Exploring Character and Place in A Seared Sky #4

Ylcrat

A tiny island, Ylcrat sits precariously in the middle of the Shylnah Sea. Precariously? Its volcanic cone is active and destructive. Difficult to land here, due to its geography, and the islanders have a reputation for cannibalism. Merchants and the wider world think of the population as backward and uncivilised and give the island a wide birth. Anyone venturing here has to have a pressing reason. So what takes our intrepid voyagers this way?

The cone lies at the northeastern end, and rumbles moodily most of the time. But, occasionally, larger explosions rock the island. No time to be a stranger here.

The men don’t work, but play at hunting, though their games rarely provide any meat. The women are slaves in all senses of the word, providing food, sex, entertainment and shelter for the men. With no permanent relationships, resulting children are raised communally by the women.

The people are ruled by a magical man whose origin, length of life and even appearance are all hidden. He has a mystic hold over the women, allowing him to control them; though he, uniquely, doesn’t abuse them sexually.

Where the islanders originated, how they came to the island, and how long they’ve lived here are all factors lost in the annals of time.

Here we first encounter a remarkable young woman. Myllthlan, as she will come to be known, plays a critical part in the adventure. But to tell you more would expose too much of the tale. You’ll have to read the book to find what she does.

The 4^th in a series of pieces on characters and places featured in Joinings: A Seared Sky. This background information, isn’t covered in the book, but should enhance the reading experience. For some of my people, there’ll be a character drawing, supplied by Alice Taylor, maybe a video interview, and accompanying script. I may do short pieces of fiction, deepening knowledge of certain minor characters as well.

For the places, I may use sections of the map, to indicate location, along with a description of the place, as I see it, and, where appropriate, links with characters. Perhaps I’ll indicate the way of life there with a short anecdote or story. I won’t reveal any of the main story, either as already published or as written in the series, merely enhance readers’ enjoyment of the trilogy by providing more information. I hope this gives pleasure to those who’ve bought the book and, perhaps, persuades others to take that step.

Pronunciation hints:

Ylcrat = ill – krat

Myllthlan = milth – lan

Shylnah = shill - nar

Names are pronounced phonetically. But this is my take on them; how I hear them in my head. You may pronounce them as you wish; reading is, after all, active rather than passive.

Related articles

• Exploring Character and Place in A Seared Sky #3

Exploring Character and Place in A Seared Sky #3

The 3^rd in a series of pieces on characters and places featured in Joinings: A Seared Sky. This is background information, not covered in the book, but intended to enhance the reading experience. For some of my people, there’ll be a character drawing, supplied by Alice Taylor, maybe a video interview, and accompanying script. I may do short pieces of fiction, deepening knowledge of certain minor characters as well.

For the places, I’ll use sections of the map, to indicate location, along with a description of the place, as I see it, and, where appropriate, linking it with characters. Perhaps indicate life there with a short anecdote or story. I won’t reveal any of the story, either as already published or as written into the series, merely enhance readers’ enjoyment of the trilogy by providing more information. I hope this gives pleasure to those who’ve bought the book and, perhaps, persuades others to take that step.

Pronunciation hints:

Shaulah – shaw-lah

Okkyntalah – ock-in-tar-lah

Tumalind – tum-a-lind

Character’s names are pronounced phonetically.

My take on the names; how I hear them in my head. You may pronounce them any way you wish; reading is, after all, an active rather than a passive occupation.

Here’s a short piece about the only named animal character in the series.

Shaulah, a hunting dog:

Okkyntalah, a major player through the series, is a hunter by trade. He raised his hunting dog, Shaulah, from a pup, taken from the litter of a farming neighbour. Dogs are not common on the island of Muhnilahm, generally used either as hunting companions or by farmers eager to keep marauding beasts away from their stock. Pet animals are not part of the custom or tradition of the islanders.

Shaulah is as much at home in water as on land. Obedient, loyal and devoted to her master, she makes an ideal companion. From his point of view, the fact that she also adores his beloved, Tumalind, is a bonus.

She lives outside. A working companion and beneficial tool of Okkyntalah’s occupation, Shaulah’s part in the tale is surprisingly important. She is intelligent, trustworthy and silent unless required to alert her master to danger.

She appears fairly early in the narrative and you can follow her progress through the story as she travels with her master on his quest.

Related articles

• Exploring Character and Place: #1

Exploring Character and Place: #2

Tarruss:

The 2^nd in a series of pieces on characters and places featured in Joinings: A Seared Sky. This is background information, not covered in the book, but intended to enhance the reading experience. For some of my people, there’ll be a character drawing, supplied by Alice Taylor, maybe a video interview, and accompanying script. I may do a short piece of fiction, deepening the knowledge of certain minor characters as well.

For the places, I’ll use sections of the map, to indicate location, along with a description of the place, as I see it, and, where appropriate, linking it with characters. Perhaps indicate life there with a short anecdote or story. I won’t reveal any of the story, either as already published or as written into the series, merely enhance readers’ enjoyment of the trilogy by providing more information. I hope this will give pleasure to those who’ve bought the book and, perhaps, persuade others to take that step.

Pronunciation hints:

In this interview, the character’s names are pronounced phonetically.

These are just my take on the names, how I hear them in my head. You may pronounce them any way you wish; reading is, after all, an active rather than a passive occupation.

Tarruss is a giant of a man, with green eyes, short red hair and a cropped beard. He accompanies the main group, acting as guardian. Here he talks with the author.

SA:         So, Tarruss, how should I describe you?

Tarruss:  You invented me. Say what you see.

SA:         Most people would describe you as a giant. I’d describe you as a giant.

Tarruss:  Bigger than most. But that doesn’t make me a bully, you know.

SA:         Remind me, what do you do for a living?

