Cozy up by the Campfire
Notes of nostalgia and a special sauce of snow
Hey! What’s your earliest memory?
Last week I mentioned wanting to share some of the inspiration, creation and continued articulation of Besnowed.
A look into why I wrote my nostalgic novel.
A Tale of Two Winters
The two main ingredients were always meant to be nostalgia and snow.
I wanted a winter story.
It probably helped that when these thoughts first began creeping into my mind, my corner of the world was ready to embrace those colder months of the year.
What would become Besnowed always focused on families and festivals as well as the weather. Nascent ideas brewing into a grander reflection of the holidays and the season.
I noticed similarities in how I grew up celebrating Christmas - or how I grew up thinking it should be celebrated - and how I experienced Chinese New Year with my in-laws.
Both sides of the world shared a specific appreciation for meals and memories. Even as the cultures and mores differed and shifted from one family to the other, the emotions remained largely the same.
A common feeling of holiday spirit when it’s cold outside. Finding warmth and protection in the fires from the kitchens and the gifts between guests.
While my inspiration may be clearly rooted in two places, I also wanted to make the final result as universal as possible. Celebrating the shared emotions of people gathering for holidays the world over.
Absence of Evil
One of the defining features of Besnowed is how it floats through a somewhat slice-of-life genre. The whole story occupies a vague space within the realm of exploration and character study.
However, I didn’t always plan for it to be that way. I was far from confident in such a choice and the earliest scribbles of the earliest notes included an encroaching doom.
Some kind of antagonist threatening the small village with annihilation. The protagonist would need to learn to overcome insecurities and fight off said villain. Victory and the holidays sparking a new sense of joy into the atmosphere after the inevitable triumph.
The antagonist later took shape in a mythical beast that haunts the local village and their traditional stories. Merely mentioning the name of this unspeakable evil would strike visceral fear into the hearts of true believers.
That somehow didn’t seem satisfying in the right way and the backtracking began. I soon thought of having a similar monster posing a similar existential threat. Impending invasions always on the horizon.
But the “monster” would be revealed to not really exist. A symbol for the harsh conditions of the climate and the weather. The constant war waged against that most villainous nature.
In the end I left out any specific antagonist. Many traditional Christmas stories take that approach as well.
I find that absence opens up new ways to explore the emotions behind the holiday.
So I decided to do the same with Besnowed.
Defining a Story
While writing Besnowed I found myself filled with doubt and fear whenever I thought about how it would be received. Swefen and his family exploring a snowy village may not be enough intrigue for everyone.
Thankfully, the nostalgic flavors of my soup gave me an idea to preserve the style I wanted while adding a clearer plot to the spices.
I would have a love story unfold in a series of flashbacks throughout the book!
I saw those dreamlike threads coming together in a fuller quilt filled with every character’s memories.
The history of a family over generations, moments melting into decades.
The stories we hear at feasts, guests gathering for rowdy conversations.
The love we share with each other, finding peace in the way our fingers feel when we hold hands.
All within the snowy frame of a winter holiday. The essence of that reflection woven into the very fabric of my story.
Shifting Seasons
The last defining detail I want to share is in the subtle setting. Playing with the theme of expectations turnt on their head, I thought it would be a fun exercise to force people to question their very idea of “winter”.
By having Besnowed take place in Antarctica.
In order for the story to not be cast in the shadows of an eternal night, that meant having the idyllic northern hemisphere’s winter translated into an Antarctic summer!
I hope these few highlights and short insights help you enjoy my story more, regardless of the wheres and whens.
Until next time.
Cheers,
John