{"id":32558,"date":"2016-06-20T06:30:17","date_gmt":"2016-06-19T18:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/?p=32558"},"modified":"2016-06-19T21:08:36","modified_gmt":"2016-06-19T09:08:36","slug":"the-wallofnight-qa-on-twitter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2016\/06\/20\/the-wallofnight-qa-on-twitter\/","title":{"rendered":"The #WallOfNight Q&A on Twitter"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"USA\"<\/a>

USA<\/p><\/div>\n

\"UK\/AU\/NZ\"<\/a>

UK\/AU\/NZ<\/p><\/div>\n

The Wall Of Night series Q&A went ahead on Twitter on (my) Saturday night and rolled for three hours, with plenty of follow-up questions and comments, which I hope means a good time was had by all.<\/p>\n

As promised, for those of you who are Twitter-averse or couldn’t make the #TheWallOfNight gig, I am posting the initial three Questions and my Answers here. I will post the follow-up questions as well, but tomorrow, since the first three make for a long post.<\/p>\n

For the cheerful commentary and witty repartee, however, you will have to visit the Twitter hashtag #TheWallOfNight<\/span><\/a> site—which is really very easy. Just search on the highlighted words<\/span><\/span><\/strong> (or click on the embedded link) and you will find it, for sure!<\/p>\n

I certainly enjoyed the session and would like to thank Rosie Cooper and the Haarth FB group (http:\/\/www.<\/span>facebook.com\/groups\/haarth<\/span> <\/a>) for spurring me on to make it happen — as well as helping make it a success.<\/p>\n

OK, here are the questions and the answers, in blog-friendly format:<\/p>\n

\"USA\"<\/a>

USA<\/p><\/div>\n

\"UK\/AU\/NZ\"<\/a>

UK\/AU\/NZ<\/p><\/div>\n

The Wall Of Night Q&A: #TheWallOfNight<\/h3>\n

Question One:<\/h4>\n

This first question was from Rosie<\/strong>: \u201cThe strength & depth of the secondary characters\u00a0is one of my favourite things about the series, particularly the way you use them to broaden our understanding of the different histories and cultures. This is two questions really \u2013\u00a0i) How do you develop the characters and their personal histories; and ii) how difficult is it to maintain such a good balance between them and the main thread of the story?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Here’s my answer:<\/p>\n

Helen Lowe:<\/strong> “In terms of i), Rosie, I believe the best word for my character development process may be \u2018organic\u2019, or \u2018holistic.\u2019 The characters are very real for me from the moment they step into my head, which may reflect my belief that in order to be real for a reader, even minor characters must first be real to themselves —\u00a0 and should<\/em> have such depth for readers, in order to make a story rock, rather than just being \u201ccutouts\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"USA\"<\/a>

USA<\/p><\/div>\n

\"UK\/AU\/NZ\"<\/a>

UK\/AU\/NZ<\/p><\/div>\n

I don\u2019t have a particular process to achieve this that is distinct from the rest of my storytelling. The characters either manifest with a large chunk of backstory or their history evolves through the storytelling, although \u201cfalls into place\u201d may be a better phrase \u2014 as if the story is already there, I just have to “download” it. But much of the “downloading” takes place through the writing process, especially for the secondary characters.<\/span><\/p>\n

Asantir is a character who manifested with a great deal of accompanying backstory \u2014 but Kalan\u2019s fledgling storyline took a major turn when he met the Huntmaster in The Heir Of Night<\/em><\/a>. The character I\u2019ve spent the most “distinct” character development time on is the Earl of Night, because he is a complex personality and I needed to understand why<\/em> he is the way he is. I did this by writing many pages on \u201cwho\u201d he is, recounting his backstory & how he felt about\/reacted to events in it.\u00a0Once done, it made a difficult man a great deal easier to write.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"USA\"<\/a>

USA<\/p><\/div>\n

I use a similar process to wrangle any difficult plot or character moments in The Wall Of Night <\/a>story.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0To answer the second part of the question, it can be very difficult to main a balance between the secondary characters and the main thread of the story, because when you have a big story, containing it can be quite the challenge. Each time one adds a character, especially a point-of-view character, the story \u201cwill\u201d grow-potentially exponentially.<\/span><\/p>\n

So finding the balance between characters & storyline can lead to much rewriting.\u00a0I find it helps to always be mindful of the \u201ctrue story\u201d I am trying to tell and what will advance it on the page. Side stories or character development moments that do not drive the main storyline forward ‘canna always be indulged.’ Bearing in mind, of course, that sometimes character development is the point<\/em> of the \u201ctrue story.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Maintaining the balance between character, plot & simply having fun, yet always keeping one\u2019s eye on the \u201ctrue story,\u00a0is something I consider essential #writing discipline. It\u2019s also a part that most reminds me of Hemingway:\u00a0\u201cThere is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.\u201d<\/em> <\/span><\/p>\n

No truer words, imho. \ud83d\ude42 “<\/span><\/p>\n

Question Two:<\/h4>\n

This question came from Kym<\/strong>: \u201cThis is a very minor question… I just wondered why the heralds weren’t in book 3?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

I answered it second because it many ways it flows on from my answer to Rosie’s ii.<\/p>\n

