#1 • Who is Hopping Halcyon ?
In which you get to know me, understand why I started this newsletter and what you can expect if you decide to follow me on this exciting journey !
Once upon a myth, in Ancient Greece, Aeolus, God of Winds, had a daughter. Her name was Alcyone and she was married to Ceyx, a mortal king. They were devoted to each other. So, when Ceyx undertook one voyage too many and was drowned at sea, Alcyone went mad with grief. Unable to bear the sight of her husband's dead body washed up on the shore, she tried to commit suicide by throwing herself of a cliff. But as she fell through the air, the gods took pity on her and transformed her into Halcyon, a mythical seabird. The metamorphosis hadn't lifted her despair so, as she continued to mourn, the gods decided to turn Ceyx into a seabird, too, so that the couple could continue to love each other. From that day on, once a year in the depth of winter, Aeolus would calm the winds and waves for seven days, providing his daughter with a calm, stormless interval in which to nest and lay her eggs. These days of surprising calm thus became known as "halcyon days" (in Greek, ἀλκῠονίδες ἡμέραι or alkyonides hemerai)1. Today, this expression refers to any peaceful time, particularly in the past, or to a stroke of good fortune in the midst of adversity. The birds Alcyone and Ceyx were transformed into were later likened to kingfishers, giving their names to 2 of the 19 kingfisher genera: the Halcyon genus of the Halcyoninae subfamily and the Ceyx genus of the Alcedininae subfamily.
When I read this story, I felt a kind of kinship to the mythical bird: the Halcyon is the writer in me. Writing has always been a place of solace for me, something which brings me quietude, without fail, however wild the storms raging in my mind or in my soul. Without words, ink, paper, I am lost in the rough seas; with them, I have faith in that loyal interval of peace.
The necessary companion to this soothing stillness is the teeming, unrestrained creative energy without which I would just float around endlessly in a fog of meaningless phrases. That's where the Hopping comes in. My family always used to call me Tigger, because I would bounce around excitedly everywhere, non-stop. Just as writing brings me the calm I need to keep my footing, it's also one of my favourite outlets for this fundamental drive, this energy, this fire of joy that both overwhelms me at times and keeps me going, never quite burning out even when I'm at my lowest.
So, Hopping Halcyon. That's who I am when I write, and that's who I am when I share what I create with you. Although writing has been part of my life since the age of six, sharing what I write has always been difficult. You see, there's always a very good excuse to say that a piece isn't finished - that word doesn't quite fit, that sentence didn't work out the way I imagined, the story isn't gripping on moving enough, it needs just one more rewrite and then, maybe, it will be good enough. In this newsletter, I'm fighting back. The stories you will read are written in just a few days. They are raw: no endless rewriting and tweaking to fit some idea of perfection that I can never reach. I will be trying new things, exploring ideas and techniques I'm not familiar with, seeing what will sink and what will swim. And hopefully, you will enjoy the ride as much as me!
In that spirit, I would be really glad for your feedback — the comment section is wide open for any thoughts, questions, responses. Does anything resonate with you? How did you react to the story? Was anything unclean? Did something move you? Whether you're a reader, a fellow writer on artist, whether you're writing in French on English, a long comment or a few short words, let's also make this a safe space of discussion and creative growth! To start the conversation, this month's questions:
Are you a solitary or a sociable creator — do you prefer creating alone, as a more intimate experience, or creating with others?
When you're appreciating a work of art or reading a story, what do you look for first in it, what does it need to have for you to enjoy it ?
On that note, thank you for reading this first behind-the-scenes article. Once a month, on a Tuesday at 6pm CET, I will share a different aspect of my creative process. These articles will belong to the “Inside-out a creative process” section. Another monthly installment, same time, same place, are the insights into my current miscellaneous creative endeavours, which will be listed in the “Art” section.
The core of the Hopping Halcyon newsletter are the weekly short stories, in English and in French, sent out on Saturday. The first cycle has already started! Its overarching theme is “The Postwoman Chronicles” and, in total, it will comprise 4 stories. The first story — “Return to sender” — has already been published (see “Stories in the making” section for English version, “Contes du Présent” section for French version). Next chapter coming Saturday!
This is the Roman retelling of a Greek myth. This version comes from Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book XI, Ceyx and Alcyone 573-745