However...sadly, some of them I can hardly remember how they ended, so they must not have really stuck out to me. So I'm not gonna sweat the fact that I don't have a review up for every book that I've recently read. Instead, I'm just going to talk about writing this time.
I have been inspired. Again. (Even tried to write a post about it...but the result was...well, less than inspiring.)
Have you ever had an idea pop into your head, and just refuse to leave? I mean, flat out, heels dragging, refusal? That's what this is. I had an idea to write about a girl with an Elemental power. She didn't have a name, didn't have a purpose, didn't have anything. But she wouldn't go away.
I tried to write about her in Victorian London. Got about...oh...two chapters in, and poof. She kind of...disappeared. Apparently it wasn't her place. (Now, I absolutely LOVE the setting, and what I did write...but for some reason, I couldn't write it anymore! Not giving up on Bea though! I love her, and her cat...)
The idea of an Elemental story just won't leave me though. It is constantly germinating in the back of my head. I decided to give it another go, but this time, in a more...medieval-type setting. No knights, or anything like that (at least, not yet...) just a girl named Matilda.
I've been going through the process of developing a main character, and I am quite enjoying it. I love this stage. The inventing of a person. So, that's where I am right now. The developmental stage. Here's one way I found that helps me organize my thoughts during this process.
Ask yourself What If? Any situation that presents itself to you can be augmented by a “What if” question. For example, it the newspaper you read this morning had an article about a comatose woman who was raped by an orderly and got pregnant. Ask yourself: What if the woman’s mother paid the orderly to rape her daughter so she could have a grandchild? (an episode of Law & Order) What if the woman regained consciousness years later to discover she has a 14-year-old son? What if the child decides to find his father? What if the orderly decides to sue for custody and wins? All these questions can lead to very different stories.
For my food taster idea I asked the following “what if” question: Who would choose to become a food taster? My answer was “No one.” So someone would be forced to take the position – who? Not someone loyal to the king/Commander – he wouldn’t want to risk a good man – even though a loyal man might consider the job an honor. There is a good chance the food taster will die – so who would the king/Commander use and not feel bad if the person dies? Someone on death row. She will be executed anyway – her life is forfeit, waiting in the dungeon for execution. But how to keep that person from escaping? Butterfly’s Dust – a poison that stays in the body and if the food taster doesn’t show up for a daily antidote she will die. Great, but why is she in the dungeon? Execution is an extreme punishment – so she had to do something extreme like murder. Why and who does she kill? See how the story is taking shape? And the questions don’t stop until the story is done.
I copied this from Maria V Snyder's website...and I've found it really useful. I'll let you into my head for a few minutes, to see how I use the 'what if' process.
First I came up with my character: Matilda, aka Mat. I knew I wanted her to have an elemental power, and I was leaning towards the element Earth. So I started questioning myself. I knew that I wanted to have my character meet other Elementals, and my first 'scene', if you will, that popped into my head was of Mat, in a field, where, all of a sudden, a guy appears, wounded, and he ends up telling Mat all about her powers.
-Why would Mat be in a field? Well, she could be a 'shepard'.
-Could a shepard have Earth powers? Sure. Plants and animals could be part of Mat's gifts, since both plants and animals need the earth to live.
-Why would someone 'find' Mat, and go to her while wounded? The man also has Earth magic, perhaps he is a powerful Earth mage, and can sense others of the same power.
-Why doesn't Mat already know about her powers? Her mother never told her
-Why not? She is afraid to lose Mat, the same way she lost Mat's father.
See how it works? I could go on and on. These aren't very good questions...I have many, many more. But I don't want to give up too much right now. For me, when a story is in the 'baby' stages, there are really very few details I'll give out. But, hopefully, I'll keep you updated!
Cheers, and Happy writing!
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