Skip to main content

Wonder Wednesday - What Does It All Mean?

[caption id="attachment_4713" align="alignright" width="300"]Image created using Bit Strips. Image created using Bit Strips.[/caption]

Should a writer know the deeper meaning behind their book before they ever start writing it?


Some think so.
I don't work that way. I find it stifles my creativity. I find my characters won't open up to me if I try to force them into some box. I write stories about people. I figure out who my protagonist is, then I build the world around them. When I know who they are, the main story problem happens.


I only recently figured out that The Page & The Magician is largely a tale about learning to accept oneself. I didn't start there. I started with a character who had been through an awful marriage and was moving to the big city for a clean slate. Josy really wanted to live a boring government worker life, but she discovers she belongs to this whole other world that is far from boring. That whole other world scares her because she's scared of a lot of things.


The thing is that I didn't originally intend to write an urban fantasy romance. I tried to write something else, but it was lacking that special something. It needed more layers and depth.


JK Rowling created the dementors to be the force that keeps wizards from breaking out of jail. They represent depression. The deeper meaning behind it being that only you can drive away the darkness in your own life. The spell Lumos is another example of where she talks about the light driving away the dark.



She created dementors out of her own experience of depression.


I'm the kind of writer that needs to bleed onto the pages, for the most part. I need to have experienced something similar to write about it. I need to write what I'm feeling and not overthink the deeper meaning. I save that for editing.


Maybe that seems like I am writing in the dark with only a flashlight to let me see what is nearby, but it's working for me right now. And that's the thing. Writing is subjective. Really, it's whatever method works for you to birth that book. And that may change from book-to-book.


JK Rowling extensively planned the Harry Potter series, but she didn't start there. She wrote her first book at age 6 and another at age 11.


Just write the first draft and the rest can be figured out later.


Ciao,
R~

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Under Siege

My city is under attack. I wish I was being facetious.  The so-called "freedom" convoy is here and so far this is what has transpired: 1. They parked on the war memorial. These people who call themselves patriots. This is where the Unknown Soldier rests. This is where Corporal Nathan Cirullo lost his life in October of 2014. The cars were towed, but who knows what actual repercussions they will face. 2. Later, when asked to move away from memorial, one stood and jumped on the tomb itself while others cheered.  3. Despite having port-a-potties provided for by the mayor, they've been defecating on Parliament Hill, in snowbanks, and on streets nearby.  4. Flags being flown include the Confederate flag of the United States, Trump flags, the Quebec equivalent to the Confederate flag, upside down Canada flags, regular Canada flags, Fuck Trudeau flags, libertarian flags, and ones adorned with swastikas. Yeah, this is totally about freedom rather than racism, white su

The Gauntlet That Was October

I had a lot of things happen in October. I watched Frankenstein in the cemetery with friends. I had tea with a friend. I started a new sport: curling. This is really fun and I'm enjoying the level of activity it provides and all the strategic elements. I'll do a separate post on it soon. Unfortunately, soon after my first game, I came down with Covid and so did the friend who I had tea with, so I think we both caught it at the place we went to. That wasn't fun. I already posted about that. I was fortunate to be free of it in time to attend Can-Con where I took in lots of panels, saw some of the wonderful writer community, bought many new books, and volunteered to help out in the rooms. The following weekend, I went to the livestream for Danielle Allard's new album release, followed by the in person release. As part of this, she has a 6 video series that releases every Sunday on her YouTube at 1:15 PM EDT. Video number 2, Falling Into Place, is one that I feel fortunate

December 2023 Holidays

The drive to North Bay was pretty smooth until I was 30 minutes away and ran out of windshield washer fluid. That was the first time that ever happened to me. Luckily, about 10-15 minutes later, there was one last gas station where I could fix that. Since it's my busy season, I worked the mornings and took the afternoons and evenings to spend with family and friends. My brother stopped by with a special gift, a new ornament for the tree. My mom loved ceramic Christmas trees, so it's a perfect way to keep her with us at Christmas. His friend, Fawn, helped him get it made. She has a YouTube channel you can check out here: https://youtube.com/@thethriftyfawn After that, I visited friends in the slightly rural part of Callander, Ontario. We were having a lovely time catching up and then the evening had a surprise in store. Someone in the area had hit a small deer with their vehicle. My friend's dad skinned and gutted it in around -20C (due to the windchill) weather.