I first attempted to transform Logan Shadowhand from a roleplaying game character into a literary hero about 15 years ago. He’s evolved quite a bit since then. I still have copies of those early manuscripts, some in hard copy and some in electronic. At Ravyn’s request, I’m going to share pieces of them with you in hopes of illustrating the stages of growth both my writing and the character have gone through.
Logan began as one part of an adventuring duo. The Dungeons & Dragons influence is obvious, especially in my description of Logan as a “hobbit.” Here is the first part of the opening scene of what was then entitled The Return of the Druids: …Read the rest»
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Sympathy for the protagonist is a great tool for drawing readers into a story. If the reader can identify with the character’s struggles and desires, they become invested in what happens. That leads to late nights of anxious page-turning.
A sympathetic character has obstacles they must overcome. These can be internal or external, but the key is that the protagonist makes an effort to resolve the conflict. Characters that do nothing but suffer and whine, passively endure, or continually expose their incompetence are not sympathetic. They are pathetic. …Read the rest»
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Logan Shadowhand presented some challenges for me as he evolved from a roleplaying game character into a fantasy fiction protagonist. I had no literary aspirations for the character until I recreated him as a non-player character for one of my Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. He and his elf partner (who was also destined to become a character in Shattered Amulet) were the leaders of an organization that hunted dragons. As is the case with most fledgling Dungeon Masters, I had way more material on Logan’s background and personality than I would ever use in a game, so I started toying with the idea of writing stories about him.
The plot for Shattered Amulet–and its sequels in the Chronicles of Jord–were actually developed separate and apart from Logan. That is, to say, they were originally a D&D campaign idea that eventually transformed into a fantasy fiction concept. As the plot fell into place, I saw an opportunity for Logan as the protagonist. …Read the rest»
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I envision a scene in my head first then write. The more vivid the pictures in my mind, the easier it is for me to write. Of course, this method comes with drawbacks. If my mental vision is muddied, I struggle putting words down. My descriptions also tend to rely on visual cues more than other senses because I’m writing what I “see.”
Another result of this visual writing is my tendency to perform description dumps: comma-separated lists of what someone or something looks like that interrupt the narrative flow. It’s a natural consequence of the desire to convey a clarity of vision, but it’s poor writing. …Read the rest»
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The first fantasy fiction I ever read that included a pantheon of gods integral to the story was David Eddings’ The Belgariad. Eddings follows classic polytheism in many ways, with the gods being related (a father and seven brothers). The gods were involved in the creation of the world. They scheme against each other, use their followers as pawns when necessary, and are able to appear in a physical form to interact with the world.
The theology of The Belgariad differs from classic polytheism in that the people have no say in what god is their patron. In polytheistic cultures like ancient Egypt or Greece, faithful worshiped at multiple altars depending on their need. In the Belgariad, each of the gods chose a race to adopt, and while members of every race recognize the existence of all the gods, they worship only their patron (or none at all).
What made the gods of The Belgariad interesting to me was the fact that they were tools themselves of two different, sentient prophecies. Mortals are regular pawns of the gods, but it’s not often that you see gods portrayed as pawns themselves. …Read the rest»
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