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i have this image in my head... and it's so vivid, so inescapable, such a perfect encapsulation of the thematic arc... it's haunting me i swear to god

but i can never write it into existence. there are some things that cannot be captured in words, you know? not with the same kind of power and subtlety as a visual. there are also pov problems - tide pools is pretty strictly third person limited, switching between isabel and celine in terms of narrative focus, and the scene i have in mind is just jules

and he has to be alone. it's why the image is so perfect, so evocative. i can't let it go and yet it'll never see the proverbial light of day

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have basically done none of this!! I got sick & then lost all motivation/inspiration BUT I've got it back now (I think) so I'll be working on it a lot this weekend

progress report #2

so much has happened in the past two days that this feels like an actual, fully formed idea now instead of a vague world and one developed character. i finished the chapter i was working on and started the next BUT it's turning out to be a much better opening soooo i'm going to switch the order of the chapters!

the new first chapter (which i haven't finished) is going to be such a great thematic, tone-setting, exciting opening to what will be the best thing i've written to date... the entire story is going to be told in the first chapter!!! the thematic arc & the climax are both going to be mirrored there

and it's actually making me more and more confident about my ability to do it again, you know? like i'm cracking the code or developing the formula for a style of writing and a story structure that will be replicable without being repetitive

anyways, this week i'm going to finish the new first chapter and outline the next couple of chapters. i also want to do some character development for the side characters, mostly leo and amelie

if i have time, i'd like to write out some of celine's backstory as well and decide what i want to add to the (now) second chapter

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progress report #2

so much has happened in the past two days that this feels like an actual, fully formed idea now instead of a vague world and one developed character. i finished the chapter i was working on and started the next BUT it's turning out to be a much better opening soooo i'm going to switch the order of the chapters!

the new first chapter (which i haven't finished) is going to be such a great thematic, tone-setting, exciting opening to what will be the best thing i've written to date... the entire story is going to be told in the first chapter!!! the thematic arc & the climax are both going to be mirrored there

and it's actually making me more and more confident about my ability to do it again, you know? like i'm cracking the code or developing the formula for a style of writing and a story structure that will be replicable without being repetitive

anyways, this week i'm going to finish the new first chapter and outline the next couple of chapters. i also want to do some character development for the side characters, mostly leo and amelie

if i have time, i'd like to write out some of celine's backstory as well and decide what i want to add to the (now) second chapter

[tidepoolswip]

well it's been a couple weeks, and i've done everything in this list! and a lot more but that's another thing. the chapter definitely needs another scene or two, to balance the weight of the new first chapter (i'll get to that) at the very least

progress report #1

i'm working on expanding the first scene into a full chapter. once i'm done, i'll reevaluate whether or not i'll need another scene or two to round it out. in terms of research/outlining, i'm working on general worldbuilding & collecting information. i would also like to spend some time this week on character development, specifically for Isabel and Jules

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Handbook Of Medicinal Herbs by James A. Duke

using this as a reference for folk medicine in-world, just as a basis for the kinds of properties i want to be talking about, dosages, limits to herbal medicine, etc. i'm working on compiling a list of plants that isabel would be familiar with & their uses (erring on the side of 'eh close enough' for most things)

i think i'll probably opt to use description over plant names wherever possible to avoid etymology concerns as well as to avoid it becoming too instruction-manual-for-sketchy-home-remedies

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The Religion of the Ancient Celts by J. A. MacCulloch

i'm using this primarily as a source on divination methods used by celtic peoples (the difference between celtic and briton is murky & i don't feel like being particular about it) so i just skimmed ch. 16

obviously, i'll be cherry-picking... not super interested in writing about human sacrifice atm and divination via entrails is kinda gross in general! i'll also use some divination methods that make sense for the geography (throwing salt into a fire, reading patterns in sand, etc.) whether or not they have historical basis in briton regions

[tidepoolswip]

progress report #1

i'm working on expanding the first scene into a full chapter. once i'm done, i'll reevaluate whether or not i'll need another scene or two to round it out. in terms of research/outlining, i'm working on general worldbuilding & collecting information. i would also like to spend some time this week on character development, specifically for Isabel and Jules

[tidepoolswip]

i've had a TIME doing research for this project already... also, sharing it with my sisters, who i am currently in a very haphazard writing group with

first of all, the reference location/culture research is grueling, to say the least. unfortunately, like most of europe in the middle ages, france was split up into fiefdoms and apparently the history/culture of an obsolete state is a specialized topic that my local library does not carry books on

that isn't really the worst of it though bc most of the info i need i can find online/doesn't matter if i fudge the details, because tide pools is not literally set in medieval britanny, just a fantasy world loosely based on medieval britanny

finding sources on werewolf myths is much more of a priority & much harder, mostly because it's like pulling teeth trying to get people online to cite their sources on mythology/magic/paranormal shit and i do not want to wade through new age spiritualist blogs who think there was a genuine pagan witch cult being persecuted in the middle ages (thank you margaret fucking murray) or that male doctors threw midwives on the stake so they could take over medical practice (in a more indirect way, thank you margarent fucking murray. i also blame anti-vaxxers)

