Monday, July 18, 2011

Alchemy - inventing the big brother I never had

My WIP is a bit of a monster at the moment and I'm fighting to get it to fall into place properly. It's my own fault. I've been writing chapters as the muse has presented them - not in the order they will finally take in the book. I'm realising that I have described a lot of surroundings that are season-dependent and might be faced with cutting the heads off a few chapters and stitching them to earlier or later events. Ho hum.

Meanwhile, this book will have a cast of thousands (well - lots anyway) and I'm enjoying inventing them - including the big brother I never had in real life but always wanted.

He wanted to be a scientist and I can remember him clearly in his white laboratory coat. One of his favourite possessions was a chemistry set and he would carry out smelly experiments in the kitchen at weekends with lots of liquids that frothed and popped and changed colour when he mixed them. Sometimes he would let me watch, but I could never join in because he insisted that safety was important and I did not have a proper coat like his.  His real love was mechanics though, and he would take things apart to see how they worked, then sit for hours putting everything back together just to prove that he could. He wanted to show everyone, including himself, that he understood what was going on behind the front of things. He was a bit like that with people too, because he could always see straight through me. There was no fooling him about anything and he often unravelled my teenage troubles for me, with his calm and wise view of the world.

7 comments:

Paula RC said...

I love the idea of giving yourself a sibling you never had before. I always wanted an older sister, someone I could share my problems with who would be on my side through thick and thin. I would have always been there for her no mater what happened.

I've put something up on my blog for you... I hope you love it as much as I do...:-)

Paula RC said...

I love the idea of giving yourself a sibling you never had before. I always wanted an older sister, someone I could share my problems with who would be on my side through thick and thin. I would have always been there for her no mater what happened.

I've put something up on my blog for you... I hope you love it as much as I do...:-)

Ellie Garratt said...

What a fabulous idea? I'm wondering if I can write myself a new sister!

I'm sure that all the chapters and pieces of your WIP will fit together in the end. I believe in you.

Ellie Garratt

Paula RC said...

Oh dear I left two of me... It told me it wasn't working... It really did. :-)

MorningAJ said...

It's good to see you as a regular visitor Jarmara! :)

Thank you for your confidence Ellie. I wish I shared it.....

Paula RC said...

;-) What are friends for if you can't drop in at any time and have a cuppa and a chat...

I'm off to find another second-hand washing machine after the last one packed up yesterday after ten years hard work. I asked you, it's a bit much doing it just before my writing group and trip to Whitby. You would think it could have waited until I had a normal unhurried week ahead of me. Now I have one day in which to hunt all the lovely recycling haunts in my area as Ebay does have a few but my poor old sKoda is up to carrying a washing machine. I did ask him, but you know what men are like 'It's me back you know I would my dear sweet.' LoL

Bye for now.

Sandra Davies said...

I like this character invention - I'm having a lot of fun with mine at the moment - I'm going to need at least thirty and am scavenging them from past blogs and bits and pieces as I go.