Posted on June 19, 2008 - by MG
Editing ICE SHOCK, getting deeper into Joshua book 3
Editor and I have almost finished working on the manuscript for ICE SHOCK.
We lost a couple of chapters but gained a new opening – a scene I’ve been wanting to write for ages. Benicio visits Josh in Oxford and takes him for an early morning spin in a Muwan, over the dreaming spires of Oxford and out to Josh’s school…yes you’ll finally find out which school Josh attends.
Meanwhile I’m getting deeper into book 3. When I visit kids in schools and libraries, I’m often asked about working titles so I might as well own up that the working title of book 3 is TIGER KIDNAP. I hope it sounds cool, action packed and intrigiung… But it also means something.
Go ahead…Google it…
Today I wrote one of the most difficult scenes I’ve ever written. It wasn’t an action scene – they aren’t particularly easy but that’s about being focused, visualising the action and expressing it in some non-tedious, non-repetitive, ideally thrilling sort of way. No; I was writing a scene where Josh experiences some new and rather teenage emotions. One emotion piles on top of another, sometimes conflicting with each other. Getting that across without wallowing, whilst showing not telling, staying in character as Josh, I find pretty hard.
In terms of what was happening, it was sort of a childish (and for that read very non-adult) version of the brilliant scene of the newlywed’s devastating row at the end of Ian McEwan’s “On Chesil Beach”. In McEwan’s story, two newlyweds have a row which effectively ends their marriage on the night of their wedding. McEwan’s male protagonist has been – although unintentionally – badly hurt by his wife. In revenge, he lashes out in an orgy of of self-stoked, self-justifying anger. Even as he says the words which he knows will end things, he simultaneously enjoys whilst also horrified by his own actions.
I thought McEwan did an amazing job of conveying how lovers can simultaneously enjoy and suffer the process of hurting and tearing down what was between them. Not a nice fact of life but very true.
On a small scale that’s what Josh does in the scene I wrote today, which also takes place on a beach. Josh is unintentionally emotionally wounded by someone…and so he hurts them in return. He’d rather be angry than sad. So he stokes his own anger.
But what I learned from McEwan is that it’s at this point that you lose sympathy for the male character. Self-pitying, self-justifying rage – not too attractive as it turns out!
So I didn’t let Josh enjoy it. Instead, he is shocked to the point of numbness about making this person cry.
Ah but who…?
That would be telling.
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The MG Harris Blog
Website of MG Harris, author of the children's book series "The Joshua Files".Information for school visits and events.
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June 19, 2008
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Wow, so Josh will be getting into some bigger trouble in the third book i am guessing…
Good luck in eidting the second book and writing those emotional scenes in Book three.
Lukas
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June 21, 2008
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Well in fact this time it isn’t Josh who’s the main one in trouble…I thought it might be interesting for him to be the one left worrying…and to get a chance at being the hero who saves the people he cares about.
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June 21, 2008
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:O What an excellent idea! How fresh and original. (Not being sarcastic btw). Just from that i ca start to see how emotional it can and will become.
Lukas
(P.S. managing to stay away from Big Brother this year?)
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June 22, 2008
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Aha…glad you like the idea. I wanted to do something quite different in book 3. And there’s something else in book 3 that I hope you in particular will enjoy, Lukas.
Yes I’m staying away from Big Brother. I watched part of the first show and was almost sucked in right there and then with the fake girlfriend thing. I’ve been using the evenings to catch up on Doctor Who and Life on Mars, which have been on my SkyPlus machine for a year…
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June 22, 2008
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Right, now i’ve worked out what the my comment error was (I didn’t type a comment) i’ll comment…
:O Not been watching Doctor Who!? Ha ha, you should be ashamed.
I’ve heard Life On Mars is good, never watched it though.
I’m looking forward to Book 3 very much
Ice Shock should also be good, especially because of the glowy green slip case! 
Lukas
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June 28, 2008
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Wish I could help with a thought or two, but I’ve only read the first chapter. Anything I might say would be rather out of place.
But you sound very much in control and settled into the role of the author of this work, so, as I once said, you really don’t need me! You will go very far, I’m sure!
Keep dancing – and writing, too
Es
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June 28, 2008
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Oh, and you’re still on both main stands in the children’s sections of Waterstones and WH Smith in Newcastle.
Rock That!!!!
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June 30, 2008
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Woo, thanks Es, that’s good news!