Welcome to Writer Thursdays, where I unpack my novel writing process from start to finish.
This week we’re going to talk about dragons. As a child, I liked dragons well enough, but I didn’t have that great love (yet) for them. In fact, I’ve been attached to horses and wolves nearly all my life, so my love of dragons didn’t fully blossom until I met this guy:
This is Ohmva. He’s terrifying to look at when his fires are lit, and a little creepy when they’re dimmed, and his eye sockets seem hollow. Ohmva is a character in my completed novel BLOOD & FIRE, ASH & BONE, and someday I’ll get to share a lot more about him with the world.
For PETALS & DUST, I’ve been on the hunt for just the right dragons to pull into the narrative. Just like people, my dragons are highly intelligent, fierce warriors, and each has the ability to create light magic or shadow magic. This all depends on their personality, what type of dragon they are, and whose blood they bond their fires with. And since characters will be traveling to portal worlds, I want my dragons to be diverse in their appearances.
^Here’s the first one that caught my attention. I mean, how could it not? In fact, this dragon already has inspired my opening scene where the hero/heroine first meet face-to-face. I don’t know a lot about this character, but here’s what I do know. She’s been trapped inside a medallion, her bonded is ruler of another kingdom, and she is one pissed off dragon.
^I know nothing about this dragon yet, but I love the way he looks. The wings remind me of a bat-like quality, but with the vivid coloring of a butterfly. I do know he’ll appear before the midway point in one of the forest worlds. Beyond that, I think just getting to that point in the rewrite will help me understand how he fits into the whole.
And finally:
I discovered ^this stunning image yesterday. I instantly fell in love with his wings because of the amazing color. But he looks like an old man to me. A dragon wise beyond his years that is so very tired of creaking bones and watching his world fall into ruin. I can’t wait to explore his personality, though I do feel an emotional connection because I already know this guy’s fate. Beyond that I won’t say more, but I’m excited to get to know him.
That’s it for today’s dragon hunting. I’ll have to come up with names for all these guys eventually, but that will be the fun part. Especially once I get a sense of who they are and where they fit inside the thirty worlds.
If you like this article, be sure to check out Writer Thursday for more on my adventure from dumpster fire to digestible story. You can also subscribe to this blog and be the first to know when new content is delivered.
