Love Your Characters
I love three real characters very much! Eric, who continuously teases me and keeps me laughing or squinting and uttering “grrrrr!” Kai, who takes after his father but then plays beautiful music for me so all is forgiven. Arielle, who remembers to keep in touch from college because she knows how much I miss her. Happy Valentine’s Day to my family and Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone.
Today, I’m writing about fictional characters. The ones I create. They are with me daily and I strive to understand them as much as I would any family member or friend. In MYSTIC a character named Sri (a wizard) has fallen in love with a man from another world. In order for me to fully understand Sri I had her write in a journal. The journal written in first person is Sri’s voice. With this backstory I was able to understand the motivations of my other characters as well as Sri. I did this three years ago when I had no idea of when MYSTIC would be published. Since it’s about love I thought today was the perfect day to repost it. This is from Feb. 3, 2010. I kept my rule about not changing previous posts and left everything the same. Enjoy!
Sri’s Journal
Entry: I have learned to calm the mind of a wild beast, to turn a stick into silver and to fly amongst the Seer Dragons but I cannot stop the bursting excitement that flows through my body every time I see him. It’s as if a breeze brushes over my heart and I must breathe deep when he is near in order to keep my composure. He is only a man not a wizard yet he appears to have placed a spell on me. This is unacceptable and I must stick to my path. My future has been carefully planned. I have great gifts. I am Queen Fredonia’s only daughter. A daughter in need of a spell to wipe away thoughts of handsome strangers.
Entry: I have decided to speak to him. My jumbled emotions are getting the best of me and I cannot focus on my studies. Surely when I speak to him I will learn of his daftness and get over my sickness. Enough is enough. Ralient has been odd lately. Our friendship seems strained. He looks at me with distant eyes. Though I have given him no reason to believe I have feelings for the stranger, I worry he knows my heart too well. His desire for me is no secret. I feel only friendship for Ralient and I don’t want to hurt him, yet fear I will.
Entry: There is a light shining from within me that I cannot dim. No spell can replace the happiness that colors my world that once was clear. James, his name is James and he is kind, intelligent and brave. We have spent the past month together and I have learned much about his world. It is not a place I wish to visit. When James is with me I feel content, safe, at peace and my mind is far from my studies and full of only him. We spend our days escaping to the forest and the White Mountains. I have shown him Mystic’s beauty in hopes that he will want to stay. Today he took my hand during our walk. I had to remind myself to breathe. Then I felt a tinge of annoyance that Queen Fredonia’s daughter could let herself become so vulnerable in the presence of a man. I thought of my great power for only a brief second before James interrupted me. He stopped, took me in his arms and kissed me. I felt the stubble from his beard on my chin and that familiar breeze across my heart. My tears dripped onto his collar.
Suddenly, I felt piercing heat on my back like arrows shot from a distance. A pair of eyes were watching us, cursing us. I stiffened and turned to face them. I felt his pain and knew that I had hurt Ralient deeply. A line had been crossed and my once perfectly planned life was now unpredictable. I knew I could no longer allow myself to act like a helpless child. James was in danger. Ralient’s power was only surpassed by his jealousy. Now, my only concern is whether or not my powers are strong enough to protect the man I love from the man who was my best friend.
