House of Jacob Journal of Joshua Hapstead Following Nick Story Index
Background Information for
Steven Argyle's House of Jacob
[Notes by Dale Neibaur]
I was a young Elder proselyting in Suwa, Japan when I first read House of Jacob. It had been a long week, and I was tired and a bit demoralized when I received a large manila envelope. The return address showed it came from Steve's high school girlfriend, and I wondered why she was writing me. Then I opened the envelope and fell through a hole in time.
I was back in my senior year, in the staff room of our high school newspaper. The room was nearly deserted (not unusual) and Steve and I were supposed to be working on stories for an upcoming edition. But Steve had different ideas, and he was pacing the room and sketching with his hands as he worked his way through an extraordinary tale of four friends and a cat. Steve is a gifted writer. He is an even more gifted talespinner in the old oral tradition. On the debate squad Steve specialized in extemporaneous speaking, which meant he was given a topic, allowed to prepare for about 10 minutes, and then required to speak before a panel of judges. He was one of the best in the state. And this day I was getting an extended performance all to myself.
Nowadays Steve comes at a story from the outside in; he carefully constructs a containing world complete with geography, political and social factors, religion and economics. He crafts a backstory to explain how his characters arrived where they are, and sketches the direction he expects them to take. In other words, he is a competent master carefully exercising his craft. But we were looser in our youth, much more extemporaneous. Steve has been frustrated with this story for years. I, on the other hand, continue to enjoy it immensely. Its strength lies not so much in the story it tells but in the story it hints at. Who is Jacob? What is his connection to the Whithorns? Why does he know so much about the Salem witch trials, and what powers does he possess? Why did he befriend Matthew, Sarah and Erik? Why did he leave? Will he return? Is he part of a larger group, or is he a single individual, alone?
I was so intrigued by the questions this story raised that I couldn't leave it alone. Walking down narrow pathways between rice paddies I would catch myself pondering possible explanations. Peddling a bicycle on the wrong side of a narrow crowded street my thoughts were in an overgrown, neglected garden. After a few days I surrendered.
I was in the habit of writing in my journal for about a half an hour each evening after we returned to our apartment from proselyting. One evening soon after I'd received the story I took several pages from my journal. I sat down and began writing The Journal of Dr. Joshua Hapstead. It was one of the most singular experiences in my life. It was like writing from dictation; I literally did not know what was going to happen next until I wrote it down. Reading it now, Hapstead seems to me to be quite pedestrian; it tells only the story clearly hinted at in House of Jacob. But at the time it was riveting. Each night after we returned home I'd sit and write nonstop until lights out. I did not go back to edit or correct, nor did I stop to plan what might come next. I just wrote. I'd never had a such writing experience before; I 've not had one since. I completed the story in just a few evenings and sent it off to Steve, who was proselyting in Taiwan. Then I forgot about it.
The final piece in the Jacob cycle was written just after I'd returned to BYU after my mission. I was taking a creative writing class, and one of the requirements was that we fill 100 pages with personal writing. Since I was already keeping a journal, I decided to write on anything that came to mind. One of these pieces was Following Nick, the last piece on Jacob.
The Jacob cycle is a story still waiting to be told. There's an intriguing idea in here somewhere, and at least one novel. Steve and I have wound down on this one; there are too many other ideas to chase. So if you, dear reader, would like to jump in and push things further, please feel free!
Dale Neibaur, July 13, 2002