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Continued from page 3
chiller, and wrote a bit of 'T'Tenneb'.
At Lunch, I wrote some more of 'T'Tenneb'. I have just written the very first image I had of the book. Elenopa running, and her skirt changing into a pair of trousers.
As I have said, this image was later taken out when I settled on the range of magic powers.
6th August 1991
Lunchtime, I wrote some more of 'T'Tenneb'. We have now met J.J. That's about half the characters.
7th August 1991
At lunch, I was really getting into 'T'Tenneb' when the guys from Electricars turned up......
A bit more writing to finish chapter 2.
By this time, Rachel and Alex have experienced the power of the Amulet.
9th August 1991
The ordering business yesterday happened at lunchtime, so I didn't have much time for writing. I grabbed a half hour at the end of the day. I'm enjoying writing this book.
At lunchtime, I wrote quite a bit of 'T'Tenneb'. The lunch hour actually extended because I got so involved, and I had nothing else to do. I might rewrite a bit of Tremag's story. It's a bit muddled at the moment.
12th August 1991
Brian D didn't have any work for me, so I spent the morning writing. I've now finished chapter 3. I could have started chapter 4, but I was running out of paper, so I stopped. I know what I'm going to write next though.
13th August 1991
I started chapter 4 at lunchtime. We have now met Decabo. Anyone reading this who knows me is going to have fun.
It was around this time that I wrote the last of my poem songs. It is about the moon and I got the inspiration from looking at the moon itself. During my time at the BBC, I would go home at the weekends and on Sunday evening, return to my lodgings. Quite often, I would drive on a clear night with the moon shining brightly, and as driving is quite relaxing, I let my mind drift. Soon I had the two lines that create the chorus of the poem, 'Ever shifting, ever changing, The lantern of the sky.' I took a break from the regular writing to pen the poem, and finished it on the 29th of August. I then added it into chapter 3.
I continued writing in my lunch hours and on the 2nd of September, started putting it onto computer, as I figured that it would save time later. On the 4th of September, I started drawing a map, but as I am no artist, it wasn't very good. I've never got any better. 14th September, I was on chapter 5, which was at first in chapter 4, until I decided that it was too long and that it had to be split. I finished chapter 6 before university started again and strangely, I do not have the final page written down with the rest of the book. It stops not long before the finding of the riddle. I can only assume that I caught up with myself in putting it onto the computer and just decided to continue. I do not often write directly on the computer, preferring to work with paper and pen. I can write anywhere that way and transferring it to the screen provides me with a chance for a first re-write. A substantial amount of chapter 4 was added this way. Sometimes I do change my habits and I have written two short stories directly with the keyboard. The disadvantage with this method is that there is no record of the different drafts, or discarded ideas unless loads of printouts are kept.
1991-92
My third year of university was busy because I was president of the film society, among other things. The six chapters that I had written in the summer were put on computer and given to Rachel and Alex at Christmas. All I managed before Easter was another chapter. Once I had got out of the habit of writing, it was hard to begin again. I would think about the story, and I told myself to set aside Saturday afternoons to it, but something always came up. There was a long pause whilst Elenopa, Rachel and Alex watched the sunrise.
Over the summer, I did not have a placement, so no lunchtimes to fill. I got into the habit of carrying The Ballad of the Soldier and the Slave around with me, and writing bits when I got a chance. Slowly, a verse at a time, it grew and grew. When I finished, it had to be a chapter in itself. I put it onto computer ready for when I reached that part of the book. I didn't know how many chapters away it would be.
1992-93
After a massive effort with the first third of the book, the middle came in fits and starts. I was in the fourth year of Uni.
(Continued on page 5)
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