If you’re an aspiring writer, contracted, or published author, you’ve probably heard of P&E. Well, they’re under attack for doing what needs to be done. Please show your support and make a donation at http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/penulist.htm . Any amount will help. A full explanation of what’s going on is posted at the site.
After gawking at the impressive cover art for Dragon Prophecy, I realized that it’s been a long time coming. Holding that book in my hands for the first time will be something I’ve dreamed of from the beginning. It hasn’t been easy, and it’s not the end.
I think it started after I moved in with my then boyfriend, now my DH. I had finished work on a science fiction story I later ditched because of poor writing, after I had advanced enough to really understand what “good” writing was, or at least active voice. DH gave me some ideas, especially because he had a fascination with dragons and I had always seen them as interesting. What I didn’t expect was his love of Pocket Dragons (by Real Musgrave), those adorable little figurines of dragons. (I bought him his first 
) I wanted to try my hand at fantasy. I’ve been hooked since, but I still think with the logic required of science fiction and love that just as much. (*ahem* Dark Angel. ’nuff said.)
So, I started to build a world that included dragons, around a character I had originally conceptualized from that science fiction universe I had created. Odd, but true. I actually started with a character and came up with a story to explain her situation, based on a fantasy world. I hadn’t yet read Tolkien then, but I had always loved fantasy with my science fiction. And I thought it would be fun to have dragons in that world. That character was intended to be the main character, and on the first draft she was.
I continued with the story but it slowed and I felt that something wasn’t right. A couple years later and somewhere around 120,000 words (well into a second story, the continuation), I had a revelation. I tore apart the story I had and kept a small part, rewriting it to fit my new vision. That character who started it all was switched to a supporting role, while another took over the part of main character, if there is such a thing in this series.
In my revision, I realized this story was about so much more than that character. It was about the lives of many different characters of that world, each of them touched by events in different ways. Would you believe my dragons didn’t have names in the beginning? After a conversation with DH, that changed. He’s been the sounding board for many ideas and bounced back with good suggestions. I was pretty naive when I started. I might have read and enjoyed fantasy, but I hadn’t nearly the depth of reading experience, or in his case, RPG experience. (I also hadn’t had the time he had to devour books and enjoyed them when I could.)
Back to the revision…Well, that rewrite at first considered itself a trilogy. However, by the end of what became Dragon Prophecy, I realized it would need four books. I wrote synopses for each of them and stuck pretty closely to what my general plan was. I did a lot of editing and still didn’t find all the errors with the changes that had been made, which was likely why it was rejected by some bigger publishers. I cleaned it up pretty well before submitting to Mundania, who accepted it after I had submitted the second part (Dragon Legends) to them. Sure, there were still mistakes, but they weren’t glaring.
Since that acceptance, I’ve finished the whole series, and Dragon Prophecy had a new opening written and has gone through editing by more than my eyes. While I love the world I created, I have moved on to other projects. I won’t forget this series, though, and look forward to sharing it with you.
Now you know how this four-book series came to exist.
Here it is! The sneak peek I’ve been promising:
Courtesy of Niki Browning
So far, you’ve met characters, including some firedrakes, and learned a little about the world of Gairdra. As promised last week, this week I’ll introduce you to the waterdrakes you’ll meet in the series coming from Mundania Press.
(Remember that this is copyrighted information belonging to the author, Melanie Nilles. Please credit any links to my website. Thank you!)
Waterdrakes
Waterdrakes may also be known as sea dragons or the Water Clan. They are well adapted to life in the sea. Although they can stay underwater for long periods of time, they must return to the surface for air. They have no wings for flying, and claws of their feet are spaced wider than a firedrake with a thin membrane between the toes. Their bodies are long and sinuous with a fin that runs down their dorsal side starting at their head. Because they swim in an undulating motion, like giant eels, they have often been regarded as sea serpents.
Since they live in water, the water clan does not use fire as their primary weapon. Instead, they can let loose electrical discharges of varying strengths. However, outside of the water, they find that it is more effective to command the weather.
Waterdrakes are all the same color, a dark blue dorsal with a lighter belly as camouflage within deep water.
Before all the female waterdrakes were slain, they mated and incubated their eggs on dry land. Like the firedrakes, only certain matriarchs mated while other females provided support and the males provided protection.
All the seaports of the Ancients had a wide area of beach to allow the waterdrakes to come to land. When the females laid their eggs, a designated group of caretakers would help care for them until hatching.
