Behind the Ink
Hello there! Here is where you can find the collection of weekly emails in the “behind the scenes” series of my work. Enjoy your exploration, and if you like what you see, consider signing up for my newsletter, of which these emails will be part.
Children of Stone, Children of Ashkaron Book 1
Chapter 1
| Ellender’s Nook |
| Good evening, and welcome to the first edition of Behind the Ink!I finally realized that at least half the reason you signed up for this newsletter was in interest of the story itself, which I have done little to delve into. Today, we’re going to rectify that in a way I hope you will enjoy. |
 Image credit: No-longer-here, pixabay.com The Behind the Ink series will explore Children of Stone (CoS) weekly, one chapter at a time, and I will discuss some of the changes that occurred over the course of its construction, thought processes and fun memories that went into its making. I will attempt to keep the spoilers low for those who haven’t read it just yet, but I can’t promise some things won’t make for slightly early reveals. With that understanding, let’s dive in. |
First off, I had a dream last night that I opened the book to do this, as I’m reading the relevant chapter before writing to refresh my memory, and found a blacked out section and two lines of upside down text!! I happily report no such nightmares found footing in the waking world. A little background, 2016:Children of Stone (originally no series name) was written for the National November Writing Month challenge (now sadly defunct), in which the goal was to write a 50k word novel in the month of November. I had only once met/exceeded that word count, and it had taken a very long time to do it. Not a fast writer, I had no reason to think I could accomplish it, but decided to try anyway, pretty much on a whim. I flipped through my small category of previous short stories and ideas, but wasn’t satisfied with any of them. Finally, one of those literal shower thoughts hit me, and I saw an image of a man dressed in black, standing among desert dunes, and I knew he was looking for something. What that was I had no clue, and it wasn’t until perhaps the day before we started writing that I had any inkling of what any of it was about. That was an interesting month. I was still driving almost an hour one way for work, and for a good share of the time I ended up working six 10 hour days a week. My family was entirely wonderful, and generously allowed me to all but ignore them in the effort to make this happen. As I’ve since come to terms with, my style means I find out at almost the same time you do what happens next. I remember wracking my brain to find some way to meet that 1,500 word a day effort, and not knowing where anything was going. That uncertainty has since become more comfortable and a bit fun. Suffice to say, an extremely rough 50k word draft did coalesce within the month. (I also managed to complete my OSHA 10 certification, which *coughcough* may not have been prioritized as my supervisors would have liked.) |
| Our first chapter has had a lot of positive feedback, as everyone seems to enjoy the opening scene. As much as I love that, and am grateful to see it appreciated, there’s a part of me that misses CoS’ original opening form. To begin with, we had a two-part prologue. Part 1 featured General Urig, running the mounts of a small army to death in an attempt to reach a besieged facility before it is too late. While there were few survivors, the facility remains intact, and our first introduction to the Grak is their corpses. Urig sweeps inside to meet Asnamad, who is aware of but unconcerned about the attack, no matter if the walls had been breached it may all have been over for our little civilization.  Image credit: Flight_of_fantasy, pixabay.com |
I loved the conversation between Urig and Asnamad, and salvaged what I could of it for a later chapter, but it’s just not the same. A small change for Asnamad was his eye color. Originally, it was a light, piercing blue. When I later pulled back and took a look at the people we had, he was the only one with that eye color. As much as it would have further marked him as a bit unique, I eventually decided it was better to keep more consistency in their genetics. Urig also changed over the course of refining the story. I sat down to make a villainous villain who was bad for bad’s sake and just a mean jerk. As I grew a little bit, it became patently obviously juvenile, and wasn’t right for his character or position. The brooding madness we see instead is far more correct, even if a shrinking part of me pouts that it wasn’t what I wanted. Prologue Part 2 followed new mother Veila and baby Arythas in a facility that comes under attack. Iztu, husband and father, takes them away as a general evacuation is underway, disobeying procedure by splitting off from the armed escort. We watch them come under attack by the Grak and fend them off, though Iztu is wounded. After escaping, Iztu explains his plan to Veila, to keep their daughter safe. I liked having this glimpse into both Iztu and Veila, though, as a reader commented, it was weird to have a chapter with named characters that never show up again in any meaningful way in the rest of the book. In the end, it did seem wiser to cut it. I’m still glad to have this little moment of a loving father and doomed mother living in the back of my mind, even if it’s been the better part of a decade since it existed. Chapter 1 went through a few more versions and refinements, and one of the last was the addition of Vashel’s appearance. I enjoy her part, small as it is, and think it’s great to have a smidge more time with her. It also did a lot to support her character later in the book, and as such was necessary. I left the guards intentionally vague, as this was not the time to reveal them. I doubt there’s too much curiosity around them at this point, but much better safe than spilt tea. A very small thing was that for the longest time I used the word “stolid” once in the first few paragraphs to describe the rock formations. Somebody eventually said that it seemed odd and broke immersion. (I can’t tell you how many things had been in place for years, and then weeks before ordering the finalized version, were suddenly an issue!) I checked the definition, and while not perfect, didn’t truly seem at odds. I really loved stolid and thought it felt right, but in the end, I softened my stubbornness to make room for good advice. What’s really funny, is looking through one of the next books, the same word pops up again in pretty much the same context. And I still love it. Haven’t changed it yet, but probably will, in the end. But maybe not till the last minute. That’s all that’s coming to mind for Chapter 1. I hope you have enjoyed this and I will see you next week with Chapter 2! |
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
| Ellender’s Nook |
| Welcome to the second installment of Behind the Ink, where we are exploring Children of Stone (CoS) chapter-by-chapter! Here I share the changes, challenges and groans or laughter I remember in creating my first novel, while attempting to keep the spoilers limited for those who haven’t had the chance to read it yet. |
Image credit No-longer-here, pixabay.com Unlike Chapter 1, Chapter 2 begins pretty much the same, though with the much simpler statement, “The sun was hot.” While I eventually changed it, the decision wasn’t made quickly. I always liked the simple directness of the line, and didn’t think it was at odds with Krun. Many of the flora and fauna in the final version came about in the “second-to-last phase” of CoS’ construction. |
| Much of the published structure solidified immediately after receiving feedback from my developmental editor, Julie Gray. I could only afford the one pass with her, but it was very valuable. At the time, there was a competition coming up that I wanted to enter, and made a flurry of improvements towards that end with her help. The next chapter reflects, perhaps the greatest changes brought about by that interaction. For the world, I realized it actually felt pretty empty. It was supposed to, to a large degree, but not quite this skeletal. To liven it up and enrich the surroundings, this chapter introduced the cotris, splin and shisha. Also, this is now the first time we catch a glimpse of the reliable zirik. While it never made it into the first draft, the original conception of the zirik was as an oasis predator that lurked in the water, using tentacles to catch its prey. I got some weird looks for that. To be fair, I was in a clean up crew at a construction site at the time, and I don’t think there were many creative types around. Any time I bounced an idea off someone, I was given strange looks, lol. There was another feature or two about that zirik that I don’t quite recall now, but they definitely tipped it towards “ridiculous”. After a re-design, the zirik had poisonous bone spikes that protruded from its sides when threatened, which was on display in the original Prologue Part 2. This also ended up feeling unnecessary. Badjads got a small tweak, implemented late, in the form of the hairless skin “vents” we briefly see on Mala. I got to thinking about alpacas, and how they have a similar feature to help them combat heat, and figured badjads were pretty big and hairy not to have something of the sort. |
Two major scene changes took place. The first was Krun’s attempt to escape the Grak scouts. Originally, he and Mala found the lair of a vorta and dared passing close to it in the hopes their potential attackers wouldn’t have the courage to follow. You’ll meet a vorta later, and it is no spoiler to say that their design changed entirely. Originally, vortas were basically super giant wolves with a scorpion tail and stinger. This was shrunk down and altered, eventually becoming the darja, instead. Image credit: OpenClipart-Vectors, pixabay.com |
