The making of...

As many of you know, I am in the process of writing a fantasy adventure novel. I was inspired to reconsider the idea after reading the second book in the Twilight Saga series (New Moon) last December. After all, I thought, if Stephanie Meyers could write a book in the first person, using simple language and underdeveloped characters, then, well, so can I. Only, it won’t be so simple (though I WILL try) and the characters will be more developed. So began a journey that has taken me into the highest mountains on earth!

The settings came to me visually, on the wide stage of my imagination. I saw snow-capped mountains covered in thick fog…dark-skinned people dressed in bright jackets and muscular legs. I saw dangerous mountain paths and steep cliffsides. Well…you get the idea J. Next, I looked for pictures that resembled my imaginings. Funny enough, I had already drawn a couple during the beginning of my hobby to DRAW. There, on the first page, stood a picture of Mt. Everest. I don’t know why I drew it, what inspired me at the time, but there it was, staring right back at me. The next picture that caught my eye (a drawing that I had done) was the basilica of the Zurich University (yes, in Switzerland). It was so….telling. After taking a little while to let my ideas percolate, I started making lists. Naturally, I started listing names….names of possible characters, names of exotic places, names of enchanted objects…. And then I discovered the Lord of the Rings Trilogy….

LORT had so many of the things that I wanted to incorporate into my story-the white mountains, the gallant knights, the judicious kings, the evil lord-and so I became discouraged. So I percolated a little more. Finally, I decided to try again. Thus began my journey to creating a kingdom of effervescent proportions! Now how was I going to relate this ancient kingdom to the modern world? After all, my target audience (young adult) needed at least one foot in reality! Hmmm…that was something to think about….