A New Chapter

I've had some pretty cheesy titles but I think this one takes the cake. It's so incredibly necessary though. Almost as soon as I wrapped up the second draft of Guardians I realized that I didn't want to stop writing. I needed to dive into a new project to keep me occupied while I was letting Guardians sit for a bit. Luckily, I wasn't searching for inspiration but had already been letting a few things mull in my brain. Also PSA, this post is a few weeks in the making, it's going to be a long one.

As I continue to write I've realized that I start with setting when I write. I enjoy infusing magic into the world or creating new worlds entirely. Once I've built my world a bit I start to consider who would be living there. To build this world I started drawing on a few experiences I had recently have. This summer I got to go hiking in Vermont and after spending the past three years in New York City I was exciting to go back to nature and really loved being around non-smoggy air up in the mountains. During one of my hikes I decided that I wanted to set my next story in the middle of nowhere and started getting excited by the idea. My second piece of inspiration came from one of my classes. We were discussing how in classical literature the hero frequently leaves home and then returns. I wanted to write a different arc. I wanted a character who loves her home so much that she is going to defend it at any cost.

My next task was to craft a world that was worth saving. I settled on an alternate America in the mid 1800s during the frontier times. There is a lot of folklore within that time period that I want to explore. After doing some basic Google research on the time period I picked a version of Fort Union in North Dakota because of its history. I felt drawn to it because the fort was a trading post where people came as a pit stop. It wasn't just a place for traders to congregate. Explorers, scientists, and artists also frequented the fort. To me, a place that was a hub of the midwest sounded perfect.

The final step of the beginning stage of writing was to create my protagonist. I knew I wanted her to be female and I wanted to be writing in first person. While I've done some writing in first person, Guardians is in third person so I'm excited about writing in a different style. I actually came up with a name right away as well. Meet Amelia Carlton, official Troubleshooter of Fort Turner.

As I was starting to write about this earthy, powerful and slightly argumentative young woman (she's twenty-two, I wanted to get past the teenage years) I actually had a brainstorm. Train's "Meet Virginia" had been rattling around my ear drums for the past few days and it seemed to be the perfect fit for the evolving Amelia. I started writing about her based on the song lyrics and I'm really excited about how it's turning out. Some of the lyrics have to be interpreted to make it fit but I'm having a lot of fun getting to know Amelia and I can't wait to keep discovering her and her story.

Here is an excerpt from Trouble Shooter based on the line "you catch her stealing she won't confess," which I have some fun with interpreting because Amelia is not a thief.

"Oh hi." I raced past Finley. The rope I needed was in the armory.
"Where are you going?"
I had no time to play tour guide. "Do you hear bells?"
"Non/"
Pausing I listened. "Dammit! Well they should be ringing." I back tracked to the Assembly Room. Behind the stand was where the  Assembly Leader stored the alarm. 
"Are you supposed to be back here?" Finley had followed me.
"I'm the Troubleshooter. In times of trouble I'm allowed to do whatever is necessary to keep Fort Turner sage."
The alarm was a small silver bell. About to ring it I saw a hand in my peripheral vision. It grabbed the bell.
"Really? You have the authority?" Sarcasm slid off his lips.
That was it. "We don't have time for minutia! You've never been here when we've been under attack. People could die if I don't sound the alarm."
I don't know what convinced Finley have he did let go. Clanging echoes pealed throughout the fort, triggering other bells.
"Here." I tossed Finley the bell. "If you're so concerned about the alarm you can put it back. I have to go see what's trying to kill us."