Helen B. Henderson's Blog, page 45

V is for Vengeance

Vengeance is described as punishment inflicted or retribution exacted for an injury or wrong. Revenge is a more personal form of vengeance and usually centers around feelings of anger and resentment. They can be achieved in as many ways as the reasons to want it.

Pyrell hared dragon shifters because they executed his ancestor after a failed rebellion. His revenge was to be the deaths of the dragon lord Lasair and his mate, Cailin. You'll have to read FOREVER BOUND in the First Change: Legends From the Eyrie collection of novellas and short stories to read the story. The desire to avenge his family members carried down to the cult leader the Parant and Haldric, whose tales are told in Hatchlings Mate and Hatchling's Vengeance.

The character with the greatest reason to seek revenge is Dylan. The Brethren did more than bind his soul to a stone so that the would endure a lifetime of eternity.  They also killed Dylan's wife and son. His quest for vengeance is chronicled in Imprisoned in Stone .

~till next time, Helen 



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U is for 2020

"U", another one of those hard letters. UNCOMMON MERCY, a post-apocalyptic tale in the collection of Hearth and Sand would be a fitting topic. But Kalindra's tale was the "U" post for the 2019 A to Z Challenge. I could do a different excerpt, however considering world events it could be too disturbing for some.
So how did 2020 fit the character "U?" When spelled out, the year still starts with a "T".

Unless you've been hiding in a cave beneath the ocean, 2020 is a year that is unusual, uncertain and full of the unknown. All descriptors which begin with the letter "U." So, a few thoughts from Day 42 of the Isolation Ward.

The first quarter of 2020 contained the fear and uncertainty of 9-11 as I stood on the pier and watched smoke billow into a blue sky. There is also the unknown of the dawn after Superstorm Sandy as you surveyed the damage of your town and its environs. For one entire communities mourned the loss of life, and for the other their homes, livelihoods, and the destruction of their towns and heritage.

But there is a significant difference to the 2020 unknown that is COVID-19. After 9-11, worries were submerged while we figured out ways to get stranded people home. Sandy required different efforts. Teams of local residents worked shoulder to shoulder with out-of-town emergency relief teams to start the work of demotion and rebuilding. Social distancing and no gatherings  minimize the comfort of others or the sense of hope you get when working towards recovery. Instead there is the mourning of what is lost and the fear of the unknown. As of this post, restrictions have not been lifted. And even when they will are, what the world will be like is still unknown.

There is another similarity between 9-11 and COVID-19 that while it doesn't begin with "U," demands to be included. Both events came with a loss of innocence, the knowing that such things could happen. And the suspicion that things would never be the same again, or for at least a very, very long time.

Thank you for your patience during these unsettled times and to the nurses, doctors, and first responders for all their heroic efforts and sacrifices. And also to the truckers and myriad of others working to keep us supplied with food and shelter.

~till next time, As many around us now say, "Stay Strong, Be Safe." Helen


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T is for Tracking Tools

Keeping track of plot lines, character names, or unusual words can be hard to do for a single novel. A series is even harder to manage. At the start, let me admit that I am a plotter. While no single tool works for every project, there are programs that can be purchased. However, this post will focus on things you can do yourself.

 

A step beyond lists using pen and paper are tables built using spreadsheets or word processing programs. 



And since this is a blog hop, I also use a table to track posts written or awaiting creation.


 

In my book of tools are numerous templates for character profiles. Many of which are twenty to thirty pages long. A piece of writing advice that never worked for me was to fill out complete character profiles for all my main characters before I wrote word one.

The form I use the most is a handful of questions on a single page. While I agree that some pre-planning can help me get to know my characters, I don't need much to start with. Just a physical description, a name, and a statement of the hero's journey. Although I don't complete an extensive profile, I do have an abbreviated form of a few questions that include the previous mentioned items and things like preferred weapons and possibly favorite food. But those are filled out as the story and characters develop.

