Ahhh, framing devices. They are tricky things; done cynically, it is the worst kind of laziness. You know the ones I mean.
Lucy was falling. The ground was rushing up to meet her. There was no way she was going to survive this fall. She closed her eyes and braced herself –
And sat up in her bed, heart beating fast. It was all a dream…
Bleurgh. Only Alice can get away with this, okay? Okay. (Oh, Gus. I wish that had all been a dream.) But done well, they perfect a story. Think Heart of Darkness, Wuthering Heights, Discworld, Winnie The Pooh and The Book Thief.
This week, I entered the perilous territory of the framing device myself. My WiP is still ticking along nicely, but it felt a little thin. The resolution wasn’t there to the level I would want. I toyed with the idea of a split narrative, and then with a sort of Five years later prologue. But it felt a bit gimmicky, stuck on the end of the narrative like that. So, framing device it is. It’s a bit scary to have to commit so fully. In order to avoid the cynicism, it needs to be woven in so tightly it means unpicking a lot of what I have already written. But I think it is for the best. I only hope I’m right!
And on that note, my RSW 2014 went somewhat astray this week. It was my 5th anniversary with T, and then my parents’ 30th wedding anniversary, so I have mostly been drinking and swimming in the sea off the Pembrokeshire coast. This week, I’ll be back on it in earnest.
Promise.