Writing and time and so on

I’ve been thinking about writing in general recently. Your life experience and age definitely changes how you write – at least it does for me. That’s why I think that even though I’m writing to a fairly competent standard – I might not write something I am completely happy with until I’m much older. Hammett was 36 when The Maltese Falcon was published and Chandler’s The Big Sleep was released when he was 51.

I must admit to previously rushing pieces in the past. This hasn’t happened on the degree course but did happen elsewhere in an increasing effort to meet deadlines and so on. And whilst I have a deadline for the degree work I see this as a chance to get down some prose and ideas for the finished novel – which doesn’t have to have a deadline (though it would be handy if I completed it before my death). I have time to shape and hone and craft and mould and so on. Time time time.

One of the best examples I can give of my own progression as a writer came when I was in high school and my English class was asked to write a ghost story. I chose a different subject to everybody else – who on the whole chose to write about haunted mansions and the like. I did this because I hoped the teacher would appreciate reading something different – which I actually got marked higher for. But the point is that I used this for a chapter title, ‘[Character name] is expelled – for a second time.’ This was in a section that revolved around the main characters brother being killed by an internet stalker – shortly after the brother had been expelled from school. I thought the title was being clever but now I cringe at the terrible choice – not only does it give the plot away but it’s lazy and doesn’t even come close to subtle. You live and learn.


Wall update: you can see how it is expanding. I have added a new colour label. The dark pink ones are for characters; where I have included a number of characteristics and so on.