Of novels and Mnemosyne

Since the completion of my thesis, I've been diligently working on my novel. It's a yet-to-be-named ghost story set in Wales, imbued with a theme of self discovery and awakening identity. Thirty-one pages so far, with the characters and incidents dripping onto the pages effortlessly.

My main character is a young American woman who moves to Wales hoping to reconnect with her deceased father's spirit. She moves in with her aunt, her father's sister, and helps her renovate the decrepit family inn located in a tiny town. The town's claim to fame is a crumbling Cistercian abbey. During her stay, my main character experiences two ghosts: one of a monk and one of a young Victorian woman.

She sets out to uncover their stories and, in the process, discovers her own.

The entire story flashed in my mind while I was visiting Tintern Abbey in 2008. I've been obsessed with it since. I even dream from my characters' perspectives.

Here are some pictures of the place that so inspired me: