The Lure of the Sea
by Jacqui Pack
I will tell you an everlasting tale. Stand with me at the edge with the rolling green lands of your forefathers at your back and the endlessly moving ocean before you. Cast your gaze far away between the moon and the sea, and feel yourself distant. Travel to a place where the mists of the sea mingle with the mists of time.
She stood tall and proud, 3 masts of finest oak and a crew of 500, bound for the East. Her hold empty, waiting to be laden with the finest silks and spices for her triumphant return. Six weeks out of port saw a change in the weather. The kind wind that had borne them became playful, gusting then dropping away, slowing their progress. By the seventh week the skies had blackened and intimidating clouds clustered above her sails. The vessel, once so grand, became a toy, tossed and battered between malevolent waves, her proud masts snapping like matchsticks. The sailors clung desperately to her rails as they tried to pass through the storm, but the ocean was loathe for them to leave.
The storm raged on, seeming endless, until suddenly above them the moon appeared, burning its shape into the cloud and illuminating the waves. The wind changed once more. Held captive by the elements the sailors could hear strange harmonies within its howling. The sound was all around them, seeping into their ears, filling their senses. Slipping softly around their hearts. The endless, ephemeral melodies seduced them, stripping away their memories of home until all they knew was the sea.
Every man could see her now, the beautiful maid of the deep, angel of the sea. She stretched out her hands and her song drew them nearer. Her swirling hair blended with her song, binding them closer and closer until they could feel her arms’ soft caresses. Her honeyed words soothing, lulling; her lips brushing their eyes closed to an eternal rest.
“Come to me Mariner” she crooned, “Come and be one with the Maid of the Sea.”
And many of the crew came at her bidding, for her power was as old and deep as the ocean itself. Over the side they plunged into the icy unforgiving depths. But not all, for some had recalled within the blissful oblivion the shining faces of their loved ones, and with their hearts reclaimed by such living love, their eyes became free of enchantment.
They saw her now, the crone of the deep, devil of the sea. Instead of beauty they saw her fell expression; the blackness in her eyes and the desolation in her heart. Their fellows, suddenly fey, rushing to greet her, could not be restrained and they watched helplessly as bodies were broken and sucked into the deep.
“No” they cried “We will never be yours, Hag of the Sea. We may perish upon your waves, but never will our hearts rest with yours.”
At these words the sea witch knew their destiny was beyond her and her spell wrecked. She uncoiled herself from the bows with callous laughter, returning the discarded bloated bodies of their shipmates.
And so the storm passed, the kind wind returned and those men whose love of life could not be swayed by insidious promises of pleasure everlasting continued their journey.
As must you continue yours.
Jacqui Pack is in the fourth year of an Open University Honours Degree, currently studying Children’s Literature, having already passed their Creative Writing and Advanced Creative Writing courses with Distinction and earning a Diploma in Literature and Creative Writing.
Living in the south of England, she is married with two children, and uses the time they are at school to juggle creative writing, studying and reluctantly, housework.
Jacqui produces short stories, flash fiction, poetry and screenplays and has been writing since 2006, although only recently began to submit her work for publication. Since then her poetry and fiction has featured, or will shortly appear, in First Edition and New Fairy Tales as well as Long Story Short.
CONGRATULATIONS, JACQUI! WE LOVED YOUR STORY, NOW TELEL US ABOUT YOURSELF!
I’m married with two school age children, live in the south of England and turned 40 this year. I write mainly poetry and short stories but have also recently tried my hand at screenplays which was something I would never imagined myself doing a couple of years ago. I’ve been writing for a few years and have done various creative writing courses, but didn’t feel ready to start sending my work out to publishers until earlier this year. Since then I’ve had poetry published in First Edition magazine – in fact two of my poems are in their December issue – and my story ‘The Snow Bride’ will be appearing at the end of the month in New Fairy Tales.
Q. What would you want our readers to know about you?
Only good things! I shall deny everything else.
