The Shaping of Hope

I sat down this evening, excited to make a mention of my fascination for poetic structure in creative writing [it genuinely is a fascination] and promptly got side-tracked by a 'discovery' that may impact my time and capacity--it left me feeling deflated, demoralised, and just a bit angry.  And robbed of the enthusiasm for writing about something I really wanted to share. 

 

But then I realised this is Life.  So I have climbed back into my seat, allowed myself this little preamble as a way of acknowledging the turbulence [in the hopes that it will help to defuse it a little] and now recommit to sharing something about my experience of shaping of Hope. 

 

In 2005-2006 I attended Lancaster University (to study for an MA in Creative Writing) and there was taught about the Golden Mean and the Fibonacci Sequence (a strange mathematical counting pattern that conforms to the Golden Ratio: i.e. 0, ,1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21 etc.)  and the Hero's Journey.

 

I became fascinated by the artistic patterns, the symmetry, and the possibilities for combining all three.  I am intrigued that that these 'things' are something seen frequently, yet unconsciously enjoyed and infrequently perceived, in spite of manifesting in multiple and diverse ways and places (examples can be seen here for example.)  For me, they become fascinating because they seem to exist just beneath the surface, all the while shaping and moulding us into our most natural and beautiful form.          

 

For me, these principles became almost an obsession in the later stages of redrafting Hope.  Okay, strike the 'almost'.  But to be fair to myself, I believed I could see a chance to deepen the poetic structure of the story.  I wanted to experiment to see whether it could strengthen the reading experience in a way that wouldn't draw attention to itself in a bad way, but instead be something that if and when discovered might provide an enriching revisiting of the story later.

 

Now.  I am mindful that analysis can kill a good read, but if you are interested in exploring the book's poetic structure, here are a few clues to get you started:

 

• Act 1 = the first 5 chapters [which includes the Prologue]

 

• Act 2 = 13 chapters [subdivided in two blocks: the first made up of 8 and then second an additional 5; chapter 13 is important in terms of the Golden ratio in the story as a whole].

 

• Act 3 = 3 chapters. 

 

I'm sensing it's best to leave it at that.