Your line about having a disease without the "cachet of a terminal illness" perfectly describes my experience with friends who "forget" that I have Parkinson's. Plus, your line gave me a good laugh. Thanks.
Tommy - thank you - always great to know when someone appreciates your sense of humour.
As in so much else in life I have conflicting views on my friends/family awareness of my PD. I like it best when they 'forget' it, treat me as a normal [ha!] human being ]. But when I tired or weird from off time then I want them to then remember I'm not well and leave me alone.
Enjoyed the line about the cachet of a terminal illness as well ... fav line is "And whereas the Tube map does help get one from A to B - this book certainly will not."
Prologue is fabulous. Bit before prologue I'd apply the old Beat line: "kill your darlings" ie
take out anything unnecessary [wait, unless the intention *is* for it to be muddled! hah in which case it's brilliant as it is ... genius, actually, with the tis a muddle reference]
In March this year - pre Substack a friend emailed:
"My comment was that I thought the prologue was v well written and moving...I think with the intro you should keep the first sentence and remove the rest of the 1st para and then add a new sentence before rejoining draft at the 2nd para. The new sentence should be a v clear statement about the main content of the book: .."
To which I replied:
"You are asking me to kill one of my babies and of course I resisted like fury at first but I am coming round to seeing that most of the first para is self indulgent - fun to write but…So the knife is poised.
I'm more resistant to your suggestion about a clear statement. There is no main content in the way you describe its all over the place and I think that is it strength and of course its weakness. "
To which she replied:
"Please ignore me entirely.
However, the reader does need a pointer in the intro that book is not just -- and I hate this word-- a journey re your parkinsons but an actual journey through the furthest reaches of suburban London. A journey that is both relatively straight -- as represented both by the graphised map of the network and in the actual tunnelling -- yet heads off in many different directions."
My position now is:
I really like the ramble at the front - I can\t pretend it was part of any thought out plan but it sets the tone what is to follow...
“and with none of the cachet of a terminal illness.” This line made me laugh. Is that wrong?!
No - it’s not wrong - it’s exactly the reaction I was hoping for - so thank you.
Your line about having a disease without the "cachet of a terminal illness" perfectly describes my experience with friends who "forget" that I have Parkinson's. Plus, your line gave me a good laugh. Thanks.
Tommy - thank you - always great to know when someone appreciates your sense of humour.
As in so much else in life I have conflicting views on my friends/family awareness of my PD. I like it best when they 'forget' it, treat me as a normal [ha!] human being ]. But when I tired or weird from off time then I want them to then remember I'm not well and leave me alone.
Enjoyed the line about the cachet of a terminal illness as well ... fav line is "And whereas the Tube map does help get one from A to B - this book certainly will not."
Prologue is fabulous. Bit before prologue I'd apply the old Beat line: "kill your darlings" ie
take out anything unnecessary [wait, unless the intention *is* for it to be muddled! hah in which case it's brilliant as it is ... genius, actually, with the tis a muddle reference]
Ha!
In March this year - pre Substack a friend emailed:
"My comment was that I thought the prologue was v well written and moving...I think with the intro you should keep the first sentence and remove the rest of the 1st para and then add a new sentence before rejoining draft at the 2nd para. The new sentence should be a v clear statement about the main content of the book: .."
To which I replied:
"You are asking me to kill one of my babies and of course I resisted like fury at first but I am coming round to seeing that most of the first para is self indulgent - fun to write but…So the knife is poised.
I'm more resistant to your suggestion about a clear statement. There is no main content in the way you describe its all over the place and I think that is it strength and of course its weakness. "
To which she replied:
"Please ignore me entirely.
However, the reader does need a pointer in the intro that book is not just -- and I hate this word-- a journey re your parkinsons but an actual journey through the furthest reaches of suburban London. A journey that is both relatively straight -- as represented both by the graphised map of the network and in the actual tunnelling -- yet heads off in many different directions."
My position now is:
I really like the ramble at the front - I can\t pretend it was part of any thought out plan but it sets the tone what is to follow...
I think..