By this point in the story we know a lot about Ehlsewhere; we know the characters, the setting, the main plot, subplots, themes, etc. And knowing those things brings with it some expectations. Those expectations drive me as I continue to write the story because I know those same expectations need to be met for my eventual readers. Surprises are wonderful things…as long as they stay true to the overall story. But here’s the thing, I knew as I was getting ready to write this next chapter that I needed to push some boundaries if I was going to make the whole battle between a seemingly all powerful dragon and a young orphan boy work. So, a few things came to mind. First, Ehlsewhere is very much the story of a boy who….well, he does all sorts of things, and there are other main characters in the book too, but Shahdow is the main character. The problem is that while the plot and subplots grow, Shahdow can get lost. I knew as I was getting ready to write this that Shahdow is already a little too much in the shadows; I had to get him back out front and center again. Then there’s the whole ‘coming of age’ thing; Shahdow’s character arch, when it’s all said and done, needs to be massive–while at the same time, at his core, he has to stay exactly the same. Those were the main goals I had in mind as I was putting this chapter together in my head. Plus, I needed to work on some of the plot mechanics, specifically regarding the magical and spiritual aspects. All that led me to thinking I had this amazing opportunity to team Shahdow up with someone who can show him so much more than just how to wield a sword. I remember being very excited to start writing the scenes that started popping into my head. Now the question becomes…did they turn out to be worth reading?
EHLSEWHERE Chapter Thirty Eight
After the disappointment of the last chapter I was afraid of what I’d find on when I read this one. Maybe those lowered expectations came into play because I truly like this chapter. It has it’s flaws, but overall I felt it was intriguing, compelling, and most of all it did stay true to Shahdow and Dougerty’s characters, while stretching some boundaries. So, plotwise, some good things happened. I was able to set up some coming events while leaving some lingering questions–like ‘who’s this castle servant meeting with the dragon’? Overall, I thought the writing was pretty good too, with some notable exceptions. The forest scene(s), seemed a little drawn out, and the sentence by sentecne writing seemed a little verbose–even for me. I’m going to look at the whole piece where the dragon wakes up and reacts to Shahdow’s presence too. I’m just not sure that scene paints the picture exactly like I wanted it to. We don’t need to fully understand Khaos’ actions at that point, but we’d better have some pretty good ideas of why he didn’t do what we expected him to, and I’m not sure ‘hints’ I put in got us there. Even so, especially after the last one, I’m happy and fairly competent that this chapter just needs a good polishing.
Blessings on the day and everyday,
Mike
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