Voices of the witching novel – an update!

A character from the witching novel started speaking to me the other night. It was her first time, and it also was not too long ago that I had even thought her into existence. In a very tired, rainy and cold writing sessions in the early hours, she suddenly found her voice, and she let my fingers fly over the keys and really spiced the start up! I didn‘t know how much I needed her and I am glad she is here – but she also leaves me with even more questions than before!

I still cannot really grasp who she is. I know some facts about her, such as her tired eyes and her dark hair, and the occasion on which I encountered her, but she is a tough one! She is one of those characters that could represent a lot. And today‘s novels are supposed to do so. Writing about Europe in the 17th century means to understand this world enough to know where to find what kind of people. It means looking around in your circle of friends and having an idea about where and how to find who of those around! Even in those old days long ago humanity was just as diverse as it is today. This is not something that magically started when the internet was invented.

But representing something is tricky. It is so easy to cross the thin line between being inclusive and abusing an identity, or culture, or struggle (you see where I am going here).
If a prostitute dies, do you punish her in representation for lustful women?
If a gay person lives as a hermit in the closet, is that representation any LGBTQ+ person ever asked for?

Then again, this also holds a lot of opportunities. We can find the niche for people that have never fit the roles wester society had ready for them. You can explore where unmarried women went and how they made a living. You can places for the more and more growing ethnic diversity searchin for a safe place in christian influenced Europe at the time.

The new character is a tough one, because several examples I have mentioned here seem to fit her, and also some I did not find the right words yet.

Will she add up to the good or the bad things? Will there even be a simple way to tell?
Maybe, there should not even be one at all.

I can‘t wait for what words she is going to choose next.