Cold War: The structure
January 28, 2010 09:27 AM
As I’m setting off along the long road to book number 2 (Cold Wars) I thought I’d share some background to the book as it develops, starting with one of the most imporant factors in writing an exstended story; structure.
When I look back at writing Psychovertical I think it’s amazing that it ever came off. I had about nine months to write the book, and for the first half I just wasted time pretending to be a writer, but without doing any meaningful writing. My time was also shortened further by trips to Yosemite and Patagonia, along with side projects that came up and I couldn’t turn down, plus I split up with my wife. Basically I underestimated what a big job writing a book was. Sure it was easy to write 100,000 words, but crafting those words into an engaging a coherent story was not.
The biggest factor in my favor was I had a structure to build my story on; every other chapter would be one day on the Reticent, with intervening chapters cataloging all my climbs and experiences leading up to that day. And so all I had to do was write the Reticent chapters first, then add the chapters in-between. Without this structure the whole book would have probably have been a disaster.
A few people have told me they’ve read Psychovertical more than once, reading it normally first, then going back and reading it in standard timeline, reading the non Reticent chapters first, then the Reticent ones in order. It only occurred to me afterwards that in the final trauma of finishing the book I never sat down and actually read it from start to finish, depending instead on knowing that each brick in my wall was solid, and that together they’d make a wall that would stand up.
It irked me then that some people (Ken Wilson and the BT judges) put down the structure to my editor, thinking that such a complex idea was obviously beyond me. But if you look at it on paper it’s really pretty simple, and is probably based partly on how I structure my talks, with multiple stories being tied around one single story, with all leading to the same conclusion.
And so I find myself embarking on book number 2, entitled ‘Cold Wars’, and my main focus is on the structure.
Second books - like second albums - are notoriously difficult. The writer gives us everything in the first book, and finds there are only scraps left for the second, and after that - unless they have a very exciting life - then it’s a case of diminishing returns. This was in the forefront of my mind when I started writing Psychovertical (it’s good to play a long game in these things), and so I envisioned my story stretching over 3 books rather than one, with each focusing on a different component of being a climber, namely what motivates someone (psychovertical), the effect this has on those around them (Cold Wars), and the fallout (A map of scars).
And so now my conundrum is what structure should I use for Cold Wars? I don’t want to use the same construct as Psychovertical, but I also don’t want to just write to a standard linear timeline.
My original idea was to insert emails or letters from my brother through the book, as he goes to war in Iraq and Afghanistan, counterpointing my experiences with his. Both of us are in harms way. Both of us were married and had two kids. Both of us had to deal with people dying doing what they did.
A few problems came up early on, the major one being some of the stories he had couldn’t be published, which pulled the rug from under the idea.
My second tack came about watching super hero films with my kids, and someone telling me (maybe it was Will Gadd) that he felt like batman when he went down to his basement and pulled out all his climbing gear. What if the story switched backwards and forwards between the mundane ordering life of someone, and the extraordinary? There is a big dose of voyeurism in climbing books, as we want to know what makes someone tick and what they do, or did day to day, plus many people said they’d liked the non climbing chapters just as much as the climbing ones. It’s an idea that really excites me.
BTW I’ll be talking about cold climbs, and how you put them to words at the Pitlochry writing festival on the 7th of Febuary.
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Comments
Andy, Regarding your 3 book arch with the second being about the effects of your climbing on people around you: You might like David Robert’s book “On the Ridge Between Life and Death.” Best, Kim
Hi Andy,
Have you thought about doing a Resevoir Dogs kind of structure - whereby we see the before and after but the actual event (the bodged robbery) is only reffered to and unfolds through dialogue afterwards? Maybe a bit complex for a book, and easier on screen but always thought it was effective! Cheers, Alan
Andy,
Your idea of switching back and forth between the mundane and “extraordinary” is a great one. I’ve found (though I don’t climb hard) that I’m two different people in those differing moments? Make sense. I haven’t read your first book, I wish I could find it in the states, but I hope to soon. Good luck.
Hey Andy,
Love the setup on the first book. If the second is about “the effect [climbing] has on those around them”, then you could line those varying stories up around an imaginary drain. Through the book you could make your way around, chipping at the different relationships as they all make their way to the inevitable drain. Not that the “drain” is negative, but I would assume that the stories will link up to a similar out come (the “drain”).
Look forward to whatever you come up with, Mark
Thanks for all the feedback. getting it right is going to be crucial, as getting it wrong would just confused people. I think a good writer should conform to the dictum “don’t make me think” when it comes to the actual writing, saving the thinking for the story instead. Get it wrong and you don’t have time to focus on the story.
unfortunately i am of no worth when it comes to writing. however, psycho vertical is one of the best damn books i’ve read. great work, andy. i’ve spoken with a lot of people about it; all in agreement. really looking forward to cold wars.
I know your stand up/ lecturing is separate from your writing but the one comment I’d say about Psychovertical is- I was hoping for more humour. You’re a gifted comic so don’t be scared to get the laughs in there too!