Halloween. A liminal time where the boundaries between our reality and the world of the spirits dissolves into the unknown. A time when the dead walk amongst us, and darkness presides in the coming of winter. This is a dangerous time. A time for ghosts, demons, witches, and other maligned creatures.
We love to be scared, and we love mystery. It’s fun to believe in the darker side of our reality, because that sense of danger excites us. There was a time, however, when such frivolities were the foundation of religion. Remnants of old Pagan beliefs can still be weeded through trick-or-treating, horror films, and the donning of costumes to disguise ourselves.
Ever-popular is the witch. She has been acknowledged through every era of history, from the Ancient Greeks to the Middle Ages, from the colonization of America to present day. She has taken many forms: the frightful but knowledgeable old crone to the benevolent and beautiful, and even the sexy sadistic sort. In every instance, however, she is reputed to have powers beyond what mortal men and women can fathom. That makes her mysterious, maybe a little dangerous, and practically semi-divine. Certainly she is not like us, and that opens the possibility for an interesting character.
At this point in our latest novel, I am writing in the setting of Mystland, a territory where witches and wizards live in exclusivity. In a land where magic-users (we call them “medori”) are common folk, how does one distinguish a particular witch? Dark or “black” magic has been outlawed in Mystland, but those who practice it can be culled no more than the drug-dealers from our own society.
So here we have the beginnings of our character. She will be a foremost expert in dark magic, but because she is so knowledgeable, the Mystland government makes use of her—overlooks her illegal practice to remain “in the know” of other such activities. But she is like a venomous pet snake: a healthy and warranted fear exists between her and her correspondents. Keep your distance, and you won’t be bitten. Another key trait: she is enshrouded in mystery. No one knows of what she is capable, how powerful she truly is, the truth behind her seemingly ageless face. Anything or anyone old or ancient has secrets long forgotten.
I want to experiment with this witch and give her inhuman qualities. Her corporeal form is nothing impressive or unusual, but the little things hint that she is more than a woman. A deadness in the eyes, a smell of lifeless flesh that remains animated by its wearer only because she takes the pains to keep her worldly façade. She is a monster in disguise. Can the other characters sense it? And if they can, will they listen to the screaming of their instincts, or will they be tempted by the power and knowledge she offers to them? You know those gifts don’t come without a hefty price. What will she ask of them?
She has to be creepy, to be sure, but everything I’ve listed thus far is nothing new in the realm of witches. How will she be unique? First, I intend to make her two people, not one. A mother and a daughter. I envision them living in a labyrinth of an ancient temple in the midst of a desolate and rotting forest where even the shadows are threatening. I think of the temple of Medusa in the original Clash of the Titans. These witches won’t be ugly or beautiful, but their nondescript appearance will hint at the evil you do not see upon superficial inspection.
How will I do all this—make my witches and the setting eerie and frightening? I have no idea. I’m not a master of horror; I can’t even watch those movies or read those books. I will draw on the elements that frighten us all: the dark, the unknown, the unlikely. A little poetic description goes a long way. Most of all, I hope to use the main characters as an extension of the reader. Feel their tension, their unease; know their thoughts, and witness their reactions. Seems like a rather grand undertaking, but I’m ready for it. ‘Tis the season for supernatural mayhem, and just about every classic fantasy is graced with a memorable witch.
-Stefanie
We love to be scared, and we love mystery. It’s fun to believe in the darker side of our reality, because that sense of danger excites us. There was a time, however, when such frivolities were the foundation of religion. Remnants of old Pagan beliefs can still be weeded through trick-or-treating, horror films, and the donning of costumes to disguise ourselves.
Ever-popular is the witch. She has been acknowledged through every era of history, from the Ancient Greeks to the Middle Ages, from the colonization of America to present day. She has taken many forms: the frightful but knowledgeable old crone to the benevolent and beautiful, and even the sexy sadistic sort. In every instance, however, she is reputed to have powers beyond what mortal men and women can fathom. That makes her mysterious, maybe a little dangerous, and practically semi-divine. Certainly she is not like us, and that opens the possibility for an interesting character.
At this point in our latest novel, I am writing in the setting of Mystland, a territory where witches and wizards live in exclusivity. In a land where magic-users (we call them “medori”) are common folk, how does one distinguish a particular witch? Dark or “black” magic has been outlawed in Mystland, but those who practice it can be culled no more than the drug-dealers from our own society.
So here we have the beginnings of our character. She will be a foremost expert in dark magic, but because she is so knowledgeable, the Mystland government makes use of her—overlooks her illegal practice to remain “in the know” of other such activities. But she is like a venomous pet snake: a healthy and warranted fear exists between her and her correspondents. Keep your distance, and you won’t be bitten. Another key trait: she is enshrouded in mystery. No one knows of what she is capable, how powerful she truly is, the truth behind her seemingly ageless face. Anything or anyone old or ancient has secrets long forgotten.
I want to experiment with this witch and give her inhuman qualities. Her corporeal form is nothing impressive or unusual, but the little things hint that she is more than a woman. A deadness in the eyes, a smell of lifeless flesh that remains animated by its wearer only because she takes the pains to keep her worldly façade. She is a monster in disguise. Can the other characters sense it? And if they can, will they listen to the screaming of their instincts, or will they be tempted by the power and knowledge she offers to them? You know those gifts don’t come without a hefty price. What will she ask of them?
She has to be creepy, to be sure, but everything I’ve listed thus far is nothing new in the realm of witches. How will she be unique? First, I intend to make her two people, not one. A mother and a daughter. I envision them living in a labyrinth of an ancient temple in the midst of a desolate and rotting forest where even the shadows are threatening. I think of the temple of Medusa in the original Clash of the Titans. These witches won’t be ugly or beautiful, but their nondescript appearance will hint at the evil you do not see upon superficial inspection.
How will I do all this—make my witches and the setting eerie and frightening? I have no idea. I’m not a master of horror; I can’t even watch those movies or read those books. I will draw on the elements that frighten us all: the dark, the unknown, the unlikely. A little poetic description goes a long way. Most of all, I hope to use the main characters as an extension of the reader. Feel their tension, their unease; know their thoughts, and witness their reactions. Seems like a rather grand undertaking, but I’m ready for it. ‘Tis the season for supernatural mayhem, and just about every classic fantasy is graced with a memorable witch.
-Stefanie
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