Helen Lowe:<\/strong> “In answer, \u201ctechnically\u201d, Kym, they were, albeit very briefly, via the dream sequence in \u201cChapter 5 Blood Warrior.\u201d However, I get that such a small cameo is not much quality heralds\u2019 time for those who love these particular characters.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"UK\/AU\/NZ\"<\/a>

UK\/AU\/NZ<\/p><\/div>\n

The \u201cwhy\u201d arises in part from my reply to Rosie’s ii. I had an earlier Port Farewell section with both Kalan & the heralds in it, but realised it was not driving the Daughter Of Blood<\/em><\/a> storyline forward\u00a0or advancing the heralds’ overall arc within the overarching The Wall Of Night<\/strong><\/a> storyline. At that point, I had to make some tough authorial decisions.<\/span><\/p>\n

What helped me do that was being mindful of the \u201ctrue story\u201d, which is effectively one tale being told in four instalments. The heralds\u2019 arc is very important to that overall storyline, but the set up for their role in The Chaos Gate<\/em><\/strong> (WALL 4) was fully encompassed in The Gathering Of The Lost<\/em> <\/a>(WALL 2.)<\/span><\/p>\n

\"USA\"<\/a>

USA<\/p><\/div>\n

So given\u00a0Daughter Of Blood<\/em><\/a> was already going to be a very big book I accepted that the heralds didn\u2019t have to be in it. Very<\/em> regretfully, I may add!<\/span><\/p>\n

Although I was also mindful that other POV characters, such as Nhairin from\u00a0The Heir Of Night<\/em><\/a> were similarly absent from\u00a0The Gathering Of The Lost<\/em><\/a> before returning in\u00a0Daughter Of Blood<\/em><\/a>. In that sense I see the story as being a little like life, in that people we love come and go. <\/span><\/p>\n

However, although this answer may not completely satisfy, I can promise you, Kym, that the heralds are very much present in The Chaos Gate<\/em><\/strong> (WALL 4).”<\/span><\/p>\n

Question Three:<\/h3>\n

This was Kristen’s<\/strong> question: \u201cMyr (dear Lady Mouse) is one of the most sympathetic characters in the series! It seems entirely true to me how she has internalized her siblings’ bullying. Her self-talk is brutal at times.\u00a0And yet, Lady Mouse is no doormat when push comes to shove, that strong, moral center wins out. Can you discuss where her strength of character comes from? Did you enjoy writing her POV?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Here’s my answer:<\/p>\n

Helen Lowe:<\/strong> “Yes and yes, Kristen! To answer the second part first, yes I did enjoy writing, Myr\u2014very much.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Kind<\/a>I always had a very clear idea of Myr\u2019s character from the outset of The Wall Of Night <\/a>story, even though she only appears in the third book. But I really loved the way she continued to evolve once I began telling her story. As my US editor, Kate, can attest, it took a few \u2018casts\u2019 to get Myr\u2019s first appearance \u2018just right.\u2019 But once the nuance of a \u2018delicate\u2019 character was captured, Myr really took off.<\/span><\/p>\n

In writing her, I wanted to both explore different ways in which women (and people generally) can be strong.\u00a0Re where her strength of character comes from, you mention her moral center, which I believe is key to her character. Recently, I also cited her \u2018fidelity\u2019: Myr is true to herself & others, a quality that guides all her choices.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Lowe<\/a>In terms of where her fidelity & moral core come from\u2014particularly given her family\u2014I cite both nature & nurture.\u00a0 Myr is naturally gentle & unassuming, a disposition she may have inherited from her Rose mother, since we know the House of the Rose are the Derai\u2019s peacemakers. Myr has also been ignored by her family & tacitly raised by her Rose governess, Ise, who we learn through the story has modelled very different values to those currently prevailing in the House of Blood. Also, the family member who has least-neglected Myr is Hatha, arguably the most well-disposed of her siblings.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"L'H\u00e9riti\u00e8re<\/a>In addition, the House of Blood is divided between hardliners & those with more open view.\u00a0So in terms of nature & nurture it is plausible for Myr to hold different values to her family & Blood hardliner.\u00a0In terms of her strength of character in sticking to her values despite considerable adversity, however,\u00a0her lineage is Blood, who unquestionably have strength, & the Rose, who are peacemakers \u2014\u00a0arguably a tough gig given the Derai\u2019s warlike propensities & sheer bloody-mindednes.\u00a0But Myr\u2019s heritage also includes the House of Stars–& I hope series\u2019 readers will agree that Stars are no pushover.<\/span><\/p>\n

So perhaps we should not be altogether surprised that, gentle soul or not, when push comes to shove, Myr is not prepared to call herself \u2018mat\u2019 or let the Derai world wipe its feet on her.”<\/span> \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

And that wraps up my three starting questions from the Haarth group. As above, I’ll be posting the follow-up questions here tomorrow. In both cases further comments are welcome.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Wall Of Night series Q&A went ahead on Twitter on (my) Saturday night and rolled for three hours, with plenty of follow-up questions and comments, which I hope means a good time was had by all. As promised, for those of you who are Twitter-averse or couldn’t make the #TheWallOfNight gig, I am posting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-about-my-books","category-about-what-im-doing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32558"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32558\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32574,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32558\/revisions\/32574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}