THE WRITER'S LIFE
They have a plan
The headline refers to Cylons (“Toasters”), for anyone unfamiliar with Battlestar Galactica, and the opening title cards:
“The Cylons were created by man. They evolved. They rebelled. There are many copies. And they have a plan.”
Like many sci-fi fans, I speak as though science fiction is actual history: It's a geek humour thing, and it can make us seem exclusive to some, usually gathered in a corner somewhere. Excluded might be a better term.
My main distraction lately has been my next book, Cyrus Song: I've written much about it recently but now that I'm at a certain stage, it's become a lot more. Essentially, it's a tribute to Douglas Adams: Taking a couple of his ideas, expanding on them and adding complimentary ones. One of the ideas in my book is that The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a factual historical record, adopted by some races as religious scripture. It's a book which I'm getting very good feedback on from people who matter, with one even telling me, “Douglas would be proud.” But it's not the exclusive preserve of those of us who gather in corners: Anyone who knows nothing about Douglas Adams or The Hitch Hiker's Guide, will still understand Cyrus Song. It's a book about life, the universe, and everything. There is an answer besides 42. It's a book for all ages and above all, it's funny.
As is usually my practice, I wrote the ending of the book long ago. I'm now at a stage with the main narrative that it's coming up to meet the ending. When that's done, I'll have a completed first draft manuscript. I still have competing tentative publishing offers, which I may yet explore, while I go through editing and redrafting. If I do end up self-publishing for any reason, I have the tools. I'm confident that the book will get picked up at some point, but it'll be word of mouth that really sells it. I've been told that it's the kind of book a reader will definitely recommend. I'm so confident of that that if I do self-publish, I might offer a money back guarantee. And if I self-publish, I'm in the company of around 80% of top contemporary writers, all of whom started out by doing it themselves.
And there is a great deal of pleasure to be derived from the editing and publishing process. I never could have done half of it a year ago: It was the gift of my typewriter (a Windows 10 laptop) from the mother ship, because she “...thought it might help with your writing.” That, my dad telling me he's proud of me, and my kids thinking it's “awesome” to have a writer as a dad, is what makes me personally proud.
It was my birthday recently, so I received the mandatory social media greetings and niceties. I was touched to pause upon a few personal messages: It's nice when people give a small gift of some thoughtful time. It's a practice I've observed myself for a while now: For those who I know well, or to whom I'm close, I'll always take the time to post something more than “Happy birthday mate” on someone's Facebook timeline. Instead, I'll write briefly of a memory I'll have with that person, or even a brief eulogy. I don't do traditional cards, but it doesn't take much to give someone some time and make them pause among the many other standard greetings.
It's been nice to be encouraged so much lately, and by so many, in what I do and what I've become. So now I'm 47: a prime number. If I only make it as far as Douglas did (49), then at least I'll have written the book which I was somehow meant to write. And as I'm approaching the end of the first draft of the novel, some numbers are appearing: As it stands, Cyrus Song will be 320-340 pages and it's split into 24 chapters (24 is of course 42 transposed). If I can get the book to be complete in 336 pages, that's a multiple of 42. And at roughly 300 words per page, that's 100,800 words: 2400 x 42. I should be able to pull those Easter eggs off, proving that the number 42 does mean something, although I know not what.
There's so much more I'd like to write in this “Dear Diary” entry: Everything else that's been going on while I've been concentrating on Cyrus Song. But then I might as well just duplicate my Facebook timeline, which is public anyway. It's mainly political, satirical and scientific posts, too numerous to clog a blog with.
Once the first draft of Cyrus Song is complete, I'll take a month off: From the book, not from writing. During that time, I'll entertain the free-to-read markets with some short stories. I have many planned for a next anthology. But the next book out with my name on the cover will be Cyrus Song, by the end of this year.
In giving the real answer to the big question, my book proposes ways towards a better world, both internally and the world around us. By the time it's out, I'm hoping to see radical changes in UK politics, for the better: It's no secret that I'm a Labour / Lib Dem supporter (I read The Guardian) and all of my thinking around the subject is on that Facebook timeline above. What I've come to realise is that I was looking at our politicians as I've been conditioned to. In Jeremy Corbyn, I see a different kind of politician: a person in touch with the country and a person of the people.
I see an uprising. I see a gradual lifting of a veil.
“The citizens were created by politicians. They evolved. They rebelled. There are many copies. And they have a plan.”
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