I’m still in the ‘research between drafts’ phase of writing, and over the last week I’ve been mainly reading, with a bit of watching! I’m reading Taken on Trust by Terry Waite, an articulate and in-depth account of his six years as a hostage. I have a list of other books about hostages, but this one seems to come up to the top of the pile every time. This account of almost three years as a hostage by Michael Scott Moore has also been useful, and probably closer to what I’m writing about than Waite’s experience, although perhaps the human psychology of captivity doesn’t vary with geography. I’d be interested to know if journalist Moore is writing a book of his own experiences.
I watched the film, Beasts of No Nation based on the book by Uzodinma Iweala , the first Netflix original movie which was released in cinemas last Autumn. I’ve been reading about the film, getting mixed views on how well it covers the child soldier experience, but I watched it for information about the West African region. I think I may get the book to see how much more I can learn as so often much is lost when a book becomes a film. I’m interested in any other recommendations for books and films about West Africa, as it’s a while since I’ve been there … I did get out more photos (see above and left) to browse through, though, for more reminders and inspiration.
So, I’ve written a few hundred words of notes based on what I’ve watched and read, and I’ve listed some more of the scenes in the first draft, assessing them for whether they move the story on and how. I have a list of books about hostages which I’ll look for once I’m a bit further through Terry Waite. Work permitting, Thursday and Friday I’m mainly going to be reading! I’m making up for the lack of writing by writing blog posts … last weekend I saw a great exhibition which I’ve reviewed. Still itching to start on the second draft, but I know I’m not there yet.