Gone Writing

Viktor – the King’s Man

Andrei – the King

Stacia – Andrei’s queen

Nikolai – Andrei’s heir

? – Andrei’s younger brother

Tatiana, Susanna – Andrei’s daughters

Asian Mist – decaf lemon/ginger tea with gingerbread syrup and foamed milk. OMG! So good!

I intended on a decaf mocha when Ter dropped me in the village, this morning. Viktor is a dark, earthy character (unsure what that means yet—saturnine? Brooding? Serious? All of the above?) and the mocha seemed to fit, but ginger will always trump coffee, even coffee heavily laced with chocolate.

So. CR goes live this week as Ru pursues an exercise prompted by a generic instrumental entitled “Crystal Mist”. I liked the poetry of the words so much that I tried to imagine what a crystal mist looks like, and from there I got pictures, feelings, the sense of a story—one I’d like to write in the style of “Four Legs and a Tale”, i.e., by freestyling in the moment.

The idea struck a few weeks ago. I’ve been writing mentally while waiting, as Agatha Christie recommended, for a chair, a table, a typewriter and some peace. I’m on vacation this week with the house to myself. The planets are aligned to let me begin. All I have to do is stay out of the way … yet already I fear that putting words on the screen will dilute the strength of the vision, that my skill will reduce a potentially vibrant piece to something pale and—dare I say?—boring.

Geez, Ru. Viktor wouldn’t have chosen you if you weren’t up to the task. It’s just the usual artist’s fear of the blank canvas. All I need do is close my eyes and start transcribing. I’ve recently picked up a couple of new “be here now” tricks, so this story is a test of quantum physics as much as a creative endeavour. Not like the salvation of the world hangs in the balance; again, I’m just playin’.

I’ll keep the blog posted with my progress. Right now my job is to quit dawdling. Time to get on my horse and gallop through that crystal mist.