I started writing the sequel to Blood of the Dragon today after several weeks of research, outlining, and mucho coffee. The outline is not done, so I’m still not certain how this book will end up, but I do have a good idea where it’s going. That’s much of my pleasure in writing: discovering where the story will take me.
You may have heard writers say this before, that they simply uncover a story that’s already there. That’s been true with my efforts in the past, including Blood of the Dragon, where the germ of the story seems to arrive fully formed. The writing process is then like an archaeologist carefully digging for an artifact, dusting it off, cleaning it up until the public can enjoy it.
In the case of my sequel, the story has been formed by research first, the story slowly evolving as I studied the ancient Meso-American cultures of Mexico and the southwest United States (especially the Navajo), and dived into myths and legends of Ireland and China. I love to incorporate tales from our past in my own story, to rewrite them or weave them in.
This has felt more like cooking: so far, I’ve done the prep work like chopping the vegetables and slicing the meat. Now it’s time to see if I can toss the ingredients into a pot and come up with something delicious. Maybe with my next post, I’ll put up the free write exercise that was the key to discovering the plot.
Comments