Another plateau. What fascinates me about the process of writing a novel - one of the things - is how an idea seems to come when I acknowledge the need for one, as if it has been waiting for an invitation. I felt something was missing, that the first person voice focussed the story but perhaps in too narrow a fashion. Now I have an idea that not only widens the focus but also helps me firm allusions to Dos Passos. By letting the new melange rest for about a month, until I am back in B.C. and working on my usual computer and have access to research materials I collected, I should be prepared to complete a final, so-called, draft, because the process of revision never ends, only stops from time to time.
Presto steps out
Something I have seldom done, read from a work in progress. But an invitation to join the monthly cultural soirée at the U. S, Consulate in Québec gave me an opportunity to try out the voice of my character, my first attempt at a novel-length first person voice and my first historical novel. The tenor of the room indicated that people were paying attention, and comments afterwards assured me that I achieved what I am trying to do, ie create the authentic voice of a young Irish immigrant woman adrift in Chicago in 1919. The rhythm worked, and her quirks of narrative -- mixing tenses, for example. I don't think it was confusing. The next time I do something like this I want to do a better job of setting up the period. Also, it is clear that my idea of paying stylistic homage to Dos Passos needs boosting. Also clear, how important the newspapers are to me, to my character, to my idea for the novel.