When I last reported on progress, in May, the book in its developing form, stood as follows: 270 pages, a word count of 116,291, and 40 chapters.
As I pen this update after my writing has been much interrupted by various issues, personal or imposed, I’ve finally begun the selection and insertion of those contemporaneous incidents, trends, new words, societal changes and challenges, and attitudes that impact the narrative. Not an easy task if these events are to look and read naturally as part of a story already told. What I’m attempting is a picture, an authentic representation of the times featured in the novel.
Language changes with time, the meaning of some words can become the opposite to what they once were. Attitudes change as new information comes to light. Societal norms alter as more people are educated on aspects of life once deemed too personal or intimate to discuss. Fashion, that fickle and wasteful characteristic of everyday life that exerts far more pressure than it should, makes acceptable what was once seen as scandalous, and what was once seen as normal no longer acceptable. Beliefs, particularly those that are religious in nature, change as more people ask searching questions not permitted in earlier times and critical thinking begins to filter through to those effectively denied that experience by their inability to attend university or to read extensively.
All these factors provide not only background to the story but imbue it with authenticity, mood, atmosphere, and a focus on those many things that have changed. So, for me, it’s essential I get this aspect of the tale right. Otherwise, modern readers will make judgments about my characters that do neither reader nor those characters justice. It is so easy to make assumptions about much in life if context is unclear. Just one simple example of what I mean may perhaps explain this complex issue that faces a writer depicting events in a time other than the present.
My book is set in the period from 1948 to 1986. Much in everyday life changed during that post-war era. But one factor was instrumental in some serious societal changes: the advent of the birth control pill in the 1960s; 1960 in the USA and 1961 in the UK, where it was initially available only for married women, though there were exceptions to this, both legal and, shall we say, informal. By 1967, common sense made it available more or less freely to all who wanted it. This single innovation did something quite amazing and yet inevitable.
It freed women from the fear of unwanted pregnancy and allowed them the same freedoms in sex as had been effectively available to men throughout the whole of history. That single change caused huge societal upheaval, with consequences that spread far and wide. Attitudes to so many of life’s norms and restrictions rapidly changed.
There was a revolutionary atmosphere, and many men felt insecure as they were forced to accept women were no longer mere property but self-determining individuals who were rapidly appreciating their changed circumstances. Once sex became no longer a risk for half the population, the idea it could be fun, could be spiritually fulfilling, could be a bonding influence rather than the unedifying previous ‘duty’ of unwanted pregnancy it brought to so many women, both married and single, it rose in public awareness to levels not previously experienced. The inevitable parallel change in attitudes to nudity, even public nudity, also created much discussion and some rebellion from the more adventurous.
I won’t elaborate further but hope this short insight into those times will illustrate some of the difficulties facing an author attempting to depict a society under great change of one sort to a modern generation facing equally huge changes of entirely different aspects of life.
So, that’s where I am at present. I’ve reached chapter 5 of the 40 already constructed. There is, so far, little change in the number of pages, now 271, or the number of words, now standing at 116,686. But not all of those words are the same as they were previously, of course. That is what editing is all about.
I leave you with this now to continue the adventure until it’s ready for beta readers to tear to shreds and force some rewrites. But I’ll try to keep you updated as I progress. Thank you for your patience in waiting for the story to be completed, published, and placed on the shelves for you to read!
Stuart Aken 
The birth control pill was such a liberator in so many ways. It unfortunately is still difficult to obtain or is illegal in quite a number of countries, usually because men or religions dominated by men are scared of losing their power. Ugh.
Good luck with all the work you still have to do, Stuart. I hope it all goes well.
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Thanks, Lynette. I’ll keep ploughing on.
The male domination, especially when religious in origin is so corrosive on society. I find it difficult to understand why more modern countries give religion so much more respect and even privilege than it deserves. After all, we’re not expected to respect flat earthers, those who believe in fairies, or those convinced the moon is made of cheese! Yet most religious beliefs stem from similar levels of total lack of evidence and reliance on unsubstantiated traditional claims and superstition!
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We have one of the best examples of that to the south of us and responsible for that dictator they put in office. Agreed, some religions are more equal than others, to (mis)quote one of your famous writers.
One of our provinces, Québec, has made it illegal for anyone employed by taxpayers/government to display any kind of religious affiliation, including wearing symbols or praying on public property. This includes a wide swath of people, including teachers and doctors. Public buildings are not to display religious iconography of any kind. There was a ferocious backlash but the majority were in support and the legislation passed. Québec has a terrible history with the Roman Catholic Church’s horrifically abusive control and finally escaped its clutches, so people are generally very anti-religious.
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Good to learn some good news, Lynette. It’s time religion was seen as the outdated, superstitious control system it has always been. Seems Canada is moving in the right direction. I wish our country could do the same, but as long as the Royal Family are viewed as there by divine right (utter cobblers, of course) we will have difficulty in shifting the Establishment from their entrenched position of privilege.
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We are moving in the right direction, agreed. But we have terrible pockets of the religiously brainwashed, too. One of our other provinces, Alberta, has some very religious, very backward thinking going on. They have been held in check so far but now these people (about 25% of the province) are starting to make noise about a referendum on separation. Ugh.
Yes, the royals and their “divine right.” Total nonsense. They are so irrelevant, as well. Many people here were angry that Charles didn’t defy Starmer and step forward to support us in our troubles with Trump’s annexation threats. Constitutionally he can’t, but the issue also highlighted more than ever their pointlessness.
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I fear that religious indoctrination, usually starting with school, is a fundamental issue. If we could persuade the powers that be to accept that religion is really nothing more than control promoted by myth and legend we might get changes made, but so many of those in power are themselves victims of such brainwashing. Time to promote critical thinking from the earliest age possible, I think.
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This will give you pause: some U.S. states are heading toward requiring the bible to be part of history classes: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/oklahoma-education-head-discusses-why-hes-mandating-public-schools-teach-the-bible Oklahoma education head discusses why he’s mandating public schools teach the Bible | PBS News
I totally agree with your comment, but it’s going to be a difficult fight. Federally, our government has really moved away from any kind of religious referencing, but to the south of us, fairy tale land reigns.
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It confirms our opinion that religion is more about control than any worship or spiritual issues.
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Sounds like it’s coming along well. Yes, there were a lot of changes back them, I remember most of them, but in the future they’ll be saying the same thing about our present time, though it won’t be very similar. Great work Stuart.
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Agreed, spookstero1, so much change going on socially, technically, scientifically, internationally. Our times were full of change, but today the speed of change is probably the greatest challenge to those youngsters.
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I enjoyed watching the impact of birth control on Call the Midwife ( a great British production). I hadn’t thought about the societal issues as deeply as you have.
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It’s a good show, isn’t it?
I suppose living through it as a boy with a sister, brother, and a mum who became pregnant when I was about 9 years old, I was possibly more aware of the things happening around me. Also, my stepdad had an odd attitude to religion at the time, always seeming to seek for something meaningful, and that meant I was already primed to ask awkward questions about any number of topics. That my parents were always willing to have adult conversations with us kids on any topic certainly helped increase my curiosity about the world, and I was always a great reader, of course.
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My parents instilled in me a great love for reading and finding things out. Might be why I chose science for a career, but I still read voraciously. My grandson is now getting primed by his grandmother!
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That’s great to hear, Noelle! A scientist can teach the young so much about so much!
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