The Nurses

Okay, so before I post about the final set of characters - the nurses - I just have to give a rather exciting update. Having sent the novel to the Writers' Workshop, I received the feedback and have made a few adjustments following the advice given. During this process, my dad discovered that he knows somebody who works for a big publishing company, and he passed the manuscript on to her last Thursday. Received feedback from her last night that she had read it and it made her cry, so she has passed it on to an editor! NYDN is one step along the way to actually getting out into the world! No guarantee yet, but is definitely a start!

So anyway, onto the last character profiles.

***

“He could see why she had been avoiding her sister; the older woman wouldn’t have been particularly pleased with the girl’s choice of clothing. She had a plain grey hat rammed tightly over her curls and a shabby overcoat that made her almost unrecognisable as the sister of Mrs Peter Gale.”

***

It was not only men who played an important role in the war. Women at home took over work in the fields and the factories, and volunteers travelled to the front itself to work as nurses for the wounded men of both sides. This third viewpoint of the novel follows two sisters and their journey from carefree girls to the blood-soaked saviours of their patients.

Key Characters:

Harriet Redmond: Harriet is the youngest daughter and apprentice nurse of the esteemed Dr Redmond, travelling from London to accompany her newly wed sister to her marital home in the country. Here, she is reacquainted with her childhood friend Ben Stack, who she slowly falls in love with. Feisty and reluctant to do nothing while her friends are risking their lives on the front, she volunteers as a nurse and follows them across the channel. Harriet has always felt inferior to her glamorous sister and finally finds her place caring for the wounded soldiers.

Eliza Redmond: Harriet’s older sister, Eliza is the perfect image of beauty and good society. Having married well above her family’s status, she is used to getting what she wants and has to mature quickly when her sister pulls her into a world where things are suddenly beyond her control. Volunteering with Harriet, she attempts to juggle the responsibilities of nursing her patients while still looking after her little sister. 

Thanks very much for reading, sorry this is a pretty short one - I am far too excited about this editor business!

Oh one more thing, the Writers' Workshop report thought that the title may be a little too hard to understand, suggesting that I shorten it to simply Not Yet Dead instead of Not Yet Dead Nearly. What are peoples' thoughts?

Thanks again for all the support.

Cheers,

Harry

The Tank Crew

 

^the tank memorial at Cambrai^

 

***

"He spat on the ground, quickly running a comb through his hair and ignoring the dirt behind his ears; he would only be ten times dirtier soon enough. He pulled on his shirt and checked his reflection in a shattered shaving mirror, pleased with what he saw. Even his mother couldn’t mistake him for a child today. He was a grown man through and through; taller and broader than half his crewmates and proudly sporting a dash of hair across his jaw and lip."

***

 

As well as the infantrymen mentioned in the previous post, another part of the book is from the point of view of a tank crew. With tanks being a new weapon in WW1, and practically untested, these men have to face the hardships of mechanical failure and deadly fumes, combatted only by their sense of companionship, thirst for glory and expectation of success.

Key Characters:

Kit Allenby (Whipper): Nicknamed 'Whipper' (along with his friend 'Snapper') due to the crew's suspicions of him being underage, Kit feels that he has a lot to prove. He keeps his past a secret, but it is known that he is fuelled by the need to avenge his father who was killed earlier in the war. He is determined to prove himself as a soldier, seeing himself as a marker for other boys his age, but behind the strong façade all he ever really wanted was for his father to be proud of him.

Ollie Powell (Snapper): Kit's friend from home, Ollie enlisted at the same time, both showing their interest in the new 'secret weapon' and both having the luck to be placed in the same unit. Though Ollie is keen to be seen as a man, he is less consumed by it than Kit - his softer temperament and occasional homesickness showing him as more of a boy.

Dafydd Jones (Daffodil): Having never known his own father, Dafydd is sympathetic to Kit's loss, often trying to find out his story. They share a similar obsession with pride and glory, but while Kit's is more serious and determined, Dafydd's manifests itself in the form of joking, swearing and gambling. Though they mask their efforts with frivolities, Dafydd and his friend Colm keep a watch on Kit and Ollie as they grow from boys to men.

So, the Christmas period went well. I have finished my round of detailed editing and have even managed an attempt at a cover letter and synopsis (it's harder than it looks!). I have booked myself a place on the Writer's Workshop 'Get Published' day in March, where hopefully I can put some networking skills to good use. I have also sent my manuscript to them for their opinion and some advice on what improvements are necessary before I can start sending to agents. Wish me luck!

My next post will focus on the last set of main characters; the nurses. (And hopefully tell of my glowing success with the Writer's Workshop feedback...)