| The second is the anonymous visitor outside Krun’s door at the inn. This was also a “second-to-last phase” implementation, and one I am very happy with. It was fun to attempt balancing intrigue and introduction, without giving things away. Also, Krun initially remembered a rumor that said way too much too soon, so that was moved to another place. Much better. After learning a little bit more about the viability (and lack of) daggers as a primary close-quarters weapon, I very seriously considered changing Krun’s choice in arms. While I may make daggers a secondary choice in the future, it is both a well-accepted fantasy implementation (sure, it’s an excuse), and just feels appropriate for him. Sometimes obvious things are oblivious things when you’ve looked at them too long, so a few changes that were suggested by a friend are that Istra was given a little more love in its description, inns and taverns in general had a little better distinction, and I gave our good innkeeper a name. About time, poor guy. Krun had, for a time, been described as a bit of a collector and reseller of strange and unusual things. This felt far too much like scavenging, which, while he might resort to under necessity, is not who he is in general. He also for a long time sounded very suspicious of the villagers and theft concerns, but this just didn’t fit on any front. Perhaps most personally, there is a line referencing the guran and the rivuul as “sentinels”. This specific instance is born from the Sons of the San Joaquin’s version of Utah (With One Eye). There is a line in the song that goes, “Sentinel spires of cactus stand, timeless guards of a rugged land”, and it has always felt so beautiful and poignant to me, and Sons of the San Joaquin bring it to life incredibly with their wonderful voices and great harmony. Western music is a highly descriptive, poetic genre, and I’m grateful to have had some exposure to it. I think that pretty well covers Chapter 2. I wish you a restful day, thank you for being here, and I will see you next week! |
Chapter 3
| Ellender’s Nook |
| Welcome to the third installment of Behind the Ink, where we are exploring Children of Stone (CoS) chapter-by-chapter! Here I share the changes, challenges and groans or laughter I remember in creating my first novel, while attempting to keep the spoilers limited for those who haven’t had the chance to read it yet. |
Image credit No-longer-here, pixabay.com Perhaps obviously, our chapter count is off a bit with the change away from the 2-part prologue. Our Chapter 3 was originally chapter 2. This kind of gentle discrepency will occur with some ragged regularity, as the oldest version I have access to contains 26 chapters (28 with the prologue), and CoS now has a total of 33. I won’t point it out all the time, but there may be some instances where it feels valid or strikes my fancy to mention. |
I don’t have my rough draft anymore, which would have been great for this series, but technology and I don’t always get along, which has led to some frustrations. Printing copies out used to be prohibitively expensive (so grateful to have my toner printer now!), so my oldest is Draft 2. I’d actually made another good reformation pass on the story, but my drive became corrupted, and this now-disappointing 2nd draft was all I had left. It was very depressing, and I didn’t touch CoS again for a couple of years. I lost my writing music at the same time, which was also very discouraging. Ah well. I have new music now, and am in some ways an entirely different person. About like the work itself. It’s all okay in the end. (Not a spoiler. 😉 ) Enough digression! Chapter 3 saw many changes after my editor had it. Notably, several new and expanded scenes! All of which felt as if they’d always been there once we met each other, and may be some of my favorite parts of the book. The banter between the shopkeeps was criminally non-existant for too long a time, as was the peek into what, exactly, our good friend Krun risked his life to trade. Quite overdue for our little world. In general, a lot was shored up and more personal. We also reversed Krun’s payment to his helper; for whatever ungenerous reason, it was originally yara candy for standard payment, and the coin for the boy’s honesty. The shopkeep’s dig at Krun about the candy is kind of me making a little fun of myself. Not the last time this happens. Our mystery woman was given a bit more care, and her better introduction moved up. I don’t want to admit just how much better the setup and interaction between her and Krun is over its original conception. Before, it was quite literally Krun turning down an alley and waiting for her to follow before confronting her, and not one of our better constructed moments. I actually kinda love it the way it is now. Alas, regarding her, it was suddenly brought up right near the end of everything, that referring to our poorly-dressed lady as a “rogue” wasn’t quite the right term for her situation. While fugitive is more accurate, it’s also less pleasant on the tongue. She’ll always be the rogue to me. |
