The Novel – Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – Hanging by a Thread

“She left him there, alone… ” Aargh, that won’t work, too clichéd. How about, “He waited patiently…” No…

Choosing an opening line for a story proves to be the hardest task any author can perform. My name is Tristan, this is my story. Most autobiographies are tales of great splendor and triumph. This is however a story of failure, deceit, loss and insanity.

I was once a child, as most men were, with a normal upbringing and an excess of imaginary friends, fantasies and fables. Creating fiction was a part of who I was. Imaginary friends would accompany me to dances, drive me around and buy me liquor. Okay, that was a joke, I wasn’t insane. Although my friends were mostly figments of my overactive imagination.

Fast forward a few years my life spiralled onto a path of destruction, liquor became the imaginary friend who packed a punch. He consumed me and filled me, destroying me from the inside out. Thousands of broken bottles lead to other painful endeavors and mistakes. I had to give up eventually, I had to stop. However this story is not about my triumph over alcohol or how I stopped hurting those close to me. No, this story is about the sadness, suffering and pain I threw myself into. If only I’d known my past would be back in a way that only God could see coming.

The day she came into my life I had been sober for almost three years, that triumph I can only praise Jesus for. What I did later, I can only thank myself for. She came like a wildflower into an orchid, she was different, a cut above the rest, the cream of the crop, the cherry on the bottom because the last cherry is always the best. Let’s call her Juliet; her name is something I won’t give away.

One year, we were married, three more, our first child on the way. Life snuck up on me, gave her to me along with two children, a place to work and all I could want. I worked as a publisher and loved every moment. Nothing could go wrong in this fantasy life of mine. That was until it did. Along with the novel came heartache and disappointment. My perfect life was hanging by a thread. I was, am, hanging by a thread.

 

Battle of the Books

Recently I started writing two stories. However I tend to have the idea, write two chapters then give up. This time I had an idea to keep me going. And it involves all of you 🙂 don’t worry it’s easy.

So, here’s how it’ll work. Every week I’ll be releasing one chapter from one of the two stories I’m writing. The catch is, that the next chapter of the book could come sooner depending on the amount of likes. So more likes = quicker next chapter. So you decide which of the two books gets finished quicker. Each week the winner will be released first.

Furthermore, if you comment it may or may not change certain sub plots 🙂 I need your help writing these stories. The chapters aren’t more than a page so please check them out. First chapter from each book should be up this week. Hopefully tonight.

The first chapters from each book are available now, see the main blog page.

Jean

…Disclaimer: both stories are relatively dark. The message is clear though. Also they do not in anyway reflect my life or thoughts, they are merely a creative venture.