We believe sharing a bit about how we're feeling throughout this process could be beneficial to some. So, we'll start off with that before moving into the next letters of the novel writing process alphabet.
This last week was rough.
Although, it started out beautifully!
We have an established 'nature day' with our partner every two weeks from April thru October. He has a much more stressful existence, being that he is solely responsible for the household bills, his mother, & in a sense... us. He plays the role of caregiver just as much as he embodies the role of partner. And, we're so grateful! Anyway, these days are mostly for him to feel comfortable enough to just relax. And, Monday WAS relaxing! Unfortunately, it relaxed us into a coma. We were trapped in bed Tuesday & Wednesday. Incapable of doing much other than watching mindless TV & snuggling the cat. Come Thursday, Astin was able to rile up the words for his blog 'Understandably Ubiquitous', despite walking into it with VERY little understanding of the word 'ubiquitous'. Yet, the fog of depression still hung over our head. On Friday, we pushed ourself[ves] out the door & to our studio, where we proceeded to dance the funk away. On Saturday, we got BACK ON THE MAT & maxed out during a lifting session. Then comes today...
WE DON'T WANT TO WRITE THIS BLOG.
WE FEAR THE FUNK IS BACK.
WE NEED SUN & FUN.
Truthfully, we're unsure why the words aren't gracing the tips of our fingers today. We're not even to the meat & potatoes of the subject matter. If we were, it'd be understandable, because who WANTS to talk about their mommy issues?! But, maybe there's NOTHING wrong? Maybe this is just a matter of WILL?! So, here we are. But, if we're being honest... we're not happy about it.
sigh
And, yet... we write. --- KATHARSIS
is for FIRST ACT
Between Astin's passion for astrology, our collective view of creative projects as if they were children being birthed into the world, & our autistic love of numbers... we fixate pretty hard on dates. The 'conception date' of this novel was June 15th, 2026 [New Moon in Gemini]. Expecting parents often wait to announce their pregnancy until they've completed the first trimester [12 weeks]. Too many complications can occur during those beginning stages & it's heartbreaking to share tidings of joy, only to have to retract your statement. Maybe, we're jinxing ourselves by letting you in 'too early'.
All that to say, the conclusion of the first trimester for this project will be September 7th. We expect to have written approximately 17,500 words out of our planned 55,555 by then. Meaning, we will have ALL of the first act composed, as well as, the second act started.
The first act, in a three act story structure, is comprised of 25% of your book. In it, one will find 'the hook', 'the inciting event', & 'the first plot point'. Essentially, it is what helps the reader settle into the story, get to know the characters, & begin to understand the conflict that drives this story forward.
We will spend a fair bit of the first act retelling the original story in a way that doesn't incite repulsion. We understand most people's aversion to the Greek myths... what with all the incest & raping. It's understandably hard to read. And, yes... it is disturbing to think about someone's uncle breaking through the floor of the Earth & snatching them up without their consent. So, we've got ideas on how we'd like to reframe that. These will be the key features of the first act.
The first act also must introduce the MAIN CONFLICT. For our own selfish purposes, the conflict is between mother & daughter. Specifically, the concept of a mother who uses her daughter to regulate her internal chaos. Meanwhile, the daughter is further disconnecting from life because she doesn't feel as if she's living a life at all. She is merely floating through time & space. She wants only to GROW WINGS & FLY --- find her purpose. As the story goes on, the main conflict will play out fully. The reader will see WHY Persephone wishes to remain in the Underworld. They will also see Demeter untangle the threads of her own despair as she willingly chooses to descend to the depths below, where she FINALLY sees her daughter in a different light.
We found this --- https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/61a901161719c64106fde73b/62d98e37f06f990225a8e9b2_Dabble_Three_Act_Worksheet.pdf --- worksheet which may prove useful once we've officially started mapping out the story's structure.
is for GUSTATORY IMAGERY
Interestingly enough, we ran across a post on BlueSky last week detailing clairgustance. --- https://bsky.app/profile/honeybeeiris.bsky.social/post/3mqeqgi6nrc27 --- Which is the ability to taste foods, or non-foods, WITHOUT putting anything in your mouth. It reminded us of a conference we attended while selling Young Living Essential Oils. The woman behind the podium had everyone in attendance close their eyes while she walked us through an exercise that caused our lips to pucker. Using nothing but her words, she caused everyone to feel like they'd just ate a lemon! Amazing. This is exactly what gustatory imagery does, only using words on a page not spoken words.