While Mita doesn’t have a very large role, I like him a lot. His conversation here with Krun didn’t change in the extreme, though I have always debated with myself on whether or not to leave out some of the more morbid parts of it. In the end, I didn’t think of anything better, which I think means the characters were alright with it. Though, Krun used the word “usurped” to describe his interaction with the competing caravan. I didn’t want to change it, but *grumble grumble*, the text is smoother without. Image credit: Fantasy_Games_Archives, pixabay.com |
| Poor Istra used to have a better chance at good wine. I decided that a 60% chance of tasty booze didn’t sound like much of a gamble, and undermined some of the other village’s specialties. It is still, however, one of my favorites. (Don’t tell Doras or Nezit!) One of the biggest things that got a tiny nod here, was seen in Krun’s memory of another tavern at another time and place. This one is possibly my biggest facepalm. I always knew Krun was in his mid-forties, and had done the math a ton of times. But, again right before pressing go on the printing, I realized I had calculated Krun’s age and time in the military wrong, misplacing about a decade alongside some other agey/timey factors at play. This rocked the applecart a little bit, the most unhappifying of which was that I had to reduce the amount of time he and Mala have been together. Anyway, originally he’d been long out of the military at the time of the memory, and had faced far less than many around him. This actually works out fine, and feels a bit like like finding a piece of him I hadn’t realized was missing, but it sure made the anxiety spike! |
 Image credit: chiplanay, pixabay.com Creatures and names were very hard for me for a long time, (as if they’re a piece of pizza now!) but there were occasions where we did the easier thing and took inspiration from the known. Panhi were born from a multi-year-long fascination with alpacas, and the passing familiarity with some of their cousins. Notably, the vicuna, which are the base for our delicate desert dwellers and their highly-prized coats. |
| I worked on bolstering some of our background tension, as it is very relevant but hadn’t been properly mentioned. Throughout all of these early chapters, it was interesting to try striking that balance between saying too much by calmly passing off some of our character’s motivations as, perhaps, exaggerations, and not being honest enough. Pretty sure this is very common, but it was still a point I revisited frequently. I wanted to tell a simple story, not out for the twists, turns, and rarely going for the shock factor (editor said that wasn’t what we got), but it deserved to have at least one foot in the game. I think lastly, it’s worth mentioning just because it makes me happy, that there are several whole paragraphs (small as they may be), that remained the same. It feels like a pretty pushpin in the corkboard that says, “Not everything was wrong”. Thank you for traipsing down memory lane with me, and I hope you have a beautiful day. See you next week with Chapter 4! |
Chapter 4
| The Nook |
| Welcome to the fourth installment of Behind the Ink, where we are exploring Children of Stone (CoS) chapter-by-chapter! Here I share the changes, challenges and groans or laughter I remember in creating my first novel, while attempting to keep the spoilers limited for those who haven’t had the chance to read it yet. |
Image credit: No-longer-here, pixabay.com Wow! This chapter was originally so much farther ahead in story! Draft 2 had us meeting the cast we spend a good deal of the rest of the book with, three chapters ahead of the final version. Here is where I tell you a dirty little secret: I didn’t do what my editor asked.Now, I did try, mind you, but the task had been to cut back Krun’s time in the first 1/3 ish signficantly. As in half would have been good. |
There wasn’t enough going on to justify the time spent with him, she’d said, and it was dragging the story down. So I set out, a bit dismayed, to do as I was instructed. I varied it up by spending more time with Urig, roughly alternating chapters and attempting to bring Krun under control. Instead, after adding all those fun scenes with him, and further developing Urig, this part of the book expanded like a waist size after Thanksgiving dinner. Better stuffed and happier for it. I’ve been highly curious what she would think of it, now, and if she’d be pleased or disappointed. Maybe some random day down the road I’ll get to find out. Regardless, whether or not CoS would have been better off with much less of Krun and Mala, this is a darling I do not regret faking the death of. Random aside, the bookmark quote, “I reason, I study, I have faith, and I adjust my wagers as necessary.” was chosen because my editor specifically mentioned it and said she wanted a pillow with that on it. While I don’t have the pillow, I nevertheless wanted to give her an invisible, extra thank you and nod. |
