Post Script

Or should that be Post (nano) Script?

I am deeply dissatisfied with that ending. I am sure I could do immense improvements on a rewrite…. It seems endings are trickier than I imagined!

The plot for this novel changed during the writing, below is the original plot outline (interesting for comparison):-

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Continue – meeting Fred, beige box comparison, set scene, Mother (Margaret)?, computer use, dress sense, end with first Blog post

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Meeting Lydia DypChyk – use of IM, description, in Lithuania, surfing habits, yearning to escape and be kept by wealthy suave Westerner (delusional). Second blog post, Anton begins to develop (title of imaginary “novel” – something bad!).

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Fred goes out – the Anton persona gets a little out of hand, delusions, visit to internet café, WebCam and Thai flower(?), another post (bad poem? Pretence at novel writing).

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Lydia comes across Fred. He plays to her delusions, and she to his. Both are taken in. Describe both fantasies. End with exchange of email addresses, his geeky, hers Hotmail. (their first emails? Hers in broken Lithuenglish, his in flowery prose (purple). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~­~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fred makes plans. Anton persona flowering to full awfulness. Mother notices (?). Does Fred have a friend? (Steve Swift?). Fred blogs indecision. His blog starts to gather audience of sorts (minor characters, can just have screen names). ? do we have Lydia/Olga commenting under pseudonyms?).

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Lydia goes romantic/acqu­isitive! She definitely has a friend; Olga Dagrova and they discuss exit strategies from Lithuania. Money is tight, Fred must pay! Lydia emails Olga. Fred posts grandiose and romance.

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Fred meets his “bride price”, well, at least for meeting. At this point both must be deluded that the other fulfils their dreams. Olga (and Steve/Margaret) know better. Only Olga is fully informed. Ends with Fred selling something to stump up, Anton would have no problems, he must live up to his alter ego!

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The meeting. Illusions shattered. Yet something emerging, each appreciating the other for what they are, emerging self-acceptance. Olga flies out to the “rescue”. Margaret/Steve takes Fred under their wing (he is destitute after attempting to maintain Anton image – he hired car? Rented suite? Bought vintage champagne? Come up with more/funnier ideas, perhaps involving Steve/work/new character? Blog post confession considered, broached? We need a blog fan base of sorts, here comments on blog post come into their own.

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Consolidation. Each comes to term with what has happened. Lydia swears off computers (account deleted, Fred panics, revealing his feelings for Lydia to himself). Fred driven to confess all on his blog because of this. Commentators spectrum of attitudes – harsh cynicism (tech head, laughing) through caring optimism and encouragement (holistic hippy dippy healer). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~­~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lydia returns to Lithuania. Tearful, no longer seeking Western suave saviour (delusions gone). Loving her homeland – the lack of technology, the simple honesty folk, the lack of money as a driver, her family(?). She resolves to make a fresh start.

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Fred resolves to trace Lydia. Piecing things together (sow clues backwards?). Hotmail? Olga plays a key role. Bloggers unite and make it a meme cause to find Fred’s lady love! End on determined blog post showing he has passport application in and working (something funny?) to get the air fare.  ?donate button on his blog?  ?Ebay weirdness/flu­ke value?

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Fred in Lithuania. He finds Olga. Olga sets up Lydia and “brings her around” to forgive Fred. They meet, love at second sight? Careful here, do not want saccharin sweet. So do we have sex scene? Are they both virgins who do not admit it? Lydia’s age. Either younger or older than Fred’s 32…. Think hard! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~­~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I need an ending!!!

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I should also note that around chapter twenty to twenty two there was a computer failure (read VISTA auto update at three AM!) which means you may observe a drop in the style at that point (I tried to rewrite from memory and included only key plot devices).

In the legitimate spirit of NaNoWriMo I have contrived an ending forced by the fact it is November 30th and I wanted to qualify on greater than fifty thousand words. A few key points I should like to have done when the ending came, which may drastically change any rewriting from this first draft are:-

Olga and Steve get written out early and do not form a relationship.

I wanted to make more of the coming to the UK and especially Margaret and Fred’s relationship with his mother.

There’s more scope for the cross cultural issues and possibly for humour and/or social observations.

There was to be a more tender/detailed love scene between Fred and Lydia, but this had to be glossed over (and I am scared of writing a sex scene, esp. with the “Bad Sex” awards co-inciding with the close of NaNo!).

Generally speaking there may well be various and sundry typos which I did not catch, hopefully none that interfere with the readability of the text as a first draft. Dialog may be rendered incorrectly and clumsily since I did not have time to research or consider this.