Being that Persephone was often found amongst the flowers & she may or may not be the depiction of us in our former life... we thought, "Why not make her an herbalist?" So, we'll use a lot of gustatory imagery to help the reader feel as if they're drinking tea alongside her & her nymph friends before she descends into the Underworld, where things will NEVER taste as sweet.
"Persephone crafted her teas with intention. She inhaled the scent of each herb before placing a pinch of them into the jar. The chamomile softly wafted past her nose leaving a sense of peace in its wake. The rose teased her senses, gayfully promising an afternoon of laughter. The jasmine entranced everyone who dared take a whiff. Once the tea was steeped, she poured the hot liquid into a teapot, & served her friends the concoction. Their mouths burst to life just as the flowers do each Spring."
is for HERO'S JOURNEY
So, WHO is the hero of this story? Well, Persephone... sort of. But also, the heroes [who are yet to be named] that she is given the responsibility to mentor. Part of her 'call' is embodying the role of guide, but more than anything she is faced with the task of breaking free from her mother. To do this, she must assume the role of guide FOR HER MOTHER. This can only happen after she's well practiced in her role.
Remember those ANNOYING children's songs that were sung in rounds?
Well, this novel is one of those... in story form.
NO ONE is above transformation in this book.
Let's keep it simple, for now, & only focus on Persephone's hero journey.
Persephone's 'ordinary' world: Well, she's anything but ordinary... being that she's a goddess & all. But, her life isn't grandiose or anything. She spends her days picking flowers, making teas & tinctures, dancing through meadows, & basking in beauty. On the surface, one might say her life is 'perfect'.
Her call to adventure: One day, Persephone wanders off without any company. She approaches a part of the meadows she's never been before. There are flowers here she's never seen. The air even seems slightly 'off'. She can't place her finger on WHAT is so different, but she's certain she likes it... whatever 'it' is. And, THEN she hears a flower SPEAK TO HER... it even knew her name.
She REFUSES the call: She MAY return to this part of the meadow again, but she's not sticking around today. She's perplexed by a flower that can speak. She's intrigued by what it could want from her. But, she's 'safe' at home with her mother... right? She's 'happy' spending time with her friends... right?
She bumps into her mentor: In the original story, Hermes plays the ever important role of bringing her back to Demeter. Because Hermes has free reign of all three realms, they're ALWAYS informed. They can tell Persephone what she wants to know, fill her in on what her 'uncle', Hades, is really like. And, MAYBE... just maybe, she's ready to listen.
She decides to CROSS THE THRESHOLD: She returns to the talking flower. She makes the earnest decision that she will not only listen to what it has to say, she will follow ANY instructions it gives.
She faces TESTS, she makes ALLIES, & she realizes her ENEMIES: Not long after her arrival in the Underworld, Hades takes note of her apathy. She's unsure of herself down here. Who is she? If not the goddess of Spring? What does she do all day if not frolic amongst the flowers? So, he assigns her a 'job' --- quest guide --- & introduces her to her first 'heroine', a mother who recently died... leaving behind a trans child she is SURE will falter without her.
She APPROACHES her inmost cave: Persephone has never had 'responsibilities'. Sure, she was a goddess, but no one ever DEPENDED on her. And, while she kinda liked feeling 'important', she was VASTLY unprepared for the toll it would take on her mentally, emotionally, & even physically.
She's assigned her BIGGEST TEST YET: As if being responsible for a mother who was unexpectedly taken from her children wasn't enough, the trans child... the one whose mother she's currently walking through her 'quest'... arrives to request the retrieval of 'her' mother's soul. The people this child was left with REFUSE to see 'her' as 'HER' & 'she' isn't sure 'SHE' can take it anymore.
She claims her REWARD: Persephone comes up with a plan. She will select a 'fallen soldier' to return with this child. The soldier's quest is simple --- KEEP HER SAFE. She asks Hades for leave, so she can escort the child & this soldier safely back to Earth. She assures him that while she is above she'll speak with her mother about how happy she is in her new home. She plans to break the chains.
She walks the road BACK: The child & the soldier are safely returned. She can breathe easier. FOR NOW, all is well in both of their worlds. However, things in her world may not be so easy. Demeter's grasp on her is stronger than she thought.
Her RESURRECTION: She gives Demeter an ultimatum --- return to the Underworld & see for yourself how wonderful my realm is OR we sever ties. She doesn't wish to forget her mother, but she doesn't wish to remain a maiden FOREVER.