| This chapter wasn’t a particular favorite of mine, as I don’t love our opening element. However, there were a few things I do love about it, probably the most of which is where we catch a glimpse of Iztu. There are a couple of characters in the story who are fundamental to how the future of this entire civilization comes to be shaped, though neither are directly in the picture. With Iztu, I always knew this scene had taken place, but it used to be an offscreen moment. I really enjoyed getting to bring it into the light, brief a moment as it was.  Image credit: CDD20, pixabay.com |
| Vaguely speaking of, I tried hard to keep Urig’s forays into the past and back easy transitions. I still frown about it a bit when I think of it, not entirely convinced I got the balance right. Oh well, spilt, spoilt or sippable, the milk’s been poured. I did enjoy a few of his lines in here, though. A few introductions were made in this chapter, if a bit offhand. Both pirlo and lyren were among the sweep of new critters, not a one of which have I regretted. I think lizards are delightful, so getting a harmless, small version of them running around was awesome. I also love owls, if a bit uneasily, and it was fun to put a couple of twists on them and toss them in here. Though, that’s not exactly obvious just yet. Speaking of introductions! For some reason I have more than once found it oddly awkward to actually find a way to naturally refer to Urig’s guardswomen by name. I don’t have much of a theory for it. Poor Imaren and Ameril have been on the wrong end of it the most. It was fun to finally start seeing more of the stonemen! |
 Image credit: Kyraxys, pixabay.com I had a bit of a quandry over how to portray them, and got some real funny looks the one time I tried to bounce the question off of someone or two at my then-workplace. Did we go for the style of birds, where the males are the decorative, beautiful ones, bedazzling prospective mates with their glittery gems? Or stay more human-analogous, where women are considered the fairer sex? I actually agonized over this for a while, though I think the right answer was fairly obvious. |
| Most all the stonemen declared their stonemarks through silent inspiration (or me grasping for the first thing to please come to mind), though Oronda (and later, Morin), were used somewhat to demonstrate the downside of the random nature of their soul-reflected features. I think out of all the stonewomen, our diamond-dusty lady is the one I seriously questioned. I was afraid that maybe I’d made her “too pretty”. “Oh, and she’s got like, main-character energy because, look at her, she’s so sparkly and gorgeous!” On the other hand, diamonds are quite well known for being hard, and in the end, it suits her well. (That, uh, obviously has nothing to do with the next book or two in the series. *coughcough*) On the subject of pretty, one of the changes made here were their garments, and the differences in the guardswomen’s garb. Again, I had been a little over the top, and initially our privileged four were bedecked with gemstones sewn onto their clothes. That was really too much, so they got a bit of a downgrade. Imaren was likely the most disappointed. Odepas got a little extra time at the end of the chapter, which I think happened in something like the very second-to-last set of edits. Like you’ve seen with a few other characters, she needed more time to show us a little about herself, and I actually really appreciated the slight nuance in his character that this small interaction brought out in Urig. All in all a very satisfactory bit to see develop. I always had a soft spot for Odepas, though she wasn’t exactly a primary character. Maybe it’s because I love opals, but if I’m being really honest, I think it’s just as much because her name came very easily. I think she was one of the first, and definitely one of the only for whom I didn’t have to go through the ritual of realizing I had a character to name, then holding that nebulous entity in mind and running through the alphabet until something sounded right. Actually, I think much of their identity is wrapped up in their names, and is usually my first clue as to their personality. I don’t always get it right, in which case they set me straight and I have to go back and address my errors. I have also discovered that