Tarruss:   Work with wood an’ metal, making weapons for the army and tools for farmers. Strong, you see.

SA:         And, women? What’s your attitude to women, Tarruss?

Tarruss:  Love ‘em. Beautiful, mysterious creatures with a shape that makes a man want more. Clever, too. And strong in a way lots of men don’t seem to see. I love the look of them, the feel of them in your arms, the way they laugh, the way they moan with pleasure. To be honest, I prefer the company of women to men.

SA:         And what about your religion? How do you feel about that?

Tarruss:  That’s a strange question. I Follow. We all do. It’s our religion. I don’t know what you expect me to say.

SA:         Well, for instance, how do you feel about the High Priest?

Tarruss:   Dagla Kaz does a job, like we all do. He’s the leader and has direct contact with Ytraa. He’s the one as makes sure we’re all doing right. Fierce, like, when he’s riled. I sometimes wonder…well, I shouldn’t really say, you know. I’m a loyal Follower, that’s all, really.

SA:         I see. And the Holy Ones?

Tarruss: You tryin’ to get me in trouble?

SA:         Not at all. I’m trying to show our readers the sort of guy you are, that’s all.

Tarruss:   Seem a bit tricky to me.

SA:         The Holy Ones?

Tarruss:   I’d rather not say, if you don’t mind.

SA:         Okay. What about food?

Tarruss:   A man likes to fill his belly. Preferably with good stuff. And the odd flagon of good strong ale, of course. Hot work, hammerin’ metal.

SA:         Don’t say a great deal, do you?

Tarruss:  Depends who’s asking the questions, and how good they are.

SA:         Right. There’s a rumour you once killed a man with your bare hands.

Tarruss:  Is there? Look, any man who mistreats a child like that deserves what he gets. And I’m admittin’ nothing.

SA:         Last one. What’s your role on the pilgrimage?

Tarruss:  Well, you wrote the story: don’t you know? Oh, you want it in my words. Right. I’m along as guardian, soldier, hunter, and general drudge. Because I’m big, people think I’m not too bright.

SA:         Thank you for your thoughts, Tarruss.

Tarruss:  Welcome. Can I go now?

SA:         Of course.

Tarruss:

Related articles

• Exploring Character and Place: #1

Character Development is Good for You.

An example of my character template. The picture came via Flickr.com
and, if you click on it, it will lead to the photographer's gallery.

Is it possible to write a story without at least one character? I seriously doubt it, even if the ‘character’ is only something inanimate. But is it desirable? Definitely not. Characters are the writer’s means of delivering story. Plot is a framework, a guide, sometimes a straightjacket, that determines a story’s direction and ultimate end. But it’s the character (or characters) who, taking the reader’s hand, guides her through the twists and turns. And the more believable that character can be made, the more thoroughly will the reader engage with the story.

A lot has been written about character development, so I can add to the cannon only by describing my own method. Before I can start any story, I have to know my main characters. In my current fantasy trilogy, which is well under way (Volumes 1 & 2 are written and edited), I’ve so far developed a cast of 83 named characters. Each of these people has a history, biography, physical description and a picture on which I can hang my memory. I know; a lot of people will think there are too many characters here, but this is a tale in the tradition of the epic fantasy, though it’s more adult than many. It’s common in the genre to have a large cast list: think of Lord of the Rings. How I keep track of all these individuals is for another day, another post. For now, I’ll concentrate on how I ‘invent’ my characters.

As an ex-professional photographer, my driving creative muse is visual. So, having determined gender and age, and having a vague idea of what I want the character to look like, I search my catalogue of images of people. Over the years I’ve been writing, I’ve made it a habit to collect pictures of real people I come across on my flights through the matter on the internet. I copy these pictures and assign them a basic designation according to race, gender, age (approximate), and hair colour. I have so far collected a library of around 1,200 from which I can take my pick. (Some of you will be concerned about copyright infringement, but, as these pictures are never published by me, that’s not really an issue).

Having chosen my picture, I attach it to a template on Word in the form of a table, listing physical features, beliefs, relationships, political persuasion, family history and asking the character two questions: 1. What does this person want? 2. What is this person prepared to do to get it? I now have a pretty good knowledge of my character.

At this stage, I use my table of names to select an appropriate name. (I’ve a document listing over 10,000 names, sorted alphabetically and by gender, with annotations showing the nations that use the name. For access to that list, please visit the tab above, labelled ‘Tools & Links’ where you’ll find a .pdf version that you can copy/print for your own use.) For my fantasy, since I’ve invented a whole world along with everything that goes with it, I’ve made up my character names and tested each against Google to ensure I’m neither using one that already exists, nor naming somebody by using a word that means something inappropriate in another language.

I now have my character with name, age, physical attributes and belief system. I also know what motivates that character and what that character is prepared to do in order to achieve any ambition. That gives me a pretty rounded person to put on the page before I even start writing the story. This may seem a lot of work, but in my experience, the bulk of writing is preparation. Once I have my characters and locations and any historically factual information that may be relevant, I can start the story. I find that the preparation allows me to write very quickly. I always place hyperlinks in the story to each of my character’s bio pages so that I can quickly check to make sure I haven’t either changed some physical aspect or turned a peace-loving pagan into a warrior extremist.

So, there you have it: my method of creating and developing characters. Once they are on the page, I allow them to guide the story for which I only ever have a very loose framework, or none at all. Often, they take me along roads I didn’t know existed. I love that. I learn a great deal along the way, as well. Character is vital to the story; we neglect it at our peril.

This post first appeared as a guest post on Brian Hayden’s Blog where you will find lots of other interesting stuff.

Related articles

• Character development
• 5 Ways to Create Three-Dimensional Characters
• Writing - Are you putting enough thought into Developing Characters?