One thing I have always enjoyed about novels in reading as in writing is the possibility to narrate the whole life span of a person. To tell the events of several years or decades, and to explore how these different stages of a life might have felt, how big changes might have happened, and all of this with a pinch of nostalgia, only to find a new surprise waiting around the corner, because life never is a dead end until you are actually dead.
While writing my witching novel, I want to feel myself into each of the stages of the life of my witch. I want to see it all before my eyes, every detail. I want to know what it smelled like, how the wind felt on her skin, and how emotions made her shiver.
So far, I could identify the following parts of her life:
The upbringing of a witch
…when she was still a child looking at a life well planned by a wealthy family.
Being a witching wife
…as a young woman being eager to fit into this life and slowly having to realize that certain parts of her body and soul did not function accordingly.
Dystopia
…her world being struck by bad climate, crop failure, or even the plague getting close.
A witch on trial
…experiencing a world she had belonged into turning against her for things she might have done years ago which now seem suspicious.
A dark and sweet surprise
…against all odds surviving, because the town fell apart before they got to burn her and being saved by her dark master able to walk the streets covered in death, her later lover.
Life as witch
… living a second life with her lover outside of that society that turned on her and on the weird side of everything.
Afterwards
…when life in the 17th century was too fragile and even her odd second life came to an end, and she has to survive the afterwards as long as she could.
Looking at a whole life span, life might seem dark, because everything comes to an end at some point, but if I look at her life in detail, it seems more and more like an explosion of light and dark. I don‘t know what will be my conclusion on this yet, and I think I fill find out while writing. What I am convinced of is that sometimes things are just worth happening and light and dark are not always easy to tell apart.
A witch with no regrets
This night feels cozy.Midnight has passed.No sleep, but another cup of tea in vanilla scented candlelight.“Are you saying you have no regrets?”, my witch giggles. When I was younger, I was often warned that I would regret the things that I did. I remember being 10 years old and finally telling my family that I…
Heavy rain and zombie fire – A small town of resilience part 2
This is a hopeful post, although it might not look like it at first. Recently, the region I am living in is experiencing a historical wildfire, and it was getting terrifyingly close to the city that gave me a lot of inspiration to write my witching novel. The town is called Monschau, and who is…
What the stars can do to us
“Are you really lucky enough to miss out on a few shooting stars?”, my witch asks as I try to fall asleep. Well, who of us ever is? We had seen 6 very bright shooting stars, but I was getting cold and tired. Can I afford to sleep during the peak of the perseids? I…
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