Thursday 23 January 2014

"It was strong. But so was I."

Not every story works out, and sometime that's a good thing.

A couple years ago, I had a series that I wanted to do about a bunch of supernatural crime fighters. Then it changed to demon slayers. I thought that would work out too, but it turned out that I just had the world and no story. So I split up the characters (I'm a writer who gets very attached to the people she writes) and moved them into different universes. Two of these characters were Derek and Liam.

The idea behind them stayed the same– Derek was the older, stronger, more serious brother, and Liam was the younger, quicker, goofy brother. I didn't know where to put them, until NaNo and Hollow Hill. 

"There was no pain, no fear, no stopping."
As soon as I decided the brothers were going to be descended from Ares, I knew the main character had to be Derek. Once I made that choice, the rest fell into place. He had to be a formidable opponent, very strong, uncompromising, and fiercely protective of Liam. He had to be the one to make all the hard choices and be the type of person who wouldn't give in to temptation.

At the same time, I wanted him to be damaged. Haunted by the things he's seen, endured, and suffered. Constantly worried that his lineage is going to turn him into nothing more than a ruthless killer. With everyone but Liam, he puts up a front to keep his true emotions because he wasn't raised to be seen as weak. He was taught that emotions make a person vulnerable, and every day he knows that if Liam hadn't been born, he would have become nothing but a machine of war.

Derek continues to be a fun character to write. I love putting him up against challenges and monsters because I love figuring out how he'll overcome them and become a force that even the gods would respect. He's still growing and wrestling real demons as much as personal ones. He's one of the strongest characters I've ever written, and he never belonged on the sidelines where I originally had him. Derek will always be the first one in the fight, the first one to take pain or someone he loves, and the first one to beat the crap out of his enemies.

Essentially, I'm out to write my own Greek hero. Reading about Heracles, Achilles, Perseus, and Jason's adventures was always my favorite thing to do, and while Derek may never their legendary level, I liked to think that he'll be memorable. He's a warrior who never backs down, an exceptional fighter who would die for his brother, a romantic, and a leader who will always try to do the right thing.

Remember, you can read about Derek and all his adventures in pieces here on my blog, or the full version of Hollow Hill on Authonomy, or on Figment. Chapters 4 & 5 will be posted at the end of the month if you're waiting for them. To see where more of my inspiration is coming from, don't forget to take a peek at my Areios Brother Pintrest board. Thanks for reading!

"The power would just have to torment me. But I was used to that sort of thing."
Amy

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