Ruby Fitzgerald's Blog - Posts Tagged "fantasy"
Prologue Excerpt - Harmonies of War
"A beautiful woman emerged on the open balcony. Her red hair waved long down her back atop her white Apprentice robes. Aurora dusted them off carefully, and as she looked down at herself she could help but think that she would miss them. Her white robes soon to be traded in for the dark blue robes of a professor, a Dan’te. Today she was sparring. She would face off against several Dan’tes for the first time to prove her readiness to teach. She walked down the hallway passing a beautiful little finch who set off into the sky at her presence. At that exact moment, her eyes lit up a bright silvery blue and her vision began to shake violently. Her Seer’s Inking that curled over her left eye and down her nose moved ever so slightly. It was as if the whole world was being shaken by some kind giant. She collapsed to the ground realizing the issue was not her vision shaking, but the Academy itself. The light in her eyes extinguished as another vicious shake brought down a section of the courtyard wall. She looked to the sky and could see the protective wards that surrounded the Academy walls begin to light up brilliant shades of violet. The Achlese Academy was under attack."
Prologue Excerpt #2
Aurora joined the front line of teachers launching fire directly into the enemy ranks. She summoned a vicious gale that picked up several soldiers and slammed them back. An explosion of color filled the morning sky as arrows and small boulders came crashing down onto the students in the rear. She summoned a gust of wind to try and redirect projectiles away from the innocents. Another volley of arrows soared over the east wall as Aurora created a wall of flame engulfing them, turning their arrows to ash. She turned over her shoulder to see one of her Dan’te’s Shape Shift into a massive white bear and bound toward the group of soldiers. Aurora broke from the teachers and ran for the east battlements. As she looked closer at the attackers she saw familiar magic and spells. They were being attacked by other Descendants among the soldiers. Her eyes burned with anger. The Sharnin are using Descendants to fight us? This gift of magic was designed to create peace, not war. She thought as she turned to run as the massive slab of earth collided with the ground next to her, knocking her off balance.
The Reader
As I start winding down my edits on Harmonies of War: Magic's Demise and get ready to hand it off to my publisher, it puts me in such an interesting space. I have set the stage with Book 1, and Book 2 goes incredibly deep into the world of magic. We really get to see the Descendants and the light as well as darkness of their journey. You will cry, and scream, and jump for joy at the intensity of the story. Magic's Demise is about a journey into every corner and dimension of existence imaginable. Love, hatred, war, death, miracles, and explosive, earth shattering betrayal. A journey that is eerily similar to what many of us experience in the world today.
And then it hit me like a tsunami.
As readers, YOU are the artists. It is each and every one of you that interpret and color my words in unique and exceptional ways. No matter what I write, I can only imagine how you will see this world. I see it in blues, and purples, and wine. How do you see it? I feel despair, hope, betrayal. What do you feel? Sometimes I read a review that at first glance isn't positive, and then I stop for a minute to see your world, see how you colored it, and I add that little piece of the puzzle to my bigger picture as I write, and am overwhelmed with gratitude.
So as I get ready to send Magic's Demise to my publisher, only to see it again in a few months, with mere glimpses from now until then I say this:
To you, the reader:
Thank you for reading. Thank you for still seeing colors in the world, and thank you for caring enough to talk about it. Thank you for not being afraid to confront the issues you feel when taking a journey into words, and for pushing authors like myself further. Most importantly, thank you for not giving up on art.
Deepok Chopra says the way to fix our planet is through Artists:
"The only people they're afraid of are the Artists, because the Artists serve as the voice of the people. Artists are in a way are the conscience of society. The Artists, can stir people at a very deep level, whether through music, or through movies, or through any kind of entertainment. I have two choices, go to the bar say the heck with it and have a drink, or be the change I wish to see in the world. Hang out with people who want to be the change, and hope that we can create. a critical mass."
Thank you readers, you are the real Artists.
And then it hit me like a tsunami.
As readers, YOU are the artists. It is each and every one of you that interpret and color my words in unique and exceptional ways. No matter what I write, I can only imagine how you will see this world. I see it in blues, and purples, and wine. How do you see it? I feel despair, hope, betrayal. What do you feel? Sometimes I read a review that at first glance isn't positive, and then I stop for a minute to see your world, see how you colored it, and I add that little piece of the puzzle to my bigger picture as I write, and am overwhelmed with gratitude.
So as I get ready to send Magic's Demise to my publisher, only to see it again in a few months, with mere glimpses from now until then I say this:
To you, the reader:
Thank you for reading. Thank you for still seeing colors in the world, and thank you for caring enough to talk about it. Thank you for not being afraid to confront the issues you feel when taking a journey into words, and for pushing authors like myself further. Most importantly, thank you for not giving up on art.
