17 May 2004
Rose cottage
Early on, maybe in the first draft of Labyrinth, I had a character who lived in a charming but slovenly cottage. The walls were biscuit coloured and they glowed with warmth from the sun on the outside and from the owner of the cottage within.
As time passed, however, this character became less slovenly ... more precise, even pedantic.
I had to evict her from the charming cottage with roses cascading over the door and place her in more suitable - and more sobre - accommodation.
I wonder if she regrets how she turned out, how I made her turn out.
As the writer, I began to miss the warmer, friendlier first version. So, later, that character was reborn in another location.
The writing of a novel is a very fluid experience. Everything you do moves you further on, but the path - like the path in a Labyrinth, doubles back on itself and sometimes you find yourself nearer to the beginning than the end. But that is only a trick of the imaginary landscape, an optical illusion.
Find a sense of place in the Labyrinth.
