Categories
EC: Giovanni's Angel Tea & Conversation

Tea and Conversation 05: Flashbacks

teaNtalk

Today I’m sharing a picture of iced lemon tea from Pinterest.

Please do not copy this image. Click image to share on Pinterest.

Today in my meditation on the Eternal Curse, I’m writing about: Why flashbacks?

Much of the background of the characters and the story is told through flashback, many where one character verbally recounts the events. This story covers a large span of time and only focuses on three main characters. If the story had been told chronologically, most of the book would have only included one character, Giovanni.

One reason why I like using flashbacks in this story is because it gives a more personal account of the events taking place. The flashbacks are experienced from an individual point of view.  Since the whole story is narrated by an unseen party, it’s clear that the story is not being told from experience, but rather from history. The narrator is telling a story that he or she has learned about over the years, has read about, and or was told.

Another reason why I like the use of flashbacks in this story is because it offers a break from the monotony of the current struggle. Of course the struggle eventually changes in some way either for good or bad, but until the climax is reached, it’s a lot of same melancholy expression repeated.

I honestly tried not to overuse the flashback technique, but it’s there quite a bit. By using this technique, the reader is able to jump back and forth through time, gathering up all the high points in the story or a character’s life, without having to sit through pages of everything in between.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Categories
EC: Giovanni's Angel Tea & Conversation

Tea and Conversation 04: Giovanni

teaNtalk

Today I’m sharing a picture of my tea box uploaded onto Pinterest.

Please do not copy this image. Click image to share on Pinterest.

Today in my meditation on the Eternal Curse, I’m writing about: Why Giovanni?

There are so many reasons why Giovanni is the main character of my Eternal Curse Series. First off, there’s the dream. I had a dream about a gray man and for some reason, I felt like his name began with the letter ‘G’. I tried out several different names, but when I came across Giovanni, it just felt right.

Secondly, the meaning of his name means God is gracious. Now, I had no idea of this when I started using the name and completed my first draft. I figured this out much later. Once you’ve read the story, it’s quite clear that Giovanni must be walking in some kind of grace, whether it be God’s or not. His character, as strange and dark as he is, doesn’t make it through life in one piece without some kind of luck or grace on his side.

Lastly, he’s somewhat of a mutt, in the best possible way. There are other characters in the series that are just as interesting as Giovanni, but only he really has all the qualities that bring the rest characters together either through companionship, association, competition, or opposition.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Categories
EC: Giovanni's Angel Tea & Conversation

Tea and Conversation 03: Why a series?

teaNtalk

Today I’m sharing a picture of tea leaves from Pinterest.

Please do not copy this image. Click image to share on Pinterest.

Today in my meditation on the Eternal Curse, I’m writing about: Why a series?

I did not set out to write a series when I started Eternal Curse, but ideas kept coming into my mind that I just couldn’t find the time to fit into one book. Making the book a series, gave me an opportunity to complete part of the story and continue to develop all the other ideas I had without so much pressure on waiting time, opportunity, buzz, and or inspiration.

The idea of the story came to me in a dream and the first installment of the story seemed to write itself. With pages and pages of notes to sort through, actual thought and planning is going into the development of the other installments. Even though Giovanni’s Angel could stand alone, I like that I’m able to continue the story, allowing the narrator of the first book a chance to tell his or her own story.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords