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MEDUSA: A Tale of Vengeance
Jan. 9th, 2013 05:09 pmProgress report on ‘Medusa’. In regard to my most recent post, some progress has been made. I found some of the words, in Eleni’s voice, that express her frustration and rage at Serbia’s recalcitrance. I haven’t, I think, fully expressed that, just got as much as she will show in front of others. I think I understand better some incidents later in the story, where in the midst of battle she far surpasses even her own previous levels of berzerker rage. When I reach the point of revising those scenes, I should have this thought in mind. She is after me to make those scenes more grim and bloody; now I see a better reason to do so.
Eleni’s reason is: “War is not fun, it’s not glorious; a lot of it is boring beyond belief. But when it’s not boring, then it stinks and it’s sounds and sights are horrific. People try to kill you, and you have to kill them first, and you puke and weep and you do it all anyway. If you command troops, then you tell them to do those things, and all the blood they spill is on you, and theirs is too, if they die, and some of them will. If you are going to write about this stuff (and we’re not giving you any real choice about that, are we? TS.) then you have to write about people shitting and pissing themselves, and the blood and spilled guts, and people’s crops burned and their houses burned down and their children and little brothers chopped up by pitiless invaders and...and rape and pillage and poverty and horror. Because if you gloss over that, then you are telling a lie. You can’t tell lies about MY LIFE. I won’t let you.”
( So there’s a hint of how psychotic my inner voices get, sometimes.)
Still, I agree with her on that. But now I see that her insistence on the gory horrors being described in detail can also serve as a tool, one that I can use to dig into her ‘multiple personalities’. (I know that’s not the proper way to look at her, but it’s decent shorthand.)
I also wrote a more or less full description of Pyrgo Seloseno (Selos’ Tower). At 580 words, mostly descriptive with a little exposition, it may be too much for one lump. Nevertheless, it’s written, and if I have to break it up and slip parts of it into other chapters, well...that’s what cut and paste commands are for, right? After all, Theodori and Thenisi are going to visit his study for the first time, at some point. He will lead them upstairs to the bedchamber sooner or later, right? And then to the roof? Maybe some of what I wrote today will go into those chapters. Ma-a-ybe.
Eleni’s reason is: “War is not fun, it’s not glorious; a lot of it is boring beyond belief. But when it’s not boring, then it stinks and it’s sounds and sights are horrific. People try to kill you, and you have to kill them first, and you puke and weep and you do it all anyway. If you command troops, then you tell them to do those things, and all the blood they spill is on you, and theirs is too, if they die, and some of them will. If you are going to write about this stuff (and we’re not giving you any real choice about that, are we? TS.) then you have to write about people shitting and pissing themselves, and the blood and spilled guts, and people’s crops burned and their houses burned down and their children and little brothers chopped up by pitiless invaders and...and rape and pillage and poverty and horror. Because if you gloss over that, then you are telling a lie. You can’t tell lies about MY LIFE. I won’t let you.”
( So there’s a hint of how psychotic my inner voices get, sometimes.)
Still, I agree with her on that. But now I see that her insistence on the gory horrors being described in detail can also serve as a tool, one that I can use to dig into her ‘multiple personalities’. (I know that’s not the proper way to look at her, but it’s decent shorthand.)
I also wrote a more or less full description of Pyrgo Seloseno (Selos’ Tower). At 580 words, mostly descriptive with a little exposition, it may be too much for one lump. Nevertheless, it’s written, and if I have to break it up and slip parts of it into other chapters, well...that’s what cut and paste commands are for, right? After all, Theodori and Thenisi are going to visit his study for the first time, at some point. He will lead them upstairs to the bedchamber sooner or later, right? And then to the roof? Maybe some of what I wrote today will go into those chapters. Ma-a-ybe.