Thanks for reading, please continue to show your support.

Harry

The Infantrymen

"The man on watch straightened up, eyes searching for the source of the gunshot, his person as grey as the scene he surveyed. Dirt stained his face and hands which scrubbing could not remove and the hair beneath his soldier’s cap was thick with it. A raised line ran halfway across his face; a souvenir gained during his first shift at the front. He had since seen shrapnel do much worse. The disfiguration to his face was the least of his worries. French mud was thick and deep and stuck his boots to his feet, and the lice that found their way into the men’s clothing ensured they never rested."

***

So I would like to introduce you to the key characters of NYDN. The book is split into three viewpoints - an infantry platoon, a tank crew and two nurses. This post will focus on the infantrymen.

The plot revolves around Ben Stack, a private of the Royal West Kent regiment, and his friends as they struggle to come to terms with the realities of war. We follow the men as they react to the horrors around them; each with their own way of coping and all supported by the friendship and bravery of others in the platoon.

Key characters:

Ben Stack: After growing up on a tenant farm with two highly competitive older brothers, Stack learned from an early age that there is no use in trying to be the best when so many are already battling for this spot. He is content to go through life making the best of what he has and not wishing for more. Not convinced that he is capable of following his own path, or earning the affections of his childhood friend, Stack is thrown out of his comfort zone when he finds that, in the world of shells and mud, there are people who rely on him for their lives.

Dan Captain: A handsome and eccentric man, Captain becomes Stack's best friend in the platoon, helping him to stay positive in the face of so much death and insisting that Stack is meant to be more than just a private. Charming to the limits (and often beyond them), he was a scoundrel before the war - fond of women, drink and breaking the rules - and he carries this persona with him to the trenches, much to the irritation of the company commander. With his jokes and energy, he is an important source of morale to the platoon, leading them in marching songs and giving them a new perspective on their situation. He is particularly important to Stack, being the first person who not only believes he can be more than he is, but also actively encourages it.

Albie Rigby: A friend of Stack and Captain's, Rigby represents the 'ordinary man'. Though his real love is art and inventing, he worked behind a bar before the war in order to earn enough to woo his girl. He also joined the army to impress her though, judging by her picture, Captain doesn't think she's worth it. In matters not concerning his girl, Rigby is very realistic - he knows he may die any day and makes no attempt to deceive himself. This can make him appear less brave than his friends, as he sees the true peril of their situation.

James Sandford: A well-commended prefect at school, Sandford's plan was always to graduate university, however the war intervened and he received his first commission of second lieutenant while still just a boy. Due to his age and his sheltered higher-class upbringing, he believes that everybody should be proud to fight for their country and cowards should not be tolerated - but this is before he experiences the first day of the Somme offensive. Despite the vast class divide between him and his men, he feels a great affection for them and does his best to ensure he is not treated as superior beyond the requirement of his duties.

William Wayson: Wayson was a glory-hungry boy of 16 when he enlisted, believing - as many did - that despite his age he was ready for whatever the Hun could throw at him. A friend of Stack's missing nephew, Rob, the older man takes Wayson under his wing, teaching him how best to survive and going out of his way to ensure the boy's safety. In this sense, Wayson is awarded a privilege that Sandford is not; though both young when they joined the army, Sandford must grow up fast with the responsibility of a whole platoon on his shoulders. While Wayson must also harden himself to play his part in the team and face a world of corpses and vermin, he has the small comfort of somebody to rely on, rather than having four dozen men relying on him. Like Sandford, Wayson enters the trenches naive of the reality of war and intent on doing the right thing - which is synonymous with the brave thing.

A quick note on the book's progress - I am up to Chapter 9 (of 18) in detailed editing, so about halfway through, though there are specific areas I want to go back and have a final look at before I'm done. With Christmas coming up and time off work, I am hoping to increase my pace this month and be ready to start looking at cover letters and synopses for submission in February. Fingers crossed!

I will post more about the tank crew key characters soon, please keep reading!

Cheers,

Harry 

Remembrance Day

"To the armies of the British Empire who stood here from 1914 to 1918 and to those of their dead who have no known grave."


This is the inscription on the Menin Gate memorial (pictured). This impressive structure was built in place of the old gate in Ypres, Belgium, which was destroyed in the war. On its walls are inscribed the names of 54,900 soldiers of the British Empire who died in the Ypres salient during the first world war, and whose bodies were never identified.