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This information is also available in a PDF file with updates posted with each informational blog post. This is from Appendix B for Dragon Prophecy (Mundania Press, March 2008). To learn more, you can read the opening chapters, download a PDF of all the character interviews posted to my blog, and download Appendix A from Dragon Prophecy. Thank you for reading!
I’ve started a new story, though I can envision a trilogy on this one. A sort of not too distant future on a paralllel world where heaven and hell collide. Urban fantasy meets epic fantasy. It’s fun, if not a bit spooky. (I can’t handle demons and monsters unless it has nothing to do with the real world, and they can still scare me. I’m a wuss; I hate horror.)
Anyway, I thought this would be great opportunity to explain the process of pre-writing. I’ve gone over the basic stages I take in writing. But what do I do in pre-writing?
Pre-writing is that first step, the planning stage, where everything coalesces in my mind. Characters are formed and molded with a plot, which is derived from personal motivations of the main character and outside forces (other characters, circumstances, environment, etc.) . There are holes, which is why I give myself at least a couple days of just thinking. I have to get at least the main details right for the story, or I’d have too many holes and the whole thing would crumble like a poorly built bridge as soon as a little weight, the writing process, was put on it. Not a good thing.
After a couple days, I’ll start making notes about characters. I may not have names and in this case didn’t right away. Those can come later. My main concern is to describe the characters as I see them initially. (These details can change once I start writing, but at least I have something to provide consistency.) I may not know the characters personally, but I have some idea of their backgrounds, physical characteristics, and personality quirks. I also figure out the setting; in this case, a city on another world much like ours but a bit more advanced technologically. If it’s good and I think it works, then I’ll go forward with any scenes that come to mind. The story came so clearly that I wrote a mini synopsis with the key events. I don’t include everything, since I need a lot of room for changes later. Maybe something else comes up that I didn’t foresee and the characters don’t do X at point D. Maybe X comes later. That’s where it’s important not to get too hung up in details, at least for me.
Then I need a good opening, something that shows the character and introduces the conflict of the story. It’s important that there be conflict and not background and worldbuilding without anything else. The world will come alive as your character interacts with it. Don’t describe it first. Ah, but the reader won’t understand?
THUNK! *cluebat* Doesn’t feel so good, does it? Well, that’s what you’re doing to your readers–knocking them over the skull with dull details. Don’t do it. Let them absorb as they go and figure things out. That’s the fun of reading.
So, jump in with something that puts your character in a difficult situation. It doesn’t have to be action or drama, but it should be something that makes a reader ask “What happens next?” Go on from there, and forget infodumping. Get rid of the clutter. I find that eventually, it all comes out anyway in a showing manner rather than the dull telling. And you don’t need to give away everything at the beginning.
So far, I’m up to chapter three and loving every moment. I know what the story is about and the character’s are sorting themselves out in my mind. Soon, I’ll have them mastered and their personalities will guide me without much effort.
I’m anxious to find out where it leads…
As promised, this week we focus on firedrakes, at least those within the world of Gairdra and featured in the Legend of the White Dragon series.
(Please remember that if you use any portion of this, proper credit should go to “Melanie Nilles, author of the Legend of the White Dragon series” and I ask that you link back to my website, as I own the copyright. Thank you. Now, on with the show…)
Last week we talked about the Dragons of Light in general terms. This week we have specific facts about one type of dragon, the most common in mythology, firedrakes.
Firedrakes
Firedrakes were the first kind of dragon created. With fire as their main weapon, they need to consume certain ores on occasion to maintain the chemical reaction. For this reason they are fond of the mountains or rocky areas.
The high cliffs of the mountains also provided protection for the nesting matriarchs, or breeding females, before the Second Realm came to be. They may have up to three matriarchs, usually two green or light blue and one gold. Although this can vary, at least one is always gold. Female firedrakes reach breeding age around a hundred years, males at around seventy. The other females help to incubate the eggs and guard them or bring food for matriarchs and any new hatchlings.
Firedrakes range in color from gold to a deep blue. Any color in the blue spectrum ranging from less than deep blue to an almost yellow-green are a mix of the two primary colors and may be either male or female. True blue or dark blue dragons are always male, gold dragons are all female, and green or lighter blue dragons are of equal gender. Gold is a rare color as it can only mix with the others and gold dragons always have smooth scales. Green and blue are the most common dragon colors with the texture of their scales ranging from very rough and spiked to almost smooth.
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Be sure to return next week to learn about waterdrakes.
