The Next Big Thing

I am not participating in NANOWRIMO (National Novel Writing Month) this month, but to all of those who are, get to it! GO, GO, GO! I have never done NANO for various reasons, the main one being that I've hosted Thanksgiving/company the last few years, and a lot of my energies go there. Also, I've only KNOWN about NANOWRIMO the last few years, so . . . Anyway, this year I have a different reason. I just finished a big novel and so I am between submitting that work and waiting on edits for my next book, THE ORCHARD. I didn't get to read all summer, so I am enjoying this limbo time reading other people's writing. Yay!

The other day I was tagged for The Next Big Thing blog meme by my friend, Jordan McCollum. So in today's post I will be answering some questions about the novel I just finished. I haven't been asked many questions about this book so I'm curious what the answers will be . . .

Thanks, Jordan!

Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing:

What is your working title of your book? SILK. Or SILK: INHERITOR.

Where did the idea come from for the book? I wanted to write a YA, and wrote this opening scene of a girl chasing after her little brother and then they run into a stranger. It was contemporary, but I wasn't liking how it was going. After thinking about it, and apparently dreaming about it, I woke up and changed the whole idea to fantasy, and dove into world-building.

What genre does your book fall under? YA Fantasy. It's my first time writing fantasy, but I grew up on the stuff because of my dad's love for it. I've learned so much about writing in this genre. I'm sure I have much more to learn!

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? Rafe: Steve West. The wicked Elunid: Christina Hendricks. Myrick: Clive Owens. Alyra: Young Jane Seymour. But my main heroine, Jessamyn? So far she hasn't found a match for who she is in my head. Yes, I have pictures of all these characters and more.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? A privileged silk merchant's daughter accidentally summons an ancient enemy and to save those she loves, and the world, she must accept that old stories hold truth and that magic runs through blood . . . and silk.

(I have no idea why that type is so small but it sounds good, huh?)

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? I'm shopping agents RIGHT NOW.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Two years. Two years ago I was having lunch with Rob Wells and his wife, Erin, and he asked why I wasn't writing a national. I couldn't answer him. And every time I began to give him an excuse he'd interrupt me and say, "Do it." I'd say, "But I--" "DO IT." He's so pushy that way.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? My other books are written in another genre (contemporary LDS romance), so that's an interesting question. There is definitely romance in SILK. And I always use at least two POV characters. SILK has FIVE. I think. Maybe six. Eep. I seem to gravitate to stories of hope against all odds.

Who or what inspired you to write this book? As I said, Robison Wells was a huge influence in getting me out of my comfort zone. I'm really glad he did. I heard somewhere that if a story idea scares you, that's the one you should write. This story scared the wahoozies out of me. I'm terrified of writing the sequel. And totally excited.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? Magic, humor, danger, new mythology, battles with nature, men, and immortals, and umm . . . genealogy? Ha.

Did I mention Rafe?

Storymakers: WORLDBUILDING & that guy with two names.

Yesterday I shared a few things I learned from Clint Johnson about conflict. Today I'm very pleased to share a little from a class I took from Dave Wolverton/Dave Farland, author of the RUNELORDS series, and the OF MICE AND MAGIC series. He writes Sci-Fi under his given name, Wolverton, and Fantasy under the name Farland. He's written and published over FIFTY books.

I was SO excited to take his class.

One of the incredible things about the Storymakers Conference is that they offer two full days of classes, offering 7-8 classes EVERY HOUR, each different, with only a few repeats for easier scheduling. I was able to attend NINE unique classes, each of my choosing, totally personalized for what I wanted or needed for my stage of getting published, the genres I write in, and the particular issues I am struggling with.

My brain is still stuffed.

Up to this point in my writing, I have stuck with Contemporary Romance. And as much as there is a bit of world-building there, it is all very familiar and now and established. The characters and story are what make it unique and fresh, the setting, hopefully, provides a bit of escape. I LOVE it. My first release, Grace & Chocolate, is coming out in 2012 and I CAN'T WAIT!

