Friday, October 30, 2020

A Hopeless Romantic.

 Looking into the world from Beyond the Veil and the folklore that surrounds it.
Part 7.
To my dearest friends and followers,

Today I will be discussing chapters 24-27 of my novel, The Story of Hollyhocks (Tales from Beyond the Veil book 1). To check out my analysis of the previous chapters, click on the Archive in the right panel of the blog.

Chapter 24-27 are fairly uneventful when compared to the rest of the book, but I think they are very special chapters in their own right. More than anything, I believe that the simple events that unfold really showcase the friendship that has grown, and still is growing, between Hollyhocks and Edward. In the 27th chapter, the two characters even admit to sharing a special connection, acknowledging that they haven't known each other long (roughly a month at this time).

Chapter 24 continues the same day as the previous chapter, with Edward and company arriving in London, and then being led to his new lodgings, the infamous Garden Tower (built in 1225 and renamed the Bloody Tower in the 1500's.). Hollyhocks and her fairy friends encourage Edward to make the most of his time in the Tower. An invigorated Edward exclaims that he "cannot shatter so easily", in reference to his Uncle Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, who intends to "break" him.

In chapter 25, Edward has begun to settle into his new room. A large trunk is brought to his room containing several of his prized possessions. Of these items is a Bible written in Latin. Edward takes the Bible and lounges on the nook of the window. Hollyhocks is there with him, and he begins to read to her. It is a very casual moment between two friends. Hollyhocks has never heard of it or what it is about, so Edward briefly explains and then begins to read to her, translating what he knew in Latin into English for her to understand. 
Historically, during the time my story takes place, the Bible was very rare to have, except by the papacy and the highest nobles. A child would not have a copy in his bedroom. Also, Bibles were not what they are today. It would have been quite large and heavy, with the pages made of parchment (animal skin which has been treated for writing on), particularly vellum (the skin of a calf), meaning the pages themselves would have been treated very delicately, and not "quickly leafed through" as my story states. Basically, the picture I paint within my book is not historically accurate. I wanted the scene to be a very sweet, casual moment of reading together. Using the historically accurate Bible would have, in my opinion, taken away from what I was trying to communicate.

Chapter 26 showcases the harrowing moment Hollyhocks hears news of the fate of several of the characters in the story. She struggles with telling Edward what she knows, for fear of causing him grief. Her friends tell her they are there for her, to which she cries out, "Then who will be here for him?" She does tell him the news which weighs down the young king immensely, and understandably so.

The 27th chapter holds a special place in my heart. In it, we see Hollyhocks and Edward really connecting with each other, in ways that seem to embarrass the two, but are very sweet to observe for the reader. They are each glad to have the other there with them, and they express that. I believe this is the first time we catch a glimpse of the love they share for each other. Is it simply a love that best friends share for each other, or is it a romantic love? I could tell you my thoughts when I wrote it, but I'll leave the matter up to the reader to decide.
Through the actions, words, and thoughts seen throughout this chapter, I think we see a romantic side to Hollyhocks - and Edward too really. Let me explain, that by the use of the word "romantic" here, I mean in the sense of a dreamer, or a hopeless romantic - someone who has beautiful and unusual thoughts about life; someone who believes in love; someone who is a daydreamer and thinks up improbable notions. I think it definitely reflects a side of me. No, I'm not like that all the time, but I want to be, and I am sometimes. I suppose it's the part of me that writes fantasy stories and believes in them, or the part of me that married my first love, and sometimes like to think that my life is a book. XD

Next week I'll be going over chapters 28-31, which I am both excited about and slightly not looking forward to...
Also, beginning November 1st, I am starting NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)!! That will keep me pretty busy during the month, since the goal is to write 50,000 words. I'll be working on Tales from Beyond the Veil book 2, so yeah!
Thank you so much for reading!!

Yours truly,
Me

Additional:
Learn more about NaNoWriMo.
(search the hashtag #nanowrimo2020. I'll be posting updates on Twitter daily, and weekly on Instagram).

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