Carl Jung described synchronicity as “meaningful coincidence”. Two events occur and you may not see the connection until later. I'm pretty sure that happened to me this past week.
While reading Vogler’s book on mythic structure (see previous post), I kept thinking about my first story, the one shelved after querying about a dozen agents. Too few, you say? Perhaps, but upon close inspection it was clear the writing needed work, lots of work.
Even so, I always believed the tale itself had a solid foundation: a girl on a quest to retrieve an ancient power stolen from the sea.
Quest? Did someone say “quest”? What every hero undertakes?
Fingers crossed, I made a list of Vogler's 12 stages of the Hero's Journey to see if they matched elements from my book.
Eccola!
Not only does my story cover every stage, but there's also a healthy batch of archetypes (a term also coined by Jung). All I need to do is find the proper words to captivate my readers. Easy, right? ;-)
I didn’t know that buying this book would bring me back to a story waiting to be rewritten, but that's what happened. Synchronicity in action!
How about you? Ever realize that two things you thought unconnected were actually linked?
June 22, 2010
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I can't think of any examples off the top of my head (wouldn't you know) but I live for synchronicity. It's why I stopped teaching and went into research. Discovery of even the tiniest unexpected connection gives me a thrill. Synchronicities are so much more fascinating than causation.
ReplyDeleteOh, and you absolutely must rework that manuscript!
Do you think that subconsciously you were looking for something that would bring you back to your first book? Either way, it sounds like you're very excited about it!
ReplyDeleteVR: I know there have been many more examples in my own life, but they're hard to drum up at a moment's notice. Yes, the MS reworking had begun.
ReplyDeleteStephanie: The subconscious works in many ways and I think it contributes to synchronicity, but, yes, I have been wanting to go back. This book was just the right stimulus at the right time.
I love Vogler's book! It's a gem.
ReplyDeleteIt takes you deep into the character. If you've got all the stages, then your novel is on the right track, for sure.
Darcy
Darcy: I've been known to meander, so I'm truly thankful to have a resource like Vogler's to guide my work.
ReplyDelete