~till next time, Helen 

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S is for Sailing

I decided to use the A to Z Challenge for sailing ships for several reasons. Sailing vessels, horseback, and oxen (or some other animal) pulled wagons are traditional means of transportation.

Another reason sailing ships was selected relates to writing life and a rejection letter. The reason the editor said,"No thanks," to the story? Part of the quest took the character across a large lake and to a distant island--which meant a ship. And the editor refused to accept any story that had a ship in it. Her attitude was that every person who sailed ended up shipwrecked.

However, of the ships in the Dragshi Chronicles and Imprisoned in Stone (Wayward Bound, Wayward Mist, Winged Venture; Black Fin, Night Moon, Deep Lion, Drunken Gull) only the Drunken Gull was sunk. And no one was shipwrecked, the ship was set aflame by Broch as a means of hiding her escape. Of the fifteen vessels whose travels are recorded in the Windmaster Novels, only the Cluaran Lèana and the Dark Wing went to the depths of the ocean. As far as the number of people shipwrecked, only Leod suffered that fate, and it was his own fault. More on his tale in Windmaster Legend.

~till next time, Helen  

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R is for Religion

One aspect of building a fantasy world is the religion. Or for some worlds, there is more than one belief system. For the "R" post in the A to Z in April Challenge, a few thoughts on the religions that appear in the Dragshi Chronicles, the Windmaster Novels, and Imprisoned in Stone.

In Nerelan, the world of the Dragshi Chronicles, the primary aspect of religion is ancestor worship. Members of some clans claim to see the ghosts of those who passed through the veil to the next world. Although the dragshi are the ultimate arbiters of justice, because of their few numbers and the fact they can take on dragon form and fly, they are not worshiped.

In the far eastern land of Eruichin, while they honor ancestors, the main religion is the rule of law that is overseen by the Emperor. The law was expanded with stronger liberties for women by Mirabeesh, Queen of the land after she shifted form with her dragon soul twin, Kimeshi. The rule of law then became known as Dragon Law. The tale of Mirabeesh is told in FIRE AND ICE, one of the stories chronicled in First Change: Legends From The Eyrie.

The other religion in Eruichin was run by the Daxa, religious leaders who served the temple of the god Tagachim who lives in the volcano that towers over the capital city. The temple leader was one step below the emperor/empress. His power comes from his authority as servant to Tagachim, an authority which includes human sacrifice. Chosen by lottery by the placing of carved ivory tokens placed in a wooden tube, single women over the age of fifteen, married women younger than forty without children, were selected as brides of Tagachi. A marriage made by either throwing the chosen one into the volcano or sealing her into an ice cave.

An even darker religion was the cult led by the Parant in the Dragshi Chronicles. He was discussed in the post, P is for Parant. The counter to the Parant is the Oracle of Givneh from the Windmaster Novels. From their temple on the plateau of Givneh on the main continent of Katheul, by tradition the followers of the oracle's teachings are a community of service. However, in Windmaster, a rogue mage took over the temple, usurped the will of the followers and twisted the religion to his own beliefs. Among his tenets was that magic is evil (unless it serves him.) Something that the false oracle didn't tell his followers? Blood sacrifices and blind obedience enhanced his powers.

To end this post, I'll end with the water gods popular with sailors when they ask for intercession. ~till next time, the Sailor's Blessing. "Fair skies and following seas."


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Q is for ???

The letter "Q" is the hardest letter of the alphabet to write a post about. It could be Qaralzha, a guard-in-training at the Imperial Palace of Eurichin. Despite his young age, he was skilled with blade and spear, a talented horseman, and a friend of Queen Mirabeesh.

Or, it could be the vessel with queen in her name. The Glacier Queen, captained by Vika, sailed the waters of Botunn Loghes and enabled Lord Dal and Lady Ellspeth to escape their pursuers.

Another option would be to focus on writing and be an in-depth look at the query process.