But, I'm attempting to write Fantasy right now (I have two more contracted romances waiting in the wings, one complete draft, one half, and a complete historical romance draft, so I'll still be doing that, OF COURSE), and I really wanted to hear Dave Wolverton's take on WORLD BUILDING.

Fantasy settings are important because they can limit the kind of character you have (era, knowledge, attributes), can create immediate conflict (geography, climate), and affect social stuggle (slavery-mining, kingdom-oppression, desert-water wars). In creating a world, keep in mind that the world can be used to CREATE CONFLICT. I hadn't considered that but can think of numerous examples in the Fantasy I've read, and have since found opportunities to apply it to my story, and it's very exciting!

One of the pieces of advice I really appreciated was to keep it simple. Don't make it too strange. Fantasy has a wide readership, no matter what age you intend to write for, and the world still needs to resonate with readers. If it's too strange, too full of the unrecognizable, readers won't relate. This was a relief to me, because I'm still considering the "strangeness" of my world as I write the story. For me, it will be easier to add as I see the opportunity.

Dave taught that magic systems have to be grounded on something conceivable. Rules apply. Harry Potter needed a wand, and had to study the spells properly. There were limitations on age, places (Hogwarts), and forbidden curses. In LoTR, magic stemmed from the ancient creation of elves and dwarves, each with unique abilities and limitations, and an equal but opposite force of evil. In Eragon, the use of magic drained the user. Checks and balances. AWESOME.

Dave touched on religious systems, the mythology of the world. Creation stories, worship, these are all a part of every civilization to ever have existed. Though not predominate in Sci-Fi, I dare you to find a Fantasy story without some sort of worship or existence (ancient or otherwise) of higher power. I knew my story needed a mythology from the beginning. Thinking on Dave's class, last Friday I wrote the creation story of my fantasy world. Want a peek?

 Okay, fine I'll post the whole thing.

The Three

Three immortal siblings, Light, Dark, and Life, chose to create a world on which to place their progeny. Light filled the sky and reflected in the waters and off the mountains, claiming the day. Dark moved through places light could not reach, expanded beneath the waters and glorified the night. Light deepened her brother’s darkness and Dark threw his sister’s luminosity into bright relief. They complimented one another and brought balance to the world.

Their brother, Life, woke what lay dormant, rushed into every moving thing, touched man, leaf, animal. The world rejoiced in sound and song, praised Life and Light during the day, and reverenced the quiet Dark.

But when Light set a moon in the night sky for man, Dark grew bitter, and allowed his jealousy to simmer, to swell, to rage. The season came when days were longest, driving Dark’s bitterness to hate. At dusk, when Light was at her weakest and Dark had just begun to stir, Dark found her, smothered her, and wept with madness. Retreating to the shadows, he vowed to hate all of Light’s creation, and scoffed at Life’s sorrow. Dark could command luminosity, could shape and subdue it, perhaps even create his own, and the world would praise him.

But Life gathered the luminosity while Dark raged in the deep. He wove Light’s power into the breathings of the world, into rock and tree, creatures of ground and air and sea, the movement of the world and everything in it. And finally, into man.

And into the noblest and most humble woman, Life bestowed a particle of Light’s pure power, a carrier of his sister’s luminosity. And to stand beside her, Life entrusted the most courageous and loyal man with guardianship over her. Together their lives would be extended, and they would carry on Light’s work. They and their children would forever be entwined with Life, and forever bear the assault of Dark’s madness and jealousy.

These, Inheritors and Guardians: the children of Hysbryd Golau.

I loved Dave Wolverton's class. He is cutting back significantly on his workshops because he has just been asked to be the screenwriter for RUNELORDS, movies based on his own books. WOW. I feel very fortunate to be able to attend one of his classes, and I wish him the best.

What aspect of worldbuilding do you enjoy? Do you hate?