The Lessons – A True Story About a Parasitic Novel and Its Hidden Meaning

This article is about my novel called The Lessons. Strictly speaking, it is not a novel at all, but something far more sinister. The dictionary lacks a word for what The Lessons actually is, but has provided a two-way mirror that hides a life behind my own reflection.
 

How The Lessons Began in My Teenage Years

At the age of 19, I made the momentous decision to being this novel – on April 23 1985, to be precise. I know this because I kept a diary between 1977 and 1988. As soon as I began, an illness cut me down for a week. I thought nothing of it, determined I was going to begin this novel as soon as I felt better. Little did I realise how this novel would affect my life.

Drawing of author during obsessive novel writing Madeleine Watson
Me during one of my writing episodes. A fantasy world burned me up inside.

The Hidden Story Beneath The Lessons

I kept my novel secret from family and friends. I feverishly read books on how-to write novels, sitting in my flat for hours on end, eking out a few sentences. During episodes, I would lose weight and become ill.

My novel appeared to have no bearing upon my life at all. A psychopath operates in a creepy old house called the Hollows and heads a criminal ring. I was living in a sleepy village with my parents and siblings. I partook in kiddie stuff like babysitting, toy-making, Sunday school teaching and art.
 

A Novel That Felt Parasitic and Alive

During my writing, I connected with this ‘strand’. This strand grew addictive. It ran deep, powerful, compulsive, shameful, deathly, depressing, creepy and devastating.
Little did I realize the source of this strand.

This fascinating journey into the secret message beneath The Lessons actually is available in Kindle and paperback.

Illustrations and excerpts from my diaries are included.

Continue Exploring This Journey

If you’d like to explore more about my research into how a lost toddlerhood affects the adult, you can begin with the Start Here page (explaining in ten parts how I learned the truth about my toddlerhood). Read About Me for background, browse Themes in My Work to see how my research connects across different subjects, or visit the Book Catalogue to explore my published projects. My books are also available on Amazon for readers who wish to follow the journey in full.

Read how my writing turned ugly in my teens and how my novel took over my life during my marriage. Both show the same compulsive strand.

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