Power

I just reread The Witch of Blackbird Pond for the first time in about, oh, say 30 years. And what struck me suddenly 24 hours after I got done was: power. People who accuse other people of being witches are afraid of their power. And the characters in this thing I'm writing who are just perfectly normal humans who sort of pathetically *want* to be witches, they WANT power.

Isn't it cool how a position that was persecuted for its power is now sought for its power? I think that is so interesting. Is that what's behind all the vampire fanaticism?

It also gave me a terrific new character to complete my trio. Except I might have just suddenly changed her to a boy, and not just any boy but the object of affection of our heroine. That gives us three main characters who are doing stuff and one that is going to get the metaphorical axe to the head for being tremendously awful in those understandable, sympathetic, selfish teenage ways. Oh yes.

I also added in some excellent estranged fundamentalist grandparents, because once I realized it's all about the power of the position, I realized exactly how these different conflicting forces need to be fighting over it, or for it, or about it, or against it.

Honestly, that's one of the most useful revelations I've ever had while opening a box of Annie's mac and cheese. As if inside my head suddenly there is a house where there was no house before.

And...it could all be taken as a big metaphor, if you wanted to look at it that way. The older mother trying to get this power, the fundamentalists not wanting her to use it at all, the young adult character just coming into her power in the first place and not sure how it's going to change her life or what kind of person she's going to be.

Something about all this fixed what my story is ABOUT. And I even made a list of Threats and Goals, which is my personal writing strategy. Do you do this? Probably goals should come first, but I go with Threats first, though honestly I can't do any of it until I've been thinking and writing about a story for a while. Everyone has to come to life before I can really figure out what threatens them the most.

My very favorite part of the story idea so far is that this girl raised by wannabe witches joins the swim team because she's always been told that enchantment can't cross water.

Doesn't that seem like a peculiar rule, though? Like, what about water pipes? They're everywhere! So can you undo things by simply stepping across the house and crossing that pipe that leads to the upstairs bathroom? And do pools even count? It's supposed to be running water, like a stream or river. I would think submerging yourself should cure whatever it is, though, or a shower. Right? Wait, maybe the metal pipes counteract it or something.

I can already tell that the magical material is going to have to be worked out in detail for my OCD brain to be able to handle it. I cannot stand flaky artificial worlds. They have to WORK.

The part I LOVE about that (to get back to the swim team) is that even though she doesn't believe in it and it manifestly does not work at all in her mother's household, and she's a sort of magic agnostic, she was raised with enough of it to go for the largest body of water around and dive in. She's afraid of the power even though she doesn't believe in it. I think that's awesome. And you know that her fundamentalist grandparents are going to want to do an immersive baptism on her at some point, right?

This book is coming to life! It's just complicated that I have another one coming to life at the same time. Can you have book twins? Is that allowed? They are so very different, maybe it would be okay.