Deepok Chopra says the way to fix our planet is through Artists:
"The only people they're afraid of are the Artists, because the Artists serve as the voice of the people. Artists are in a way are the conscience of society. The Artists, can stir people at a very deep level, whether through music, or through movies, or through any kind of entertainment. I have two choices, go to the bar say the heck with it and have a drink, or be the change I wish to see in the world. Hang out with people who want to be the change, and hope that we can create. a critical mass."
Thank you readers, you are the real Artists.
Forgotten Power of Books
The books that have made lasting impressions on me are always the ones with multifaceted characters. The more complex the character and the more emotional development that they go through, the more believable and intriguing a story. Because of how my love of literature has progressed over the years, I strive to write elloquently, entertainingly, and personally. Eloquently to create clear mental images, entertainingly to spur a reader on, and personally to create an investment in a storyline. I have laughed aloud, swore, cried, and stayed up until 6am because of a well written book... So, on the flip side of that, I hope that when someone reads my work, they view the characters as true-to-life, the landscape as vivid, and the conflict as highly relatable. Nobody is strong all the time, a coward all the time, or chipper all the time, etc etc. Everyone rides highs and fall into lows! So shouldn't a book character do the same? Situations in life allow a person to act upon different aspects of their personality and abilities- THAT is the reason why I have always tried to make characters not only struggle in a believable manner but develop and redeem themselves in a believable manner as well.
One of the main characters in Descendants of War is Silvia, a woman who has faced an unmentionable amount of loss and heartbreak but has also lived through peace with great confidence. She has just as much, if not more, internal conflict as she does external. Her pride, self-value, happiness, strength, and life-outlook all get shaken to the core over the course of the series. Without giving away any spoilers, I will say her journey to re-center herself and find contentment after turmoil and change, is a process I'm sure we all can identify with. Life is ever changing, and so are we. We learn to cope, we learn to fogive, we grow stronger, become braver, work harder, and find new hope. That is the circle of life- to fall down only to get up more resilient and more determined.
To me, one's personal journey is just about the most important thing out there. Finding internal peace means you have the energy and ability to then turn to others to assist them on their journey toward peace. That's the answer, isn't it, to getting along with others? If you're confident in your own being you are more open to kindness and less likely to take hatred to heart. And, the opposite can be said, if you are confident in yourself you are also more likely to be able to spread goodwill and curb negativity. Don't ever believe your peace of mind doesn't matter, don't let yourself be belittled, and don't ever stop loving yourself. You matter. And once we all know and believe this, we will be able to support eachother without judgement or suspicion of ill intent. Personal peace leads to life peace. And you know, I'm quite sure just as well as I do, how desperately we all are in need of peace.
One of the main characters in Descendants of War is Silvia, a woman who has faced an unmentionable amount of loss and heartbreak but has also lived through peace with great confidence. She has just as much, if not more, internal conflict as she does external. Her pride, self-value, happiness, strength, and life-outlook all get shaken to the core over the course of the series. Without giving away any spoilers, I will say her journey to re-center herself and find contentment after turmoil and change, is a process I'm sure we all can identify with. Life is ever changing, and so are we. We learn to cope, we learn to fogive, we grow stronger, become braver, work harder, and find new hope. That is the circle of life- to fall down only to get up more resilient and more determined.
To me, one's personal journey is just about the most important thing out there. Finding internal peace means you have the energy and ability to then turn to others to assist them on their journey toward peace. That's the answer, isn't it, to getting along with others? If you're confident in your own being you are more open to kindness and less likely to take hatred to heart. And, the opposite can be said, if you are confident in yourself you are also more likely to be able to spread goodwill and curb negativity. Don't ever believe your peace of mind doesn't matter, don't let yourself be belittled, and don't ever stop loving yourself. You matter. And once we all know and believe this, we will be able to support eachother without judgement or suspicion of ill intent. Personal peace leads to life peace. And you know, I'm quite sure just as well as I do, how desperately we all are in need of peace.
The Lives of Characters
I feel like my characters, over the length of book one and two, have developed on their own. It's almost as if they and I were fresh friends when I began writing, and the farther along the story goes, the more both I and the reader discover. Aurora is a calm in a storm. Bridget is constantly emotionally torn. Donovan is scummy, but the type who people love to hate. Malcolm is patient. Eleanor is troubled but trying. Silvia is in the midst of her own mental war. These are the simple things, the traits of personality you learn early on in a friendship... what comes after though is like watching a flower unfurl, like falling in love.
