Valley of the Trolley Dollies

No real blog entry today. I spent my blogging time working on an idea for a story.

Normally, I write genre fiction; crime stories, some mysteries, some horror. I like the logic inherent in the format: Plotting, whilst not everything, is hugely important. (That said, a well plotted crime story with cardboard characters will, ultimately, fail to satisfy beyond the level of a clever parlour trick). But to get genre fiction right, takes (I feel) a great degree of pre-planning. I can’t start the journey without an excellent road map, otherwise I have no idea where I’m going. Mind you, I have often taken detours that have drastically changed the landscape of the piece I’m working on.

But this short story I’m taken by is most definitely not a crime or mystery. It’s a snapshot of a man at a point in his life where the weight of the past has become unbearable, and the opportunity to make a change presents itself. Does he take the chance? I don’t know. Does the weight of the past crush him? Again, right now, no idea. I know how I’d like it to go, but I’ve decided, over the next few weeks, to just write it, with minimal preparation, and see where it goes.

It’s been (as little Ms J might say) a loooooooong tiiiiiiime since I’ve written fiction, and I’m a bit scared and a lot excited, so wish me luck.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 20th, 2006 at 2:46 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.