Her RETURN HOME: Demeter agrees to follow her home. Not only does she see how well Hades treats her daughter, she is witness to the respect Persephone receives from her 'subjects'. For the first time, she is able to see her daughter as the woman she has become... not the girl she once was.
We will likely refer back to this article --- https://reedsy.com/blog/guide/story-structure/heros-journey/ --- many a time while we continue refining this rough outline.
is for INCITING EVENT
We've just touched on this. The inciting event can also be referred to as the 'call to adventure'. Ideally, this happens at the 12% mark. In a novel with a word count goal of 55,555 that places the inciting event around the 6,666 point.
Spooky.
is for JUXTAPOSITION
In linguistics, juxtaposition is just a fancy word for contrast. According to Webster, juxtaposition means the act or instance of placing two or more things side by side often to compare or contrast. Or, to create an interesting effect.
There are MANY opportunities for contrast in this story.
The difference between Olympus & the Earth --- The difference between the Earth & the Underworld
The difference between Persephone & Demeter --- The difference between Persephone & the nymphs
The difference between Hades & Persephone's former suitors
We will do our best to explore them all. We'll also do our best to show similarities, too. Because, no one wants to read a book full of contrasting imagery. We all crave seeing the 'oneness' of humanity.
is for KATHARSIS
Catharsis or katharsis is a Greek word. It means to cleanse or to purge. It is derived from the verb 'kathairein', meaning to purify or to purge. It is related to the adjective 'katharos', meaning pure or clean.
Webster says that purge is both a verb & a noun. As a verb, it means to clear one of guilt; to free one from moral or ceremonial defilement; to cause evacuation from; to make free of something unwanted; or to get rid of. As a noun, it means the removal of elements or members regarded as undesirable & especially as treacherous or disloyal.
Writing is cathartic. This we, as authors, know. But, purging isn't always pleasant.
Hello?!? Morning after drunken debauchery, anyone?!
Our connection to our mother is no longer wanted. We've made that clear to her. We've made that clear to anyone who attempts to speak to us about her. We've made that clear to anyone who tries to replace her. But, gods damn if that woman's energy doesn't SEEP in when we least expect it. We're placing an immense amount of faith in this project. That IT will be the final purge. That IT will rid us of any moral or ceremonial defilement, perceived or otherwise. Because, while we do not see a full grown adult deciding to walk away from their family of origin as 'wrong' or 'evil', a whole lot of people disagree. We are also BEGGING this project to rid us of any remaining guilt left behind after walking away from the children birthed from this body seven years ago. We mentioned that Astin is our 'esoteric excellence'; he sees life through the lens of 9 year cycles. If one is looking through that lens, one may find comfort in the 'Fool's journey' --- the walk through the tarot. Year number seven would line up with the 7 of cups, the 7 of pentacles, the 7 of swords, & the 7 of wands.
7 of cups [upright] is the opportunity to FIND ONE'S PURPOSE --- it's the 'call to adventure'. And, we have NO DOUBT that writing is our calling. One oughta be careful with the 7 of cups energy, as it can be full of illusions, which may lead one into disarray [reverse].
7 of pentacles [upright] is represented by a person tending to their garden. It speaks of the hope one finds in watching something grow. We are perpetually amazed every time one of our 'hair-brained ideas' [like this one] manifests into a worthwhile investment. But, EVERY time we say, "Let's do this," we overcome the limiting beliefs that kept us stagnant for YEARS [reverse].
7 of swords [upright] warns of betrayal, deception, strategy, & dishonor. Hell, we may be setting ourselves up for deception & dishonor by sharing details of this project before we've REALLY started on it. But, we'd be remiss if we didn't follow the soft voice saying, "This is right." And, that would be self-deceit [reverse].
7 of wands [upright] speaks to one's perseverance & their defiance of anything that stands in their way. We started this blog out by detailing how RESISTANT we were to writing today. And, yet... here we are THREE HOURS LATER... still writing. Because, we're committed to NOT GIVING UP [reverse].
If you made it to the end of this blog, give yourself a tip. This went on FAR longer than we expected, ha! However, if you made it ALL THE WAY here & you're still enjoying yourself, consider sending us a tip. The support we receive from our followers is our ONLY income & not a single penny goes unnoticed.
Thanks for EVERYTHING,
Beaux Oxlow