Dreaming ‘n’ Plotting, Dreaming ‘n’ Plotting, Dreaming ‘n’ Plotting

I couldn’t sleep Monday night. I lay awake and waited for sleep. And waited.

And waited. Snuggled into the warmth. Listened to the steady breathing. Nudged my Beloved to stop snoring. And waited. Hello, sleep. I'm here. Hullllooo!

And then I gave up and began plotting.

And not one, but two glimmering plots revealed themselves.

Christmas came very early this year.

I’ve known these stories nearly ten years now. The characters have been sitting around in the waiting room, occasionally playing a back-up roll, but never coming into their own, never coming fully alive.

Suddenly, the spotlights have illuminated them and I know them. I know what makes them tick, I know their true story.

I've been worried about one of the characters because she’s a bit of a prig and I didn't know how I’d carry her off for a whole book. Turns out she’s like that because she lives so deeply and vividly in her dreams she needs complete control in her waking hours. She’s a True Dreamer.

And my vegan, fair-trading, pacifist control freak is just about to meet up with a carnivorous, freewheeling, were-wolf were-cat cross who’s been newly appointed as head of Law Enforcement in the Lands.

The second character I’ve been worried about for the opposite reason – she’s a complete diva, spoilt, indulged and over the top. How to play on her strengths without making her completely unlikeable? I think I’m getting there. My original plot of Death by Chocolate has been strengthened with Lands magic – and I’ve thrown in a truckload of Dragons and a Wizard who is not-at-all-what-he-seems. As well as a ‘trueloves’ kiss that brings her back from death.

The hours ticked over and I knew the following day might have its problems. But the words flowed and I couldn’t bring myself to stop.

Finally putting my laptop away I returned to the warm darkness…. To plot and dream, plot and dream…

Until  my Beloved brought through the first coffee of the day.

Since then I’ve been writing desperately.

They’re pushy, those characters. Bossy and demanding, the pair of them. I was determined to devote the next six weeks to editing and critiquing. Looks like I have other plans.

But I can’t find it in me to really mind.   

Mapping it Out

                               Map of the Lands of Lost Lore

Are you a map fan?

I love looking at maps, real or made up. I love planning journeys through faraway lands or looking at fantastical realms and charting the journey of the protagonists I'm reading about. Whether I'm wondering over Tolkien's map for his world, or looking at cities I want to visit - Samarkand, Taskkent, Marrakesh, I just love maps. (Growing up maps lined the wall of the toilet, so I looked at them quite a bit!)
When I wrote my first books way back in high school, it made sense to make use of my art classes to  map my world - and my protagonist was a teenage girl whose drawings came to life in a new world... so there was a certain symmetry. Several years later when the book was published, it was such a thrill to see the old map used at the front of the book.

                                          Map of the Kingdoms of the Seventh Pool

Now, I'm having so much fun mapping new lands. I'm a little depressed to see I did a better job of it way back then and came up with better names - but I'm looking forward to playing around with the map until it sings.
One of the things I love most about my new lands is that it was created by 33 generations of women (starting with Scheherezade) who all got to chose three things no longer believed on earth, to come to life in the Lands of Lost Lore. It sort of gives me leave to throw myself into every fantasy cliche going. Winner. Fairy circles? Tick. World resting on the back of a giant turtle? Tick. Werewolf Mountains? Tick. A city of dragons? Tick. A moon king and sun queen crossing the world in their chariots? Tick. Never-ending pudding bowl? Tick. Amulets against pregnancy and period pain - okay, periods full stop. Tick. Tick. Tick.
And then of course some more personal choices.  It's not a coincidence that a humungous library sits at the very heart of the Lands of Lost Lore... my inner-librarian cannot be quelled!
Over the centuries some women made crazy choices, obviously, but others made haunting and wonderful choices. I love picking and choosing what made it into my lands, and any modifications needed. And of course deciding the lore my protagonists chose to bring in to the Lands is agonising... but thrilling. (I'll try not to let the power go to my head!)

But now to return to my maps... there's still room for suggestions... 5

Of Monsters and Men

We've been watching this youtube recently of "Little Talk" from the Icelandic band, Of Monsters and Men. Every time I watch I see new things and I love the imagination unleashed and all the mythical creatures. My Sprocket has started requesting 'the dragon ship', which is his name for it.
It reminds me of... so many strange and dreamlike things. And the music catches at me too, I keep finding myself humming.

It's giving me ideas.

What's inspiring you at the moment?