Who Is Roy Langley?

Something I've really enjoyed about transforming my professional speaking, livestream and recording office into a writing studio is the way I am constantly changing a few things on and around my desk to immerse myself in the world of The Catalina.

A 1956 calendar—the year of the great Murray River flood and the year in which The Catalina takes place. Next to it, a framed photograph of my grandfather, alongside the medals he received for his service during World War II.

Both help transport me back to the era of the story.

I’m still working through the first stage of my second draft, such a long way to go, but, as promised in last week's behind-the-scenes journal, this week I’m sharing a little more about the story itself.

The best place to start is with Roy Langley, the central character in The Catalina. While Roy's story is fictional, the Catalina itself—and the inspiration behind it—is very real.

My grandfather actually bought a decommissioned Catalina flying boat from the scout master of the Barham Boy Scouts back in 1955. When he bought it, the wings, engines and equipment were gone, leaving only the fuselage.

What he did with the Catalina still blows my mind to this day, and it's something most people would never imagine. He transformed it into a barge strong enough to carry heavy loads of timber, fitting it with a reconditioned car motor, steering and a propeller so he could travel up and down the flooded Murray, continuing to cut and haul sleepers from the Gunbower Forest.

That much is true.

But that is also where history ends and fiction begins.

In my manuscript, the moment the Catalina comes into Roy Langley's hands, the story becomes entirely its own.

It might sound odd, but from the moment I started writing The Catalina, Roy basically steered me where he wanted the story to go. That's exactly what happened.

Before I started writing fiction, I would have thought that sounded ridiculous. Characters aren't real, after all. But somewhere during the first draft, Roy shifted from being based on my Grandpa, then, stopped feeling like a character I was creating and became someone whose reactions and decisions felt increasingly obvious to me. More than once I'd planned a scene one way, only to realise Roy wanted to take me somewhere different.

How good.

Even his physical appearance is nothing like my grandpa. Roy is just under six feet tall and his old footy mates called him "Brick" because he was built as strong as a brick shithouse. On the surface he looks tough enough to handle anything life throws at him.

He's brave, community-minded and devoted to his wife, Ruth, and son, Jim. But Roy is also carrying burdens from his past. Decisions he regrets. Memories he can't escape.

A veteran of World War II, he is increasingly troubled by flashbacks and blackouts. At the same time, the approaching flood threatens to cut off access to the forest where he and Jim earn their living cutting railway sleepers.

Already struggling with debt from previous floods, Roy feels pressure from every direction.

Roy's story begins with his first sighting of a Catalina during the war in New Guinea and follows him a decade later when an opportunity arises to buy one of his own. What begins as a practical solution to a desperate problem may ultimately help Roy discover that his past decisions don't have to define his future.

The flood may be the story's greatest threat, with nature itself acting as an antagonist, but another character enters Roy's life determined to unravel his plans for the Catalina.

I'll share more about those characters and their stories as I continue working my way through the second draft. If you’d like to follow my writing journey, you can find me on my Facebook Author Page.

But next week, I’ll share something I’ve learned from my Australian Writers’ Centre course – Cut, Shape, Polish. Their advice is, I need to Kill My Darlings.

What?

Until next time, my best to you.