Hello, mine friends! As someone still new to the world of blogging, this is my first time participating in a link-up event—one specifically for writers, no less! This list of 10 questions posed to writers of various works-in-progress is curtesy of Christine Smith, whose original post I’ve linked to at the bottom for your perusal.

Without further ado, here is a window into my current WIP, The Legend of Iveswood Volume One: “The Dragon’s Curse.”

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1. What first sparked the idea for this novel?

…Short answer: consuming too much media about dragons.

I’ve mentioned this in my ‘About’ page, but this particular novel “died” and “reincarnated” into something very different three times, over the course of about…12 years. (Twelve!? Holy cow, has it really been that long?) The only thing that never really changed was the fact I had a main-character nicknamed “Storm,” who shape-shifts into a dragon. (Well, actually, first he was just a dragon, and a grouchy side-character who ferried other people around).

In the earliest drafts, the seed was, “What if there was this kid who could turn into a dragon, and everyone saw him as some foretold heroic figure, even when he’s actually too young, weak, and inexperienced to fulfill this role?”

As of 2015 or so, the seed became, “What if this kid could turn into a dragon, and everyone saw him as a monster?” A VERY different story grew out of that.

“It simply isn’t an adventure worth telling if there aren’t any dragons.”

– J.R.R. Tolkein

2. Share a blurb (or just an overall summary).

I just rewrote the reader’s summary for Vol.1 here, but I’ll try to it sum it up more briefly.

The Legend of Iveswood is about how a young man cursed to transform into an impulsive dragon sets out to stop a powerful man who’s hunting him—but then gets dragged into an eerie, centuries-old conflict to keep a premature reckoning from snuffing the life out of his kingdom. Partly told in Storm’s wry double-talk, and partly through another main character, this sweeping adventure will explore the consequences of free will, forgotten memories, self-loathing, corruption, and redemption, woven through the very fabric of Skylia.
(…Did I mention my plan to illustrate it in pen & ink and watercolor? Here’s the Gallery page if you’d like to see some of my work so far.)

3. Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite aspects about the setting?

I’m so glad you asked! *Giant gasp*—no, just kidding, I won’t info-dump. (Too much, hopefully.)

Vol.1 takes place within the young kingdom of Skylia—which sits upon a fertile land, with a very old, mysterious history, in which the Skylians are unwittingly playing a part. They have…rather forgotten their origin, you see, and now it is leading to trouble.

That’s the problem Storm is dealing with too, on a far smaller scale…

Some particular places along the way include an imposing, walled city known as Fort Exalder (both labrynthine and prison-like), a tavern within the roots of a massive oak tree, a field “guarded” by stone, and a lovely woodland village called Kennfirth that might not be standing by the end of this book.

It feels like I’m exploring Skylia (and the larger world it’s a part of, called Moethena) each time I write about it, and with each of these settings, I try to imagine how and why they came to exist, and why they have crumbled, or endured. I love trying to craft deep, logical world-building, with hints of the unknown that, I hope, will lead people to wonder.

“Every high civilization decays by forgetting obvious things.”

G.K. Chesterton

4. Tell us about your protagonist(s).

Oh dear.

Well.

This is Storm.

Keep your distance—he frowns upon overly-enthusiastic handshakes, has a habit of setting things on fire, and might just pickpocket you, if you’re looking too prosperous. If you appear rather poor or downtrodden, however, he’ll risk life and limb to help you. Not even joking. He’s honestly very lost right now, more than he knows, and the lad needs a good friend or two. Or nine. …Quit shaking your head, you big liar, we can all see it!

ANYway… this is Clara Higden, apprentice healer.

—Oh, alright, “former” apprentice healer. Sheesh, I know it’s still your passion, girl. (Struggling to get her confidence back, poor dear). She’s a ferociously curious, honest, no-nonsense, no-stone-left-unturned type, and a fabulous gardener. …She’s waving me off, but seriously, she’s great. …And unlike a certain someone on this list who must not be named, she actually listens to me. Some of the time.

And last but not least, this is Thaelian, Prince of Skylia.

Thaelian is great too. He might even listen to me more than he should. He also might take on too much of the responsibility of keeping everyone around him on track, and at peace, since Thaelian is a paragon of patience and diplomacy. Also of having side-hobbies, like wood-carving, fishing, and listening to boring discussions without falling asleep.

(There are several other important characters that make up “the Group,” but we’ll limit the introductions to avoid spoilers, methinks).

5. Who (or what) is the antagonist?

Storm: “Lord Adelric.”

Thaelian: “Oh, but it is in fact the—”

Storm: “Nope. Definitely Lord Adelric.”

*Sigh.* This is Lord Adelric of Exalder, a bitter, merciless hand of justice.

Alright, this may be a tad controversial, but while Lord Adelric is the foremost antagonist for Storm, at first, it becomes pretty obvious he is also being manipulated by a…much worse entity, to destabilize the kingdom.

Clara: “Or, could it be that fire-spitting monster I’ve heard rumors about?”

