Melanie Nilles

Welcome to everyone returning for another interview and to those visiting for the first time! Today we have Darius, the woodsman of Wynmere Forest, to chat with us from the upcoming Legend of the White Dragon series.

Darius, is that your first name or your last?

First. I am known as Darius Clennan for a full name.

Thank you. You’re the woodsman of Wynmere Forest. What does that mean, exactly?

It means I cut wood, mostly for Tyrkam since he defeated the duke and took over the region. I also sell to the people of Thealon or trade for what I need.

You mention Tyrkam, as others have, but not with any spite. I thought he was the warlord no one liked. How do you feel about him?

I’ve no liking of him, but I can do nothing to change it. I can only survive. I’ve no desire to interfere or fight. Nor has he wronged me but leaves me alone as long as I bring wood to the castle.

I would think with as much as he needs for an entire castle that he would have other woodsman to help. Are there others?

No. The forest is protected. Only one who understands the nature of the creatures that protect it will find a living there. Few have succeeded and many have failed. The secret is to know their mark on the trees they allow to be cut, usually dying or very old trees, or those whose absence would allow the sun to shine through the canopy. Never young trees. Those who dare to defy them have “accidents”. I have heard stories since making it my home.

Since “making it [your] home”? Then, you aren’t from the area. Where are you from? What made you settle in the forest with these “protectors”?

Before making Wynmere Forest my home, I wandered the continent. I settled here when I met one of the sisters who helped run their family’s inn in Thealon. When I met Julaina, I knew…My heart had found its home. No more wandering. I stayed at the inn but built my cabin in the forest. In her free time, Julaina helped. By the time we finished, we married. A year later…We…I lost both. *wipes his eyes and sniffs* There were complications with the birth. She died shortly after our son.

I’m sorry. Was it recent?

No. A few years ago.

And you’ve stayed, through Tyrkam’s siege of the castle and murder of the duke. Why?

*shrugs* This is my home now. I’ve no reason to leave. The creatures of the forest and I have an understanding. They help me and I help them. Tyrkam does not bother me.

You said you “wandered the continent”. Where did you grow up? Did you train in any other skills?

Many.

Anything specific?

Nothing I wish to tell.

Uh, huh…You’re not going to tell us.

No.

Okay then…What can you tell us?

Not much, yet so much about the beautiful landscapes of Ayrule, not just Cavatar, but all of the continent. I can imagine the other continents being just as beautiful, but I’ve no desire to travel overseas. I have seen enough here to know I could be no happier anywhere else.

I can tell you about the wonders, from the Northern Mountains to the southern shores, from the plains of the west to the swamp lands of the east. I have seen waterfalls and moonlight rainbows, and the gentle hills of grasses swaying to the music of the wind and lands washed away to reveal an enchantment of colors within the rock.

It does sound beautiful. We’ll learn more in time. For now, I’m out of time. Thank you for your time.

Next week we’ll sit with the shapeshifter, Gaispar, who relays messages between the realms.

Thank you, fantasy readers, for joining us in these interviews. Perhaps one of them will actually give us a hint about what we can expect in Dragon Prophecy, the first book of Legend of the White Dragon!

Before I get into the subject of this post, I’d like to say that, since I’m posting character interviews on Sundays, I’m trying to continue at least one midweek writing topic post. While I can’t guarantee that I will always have the time, I will make the effort.

Now, on to the show…

In a lot of writing forums, I’ve seen the occasional criticism of the writer not having a feel for the rhythm of language. What do they mean by “rhythm” as applied to the written word? All prose, like poetry, has a certain rhythm, although it’s not always apparent and is difficult to maintain. While I find some truth to those who make the point, I wonder how valid the point is. Dr. Seuss had rhythm. We all know it when we read it aloud to our kids:

“When a fox is
in the bottle where
the tweetle beetles battle
with their paddles
in a puddle on a
noodle-eating poodle,
THIS is what they call…
…a tweetle beetle
noodle poodle bottled
paddled muddled duddled
fuddled wuddled
fox in sock, sir!”

Recognize it? It’s from Fox in Socks by Theodore Suess Geisel aka Dr. Seuss. HE had a brilliant way with words!

Here’s another:

“But on you will go
though the weather be foul.
On you will go
though your enemies prowl.
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl.
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.”

“On and on you will hike.
And I know you’ll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.”

Recognize that one? It’s from Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by the same Dr. Seuss.

Well, you don’t have to rhyme to have rhythm. Those two words may have the same base but they are different. Read the Dr. Seuss out loud and you’ll hear where the beats fall. That is rhythm. Now, read a paragraph of prose (non-rhyming ) from a talented novelist and one from a beginning writer, out loud.

