The collection work of "Individuation Unto Nothing" is now, as of 18/10/2020, completed.
Ever since I started noticing that the loosely-connected short stories were growing in number, I've played with the idea of bringing them together some manner, such that these interconnections could be made clearer; into a single, solid novel. When going through the older stories - majority of them in the "shadow" side - it became apparent that a lot of editing was needed in order to get the quality up to present standards. While these older stories will always remain somewhat crude, in technical terms, they still radiated raw authenticity, and thus, I hope that with the additional polishing they make at least moderately pleasant reading for the average reader. So, as said, the first half of the book consists of the Shadow - for those familiar with jungian terms - and many may have noticed that the title itself was taken from the jungian concept of individuation... leading into nothing. While the original idea, at first, was to explore the elusive "truth of being" (of which I've written about in previous posts), it slowly became apparent that there was more in these works, something churning in the backstage when exploring the personal unconscious and trying to uncover secrets of the very existence itself. It was no wonder, then, that after encountering a particularly strange story concerning a beautiful - albeit mournful - lady standing lone in a ballroom, staring out into darkness through a grand iron window, I had to take a step back and turn further into self-introspection; and therein the vast subjective side of things truly opened up... and with it, the whole right side of the book, what was to be called fragments of the anima. The readers may find this part of the book somewhat unorthodox, as things turn more into historical settings and gothic aesthetic; dark pessimisim turning into melancholic mystique, yet it was necessary in order to remain in the path of authenticity - the very thing that has "steered the pen" from the start. Ultimately there is not that much deviation though, for the subjective side had already bled into the later Shadow-side stories as well, influencing both the style and the content, which is most evident in stories such as "The Arrival of Doctor Kross" and "Dirge for the Fading Playground". Enough about the content, now, as one might ask; where can I find this recently-completed book? At the moment of writing, nowhere. As most of you may be aware, finding a publisher these days is no easy task, especially for someone lacking in contacts and social presence. One can always send random emails to agencies, hoping for a reply, but most likely it will all get drowned out in the sea of messages these large houses receive every day... and even then, if anyone happens to notice, they will most likely take a glance or two (if one is lucky) and then deem the text either technically inept, plain foolish, or impossible to market for the wider audience. Or all the above. Nevertheless, when there's not much else to do in life than write, there is no other option - barring the obvious, of course, but naturally this last option is best left in the indefinite reserve.
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A.K
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