Den Warren's Blog - Posts Tagged "medieval"
The Making of A Vampire Novel
I thought I might share with some of the readers about what it was like writingCountess Irene Von Stroganoff without giving out any spoilers. But I hate when I look at the back of a book and they tell you half of the story, so I won't wreck it for you.
I kept having this vision of writing about a castle siege while working on another book. Finally, I suspended work on that other book, and started Countess Irene. Medieval Castle Sieges are very interesting, considering the nasty lengths that they would go to, trying to get at each other. I have previously studied this, and wanted to build a story around it.
So then I did some research on daily Eastern European-ish medieval life. But I did not want to just write historical fiction. Admittedly, that requires total immersion into research to do it properly. However, since I do have a good background in studying history, I do have a leg-up in writing the medieval setting thing.
I wanted the story to be more fantasy-tastic. I like writing super-battles. So what is cooler than vampires? They can be as powerful, as evil, and as funny as you want. I probably sacrifice sales because I write what I want to, not what the market dictates, but you gotta have some fun, right?
My style has always been reliant upon dialog and action versus setting description. This is because I believe my strength as a writer is in the dialog. My characters for the most part, have very distinct dialog that puts their motives and background on full display, thus making them unique.
My weakness is in building up the settings. If I thought it was that important though, I would correct it. I don't like reading excessively long settings or backstories. This slows down the novel to the point that the reader doesn't know if any tension or action is ever going to take place. When I am editing my writing, which I do up to six times per work, my drafts actually get longer each time rather than shorter. This is because I am adding things that will enhance the story, or are necessary to make it understood.
Also, with each succeeding book that I have written, I have relied more and more upon adding humor. I love writing humor. It entertains the reader who wants constant entertainment. If I had to write without it, I wouldn't write at all. I don't take myself too seriously, so it does come natural for me. But I am also learning how to add jokes to the story even when I am not in the "jokiest" of moods.
My stories are not all jokes, however. It is an important responsibility of a writer to include themes that are of benefit to the readership, and it gives the characters depth. We are what we eat, but we are also what we read. I don't want to be responsible for feeding my readers junk food that will sway them to make unfortunate decisions in their personal lives. You will always find my sincerest beliefs tucked into the opinions of characters. I owe that to my readers, is what I am trying to say.
Another consideration I had in writing Countess Irene, is that of strong women. I have always been around strong women, so that just comes natural to me. I like strong women in stories because they still are not expected to prevail, so that makes them an underdog in the eyes of many. I love it when the underdog wins in a big way.
Countess Irene Von Stroganoff, was both satisfying to write and a lot of work. I hope you will considering going to the Amazon page and taking a look at it.
I kept having this vision of writing about a castle siege while working on another book. Finally, I suspended work on that other book, and started Countess Irene. Medieval Castle Sieges are very interesting, considering the nasty lengths that they would go to, trying to get at each other. I have previously studied this, and wanted to build a story around it.
So then I did some research on daily Eastern European-ish medieval life. But I did not want to just write historical fiction. Admittedly, that requires total immersion into research to do it properly. However, since I do have a good background in studying history, I do have a leg-up in writing the medieval setting thing.
I wanted the story to be more fantasy-tastic. I like writing super-battles. So what is cooler than vampires? They can be as powerful, as evil, and as funny as you want. I probably sacrifice sales because I write what I want to, not what the market dictates, but you gotta have some fun, right?
My style has always been reliant upon dialog and action versus setting description. This is because I believe my strength as a writer is in the dialog. My characters for the most part, have very distinct dialog that puts their motives and background on full display, thus making them unique.
My weakness is in building up the settings. If I thought it was that important though, I would correct it. I don't like reading excessively long settings or backstories. This slows down the novel to the point that the reader doesn't know if any tension or action is ever going to take place. When I am editing my writing, which I do up to six times per work, my drafts actually get longer each time rather than shorter. This is because I am adding things that will enhance the story, or are necessary to make it understood.