This information is also available in a PDF file with updates posted with each informational blog post. This is from Appendix B for Dragon Prophecy (Mundania Press, March 2008–definite). To learn more, you can read the opening chapters, download a PDF of all the character interviews posted to my blog, and download Appendix A from Dragon Prophecy. Thank you for reading!
If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s the newly released teaser trailer (full of AWESOME)–http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/indianajones.html?showVideo=1 .
Due to some delays at the publisher unrelated to my stories, they are catching up with the workload, which includes Dragon Prophecy. While it will soon be an ARC, it may not be available by the end of this month (February) but will for sure sometime in March. That’s not to say it can’t be available by the end of this month, but chances are slim.
The rest of the schedule is still on track. Dark Angel is due out in April 08, Dragon Legends in July 08, and Dragon Legacy and Dragon Child in 2009.
This information is the most recent I have and now should be the final information for release dates (barring any unforeseen interruptions).
Soon, the cover art will be complete. Check back here for more updates!
As promised, this week’s post is another part of the appendix included with Dragon Prophecy, the first book of the four book Legend of the White Dragon series. A PDF of last week’s post can be downloaded here for those wanting some background information of some of the elements of the world of Gairdra, much of which has been touched on in the character interviews. The below information is general information about the dragons featured in the books. Next week we’ll focus on the firedrakes.
(Remember: all information on these pages belongs to the copyright owner and author, Melanie Nilles. While the information is available free to the public for promotional purposes, please link back to this as the source if you post any portion on any other site. Thank you!)
Dragons of Light
The true dragons were made by the Majera to aid in their battle against the Darklord and can be considered “Dragons of Light”. Of these, two kinds developed, the firedrakes and the waterdrakes. Both were given potent magic and great wisdom and most often speak in rhyme and riddles.
All dragons have scales harder than diamonds that cannot be penetrated by any weapon. They shed their scales as new ones grow to replace smaller, older scales. Because these dragons grow throughout their entire lives, they shed various scales at different times. The First Race of humans discovered that the scales contain residual magic from the dragons and figured a method to grind them for use in the metal of their weapons and armor.
Some of the oldest dragons have grown to the size of large hills. Their scales would be large enough to use as shields.
Dragons are immortal, barring injury, and are immune to all illness. However, they can be killed. And like any being, breaking their neck will end their lives.
The only means to slay any dragon is to deliver a thrust into the brain. Only two ways to do this are known and one of those, by a spike through the back of the throat can only be carried out when a dragon opens its jaws. The only place on the outside of a dragon where the brain is vulnerable is a soft spot on each side of the head. These cover the hearing organs and catch the vibrations of sound in the air. Usually a dragon must be sleeping to get close enough to slay it by this method.
Dragons command the most powerful of any magic except the Majera. Because of this, they cannot be killed by magic.
They do not possess the organs to vocalize words. However, they are intelligent enough to understand speech. The first dragons quickly learned to communicate using a magical means that has come to be known as mindspeech, whereby one projects their thoughts so the intended recipient hears them.
Some differences do exist between the two types of dragons.
(featured next week: Firedrakes)
A PDF file will be made available for download in the near future. Stay tuned for more!
While browsing icanhascheezburger.com for a good laugh, I came across this article:
It makes an interesting point about the evolution of our current language, particularly with the popularity of the lolcats images. Read it before going on and you’ll see what I mean.
Our modern English language is a culmination of generations of references from other languages and creative conglomerations of terms twisted by the internet.
What does this have to do with writing? EVERYTHING.
Language can date a story. Read the writings of William Shakespeare, Thomas Jefferson, Jane Austin, John Steinbeck, Mark Twain and compare them to the writings of futuristic writers and contemporary writers. You’ll see a distinctive vocabulary, spelling, and word use that is easy to place in time, location, and social status of the characters. Language is an amazing characteristic.
With the worldwide reach of the internet, the proliferation of these new variations on English has accelerated the process of language evolution. The internet has elevated these “geeky” terms and spellings to something new that has been widely accepted by people of various backgrounds and education levels.
It’s important when writing to be accurate in the semantics and vocabulary of language. It adds flavor to a fictional world of fantasy or the future and credibility to a story set in the real world past or present. Language can define a world or a character. So be careful. You wouldn’t have a fifteen year old modern high school student speaking like George Washington or Winston Churchill.
If there’s a point to all this it’s simple. Use language and sentence structure appropriate to the world you’ve created or you’ll yank the reader out of the story.
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