An hour ago, I decided to take a walk down to my favourite spot on Troon beach where surf surges hungrily against the dark craggy shore. It’s beautiful, the sun is shining and the sea is full of a glittering jewels, ‘sparkle time’. I sit on a tartan rug, the roar of the waves fill my ears and I sit, pen in hand. You see, I’m meant to be working on the first draft of the Pretty Dark Nothing sequel, but I’m struggling to hear Quinn and Aaron in the noise and confines of my flat. The salty wind helps me tune in to their voices. I close my eyes, visualising the scene I’m working on. And then something scary and magical happens. A voice, a story leaps upon me and takes hold. It’s not one I recognize. First, it’s in first person, not third. I’ve never heard a voice in first before. My hand races across the page as the words flowed. Wait! This isn’t the character I needed to hear from. This isn’t the story I need to be writing right now. But this new character was strong and wanted my full attention.
“I am of the sea,” she whispered. “Of brine and salt and magic.” And I believed her and she was magnificent and fearsome as she fed upon a dead body that crashed against the rocks, blood and spray soaking her kelp laden hair. I couldn’t tear my eyes away. “Death has come upon this rock a thousand times a thousand times a thousand. I ache, consumed in a hunger-lust that never ends. His meat is salt and fish and I can taste fear in the metal of his blood, and it tastes so sweet I want to cry. I take my fill, it is my right, my duty, my curse.”
Half an hour and 500 words later I put down the pen. What just happened? It’s hard to describe how it feels to be so completely in the moment where you’re transported into another world, another life, to channel a story so completely. It is magic. Story magic, and I’m under its spell. It’s been over a year since I’ve been so filled with story. My mind has been closed to new ideas as I focused on revisions and deadlines. When I opened myself up to new possibilities, closed my eyes to evoke Quinn and Aaron, I got more than I bargained for. So now comes the big question. What do I do with this story, this magic that’s crackling through me as I write this post? For the first time ever, I don’t have the choice of running with it. I have to put it on the back burner and focus on what I’m supposed to be working on and I honestly don’t want to. I want to find out who this powerful creature is, what her curse is. She’s drowning out Quinn and Aaron’s voices and I can’t have that. I need her to silently wait for her turn. How do I stop her and should I?
What do you do when hit with story magic?
Yes! I watched a documentary with my husband about birthing traditions. There is a tribe in Africa in which the women give birth in a hollowed out tree. I started telling my daughters the story of Aisha, a teen who is guardian of magic children. Aisha has been given a special quest- to take a young mother to the Winter Tree, where she can safely give birth to her child. In this world, children are revered, as they hold the last remnants of magic. They loved it and it’s the story that sneaks up on me when I’m trying to get inside Evie’s head from time-to-time.
I am in love with your new story idea, and the character who sprung to life like Athena from your mind. Sounds beautiful and creepy.
Where do ideas come from? Everywhere, if we open ourselves to them.
*hugs*
Oh the story of Aisha sound beautiful! I hope you get the chance to hear more from her once you’ve finished Evie’s story. 🙂 It’s so true, if you’re open, the ideas come flooding it. Thanks for stopping by as always.
When I got the story idea for my next novel, it was in the middle of second and third drafts of the first novel. I’m a one idea at a time person, so I had to let it percolate in my mind. One thing I did do, though, was to write flash/short stories that developed the characters more completely for me. Now I’m writing the first draft of Age of Stars and the characters are there, eager to be written into the story, and full of life.
I’m with Tonia – the character who took hold of you sounds amazingly powerful and strong. Any possibility she can show up in your sequel?
Thanks, Lara. I’m a one idea at a time person too. I know other writers who work on multiple stories at once, but I can’t do that. I love the flash fiction idea. I might try that to keep her voice from fading. I wish I could put her in my sequel, but she’s from a completely different world than what I’ve built in Pretty Dark Nothing. I’m afraid she won’t fit. It was a good thought though. She will be getting a story of her own, I don’t think this one is going to let me go. Thanks for commenting and stopping by as usual 🙂
I think you’ve got the same post copied in this twice, FYI. It’s something I’d totally do and would want someone to mention, so there you go.
That’s a really intriguing idea. I’d have a hard time not running with her, too. I’ve never had that problem. Don’t know what I’d do for sure. Maybe try and write both books, but then I suck at focusing on more than one thing at a time. I might try and at least outline the new idea a little bit so I’d feel more like it’d still be there when I could come back to it. What ever you end up doing, good luck with it!
Thanks, Janeal! I had no idea I had it pasted in twice. I’ve fixed it now.
I like the idea of outlining it so it’s there when I get a chance to focus on it. Like you, I suck at trying to work on more than one thing at a time. I know a lot of authors who do, but that’s not me. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I appriciate it!
First, I have no idea how I entered a comment before I started typing it. Second, wow! She sounds amazing. I think you ought to spend a day or two with her, getting her voice down, letting her know you’ll come back to her to write her story. Make lots of notes, and try visualizing somewhere besides on her seaside rocks. 😉
Good luck. I know Aaron and Quinn will show up for you. Perhaps they’re being stubborn, waiting for you to ‘know’ something important about PDN2. It’ll come. Be nice to your muse–she’ll help. 🙂
I have no idea how that happened either, Vaughn, but I’ve deleted it for you. 🙂 No worries!
I agree that maybe the seaside rocks might not be the best place to visualize when I’m seeking PDN inspiration. She is too strong to ignore there. I’m more likely to find Quinn in a graveyard, maybe I should find a quiet gravestone to write beside. I hope she and Aaron show up soon though because I need to get these words flowing 🙂 I like the idea of spending a few days with my new character to solidify the voice. Or maybe I should devote an hour or so of my writing time to develop her, not so much writing her story, but world building and asking questions. Thanks, Vaughn!
Maybe, deep down, you don’t want to write about PDN right now.
We’re all different, but when I write about heaven and vampires all I have to do is read over the last bit and poof, the writing starts. That’s what I would suggest to you, read over some of PDN to try and zap your brain. Like Frankenstein’s monster, maybe you just need a good zap or two to get off the table. 😉
Perhaps the stress of deadlines has manifested in your brain in ways you didn’t even know. Do you still love those characters, and story, or have you come to think of them as work? It may be something small, but the way you think about your writing could be affecting your creative mojo. Only you’ll know for sure, I’m simply throwing ideas out there.
As for this new story idea, keep it, and remember the feeling for when you have time to go back to it. It doesn’t seem like that should be a problem from the sound of things. Unfortunately for the Lady in the Oean, you’ve got a Pretty Dark Sequel to write. In any case, good luck.
It sounds like a beautiful place to write, especially if it keeps feeding you like that! Maybe you could keep it on the back burner and work on it when you need a break from your current WIP.