Making the story stronger

I have a sign in my writing office which reads, "Make your story stronger. Show it slowly. Show it thoroughly. And always show your characters doing the action. Then make it harder for them."

It's that last line that always gets me.

I enjoy making the story harder. If I have to really think through my plot, especially when I keep in mind that everything has to make sense across three time lines, them I know my story is getting deeper. Yes, it already feels bigger than me. It needs to. Let's face it, if it were simple for me then why would I need to be writing an epic fantasy? I want a world that engages the reader and makes you think. So, it's got to be tough for the character.

Then there's the thrill when your character rises to the occasion and proves himself to be he very hero he was created to be. When he devises a way out of the sticky situation. When the writer stands up and cheers in victory with the character. Yes, those are the moments!

A challenge to my hero equals a new level to the puzzle for me which equals a greater thrill ride for the reader. Ah yes, those are indeed the moments.

A Character Comes to Life

As I said in my last post, spam email found me a new name, but what can one do with a name only? Not much.

Laurierant. That was all I knew. Where did he fit? Who was he?

Have you ever heard the saying that to give something a name takes away its power, or makes it less scary? For me, giving something a name is a clue for me to get creative and discover the story. So who was this character? I knew he had to be male since that had been an initial factor.

With a name, the beginnings of a image for the character develop. I saw him as blond. I knew he wasn't too muscular, but he had pizazz and attitude.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Laurierant de Santz, come to grace us with his presence, have ya?" was the first line I heard spoken. Something still didn't feel right, but I was on the right track.

I started to see an elven archer. I've been wanting to write a story about an archer for the last month or so, so I wondered if the time was finally right to get the story. But it still didn't feel right.

Now let me tell you what it's like to write an epic saga. Epic sagas generally have a lot of people in them. I'm still discovering characters and plot twists as I write. A few people have heard me talking about how I'm thinking of breaking the second book into two (it's either that or let the movie studio do it for me when they get their hands on it! Since that's the latest trend in Hollywood as well as my wishful thinking.). Seriously, there is a lot of material and I'm not feeling I'm doing the story justice right now. However, breaking it into two also means more developing of other characters and scenes. Push the story. Make it harder for the characters. Those are the two most important rules of storytelling, in my opinion.

Another thing I always have to be aware of is the plot line continuing into the books that will follow. Even though I have a fair idea of what's going to happen, every time I push the story adjustments need to be made. It's like a big game of chess where you can plot your moves ahead but you might have to adjust based on what your opponent does.

So here I was thinking about book 4. I had already made several adjustments. Looking backwards and forwards at a timeline from several different angles will certainly occupy your brain for a few days! In the end I realized I was going to need more characters.

Brain kicks in and says, "Remember Laurierant?"

How could I forget? He was the reason my subconscious was not working on the right story!

"I beg to differ," the brain argues. "Remember the blond elven archer you wanted in book 4? Hello, that's Laurierent." Please note the change in spelling. Yep, it really did happen that way.

And so Laurierent was born. His evolution remains another matter.