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Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space - Amanda Leduc

Magic: A History: From Alchemy to Witchcraft, from the Ice Age to the Present - Chris Gosden

The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe - David M. Perry & Matthew Gabriele

The Dancing Goddesses: Folklore, Archaeology, and the Origins of European Dance - Elizabeth Wayland Barber

Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear - Erica Berry

admittedly, i'm the most excited to read wolfish and disfigured, though they will likely have the least direct impact on my worldbuilding. they'll be like the salt & pepper, the seasoning that brings out the other flavors and you may not notice... running on very little sleep if you couldn't tell

i will be skimming magic: a history & reading only select chapters from the bright ages bc i am only interested in a specific time period/location - medieval france, specifically

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so i get limited access to an academic database through my public library and man... i wish i still had access to my university's database. not only did it have a huge selection, it was also so much easier to search & cite from

only thing i miss about being a student i stg

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anyways back to my regularly scheduled programming.... aka reading monster fics & claiming it's research

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also, this book in unavailable rn on Internet Archive so i'll be checking back later

Werewolves, witches, and wandering spirits : traditional belief & folklore in early modern Europe by Kathryn Edwards

cannot find a used copy ANYWHERE & new it's $95 so likely will not be using it as a source if I can't find another way to read :(

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some general medieval magic sources (yeah ik they're all from the same journal sue me) cited in Chicago (duh)

Herzig, Tamar. "Witches, saints, and heretics: Heinrich Kramer's ties with Italian women mystics." Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft 1, no. 1 (2006): 24+. Gale Academic OneFile (accessed September 17, 2024). https://link-gale-com.infoway.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A150743484/AONE?u=nm_p_farm&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=417ab661.

Kieckhefer, Richard. "Mythologies of witchcraft in the fifteenth century." Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft 1, no. 1 (2006): 79+. Gale Academic OneFile (accessed September 17, 2024). https://link-gale-com.infoway.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A150743486/AONE?u=nm_p_farm&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=aa43b314.

Klaniczay, Gabor. "Shamanism and witchcraft." Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft 1, no. 2 (2006): 214+. Gale Academic OneFile (accessed September 17, 2024). https://link-gale-com.infoway.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A155403646/AONE?u=nm_p_farm&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=55320b65.

Nakanishi, Fumiaki. "Possession: a form of shamanism?" Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft 1, no. 2 (2006): 234+. Gale Academic OneFile (accessed September 17, 2024). https://link-gale-com.infoway.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A155403649/AONE?u=nm_p_farm&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=7a8b99b4.

Aakhus, Patricia. "Astral magic in the Renaissance: gems, poetry, and patronage of Lorenzo de' Medici." Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft 3, no. 2 (2008): 185+. Gale Academic OneFile (accessed September 17, 2024). https://link-gale-com.infoway.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A187694735/AONE?u=nm_p_farm&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=737e5871.

Ryan, Michael A. "To condemn a king: the dream of Bernat Metge and King Joan's ties with the occult." Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft 3, no. 2 (2008): 156+. Gale Academic OneFile (accessed September 17, 2024). https://link-gale-com.infoway.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A187694734/AONE?u=nm_p_farm&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=9296cfe9.

De Blecourt, Willem. "A journey to hell: reconsidering the Livonian 'werewolf'." Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft 2, no. 1 (2007): 49+. Gale Academic OneFile (accessed September 17, 2024). https://link-gale-com.infoway.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A166309545/AONE?u=nm_p_farm&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=3d53bee2.

[tidepoolswip]

The Book of Were-Wolves by Sabine Baring-Gould

Current references for worldbuilding:

Legends and Romances of Brittany - fairy & pixie lore from brittany

Witchcraft in Europe, 400-1700: A Documentary History - primary sources on medieval beliefs surrounding witchcraft

The Witchcraft Reader - essays on witchcraft

I'd like to find a couple references for french wolf hunts in the eighteenth century and medieval werewolf cults (drawing up a blank on the specific location of the one I'm passingly familiar with) - preferably some that are public domain or that I can access through my library

[tidepoolswip]

The Werewolf in Lore & Legend by Montague Summers

Bisclavret by Marie de France

Current references for worldbuilding:

Legends and Romances of Brittany - fairy & pixie lore from brittany

Witchcraft in Europe, 400-1700: A Documentary History - primary sources on medieval beliefs surrounding witchcraft

The Witchcraft Reader - essays on witchcraft

I'd like to find a couple references for french wolf hunts in the eighteenth century and medieval werewolf cults (drawing up a blank on the specific location of the one I'm passingly familiar with) - preferably some that are public domain or that I can access through my library

[tidepoolswip]

Current references for worldbuilding:

Legends and Romances of Brittany - fairy & pixie lore from brittany

Witchcraft in Europe, 400-1700: A Documentary History - primary sources on medieval beliefs surrounding witchcraft

The Witchcraft Reader - essays on witchcraft

I'd like to find a couple references for french wolf hunts in the eighteenth century and medieval werewolf cults (drawing up a blank on the specific location of the one I'm passingly familiar with) - preferably some that are public domain or that I can access through my library