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Writer's pictureCraig Dawson

Pushing Water Uphill

As Rakim once said, "it's been a long while, I shouldn't have left you", but rather than just maintain radio silence as the blank page stalks me, I thought I'd just pop my head up, say hello, and give you a bit of an update on what's going on with me, should you be so interested. Come on. What else have you got going on...?


I'm still pushing on with book two, and the rollercoaster of it has just cranked itself to the top of the incline, and is ready to plummet down with all the requisite "oohing and aahing" one could hope for.


Unfortunately, up until the middle of last night, the only screams were likely to be mine, as I hadn't built the end of the track yet, and I was heading for low-orbit and then a crash. I was getting frustrated, having written myself into a corner, and not having the smarts to write myself out of it again, which just led me to resent where I had ended up. Now, should this be read by any writers of more experience than me (everyone) then I imagine there are a few smiles, head-shakes, and pats-on-the-head to be administered my way. But my solution was to take a break from it completely, which wasn't so hard as real life had delivered me a few more pressing matters that I could get stuck into.


Then, last night, the subconscious flickered into life, and without any effort whatsoever, the final act of the book came into sharp focus like a magic eye picture, and I could see the path through the trees. Now, I can't speak of whether this will result in the story delivering in every way I would hope to, but for now, I can see a way to making progress, and then I can get it bashed into shape as I work through the drafts. This is good. A good start to my week.


And that good start got better.


One of the toughest parts of lockdown for me, as it probably has been for everyone, has been the isolation of me from my friends and family. Home - I still call it that - is five hours away, but might as well be five hundred. Obviously, thank goodness for phones and so on, but it's been difficult not seeing those I hold closest to me, who aren't within these four walls. I'm still not sure when it will be safe enough to travel, but helping me stay positive have been a few really nice little surprises, particularly in the last couple of days.


Saturday revolved around a virtual meeting with some friends from the old country, where the Covid small talk was dispensed with after ten minutes, and we got back to chatting boxsets and football as per usual - a comfort blanket of a few hours.


And then this morning, my dear old mum surprised me with a little box of cookies after my subtle hints stopped being quite so subtle. I've got a mug of tea, a biscuit to nibble and the cats haven't knocked anything over in ages. Not only that, but I've had contact with some of my bezzies, and all in all, It's a Monday I'll definitely settle for.


Progress.


(Not sure if I've shared this before, here's the interlude scene from HOLY MOTORS for a burst of joy on a Monday afternoon. Enjoy.)




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