FROM MARGOLAN TO DARKHURST – Part One
25th July 2017
Ten years have passed since my first book, The Summoner, came into the world. It was the first book in my Chronicles of the Necromancer series, and it followed exiled prince Martris Drayke and smuggler and former mercenary Jonmarc Vahanian as they tried to first unseat the usurper king and then bring the kingdom of Margolan to peace and prosperity once more. Now Scourge kicks off a brand new epic fantasy series, and I couldn’t be more excited.
People often ask about my writing process and whether it changes for each book. I realize that if you ask a dozen writers how they write, you’ll get thirteen different answers. I start with an outline (publishers for some reason feel more comfortable parting with money if you’ve given them a solid outline). Even if it’s one we’re doing indie, I still start with a couple of page write-ups of the premise, characters, and plot overview. Then I’ll work out how many chapters I need based on the page count, and figure what has to happen in each chapter for the plot to get where it needs to go. We do it the way that works for us individually—so if you’re new to this, don’t worry about doing it my way or someone else’s way, do it your way and keep at it to work out the kinks.
The process for this does vary a bit series to series. Sometimes I get the world clearly in my head first, and then I have to figure out what kind of people and type of story go with that world. Usually, I get the characters first, and have to figure out what kind of world would make sense for their story. If it’s epic fantasy or steampunk, then I’ve got to dig into the time period, make sure to get the technology and details right. Even if my epic books aren’t set in our own world, they’re still somewhat based in real history for the battles or politics or level of technology. So Darkhurst is very loosely based on the Hanseatic League and the Italian city-states at the height of Venice and the Medici family. Machiavelli would have felt right at home.
Any chance I get to see real world settings are wonderful. I visit Charleston, South Carolina each year to scout locations and get ideas for more Deadly Curiosities stories. I go to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and the surrounding area for the Iron & Blood/Storm and Fury Adventures tales. When I had the chance to go to the UK and Europe a few years back, I visited every castle, tomb, graveyard, ghost tour, medieval fortress and underground tunnel system I could pack into the time. My family is accustomed to going on graveyard tours while on vacation. So if you can see the location, go see it. If not, books, photos, Google Earth and maps are your friend.
Starting a new series is terrifying — and fun. It’s fun because I get to meet new people, at least in my own head. I enjoy getting to know the main characters and building up interesting secondary characters. I discover new ideas poking around the world or thinking through how the magic works. Building my own religions is fun, too. But it’s also scary, because you don’t know the reception a book, world, or character is going to get until you put it out there, and we writers are an insecure bunch. Don’t let that stop you. I knew someone who had three books written that I very much enjoyed reading in manuscript, but who was so afraid to fail she never tried to get them published. Thirty years later, those books have never come out and I still think of them from time to time because they were that good. They’re hidden in a drawer somewhere because of fear. Don’t do that. Take the risk.
Follow Gail Z. Martin on Twitter @GailZMartin and find her online at www.GailZMartin.com
Scourge is available to order now
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