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Thursday, July 24, 2014

THE DARK SIDE OF RESEARCH

witches and bats clip art
By Brenda Daniels

I did a dumb thing. Not that this is unique, but I should have known better.  My current work in progress is about a witch. And Merlin.

The first few chapters were going pretty well, then I realized most of what I know about the subject came from old episodes of "Bewitched,"  "Charmed" and the movie Excalibur

Uh oh. Time for research.

Since I once worked in a public library, research should be a piece of cake. Knowing that I would want to keep my information handy, I trotted to the local book store. (Yes, there are still a couple left in my neighborhood.)

I made a bee line for the Occult section.  Thumbing through some very scary titles, I pulled a few possibilities out and stacked them on a table with the intention of leisurely looking through them for the best choices. The table was close to the children's section and one parent gave me the 'mommy stink eye' and pulled her daughter over to the Religious section.

Maybe the book with a sneering demon on the cover bothered her.

Finally, I found one on Witchcraft and Practical Magic that seemed be what I needed. By this time, the area around my table was strangely bereft of other shoppers.  Okay, some of those books were pretty gruesome. Naked dancers and a devil standing over a nude woman are a bit outrageous. My witch is going to be nice and funny, so those books were not helpful. 

Normally, I would have returned the unwanted books back to the shelf. Remember, I did work in a library. However, that corner was now inhabited by a frizzy haired woman with tattoos covering both arms. Tattoos aside, the black lipstick gave me second thoughts.

A little embarrassed, I held my book to my chest like Hester Prynne covering that scarlet letter and made my way to the check out. Of course, the clerk was a grandmotherly type who raised one eyebrow and curled her upper lip. I could see her thinking her church circle needed to pay me a visit.

Never again will I start another book that requires this type research. I can't wait until my family notices the books on witchcraft and magic sitting on my desk.

 

6 comments:

  1. Brenda, you are such fun. I know exactly which book store you were in. Bwahahha. Can't wait to read more about your witch.

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  2. How interesting! One way to "clear" a space for a little privacy! Am looking forward to hearing about your witch!

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  3. Your post is perfect timing. I finished a book last week with bear-shifters and witches, both good and bad. I know nothing about witchcraft and still don't know why my story just had to veer off into the unknown part of my brain. I did my research online and found the strangest websites. Jotted down a few basics and then decided to write it my way. I was getting the creepy-crawleys.

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  4. I already have a LOT of books on witchcraft because it's interested me, not that I wanted to become a witch. What got me was when I researched monsters... Now the stories that others had experienced or at least claimed they had, those scared me! Most recently I was researching the ones the Native Americans believed in. A lot of interesting, to say the least, stories out there. Wiccans though, they seem very safe to me-- at least if they follow the Crede ;)

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  5. And THAT is why so many buy books online. *LOL* Good luck with the book.

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  6. 'Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My.' What an experience.

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