Writing at the Cafe

Tonight I wrote at the Cafe for about an hour. In that time, whilst listening to the comings and goings of the local patrons (unfortunately this included the giggling of teenaged excitement and longing for university life), I managed to finish the First Act to my novel-in-progress. My beverage of choice during this process was a Caffe Americano. It was, and still is, delicious.

With the First Act of the manuscript finished, I hope to begin and soon complete, the Second Act.

It took two months and fifteen days, two and a half months to the day, to finish the First Act. Will I get the whole manuscript finished by the end of the Summer as originally planned? Probably not even close.

But the bigger question remains: Is this Second Draft going to be readable and marketable? Will there actually be anyone that finds this story and my writing ability, such as it is, worth the time? I'd like to think that I write in my head first and that flows directly to the page in longhand (I never write digitally, it takes the fine art of sketching letterforms (Typography or perhaps better described in this case as Calligraphy) away and doesn't allow for the mind to fully concentrate solely on the story and the story's characters.

My feeling is that even though the writing plays well on the page, it might not have a tone that everyone will enjoy. It's magisterial and rather formal, perhaps even didactic at times. The protagonist is a war hero, a general, and a scholar. He's overseen massacres and naval battles. So he's seen and done a lot in his relatively short career, and he's paid the price for it.

I do believe that this current draft has added more depth to his past, the story that he's giving account for, and I think I've done it in a good way. The point in the First Act is to have a bit of fun with building the world the protagonist is familiar with, or rather revealing it to the reader as he experienced it. I hope it will be something accessible and yet something with depth.

This novel, as one of my friends might agree (if he ever should read it and find it a piece of art worth calling a work of literature), "Is not for the kids."

Peace.