certain letters tend to fall into similar roles and personality types, but I’m not going into that in too much detail because it’s potentially a bit of a spoiler, and I’ve started more consciously teasing out other qualities and characteristics that can accompany the syllables. So there! I’ll fool you later. I think the last major bit of change in this chapter involves our torturers. It’s a small little thing, but did a lot to help set up future interactions and make mental transitions easier and more natural. Originally, it was not specified that the trio was sent back on patrol duty rather than just kicked out of a job. It’s actually kinda cool, how much can be gained with just a line or two. As you may or may not have noticed, I’ve decided to change the name of my general corner of the email world to The Nook, instead of Ellender’s Nook. You know who I am, and it feels a bit pompous. This way, I think it feels more inviting, and more like a shared space. Unless my scattered brain misses it, this should be the shown title in both my regular newsletter and this particular series. Thank you for coming along! If this is a weekend day for you, I hope it is as restful or productive as you need it to be, and I’ll see you next week with Chapter 5! |
Chapter 5
| Ellender’s Nook |
Image credit: No-longer-here, pixabay.com Chapter 5 has become one of my favorites. There were always things I loved about it, and not only did those improve, but the addition of two new scenes gave it sweet breath. Our initial walk to the panhi farm held much of the feel that attracted me to the general spirit of the book. That relaxed, almost dreamy examination of the curious and the underlying beauty of the mundane. I’m not sure that’s quite right, but as much as I’ve worked to learn to be descriptive, I still struggle with recognizing the identity of a thing to make a true attempt. |
| In keeping, we had a couple of additions, notably the mobri and the skibb. I have a few little penciled sketches (truly terrible; a stick figure artist looks like a master by comparison) of a few things, and the skibb was one of them. I realized we could really use another type of mount besides the zirik, and figuratively banged my head against the keyboard until it turned up with “giant daddy-longlegs”. I very much appreciate spiders, and while we have a general catch and release outside policy, they still make me uneasy. The two major exceptions being daddy-longlegs and jumping spiders. Heck, I was happy to have something not mammalian, because trying to design anything more than “it has four legs and a tail” was a real drag. I like what they add, and I enjoy a little harmless with my creepy. At least, some of the time. This may again be lingering influence from Western music and the few movies/series I’ve seen, but it’s hard to separate a desert influence from the image of the mournfully romanctic tumbleweed, if it does belong in a different type of desert than CoS is based in. I also realized we didn’t have any fungi, and I figured why not pair them? It’s not Earth, after all! |
 Image credit pizar_heryanto, pixabay.com Actually, I’d planned to say this at a later date, but that looks like a nice segue. For a very long time, our world didn’t have a name. I’d had plans to not make a series, I didn’t feel that we needed one. After all, their world is small, at this point, and I certainly don’t think of myself as “Ellender from Earth”, or even “Ellender from the United States of America”. I don’t believe most people do. There was part of a line out of an early review that said “in this as yet unnamed world”. The review was wonderful and constructive, but my petty ire was up at the idea that it was assumed this world would be or had to be specified. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago, as I was pondering a logic issue at the end of the third book (the muse decided it wanted a series; dreadfully hard to argue with a muse) and had an explosion of ideas, that I realized it would be far easier to have a world name to refer to. |
| That also meant I needed to name the series, and work the planet into that part of the title. I’m not entirely thrilled by what we ended up with, but it fits as an encapsulation of the general theme, and nothing else that came to mind worked better. Maybe I’ll nail it next time. Back to Krun, we had our first real look at the established calap, which was fun, and I generally enjoyed the scene with Nona. Her name might have, uh, been short for “No Name”. Shameless and Desperate can sometimes have nice babies. She is not an only child, lol. On a note about kyts, I originally called them “kly”, but it didn’t look or feel quite right. I completely forgot there was a type of real bird by the same name, and felt a little embarrassed when I was reminded. Oh well. The first thing I did when I decided to take writing seriously