What’s with the name Songwind?
I just like the name, Songwind. Something about it speaks to me, to something I strive for. Again can’t say exactly why.
The name “Songwind” itself was taken from the form of the Hawkbrother names in the Valdemar books by Mercedes Lackey. It was the name of my scribe/mage in the MMORPG Ultima Online (Chessie Shard -though I have not played in years, those early years were great fun).
As a writer my various characters took on distinct personalities and backgrounds. Three of my characters were sisters separated for many years. Songwind, or Elissa, was the studious sister who seemed to be untouched by the chaos and grief around her, raised by elves (or elf like creatures) she never quite understood people’s reactions to each other. Unlike her older sister, whose scars were red and angry across her back, Songwind bore no outward scars for the world to understand her pain. Yet, she goes on, never considering giving up, confident in a future where she finds some peace and understanding. In all honesty, I’ve never been able to finish her story so I don’t know if she ever finds what she seeks.
In essence I think Songwind represents the part of me that appears unscathed by my history but in truth is deeply scared by it. Just because I never fell into the traps some abuse survivors have doesn’t mean I’m not mired by my scars. I suppose I am the cliché aspiring writer, trying to write away my pain, as transferring it my characters somehow exorcises the demons.
Somewhere along the way, I began to understand that my path to peace lies far off the beaten path.
