*~*~*
Sometimes a writer’s muse will do
unexpected things with a character or a storyline, but that’s a good
thing. Don’t ignore the gentle prodding. Follow. I give you
two examples of how this has worked well for me.
First:
I’ve been asked if I use
an outline when I write. The answer is: “No.”
I don’t know why, but
I’ve never been able to outline events well before they occur in my
fiction. When a great idea pops into my head, I immediately write it
down. That’s my writer instinct. I may not know where the idea will
lead, but I’m willing to follow.
That’s how the Darkness
Series began. In January 1996, when I laid down to go to sleep, the
opening sentence came to me: “Dropping a cat from the top of a ten story
office building was not the best way to remain hidden, but it was necessary.”
I was intrigued. I
didn’t know where the story would go or why someone dropped the cat off the
building, but I got up and wrote it down. A few minutes later when I was
trying to go to sleep, the next two paragraphs came to me. So, again, I
got up and wrote down the words.
The next day I sat at my
computer and hammered out twenty pages in a few hours. At the end of
those pages, I found myself in a new dilemma. I couldn’t add anything
else to the storyline. Anything I attempted to add didn’t fit, sounded
too corny, or took away from the characters and the building plot. I was
stuck, and I didn’t know why. I printed it out and set it in a box to
work on later.
Two years later, during
my final year at Morehead State University, I registered to take two creative
writing classes in the coming fall. During the summer I took out the
twenty pages and thought I would see if any new ideas stirred to breathe life
into this story. Rereading the piece I realized something. I didn’t
have twenty pages of the novel. What I had was the skeleton of a novel
that needed depth, description, and more urgency to push the plot forward.
I took a yellow notepad
and made a lot of notes. When I was content with how I would flesh the
book out, I sat at the computer and spent a week working and revising with the
new ideas. The last sentence of the original twenty pages now ended on
page 100; but still, I couldn’t add anything else. Frustrated, I set it
aside.
Once the fall semester
started, we met the new creative writing professor, Dr. Chris Offutt. He
stated that his class would be treated like a writer’s workshop, and on our
designated days, we could bring in a short story or the chapter of a book we
were working on to have the class evaluate it. When my day came, I
brought the first chapter (~32 pages) of Predators of Darkness: Aftermath in and gave each student a copy. The next
week they came back to critique and offer suggestions about what did/didn’t
work.
After everyone in the
class made their suggestions, the professor walked to the chalkboard. He
drew out a diagram on the board and said, “Leonard, you don’t have one chapter
here. What you have is five or six chapters.” In a matter of
minutes he mapped out five chapters. I feverishly wrote down his
suggestions. The best part is that something clicked. The fog
lifted. And I suddenly visualized my characters, their uniqueness, and
their voices were audible in my head.
Eventually, Predators of Darkness: Aftermath grew into 340 pages, and there are four complete
novels in the series. Had I not written that sentence down, I do wonder
if the series would have occurred. After all, I didn’t have a plot or any
characters. All I had was the one sentence. I never imagined the
opening sentence would spawn four more novels afterwards (Yes, I’m working on
the fifth book), which is why I suggest that writers follow their muse, carry
notebooks, and don’t get chained to an outline. If a character takes an
unexpected turn into a dark alley, don’t stop him/her. Follow.
Second:
A couple of years ago I
published Devils Den. Due to the characters in the fantasy realm of the novel, I
thought that writing a novella backstory would be a good idea. However,
my muse had a much different idea.
The fantasy characters in
Devils Den I’ve known—in my mind, at least—for more than twenty years. The
first novel I attempted was based on these characters, but the plot was too
weak to develop, so I killed the story. But the characters never
died. They didn’t speak a lot, but they were there in the back of my
mind, maturing.
As I started the
“Prequel” for Devils Den, something strange occurred. The characters wanted their voices
to be heard, and they weren’t shy about letting me know. What I thought
would be 40-50,000 words, came to life on a much larger scale. Twenty
years of maturing in my mind, the characters suddenly brought their world to
life. And thanks to Millard Pollitt, who drew an outstanding map of the
realm, so many places can be explored. The plotlines are endless.
The new novel is a
148,000 word epic fantasy novel (Name and cover soon to be announced). Since
the events in this novel are twenty years prior to Devils Den, and so much occurs between the two, the new book has become the
first book in its own series.
So, you see, my muse took
me in a different direction and definitely farther than the novella I had
planned. Most often my muse knows more than I do, so I follow, take
notes, and I write down what I hear and see. If there’s a better formula
than that, I don’t know it.
*~*~*
Shawndirea
Chronicles
of Aetheaon
Book
I
Leonard
D. Hilley II
Genre: Fantasy (Epic, Adventure, Sword/Sorcerer)
Publisher: DeimosWeb Publishing
Date of Publication: June 27,
2014
ISBN: 9781310304965
Number of pages: 536 printed
pages
Word Count: 148,000
Book Description:
Often the smallest unexpected
surprises garner the most demanding dilemmas, which proves to be the ordeal
that entomologist Ben Whytten faces.
While netting butterflies to add to his vast collection, he mistakenly sweeps
what he thinks is the most spectacular butterfly he has ever seen into his
net. Upon examining his catch, Ben is
horrified to discover he has captured a faery and shredded her delicate wings
into useless ribbons.
Devastated, Ben vows to take
Shawndirea back to her realm, Aetheaon; but he discovers that doing so places
their lives into immediate danger. To
get to Aetheaon, they must pass through a portal rift deep inside the haunted
cavern, Devils Den.
Once they cross the rift, Ben
enters a world where mysteries, magic, betrayal, and power struggles
await. He must adapt quickly or die
because Aetheaon is filled with enchanted creatures and numerous races where
chaos often dominates order. And since
Shawndirea’s destined for the throne of Elvendale, opposing dark forces plot to
prevent her from ever reaching her kingdom again. The faery's magic isn't enough to fully
protect them, so he must trust other adventurers to aid them during their
journey.
Available at Amazon
About
the Author:
Leonard D. Hilley II currently
lives in the mountains of Kentucky with his wife, Christal. He is a biologist that has also earned his
MFA in creative writing. Having a
passion for books at an early age, he knew he wanted to author his own creative
works. He wrote his first novel at the
age of eleven and has never lost his love for books.
Twitter: @Deimosweb Publishing
Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Leonard-D-Hilley-IIauthor-page/157289854329916
Tour
giveaway
5 free ebook copies of Shawndirea via Smashwords
5 free ebook copies of Shawndirea via Smashwords
*~*~*
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