My new first draft is now under way – in a slightly scattered manner. Characters – check. Plot – check (roughly). Themes – check. That is fine for who, what, why, but what about where and when? I got this far without knowing for sure whether the novel is even set on Earth or an imaginary world, and what period or stage of history it belongs to, but I now have a fair idea. In one sense, a lot of it wouldn’t change depending on time and place, since it will borrow from Earth events either way, and from various different periods in our real Earth timeline which often mirror each other.
I’m thinking of it a bit like the Big Bang. After all that amazingly dense nothing exploded, there must have been utter havoc and confusion (if anyone was there to be confused). It took a little while for the dust to settle, fall into line, form distinct objects and shapes, and for some of it to get a bit too big for its boots and take on the quality we call ‘life’.
Discovery of the day: Vintage Planxty ’70s/early ’80s stuff can be excellent, but I turned to Mozart to provide a sonic backdrop. Better to concentrate with.
