There was no way to prove — actually prove, really prove — that that man was me. The story was familiar — I knew I had written it — but that name on the paper still was not me. It was a symbol, a name. It was alien. And then I realised that even if I did become successful at writing, it would never mean a thing to me, because I couldn’t identify myself with that name. It would be soot and ashes. So I didn’t write any more. I was never sure, anyway, that the stories I had in my desk a few days later were mine, though I remembered typing them. There was always that gap of proof. That gap between doing and having done.
– Ray Bradbury: “No Particular Night or Morning” (from The Illustrated Man)
Look: that’s Bradbury nailing what writing’s really about. The doubt you feel; the doubts you share. It’s Bradbury on the middle-point of a novel you started, a short story you sacked off, a poem you thought was going somewhere. For me, it’s that exact reason you stop writing a work in progress. The loathing and the loss of confidence.
But your parents don’t really care that you’re writing. Pay your bills and manufacture some handsome grandchildren — that’s what they care about.
We overtake the ghost of winter floods on the motorway North – a lorry with Cockermouth written all over its flanks. Past Lancaster, and the digital boards start shouting about closed bridges. Later, while the night tips fully into black, we see a couple of dented road signs. And that’s all. We wind up staying about twenty minutes away from the high water itself, but actually the flooding stays a kind of miniature 9/11 – something your horrid little brain wants to see first-hand despite knowing it shouldn’t.
Like Bees to Honey | Chapter 17
Well, I’m chuffed to be hosting Chapter 17 of Caroline Smailes’ brand new novel, Like Bees to Honey. Chuffed because Caroline’s a full-blown champion; chuffed because it’s ace to be part of a grand idea.
So: if you’ve come here from the last chapter, a warm hello to you, and if you haven’t, I’ll do my level best to explain:
Caroline’s new book spans 32 chapters. Each of these chapters is now spread across 32 blogs. Below, I’m linking to the next one along, but if you’d like to read the whole thing before it’s released by the Friday Project next week, you can bimble over to Chapter Zero which is now live at the Smailes mothership.
If you haven’t read Caroline’s stuff before, try and bag a look. Her writing is made of brilliant. Here’s why:
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Finished? The lovely Cally is looking after Chapter 18 over at Writing about Writing.
And you can grab your own copy of Bees here.