Something a bit different.
Alright, this is a bit of a left turn from to what I’ve been posting on this page so far, but it’s something I’ve been tossing around in my head for a while, so I thought, why not use one of my off weeks as an opportunity to dip into the non-fiction world?
Essentially, I just wanted to create a bit of a record of what I’m attempting to do here with this writing thing. For those who don’t know, I’ve made a fairly major life change recently. My partner Mollie and I quit our jobs last year and moved to London where I’m taking my best crack at becoming a ‘writer.’ I’ve saved about a year’s worth of rent and food money, to support myself while I go after this.
(If this is already starting to sound pretentious, please go back and read my story Masochist Love. I’m not exactly pursuing highbrow stuff here)
My thinking is, this isn’t the most ordinary thing for a person to attempt, so I thought it might be fun for people to follow along with my progress. I’ve always loved documentaries of sports people and musicians on their way up. Once you see them make it, those things tend to become a bit boring.
Train-wrecks are also interesting—which speaks to the elephant in the room. There’s a good chance I don’t get anywhere with this.
I’m fine with that.
If I end up among the majority of writers who never see their work published, these posts will still serve a secondary utility. Snippets like this will record a snapshot of my thinking at a specific time in my life. I’ve had enough head knocks to realize how murky memory can be, so at minimum, it will give me something to look back on.
One of my biggest fears, is becoming a person who lets the obligations and circumstances of life wash away their passions before they’ve had a chance to pursue any of them.
I’ve already cringed about nine times at the publicness of this. But, I guess I’m committed at this point.
The novel I’ve carved out this time to work on is five years in the making. I’ve just completed my fourth draft, I’m taking one week away from it to gain a bit of perspective, after which I’m allocating myself one more month to get it to a level where I can start pitching to agents. On the weeks where I don’t post a short story here, I’m planning to write a short update on my progress with the novel + a brief insight on what I’m actually doing with my days to try to make this thing happen.
Hopefully, there’s something interesting in this that people can take away. If not, enjoy watching me flail about.
Hamish
