There's much to be said for not thinking as you write. And by that I mean over-thinking, which I'm far too prone to do. But sometimes I let my characters do their things in whatever manner they want...and when I do, happy moments occur. Like Adam getting the face of a wolf painted onto his left hand in henna dye. Its symbolism works so perfectly in the story, it seems deliberate --
Whether portrayed as good or evil, wolves are always powerful, and the same can be said about a wolf tattoo. Native Americans viewed the wolf as a totem animal or spirit sent to help guide us through life, symbolizing loyalty and perseverance. In legends, the wolf had great powers given by the Great Spirit.
I just thought having a wolf instead of some mass of Sanskrit or Hindu symbols on his hand would look cool and different. No other reason...consciously. He snuck it in on me through my subconscious. Hell, if I'd just shut my brain up and let things flow, I'd have more of this happen...as it has on previous occasions.
Like happening onto The Banks of Claudy, as sung by the Johnstons. I liked how it fit with Brendan's walk in the middle of the night to try and meet up with his brother, who's on the People's March that's about to end in disaster and is spending the night in Claudy, not far from Derry...how it also connected him to Joanna, a girl he'd only seen but not spoken to, yet...but it wasn't till I worked it in that I paid attention to how perfectly the lyrics fit the whole of the story.
The song's about a woman weeping for her lover, who's gone across the ocean to America, and how she longs for his return...which he does, and she doesn't recognize him. Again, not something I deliberately chose but was brought to me by Brendan...one of the characters asking me to tell his story in the clearest way possible.
It even happened with the first script I wrote for a guy in graduate school -- The Phantom of the Capitol. It wound up having a character as its protagonist who's feeding information about a bribery scandal in the Texas State Capitol Building to a reporter he likes but who's paying him little attention...in short, he's bribing her to like him. I didn't plan that subtext; it just came together that way.
I need to shut up and listen to me.
Whether portrayed as good or evil, wolves are always powerful, and the same can be said about a wolf tattoo. Native Americans viewed the wolf as a totem animal or spirit sent to help guide us through life, symbolizing loyalty and perseverance. In legends, the wolf had great powers given by the Great Spirit.
I just thought having a wolf instead of some mass of Sanskrit or Hindu symbols on his hand would look cool and different. No other reason...consciously. He snuck it in on me through my subconscious. Hell, if I'd just shut my brain up and let things flow, I'd have more of this happen...as it has on previous occasions.
Like happening onto The Banks of Claudy, as sung by the Johnstons. I liked how it fit with Brendan's walk in the middle of the night to try and meet up with his brother, who's on the People's March that's about to end in disaster and is spending the night in Claudy, not far from Derry...how it also connected him to Joanna, a girl he'd only seen but not spoken to, yet...but it wasn't till I worked it in that I paid attention to how perfectly the lyrics fit the whole of the story.
The song's about a woman weeping for her lover, who's gone across the ocean to America, and how she longs for his return...which he does, and she doesn't recognize him. Again, not something I deliberately chose but was brought to me by Brendan...one of the characters asking me to tell his story in the clearest way possible.
It even happened with the first script I wrote for a guy in graduate school -- The Phantom of the Capitol. It wound up having a character as its protagonist who's feeding information about a bribery scandal in the Texas State Capitol Building to a reporter he likes but who's paying him little attention...in short, he's bribing her to like him. I didn't plan that subtext; it just came together that way.
I need to shut up and listen to me.
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