Things have been interesting lately, because ever since I stopped working the “day job” there’s been a lot of opportunities that have popped up, which have mostly been a lot of talk. Summer is one of those seasons where people are more focused on vacations than anything else.
Summer, unfortunately for me, is very difficult for me to be productive on a personal level. My body can’t stand the heat and my mind daydreams. So, I’ve used my time to find a new “day job” and hope for the best.
To keep things going with ARGENTUM, I’ve been going over the manuscript and somewhere in between the first and second section fear started to set in. Is it good? Does it suck? What’s missing?
After reading it, I discovered that those fears have absolutely nothing to do with the manuscript. They have to do with my characters.
Alchemy is the art of transformation. William, one of the main characters in this work, shaves all of the hair off of his body as part of his personal ritual. He is trying to pursue one of the Master Works, but isn’t always successful.
William is a character whose voice needs to be heard just as much as Serafina’s. The challenge for me as an author, is that I don’t hear his voice and his concerns as much as hers.
So, to learn more about him so I can write him, I’m going to attempt to change certain things in my life to their complete opposite. I want to experience what it’s like to focus on your flaws so much that you need to create (for lack of a better word) a ritual to fix them. In many ways, William believes he is broken and can’t be loved. I may not understand that motivation, but I certainly understand what it’s like to not feel wanted or to feel like an outsider.
By getting inside William’s head in my own way, I feel that I can relay his side of the story just as well as Serafina’s. Combined, I believe that her character will be a lot stronger because you will see a different shade of truth when you read the novel.
I’m just glad that the weather is cooling off, because I think this is the perfect time to focus on something like this. I guess the only question is: Where do I start?
