Today I'm answering another reader question. This one is from Candace. She wants to know how Raine and her world came to me.
What eventually became
Magic Lost, Trouble Found started in my college days as a result of wanting something to read, but not being able to find anything in the bookstore that I thought I'd like. It was frustrating and I complained. Apparently I complained a lot because my roommate (and thankfully my best friend) got tired of my complaining and said, "Why don't you just write something yourself?"
So I did.
And it sucked.
But I kept going. I finished that one and wrote another book, a sequel to the first one. It sucked a little less, which meant (at least in my own mind) that I was getting better. Hmmm, maybe being delusional is a big part of finally getting published. Those two books formed the base for what eventually became
MLTF.
Raine, Mychael, Chigaru and Phaelan were in those first two books (though vastly different than they are now). In those early books that I'd written, the character that eventually became Raine was an elf princess.
(LOL! Snort!) Raine let me know directly and in colorful terms that not only was she not royalty, she had to work for a living. And for added spice, she was also from a family of notorious criminals.
Writing in third-person just wasn't getting it for me. I felt distanced from my characters. My first two books were in third-person; and you know you are NOT on the right track when your books even bore you. So one day just for something different, I wrote a bit in first-person, and as Emeril would say "BAM!" I immediately found Raine's voice, and knew I was on to something when my other characters started popping onto the screen. Turns out Raine knew them better than I did, so who better than her to tell their stories?
Once the characters started coming out of the woodwork, Raine's world started taking shape. And it is BIG. There will be a map of Raine's world in the front of
The Trouble with Demons. I should have the high-res JPG back from my publisher soon. When I get it, I'll post it. You'll be able to see that I've only used like 3% of the world in the books so far. I've got a whole rest of the world to play in. ; )
Happy Friday!
Lisa
Pop back by tomorrow for the Saturday Fun Pic.Coming up on next week: Why I (and a lot of authors) hate first drafts; and I'll continue to answer reader questions such as: How much promotion do I do? Is there any genre I wouldn't write or read, and is there a genre or subject I'd like to attempt at some point? Do I read for fun, and if so what do I enjoy?
As always, I welcome your questions or blog topic suggestions.
5 Comments:
It's always interesting to me to see how many different approaches there are to writing novels. I write in third-person because, generally speaking, I feel I need to tell the story from more than one point of view to advance the plot, or to show the main characters in a different light. I guess it all boils down to whatever gets us to finished and enjoyable novels is the right way!
I Love Maps! HOWEVER, I hate it when someplace is named in the text and it is not on the map.
Now I know that no map can have absolutely every place name on it; and all maps in paper-back-books have an unreadable area down the middle of them (the binding area); and whatever you do won't please everyone. ... But maybe, in the text, you can put * by the names that do not appear on the actual map. And possible a footnote "about 3 leagues SW of Blankstown in Shirebow" ...or something. Then I don't have to try to page back to the map and be frustrated when I can't find the place.
By the way, I hope that the map is in readable type - not some ye-old-map script... and not too cluttered, and you can tell at a glance which side of the shore line is land and which is the water (sea, etc) and rivers are not the same look as a country's boundary... etc.
Maybe you can sic a publisher's assistant (or author's assistant) on all this - which can get real fussy.
Just remember to create your mapped area with an uninhabited great divide right down the middle of it, and remember all your readers like 12 point type or above (not possible in a map, I know); but names should be readable w/out magnification.
I can rant on about maps, but you get the idea.
I love the Raine books - I've bought 5 sets of them to give out to friends - they all liked them too.
The texts of each are very well done, and the stories move along nicely. Even us oldies really enjoy them. (I haven't hit my allotted four score and seven yet, but I have passed my 2 billionth second of life - by a little less than 10 years. [I'm living in my 70th year - with at least another 80 to go].)
Signed: MQH, Himself
Robert, yeah third-person works great for some folks, but I think I'll always be a first-person writer. ; )
MQH, I drew the map about 15 years ago with the help of an artist friend of mine. It's a big map, so I'm just as curious as you are as to how it'll reproduce in a paperback. But my publisher's art department folks say it'll work great. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Thank you for buying so many copies of my books for your friends! And honey, if you're only 70 you're just getting started. ; )
You mentioned that Raine, Mychael, Phaelan, and Chigaru all originated in your early works. I was wondering where Piaras and Tam came from?
Piaras didn't come into being until I was on the second draft of MLTF. (What can I say, the kid's a late bloomer.) Piaras was just supposed to be a "fetch & carry" character--there for window dressing, maybe say a line or two, etc. Then in the scene around Chapter 6, when Raine comes home and is talking to Tarsilia, and Piaras goes to open the shop. . .suddenly one day when I'm working on that scene, Raine hears Piaras singing from the next room. The kid had a magnificent voice. That got Raine's attention (and mine).
And you know, I actually can't recall exactly when Tam came into the story. I'll have to look through my early notes and find out. Sounds like another blog topic. ; )
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