Friday, November 20, 2009

Remembering Your First Love

Writing a novel is like falling in love.  And out again. And in.  And out.  Until you can't remember why you ever wanted to write it in the first place.

So what made you fall in love with your book? What idea, or character, or theme, sparked the romance for you?

For me, it was the idea of writing a Tolkein-ish story from the girl's point of view. Let's face it, there is hardly any female perspective in the fabulous "Lord of the Rings."  The movies did a better job than Tolkein did.  Which is okay.  He was a guy writing a guy's epic.

But what if you had a similar world, with magic and danger and heroism... with girls in it who actually got to do stuff?  Girls who weren't Amazons or warrior princesses, but real women who hate blood as much as I do, but can screw up the courage to stab somebody when there's no other way to stop them?  Like Padme Amidala and her "aggressive negotiations."  So that really turned me on... how can I write an exciting story that has strong feminine leads who still retain their femininity?

What happened was that, as I wrote, I discovered that I needed to get inside of the male lead, too.  He went from being a two-dimensional Disney-style "guy with a sword" to a real guts-and-grime hero.  I still don't quite know how he sprang into being, but he did nonetheless. I guess there's a little Faldur in me, buried deep down somewhere.

It doesn't hurt, of course, that I'd mentally cast Hugh Jackman to play him in the movie version.  You gotta love Hugh!

6 comments:

Joshua McCune said...

Hey, Christine, just wanted to say welcome back.

Nighfala said...

Thanks, Bane! I really missed y'all. I get too lonely without my writing friends.

Laura Martone said...

I'd like to second Bane's comment. Welcome back, Christine! We knew you couldn't stay away for long. Muhahaha!

Oh, and it's a place that inspired my novel. My first visit to Mammoth Cave in southern Kentucky. As soon as I saw the dark, twisting labyrinth, I knew I had to write about it...

Nighfala said...

Laura, part of my story takes place in a cave inspired by Carlsbad Caverns. I know the feeling! Caves are just so cool.

Full of guano, but cool. LOL!

Douglas G Clarke said...

Eight years ago I lost my father to cancer after years of battling.

In October of 2007 I lost my 15 year old son to a bicycling accident.

Coming through these two experience I have felt a lot, thought a lot, grieved a lot, learned a lot, and I’ve started writing a lot.

It is through my writing that I have kept my balance through the ups and downs. My blog entries were a dumping ground for my emotions, my beliefs and my thoughts.

In December of 2008 my writing turned towards a novel that I started shortly after my father’s death, but didn’t know how to write. After my son’s death, I had the heart needed to put the words onto paper, and the experience to fill in the holes.

I am sad that my father had to die before his grandkids really had a chance to get to know him, but at the same time I am so thankful that God used my father’s death to prepare me for my son’s death.

I don’t believe that God caused my son to die, or somehow decided that it was just time for him to come home, but I do believe that God uses the tragedies in our lives and somehow brings about good through them.

My dad’s death prepared me for my son’s death. My son’s death prepared me to touch the lives of the dozens of people that I’ve shared my story with.

I thank God for using my life despite how I mess it up, and at the same time I’m fearful of what I might be prepared to face now. I can’t, or perhaps won’t, imagine anything worse than loosing my son. But if I do, I know that holding onto my God and my friends would allow me to survive it.

Nighfala said...

Douglas, thank you so much for sharing such a personal story. I can't even begin to imagine what you've gone through. It sounds like you have some very powerful insights to share through your writing.

Thank you for stopping by!