The Braided Path, by Donna Glee Williams

My fellow writer and friend from my Heart of the Fantasy writing workshop is having her book published this month. Yes, a book baby, as author Cindy Lord calls them.

And so, without further ado, here's my review of Donna's upcoming book, The Braided Path, published by Edge of Calgary, Alberta.

In this beautifully crafted debut novel, Len Rope-Maker is a young widow who lives with her son, Cam, in a quiet mountainside village, a village connected to the other villages by a single path that winds up and down the mountain. Cam is restless, a far-walker more interested in testing the limits of his endurance and pushing beyond the known boundaries of his world than in settling into a trade like the other villagers. His sweetheart, Fox, is also a far-walker. Together they hike up and down the mountainside from village to village, pushing each other on.

One day Cam decides to venture farther up the mountain than anybody they know has ever gone. Drawn by the lovely blue-green sea glimpsed from an outcropping of rock, Fox is more interested is going down the mountainside to the bottom of the world. And so Cam sets off, leaving Fox behind.

Days pass, then weeks. Before long Fox learns she's expecting. Little by little, over the course of several years, she and Len work their way down the mountain with Fox's baby, Jade. Fox wonders if her life will ever intertwine again with Cam's or if Cam will ever meet his daughter. Len wonders if her son has fallen off the side of the mountain to his death like his father. Cam longs for his sweetheart but is pulled deeper into the unknown world by a sequence of accidents. Will their paths ever again cross and come together?

The theme of interconnectedness alluded to in the title is deftly woven through William's novel in lovely, poetic language that will astound and delight the reader. Through close glimpses and carefully chosen details, Williams breathes life and depth into the vertical world of The Braided Path.

Keeping it Small

There's something to be said for keeping things small. Small is manageable. Whether it's a short story, a small painting, a tiny drawing, a musical group or even a garden, if you keep it small you can easily hone the quality of your work. If I'm working on a big painting with lots of objects, almost invariably something happens. The pears will begin to rot, the set-up gets nudged and one of the objects topples to the floor and breaks. Ugh. Yes, I guess that can happen with a small still life set-up, too, but it's much more likely to happen with a cumbersome one.

Likewise, a small garden is easy to keep weeded. A small meal doesn't take long to prepare. A small novel takes less time to write than a long, rambling one and is easier to plot. It also takes less time to read (although if I'm enjoying the book I want it to go on and on). A small house is easier to clean, so long as you don't try to cram too many things into it.

Small things often make up for their diminutive size by packing more punch. Small sentences consisting of a word or two often say more than long ones. I mention all this because I have a novel I've worked on for some time now and it's grown...long. A little too long, I fear. I have trouble knowing what to cut. I actually like this novel. I've lived with my MC so long now that's she's like a dear friend I don't want to abandon. I'd like to find her a home with a publisher so she can find her way into the hands -- and heart -- of a child.

After all, that's why we write, isn't it? To be read? And for who better than a child? Books can shape lives in so many ways. They can offer laughter and hope in the thick of dark times. The can point the way out of difficult situations. They can offer glimpses into other worlds, other cultures. They can, in short, save a life. 

Writing Thoughts

I thought I'd begin a new blog. In a sense, I feel like I'm beginning a second life -- transitioning from somebody who merely writes (but who's always loved it) to becoming an actual writer. I've taken several writing workshops now with former Philomel editor, Patricia Lee Gauch, and learned so much from her -- about writing, yes -- but more than that, about getting inside your character's head and filtering the world through his/her eyes. And if you want to bring your characters to life, that's exactly what you need to do, I've learned. Slant your writing.

As writers, there are a myriad of things to juggle while trying to bring imaginary characters -- and imaginary worlds -- to life. Strike a balance between showing and telling. No novel can be all show. It doesn't allow for getting inside your character's head. And truthfully, does anybody really want to read every detail in a character's journey. Sometimes it's better to tell.

Mine the power of simple objects. The knife. The compass. The mirror. They can lend your novel depth and power.

Use body talk to help steer your narrative (instead of tags) and your novel will be the richer for it.

Use staging to bring scenes slowly to life through the senses.

Pay attention to your turns of phrase, your wording. Also to your tree and leaf details that lend a novel authenticity.

A chapter is like a great wave of energy that rises and rises, reaching a sort of crescendo. Pay attention to the shape of each chapter. Don't let your writing drag and your narrative become a bore.

These are but a few of the things I've learned from Patti but they have enriched my writing and brought it to a better place in so many ways.