February 05, 2013

Novel Thoughts

The first month of 2013 has passed me by. As all the months of my life seem to do these days, it passed by very quickly. However, I’ve experienced it quite differently than most.

One thing that has proven true is that things don’t often turn out just the way you plan them. I had hoped to do a lot of writing; that didn’t happen. But I completely surprised myself by coming up with my novel idea for NaNoWriMo, even though it’s many months away. This is a first for me. My previous Nano novels were both fantasy. They didn't require much for research. This time, I have my work cut out for me.

I began January by spending a lot of my free time paying attention to the hunger strike of Chief Theresa Spence here in Canada and the IdleNoMore movement. I was trying very hard to understand what was going on and finding myself very drawn to it. There are a lot of things in the world around me I’d like to understand better; I often tell myself that I just need to ignore whatever that thing is because I don’t have time for it. That wasn’t working with this situation. I told myself that I would soon have to leave it alone so that I could get to my writing.

Then I learned about The Journey of Nishiyuu. I had a strong emotional response to that. In case you don’t know what it is, I’ll explain. A small group of young men, with a guide or two, is walking from Whapmagoostui, which is on the eastern shore of James Bay all the way down to Ottawa. By the time they are done, they will have walked around 1500 kilometres. Probably the most significant thing isn’t the distance, but the type of walking. They are not walking on carefully manicured roads but through great stretches of snow covered forests and fields, following the old paths of their ancestors. This is a snowshoe walk, pulling supplies on toboggans, in weather that is so much colder than what most of us experience we can’t even imagine what it’s like. The other thing of great significance is that this is seen as a spiritual journey by the Indigenous People. This isn’t a demonstration, or a fundraiser, or even just an attempt to get the attention of our Prime Minister. In the hearts and minds of the Indigenous People, this is about connecting with Mother Earth, about prophecies, about drawing people together, and about leadership.

I remember thinking that I would love to write a story about their journey. But I realized that I would not be the one to tell that story. It would need to be told by a Native writer. But my thoughts continued. I thought of the whole picture. There were the hunger strike, the Journey and the many flash mobs taking place all over Canada. There were also the oil pipelines, the fracking, and the omnibus bills. I have a sense of history taking place in my own lifetime. Now that is a story! I can wait for it to play out, or I can tell the story this year, in my own way.

There is a strong connection between what is going on today and the first novel I wrote; I find that quite stunning. My first novel involved a small group of young people going on a journey for the purpose of saving the earth. The setting was very different, and it was a fantasy novel, but they did save their earth.

Saving our earth is something I am passionate about. I’ve heard that what you really need to write a good novel is to find something you are passionate about. Well, I’m thrilled that I have found that!

Now for the logistics. I want to write a story in a real place and time, but I want it to be fiction. That means I have to invent my own characters, and likely also my own businesses and organizations. The characters have to be different from real-life people in more than name. They will need to be unique, stand-alone characters. The beauty of unique characters is that they will tell their own story. It is a very good thing that November is a long way from now. I have a lot to figure out before then.

I feel like I am a gigantic sponge right now. I’m trying to absorb as much as I can about the issues facing our great land of Canada and its people. What better reason to learn more about the history, geography, peoples and politics of Canada than so that I can write a novel about it? I’m looking forward to seeing how this unfolds, while constantly having this niggly doubt that suggests this is way more than I can handle.

But it’s only a niggly doubt. I’m determined to keep moving forward with this. I know that one day this will be more than just a vague idea that probably doesn’t make sense to anyone else. There is a story to be told here. It’s not the story of what actually happens in the next few years; it’s the story of the native and non-native people in Canada who come together and prove the inherent worth of humanity, of Nishiyuu.

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