Life: a work in Progress

Dear Reader,

I apologise if you feel neglected. I have been spending the majority of my time in lectures for my MSc that began last week, and all of my non-academic-work-time working on my online novella. I have written the prologue, chapter 1 and chapter 2 and am trudging through the beginning of chapter 3. I've been doing a lot more research to write this than I had first intended, but I suppose it's all for the better of the novella. *Sigh*

Image courtesy of proficientwriter.com

When I say research, one would generally think about looking into history books, geographical maps, other novels, going to the library, searching online  etc. (Aside: wikipedia is always a good starting point) All of this I have been doing. But I've also been doing some research into my own personal history, delving into my past to find stories and anecdotes from my childhood. I had no idea how much my own personal life had influenced this plot/story until I actually started writing it. Not that this novella is autobiographical, quite far from that actually. 

But still, this introspective and retrospective search has made me think about all the ways that I have changed over the years, and the ways that I have stayed the same. I've also come to realise that the main driver of change is experience. The circumstances life deals out to us, the people we meet, the decisions we make, they are all an intertwined  into that one word "experience". And I believe, as the writer, it is vital for me (if not the reader) to understand my characters' experiences in order to plot out the decisions they would make when put in the middle of a tight spot or dilemma.  

And I suppose this is also true for real people as well, not just fictional ones. To truly appreciate a person and know why they do what they do, necessitates an understanding of who the person is and what makes them tick. You know, dear reader, how they say "you need to know where you're coming from, to see where you're going" or something along those lines. If you know who said that, let me know in the comment section below.

A short post this time, but I must be getting back to a lavish South Kensington drawing room in 1838. So to conclude, all I want to say is that life itself is a work in progress - as I write out the lives of my characters, I'm also in the process of writing out my own.     

Nida