many scars

“deus ex machina

an unexpected power or event saving a seemingly hopeless situation – OED

Synopsis

‘Many Scars’ is analogous to multiple sclerosis inasmuch as it is written in the form of relapsing and remitting episodes, which progressively overlap as the story unfolds. The odd-numbered chapters are set over a two-month period in the recent past, while the even relate more distant events spanning the previous decade. Both strands gradually merge together and, in the final chapter, into the present.”

This was the synopsis that she sent to Daniel Goldsmith Associates in 2007. She hesitated over sending the manuscript, partly through lack of confidence in her writing, and partly because it told the story of her life and scars with raw honesty.

She received positive feedback from the literary consultants, and was encouraged to edit some parts before resubmitting the manuscript for a second reading. This was the letter she received:

‘Many Scars’ was one of the winners of a competition run by Daniel Goldsmith Associates. She was happy with the praise, although she was slightly miffed with the placement of her name on the website:

Although she did revise the manuscript, she decided not to resubmit it. Writing it had allowed her to make sense of her life, and made her want to write more. She was content with what she had produced, and felt she was ready to face the future, and start to write something new.

‘Many Scars’ can be read here: