Today's "What Do You Think About...Wednesday" question is being answered by my new friend, a fellow blogger and writer, Marieke Nijkamp. She is answering the question "What do you think about writing?" She posted on her blog recently the perfect answer to this question. I just had to share it with all of my readers whether you write or not. It is one of the most beautiful things I have read recently.
“I will tell my kids stories, for that’s where we begin
He will play with Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn
We’ll pretend we are flying in a hot air balloon
In our house full of laughter, we will sing to the moon.”
(Nocturnes (Pre-echo))
These lines come from a song Jenny sings in Love Story the musical. And while I loved the whole show when I saw it a few weeks ago, this song resonated with me, especially that first sentence. Not just because it reminded me of a fragment from LOVING ADELINE -
“And Jaime runs and hides in a corner between shelves and cases and towers of books. Words to form a castle none may enter without permission. Between the books, behind the books, she reads to find the world she lost.”
But because if I believe one thing it is this. Stories is where we begin. Growing up, books were my friends, my teachers, and a place to hide. To say I read a lot would be an understatement. To say I devoured books would be closer to the truth. I didn’t just read several books a week, I read several books a day. And as a result perhaps I didn’t always pay close attention to the real world, but through those stories I discovered whole other worlds. I wanted to be part of a secret club. I wanted my own Kirrin Island. I wanted to fly, be a knight, go to boarding school, travel through the middle ages, solve mysteries, go to outer space.
But it was more than that. Those books taught me about friendship, when I felt alone. The main characters took me on adventures, when I was in hospital. Through stories I discovered life, when life didn’t always make sense. Somewhere between those adventures and my imagination I could be me.
Of course, when I discovered my own little bit of Neverland I never quite left. Only now the stories aren’t only the ones I read, they are the ones I write too. And every word I write is still that little bit of me. Because at the heart of my imagination there is still that girl waiting to get lost. The girl who loves the real world, but one day would really like to fly.
So that is why I write. Because stories is where we begin.
BIO:
Hello! *points at pic* That’s me. At least, I should think so. You never really know with TARDISes and time travel. Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey and all that.
So you have probably come here to find interesting information about me. I will give you random factoids instead, shall I? Interesting sounds a little boring.
Factoid 1) I have an unpronouncable name
Factoid 2) I don’t eat chocolate – to satisfy my need for sugar I thrive on iced lattes instead. Or anything iced, for that matter. I heart ice cream.
Factoid 3) I have a Master’s degree in Medieval Studies. Useful? Hell yes.
Factoid 4) I also thrive on sarcasm. Bazinga! ^.^
Factoid 5) I can quote Doctor Who, Lord of the Rings, Monty Python and a whole bucketload of geekdom for all occasions. Usually the more inappropriate ones.
Factoid 6) My friends refer to me as either Sherlock or Sheldon. This is probably accurate.
Factoid 7) I prefer seven over six. Just sayin’
I tend to ramble, tease, write, and if genre hopping were an Olympic sport I’d compete. I’m currently in love with two WIPs that couldn’t be more different and… I… realize that there’s a page called ‘writing’ somewhere on here too. Let’s stick to the labels. Anyway, I like to talk about writing, books, YA, time travel, and theatre, so if any of those things appeals to you – feel free to stick around.
Because – I might like to talk about all of those things, I LOVE to hear what others have to say.
HER WRITING:
Up to a year ago, I would have classified myself as a YA fantasy writer. Then Jaime came knocking at my door and at first the thought of writing literary YA terrified me. Now that I’m more comfortable with Jaime living inside my head, I’ve fallen head over heels in love with her story.
***
Loving Adeline ~ YA ~ Literary
Mystery of mysteries,
Faintly-smiling Adeline.
Scarce of earth nor all divine,
Nor unhappy, nor at rest;
But beyond expression fair,
With thy floating flaxen hair,
Thy roselips and full blue eyes
Take the heart from out my breast;
Wherefore those dim looks of thine,
Shadowy, dreaming Adeline?
(Source: Alfred Lord Tennyson, Poems, Chiefly Lyrical, 1830, 69.)
When seventeen-year-old autistic Jaime walks the halls of a high school for the first time in her life, she thinks home may not be so bad after all. A chaos, at most. Not nearly as overwhelming as the cacophony of colors and impressions swirling around her.
That first time, she manages 34.17 seconds before she bolts.
Determined to finish her senior year at Clover, Jamie finds rhythm in the rituals of her classes and new colors in the world around her. There are 86 red steps between her locker and Calculus. 192 azure ones between English Lit and the outside world.
But Jaime’s motivation is not just normalcy. On the run from her mother’s depression and the grief she doesn’t know how to deal with, Clover High is a hideout for Jaime, a place where the ghosts of her father’s death cannot reach her.
Problem is, ghosts have a tendency to sneak through walls, especially those of high school. And when the rules that hold her world together begin to unravel, Jaime has nowhere left to run.
LOVING ADELINE is a literary YA with a dash of magic realism. A story of grief, love, and freaks, LOVING ADELINE is complete at 51,000 words.
***
I loved writing the story and look forward to returning to the world of literary fiction. At the same time though, fantasy is still close to my heart. I’m currently working on two stories. A complete rewrite from my first novel PALADIN – a dark fantasy about abuse, PTSD, and discovering who you are when all that defined you is taken away – and YSOLDE, a YA retelling of the legend of Tristan and Ysolde. It’s fluffy, adorable, and I’m loving it.
I’m venturing into the realms of MG with my Sekrit Project, but that’s, well, secret
If you would like to visit Marieke please go to her website. She has many amazing posts
for you to read. Thanks Marieke for being my guest today on the blog.
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