Rae of Light

This is the final instalment of posts about my writing process.  So last but not least I'm focusing on my peripheral characters. It seems wrong to name these characters such: marginal, outlying, minor.  Because they are far from it.  Often they are integral to the further development of the protagonist and serve as strong a role as the antagonist. My list of subsidiary characters will seem strange to some of you.  But what my protagonist requires I write to accommodate that need.  So they range from aunts, brothers, fathers and magical realms to animals.  Here they are in all their glory: Roxanne, Francesca and Thorin ( Sharp Dark Things ) Bruno Kiefer ( Sharp Dark Things ) Faetaera ( Sharp Dark Things ) Arthur Deed ( Palindrome ) Horatio Luther Henry ( Of Dragons & Witches series ) Jinx & Snookie ( Of Dragons & Witches series ) Chisanda ( Where Rainbows Hide ) Marco Zeppo ( Where Rainbows Hide & When Rainbows Cr...

Now it's back to writing about my writing process and it's time to focus on the antagonists I write. It seems I don’t mind having male and female antagonists even though I’ve plumped so heavily for females in the protagonist camp. Robert Deed ( Six Dead Men ) Terence Ire ( Six Dead Men ) Zaq ( Where Rainbows Hide ) Irina Bushka ( Where Rainbows Hide ) The Authorities ( When Rainbows Cry ) Kastaspella aka Jocasta Incantata ( Of Dragons & Witches series ) Grief/Brairton ( Sharp Dark Things ) Robert Deed’s name in this list may well surprise you.  Let me explain.  To begin with, his main aim is to prove Madison Bricot guilty of her boyfriend’s murder.  The twists and turns of the plot however mean he ends up sharing protagonist status with Madison.  He ultimately has too sound a nature to be the villain and his role shifts to that of the main romantic interest.  But then, that was my aim all along, to trick the reader into t...

So who are my protagonists and why do I want to write about them? To answer this question I have to look at who they are. Madison Bricot ( Six Dead Men ) Neera Luxquaera ( Where Rainbows Hide ) Petra Sucher ( When Rainbows Cry ) Clarissa Henry ( The Lonely Dragon ) Alanna Webber ( Sharp Dark Things ) Rowena Deed ( Palindrome ) Detective Inspector Robert Deed ( Palindrome ) The first and most obvious thing to note is that all but one of my protagonists is female.  I’m not against a male protagonist.  I just understand what it is to be female and so write what I know. Now time to take a closer look at my characters and why I create them. Madison Bricot is an insecure young woman who has the ability to kill with a kiss.  If you rearrange the letters in her name they spell out the Italian phrase for ‘kiss of death’.  She was most certainly born out of my own insecurities and fears I’m sure.  When I look back at the things I wrote...

Recently, perhaps because I’ve been rewriting as well as editing, it's set me thinking about various aspects of my writing.   Why do I write the characters I do?   What prompts my choice of setting?   Do certain themes reoccur? Being the opportunistic blogger I am, I realised this would make a series of posts.  So am currently working my way through all of the above. It has been a fascinating process for me, this analysis of my own writing.  Rewriting has made me aware of how much my writing has evolved.  I’m pleased to note this change and am immensely proud of myself for struggling through unemployment and sticking by my conviction to write. But more than anything, I’m grateful beyond words to the friends and family who have stood by me and encouraged me every step of the way.  Knowing I have their unfailing support is what makes this even easier for me to do. The programme of posts about writ...