Ask the Author: Charlene Challenger
Answered Questions (1)
Charlene Challenger
Hello Gail! Thanks so much for your question!
I've always resonated with the concept of writing what scares me. Everything I've ever written has been an exploration of my fears in one way or another, so I guess that's where the majority of my ideas come from: the things I'm afraid of. The fear of abandonment sparked the idea for The Voices in Between.
I love fairy tales, and I've always been intrigued by the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pied_Pip...). It's the first fairy tale I can recall that didn't end with everyone living happily ever after, and it so strongly evokes the fear of abandonment. One version of the story ends with a child being unable to follow the Piper as quickly as the others. The Piper lures the children into the mountains to punish their thoughtless parents, but this single child is left behind. I'm intrigued by how ambivalent that child would feel about what happened. On the one hand, she could be happy that she was spared. On the other hand, she might be sad because none of the other children stopped to help her along. She might wish she could join them when she was angry with her parents. She might wonder if they ever realized she was missing, or if they missed her, or if they were happy, or scared. She might feel like an outsider forever. She might always feel like she's alone.
The sequel to Voices (tentatively titled The Myth in Distance) explores the idea of memory loss as a consequence of trauma. I got the idea for the plot from another fear of mine: the fear of losing, or betraying, precious aspects of my identity. Allowing my fears to inspire me keeps my ideas from losing momentum. I find the process of exploring them exciting and liberating!
I've always resonated with the concept of writing what scares me. Everything I've ever written has been an exploration of my fears in one way or another, so I guess that's where the majority of my ideas come from: the things I'm afraid of. The fear of abandonment sparked the idea for The Voices in Between.
I love fairy tales, and I've always been intrigued by the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pied_Pip...). It's the first fairy tale I can recall that didn't end with everyone living happily ever after, and it so strongly evokes the fear of abandonment. One version of the story ends with a child being unable to follow the Piper as quickly as the others. The Piper lures the children into the mountains to punish their thoughtless parents, but this single child is left behind. I'm intrigued by how ambivalent that child would feel about what happened. On the one hand, she could be happy that she was spared. On the other hand, she might be sad because none of the other children stopped to help her along. She might wish she could join them when she was angry with her parents. She might wonder if they ever realized she was missing, or if they missed her, or if they were happy, or scared. She might feel like an outsider forever. She might always feel like she's alone.
The sequel to Voices (tentatively titled The Myth in Distance) explores the idea of memory loss as a consequence of trauma. I got the idea for the plot from another fear of mine: the fear of losing, or betraying, precious aspects of my identity. Allowing my fears to inspire me keeps my ideas from losing momentum. I find the process of exploring them exciting and liberating!
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