NOVEL NOVEL FORM
Was thinking about how a book would look if all the characters were Paladoreans, as described by Arthur C. Clarke in "Rescue Party" in his book Nine Billion Names of God. Each knew all the thoughts of the others, so there could be no deception, no hiding, no circumlocutions---indeed, no need for locution at all. And then the idea hit me: the four-column novel:
"I told you I loved My elbows are "Would you pass me My God, I'm so
you with passion." chafed so much the can of beer, thirsty, I'll
"Here you are." from moving like a dear?" die if I don't
He lay on like this. "Thank you, doll." quench it.
his back, staring My feet are "Are you cold?" I wish he'd
at the ceiling. cold, too. She scratched her leave, I want
"No, I'm not cold!" She doesn't ass and pulled to watch the
He shivered care at all. more blankets Late, Late Show.
violently. over herself.
And each duologue could be on facing pages, and it would reveal the plot if one read only the left sections, and just the thoughts and settings if one read the right sections. You could interplay many different lines of ideas, too: two dialogues in different parts of the room, two scenes separated by great distances, or even the SAME catastrophic event as seen through the thoughts of four different people. Then, too, in events of great passion, such as love-making, the two strains for each person could meld into one, overpowering, set of thoughts; and in some intricate cases, the pages could be divided into three columns to have six sets of thought going at the same time: or maybe ONE giving philosophical ideation, another giving only the setting, another giving only characterization, and a third or fourth giving the CONSCIOUS action and the UNCONSCIOUS action. It would seem to be ENDLESSLY variable, and I could see that, once started, many writers might be attracted to it and do many different things with it, so it would essentially be a NEW WRITING FORM. And at this instant it dawns on me that I should write up something GOOD like that and sent it, already neatly typed and spaced, to Elaine for my final River-piece before Asia.