What you’ll find is not as much a rhythm as a natural flow that sets the mood or mirrors the mood. Good prose is not verbose or purple but easy to read and understand. Ideas carry from one sentence to the next and transform before your eyes without being jarring or awkward. Sentences will vary in structure to create the illusion of a rhythm. They don’t all begin the same. They don’t use tons of adverbs. They don’t even use a lot of adjectives. What good writing does is use the right words to evoke an emotion in the reader.

And, yes, I purposely put three sentences in a row with the same subject–They. How did you read it? Did it have an effect on you? Did you find that you stressed the word “even” in the third sentence and “does” in the one after? That is an example of how repetition can create the illusion of “rhythm” I have seen mentioned. The rest of this post should flow from one idea to the next while staying focused on the topic. Good writing has that. The right words are easy to understand, give action to the subject, and carry the story forward. They don’t call attention to themselves and, consequently, pull the reader out of the story. (Right now you’re probably analyzing this!) That is the worst thing a writer can do to their reader. We read to enjoy a story, not to study how it’s written…unless you’re a budding writer trying to learn a particular style or in a lit class.

Every writer has their own style and voice. What the best have is a mastery of the written word that suits their individual style and individual scenes of their story. For example, you may have noticed action scenes using short, choppy sentences and fragments to convey a sense of urgency. That is how the right style can enhance the mood of the scene. In a way, I suppose it has a rhythm, but it is invisible because it is natural. We know only that it feels right for the scene we’re reading. It isn’t as obvious as Dr. Seuss.

On the flip side, bad writing can interfere with a reader’s enjoyment of the story by calling attention to itself, but sometimes we overcome it. I think everyone has read good and bad writing. When it’s bad, you know. But everyone has a different level of tolerance. (Note that just because an author has written a good story doesn’t mean they write well.)

Should you try to master the written word? Yes, but don’t get so wrapped up in mastering technique that you lose the love of storytelling. That takes the fun and excitement out of writing a story.

So, continue to write, but keep in mind the story and enjoy writing it. The real “rhythm” of any written word is a matter of hearing it. It has a natural flow that varies from scene to scene, carrying the reader on invisible techniques in which they lose themselves in the world of your story. Through reading good prose and practice, you can develop an “ear” for it.

The time for our third interview has come. This time is not with a human, though. Today we have one of the drakin, the only one who has shown any interest in humans. He goes by the name of Jaren, a human given name, since drakin identify each other by other means. They are winged reptiles, mostly in shades of green to hide in the trees in which they live.

Welcome, Jaren. From what I’ve learned already, you have a fondness for humans and have acted as a messenger at times between the two realms. Why are you considered unusual for your kind? You could as well be miniature dragons, or wyverns–

*hisses* Use no such name to compare us to them! The Majera gave us intelligence when he came to this realm, a place of purity, a sanctuary for the TRUE dragons, and we breathe not fire and destroy not things as the Red Clan and their leader. We seek not causing problems but are happy playing games and eating berries and the pesky bugs that bother the dragons, which are delicious in their own way.

The dragons?

*squeaks and flutters his wings* Your joke is not missed, one of the reasons I enjoy human company.

Uh…okay. I didn’t think you’d eat dragons, but your words came out sounding like that.

Not natural is human speech for us but too many languages we hear, or I hear, which is why the others prefer little contact, even though we are given the mindspeech by the Majera, the only magic we have or need, though many not use.

This mindspeech–telepathy–is how I hear you?

Correct, but what is telepathy?

Telepathy is basically the sharing of thoughts.

Mindspeech is not then telepathy but only works by making others hear me. I cannot hear your mind unless you direct your words to me, but you have a means to speak your language. I cannot, although I have tried and made…sounds, but not like the humans I know, so I am happy with this, because I speaking to you in my own way, even though I’ve nothing like you for speaking from my mouth. *squawks*

What can you tell me about your kind?

We are not dragons, but we like the idea of being considered drake kin, something I believe Sethirngal and the others amuse each other about, but they always speak nice to us. Like the humans they like to cut me off when I want to tell them things about what I see and hear, and about the sweet berries in the valley along the river where the trees reach down into the water. I ate too many when I found them and got sick. I know not why dragons dislike berries, and the herds leave the berries alone; but we chase them away. The real dragons eat the fat bulls they raise on the plains instead of our berries, but they have not to eat every day like me and my family, but bugs are plenty and their bulls are not many. I find many more to eat in the First Realm when I travel there for carrying messages.

