Author's Notes for "The Misty Solitudes"
Sep. 27th, 2009 07:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
starwatcher_fic.
When I was in sixth grade, my teacher alternated two types of literature / writing exercises every Friday. During one exercise, he'd put three titles on the board -- something very open-ended like "Garbage Day" or "Green Cheese". Students would choose a title they liked, and then we had a week to write a story around that title.
The other exercise was to put a poem on the board. We'd copy it into our workbooks, then had to memorize it by the next Friday -- when we'd have to prove we'd done so by reciting it when called upon. I have a mental quirk that makes rhythm and rhyme extremely easy for me to memorize (works for song lyrics, too), but I've long since forgotten the poems he gave us -- all except for "The Way Through the Woods". He only gave us the first verse, but something about the image just clicked for me; I remembered it for the next six years.
Then in college, when I was going through a book of Kipling's collected poetry, I discovered that my all-time favorite poem had a second verse. And, WOW! What an image it presented! I promptly typed it up and memorized it. I'd recite it occasionally for friends, but mostly it just sat in the storehouse of my mind.
A couple of years ago when the poem crossed my mind (as it occasionally does), I realized that, if Jim could see Molly, he could see Kipling's rider where there is no road through the woods. (Sometimes it seems that everything I do or think eventually ties into The Sentinel.) Then the plot bunny waved his ears at me -- Jim and Blair camping, Jim hears the ghost rider, then... I never know what 'then' is until I start writing.
I think I was working on "Moving Forward" at the time, so this one got put on the back burner. With Sentinel Angst dues coming up, it seemed a good time to tackle the idea and see what would happen. Once again, a story grew far beyond my expectations, but Jim and Blair were just having too much fun to force the pace. *g*
My thanks to Arianna and Jess Riley for the beta. They both contributed ideas that enriched the story, and showed weak spots that needed to be reinforced; I'm so grateful to have their input.
Specific story points for those who care --
Provided for the non-horsey folk, since every interest has its own jargon that outsiders may not recognize: In horses, 'chestnut' is a shade of bright reddish brown, with same-colored mane and tail, and sometimes white 'socks' on lower legs. 'Bay' is also reddish-brown, ranging from bright to much darker, with black mane and tail, and black lower legs, which can be marked with white 'socks'.
I discovered that catnip or bay leaves can enhance visions or psychic abilities from this site. I wanted Blair to use something to help him move to the spirit plane, but it had to be likely to be found in a small town, which ruled out the more esoteric herbs. I had no idea that bay leaves could be used for other than cooking, or catnip to entice our furry friends. The Internet is a fantabulous tool.
I chose the name 'Featherstone' from some distant memory; to me, it just sounds intrinsically British. Jess Riley did the research that proved it's a real name with a long history, with a family crest and coat of arms. Googling shows several variations of each, and even in spelling the name; I guess the family history goes back so far that there's been plenty of time for it to develop offshoots.
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When I was in sixth grade, my teacher alternated two types of literature / writing exercises every Friday. During one exercise, he'd put three titles on the board -- something very open-ended like "Garbage Day" or "Green Cheese". Students would choose a title they liked, and then we had a week to write a story around that title.
The other exercise was to put a poem on the board. We'd copy it into our workbooks, then had to memorize it by the next Friday -- when we'd have to prove we'd done so by reciting it when called upon. I have a mental quirk that makes rhythm and rhyme extremely easy for me to memorize (works for song lyrics, too), but I've long since forgotten the poems he gave us -- all except for "The Way Through the Woods". He only gave us the first verse, but something about the image just clicked for me; I remembered it for the next six years.
Then in college, when I was going through a book of Kipling's collected poetry, I discovered that my all-time favorite poem had a second verse. And, WOW! What an image it presented! I promptly typed it up and memorized it. I'd recite it occasionally for friends, but mostly it just sat in the storehouse of my mind.
A couple of years ago when the poem crossed my mind (as it occasionally does), I realized that, if Jim could see Molly, he could see Kipling's rider where there is no road through the woods. (Sometimes it seems that everything I do or think eventually ties into The Sentinel.) Then the plot bunny waved his ears at me -- Jim and Blair camping, Jim hears the ghost rider, then... I never know what 'then' is until I start writing.
I think I was working on "Moving Forward" at the time, so this one got put on the back burner. With Sentinel Angst dues coming up, it seemed a good time to tackle the idea and see what would happen. Once again, a story grew far beyond my expectations, but Jim and Blair were just having too much fun to force the pace. *g*
My thanks to Arianna and Jess Riley for the beta. They both contributed ideas that enriched the story, and showed weak spots that needed to be reinforced; I'm so grateful to have their input.
Specific story points for those who care --
Provided for the non-horsey folk, since every interest has its own jargon that outsiders may not recognize: In horses, 'chestnut' is a shade of bright reddish brown, with same-colored mane and tail, and sometimes white 'socks' on lower legs. 'Bay' is also reddish-brown, ranging from bright to much darker, with black mane and tail, and black lower legs, which can be marked with white 'socks'.
I discovered that catnip or bay leaves can enhance visions or psychic abilities from this site. I wanted Blair to use something to help him move to the spirit plane, but it had to be likely to be found in a small town, which ruled out the more esoteric herbs. I had no idea that bay leaves could be used for other than cooking, or catnip to entice our furry friends. The Internet is a fantabulous tool.
I chose the name 'Featherstone' from some distant memory; to me, it just sounds intrinsically British. Jess Riley did the research that proved it's a real name with a long history, with a family crest and coat of arms. Googling shows several variations of each, and even in spelling the name; I guess the family history goes back so far that there's been plenty of time for it to develop offshoots.
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