Never Forgotten

Monday Mind Dump

(Whining: I don’t want to give it away, but I want to tell everyone!)

I’ve written about trusting your subconscious before, and my experiences with it. I want to encourage you all with this: Nothing you read, see, or hear is forgotten. Just because you can’t bring it immediately to mind doesn’t mean it’s not THERE. This is why I just write and try not to get hung up on things beyond the basic facts.

In Fools Gold, it was suggested I add a greater threat for my protagonists to face, because they’re a little overpowered. Before I wrote the story, I researched the existing lore about the area. I glanced over various Cherokee legends concerning Shaconage (a section of the Great Smokey Mountains that were culturally and spiritually important to them and other tribes in the region) prior to their removal and the Trail of Tears.

I have a female protagonist who is new. She was not in the original plot I’d jotted down. Appeared out of nowhere and I ran with it in the: This…makes sense type of way. Did not realize as I went along that having her along made a stronger connection to the area. The longer she hung around, the more she told me who she was and why she’s the way she is. One of the most important things about her…is that she’s Cherokee and for some reason, wandering around alone. Now, there’s lore behind that. ;) Even though that lore typically has her with a number of companions. At this time, she has no one.

WHY?

I finished the rough draft with that question in mind along with a theory about her having an extremely tragic history. An idea, that wasn’t fleshed out yet. Not until I needed to add a tough monster that was beyond their ability to handle alone. Then, it became clear exactly what happened and what would happen to make a circular event.

Strangely, there were already details RELATED to the monster I chose in the preceding and following chapters that alluded to it by lore, without any mention of the thing itself. I had some birds playing in a fountain that I described as having shiny metallic feathers. What they are, is something that wouldn’t typically have that design. ;) I’m not leaking that at the moment. I just wanted exploding birds. :D

The birds with the metallic feathers were supposed to be the mortal enemy of the monster! I’d already set up a promise with the bomb birds. :D Mentioning exactly what they do, that they aren’t deployed in the woods, but are kept to the town grounds which is mostly made of rock.

Go back to: I READ the lore, but I ‘forgot’ it as I was writing, putting my story down on paper, yet those elements for the REGIONAL LORE crept through! I’ve learned never to question small details that I don’t understand the reason for, back when I worked on comic scripting. Eventually, something would happen that required whatever that element was, even if it was YEARS LATER!

So, when I added a chapter where it had nothing anchored to it…it slid right in and requires minimal smoothing to work around it. It won’t be noticed as having been added because it slotted right in there!

This missing battle that didn’t even exist, closed up a hole. Not a plot hole. Simply a story hole. It serves a purpose in multiple ways, imparting information about two characters that are secret. Delivered on a promise that I made and didn’t make. ;) It was plotted to happen in book 3. Simply amused me that it happened AGAIN.

- Tiff