As much as an author tries to remove themself from a book, to give the characters their own identity, there are always ghostly traces of the original imagination in a book.In some books it's obvious: a sense of style, a love of cats, an interest in Norse mythology.
In some books the traces are barely noticeable: a favorite color, a preferred perfume, the city where the author's heart was first broken.
For me I've noticed a trend to mention food. If you follow me on Twitter you know that regular food updates are the norm. Not because I'm dieting (it starts with the word DIE - I'm just not interested), but because a good portion of my day revolves around food.
One of my favorite authors write COOK BOOKS for goodness sake!
For me, food is intertwined with life. Everyone needs food. Everyone has memories tied to food. More than color or music, food speaks to us. Eating is the universal language, and everyone speaks it in their own way.
Is it any surprise that food sneaks into my books?
One of my characters cooks when she's angry. Another character is starving. In some books the food is part of the culture, how they eat is part of what makes the world unique. Food is always in the background. Always important.
What's it for you? What always sneaks into your books?
A library/academics always manages to sneak in somewhere in the full-length novels I write.
ReplyDeleteOver-complicated interpersonal webs. I live in a high drama environment.
ReplyDeleteStephanie - you'd think more books would sneak into mine. They just don't.
ReplyDeleteDldzioba- At least it adds conflict!