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by Sarah Raplee McDermed
My favorite novels are truly novel. Changelings of the story world. To paraphrase Shakespeare, I want to read tales that “have undergone a sea change, into something rich and strange.” Surprises are the nuts in the cookie.
A case in point is The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith. The story opens in the heroine’s point-of-view, which is, I dare say, unique in all the stories I’ve read.
Read the opening below, and you will see what I mean.
“Her eyes rested above the waterline as a moth struggled inside her mouth. She blinked to force the wings past her tongue, and a curious revulsion followed. The strangeness of it filtered through her toad brain until she settled on the opinion that it was best to avoid the wispy, yellow-winged ones in the future.
“Unperturbed, she propelled herself into the murky shallows to nestle among the reeds…”
Have you figured out the heroine is a frog? More specifically, she is a cursed young vine witch who has been living as a frog for years. But that's about to change...
This story delivers as promised in the short first chapter: unique, puzzling, mysterious, and magical.
The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines the adjective novel as “new and not resembling something formerly known or used.”
Why read novel novels? Because they are fun to
read novelty is good for your brain.
In the Feb. 13, 2012, New York Times article, “What’s New? Exuberance for Novelty Has Benefits,” John Tierney reports the following:
“Novelty-seeking is one of the traits that keeps you healthy and happy and fosters personality growth as you age,” says C. Robert Cloninger, the psychiatrist who developed personality tests for measuring this trait. The problems with novelty-seeking showed up in his early research in the 1990s; the advantages have become apparent after he and his colleagues tested and tracked thousands of people in the United States, Israel and Finland.
“It can lead to antisocial behavior,” he says, “but if you
combine this adventurousness and curiosity with persistence and a sense that
it’s not all about you, then you get the kind of creativity that benefits
society as a whole.”
My story “Curse of the Neahkahnie Treasure” is
based on an Oregon Coast legend. “Enchanted Protector” is a retelling
of the Grimm’s fairy tale, “Snow-White and Rose-Red.”
Both of my stories are included in the Paranormal Romance
anthology, Love and Magick.
Do you consider yourself a novelty-seeker? ~ Sarah
Find Sarah Raplee McDermed at:
Website: Under Construction
Blog: Romancing the Genres - 4th Tuesday of the month
6 comments:
What an interesting and thoughtful post, Sarah. I do love novelty in fiction to an extent. I agree with you that the novelty needs to be married to something foundational or tethering as well. In your case, tethering to known myths provide that touchpoint that gives context to not only the paranormal world but to our own world as well. Mythology, whether supernatural or not is tied to what Jung would call the collective unconscious and its archetypes. That is a need for me in literature. That somewhat amorphous way in which we as humans understand the world similarly helps make the story meaningful to me--or at least an experience that I can enjoy, analyze, accept.
I've tried to read a few completely novel books that have nothing familiar at all, neither the story or characters, not even the structure is familiar. Though I might admire the mind of someone who could create such a novel work, most of the time I can't finish the book because I have no resting place for my mind to grab hold and make sense of what is happening. Without the ability to make sense, it is like being tossed at sea endlessly with no hope of ever finding land again.
I am not a novelty-seeker, but I welcome it when it elucidates a world view in a way that can't be achieved with the reality in which most of us live. For example, when I've traveled to a place where the language, the alphabet, and the culture are different from me I feel very lost at first but then set out to learn what is the same and what is different. I return enriched by that novelty. Yet, I would not seek to do that as a lifestyle.
Perhaps, that is what "novels" do. Whether they are a far departure from our reality or a close but different lens focused on reality through one character's journey in the world, they provide an opportunity to travel to a different place inside the mind of a person we may never know. It provides a novel experience for readers to consider and apply to life as they need without ever leaving home.
I am a novelty seeker. I did read The Vine Witch and really enjoyed it, and the subsequent books in that series. Some of the stories I write I pull from myths. The Witch with the Trident Tattoo, I base part of the story line on the king of the ocean, Poseidon and mermaids. It's really fun to weave stories around myths and legends.
Great blog post!
As always, Maggie, your comments are insightful and on point. It is important to give the reader an anchor, be it in plot, setting or character archetype. I believe many of what I'll call "balanced novelty-seekers" are avid readers. We experience the novel through stories as well as real life. We're not the only avid readers, but reading is a great source of new experiences.
Thank you for commenting, Diana. I love The Witch with the Trident Tattoo and The Crystal Witch!
I don't see myself as a novelty seeker although I do create different ways of doing the same thing as a change of pace or to keep from getting to mired in a routine. When I read, for the most part, I want an expanse of time between my life now and the lives of the characters I read which is why I mostly read historical romance set in the 1700 and 1800 hundreds. Interesting take on the word "novel" and I'm not surprised you brought it to our attention.
Judith, we all have the novelty-seeking trait to a greater or lesser degree. It sounds like you've found ways to satisfy yours by changing your routines and living in past eras through books.
Plus you write books by the seat of your pants!
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