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Hello fellow Raga-rootlings!
I hope you all have had the chance to enjoy the Christmas special released last week! I for sure know I had a lot of fun writing it and it does bring me joy to see my characters outside of the original story just to show some of the quirks and personalities they each have. Admittedly, I had a brief moment while writing Claire about what kinds of gifts to get her. She would be the type of friend that even if I had to shop for, I wouldn’t really know what would suit her. Since she is the kind of girl that generally gets what she wants any time of the year, she is one of those classifications of hard to shop for women.
But Alas, today is not about me writing about the short, although some aspects of it are part of my thoughts. With this Christmas challenge for myself, I have been digging into idea prompts and even suggestion lists to rake my brain. Personally speaking, Christmas is not an easy time of the year for me and finding the Spirit of Christmas has always been a struggle. I want to write something that has meaning and gives that sense of readers gratification. This got me thinking about most of the stories I love reading and authors who have inspired me. It’s easy to throw together a plotline, character details and flaws, then a general flow of events and sequences for some short form of telling. I remember that just having word prompts while in high school was enough for me to come up with a ridiculously spun tale of a half-human cat running around with a shotgun killing apocalyptic bunnies. To me at that time, just being to create was the only premise of writing that enticed me. A world of my own to twist and enchant on a whim, no boundaries to outlandish to cross.
To also shed some light on my influences, a childhood passion was reading works done by Piers Anthony. His world Xanth was enthralling. If you have never read any of the books, to sum it up it was a fantasy world built on puns. All the puns you could possibly think of, wordplay and literal meanings in a creative way to inflict havoc on the adventurers as they set out to complete their mission. Not only did this birth the moment where puns enlightened me to a whole world of humour, this also too sprouted a seed where comprehension was not limited to simplicity. Nowadays, being a dungeon master and creating campaigns and maps, helps me inflict pain upon my friends and family where I can masterfully watch them suffer for enjoyment. It’s not about actually watching them fail, but to see them solve the mystery with the outcome of the hero’s worthy of the world’s adoration.
This can also be accomplished with writing, however, there is nothing more satisfying than watching the story unravel before you, even without your full acknowledgement. This is the wonder that captivates me in writing and reading a story. This may have strayed from the original point a little, I promise this all ties in with my thoughts. Being that I want to create a realistic story that will hold the reader's captivated (Including myself), I have been thinking so much about the books and manga I've loved and adored for so many years to help in the methods of my own personal writings. To be able to keep these aspects of my moulded creativity accountable while I craft a story is what makes me strive to push forward. I don’t just want to write passionless blogs where people read them with no backings. If you as the readers aren’t invested then I feel a sense of failure for myself. Granted, not every person is going to share the same investment I have or will with each short, one-shot or ongoing story. That is unrealistic even for someone who believes in unicorns and rainbows. Just to be able to give one true feeling of wonder is all I hope for.
To bring this back full circle, I think of all the Christmas prompts and suggestions out there for stories and even though it is the same thing time and time again, I am always curious about what it was in the first place that draws us to love reading the same ageless tale? What is it about these Christmas stories that we love and read each year? Why do we watch the same movies each season as it approaches? How is it that we can create and recreate so many different Grinch movies and still find the same wonder as the last? These have been so prevalent in my thoughts as I have been trying to find the same passion and seasonal spirit in my life. This year is the hardest to achieve as well because of Covid since now we are physically limited to seek out these inspiring moments.
From talking with a friend about his genre of Manga versus mine, he made a very impactful point. Sometimes we just like a good fashioned love story. A believable story of romance and wonder. I have really been mulling his words over and it holds some truth to them. Why Christmas stories are so repetitive and similar is the same reason why I still pick up a story about two people falling in love, no matter how challenging the odds are for success. Because that is my fuel, my belief in happiness. Christmas is the spirit of hope and peace to the world, and that miracles can happen. We have so much faith that even with all the crap going on in our daily lives that there is a shred of goodness coming around the corner when we spread cheer and love. I may have a weird love and obsession for writing macabre and eerie stories, yet in the same sense, it holds no difference. I love the strange and creepy because it just tickles you in a way that is different.
I may have already mentioned some of these things before, yet it wasn’t really until now that I had a good understanding of what it is I want to accomplish. The major reason to write is to grow and challenge my skills since I want to improve. Everything I create out of it is just icing on a cake, you get the reward with just a little something sweet to enjoy along with it. Thank you everyone for sticking around and reading. With each post I do, I get more pumped to share something that everyone can enjoy and share.
I know this time of year is challenging for everyone, and if there is one thing I can offer, it is a pen-palship. Reach out if you are looking for a friend in these crazy times, and with that, I wish you all a happy and cheerful holiday. I will be trying to post the next story before Christmas Day.
See you soon Raga-rootlings!
Turan Turnip