Mar 16, 2014

Creativity - getting James past a block part 2

Agh!
I realise I'm about 2/3 through this story and I now have to start pulling the threads together. I've littered loads of clues all over the story so far, some of which will be redundant and probably have to be removed in the final version, but although I know how it should end, I still haven't worked out how to get there.
I had a long train journey the other day, so I decided to try the 'Free writing' creativity technique again to see if that would help me come up with some ideas. These were the results, very messy, and not at all final, but at least the method gives me something to work with:


To do
- Need to check timeline.
What do the documents from Ivana contain?
- diary entry for Kaiec with initials JF in Vienna
- shipping documents for medical supplies to Zagreb – charity goods? Food? But the prices are ridiculously high.
- draft of letter of intention / agenda for discussion /
- hotel reservation confirmation
-  notes about the meeting prices, quantities etc…
What does the cd from Bernard contain?
- picture of Jeremy and Kaiec together
- nothing really significant. But Kaiec panics and think there must be something more significant
CD from Bernard
What does the disc from Bernard contain?
- Pic of Jeremy + Timothy with Kaiec
- something that compromises the British govt, but not obvious
Next steps
- Celia contacts Jeremy and Tomi  to tell them that information has arrived. Doesn’t specify what. Asks if he will help her destroy Kaiec. Promises to do so.
- Tomi wants to blackmail Celia. Working now for Colonal.- contacts Tomi, with same message. Tomi appears in Munich. Tries to blackmail Celia. Working for Colonel.
- Franz has to do something brave/ important, but non-violent. Franz takes some holiday, goes off to Croatia and comes back with Ned. This could then bring things to a head??

Confrontation Tomi / Celia
- Franz hurls himself between Celia and Tomi, rolls around on the floor, gun goes off, Tomi dead or Tomi trips over Amadeus and shoots himself. Or can something else happen to Tomi? What?
- Timothy deals with Tomi’s body
Oktoberdest
- Kaiec cames ostensibly to visit Lenz. Taken to Oktoberfest by Lenz. Arranges to meet Celia there.
- Celia runs away across the dodgems being chased by Kaiec, runs between the cars of the teacup and saucer thingy, Kaiec is hit by one and smashed to bits
- Fisk is caught by the police and exposed, career is ruined,
Ned appears
Celia: What the hell have you been doing all this time?
Ned: Now, that’s quite a story.
***
Jeremy: Fucking German!

Franz: Austrian. Fucking Austrian.

New audio file available now!

'Chapter 24 - Fired' can now be downloaded from here.

Mar 3, 2014

Chapter change! Chapter 16, Bernard Creasey resurrected!

After the deaths of Boran Vukovic, Ivana Kaiec and the anonymous henchman who burgled Ivana's house in Barlovcar I had the feeling that the body-count in this novel was rising too quickly. I mean, I'm not Swedish, do I really need to kill off everybody?

My thinking was heavily influenced by the English playwright, David Hare. In an interview he gave to The Guardian recently he points out that the security services don't actually need to kill people very often. It's much easier simply to destroy their enemies reputation so nobody wants to have anything to do with them any more. You can read the complete interview with David Hare here:

So, I've brought Bernard Creasey back to life, though his new fate isn't really very much fun. In the original ending of 'Chapter 16 - Finding an ally' Bernard was run over by a white van. This is the new version:

As Celia’s plane took off from Heathrow airport later that evening, Bernard was getting ready to go home. It had been a strange day, Ned’s sister turning up like that. He hoped he’d done the right thing sending her off to Jeremy Fisk. They’d never worked together but Jeremy had a good reputation and he certainly had the contacts that Celia was going to need if her story was true.
He heard the doorbell ring and then the sound of voices outside in reception. Maureen seemed to be arguing with someone. Probably Davina, she was trouble that one, but good at her job, you couldn’t argue about that. He was just getting up to go and see what the trouble was when the door flew open and two policemen walked in.
‘Oi!’ said Bernard, outraged. ‘What the fuck’s going on?’
‘Bernard Creasey? My name’s Detective Sergeant King.You’re under arrest. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention now something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.’
‘Arrest? What for?’
‘Collection, creation and distribution of obscene images involving the sexual abuse of minors,’ the officer paused and grinned at Bernard’s confusion. ‘Kiddie porn, you stupid cunt,’ he added, then leant forward and put his mouth up close to Bernard’s ear. ‘... and I’ll be really, really surprised if we don’t find examples on your computer systems after our experts have checked through them all!’