Every day at 8pm there is a short memorial ceremony beneath the Menin Gate, as well as a full-length ceremony at 11am every November 11th, marking the Armistice Day. I have attended a few 8pm 'Last Post' ceremonies, and went to my first Armistice Day ceremony a few days ago during a trip to France and Belgium for further research and to get a real feel of the actual places where my characters (and thousands of real men) fought. I strongly recommend attending to anybody who wants to get a feel of the true scale of the war. Looking at the walls covered in names, and knowing that these are only the ones in this part of the front, and only those who were not found, is truly mind-numbing.

 

 

 



I also travelled to the memorial to the 18th Division, situated against the backdrop of Trones Wood, in the Somme area; where my characters' battalion fought impressively against all odds to capture the wood. Walking through the wood behind the memorial, there are plenty of craters in the ground. These are covered now by leaves and foliage, but it makes you wonder; are these the remnants of shellfire?

The characters in my book are part of the 7th (Service) Battalion, of the Royal West Kent Regiment, formed in Maidstone to answer the call for more men in the early stages of the war. Although I do use artistic licence for smaller patrols and raids, I chose to place my men in a battalion that really existed so that I could trace their movements and ensure that the places they travel to and the battles they fight in are a realistic accomplishment for one battalion. After choosing the West Kents due to their proximity to my own home, I found an article from the time detailing their gallant efforts at Trones Wood - something I was very impressed with and thought must be included in my book!

During my trip, I have also begun a rigorous process of editing at a very detailed level, shortening paragraphs that frankly went on forever about something barely important. Although it is proving to take a long time, I have managed to shorten 4,600 words to 3,000 words in my first chapter, without losing any part of the plot, so there is hope!

Will keep you updated. Thanks very much for reading; I already have more page views on here than I expected, keep up the good work!

Cheers,

Harry

Not Yet Dead, Nearly

"Shellshock. It's not allowed to exist anymore."

"That's bollocks," Captain scowled. "You can't just forbid an illness to exist."

"I know that," Rigby shrugged, stretching out his legs and arms irritatingly. "But that's what the high-ups are doing. There's a shortage of men isn't there? We're losing enough to shells and frostbite, can't afford to lose even more to 'malingering'; at least that's the way they see it. They're sending as many back here as they can, and soon they're saying it'll be completely illegal to diagnose it at all.

Nope, no more shellshock. It's got a different name now, and one that doesn't come with any honours or Blighty leave - NYDN; Not Yet Diagnosed, Nervous. You want to know what the lads in fourth are calling it?

Not Yet Dead, Nearly."

***

In early 1917, it was decided that the diagnosis of shellshock was no longer appropriate for a force in desperate need of all the men they could get. The First World War had been raging for over 2 and a half years already and still no significant move had been made by either side, despite the severe casualties felt by both. The solution: find a way to return more men to the front. The doctors called it Not Yet Diagnosed, Nervous. The men; Not Yet Dead, Nearly.

For me, the sentiment of this phrase sums up the entirety of this war of stalemate; thousands of men just waiting to die, and mocking the fact as best they could for their own sanity. Therefore, I have chosen the phrase for the title of my book.

As many of you will know, it will soon be the centenary of Britain's involvement in the First World War; from 4 August 2014 until 11 November 2018. As such, it feels like a good time to offer my own personal tribute to the brave men who fought and died for our future almost a hundred years ago. I have always been fascinated by the courage and suffering of these recruits and their families, and last year finally sat down to write the story of my own group of recruits, caught up in the trials of war. It explores their friendships and states of mind, and ultimately how the different characters find different ways of coping with life in the trenches.

The purpose of the book is a sentimental one; firstly, my own small offering to the memories of men like those in the novel, to show that they are not forgotten, and secondly to raise money for the charities who help soldiers and their families even now. I am especially keen for my book to be published and successful as any money I receive from its sales I plan to split evenly between The Poppy Appeal and Help For Heroes.

My progress so far? A few weeks ago I triumphantly shut my laptop having completed the first draft of the novel in just over a year; 114,000 words of barbed wire, shellfire and comradeship. Problem: I have heard that publishers will accept strictly no more than 100,000 words for a first novel, no exceptions. I had always known that editing would be a large part of the writing process, but I now realise just how far I have to go.

So, I have a good many months of deleting and rewriting and growling at my laptop when the word count still doesn't match, as well as continuing to visit historical sites and museums to triple-check my facts and figures. Not to mention the dreaded advertising and PR. And that's where this blog comes in. I will be posting here regular updates on my progress, more information about the book, the characters and the war itself, as well as pictures (like the beautiful character drawings done by my sister that form the background of this blog) - all in the hope that by the time I bare my soul to publishers I will have collected a handful of followers ready to rush into Waterstones and make my work worthwhile.

Thank you for your interest. If you have any things you would like to know (about the war, the book, or anything really) then please just give me a shout; any communication is better than none!

Cheers,

Harry