Groundhog Day - again

Here we are, a week out from Groundhog Day. I was supposed to write this for that day, but it kind of got away from me, so we're going to repeat.

It is often said that we must learn from history or we are doomed to repeat it. But I ask you, who writes the history?

The victors, right? History is always written by the winning side, from their perspective.

But I would take a position that even the villain in a story believes he/she is correct and doing the right thing. So do the losers of a battle. They must believe that their fight is the one that is right and just. They aren't strong enough to prove it though.

History is always one of those things that has two or more sides. Once time has passed, who is to say if that history is the true history or one built on lies. This is a fundamental point in the Sacred Knight series. A lot of what Steigan "knows" in the first book may or may not be true. That's what the reader will discover in the following books. Steigan himself will be doomed to repeat the past if he can't change it. If you've read book one and are waiting for book two, then I know this sentence has left you salivating! :) Mean author! Yes, I will say that book two is about Saint Steigan's life, but do you know what you think you know? Mawhahaha!

I love my evil laugh! I'm sure that like Groundhog Day, it will repeat again, and again. It's such a paradox. We'll just have to see if Steigan and Saint Steigan can ever escape their paradox. Or will it forever be Groundhog Day on his world?

One book becoming two, Part 2 of the tale

I've spent several days now working on the beginning of what will now be the third book in the series. It does feel like a beginning and sometimes I have to stop and remind myself that it is the start of a new book. It's weird because I'm so use to thinking of it as one story arc. But as I've said before, it's all a matter of working the story harder.

Speaking of which, I suppose I ought to explain why I decided to break it into two.

As readers may guess after reading The Three Books (aka book 1), the second story arc is about the life of St. Steigan. There is so much to set up, more of the magical world to build, new characters, etc. Overall, there is a lot! I do work to develop my stories, so there's work to do to make sure you, my fabulous reader, has lots of paths to explore. What is truth and what is a lie? Is this character a friend or a betrayer? What really lies beneath the Temple in the catacombs? I'm sitting here with a wicked grin on my face. Already I'm ready to go get back to work on the story. I love diving into this world! Really, this story is not meant to be read only once. There is enough here to read multiple times and deeper levels of meaning found each time. Wonderful parallels are cropping up between book 1 and 2. I am delighted and surprised each time I discover something new.

Just today, in fact, I started writing about Laurient (see previous posts) and St. Steigan going out to fight the gargaxes and St. Steigan comes up with this brilliant idea to transfer magic to Laurient. I hadn't seen this coming, didn't have it planned, it just popped in there. But it adds so many dimensions to the story. Because of this one thought, I can now spider several more things (like some foreshadowing for events in what will now be book 5) into the story. I love it!

Some of you may be wondering what will happen to the release date of the second book now that the preliminary draft is done. That's coming soon, I promise. The good thing is that I actually finished the draft by the date that I had set as my deadline so right now the story is still on track. As for my working title, I've had to change it because it no longer works. The Saint and the Betrayer, when split into to becomes The Saint (first title) and The Betrayer (second title). Somehow this just doesn't inspire me in the same way. Sigh. However, I have a new plan for the titles. I'm giving it a settling period to make sure I like it, but I'll probably make the title known at the same time I announce the release date for the second book.

So wait eagerly for more to come!

Happy reading!

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.