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Akiramenai Onna [A woman who does not give up]

Akiramenai Onna [The woman who does not give it up]

  Episode  

Before I realized it, what I had been writing had come to be called "female series".
Its beginning was a work called "A Nasty Woman".
When it was serialized in the literary magazine, "Shosetsu Hoseki (Novel Gems", it had a different title-- "Sunflowers Forever".
The release of the book having been decided for December, there was the objection to sunflowers for that time of the year, so the title was changed.The result of everyone wringing their heads for a good title, led to "A Nasty Woman".

In my next work there was no discussion on the title even at the stage when the preliminary meeting for it was being held or when it was being written.
When the manuscript was completed, the discussion on the title got brisk.
Let me share with you what happened in the meetings in which everyone considered multiple titles.
Someone said, "I wonder if it is better to have the word 'woman' in it."
It elicited the answer, "It maybe so."
That was the level of consensus.
The momentum of the meeting changed all at once, what with the main character of the work happening to be a woman, leading one to believe that it might be better to have the word "woman" in the title.
What emerged from this situation was the title "An Intolerable Woman"
If no such remarks had not been made, some other title would have been the result. Before long, someone said, "usually work such as this consists of three parts, doesn't it." When I responded saying, "is that so? Does it happen that way?", the editor said, "it must be so, don't you think?" Before I came to see what was happening, the Women Series had become a three-part work.

I thought that if I were to write a story of women, I should make it the story of mother and daughter. When I came up with the plot after refining my ideas, I showed it to my editor. He remarked that "it may be demanding to write it, but when it is finished, it would be extremely interesting."
When I heard his words, I ignored the part. "it would probably be demanding to write it". When I actually started to write, I realized how incredibly demanding it was.
When creating the plot, I had always focused on the how to make the story interesting and nothing else. With this work, it was not until I had actually started to write it, I realized that I was in jam.
I was too late to realize that, haven't I.

Due to the fact that it was a work in which I experimented with all kinds of writing methods, I constantly had to deal with the delicate handling of the plot line which was as demanding as threading a needle. I was plagued by great anxiety so many times, wondering if I could complete the work.
Probably due to that reason, I was unable to finish it by the time I had promised. When asked as to when I'd finish it, I knew full well as a full-fledged member of society, that I couldn't give the answer, " well, I can't say when..."
On the other hand, I knew that I would be my wringing own neck if I specified a certain date for lack of knowing what to say.
So I sent e-mails to my editor giving the reasons for my delay and stringing such ambiguous words as "I'll finish soon....", "it will be before long...." and "it'll be done without fail....", etc.
When I kept repeating such e-mails month after month, I used up all my excuses. There was no way left to find an excuse.
There was nothing left except to apologize.
My e-mails had ended up in being the stringing of words of apology and those of self-denunciation.

Before I realized it, more than a year had elapsed.
This work is the product of a great deal of efforts and time spent, going through all kinds of trials and contemplating all sorts of ideas.
Now, what I feel is the relief of having completed this work.

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Copyright© 2011- Nozomi Katsura All rights reserved. No reproduction and republication without written permission.