There are many elements that
go into the making of any work of fiction. Generally, a combination of personal
experience, imagination, and research. Each author has their own unique well of
experiences to draw on, and their own perspective on how they viewed their
experiences, which is why regardless of the idea, each writer can bring a
unique perspective to any novel. Today I’d like to share with you some of the
elements that went into the creation of the RELICS OF MERLIN series, which
includes: ENCHANTING THE LADY, DOUBLE ENCHANTMENT, ENCHANTING THE BEAST and the
upcoming brand new story (December 2013), EVERLASTING ENCHANTMENT.
When I’m crafting a novel, sometimes the world comes
first, sometimes the characters, sometimes the plot:
In the RELICS OF MERLIN, the
world came first. Although the books are stand-alones, they are all connected
by Merlin’s thirteen relics—jewels that the sorcerer Merlin crafted, each
holding a different spell of power. In my alternate Victorian reality, titles
are held by the inheritance of magical powers, with the higher title possessing
the more powerful magic. The only power greater than a royals’ is one of
Merlin’s thirteen relics, and their location is as mysterious as the spell each
relic contains. From that premise different story lines and different
characters sprouted, with each book dealing with a different relic and two new
characters’ love stories.
I developed the Underground, the dark-wizard city
beneath London,
with an understanding of caves through personal experience:
I went cave-crawling (literally,
with knee pads) in a Kentucky
cave. This wasn’t a tourist cave, but one my brother-in-law had discovered.
Once inside it widened considerably, but to get inside we had to crawl through
some very tight squeezes. The absence of light and the maze-like passages were
terrifying, and the first time I went in I raced back out within five minutes.
But I don’t like to let fear control me, so I plunged back in. I wish I could
say it was fun, but the hand-light went out at one point, the cave crickets on
the ceiling looked like giant gray spiders, and a river ran through the larger
passages and that water was cold. But
it did give me an understanding of the London Underground I envisioned for my
book, and an experience I’ll never forget.
I took real historical facts and research and changed
it with magical touches to create a vision of my alternate world:
I’ve read and
own many books on the Victorian era, from architecture to furniture to social
economics. (I listed many of my research books on my website blog). I have
always loved that time period, so I found the research fascinating. Then I
created maps of my alternate Victorian London to keep track of changes to name
places (Pall Mall became Pall Mage, Belgrave Square became Gargoyle Square, and
I added the Hall of Mages next to Buckingham Palace, for example) because with
the influence of magic, the city would develop differently. I also have a ‘map’
of a Victorian mansion, with the type of furniture for each room listed (In
England, the first floor of a home is the ground floor, and the first floor is
called the second, which is often confusing to my American mind :}). I also have a chart with hereditary titles,
how each peer is addressed, and their level of magic. I keep a dictionary of my
own words, because I often make them up; and a chart of the relics, when they
were discovered, what type of jewel and spell (if known). I also create
character sheets along with animal references, since my heroes’ natures are so
strongly influenced by their were-creatures.
I keep my world
fresh in my mind:
By writing everything on loose
paper, and then use binder clips to keep them organized. I print pictures of
Victorian costume, architecture, etc. and keep them with that packet, so that I
have visuals as well as notes to refer to.
I’m careful
with research details I include in my books:
When it comes to historical
research, if I need it for the storyline it goes in. I have research that never
goes into the story because it isn’t necessary, but it still gives me a general
feel of the world, so it’s not wasted. When it comes to the magical elements
that I weave into the world, I’ll go into a bit more detail, because I try to
instill that sense of realism into the story.
I consider
setting almost as another character:
And another element I have to weave
into the plot. I try to add in the rules of my magic early on, so the reader
knows what to expect. But again, I try not to dump it in all at once, but use
it to enrich the plot.
I’ll leave you with an excerpt from
ENCHANTING THE LADY to show how I use visuals, setting, and the logistics of
the magic by weaving them into the scene:
“Look
at Lord Gremville’s new coach and four.”
Uncle Oliver’s voice dripped with disdain.
Felicity
stared out the window. Marquesses’
powers were limited to illusions and the transfer of objects, so she knew that
the white unicorns with golden horns weren’t real, that the gilded coach
camouflaged a plain black finish. Still,
the sight took her breath away, and she longed to stroke the foreheads of the
animals.
Until Next Time,
My Magical Best,
Kathryne
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