There was a fabulous adventure author back in the 1960's and 1970's by the name of Desmond Bagley. Desmond's problem was that he rose to success at the same time as Alistair Maclean... so he ended up being a little overshadowed.
But his novels were wonderful.
Bagley's characters weren't the macho superheroes that seem to populate adventure novels these days. Bagley's characters were the reluctant hero.. the unassuming guy who finds himself in a crisis. In a lot of ways, Todd Kent is drawn from a Bagley-like character.
If you ever venture into a 2nd hand bookstore, I highly recommend the novels by Desmond Bagley. In particular, 'The Vivero Letter' and the 'Golden Keel'
New pages have just been added to Chapter 1. Click on the 'Chapter 1' tab (above) and scroll down to the bold first line. That's where we pick up today's action.
Showing posts with label Desmond Bagley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Desmond Bagley. Show all posts
Friday, November 26, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Why Write In First Person?
This novel is written in first person. That might seem strange.
I think it made the story harder to plot (because I have to tell the story from one person's perspective, rather than as an overview), but I think it also helps the story in other ways.
One thing I wanted to show through this novel was the way Todd Kent would react to the extraordinary circumstances he finds himself in. I want him to be 'out of his depth'. Telling the tale from his perspective helps me make his plight more personal.
It's also reminiscent of the way Desmond Bagley and even Alistair Maclean wrote; that first person tale. In Maclean's case, the hero was often heroic... in Bagley's case that was less often the case.
Anyhow, Todd Kent is soon going to find himself out of his depth and in an adventure he is not prepared for!
I've posted new pages for Chapter One as the story begins to unfold. To find the latest pages click on the 'Chapter 1' tab and scroll down to the bold first sentence. That's where we pick up the action again.
I think it made the story harder to plot (because I have to tell the story from one person's perspective, rather than as an overview), but I think it also helps the story in other ways.
One thing I wanted to show through this novel was the way Todd Kent would react to the extraordinary circumstances he finds himself in. I want him to be 'out of his depth'. Telling the tale from his perspective helps me make his plight more personal.
It's also reminiscent of the way Desmond Bagley and even Alistair Maclean wrote; that first person tale. In Maclean's case, the hero was often heroic... in Bagley's case that was less often the case.
Anyhow, Todd Kent is soon going to find himself out of his depth and in an adventure he is not prepared for!
I've posted new pages for Chapter One as the story begins to unfold. To find the latest pages click on the 'Chapter 1' tab and scroll down to the bold first sentence. That's where we pick up the action again.
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