Also, with each succeeding book that I have written, I have relied more and more upon adding humor. I love writing humor. It entertains the reader who wants constant entertainment. If I had to write without it, I wouldn't write at all. I don't take myself too seriously, so it does come natural for me. But I am also learning how to add jokes to the story even when I am not in the "jokiest" of moods.
My stories are not all jokes, however. It is an important responsibility of a writer to include themes that are of benefit to the readership, and it gives the characters depth. We are what we eat, but we are also what we read. I don't want to be responsible for feeding my readers junk food that will sway them to make unfortunate decisions in their personal lives. You will always find my sincerest beliefs tucked into the opinions of characters. I owe that to my readers, is what I am trying to say.
Another consideration I had in writing Countess Irene, is that of strong women. I have always been around strong women, so that just comes natural to me. I like strong women in stories because they still are not expected to prevail, so that makes them an underdog in the eyes of many. I love it when the underdog wins in a big way.
Countess Irene Von Stroganoff, was both satisfying to write and a lot of work. I hope you will considering going to the Amazon page and taking a look at it.
Characters in Stroganoff
In my new book, Countess Irene Von Stroganoff, the Eastern European-ish setting is a nod to Count Dracula, and also to Irene Iddlesby, intentional or not, one of the funniest books ever.
I hate it when you want are considering a book and they spoil it. So I will cleverly let you peek at some characters in the story without wrecking it for you.
Countess Irene is showing all of the signs of being a vampire.
Count Graf, her husband is concerned about the negative publicity of the Countess's vampirism, so tries to deny it. He is actively seeking allies to oppose Lord Cornfoot the Annoying.
Viscount Graffy is their son. He is a well-read young boy who helps bring some sense into the situation.
The Constable is charged with keeping the peace in an impossible situation.
Storm Mayhem is a vampire slayer. He wants everyone to know about his expertise.
Kyle is a fancy lad.
Jayne Doux is the Chambermaid who shows genuine concern to the Countess's situation.
Lord Cornfoot is determined to kill the Countess because of her being a vampire. He is actively seeking allies to help in this effort.
Be very afraid of: The Brothers Spagnolo, Heinrich Malankoff, Rayne Hellspawn, Foetus Interfector, and Doctor Saveli Zernebog. Just sayin'.
Throw in a mix of Vikings, Samurai, Vandals, and Gorovians, and you have plenty of diverse viewpoints to create enough tension to keep things lively throughout the story.
Check out my other blog about the writing of Countess Irene Von Stroganoff. Please consider getting a copy. You'll get a kick out of it.
I hate it when you want are considering a book and they spoil it. So I will cleverly let you peek at some characters in the story without wrecking it for you.
Countess Irene is showing all of the signs of being a vampire.
Count Graf, her husband is concerned about the negative publicity of the Countess's vampirism, so tries to deny it. He is actively seeking allies to oppose Lord Cornfoot the Annoying.
Viscount Graffy is their son. He is a well-read young boy who helps bring some sense into the situation.
The Constable is charged with keeping the peace in an impossible situation.
Storm Mayhem is a vampire slayer. He wants everyone to know about his expertise.
Kyle is a fancy lad.
Jayne Doux is the Chambermaid who shows genuine concern to the Countess's situation.
Lord Cornfoot is determined to kill the Countess because of her being a vampire. He is actively seeking allies to help in this effort.
Be very afraid of: The Brothers Spagnolo, Heinrich Malankoff, Rayne Hellspawn, Foetus Interfector, and Doctor Saveli Zernebog. Just sayin'.
Throw in a mix of Vikings, Samurai, Vandals, and Gorovians, and you have plenty of diverse viewpoints to create enough tension to keep things lively throughout the story.
Check out my other blog about the writing of Countess Irene Von Stroganoff. Please consider getting a copy. You'll get a kick out of it.