was rid myself of the pressure to do anything truly new. I’m some odd thousands of years too late to come up with the genuinely novel (no pun intended), so I put my energy into working with the stories that want me to tell them, and accepting that what is unique is my perspective with all of its advantages and limitations. After all, any good murder mystery will tell you it is about how not what. The term birl (yes, yes, very original) was a hasty last minute addition. I’d finished the first draft of Planned Release Number 4 (Spirit of Sacrifice, an Ashkaron Novel), and by then I’d become very tired of pointing at any unknown feathered flying thing and saying “avian”. I finally accepted they would have a general term for such things and didn’t overcomplicate it, then went retroactive. Such things are one reason I hope to stay at least a series ahead of release, as there are so many things that I discover as we go along. Once it’s in print, such improvements are a little late. Another place in the walk that was given a bit better attention was the marnhill and the zirik. My mother, bless her soul, sits through all of my rough drafts and has more than once said “You can do better”. This was one of those instances. |
Our second major scene addition was dinner with Mita and Fara. This was so natural that reading over it afterward was something like finding flesh in place of a phantom thumb. Small, sure, not particularly integral, but it simply belonged. I really love it. I love Mita and Fara, and wouldn’t have minded if there had been more room for them in the story. Something I’m realizing while writing this is that I love a lot of the background characters more than I’d realized. I hope you like them, too. Image credit: Kei_Therapeutic_Art, pixabay.com |
| I’d noticed the phrase describing the entryway picture contained the term “moody blues”. I smirked a little, automatically thinking of the band by the same name. I’m not terribly familiar with them, but my parents love their music and I have enjoyed what I’ve heard. The moment I read over that particular sentence with Mom, she stopped me to point it out excitedly. So no, it’s not a reference or an homage, but I’m glad that a little thing that sparked a bit of joy in my mother and leaves me with a good memory is in print. A slightly rueful personal comment is Mita’s secondhand statement that all he can grow is sand. I love plants, but I usually avoid being personally responsible for them as no matter how hard I try, my care seems incompatible with their chances at a long life. I met a man in passing once, who also had possessed a particularly brown thumb. He, however, had delved into biochemistry and related fields, grasped the simple “green math” (not his words) and had experienced wonderful success since. My neurospicy isn’t quite of the vein to send me down the same path, but it was pretty cool to hear, and a good reminder that, generally speaking, any issue can be overcome with the pursuit of understanding. While not the only factor, dedication is the keystone of success, our commitment to which is often tempered by self-consciousness, sacrifice of other valued aspects of life, contentment or simple lack of will. But there I go again. Back on track! Speaking in general of things that I liked was the new bit of time we spent watching the pirlo. Now, please understand that anything that turns out well I feel very fortunate to have been blessed with. The work and I feel like a collaberative effort, where it needs a medium and I’m happy to feel the words. I always experience a little guilt when I admit that some of them give me pleasure, and I’m trying to learn that it’s okay to let them. After all, if I don’t like what I do, how can I ask anyone else to? So yes, picturing that pirlo perched with keen patience at the top of a spire in the moonlight, embodying both the quiet softness a desert night was capable of, and how that softness could turn to brutality in a moment, and how it is not a majestic image, but a sight that impresses one with some sense of forbidding poise that could only be found in the wild, feels like witnessing art as only the living desert can paint. And I love it. I had a note about chapter endings, but I think we’ll save that for another time. Thank you for being here, and I wish you a glorious day! If you’re celebrating Easter, then I hope it is a hoppin’ good time. See you next week! |
Chapter 6
| Welcome to the sixth installment of Behind the Ink, where we are exploring Children of Stone (CoS) chapter-by-chapter! Here I share the changes, challenges and groans or laughter I remember in creating my first novel, while attempting to keep the spoilers limited for those who haven’t had the chance to read it yet. |
