Post by Sara Mercury on Jan 5, 2010 12:49:21 GMT -5
My idea for The Looking Glass: Facing the Bad Ghost, came from my dreams about a university for post A-level students that specialised in the development of those with the psychic gifts, such as mind-readers, spiritualist/mediums, sensitives, etc., I named the school, Wolfgate School of Metaphysic Study and Psychic Development.
The dream was very vivid. There, I met the professor who taught a class called, Overcoming Negative Barriers. (The negative barriers were all based in one thing: FEAR.) (Note: There is a very real spiritual person behind the character of Professor Hathaway, but more on that later.)
In my dreams about the WolfGate school, there was a LOOKING GLASS that the professor used in his private tutorials with his students... something you could look into and see yourself, but at the same time, you are also looking at a reflection of your own worst fear! The looking glass in my story would also be symbolic of self-reflection. So, with all of its mystic powers, the looking glass became the medium that would bring my main character's worst fears out into the open.
For a while, I kept having dreams about attending the WolfGate school at night... from the private tutorials with Professor Hathaway; to his lectures in the classroom; the homework assignments; my talks with Emily... even the part where I sneaked out during the Full Moon Lockdown and met up with a ghost who very much resembled HEATH LEDGER! (Two days later was when the actor died, coincidentally! Weird... but a true story!) Also coincidentally was the fact that his character, Galen Moreland, was supposedly rumoured to be a "ghost" in the book! But hey, it just goes to show you; truth is sometimes stranger than fiction! (Needless to say, when I write a book, I never know who is going to turn up in them!)
Well, these dreams of mine continued until my first draft of the book was done. I've since gone back and filled any gaps in the story, of course, as well as done some extensive research on the subject of overcoming fear.
One of the underlying themes to the whole story is how fear can hinder true love; or keep us from even recognising it. Love can be staring us square in the face, but for us to experience love, we have to accept it as a gift.
Without accepting a gift, we cannot truly claim it, can we?
If we allow our fears to serve as a barrier to the truth, we will remain lost and confused within ourselves, and at the same time lock our own true love out and away from us. It is only through letting go of our irrational fears and recognising the purpose for any fears that do exist, that we can remove the blinders from our eyes and see love as it truly is... a gift freely given to each of us if we are only willing to accept it.
Bottom line: You have to accept yourself before you are able to accept true love.
The story itself focuses mainly on the relationship between Leah Taylor and Richard Hathaway, and how they cope with the Grey Ghost, who is the mysterious bad guy character that I always seem to create in all my works. The bad guy in this novel tries his dead-level best to split these two lovers up. An interesting question to note: Is the bad ghost merely a manifestation of Leah's worst fears? or is he an actual person" or just perhaps, he may even be a little of both.
Makes you wonder, doesn't it? Good.
The dream was very vivid. There, I met the professor who taught a class called, Overcoming Negative Barriers. (The negative barriers were all based in one thing: FEAR.) (Note: There is a very real spiritual person behind the character of Professor Hathaway, but more on that later.)
In my dreams about the WolfGate school, there was a LOOKING GLASS that the professor used in his private tutorials with his students... something you could look into and see yourself, but at the same time, you are also looking at a reflection of your own worst fear! The looking glass in my story would also be symbolic of self-reflection. So, with all of its mystic powers, the looking glass became the medium that would bring my main character's worst fears out into the open.
For a while, I kept having dreams about attending the WolfGate school at night... from the private tutorials with Professor Hathaway; to his lectures in the classroom; the homework assignments; my talks with Emily... even the part where I sneaked out during the Full Moon Lockdown and met up with a ghost who very much resembled HEATH LEDGER! (Two days later was when the actor died, coincidentally! Weird... but a true story!) Also coincidentally was the fact that his character, Galen Moreland, was supposedly rumoured to be a "ghost" in the book! But hey, it just goes to show you; truth is sometimes stranger than fiction! (Needless to say, when I write a book, I never know who is going to turn up in them!)
Well, these dreams of mine continued until my first draft of the book was done. I've since gone back and filled any gaps in the story, of course, as well as done some extensive research on the subject of overcoming fear.
One of the underlying themes to the whole story is how fear can hinder true love; or keep us from even recognising it. Love can be staring us square in the face, but for us to experience love, we have to accept it as a gift.
Without accepting a gift, we cannot truly claim it, can we?
If we allow our fears to serve as a barrier to the truth, we will remain lost and confused within ourselves, and at the same time lock our own true love out and away from us. It is only through letting go of our irrational fears and recognising the purpose for any fears that do exist, that we can remove the blinders from our eyes and see love as it truly is... a gift freely given to each of us if we are only willing to accept it.
Bottom line: You have to accept yourself before you are able to accept true love.
The story itself focuses mainly on the relationship between Leah Taylor and Richard Hathaway, and how they cope with the Grey Ghost, who is the mysterious bad guy character that I always seem to create in all my works. The bad guy in this novel tries his dead-level best to split these two lovers up. An interesting question to note: Is the bad ghost merely a manifestation of Leah's worst fears? or is he an actual person" or just perhaps, he may even be a little of both.
Makes you wonder, doesn't it? Good.