However, the first option didn't have enough to do an entire post about, and the second was already done. Entire books were written on querying.  So Q is for the unknown ???. 

~till next time

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~till next time, Helen  

P is for Parant

First, I wanted to say the spelling is not an error. As to why "P is for Parant?" The letter "P" was hard to find something to go with it that would fit the theme of magic, dragons, and journeys to worlds of imagination.

The man called the Parant is a cult leader with the special ability. He can steal a person's will with just a few words. His power is so absolute that a clap of his hands feels so real to the one under the thrall that actual cuts appear on their back. Which is what happens on the "blessings frame" to those who garner the Parant's attention or dare to question him Even though no man wields a whip or even touches those "honored" by their leader, the physical effects are if they were.

The Parant's story--and his fate--are told in Hatchling's Mate and Hatchling's Vengeance.


~till next time, Helen 

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In person, please. #mfrwauthor

Welcome to Week 16 of the MFRW 52-week challenge. The topic is "Online shopping or go to stores." Obviously this topic was chosen before the world changed and all non-essential businesses closed. As this post is published, I'm currently beginning week 8 of safer-at-home restrictions. But, enough of that, here is the answer to shopping preferences.

Online shopping, either at a small businesses website or a behemoth site, provides a greater variety of choices. But buying at a big box store or a chain allows for a more hands-on shopping. experience.

Then you have "ship-to-store" which provides the best of both worlds without having to worry about minimums to qualify for free shipping.

Since the person I take care of loves to shop, going to a store or mall is the first choice as it provides the opportunity for an outing.


~Happy shopping all. till next time, Helen

O is for Ollea

As mentioned in the post, L is for Legends, the tales of the dragshi as chronicled by the ceoltiers often include some element from times past. Ollea is one. Islanders of the Southern Sea worship her. To them she is the goddess with beautiful, long black hair who lives in the bowl of a volcano. Among her duties is to bring the dead to live with her in her cave in the smoking mountain. She is also the protector of dragons. The natives wouldn't touch or harm a dragon (or dragshi in the form of their dragon soul twin) as the believed fire-breathers were Ollea's chosen ones.

As such, it is an appropriate name for one of the first dragons to crack their shell in many generations. Come meet Ollea's namesake, the sapphire dragonet in an excerpt from Hatchling's Mate.

Vellanor nudged the young dragon who peeked out from behind a boulder. <Ollea, be nice. Say hello to Glyn. She’s new here.>

Ollea padded out from her hiding place. Ducking her head, she straightened and rose to her full height. Light blue eyes looked into Glyn’s. Where Velannor’s contact was sharp and controlled, despite the dragonet’s haughty pose, her mental tone was hesitant. <Welcome, Glyn of Cloud Eyrie, to you and all who walk in your shadow. And to you, Fraomich of Clan Weiss.> The façade shattered and sparks danced in Ollea’s eyes. <Auntie, my I fly? I promise not to go far.>

Velannor nodded her approval. <As long as you follow the path. And Ollea, be back before the sun sets!>

Glyn giggled at the young dragon’s enthusiastic agreement, then shielded her eyes at the dust raised by the creature’s take-off.

~till next time, Helen

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N is for Names

One of the challenges to fiction writing is naming our characters. Sometimes you might get stuck on a letter. I once read a short story where the main characters were John, Joe, Jake, Jack, Jared, and Jacob. It couldn't be read aloud without tripping over your tongue. Even beyond the tongue-twisting aspect, too many similarly sounding or spelled names can confuse the reader to the point they're thrown out of the story. A spreadsheet or table can help track names so you can recognize and avoid the problem.


It seems as I'm chronicling their tales, that the characters start off with one name. Then several chapters in they laugh and say, "fooled, ya. My name is XXX." Argghhh. Global change from XXX to YYY, then add a note to the character tracker to make sure none of the original names slip through on edits.

~till next time, Helen 

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