Writing this edition of Write Up My Alley is almost like starting over again after such a long absence away from the column. During that very long hiatus, serious writing has been attended to as we are preparing to release Frederick Louis Richardson's second novel, The Rococo Paradox, briefly summarized on the Home Page.
For those of you who are familiar with Richardson's work, you know that he does not write "simple" stories; they are multi-layered and rich with unforgettably interesting, colorful characters. Humor is always an ingredient in the narrative recipe no matter how serious the storyline. And whatever might crack up the reader with laughter started with the writer on his computer having an occasional laugh at what he's writing as well.
Since The Rococo Paradox is told from a Washington DC vantage point, I want to take the opportunity here to challenge the notion that the vaunted "DC novel" -- meaning a fictional story about real life situations occurring within the environs of the nation's capital -- still remains elusive even when written successfully. The Washington City Paper (see
Vol. 28, No. 14, April 4-10, 2008) ran a cover story concerning this challenge. But I don't feel it's really a challenge at all.
For writers living in the District of Columbia and fascinated by its variety and contradictions, it's almost unavoidable to bring such lush complexity into any tall tale. True, many writers have chosen to concentrate on the "federal city" aspect of this place, which is familiar enough to most , while ignoring the true experience of living in the District.
Frederick Louis Richardson has made the honest choice to celebrate these often perplexing characteristics early on in his freshman novel, Black Rush.
See how well he achieves this in the fall with The Rococo Paradox. |
