3. INTERWEAVING & LINKING

POST NO. 3

Interweaving a theme or thread through two different time frames.

When writing in two distinctly different time periods it is essential to have a theme or thread common to both. The thread becomes part of the linking mode. The theme of a story must become visible and tangible in other words it must take on qualities than can be expressed physically in both plot and character. The challenge for me in writing A Hint of Darkness was to have that theme or thread transcend the barriers of time.

'A Hint of Darkness' opens with a quote that epitomizes the theme for the novel.

Williams Jennings Bryan, famed orator and U.S. Congressman said,

 ‘Destiny is no matter of chance, it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved. ‘

I decided  that the over -reaching theme was that each of us has it within our power to achieve our aims and goals.  I used this quote as a linguistic tool to guide me in how I would portray Emmaline and Ellie’s life choices. This forged a strong link between the two characters.

2. A HINT OF DARKNESS: A brief Synopsis

Interweaving Historical & Contemporary Fiction

I thought it would make an thought-provoking combination to parallel the lives of the two women from different backgrounds & time periods.

Emmaline Gidley-King born in 1859 is well-educated and the only daughter of a wealthy family. She has one brother Thomas. Fast forward to Ellie Jamieson who is born in 1984; Ellie is well-educated comes from a middle class background and has one sister Adrienne.  

By interweaving two time periods, 19^th century & contemporary I was able to compare social & cultural issues.

At this point a brief synopsis of A Hint of Darkness will add clarity.

Emmaline and not her brother Thomas, is set to inherit the flourishing vineyard Chateau Fontenay located in Victoria’s Yarra Valley. Her future seems assured. Fate decrees otherwise. When Emmaline’s beloved Papa dies she thinks that nothing could ever exceed her pain and anguish. She is wrong.

Emmaline’s mother, Madeline, in a fit of vindictive rage casts her daughter out and into the company of distant relatives travelling to the Palmer River. En route to the gold fields the party is attacked and Emmaline escapes into the bush. She attaches herself to an Aboriginal tribe.

Where there is gold there are men, and where there are men there are brothels.

Upon her return to Cooktown Emmaline gives birth to her mixed race child in a house of ill repute. From a life of affluence and privilege she has sunk to the lowest rung on the social scale.  Emmaline records a period of her life in a series of journals.

More than a Century later Emmaline’s journals are entrusted to Ellie by her great grandmother Daisy. Ellie is pursued by her own demons. A young woman conditioned by her mother to think of herself as inferior, she uses her acerbic wit to cover her insecurity. Via the journals Ellie is privy to the disappointments, love, laughter, hopes and dreams, as well as the sordid side of life in a brothel. Yet, despite her circumstances, Emmaline’s belief in herself never waivers. Ellie realizes she isn’t bound to seek anyone’s approval, that strength, courage and love can determine a person’s destiny.

1. BEGINNING MY WRITING JOURNEY

A Hint of Darkness

With my 460 page novel undergoing its final edit, I’ve had a chance to reflect on my writing journey.

 While doing research on Christie Palmerston, a noted 19^th century explorer & very colourful character for whom the Palmerston highway was named, I became fascinated with the Gold rush phenomenon in north Queensland.  Thousands of men, afflicted by gold fever, came from all corners of the globe cutting a swathe across the largely unexplored wilderness. The transmogrification of Cooktown from virgin bush to thriving port was accomplished within the space of a few months.

Cooktown was the gateway to the Palmer River Goldfields.

I was intrigued by these men who risked so much to search for that precious but elusive metal; men who endured hardship & isolation. Were they driven by greed, lust, or the simple desire to improve their lot in life?

Some struck it rich.  Others eked out a living or lured by the promise of success they moved on, ever hopeful.  All too often these mere mortals failed in their effort to steal Mother Earth’s treasures. Along the Palmer River Track lay many unmarked graves. There is nothing to indicate from whence they came or who might mourn their loss.

They were by no means the only victims. Such radical change cannot be wrought without far reaching consequences for the land & its original inhabitants.  Two opposing perspectives brought about by a single defining action.

I was strongly drawn to this concept. I wanted to tell a story that to some extent would encompass the two disparate standpoints. It was never my intention to push my own opinions on right or wrong.  I used records from that time in the form of newspaper articles, letters, journals & historians such as physician, anthropologist & protector of aborigines, Dr Walter Roth.

My journey began with the idea of how a young woman from a privileged background would cope with being thrust into this potpourri of humanity. So figuratively speaking Emmaline Gidley-King was born.  Would there be also be far reaching consequences for her?  What if like ripples on a pond those consequences stretched across the generations.  Can a set of journals change Ellie Jamieson's path in life? 

.