The Maiden's Arc and ARCs

waking up and wildish things

The Maiden’s Arc

“[The Devil] wants the maiden to obey these tenets: “Don’t see life as it is. Don’t understand the life and death cycles. Don’t pursue your yearnings. Don’t speak of all these wildish things.”

-Clarissa Pinkola-Estes, Women Who Run with the Wolves

The Maiden’s Arc is all about growing up. It’s about the process of healthy self-individuation necessary for us to understand our place in the world as separate from but a part of our communities.

It’s about recognizing the difference between true safety and the kind that suffocates and oppresses. The kind that demands participants give up a healthy link to their own inner knowing or intuition in order to receive the promised societal benefits.

The Maiden’s Arc is a fascinating archetype that is worth exploring, and it’s the arc of The Secret Heart of Maeve MacGowan.

Dr. Pinkola-Estés talks about the characters of the Maiden’s Arc. The maiden¹ is surrounded by adults who may be well-intentioned but whom she must defy if she is to wake up to the realities of the world and her own naive sleepiness.

Another great resource for the Maiden’s Arc is this article by K.M. Weiland. She has a whole series on her blog that I’ve found so helpful and fascinating. In it, she discusses archetypes from the Maiden to the Mage and how they appear in stories and in our own lives.

So if Maeve is the protagonist, how about the antagonist?

These antagonists are the Predator, the Too-Good or Devouring Mother, and the Naïve Father. Although any of these may be literally represented within the story (and often are in fairy tales and fantasy), they can also be symbolically represented or can be presented for what they truly are: psychic aspects of the Maiden herself.

-K.M. Weiland

In Maeve MacGowan, these antagonists show up as characters and as Maeve’s internalized beliefs. As I’ve mentioned before, while the love interest is an important (and absolutely charming) part of the story, Maeve’s relationship to these antagonists is at the center of it all. You’ll have to wait to learn more about them…²

What is the cost of waking up? What is the price of crossing the orchard wall? What are these wildish things Maeve sees and hears, and is obedience really the most important thing?

I hope this made sense! We’re in the final days of summer, navigating school supplies and uniforms, orientations, and preparing for all the transitions that come with the return of the school year. Stringing coherent sentences together is not a strong suit right now. The Maiden’s Arc is something I love exploring and hopefully will continue to write about over the next few months, especially as I talk about Maeve, too.

Wanna be an ARC reader?

Now for the last bit. Would you like to read my book early and help me out by leaving a review?

TSHoMM ARCs (wow, lots of letters) will be ready to send out in a few days. It is about 83k words long. I’m hoping you’ll have 6 weeks. Each review left on publication day, September 22nd, or as close to as possible, helps tremendously in getting my beloved book in front of more readers.

If you want an ARC and might need a little extra time to read it, reach out if you haven’t already! Anyone who is interested can leave a comment or hit reply to this email. So many of you have helped in the past, and I’m so grateful for you, especially with the recent horror stories about ARC readers stealing author’s books and selling them as their own.

Thank you so much for your support!

1. of course this applies to all genders, as do all archetypes.

2. mostly because my brain is fried. Because seasonal transitions.