The dragons cannot hear from far away when they watch with their magic, so I help. I liking the sights and food but the travel tires me after some time and I rest and eat more to stay strong. When I come home, my brothers and sisters want to play, but I need rest. I want to play too, but I am tired and needing sleep.

When did you start acting as a messenger? How long have you done this work? For that matter, how old are you?

I am…four…teen years? I remember Gaispar coming and going with news after my hatching and it making me interested in helping too. We flew together a few times so I learned my way and how to recognize the hidden entrance to my home. She makes a good bird, and fast and strong compared to my kind too, and I wish she stayed in that form, but she changes to talk to other humans. They talk boring things but I listen, except when they take too much and I want to see other things. I want to talk too but they not let me until they tell me what to say and where I need to go. I learn and like to help humans and dragons, but miss friends and like home, but no one wants to listen to stories.

Do you see yourself settling own anywhere and retiring from your work?

What is “retrying”?

“Retiring” basically means to quit working.

I quit nothing. I like to be a messenger because I like the First Realm, where the dragons came from to our world, and Gaispar and the others. They are nice to see and talk to, and they listen to stories of my family and me and we already know but they not know and we have fun telling.

I can see that! Well, I’d like to continue but we’re out of time for today (aside-interrupting him has been necessary to cut this to a reasonable length!). Thank you, Jaren, for being so open with us.

Join us next week when we sit down with Darius from Legend of the White Dragon (starting with Dragon Prophecy from Mundania Press, January 2008)!

No, I didn’t misspell the title of this post. I wrote it that way to make a point. Does good writing require themes?

The short answer is no, but themes tend to come out of good writing. A theme, as it applies to writing, is defined as “a unifying idea that is a recurrent element”, or in short, the glue that binds the story together.

Should you write with a theme in mind? That depends. Are you planning on preaching or trying to find a reason to write? Readers don’t like to feel like a writer is preaching to them. However, if you need a guide, having a theme in mind can help.

On the other hand, my favorite experiences have always had a theme develop from the writing. A writer may not consciously have a theme in mind until they’ve written the story or developed it. When I look at it that way, I realize on those times I discovered themes in my writing that the theme was always there, guiding the story along. Themes tie the plot together like a net. They knot together, creating a better way to hold everything, every aspect of the story.

No, a story doesn’t need a theme, but without it a story feels empty or shallow. If you look closely at your favorite stories, you will see overlapping themes. They vary from the traditional good overpowering evil to love or loss, to the underdog rising to hero, or to the arrogant SOB no one likes being humbled by reality. These are all themes, general ideas that flow throughout a story. They overlap in many forms, often teaching us something about morals or the consequences of amorality.

Plot and theme go hand-in-hand, lovers until the end, as one supports the other. Themes make plots stronger, but plots and subplots also plant the seeds for those same themes.

You don’t have to define the theme(s) you wish to portray in your story before you write, but often they’re there waiting for you to discover them. If you try too hard, your writing will come off as preachy because it crosses the line from the realm of subtlety to the forefront of blatant annoyance. No one likes that, especially when the views of the author are not necessarily shared by the audience. A work of fiction should be entertaining and explore different ways of thinking. Leave it up to the audience to decide how they feel. A theme works best when it isn’t stealing the show.

A good example of this, which most people are likely to be familiar with, is Star Wars. We all know the overriding theme of good conquering evil, but there are many others, including forgiveness, love, and coming of age. They overlap into that net holding the action together.

What should you do?  Decide what works for you.  If something isn’t right and your story is falling apart, maybe it needs stronger glue.

I read this long ago and did a search to find it again. Unfortunately, I don’t know who the author is, but it is a wonderful piece. I share it with you, the readers, so that you may enjoy it as I always have. It touched me the first time I read it, or heard it (I can’t remember now as it was years ago). I’ve never forgotten it. May it do the same for you:

Imagine there is a bank account that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day.
Every evening the bank deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course?
Each of us has such a bank. It’s name is TIME.
Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds.
Every night it writes off as lost whatever of this you have failed to invest to a good purpose.
It carries over no balance. It allows no over draft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day.
If you fail to use the day’s deposits, the loss is yours. There is no drawing against “tomorrow.”
You must live in the present on today’s deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness and success!
The clock is running!! Make the most of today.

To realize the value of one year, ask a student who failed a grade.
To realize the value of one month, ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of one week, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of one hour, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of one minute, ask a person who just missed a train.
To realize the value of one second, ask someone who just avoided an accident.
To realize the value of one millisecond, ask the person who won a silver medal at the Olympics.

Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time with. And remember time waits for no one.

Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is a mystery.
Today is a gift.
That’s why they call it the present.