¦ dialling in from Sky Bunker ¦
08:10 GMT, Friday 5th Sept. A solid wall of rain is pressing against the canopy above my head. A dark, brooding sky. Fantastic. Feeling a little groggy today. Stayed up late last night, after great session with my editor. She’s now into the big reveal… and it was great seeing her getting caught up in the adrenaline and the horror. At one point her mobile phone started to ring, and she physically jumped and shouted with shock, so engrossed in scene was she. I chuckled with delight.
Back home, downstairs, I cracked open a big bottle of Leffe and dropped into a sofa and browsed music video channels. I was rewarded with some real delights… I discovered some bands that are new to me, with the kind of sounds and vibes that I adore:
“Olympic Airwaves” by the Foals http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMuD3DBskpg
“Runaway” by Ladytron http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHMynl9QX7g
“No Handlebars” by Flobots http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuK2A1ZqoWs
It was kind of odd, chilling on the sofa, supping beer, watching these “young” talents and feeling a little bit like an old man. Seeing a new generation emerge. New human beings with all the ideals and aspirations forged by new technology and cultural rhythms. Seriously impressed by the quantity of new sounds entering the music arena these days.
**EDIT: 12:18 GMT, dialling in from Work Station. I went to the Boston Tea Party this morning before work. Lovely moment, sitting down at a small square table of dark wood… aware of the cold air blowing in through the door wedged open, feeling a little chill, but clasping the hot mug between both hands and soaking up the warmth…
I’m making good progress with fleshing out a “blog” concept for Dog Eat Dog: the idea is to create a separate “story within a story”, made up of blog fragments being collected by a person not connected to the novel. This will allow me to explain the background to Yellow Dawn, without having to add in loads of contrived exposition within the main character narratives. However, I’m sensing how BIG a project Dog Eat Dog is becoming, and I know there’s no way in hell I have the energy to hammer it out in a few months like EDGE… so, I’m two minds. (1) Start Dog Eat Dog in October, as planned, but operate with an easy pace… no crazy life consuming drive to finish. Or (2), leave Dog Eat Dog for now; and focus on something less intense: I want to put together an anthology of my short stories; I also want to write up the supplement for Yellow Dawn, “New Tokyo, Orbit and Deep Space”.
Man, sooo much to do, and only one life to do it in. *smiles*
Djr