I’ve been working on the sequel to Warrior Pledge. One of my tasks has been to get a character transformed from man to dragon when he didn’t know what was going on. He’s been making choices all along, but with no clear idea what the cumulative consequences of those choices will be—pretty much the way most of us live our lives. His choices will eventually lead him to losing his humanity and becoming a dragon.
My dilemma was how to achieve that in a way that was both realistic (as far as fantasy ever is) and unique.
Firstly, the unique.
My dragons are born of rock. I won’t explain exactly how that happens because I have a fear of someone who is a much faster writer than I am taking not only the idea but the process and getting their book out before mine is even finished. I wouldn’t be happy if that happened. If someone wants their dragons born of rock too, they can work out how to do it themselves—and I’ll enjoy reading about the process they come up with.
Secondly, the realism.
There are many different ways to make something totally fantastic feel real. It could be something as simple as a gesture or a word. In this instance, I decided to invoke the Song of Ruth. Dare I say it—my Christian upbringing has finally given me something useful.
It’s the vow in the song that triggers the acceptance that’s necessary for the process to complete. Now Fisher will never be able to get rid of Artemis.
It’s a good thing that’s exactly what both of them want.
My dilemma was how to achieve that in a way that was both realistic (as far as fantasy ever is) and unique.
Firstly, the unique.
My dragons are born of rock. I won’t explain exactly how that happens because I have a fear of someone who is a much faster writer than I am taking not only the idea but the process and getting their book out before mine is even finished. I wouldn’t be happy if that happened. If someone wants their dragons born of rock too, they can work out how to do it themselves—and I’ll enjoy reading about the process they come up with.
Secondly, the realism.
There are many different ways to make something totally fantastic feel real. It could be something as simple as a gesture or a word. In this instance, I decided to invoke the Song of Ruth. Dare I say it—my Christian upbringing has finally given me something useful.
It’s the vow in the song that triggers the acceptance that’s necessary for the process to complete. Now Fisher will never be able to get rid of Artemis.
It’s a good thing that’s exactly what both of them want.
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