Image credit: No-longer-here, pixabay.com Chapter 6 is part of the slew of time we spend with Urig, which originally didn’t take place. I’d forgotten, but our Grand General only had the chance to tell his side of things in Prologue Part One. There was so much value in spending more time with him. Does he give us a chance to explore recent history? Yes, most certainly. While I sincerely hope he doesn’t feel only an exposition device, there really isn’t anyone better to show us what happened than who was there for (almost) every moment of it. |
| Meanie that he might be, he has his reasons, and deserves a chance to share them. While I’ve liked Urig’s portions well enough, and really love some moments later on, I think this chapter is my favorite regarding him. Having the opportunity to meet Thera is something I’ve lowkey treasured. She’s another heroic background figure, in her way, and contributed so much to the course of our story to a degree that did not get recognition in earlier drafts. There is a layer or two that wasn’t appropriate to divulge in this book, which makes some of these lines hit a little harder, knowing they are there. Perhaps most of all, I liked getting a glimpse of who he had been. The conversation that takes place in Asnamad’s sanctum is the reworking of the men’s conversation in the former Prologue Part One. Still glad we could save some of it! I yet have my sister’s note, on a line that did not make the transition. The lost line, in context of the outpost barely turning away an attack and our general barging through the doors in a most hasty, agitated fashion, is Asnamad’s first introduction and goes: “Calm down,” the man said softly, without looking at him, hunched over his work. “The project is safe.” (Lol, I like this guy! – Sister) I really wanted to preserve it, but there was no reasonable means. |
You know, so much happens because of love. I’m not a romance author, and I don’t anticipate becoming one, but I do believe in it, and have found that its presence plays powerfully in my work, if not given headline credit. There are so many kinds of love, and not all of them are selfless, yet each is a force equal to almost any other; often much greater. As much pain as it can bring, it’s really rather awesome, in the grandest sense of the word.  Image credit: Gam-Ol, pixabay.com |
| Urig and Thera, Veila and Arythas, Iztu and Urig, Korhm and Istrial, Krun and Mala… Many different kinds of love, and each has claimed mastery over the narrative. Not every outcome is positive, but when you’re dealing with absolute equations, where consequences and reactions are equal to their inception, nothing short of cataclysm can really be expected. Anyway, moving on! History, history, not so much a mystery! Without Urig in the picture, our “inside” view of the Grak was rather limited to Korhm’s musings. (I know you may not have met him yet, but he’s coming. Two more chapters!) While roughly serviceable, it makes a great deal more sense to have a personal perspective through Urig for our primary understanding. Much happier. |
 Image credit: Giada_jn, pixabay.com Another thing we did was to place a bit more emphasis on Urig’s search for those in the movement against him. It felt as if there were some storylines that were picked up when convenient, which obviously isn’t great, so I tried to go through and give them a bit more consistency. In addition to pulling closed some of the plot gaps, it gives readers a chance to figure out where things might possibly lead. Brings you in from the cold, so to speak, which is much nicer than the alternative! |
| Hard as it is in a way to let it go, now that the story has been let loose in the world, it’s no longer only mine. I’m trying to be better about sharing. After all, at that point, it’s more like creating a ground we can both play in. Perhaps it’s my late night-wandery brain, but this reminds me of being in a play. I haven’t done many of them, but it was pretty cool, waiting for my next turn to go onstage, listening to the audience and my playmates, around 2/3rds through the story. It was fun, picturing their perspective, how each of us knows only this small part of what’s going on, but they know the whole of it up to that point, catching the nuances and the tensions we aren’t aware of in character. Again, there was so much to love; other people’s lines, mine, the audience’s participation… I think picturing them out there on the other side of that curtain, invisible yet integral, building something alongside us simply by their attention and pleasure, is the best part of the entire experience. I guess, like writing, it’s the whole reason to get up on the stage. To face the quivering nerves and fear of spectacular, irreversible failure, and the practices that are more stressful and aggravating than much else, for that moment of shared, glorious magic. Not to mention all the colorful, wonderful, delightfully zany people met along the way. Until next week, I bid you a most excellent day! |