Notebook pages from 11-3-2010

I continue transcribing pages from the notebook.

At the top of the first page, next to the cartoon, is written "Roanoake/Croatoa". This is a reference to the town whose inhabitants vanished at the dawn of organised European inhabitation of America. It has nothing to do with the Girl and her Mongoose, outside of being slightly off-kilter. More info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roanoke_Island

11-3-2010

As an aside, I am slowly getting the hang of formatting dates in the US way.

Gef, Voirrey, V's Parents, Harry price, the other mystic investigator enamoured of Freud, the court case.

Characters. I realise that I need to get the name of the Freudian Investigator and find out more about him. Poltergiests were popularly linked to adolescent girls, whether they were the cause of the spooky activity or an actual spook attractor. I have to bear in mind that in that time period the lines between nature and supernature were very blurred. Science was being used to interact with the supernatural and the tension of active investigation of belief was still very much present. That there may be a pyschological reason within Voirrey for why a ghost is there, was a valid hypothesis.

Other things that cross my mind in a similar vein: witchy girls and possessed girls. That wonderful, dreadful vein of horror literature centred on girls coming of age (Carrie, Exorcist, I'm looking at you).

"Betrayal", start @ the end and head to end @ the start.

From V. dying to V meeting Gef.

Is the theme 'betrayal' or something else?
(It needs to have more to it than
"gee, isn't Voirrey's life tragic?")
I'm still hung up on that structure.

I'm quite hung up on the play moving backwards through time. Harold Pinter's play Betrayal is the touchstone. That the ending is never in doubt, but each step backwards reveals something more. The sensible thing to do is write it moving forward in time and then jiggle it around. It might be that I like it more.

The theme thing is going to be nebulous. I may think it's going to be about the character's betraying each other is varied and subtle ways, but whether that will be the case after writing the draft, I just cannot say. I really don't want people coming away only saying "gosh, that's sad".

When did the Irvines arrive on IoM?

Another one of those questions that are important to answer now, but may not be relevant in the writing.

James holds the baby V.

James: Welcome to the world Voirrey.

Margaret: She's a serious one.

James: Aye, she'll break some hearts before she's done.

Margaret: Don't be foolish. You'll curse her. She'll fall in love and be faithful forever.

James laughs

James: She is beautiful.

Margaret: I hope she likes it on the island.

James: there's plenty of mischief to be had.

Margaret: Are we doing the right thing, going home?

James: We're farmers, we're simple folk. We don't belong in the larger world.

Margaret: We could stay in the city. We could sell the farm and make a life for ourselves there. You, me and Voirrey.

James: No, Margaret.

Margaret: James, please. This place is too small for the 3 of us.

Margaret: And Voirrey will soon be too big.

James: We'll see, I don't think we'll have want for anything more.

Margaret: James, I'm scared.

James: Nothing will happen to us. Our lives will be fabulously tedious.

James: Nothing bad happens to good folk.

And a scene right at the beginning of the story, but possibly at the end of the play. If you follow. Part of me thinks it is too neat and on the nose, all it needs is some old crone blessing the baby Voirrey in some legalistic loop-holey way to really hammer the point home. That is always an option, of course, this could be a fairy tale.