Today, to start with, I want to do a couple of things. First, I'm going to go through all my notes and make lists of all the possible sex scenes I have thought of so far. And second, I'm going to put in a few things about Hap's anxiety about his apartment. That always has to be uppermost in his mind -- that anxiety should drive the book, like Yossarian's anxiety about going on more bombing missions.
List of characters along with stories for them to tell:
Hap:
Seth:
4:15 pm -- I rewrote the opening of the book, cutting 300 words and writing 1500. I expanded the opening sex scene and then made the whole thing about the building being sold much clearer. I also changed it somewhat -- now it's that the building is being put on the market, with the implication that Hap himself might be able to buy it -- if he can come up with an insanely large chunk of money. The larger the cost of the building, the better.
5:05pm -- I wrote a few hundred more words, smoothing out the scene at the end of chapter 5 and finishing the chapter. Now I have to start the next chapter with a proper group dialogue scene. Here's where the book gets difficult -- scenes between large groups of people. I think I'll try reading Catch-22 tonight to see if I can find how Heller handled it.
I wish I could work more for the day; I've only done 3300 words for the weekend. If only tomorrow were a holiday, or I could take off work. No chance -- I have, like, three meetings about the release notes, and by the time the day ends I'll be pooped. Fucking job!
List of characters along with stories for them to tell:
Hap:
- This is the one most likely to be in a suburban setting, and why not. A little reminiscent of John Updike, complete with the anal sex.
- Also should have something about his wife, Kara -- or probably three stories with her.
- Meeting her, honeymoon
- Peak of sexual relationship
- Scene which carries the seeds of the destruction of their relationship
- Sex with a co-ed at the conservative film festival on campus (!)
- He might talk about something that's happened there at the cabin. Maybe in the past he brought up strippers. As a smart scientist type, he wants to break loose, but observes -- has trouble joining in, maybe.
- Must have at least one extended monologue about Marianne
- Let's say it starts out suggesting a dark, urban mood, but actually takes place in a bucolic setting, against type.
Seth:
- Possibly the thing about Stacy and her roommate, whose name I totally forget -- the time when they switched beds and fucked each other's dates. Show: Seth's sexual superiority to Shaun; second, the way Shaun fucks things up by being passive and uncertain and, above all, by dealing with fantasies rather than the reality. Something about the girl who was Seth's date that brings out Shaun's nascent political romanticism -- like the girl is Spanish and Shaun wants to talk to her about the Spanish Civil War.
- Must have at least one extended monologue about Marianne
- The O.-cum-Amnesia -- about how the second resembles the first, etc.
- Something hippyish here. Or no -- burning man! Two sisters maybe?
- What about putting N. in here -- maybe N. and Sy., just for contrast. But actually I could use any six-foot tall skinny girl with big tits in a cowboy hat.
- Something from the Chain Tattoo world
- As shown by his attraction to Jennifer, he seems to like women who are very straight -- or maybe that's just one of the types he finds attractive. I should think about why he was attracted to Jennifer, the annoying super-straight HR manager, and not Stella, the kooky San Francisco girl. Perhaps Stella is too similar to all the girls who are naturally attracted to him, whereas Jennifer, strangely enough, represents -- not a challenge, but something different. Similarly, he has also had an affair with the bored wife of a Chinese-American dry cleaner. In fact, taken together, all these represent a quirky, eclectic bunch, even if alone set against American culture they are anonymous and straight. Hmm, interesting -- explore.
4:15 pm -- I rewrote the opening of the book, cutting 300 words and writing 1500. I expanded the opening sex scene and then made the whole thing about the building being sold much clearer. I also changed it somewhat -- now it's that the building is being put on the market, with the implication that Hap himself might be able to buy it -- if he can come up with an insanely large chunk of money. The larger the cost of the building, the better.
5:05pm -- I wrote a few hundred more words, smoothing out the scene at the end of chapter 5 and finishing the chapter. Now I have to start the next chapter with a proper group dialogue scene. Here's where the book gets difficult -- scenes between large groups of people. I think I'll try reading Catch-22 tonight to see if I can find how Heller handled it.
I wish I could work more for the day; I've only done 3300 words for the weekend. If only tomorrow were a holiday, or I could take off work. No chance -- I have, like, three meetings about the release notes, and by the time the day ends I'll be pooped. Fucking job!