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This is a continuation of my blogging here at WdC |
| Novel #30 Back to the novels! In 2012-2013, having given up work as a teacher to be a stay-at-home dad, I studied a Diploma of Professional Writing at TAFE (sort of Australia’s version of vocational college). When I finished the course, well… let’s just say it added another piece of paper to my resume. Anywho, the final subject I had was what is called a ‘negotiated project’, where the student gets to pick what they want to do, within some very strict parameters. Minimum word count, had to be a complete piece, things like that. I decided to write a novel. They said I could not do it in the 20-week semester. I said I could. They agreed, thinking I’d fail, and have to redo the subject, and so pay them more money. Three weeks later, it was done. It was a return to the horror-thriller genre I keep on going back to, and it is not the most brilliant piece of work. But 22 days to write it. My lecturer and tutor – who had been keeping tabs by me doing a document share at the end of each day – had never seen anything like it and I got a high distinction at full marks. Corporal Works Without Mercy is a 60,000 word novel that flowed out once it started. Basically, the story involves a group of teenagers who try a Satanic ritual as something to do, it seems to go wrong, and they go home. Seven years later, it comes back to haunt them (quite literally). Using the seven Corporal Works of Mercy of Catholic belief, a demon is killing or destroying the lives of these people. Some nice gore, a couple of decent characters, and a surprisingly upbeat ending, a lot of religious iconography. But it is not a wonderful piece. The feedback was minimal from the TAFE people – I don’t think they had been ready for someone to just produce something like this so quickly. I took their feedback on board, made a few changes and then gave it to my then-beta reader. She hated it. I’d forgotten she was Catholic. So I gave it to someone else, made a few more changes, and thought it might be ready I have submitted it a few times, but with no success. Obviously. One publisher recommended I really up the gore, but to me it does not feel like that would fit the story. And then, out of the blue, it was accepted by Little Demon Books after the success of Patch Of Green, but the company went bust before it could be published … owing me money! Okay, so here’s the excerpt. And it was a little challenging to find a decent bit. Not for the first time… Excerpt: CHAPTER 11 Laura sat on one of the hard plastic seats in the hospital cafeteria, drinking a foam cup of horrid, lukewarm coffee, trying very hard not to think about the reason she was in this place tonight. She looked up as the chair on the opposite of the small table was scraped across the hard floor. Mrs Greene, Joel’s mother, sat down with her own cup, but said nothing. “How is he?” Laura asked quietly. “Not too good,” she said, barely controlling her emotions. “He’s conscious now, but…” She was struggling. “One of his hands is pretty badly burnt, and he’s got broken ribs. They think he might have damage to his lungs as well. He’s got a few stitches in his head, bruises everywhere. He looks…” She started to cry. “No,” Laura said again, “how is he?” She shook her head. “He won’t talk. When he found out that Justine didn’t… didn’t… make it… didn’t… he, well, he…” The tears really flowed down her cheeks now. “He doesn’t want any visitors. Not me, not his dad, no-one. It’s like this has killed him inside.” Laura did not know what to say. Just one more thing to add to everything else. She looked up, past the crying woman sitting in front of her at the glass wall of the cafeteria and the people wandering past. No-one smiled. It was just a conveyor belt of depression. A place of pain and anger and sadness. Her eyes widened. The figure that strode past was one she knew – the long sheet of black hair, lithe figure, black clothing. Eve was here as well? Her chest felt like a hand grasped her heart and squeezed it tight. She had to do something. But what? So, while I am down on it, the fact LDB did like it and wanted it to be a follow-up novel tells me there must be something there beyond me being so down on it. So, this might be another one that needs a new beta reader and then should be sent out into the wide blue yonder of cyberspace to see if it can get another life. You never know. |
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