I started The Tree of Knowledge five years ago. Influenced by my MA thesis on the relationship between critical reasoning and cognitive psychology (a copy might still be mouldering away somewhere in the Institute of Education, London) it was an attempt to write an existential version of the Fall of Man. It took me two years to complete.

I made a half-hearted attempt to get the book published, but after the usual ‘liked it but not really suitable for our lists’, I consigned it to a corner of my study. And there it has languished until now.

Part of the reason why I abandoned the book was my realisation, soon after completion, that I could not write another novel like it. Even if, by some miracle, it had been accepted for publication, there was no possibility of writing something in a similar mould. I had written myself into a corner. Whatever vein of inspiration I had exploited, it was now exhausted. I knew it was time to move on and so The Tree of Knowledge was forgotten.

Until recently, that is. Being unable to contribute to WW because of work commitments, I have been feeling increasingly guilty about not being able to post work. I have avoided commenting on other people’s pieces because I have nothing to offer. Today, I was trawling through the files on my PC, clearing out redundant documents, when I came across The Tree of Knowledge. The perfect solution, I thought.

So here it is. The first and probably last outing for The Tree of Knowledge. Although I have no plans to return to the piece or make any effort to have it published, comments would be appreciated about the issues raised. Many of them still influence my writing now.

As long as there is some interest in the piece, I will publish new sections each week. If not, I will consign it to a flash drive and forget about it.


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Here's a link to the prologue -
http://www.writewords.org.uk/archive/12811.asp

Hi Guilliver. I've commented on the piece, but I don't think you're doing yourself any favours with an intro like this. Had I read this first, I don't think I would have given the time to comment, because you give such a negative attitude about the piece (which, having read it, I don't think it deserves). Saying that, I'm glad I did read it because I think the premise is certainly interesting, but seeing you say that you have no interest in reworking it (forgive paraphrasing - this is just how I read it) or you're ready to confine it to the shelf makes me wonder why I should make the effort.

For the record, I think if you do put it on a shelf, you should put it to the edge, so it will catch your eye in a few years, and you might take it down and look at it with a fresh perspective.

Overall, I liked it.

Colin

Colin,

As I said, I don't plan to rewrite the piece because I'm not going to send it out. But the ideas are still relevant and those I would like to explore.

I think there is a place for that on WW. We're a broad community. I hope there's room for discussion which may not directly involve rewriting work.

Yeah, I see what you mean, and agree. When I first read this it came across as a piece you didn't care about. I don't think everything should be written with intention to publish. A lot of things I put on here are small test-scenes, to see if I have a character right, or a situation that works.

Colin