Todays’ post is going be about two things: My next novel and pictures of People. Well, other things may creep in as I write but we’re having a break from ‘Greece as it happens’ today because things are not going to be happening until tonight. So I won’t know what’s happening until later or tomorrow by which time it would have happened, or not.
But I do know James has his friend James arriving later and we’re off to Yialos to meet them off the evening boat. So that is happening. And I will be printing pages this afternoon so that is happening too. I finished the first draft of ‘Straight Swap’ finally, yesterday afternoon around 5pm on roughly 130,000 words.
The story is a ‘body-swap’ comedy drama and is a bit complicated but basically: two ex-best friends are both in line to appear in TVs latest heightened-reality talent show, the one that has been rocking the nation. ‘So you think we’re remotely interested?’ is coming to Middlestone-on-Sea, to the Majestic theatre and Gary and Stag both have the chance to fulfil their dreams and appear on stage and TV, one as an actor one as a musician. But…
The celebrity Jude of the grand finale to season one of ‘Remotely’, a mysterious lady known only as Miss P, sees that there is a problem and these two need to be friends again in order for Middlestone to stand a chance. So, a few days before the live TV stream from the Majestic theatre, Gary and Stag wake up to find themselves in each other’s bodies. This is not going to be straightforward particularly as their fall out three years ago was over the fact that Gary came out as gay, and Stag is straight.
Obviously there is a lot more to it than that, there are various subplots and side-lines and all kinds of mayhem ensues before we reach the climax which happens on stage during the live show. One challenge I’ve set myself, apart from editing at least 10% off this first draft, is to start each chapter with a quote, as I mentioned a few weeks ago. ‘That family is so in-bred they don’t have ancestors, they have incestors.’ That kind of thing. I’ve got 44 chapters at the moment and about 15 quotes done so far.
I’ve already got the cover in mind and will be approaching photographer friends of mine before too long with a possible commission – but before all that I have to print out the rest of the pages and read through them before starting work on draft two. And before that, I am going to give it and myself a rest for a few weeks, and start on something else.
So that’s my great news from Symi for today. Hope you liked these photos that Neil has taken showing some of the folk who are out and about on Symi these days. Have a great weekend. A few more photos:
