I am about to embark on writing the fifth book of the Standing Stones series. My daughter reminds me regularly this is the series that writes itself. It is an apt reminder.
It started with a friend wanting me to write a guest post for her blog. She gave me a set of possible topics, one of which was fantasy. I hadn’t written a fantasy before, but I’ve read thousands.
It was the only topic I thought I could write fairly well on. I had an idea, nothing particularly new, but I hadn’t seen it written about in the manner I was thinking, so why not?
My brainstorm idea: the rules that govern the world of a story create pathways that as the story proceeds limit the choices available to both the writer and the character. Those limited choices funnel the writer and the character to its ultimate conclusion. Nothing new, right.
But I’m a teacher, and examples are paramount in putting across expectations. So I immediately began thinking about a set of rules for a fantasy world: wielders of magic must carry with them a heavy flat stone which they must stand on in order to wield the essence that is the base of their magic and is embedded in the stone. What if there was a wielder that couldn’t carry his stone or found it extremely difficult? How would that act as a governor of his experience.
From there, I considered a series of questions.
- Why can’t he carry it?
- Are there alternatives?
- What caused this situation?
- What can he or she do about this if anything?
- What other rules apply?
- and the list goes on…
I got to the bottom of the parameters of this fantasy world and how it would guide the story and was so invested, I could not send her the post. I set it aside while I finished up a book I was writing.
I thought I might write a short story with this created character: Jahl Pratter and his struggle with fitting into the demands of being a wielder.
I began writing another book in my then current series and continued to let Jahl wait for when I had time to write that short story.
I got stuck, not just stuck: I lost faith in the book I was writing. I had to step away.
I started another book that had been running around in my head. Over the course of a couple of months, the conflicts of this new book became all to real to me, and I could not face it. Both my father-in-law and my mother were showing serious signs of dementia, a key component of that novel.
Both have since passed away, and 20k of words are waiting for me to come back. I can’t just yet.
I returned to the previous series’ book and struggled along before again setting it aside. Jahl beckoned.
I thought writing a short story might lubricate the wheels. And it was all laid out in my head. It wouldn’t take much time to write it.
At about 20K of words and no where near the middle, never mind the end, I realized I was writing a book, and it just kept writing itself. I was along for the ride.
Book 2 grabbed hold, and I said, “Okay, let’s roll.”
Before I had time to take a breath, Book 3 was in the works.
I stepped back to the fifth book in that earlier series I kept setting aside and finished it, quite satisfied with the result. I had hated it the majority of the time I spent writing it. It just never felt good enough. By the time I finished it, I quite liked it. One unpublished blog post produced four books.
I started a new fantasy series of standalone novels, Solstice Dragon World. After writing three of them, I returned to the Standing Stone series and wrote its fourth book as easily as I had written the first three. I love that series and have been thrilled to learn from my readers that I am not alone.
Standing Stone Book 5 is next on my agenda. I’ve been holding it off while I have finished my current series: Kavin Cut Chronicles, just weeks away from publishing the third in the trilogy.
I suspect Standing Stone’s Book 5 will be the end of the series. Of course, given its beginnings, I can’t be certain.
If you would like to check out any of my fantasy series, click the tab at the top of the web page labeled All Books. You’ll find links to all the main retailers where they are sold. Just click on the series title of each and work your way through the books.
