In March I discussed my attempts (several very long, frustrating attempts) to fit a particular viewpoint into the first chapter of the still untitled book six.
Good news: This has been resolved.
Possible bad news: I did have to change the viewpoint.
My original choice was to use the Alantaion Saer Kahreisa’s viewpoint because Zimliya seldom has female allies around who I can conveniently borrow the thoughts of (ones who also don’t then die on me >.<)
Unfortunately, after about fifteen attempts, all of which were four to six thousand words in length, I realized that there was no way to write an opening chapter from that viewpoint that fit the story. It simply wouldn’t work. Trying to force the words, trying to find a way to make the words work the way I desired was impossible.
I’m not a writer who can force my characters to do things. Occasionally I can argue them into wiser choices, but most of the time I’m just chasing after them screaming profanities as everything takes a swift left or right from where I was cautiously anticipating it going. As long as I’ve been working within this universe it should be something I’ve accepted, yet this was another case where I was confident I could change things. Spoiler: I couldn’t.
So I gave up on the Kahreisa viewpoint. For about a day I struggled to see if there way anyone else I could use that wasn’t the character who had been hounding me for months.
Another spoiler: I couldn’t.
Book six’s opening chapter wrote itself in less than a day when I finally surrendered to the speaker. It made sense, it covered the events I wanted it to, and then it took an abrupt turn to introduce a character I have been practically dancing with impatience to reveal. One who, up until this chapter, I could find no way to plausibly not just yell “meet someone new!” without making an iota of sense.
That’s the interesting and fun thing with having so little control over things. Characters surprise you. This new character is just making himself known, but intends to remain in the shadows still for a while, but I am very excited to know the introduction is out of the way. It fit, it makes sense, and I’m no longer mentally beating my head against the wall.
I have no plans to send book six to the editor yet, at the moment the book and the rest of the series still hang in limbo. But, rather than do nothing until I know for sure if the series is never returning to the wild or if I will continue to publish it, I will continue to work on it.
Meagan Hurst 