Storm: *visibly disturbed*

Whoa, okay! I’m afraid that’s all I can say before venturing too far into spoiler territory. Suffice it to say, there are multiple assailants.

“Nigh draws the fateful day when the candle flames shall quiver,
And the pure of heart, at his very name, shall feel his bite, and shiver.
Heed the warning the ancients shunned, lest the end be endless,
The Ruler shall cast off his chains, and tread without the Faceless…”

– The Wrythenmere

6. What excites you most about this story?

Epic fantasy holds a unique potential to tell a story with world-shattering consequences, with the most literal, dramatic elements, about people like you and me. Ordinary, flesh and blood individuals, born or thrust into extraordinary, poetic circumstances.

And aren’t we all? Does living through a life-changing experience most other people may have had, in some form, at some point in their lives, really make it less extraordinary? Or does that simply make it easy to dismiss?

I think we all need stories with fantastic elements to remind us of what is fantastic in reality; to see anew those things we might belittle or take for granted, right before our eyes. I propose fantasy is not merely escapism, but a journey to another world, only to realize there are similarities at its core, to our own.

I’d like to write many stories in my lifetime, but I think this series would be my one venture into ‘epic fantasy,’ which will always hold a special place in my heart.

“I am beginning to wonder just how much people pretend to know about this world.”

– Clara Higden

7. Is this going to be a series? Standalone? Something else?

This is definitely the first book in what I think will be a 6 or 7-book series (one of those being the prequel/number 4), but I’m still fuzzy on whether those main six will technically be two trilogies. Originally, I’d plotted Volumes 1, 2, and 3 to be a single book, before discovering how insanely long that was, and the ideas for 4, 5, 6, and 7 would begin a slightly more separated story-arc.
(And…I’m rather hoping to do comics that pair with the series someday too, if the illustrating goes well enough. That secret plan is on the back-burner, though).

8. Are you plotting? Pantsing? Plantsing?

Plantsing all the way, y’all! (Clara would be proud).

I found out there’s a term for the sort of “outlining” I make use of: the Headlight/Flashlight Method! Once I nailed down the order in which the big events happened, I came up with titles for the chapters encapsulating those events, guesstimated how many additional chapters ought to fill in the gaps, then started naming those. Chapter and scene names act like checkpoints for me, and then I only slow down to list what happens scene-by-scene when I get to the next chapter’s batch. I’m illuminating the path only a little ahead of me—with a general idea of the milestones, and plenty of room for detours.

9. Name a few unique elements about this story.

Well, most of this book is told from Storm’s perspective, and his scenes are always in First-Person POV. Then at some point, Clara enters the story, and some scenes are told from her perspective, but in Third-Person limited. I cannot seem to find a novel that does this particular, drastic level of POV-type switching yet, so I suppose that makes this story feel a bit unusual to me. I’m working on heightening that contrast between the way Storm talks and thinks directly to the reader, and the impression of Clara’s voice and manner we get from her slightly more distanced position.

I think this device actually reflects the nature of Storm’s dragon-problem, in a way. Ask around Skylia, and you’ll hear rumors and ‘Tales of the Shadow’ that depict the slightest bits of truth about him, distorted and filled in by his enemies, and by storytellers. A layer deeper, and you have someone like Clara, who discovers “the Shadow” is in fact human, sympathetic, but maybe dangerous. A layer deeper then, and you have the account from Storm himself…yet even he is deceived as to what is truly wrong.

I might add that although I only introduced the three youngest people in the main cast, I think it takes a broad range of other individuals with different life experiences to make a story feel real, and to remember that each and every character is the protagonist of their own life. I can’t say too much about the others without spoilers, but I’m just as excited about the unmentioned dynamics between characters as the ones I’ve hinted about.

Also, alongside some Shape-shifters, the rare dragon, and a giantess, there are creatures unique to Skylia’s larger world of Moethena running around or sequestered in their personal nooks and crannies—from the one-eyed squid in the River Struen, to those Arbori hidden in their hooded robes while among human habitation—all of which I’m still working to interweave with inspiration from real-world details.

At the end of the day, I don’t think this story particularly “unique” beyond its specific combinations of core elements we’re all familiar with, but I love finding meaning in twisting or combining classic tropes, and in using fantastical phenomena to directly impact character development.

10. Share some fun “extras” of the story (ANYTHING you want to share!)

As both a reader and writer, I am ecstatic about fun bonus material!
(That’s basically what this whole site is for, heh).

So, if you’d like to explore some extras, this is the Pinterest board tied to the series, and the still-under-construction Youtube playlist. And if short-stories, sneak-peeks, or world-building entries tickle your fancy, I’ve begun adding those things here too! (If you like, you can sign up to the newsletter here for monthly updates on when these are added).

And that’s all, folks!

“…We were leaving, entering the unknown, without Fentimus, and nothing could stop me now.
Perhaps, nothing could save me, either.”

– Storm

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And of course, a hearty thank you to Christine Smith for hosting this writer’s link-up! I’m off to check out my fellow writers’ responses to this WIP questionnaire next!

Check out Part Two here!