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What is Solace?: Comfort or consolation in a time of great distress or sadness.
Even so, what does Solace mean?: If you're sad, you might find solace in music or in talking to your friends. It is no surprise that consola...
Last season we had no feature writer for July, this year however, we've got a lovely crop of writers. His birthday is on St. Patty's Day, and he's the only one who had earned full marks within his scorecard. Ladies and gentlemen give a warm welcome to the 2020 Winter Rose Awards Action/Adventure First Place Champion, Michael!
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Hiya Michael how's it going, let's get started!
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Q. Michael, to quote your judge:"The Third Alignment's first five chapters do a fantastic job of world-building with grave digging, different character aspects—that readers can relate to, a funeral, and getting to the heart of the story."How much 'world building' takes place before you started writing your winning story? I laughed out loud when I read this question. For the Third Alignment, it was zero. I wrote the first draft as a project for me to escape reality after my father died in 2002. My God, has it been that long? But that was umpteen iterations ago, and so much has changed. I could go on with pages explaining the process and the evolution of The Third Alignment. It would bore you to death and you'd probably stop reading this interview right here. I wouldn't blame you.
While I didn't have everything figured out, I did have a basic feel of the world I wanted for John Profit and Cara Criest. I knew the story would take place in the present. Cara had to be damaged goods, freshly scarred from being jilted by her fiancé. John needed his own set of problems. So, I made him a wealthy playboy with a skill set that would serve him when called upon. I wanted him to have the ability to be good in a fight, and the potential to change as a character. He needed deep pockets to convincingly fund the high-tech gadgetry that would help him and Cara along on the quest. And the evil organization nipping at his heels had to be introduced early on so the world of The Third Alignment would seem as real as possible.
Think of world building like setting up a chess board, but with pieces that have never been seen before. What can these thing-a-ma-does do? How does that one move from square to square? What is the goal of the game?
If I were writing a fantasy novel, I'd introduce some of the magic and fantastical creatures in the world in the opening chapters. Give the magic some limitations. It can't be limitless, or what fun would that be? Maybe even add a price to wielding magic for too long. Like shaving years off your life or having to recharge by fetching the special crystals from a fiery lake. The possibilities are endless.
