Now, I write.
What really happened has been added to the ever thickening notes of bond paper and next on the plate is to sketch a scene from this notes. The scene is a verbal thumbnail, just a study of the action and the emotion that would drive this novel. I have no idea how long this would take, but as soon as this is done, the first word of the first chapter will begin. The novel will begin.
In the meantime, I arrange my writing nook upstairs so the I do not face a window. I also need to print the a single page that lists the Cast of Characters. And then I prep the writing table with pins, index cards, pens, and more bond papers.
In non-writing news, I went to the Brooklyn Book Festival this morning and scored the following:
Novels:
• A Time for Everything by Karl Ove Knausgaard
• McGlue by Ottessa Moshfegh
• A Planet for Rent by Yoss
• Super Extra Grande by Yoss
• The Boy in the Earth by Fuminori Nakamura
• Last Winter, We Parted by Fuminori Nakamura
• The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura
• The Gun by Fuminori Nakamura
Stage Plays:
• The Revisionist by Jesse Eisenberg
• The Christians by Lucas Hnath
• Trudy and Max In Love by Zoe Kazan
Interviews (Non-Fiction):
• J.D. Salinger (The Last Interview)
• David Foster Wallace (The Last Interview)
Now I prep dinner: linguini with tomatoes and basil (from the balcony garden) and melon and cucumber saled with mint and lime (from Fairway produce).
The writing resumes.
All major characters have been named and their backstories written down, ink on paper.
Next in line is writing down “What Really Happened” — that one event that will be the heart of this novel. Two flowcharts of how this will be approached have been written down as well and I just need to think hard about each of them before I begin drafting what really happened. Once this is one, what really happened will then be parsed and scattered towards three acts. And then I can begin page one, chapter one. I don’t give myself deadline over this although I have four days all to myself and we will see if I can do this during one of those midnight to five a.m. writing sessions.
Non-writing stuff:
• Turned a year older yesterday. Celebrated with San Miguel beer and sisig at Max’s. Then bought some kitchen staples at the store next door, including fried tuyo which will be tuysilog today.
• Also headed to CostCo for refilling household staples like bath tissue and vitamins and the all important AMC cinema tickets as Oscar contenders will begin screenings soon.
• Then headed to Trader Jones for a dozen bottles of vino, mostly Malbec and Rioja and the token champagne as Mimosa ingredient.
• Finally had dinner at a neighborhood joint where I had black pasta arrabiata and Joy had hanger steak over fried rice. We both agree that there is a Pinoy in the kitchen as the beef was prepped ala tapa — sugared and soy sauced. The fried rice was also excellent. The Rioja that we got is named Siglo. Muy excelente!
• On TV, I am looking forward to Top of the Lake: China Girl.
• As for films, I have a list culled from the NYT about all the must-sees. I’m really excited to see The Killing of a Sacred Deer and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri.
• I have yet to see what the theater scene would be like this season.
Now I prep breakfast and grab the Sunday papers.
blogging from babel 