New WIP: ECHO
It’s happened again! A story concept has burrowed its way into me so thoroughly that I dream about it, fresh ideas for scenes and characters flowing freely through my subconscious. I’m waking up, grabbing my phone to hastily enter these thoughts into my notes app as coherently as possible in my sleep-addled state. Sometimes it takes a few read throughs in the morning to remember what the hell I was even talking about during these middle of the night awakenings, but when it clicks back in, it’s like, “Oooooh yeah! That’s good!” I haven’t experienced this since Seen & Unseen, so to say I’m loving this energy would be an understatement.
(Please note: This blog post contains some religious language to convey concepts, as it is integral to the story itself. If the religious rhetoric I’m using doesn’t work for you—it’s a central theme in the story, and contributes to the control required to keep this town in order—replace it with other language, but please keep the bones of what I’m saying. And if you, like me, have experienced religious trauma, proceed with caution.)
Once again, my daughter sparked an idea that’s grown into a flame I can’t—and wouldn’t want to—douse. So now, this adult speculative story with horror elements won’t leave me alone! It’s horror in the psychological sense, and I think it’s the perfect medium for asking the central thematic questions:
When we close our eyes to the truth, what monsters do we create?
What responsibility do we have for the sins of our fathers, if any?
And how do we examine our beliefs, when religion and culture tie our eternal fate to our silence in the face of this generational trauma?
Though ECHO is written for adults, if you enjoyed Small Favors by Erin A. Craig, the vibes of this one will be right on for you. It also might conjure feelings similar to what we experience in The Village. Inspired by my daughter’s idea, combined with the tales surrounding Lake Lanier and other well-known tragic locations, ECHO is a look at our dark history and the ways our past can come back to haunt us if we refuse to face it.
What’s the story about?
Mira Warren is a member of fictional Ashbridge, Virginia’s founding families and believes in their systems—the church, the terrifying bedtime stories about the Hollowed (who steal people at night), and the rules that keep them safe from the darkness. One moment of eye contact is enough to steal a curious soul, so nobody goes outside after curfew and everybody checks their locks at night. The Hollowed already took her husband three years ago, so when her daughter Claire is taken as well, Mira must break Ashbridge’s rules to seek help with finding her, even though none of the taken have ever been seen again. But with a town motto like, “eyes closed, hearts open,” silence is safety and obedience is peace, which leaves Mira on her own.
When Mira calls an emergency Founders meeting, Pastor Orin Carmichael (Ashbridge’s moral authority) expresses deep concern over her outspoken defiance, and moves to have her admitted to Riverside Chapel’s residential care and reeducation home. But the same evening she is to be admitted, Claire inexplicably returns from capture with a message for Ashbridge: change is coming. In a town that prides itself on consistency, the return of Claire alone is enough to throw everything they’ve ever known into turmoil. But with her strange demeanor, the knowledge she now possesses of long-buried town secrets, and the increase in Hollowed activity, nobody can deny the truth in her words. Still, some (like Pastor Orin) are convinced the girl is demonically possessed, sent to lead the faithful astray. “Better a known curse than the unknown sins of the fathers.” The town must open their eyes to the origins of this curse, or everyone in Ashbridge will condemn themselves to another century of lost loved ones.
Why this story feels important:
Anyone who has known me in recent years, knows that I’ve become somewhat politically outspoken. It’s been a special interest, but more than that it feels like an essential purpose at this point in history. I look at our current situation in this country and often wonder how different things might be if we’d pulled all our sins into the light and accounted for them. So much of our present-day problems feel like they’re the result of our compulsion to look away from our monsters rather than face them in all their raw and ugly truth. I think this stems, in large part, from the fear many have that their own faces (or the faces of those they love) might be reflected back at them if they look too closely at things head-on. But I truly believe we’re doomed to repeat the sins of our fathers, and curse the generations to come, if we don’t stop running from the darker realities of who we are and what we’ve done.
I also want to be sure to note: this story isn’t meant to be a condemnation; it’s a call for justice and healing. And I hope that by writing a fictional story about a fictional town, we might be more willing to look at it long enough to at least have a conversation.
Making Progress
I’ve been brainstorming for some time now, but I’ve only begun drafting this past week. My writing process seems to be different with every project still at this point, even 10+ manuscripts in. For this one, I wanted to make sure I spent my time up front doing the appropriate research and character exploration before jumping into drafting. Although I outlined the overall structure of it, I’m leaving room for the story to go where it needs to, and for the characters to develop organically as I write. I also wrote my query letter prior to beginning the drafting process, which is a first. I’m hoping it’ll help me stay focused on the heart of what I’m wanting to convey when it’s all said and done.
This story is a bit of a departure from some of my other work, in that it’s the first time I’ve written anything so connected with the horror genre. I still wouldn’t categorize this as horror, but there are definitely elements. In the same way I wouldn’t call Nettle & Bone horror, it has a darkness that does venture into that territory a bit. And so does this one. Perhaps as I get further into drafting (I’m only about 10k words in so far) it’ll move more in one direction or the other, though I’m not expecting that at this point. However, anytime there are unknown monsters stealing people at night, and a horrific tragedy that started this dark curse in the first place, there’s no avoiding at least a few little steps into horror territory.
Wish me luck!
Or something like that. Perhaps it isn’t luck I need… Wish me clarity and motivation! Inspiration. Passion. I must see this story on paper. So, as Seen & Unseen is with the editor, and while I’ve got this intense kinetic energy surrounding ECHO, I’m diving in head first. I’ve sent the first few chapters off to alpha readers already, and the feedback has been exciting. Even in this rough form it’s grabbing their attention, and they’re wanting more of the story. Hopefully I’ll have more for them in the coming weeks.
And with that, I’m off to draft ECHO!
