Writ Large is an autofictional work. In addition, I would go so far as to say that Writ Large is a psychological, autofictional novel. Autofiction at its most basic definition, can be described as ‘fictionalised autobiography’, in that the ‘details of the author's life blend with fictional information, characters, and events.’ But the wonderful thing about the autofictional is that it is a new genre, still finding its feet.  

So, when you combine it with psychological fiction (which uses ‘deep explorations and explanations of the mental states of the character's inner person’ to explore character’s mental lives) you come out with a hybrid genre and a new way of presenting humans on the written page.

While creating Writ Large, I was inspired by Rachel Cusk’s first novel in her Outline Trilogy, Outline. It was the ‘inspirational starting point’ for Writ Large and it was also serialised initially (in The Paris Review).

Outline is another genre-bending autofictional piece that was incredibly thought-provoking. Cusk’s novel follows an author called Faye (presumably Cusk herself operating under a nom de plume) to Athens where she is scheduled to teach a writing course. Each of the ten chapters takes Faye through a conversation with someone in her immediate vicinity, for example her flight buddy or a colleague from the writing school. One criticism was that the novel has not plot, and in a sense, they’re right. It is not Outline’s plot that keeps the reader engaged. It is its style. The story is told by Faye through her interactions, but it only looks closely at the people and spaces around her, never at herself. This absence of protagonist even extends to her avoidance of the mirrors in her hotel room when she explores it in one scene to observe its light and space.

It has no narrative in a recognisable ‘three-act’ sense, rather it is externally character-driven, almost a voyeuristic experience that creates an outline of the character Faye. As one reviewer put it, Outline is a ‘novel of observance’, saying: ‘there is no description of [Faye], she is formless.’

Elements of Cusk’s style can be found, reflected, in Writ Large. The protagonist Lucas tells his story, recounting his part in conversations rather than speaking through active speech tags. His observations create an intense sense of all the characters around him, a deep understanding of his companions in the feeling of psychological fiction. But with Lucas himself, there is always a distance from the reader. The book is about his world, not necessarily about him.

Although, in a divergence from other notable examples of autofictional works, like Karl Ove Knausgaard’s My Struggle and Cusk’s Outline, my writing is not tempered with cynicism. In comparison to Outline, perhaps it is a difference of perspective, Faye is a recently divorced, moderately successful writer and mother of young children, who accepts the teaching job out of necessity, while Lucas, a heart transplant survivor, has defeated the edge of death and now travels the world with billionaires. Yet Writ Large highlights the nuances within people by emphasising kindness and hope throughout the book, rather than pessimism. Instead of handling negativity as a structural device, Writ Large tells the story of a life that is Good.

Please note that I’m not calling out Cusk or Knausgaard: there is an autofictional continuum, with some novels containing more fictionality than others, some containing historical events that the reader may even remember, some novels are pessimistic in tone, others are optimistic. This is a genre that is still finding its way.

Autofictional articles on Substack

If you’d like to read more about autofiction, there are some great articles on Substack:

‘Autofiction and Autoreification’ by Lee Konstantiou on his Substack The Habit of Tlön

https://open.substack.com/pub/leekonstantinou/p/autofiction-and-autoreification?r=54vkk&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

This article is a collection of notes from an MFA roundtable discussion titled ‘Contemporary Autofiction’.

OR

Dirt: 'The Novelist' is anti-autofiction by Akosua T. Adasi on the Substack page Dirt

https://open.substack.com/pub/dirt/p/dirt-the-novelist-is-anti-autofiction?r=54vkk&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

In this article, Akousa reflects on contemporary fiction and compares examples of modern autofiction with ‘The Novelist’, by Jordan Castro.

And now, finally, the Writ Large Blurb

Here is a first look at the Writ Large Book Blurb.  Enjoy!

“The day after the New York Times ran a feature article on me titled, The Syndicate: The Midas Touch Writers’ Factory, I was invited to lunch with a billionaire…”

Lucas, a successful Netflix producer and author, runs a Writers Guild called ‘The Syndicate’. When a New York Times article propels the group to stardom, Lucas’s trip to New York transforms into an international adventure as the rich and powerful petition him to write their stories. Along the way, Lucas meets an heiress and a PA, an astronaut, and the CEO of an investment company, whose stories imbue the journey with warmth and character. As Lucas navigates the heights of luxury and opulence, he is met with kindness at every turn and is struck by the passion he finds in his companions.

Reminiscent of Rachel Cusk’s Outline, this autofictional novel explores the inner workings of wealth and privilege, while revealing the quirks of those who embody them. Filled with deep characters and memorable settings, Writ Large is the first novel in the Writ Large series.

Get ready for the first Writ Large release, coming in November 2022!

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