the novelist
The writing of Mendicus
Some may also wonder why would I write a biographical fiction of a homeless veteran. To those inquisitive souls, I will offer some background to the story.
It was in 1983 that the seed was planted for Mendicus. While visiting a lady friend whose rented house was adjacent to a freeway entry/exit ramp, I espied a homeless man cautiously emerging from the growth of trees and bushes nearby. He tentatively peeked around and then suddenly walked across the road and disappeared down the street. I later saw him returning to the undergrowth and he was immediately swallowed into the maw of the dense foliage.
I had only written a couple of short stories by that time, and I then thought about writing a story about this homeless man and his imagined life; later the protagonist evolved into a homeless veteran. A couple of years later, I "banged out" the story on an antiquated, 1930s-era Royal typewriter. This was during a difficult period of time for me. There were several personal challenges at the time, plus I was working more than full time at a dead-end job.
After completion, Mendicus languished for a spell. A few years afterwards, a sister of mine kindly re-typed the manuscript. As any new author experiences, my submissions to various publishers met with kind letters that began with, "We're sorry..." and Mendicus once again was hidden from view. Several years and quite a few edits later, Mendicus arrived in his final form. From first being considered troll-like in the beginning to the humanization of the main character, this novella developed and matured.
The casual reader may not overtly notice the use of different devices at work in the story. Perhaps most notable is the use of "interior monologue." The first usage of this device is credited to the nineteenth century French writer, Edouard Dujardin, and later refined by many others, including James Joyce. Rather than merely reading a narrative of the character's actions, or being burdened by exhaustive dialogues, the reader sits inside the character's mind and views all his emotions, questions, ruminations and dreams. The reader is privy to the most personal thoughts of the main character. I used this device because the main character lives alone: devoid of human contact, and therefore has only himself with whom to converse. In this sense, the reader is almost like a voyeur and an active part of the story to give it life; without the reader, there is no story
Another device used, and I discovered this knack quite accidentally while telling the story, is "prolepsis." This is the use of anticipatory glimpses into the future. However, the reader will also find instances of a future event being reflected in the present, or a present event reflected in the past of another character. Time-shifting is something I use to keep the story moving, rather than relying on the traditional linear approach to story telling.
Whitman, the main character, is a homeless veteran. He lives alone and ponders not only in the privacy of the coppice that is his home, but he is also hidden in plain view when he traverses through the city on his rounds for survival.
Whitman's story is by no means unique to the countless number of veterans who struggle with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is an issue that I feel strongly about, particularly with veterans. The following statement is from the website of the Disabled American Veterans' description of their outreach program for homeless veterans:
"Many thousands of veterans who defended our country's freedom have been unable to find their way in society. They live in a bleak, hopeless world without decent shelter, adequate nutrition, or medical care. Some of these people are true war heroes who received physical and psychological injuries during horrific combat that few could imagine.
The DAV helps homeless veterans make the transition from life on the streets to one of productivity and normalcy. Our motto, "We Don't Leave our Wounded Behind," is a heartfelt principle, a rule, and a promise that we, as a grateful nation, must keep. We must remain steadfast in our efforts to fulfill our promise to veterans by ensuring that no veteran who honorably served his or her country is ever left behind."
A portion of my royalties will be donated to the DAV's Homeless Veterans Initiative to help vets like the fictional Whitman. For more information about this project, visit http://www.dav.org/veterans/HomelessVeterans.aspx
Please remember to return here after your visit to the DAV.
I hope you, dear reader, will have found this page interesting and I hope you will purchase the novel Mendicus.
My other novel, Tears of Tay Ninh, can be found on this website and linked below. It will be available for purchase in October 2009. It will be available in print and in the Kindle format.
Thank you for visiting,
Thomas A. Hutchings