We’ve made it past the halfway point of Defy! It feels like this blog series has gone by so fast! Let’s get into it!
Why “Nothing”?
Yeah, why?
Well, there comes a point in every writer’s project where they encounter… WRITER’S BLOCK.
Dun-dun-dah!!
Honestly, at this point in the writing process, I was running out of ideas. I felt like the book would never be finished. No matter how many times I brainstormed and tried to find ideas, I could not come up with what this chapter was supposed to be. So, inevitably, I decided to write about nothing. No huge plot-changing events. No huge action scenes. Just nothing.
I took this opportunity to focus on building the side character of Acadia and her relationship with Annabelle. This also helps you to understand some of the stress Annabelle is going through, as well as the general lack of hope she has.
Finally, as the chapter comments, a spy’s life isn’t always so exciting – not every action film is action-packed in every second. This chapter is a break in the narration, creating a scene from an everyday experience in Annabelle’s life.
Corfu
Here’s a quick history tidbit from a past post!
#3: Takeover of Corfu by the Germans
- When: September 27th, 1943
- Where: Corfu, Greece
- What: The Germans took over Corfu from Italy (they had previously occupied the island).
- Why did I include it: It’s a rather obscure event that doesn’t add to much to the story, though I had a secret plan behind including it. When Annabelle reads this headline, she mentions that it’s been five days since it first headlined. Looking at a timeline of World War 2 and all the events that happened in those five days, it’s no wonder why the Germans didn’t want to change the news of their victory; they were losing in so many other parts of the world! In Naples, the people there rise up and free themselves from their German occupiers, which is happening coincidingly with the Allied liberation of Italy. Also, nearly two days before, the Free French Forces had liberated Corsica as well. So, knowing that little piece of World War 2 knowledge, this headline sort of makes sense, when you think about it.
Read more historical posts from All About Defy (Part 3).
Optimism
From the conversation between Annabelle and Acadia, we learn how the war has been a long-drawn-out conflict that has taken a toll on the people in France. However, in this chapter, we see two different points of view: the optimist and the pessimist.
Acadia is the optimist. Why? I’m not quite sure, but someone needed to be the opposite of the pessimistic Annabelle. She’s younger, which oftentimes attributes to a higher amount of optimism. In addition, it’s also a mechanism many people use in terrible situations to remain level-headed and clear-sighted in the face of despair. She’s not a child of WW1, so much of what she knows of that war comes from her parents, less so from actual experience. Acadia doesn’t yet understand how long the war could possibly take and is believing in the promises that the war will be over by Christmas (a common saying by many officials during both WW1 and WW2).
This is in stark contrast to Annabelle, who’s become very pessimistic. She’s worn down by the war and everything she has gone through up to this point. While she isn’t that much older than Acadia, this event presumably happens after the events of Chapter 1: Shh. Quickly venturing back to that chapter, Annabelle was attacked by her own fellow Frenchmen, so why does she think things will get any better from here? Her own life is constantly becoming worse, so things don’t look too bright.
In addition, Annabelle – not to say Acadia isn’t as well – is tired of the Nazi occupation, waiting for everything to finally be over. Annabelle experienced the war on the homefront as a small child, having many of the effects of the war readily available for her to witness. She’s not so easily swayed by the promises of the government that the war will end soon. Can you blame her?
Why was this my favorite chapter to write?
With my earlier explanation, I mentioned how I had hit writer’s block during this chapter, so why did I enjoy it so much?
Well, for once, I could just explore the characters. I could write how I feel a normal, everyday conversation between Annabelle and Acadia. It sparked some of my creativity and became a fun way to explore something I hadn’t focused too much on.
Since no one had really heard from Acadia for a while, I thought it’d be a good time for her to shine a bit. She’s a character who isn’t too well developed, up to this point, and was a character already introduced that I could take and mold a bit. In addition, we get to see more of office life and how Annabelle and Acadia interact with one another.
Don’t worry! Acadia will be back soon in Chapter 15 – so look for that!
Thank you again for coming back another week to learn some more about my book!
Hope you enjoyed it!
See you next week with Chapter 11: Opinions!
L.A.