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a witch novel



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19 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 1754
Reviews: 19
Tue Nov 24, 2009 5:26 am
chellelynn says...



Haha okay, so that isn't exactly the title for the novel, but it's going to be about a witch so I figured it was fitting. I've been dying to write a novel for a long time now. I've attempted one in the past, got about 156 pages in, lost interest, and haven't gone back since. Anyways, so now I've got a new idea, something I've never thought to try before. So far, this is what I have for a plot idea:

- A witch from our time comes across an old photo while cleaning her grandmother's attic. It is a photo of witches being burned at the stake in the 1960's. As soon as she touches it, she gets this feeling of motion sickness in the pit of her stomach. Turns out, the photo is a portal that causes only a direct descendent of one of the witches being burned to transport back to the very day of the burning, and the MC gets sent back to Salem times. Landing just outside the line of forest surrounding the burning, MC watches in horror at the atrocious acts being committed before her. From her position in the forest, MC hears the humans shrieking in delight, glad that the witches are gone. She hears a man call out to the rest that they must search for the woman's granddaughter and suddenly, the humans are running in all directions, causing MC to take off deeper into the forest. *Here, I need to make a decision - a) MC has come back as the now dead witches' granddaughter, and is now being targeted by the humans or b ) As MC runs, she meets the dead witches' granddaughter and together they continue to run.* In the modern day that the MC comes from, witches are known to the world of regular humans and, though they don't interact too much, they have grown to accept one another. In the Salem times, everybody had suspicions about witches and terrible accusations about them. Thrown into this shocking new world, the MC has to learn to live in this brutal time and, along the way, becomes "adopted" by a group of witches on the run. She explains to them that she is one of NAME OF DEAD WITCH HERE'S descendents from the future and together, the group hides within the safety of the forests, moving farther away from their hometown each day. I'm also thinking of throwing this idea into this as well: There is currently a war going on between witches and the goddess that they worship, NAME HERE and an evil species, a former witch who has sort of "fallen from grace" and betrayed the goddess. It is his plan to take over the world one state at a time by killing off any and all regular people who stand in his way and manipulating the minds of witches and turning them against the goddess.

Uuuh, so yeah. In there I plan on, obviously, having a little romance plot because what good is a novel without one?! So what do you all think? Advice, additions, things I should take out/don't make any sense? When I say witches I don't mean the creepy, evil witches. I mean individuals that are deeply connected to the earth and to spirituality and whatnot. If anybody has any information about old folk tales that people had long ago about gods/goddesses to stick in here to make it more interesting, feel free to tell me!
The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirious of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars
  





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Reviews: 56
Tue Nov 24, 2009 10:07 am
hero says...



OK. I liked the first idea, modern witch transported through time and all that, but a few points:

1) Historical Accuracy. Very few witches were burnt at the stake. Most of them were hung, because gallows could be used again and again and again, making them cost efficient, or more so than stakes. Also, the 1960s was not the era of witch-burnings, that was the 1700s to 1800s. The 60s was the time of, well, the Beatles, Vietnam, JFK, the men in space, that sort of thing. Just pointing out.
2) I kind of think that the thing of how current novels make witches all misunderstood is a bit dodgy, because its a kind of New Age-y thing. Nothing against New Age, but its used too often, I think. Cut the New Age/Pagan/Wiccan goddess-worship thing, because everyone has done it. (figuratively)
3) Reading the last bit, I couldn't help but think, 'Urgh.' Seriously, there's always a division between good and evil. And anyway, why is the evil one male? I mean, I'd sooo read about a male witch, constantly arguing that he is a wizard, and being told by his granny 'No, you're a witch, boy. Now get on with it, novice.' But male/female evil/good? Urgh. Too... urgh. Change it.

So, all in all, I think that it would be better if it were a) a male protagonist (don't need to do that, just interesting to read about), b) historically accurate, c) no New Age/Wiccan/Pagan stuff, and d) witch trials mostly went on in the 1400s to 1800s or so.
So, the beginning sounds good, just not the rest of it.
This guy is so evil you could put him in between two slices of bread and call him an evil sandwich.

Coming at you like a jetpack Shakespeare.

Hero's Reviews
http://www.youngwriterssociety.com/topic53905.html
  





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19 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 1754
Reviews: 19
Tue Nov 24, 2009 10:39 pm
chellelynn says...



Oh man, the 1960 date was DEFINATELY a mistype on my part haha. I had actually meant to put 1690 as I'm debating whether it should be placed a few years earlier than the Salem Witch Trials or in 1692 when it actually happened). Your other suggestions were very helpful as well. The whole god/goddess worshipping is starting to get too confusing in my head.
The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirious of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars
  








Poetry is the art of creating imaginary gardens with real toads.
— Marianne Moore