Right from the start of this project four years ago, one of my main goals as a writer was to subvert expectations and create an inexplicably unfair situation for a character that had no choice but to do what was right or give up. I wanted a child to be faced with a very really situation, and explore what they might produce. In order to make this happen, a rather extreme plot had to be introduced. Over the years of developing this idea, I have realized just how hard it is to reach this goal in a believable way.

I’ve dedicated this week to be a reflection of all the hurdles I have had to overcome in order to get to the place I am today. Let’s explore just what that journey was and what it continues to be!

Hurdle Number One: The Protagonist

The first problem I saw with making an extreme plot was the main character. How many people could possibly handle the responsibility of saving the world? The real world answer is pretty much no one. Popular culture has created superheros, but those superheros are often portrayed as almost perfect human beings. Under extreme pressure, they do not snap. Even if a superhero can have similar personality traits to normal people, they never give up. They push through. Although initiatives are being taken to write characters that aren’t the cookie cutter, stereotypical good person who can do no wrong, they are few and far between. Tony Stark is one of the few well-known characters that comes to mind when thinking about someone trying to come to terms with their past actions giving him a solid motivation to save the world.

The main character of the Unintentional Calamity needed to have this world saving motivation at a young age. My initial solution was to give Chelsen the proper background. He would be raised as a woodcutter, clearing land and creating new life by planting trees. His father Mith would take this job seriously, as their lack of work would cause the village to freeze to death in the winter. Already in Chelsen’s life, there would be a built in consequence to him slacking in his work.

Obviously this backstory is not enough to create a believable character, but it was a start. I then created the calamity of a plague that would wipe out everyone he had known. This would give Chelsen the firsthand experience of understanding the devastation the plague could cause. He would then have a choice to help others avoid the same fate, or live in a world where he’s the sole survivor. Even death is not an option for Chelsen as he learns after falling off a cliff, that he may be (partially) immortal.

More progress needs to be made on this front, but at the very least, there is an awareness of the need for the need of a real character, not some fantasy superhero.

Hurdle Number Two: Irreparable Damage

A couple of weeks ago I started creating different creatures to live on Domhain. I soon realized that I would need to make two of each creature, as the plague would affect them as well. It then dawned on me that I set up this plague to kill all life, not just Umana. This means if the plague spreads too far, every creature would die not just by the plague, but a potential lack of resources in general.

Without a main plot explaining how Chelsen handles this impossible task of containing an air-born plague, I realized I needed more characters. Chelsen is not enough, no matter what magic I give him, to combat something so devastating.

Early concepts of the plot had involved a following of people who wanted to learn Chelsens magic to help out with the cause of saving the world. It was a disciple-like story with Chelsen being the savior. Even this idea seemed implausible as the world-saving effort would have to be much bigger.

The current plot I may use to handle the plague outbreak is to have Chelsen travel the continent training everyone he meets to use magic, where in the end the world must come together to stop the destruction.

Regardless of the final plot I decide to use, this technicality is important and best not overlooked.

Hurdle Number Three: Sequel Development

This whole project started out with inspiration from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them as mentioned in my first post. I wanted to create a world of magic that was deeply integrated into society well beyond what the Harry Potter world imagined. The whole point of the Unintentional Calamity is to set up that inspired world. Technically, this book is a prequel. As I move forward with plot development and world building, I find myself moving further away from that original inspiration. This story is much less about magic and more about exploring what a real reaction would entail when told to “save the world.”

Keeping a sequel in mind is hard when I don’t have the outline or foresight to know what that sequel will be. This will hopefully become more clear when I actually get to writing the first draft of the book.

In Conclusion to Technicalities

Writing a well grounded story is hard. Many well-known fantasy novels have been written without taking into account the rules of the universe it exists in. Harry Potter is a great example of a very inconsistent magic system and therefore illogical plot-line. (Why would Dumbledore give Harry a Deathly Hallow item when he was a child? Simply put, the Deathly Hallows didn’t exist in the first book.) With all this work I am trying to do before I write a first draft, I am hoping to avoid many of the common pitfalls countless writers have tripped into. Only time will tell if all this preparation was truly worth it.