Novel Writing

So it’s been a little while since I blogged. Thankfully, I don’t have a zillion followers and even if I did, I doubt they would believe that a whole lot was missing from their life haha. Nonetheless, I am back!

I still marvel at the idea of writing a book one day. I recently thought about renting a cottage in the middle of nowhere for six months to a year and just spending time with my laptop, my desk and my ideas. I don’t know if it would be the most effective way to get a book finished but I think it would also be pretty cool to try (even if it’s just an extended vacation from work). I would like to write a fiction but I think non-fiction interests are more in my interest. I am still waiting for that “a-ha” moment or question that someone else asks me but I’m getting some ideas of characters.

One character that I want to flush out more is a classy, put together woman. This character would actually be inspired by my trainer from work. Michelle (name changed) is someone who very rarely gets stressed out and is just always put together.

I think one of the reasons that characters like this are rarely featured or focused on is because people can’t always relate to this character. Even Michelle for example, I wonder if she thinks of herself as a put together woman… as someone who is never jittery, never speaks without thinking and never has a piece of clothing or even a hair out of place. That’s how I see Michelle, though.

Obviously I need to flush this character out more because obviously a perfect character isn’t relatable but still has potential. She’s going to need some flaws and she’s going to need a deeper story (you can tune in next year when I finally figure that out) but I think the idea of a balanced character is somewhat more intriguing than someone who is still trying to get their shit together. Maybe that’s why I admire Michelle and so many of my co-workers so much is because they are actually full functioning adults (versus me, which I like to brand as a “pseudo adult” but more on that another day… or maybe never because I don’t think it’s the most interesting thing). I find this character inspiring because she’s someone I’m clearly not. Society thinks that it’s just something that is supposed to happen but I don’t know if society gives enough credit for everything that needs to be done in order to get to that point.

One of the other interesting things about this Michelle character is that she is a full functioning adult without children. This is so contrary to what society seems to tell us to do – we’re supposed to grow up, find a partner and reproduce. I remember Michelle once telling me that she couldn’t have kids. I didn’t ask any further questions, I thought it was best to keep my nose where it belonged. I believe it’s something biological with the phrasing but I could be wrong. Yet it’s a lifestyle that is not always chosen so I think that’s what’s more enchanting. It’s a life that I see as so fantastic. She’s married but as a couple, they have the options to travel the world, to host elegant parties and go out until 3am on a weekday. AKA all of their money doesn’t just go into their children, which sounds pretty cool.

Stay tuned as I further discuss and delve into the issues of this character. And I’m trying to keep this character separate from the inspiration – there are obviously going to be features and quirks I will add and change to not just make this a weird biography haha.

Another characters that I want to feature in my fiction is what I see as a problem to feminism. Karla (again, name changed) is inspired by another one of my former co-workers and she made me question how feminism should be practiced. Was she empowering women by leading with sex and trying to get people to do what she wanted because she was good looking? I would mostly say no but she felt and acted so powerful that it was a bit disorienting. Karla was a very problematic person to me because she wasn’t exactly fighting for equal rights but she was using the different powers between the genders to her advantage. She kind of reminds me of Samantha from Sex and the City.

So even though it’s great that I have two character ideas, I still don’t have a fiction novel setting or even a message. And I still struggle with whether it’s the characters or the plot line that really makes the novel.

I guess it’s just one thing at a time. Hopefully I’ll be a bit more punctual with my next post and maybe it will continue on from this point or maybe I’ll just leave this until another day when I’m feeling inspired.