Q. Do you write in a particular genre? If so, what genre is it?
I don’t consciously write in a particular genre but I do lean towards fantasy and what Tolkien called Faërie. I’ve also got a bit of a soft spot for fairy tales themselves, a genre never originally meant for children, and I think that’s something that tends to surface in a lot of what I write. When used well, genre can be a great tool for a writer as it allows you to manipulate the reader’s expectations which you can then either confirm or confound. I’ve done this in a few of my stories – I’m a great one for subverting expectations.
Q. What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?
Simple things, like grammar and punctuation, have to be right otherwise the reader is forever being jerked out of the story no matter how good it is. The books I’ve enjoyed the most as a reader are the ones that have a strong combination of plot and character. For me, a plot has to be more than just a sequence of events; it has to be moved along by the characters in a way that seems true to them not just because the writer wants to get things to progress from A to B. I think that’s something valid for any sort of writing whether it is in a novel, short story or screenplay. It’s also true of children’s stories as much as adult literature. Good writing will make whatever it’s in stand out. There’s often an element of snobbery when people talk about ‘good writing’ but I don’t think it has to be writing that’s particularly literary. As long as a story involves me to the point where I’m too hooked to be distracted and break away then it’s good.
Q. How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?
I’ve no formula to speak of but I do prefer to write when I know roughly where the story’s going, I don’t like to let the characters have it all their own way! I think I must have quite a ‘visual’ brain as most of my best ideas seem to be prompted by pictures or snapshots of action that pop into my head unexpectedly. I think it’s a good idea to try to see a story from the point of view of each character involved in it; work out their individual motivations and the characters will develop by themselves.
Q. What do you do to unwind and relax?
I’ve always loved music so that’s a big part of my life and who I am. To relax I might read or watch TV and, depending on what’s on, I sometimes manage to do both at once. If it’s the weekend we’ll probably go for a walk as a family; we’re quite lucky in that we’ve got countryside and coast nearby. If I’m on my own then I might sneak off to the Playstation – I’m working my way through the Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince game.
Q. What inspires you? Who inspires you?
When it comes to getting ideas then inspiration often comes from visual sources. The Lure of the Sea, for example, began as a feeling that I wanted to write something to do with mermaids after seeing one in a music video. Not that the finished story has anything to do with the song the video was for. The writers that inspire me fall into two camps: those who just seem to be natural storytellers – Philip Pullman, JRR Tolkien, J K Rowling, Garth Nix – who produce work that you know you might emulate but never match, and those who write books that you read and think ‘well, I could do better than that’ – I won’t produce a list of them for obvious reasons!
Q. Are you working on any projects right now?
At the moment I’m studying Children’s Literature as part of an honours degree course so writing is taking a bit of a back seat. There are various ideas bubbling away though.
Q. What is most frustrating about writing? Most rewarding?
Getting the ideas out onto the page is probably hardest. Finding words that properly transfer what’s going on in my head onto the page and then into someone else’s head can seem like an impossible task sometimes. So, I’d say producing the first draft with all its inadequacies is the most frustrating thing for me. The most rewarding is reading a piece back and feeling happy with it. Having people like what you’ve done (or even having a story chosen as Story of the Month) is a bonus, the icing on the cake, but it’s not the be all and end all.
Q. If I were sitting down to write my very first story, what would your advice be?
Ignore the internal critic that says you can’t do it!
Q. What advice would you give to writers just starting out?
Firstly, you’ve got to enjoy the time you spend writing, because it can be a very solitary experience, and I think it’s important to write about things you’re naturally drawn to rather than forcing yourself to write only things that you think might stand a chance of publication. Also, have faith in your work. You can’t please everybody so don’t worry too much if someone doesn’t rate what you’ve done but can’t give you a solid reason why. The best feedback you can receive are constructive comments backed up by specific examples, and when you get this from someone don’t see it as a negative response to your work, see it as a positive opportunity. But, probably, the best advice I can give is the most shockingly obvious - if you don’t send out your work you’ll never be published.