I like to think about why people act and respond to actions they way that they do. In Harmonies of War, Xenos, although a participant in the brutal slaughter of his own academic colleagues choses not only to let Aurora live, but holds onto a necklace he feels must have sentimental value. Why? To answer that question, I put myself in his position. If I was loney, lost, brainwashed and had tucked my emotions away for years perhaps I too would be capable of terrible things... but the heart of a person is a difficult thing to break. Somewhere, hidden deep inside, are Xenos' sweeter memories and sentiments. There's a boy who loved his school mates and once enjoyed listening to the tales of Prophecies on snowy nights spent in the tundra. When I think of it that way, I suddenly see that of course the well-trained soldier would be inclined to kill without remorse but the child inside would weep at the thought of ruining the stories he held in fond regard.
Each character's journey is intwined with the others, just like our own lives are intertwined with our friends', family members', and coworkers'. We gather expierences, learn lessons, and develop emotions greatly because of the people we are surrounded by throughout life. It is no different in the life of a book series. A reader (and I as the writer) rejoices at the triumph of, and mourns the sorrows and deaths of, characters just as they would a friend.
I like to think about why people act and respond to actions they way that they do. In Harmonies of War, Xenos, although a participant in the brutal slaughter of his own academic colleagues choses not only to let Aurora live, but holds onto a necklace he feels must have sentimental value. Why? To answer that question, I put myself in his position. If I was loney, lost, brainwashed and had tucked my emotions away for years perhaps I too would be capable of terrible things... but the heart of a person is a difficult thing to break. Somewhere, hidden deep inside, are Xenos' sweeter memories and sentiments. There's a boy who loved his school mates and once enjoyed listening to the tales of Prophecies on snowy nights spent in the tundra. When I think of it that way, I suddenly see that of course the well-trained soldier would be inclined to kill without remorse but the child inside would weep at the thought of ruining the stories he held in fond regard.
Each character's journey is intwined with the others, just like our own lives are intertwined with our friends', family members', and coworkers'. We gather expierences, learn lessons, and develop emotions greatly because of the people we are surrounded by throughout life. It is no different in the life of a book series. A reader (and I as the writer) rejoices at the triumph of, and mourns the sorrows and deaths of, characters just as they would a friend.
Daydreaming Characters
Each character in the DoW series is a developed aspect of my own characteristics and struggles. Gwendolyn is my endurance, Silvia both my strength and my fears, Bridget my frustration, Jestin both my good-naturedness and my sorrow, Eleanor my internal struggle, Malcolm my heart, Zagan my temper... etc. When I write each character I imagine the aspect of myself that they portray and elaborate on it. I let the characters' actions be based on what would happen if I was fueled by a singular aspect of my personality rather than them all. If I let my anger and temper rule me- that would be the ruthlessness of Zagan. If I let my selfless kindness rule me- that would be the dedication of Gwendolyn...And so on and so forth.
I often lose track of time as I write, because I dont want to break my thought flow. The lives my characters live need to feel real- real life doesn't stop- so I don't want my stopping and restarting while writing to get into the story and diminish the authenticity of my characters. But! Because I strive so hard for authenticity, my characters end up with direction and opinion and plot different that what I intend. I always have a pretty good overall of how I want my books to unfold but, I swear, it's like the characters band together to change things as I write, and make the story totally different (and way better) than my original intentions.
On top of authenticity, I always want vivid imagery and relatable challenges in my stories because that gives readers a grand stage on which to imagine what I've written. I want readers to continue the story themselves, wonder about the details of the personalities and lives of characters that I don't get the chance to cover. I want them to think they'd befriend a character if they were real. That's why I never cease to visualize and daydream about the lands and the characters I've created (even if all my thoughts don't make it into the books) because I want to understand the story from a reader's perspective and write to help them enjoy the story even more.
I often lose track of time as I write, because I dont want to break my thought flow. The lives my characters live need to feel real- real life doesn't stop- so I don't want my stopping and restarting while writing to get into the story and diminish the authenticity of my characters. But! Because I strive so hard for authenticity, my characters end up with direction and opinion and plot different that what I intend. I always have a pretty good overall of how I want my books to unfold but, I swear, it's like the characters band together to change things as I write, and make the story totally different (and way better) than my original intentions.
On top of authenticity, I always want vivid imagery and relatable challenges in my stories because that gives readers a grand stage on which to imagine what I've written. I want readers to continue the story themselves, wonder about the details of the personalities and lives of characters that I don't get the chance to cover. I want them to think they'd befriend a character if they were real. That's why I never cease to visualize and daydream about the lands and the characters I've created (even if all my thoughts don't make it into the books) because I want to understand the story from a reader's perspective and write to help them enjoy the story even more.
