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In the prologue for my novel, I plan to have the main antagonist using astral projection. I have come up with a way to make sure the reader categorizes it as wrong, but I am a little stuck with something.

In the opening, you will discover that she used this forbidden technique to pierce a barrier where certain spirits are held. She is in the process of trying to leave the plane of existence where the demons are trapped.

The plane, and her spirit, are meta-physical, so things will be covered conceptually. While there are no physical barriers, she likens the attempt to escape to trying to escape quicksand before you are swallowed whole.

She thinks about how it was easier to get in, as opposed to trying to get out. She muses that it is probably because the barrier was designed to keep things in, not keep them out. She also thinks that something she is carrying within her might be causing the escape to be harder (it doesn't explicitly state what that might be, you will find out later).

The issue I am having is how to adequately describe the spirit-walking experience. I don't really want to do much research into the topic because of its nature, and there is also the fact that she is dealing with this barrier which would not be part of the "normal" experience (as if anything about it is normal). At the moment I am thinking this will be one of my most difficult scenes in the first half of the book, so I am looking for any thoughts on how I might approach it.

Thanks much!

Sincerely,
John

The first thing that comes to mind which might be helpful would be to use dark metaphors that don't really make sense/are only partially understandable. Try to create a kind of impression of being drugged (kinda like Chief in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, perhaps) to illustrate the person's detachment from reality and the surreal nature of the experience. Perhaps they should periodically make reference to something that they fear, which is obviously a symbol, but give no explanation?

Hmm, an interesting thought. I will consider it. Thanks.

Anyone else have any ideas?

Hrm... I'm not very knowledgeable in this area, however from things I've read that deal with entering the spirit realm like this, it was effectively written dark and obscurely; things were difficult to perceive, and the emotion of the scenes were charged with apprehension and/or terror. Also, there was no light source, and the evil spirit beings were ugly and repulsive.

Those are just a few thoughts.