Do you guys remember that awesome 90s film The Craft? When I was a kid, we were OBSESSED with it. One thing that forever stuck with me was the idea of four elements. Earth, Air, Fire, Water.
I love witches. I love paganism. I love books that incorporate both. And when I think about my writing, and my process, I always seem to come back to this idea of four elements (now, five, including aether, which I wrote into my witchy YA novel).
So today I'm going to talk about one of these elements, specifically. Fire.
For me, fire is about power, life, obsession, passion, fury, love, enthusiasm, energy—all of the things that a writer can and will bring to her story. Fire represents the first stage of writing: drafting. When all of your creative juices are flowing, when all of your mind is engaged and salivating, when the novel you are crafting is full of surprises!
It is the time in the novel when you get to move exactly as you choose, as the fuel allows, and you can reign free, utterly at liberty to destroy or create at will.
But there is another side to fire, isn't there? The destructive side. The side that leaves ashes and charred wood behind. This is the fire we don't want to become, my lovelies. Obsession is fine, so long as you are using it to benefit yourself and your work. Don't allow yourself to burn out or to flare uncontrollably. You are the master of your craft and the power of fiery creation is completely in your hands.
Play with creative fire. Let it burn. Keep your water nearby.
Have a great week, beasties!
No comments:
Post a Comment