Skip to main content

Days 9-108: Writing a Novel—The Deep Blue Hold

November 25th, 2016 to March 5, 2017
Note: Unedited writings from my notebook for this novel. Square bracket items represent added comments.

At 15:53 Office
... And so began a three month odyssey away from writing this novel, The Deep Blue Hold....
W
herein I try to explain why I stopped working on this novel.
The shortest answer is I gave up.
The short explanation is I struggle with mental health issues (MDD, GAD, PTSD) that paralyse me at times. When it happens, I’m not able to do much of anything. Don’t want to do anything and that includes things one might expect to enjoy.
For a while I spent time trying to create some thirty-second videos that would play a word puzzle like a crossword. Here’s the clue. Here’s the blank spaces. And after an interval, one of the letters would appear until all the letters appear. A bit of a crossword puzzle in that sometimes you come to a word where crossover words give you certain letters and you have to fill in the rest. A bit like that TV game show. A bit like hangman.
The problem with this idea is that the time intervals are arbitrary and people’s ability to solve a puzzle varies. It would work if the reader could click to determine when the next letter appears or click to show the entire solution. Once I realized that’s the way it should work, I stopped. Without looking, I’m sure there are websites, apps etc. that already do this.
Then I spent a number of weeks coding programs and using GiHub. I was writing in C, C++ and C#. Programming languages have a syntax similar to human language. Both are artificial, that is, made up. Both evolve. Most programming languages have authoritative bodies to govern the syntax and set rules, while the English language has no such authoritative body. The French try with their l’Académie française, but I don’t think it works. There is, however, one major difference, when writing a program you know if you get the syntax correct, there is certainty, but with English, you can only approach certainty.
And so began a three month odyssey away from writing this novel, The Deep Blue Hold.

James Piper
Kitchener, Ontario
Post comments on facebook page.
Post comments on facebook page.
Follow me on twitter.
Posted 2017/04/12 at 16h59ET in The Deep Blue Hold | Writing A Novel
Labels:
Reactions:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 5: Writing a Novel—The Deep Blue Hold

Monday, November 21st, 2016 No work on the novel on Day 4. Note: Unedited writings from my notebook for this novel. Square bracket items represent added comments.
At 18:31—Office ... if I use Leänne instead of Leanne how will people react... Y esterday was Sunday and I took it off, plus I was dealing with some mental health issues. I know this story is something that is simply a matter of putting in the time to make it happen. I’m supposed to be working on it as much as I can but I haven’t been doing that. Two main reasons. It’s been a while since I’ve worked on a story. Then there’s the issues of my mental health. Things happen. I get down and it impacts on my writing. I might be using it as an excuse, but it’s clearly something I need to deal with. I have to find a schedule I can work with. Perhaps I need to put this first and cut out other things. Not sure but I will figure it out. A name for the hero came to me. For the moment going with Leanne or is it Leanna? Should be Le…
Post a Comment
Read more

Writing a Novel: The Deep Blue Hold–Introduction

Thursday, March 9th, 2017 ... I fight my insecurities and doubts and I withdraw farther away from people and life ... I n November 2016 I started work on a new novel with the working title: The Deep Blue Cage. A few weeks after I started, I stopped. I was feeling too depressed about everything including the idea of writing a new novel. It happens to me at various times, with varying degrees, and it is debilitating. The ultimate issue was: Why bother? Why bother write another novel no one will read and no one will care about. I also found I was dreading the writing process more and more. It was painful to think about. I walked away and focused on other things. Or tried to. That didn’t work either. I felt trapped and unsure where I should head, what I should do. I even asked the big question, what the hell is life about anyway. There’s no one answer to this question despite the proclamations of some and because I believe I can think critically, can reason, I look at it from many a…
Post a Comment
Read more

Day 6: Writing a Novel—The Deep Blue Hold

Tuesday, November 22nd, 2016 Note: Unedited writings from my notebook for this novel. Square bracket items represent added comments.
At 20:44—Office ... Lost at sea, she's rescued by a ship and wished she had never set foot on it.... N othing new on this story. Nothing came to me while I was sleeping or when on my errands. I thought something would come about, but nope. So be it. I have two chapters written. Not sure if they are any good but they are there. And so Chp. 3 to write. And I don’t see the scene because I’m not sure what should happen. The question is what is the cliffhanger. Nope. 3 about her, not the ship and crew. And I’ve already written the last line of the chapter. She wakes up and feels immense pain. Not sure if I should mention blood in the water. This chapter or the following. So it’s early dawn or not quite sunrise. And she’s in the cockpit unconscious. But how do I write it from her POV if she’s out. Hmmm. I can do it but should I do it? And I don’t w…
Post a Comment
Read more