On Tropes

Good Morning, Dear Reader!

Ok, so, I feel like from how much I poke fun at my own work you guys must think that I can't stand my book or its world. I promise that's totally not the case. While I do occasionally need to take a “Leave of Absence” from the EBR just to refresh my mind and ideas, it is a world that I do love. Most of my comments about the failings of early iterations of said world are just the result of me being honest about its flaws. And that certainly isn't to say that the current iteration is perfect. It isn't. Not even close. But I am hoping that (especially for those of you who have read Dragon Touched) you can see the ways it has changed. This blog is a lot about the journey, after all, and you can't really honestly evaluate a journey if you don't have a sense of the starting point.

Ah, starting points. Would you like to hear some of mine?

Quests: I love quests. I do. I'm a gamer who grew up reading Lord of the Rings and the The Belgariad. Quests are fun and you can have lots of them and frequently your characters end up getting cool stuff at the end of them. Right? And what makes for better quests than the one Ultimate Accessory of World Domination (or UAWD) that has to be either recovered or destroyed? A One Ring, or Horcruxes, or an Orb that will either dismantle the world or return it to glory.

Wren was going to go on a quest...probably with a Five Man Band. I believe there was something about reuniting lost parts of the UAWD and using it to become a sort of godlike entity.

Big Bad: One dude who is worse than everyone. He always wears all black and most likely his name has a “The” at the beginning. Lots of potential for him to “go Vader” and be a main character's biological parent.

Hm...The Overlord Rising. Like I've said, I do have some tropes in tact...maybe. I guess we'll have to see, won't we? (winky face)

Magic Object: Previously mentioned in the “Quest” section. There has to be something for the hero(es) to quest after, right? Jewelry is always a viable option, although swords do make excellent quest-objects.

*In George Takei's awesome voice* Oh my. I had these in spades. Dragon eggs, magic swords, magic jewelry, if it could be enchanted and used as a MacGuffin, it was. I think Wren herself was a MacGuffin at one point.

Dragons: This one seems obvious. What is more “fantasy” than dragons, right? They are big, they are magical, they are older than time itself, what's not to love? Also, they frequently can be found guarding quest-objects and dispensing profound wisdom to questing main characters.

I still have dragons because I love them. However, not all of my dragons fall into the typical role of dragons. This was the result of wondering what a world would be like if there were dragons that weren't wise or even sentient. I also really enjoy thinking about dragons from a biological standpoint in terms of their habitats and behaviors. Combine this with a long-standing love of dinosaurs and you can bet dragons are going to have a role to play. Besides, one can't really have a book called “Dragon Touched” without there being dragons in it. Right? Unless the dragons are MacGuffins. MacDragons? That sounds like a fantasy sandwich.

...moving right along.

Magic: How can you write a fantasy novel without magic?

That being said, the more fantasy I read the more my concept of what magic is and could be evolves. I have read a number of different ways that magic can shape the world and the more I read the more ideas I have about how I want magic to be a part of the EBR. I think for me one of the biggest realizations was that I wanted magic fully integrated. I didn't want to write about the world where magic had faded and the protagonist's journey is what brought it back. I wanted to have a world more like Harry Potter's world where magic simply is. Granted, due to the scope of Dragon Touched that element of world building isn't as fleshed out in Book I as it will be, but that is the direction I am heading.

In the beginning, however, all I knew about magic in my world was that Wren had it. Lots of it. Maybe because of a prophesy. She could do pretty much all the things and of course she'd be the odd one out in her family for it. Ultimately, her magic would probably be the result of being a “secret baby”. You know the type. The Luke Skywalkers, Garions, and Eragons. In other words, every Farm Boy trope imaginable. Or, if not that, a Cinderella story. A young girl raised by parents (or at least one parent) who are not her real parents and treated shamefully by them. Naturally, Wren would rise above such behavior and show them all becoming the grand supreme ruler of all things covered in awesomesauce.

Ok, so why am I telling you all this? Well, like I said before it is certainly not to claim that my work is without flaws. It has plenty of flaws that I work every day towards correcting. However, I don't see any reason not to be honest about where I have come from. I guess maybe I hope that reading this might help any of you who are struggling with your own stories and characters. The only limit really is your own patience and desire to improve. When you get frustrated just remember that nothing starts off perfect (and if you need a reminder, just read this post again :P). I don't think any writer worth his or her salt really ever think that his/her work is perfect, which is one of the best and most obnoxious things about this job. It means the work is never done and that you as a writer are never done growing and learning.

Speaking of learning, next time I am going to be talking about sporks and how they influenced me as a writer. Now, however, it's time to return to the EBR and Book II.

If I don't post before Christmas (depends on how crazy things get), Happy Holidays, Dear Reader. I hope that they are filled with peace and joy, and good food and drink.