed and the writing is as coherent as a drunk’s rambling; when all you want is to reach that first draft - shit, Hemingway, and editing notwithstanding; Clough’s short but wise poem comes handy. And not by eastern windows only, When daylight comes, comes in the light, In front the sun climbs slow, how slowly, But westward, look, the land is bright. Bless you, Arthur Hugh Clough, for saving me every time. #writing #writer #firstdraft #historical #fiction #novel #Clough
Posted on: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 16:03:27 +0000
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