So far.
Jim talked about novels as architecture. I want to write a novel like
this. Gothic architecture is a neat thing. It has two basics that differentiate it from earlier styles; first, its arches come to a point; second, it uses flying buttresses. Flying buttresses are half an arch, built on the outside of a building to give it further support. They allow you to build much taller structures.
The highest point in most buildings made in this style is a dome, that is, a three dimensional arch that is supported not only by the sides, but by the front and rear of the building. Often, a series of smaller domes, supported by four arches each, make up the rest of the ceiling.
If you look at the ceiling of
Laon Cathedral you'll actually see the arches built into the dome itself. In this instance, five arches to each dome. This looks similar to Jim's celtic knots.
This style of ceiling, and the flying buttresses, allow you to make huge open spaces inside the building. This is especially useful for cathedrals, which is why the most famous examples of gothic architecture are cathedrals (the most famous being Notre Dame).
I imagine the flying buttresses as subplots, the rows of archways that hold up the walls as characterization, the small domes and their arches as plot, the highest, giant dome (which relies structuraly on every single other element) as the climax. The vast open space inside, meant to inspire thoughts of divinity, is theme.
The minute carvings, the tapestries, the windows, all the details are the language. The deep foundation is what I know that you do not. To hold up that weight the foundation has to be large and heavy, but would ruin the art to be seen.
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Now that lovely concept in my head is so far not even remotely related to what I'm writing. I make myself write an hour a day, but so far I've written on average two or three. I'm new to this. I'm sloppy. But I force words onto paper.
I have 68 pages right now, but half of that is not story. When I'm stuck, which is all the time, to get myself writing I write whatever I have to. I go over the scenes but don't list dialogue, or I write about what I think the next scene should be. Whatever I have to do to keep my hands moving.
I leave all this gibberish in my files. I don't cut anything out. I think of it in my head as my zero draft. On the downside, if I want a 400 page mss. it means I'll have 800 pages in the file.
Is this a dangerous thing to do? Would it be better to only write what belongs there, rather than force-writing and commentary just to keep moving? Because I've never done this before, I'm worried about falling into pitfalls that I'm not familiar with.
Today is the first day in the past nine that I've had a really hard time with it. In the meantime, I'm just repeating to myself over and over that it's okay to have a hard time with it. Just like I repeat to myself that it's okay to write horribly, as long as I'm writing.
Philip Fullington Ripper
P.S. I feel you CapeRuby. Next time, finish it even when you hit the brick wall. Even if it sucks horribly and you don't like it. Wouldn't you rather have a finished, but flawed mss. than four aborted attempts?