To let you in on those secret messages, all of this stitch activity is, for me, a very useful misdirection of brain activity. Others may meditate while stitching, but while my hands and eyes are busy making second by second choices at the warp and weft level, my mind is gathering up the threads of a book I'm working on.
One of the devices in the story is a young child who has been taught embroidery to keep her busy and out of the adult's hair. There are strong paranormal and magical elements in the story; irascible ghosts, talking animals, demons walking around in everyday bodies, people possessed by evil. Evil itself writ large and loud, a pillar of his community.
The child takes it upon herself to help the afflicted by stitching hidden messages in clothing stolen from clotheslines by her familiar, a cigar-smoking Barbary Ape named Ace.
The messages? Simple, childish directives like "sleep good" or "be nicer" go unnoticed until she steps up her game to stronger messages and bigger magic comes into play. The working title is "The Monkeytown Murders".
It's tough switching between editing one book and writing the next one. Needle and thread are helping me find the way.
5 comments:
intrigueing words and stitching
I love how stitch is helping you formulate the story
It has a hundred moving parts but no legs or destination so far.
this post sent me to the grandkids' bunk room to seek out the picture book "Pockets" by Jennifer Armstrong ... can't remember who recommended it (you?), but love the illustrations by Mary GrandPre, which are of a piece with the magic of your dyepot
Not my recommendation, but it looks wonderful. She also illustrated the Harry Potter books I believe.
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