I was sitting at my Bistro working on Death Prayer when I had an imagination break through. I decided how to rework Frozen Moment. This one book has been a thorn in my side for a good seven years. I haven’t known how to continue, but I had an epiphany. I have started my third re-write and this one I belive will get completed. I have changed so much of Death Prayer it is hard to believe it is the same book it started as.
I have to send a shout out to all who have read the bits and pieces of my blog, I plan to start putting more on the blog but I am always afraid of those who will steel my ideas to make them their own. Anyways. I finally put some finishing touches on the first opening scene of Death Prayer, and would like to share it with you. Please coment on this post to let me know what you think. I have worked very hard and wish to continue working on this book until it is published and available to the world in it’s entirty.
Death Prayer
Chapter 1
Deep in the woods with a storm brewing over head, Maeratiyes makes his way to a clearing where he stops to speak with a phoenix. As they stand there in the darkest shadows speaking of the vanishing vampires, Maeratiyes listens to the wind as it moves through the woods telling him of its secrets. He looks at the lady and speaks, “Camil, this can’t be! Why are you telling me this now? I can’t stop them. There is no way I can stop him; and once more I don’t even know who she is so how can I protect her?”
“You already know who she is. You will meet her soon. You must save her; you will be the only one who can. If you don’t, no one will.” Camil said softly with her red hair flowing around her in soft, billowing curls. “I cannot change what was done so long ago, and now when I should help her, my hands are tied, thus it falls to you.”
“No, you can’t leave this on me; I hardly know you. How do I know you are telling me the truth? Maybe you are working for Devorick.”
She ignored his concerns and continued, “You have already met her, only it was in your dreams.” She whispered and began to turn around.
“No Camil. Don’t leave this one on me, the only woman in my dreams is—”He broke off realizing in that moment they were not alone. Camil threw up a hasty glamour and mouthed something to Maeratiyes before dissolving into the shadows. Just then Tyna, the Mage Maeratiyes was waiting for emerged from the other side of the clearing. She looked calm, “They think you are dangerous. There is nothing I can do to change their mind on the matter either. I have learned a lot at The Blackrose. However you have something that I need.”
Maeratiyes was aware of the disturbance in the air; yet spoke to Tyna in a hushed voice, “Have you found him?”
“No.” she said. “No one speaks of him, Ryan is missing and the bar is silent on the matter. No one even thinks his name.” She said pulling a pick from her long blond hair only to put it back into a bun before reinserting the pick. “I have done all I can, now do you have what I asked you for?” she asked.
“Yes,” he stated and pulled out a small item wrapped in paper and leather.
“Thank you,” she said in a soft whisper, “ears are listening.” She said throwing up glamour.
A tempest broke across the sky as two figures lingered in the shadow of a nearby oak not far from where Desiray hid in the shadows. Just then she saw her, the rogue she had been searching for. Beside her stood Maeratiyes, the lamia vampire next in line for the vampire throne. She feared him, yet strangely she felt safe near him. He was dangerous, she reminded herself; feared because of his family history, yet there was something else, a darker and more dangerous side of him. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she didn’t want to either. More importantly he was talking to Ryan, the vampire she was searching for. She didn’t trust the prince or the rogue; hell she didn’t trust anyone. They were both vampires, and being a trained hunter she hunted all evil things, from the soulless ones to rogues, and that was what that vampire beside Maeratiyes was; however, Maeratiyes could know something about what’s going on. He would at least be able to tell her if the disappearances were only witches or if the vampires were vanishing too. She would find out the truth. She had to.
This is a short chapter, but the thing I love about it is the way it introduces the characters, not only the main charcters, but others who are very important to the story line.
While I was in school I got a lot of crap for not always folowing the rules of writting. Well I have a lot of things going on in my books, just like I have a lot going on in my head. I put events into motion that won’t get sloved in this book, or even the next book. However, that is part of what I love about this first chapter. It sets up characters and events in books to come and gives me the ability to overlap scenes in other books. This first scene will be seen again in at least one other book, and that I find facinating. It shows how different lives over lap and how even though this is one great big world, this is a very small one at the same time.
Rules about writting according to Tina:
1. Know your characters name.
Why you may ask, I find that if I can give my character a name I have an easier time giveing them personality, and flavor as I call it. This does not mean that the reader knows the characters name. But even when I am writting from the perspective of first person I find if I give my character his or her name first I can better create their personality, and express their characteristics more fully.
2. Experience
Now I don’t mean your personal experience, I mean the characters experience, with who, and what happened. Each person in life has been influenced by experience along the long trudge through life. Thus I find that my characters must have the same if they are to be more real to the perspective of the reader. So if I was left at the store when I was five, I would remember that, and so if Sally is your character and she was left at a funeral home when she was three, then that experience will influence how you develope the character.
3. Start Writting.
I know so many people have millions of steps to get to this one easy step. Do exactly what I just wrote. I start with a name. From Death Prayer Chapter 1
1. Maeratieys
2. Lived a long life as a born vampire, seen the character Camil as a young man, is a prince, future king of his kingdome Vampirca
3. Deep in the woods…
It is a very easy prosses. Many people think they have to know where their character will take them. I will admit some don’t take you anywhere. I have written namy stories, not all of them have taken me to places I like. Even Death Prayer took me to dark places that were risky and suprising, if not even alittle scary. But I pressed on and now the story that started out at about 108 pages is over 225 pages.
I don’t make outlines.
I don’t brainstorm.
I DON’T PLAN
I let the characters tell me where they are going, and in some cases where they have been. When I let myself take a back seat to my imagination, which is hard to do, trust me it is very hard, but when I do that the book comes to life and tells it’s own story. It moves and takes on new tasks I could never have seen. I find the most interesting characters along the way, and they sometimes merit their own storie, though sometimes they just are needed to get the book to move foreward.
I have started many stories, not all of them are finishable, and not every story finishes how I want them to. So when writing, just remember, let the characters tell you what will happen, don’t plan on anything, but if you do be ready to take a detour, for sometimes in life as in books the best things happen on their own.
This is just a little bit about getting started. Hope to tell you more later. Until then just dive in, there is no other way to start, if you don’t dive in, you may never get in.
Tina