Greetings everyone!
This is M.M Scott!
1) What am I working on?
My sister Victoria Mummert and I are currently working on a novel series that I had started in 1996. She began her own series a few years after that, and has tied her series to mine.
The story began as a project for a writing class in high school. At that time I was limited to three main characters. The three were Miral with water magic, Sara Phoenix with fire magic and Eva with Wind magic. The evil Queen Irana Delphi had also made an appearance. I didn’t get to finish my project because I became ill with chronic fatigue syndrome for six months.
Once I felt better I went on to college where I continued to write the story in my free time. As I worked on it more characters became involved. The most important creation was the birth of an anthropomorphic velociraptor named Justin.
In the first edition of the story, which had no title, Justin was the captain of Queen Irana’s royal guard. His mission was to find the three elemental girls and bring them to the queen. Once he found them though he betrayed his queen, and protected them instead. This is when everything changed for the series and I will explain this in detail in the writing process question below.
I was made aware of an important symbol that you see at the top of the blog. The Silver Dolphins, which is the novels name sake. Since Silver Dolphins, and The Silver Dolphins are already copyrighted and trademarked names for books, my co-author and I decided to go with The Silver Dolphins Saga.
After the birth of one very insane character of mine, my sister and I had tied two of her characters to my world.
For some reason I stopped working on the Silver Dolphins for a few years. I had fibromyalgia, which had ended my college career before I finished. I met my current husband, lost my dearest best friend, may you rest in peace, and somewhere among all that and getting sicker I just stopped. My sister had thought that nothing would ever come of it and stopped as well.
I eventually discovered that the source of all my misery was gluten/wheat and various other poor diet choices and was put on the paleo diet. I found the strength and passion in my newfound health and vitality to reinvestigate the Silver Dolphins.
My sister merged her world with mine and new characters that were never a part of my story world entered the scene. The results were unbelievable!
The story changed a lot from the original concept. A few facts remain from the second incarnation, a few events were reused, but in the long run the story for book one is 90% new content.
I began to write the story as a script for a comic. In writing this script I realized that there is so much emotion and power in thoughts, and a comic could not portray it all properly. September 2013, I decided I would try my hand at writing a novel format first.
The original story had a very weak background, and I knew I needed something to add more of a world impact in the background. I searched my brain and questioned my muses, and then I got the answer. The plot is the same with some minor additions to reflect this new background issue, which is racism.
Book one “Of Life and Love” has been through an alpha read and received high praises. I am excited, and I am working to correct a few narrative voice issues. Once that is done book one will be ready for beta reading.
Currently book 2 is being written as thoughts come about, and is known as “A World Corrupted.” Book three through six has plots in place and have been outlined roughly. The main story plot that begins with one is set and the end is in place, we just have to get them there!
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
There are a few reasons why The Silver Dolphins will stand out as a unique fantasy story. Many of these reasons are deeply imbedded in the complex plot and cannot be disclosed without spoiling the discovery. One of my characters also has a unique gift that I will not disclose for the sake of preserving originality. So what can I disclose?
I have a diverse mix of anthropomorphic characters and humans. Unlike other anthro novels I have Dinosaurs!
Book one is set in a stylized medieval era. What I mean by that is the manner in which people act is not a mirror of other medieval era stories, but the other life factors are; kings, castles, villages, no power, no technology and the beginnings of medical innovation and science.
Arisdale is a democracy with a King as its leader.
A fellow deviant artist also told me that my anthro races, which are known as Elder Races, are the first of few novels to dominate humans and not the other way around. The racism aspect on the novel is the slavery of humans by anthropomorphs. Humans gain freedom, but are still treated with hatred at the novels beginning.
The Silver Dolphins Saga has a fairly unique magic system. I have not seen or read of a magic system quite like what exists in TSDS. It has elements that are similar to others. These elements are crystals for casting focus, although TSDS takes this a few steps further then it being that simple. Also one cannot cast magic carelessly. The world can be permanently altered by magic use, and there is a heavy price to pay to your life if you wish to over cast past your limits.
There are eight elements and each element is represented by a color. Water is blue, holy is aqua, earth is green, nature is yellow, fire is red, lightning is orange, wind is purple, and ice is a light sky blue. There is only ever one of each elemental user at a time. So for example, King Justin Arisdale is the elemental of earth, he is the only person on the entire planet that can use earth magic besides the god of earth. If an elemental user dies a new person already living is granted the power, it awakens within them.
I would love to go into this more but it will have to wait for the big magic system unveiling coming soon! It may even be better to just let you read about it since there is half a chapter devoted to magic, as well as sporadically through out the book. It is far to complex to get into now anyway! Let me know what you prefer in the comments!
There are other classes of magic that are used. Small illusion magic is used as parlor tricks, some people are blessed with minor healing capabilities, but that is all. Magic is considered to be a blessing from the goddess of light, and revered as a rare and special gift of unknown purpose. Humans do not possess the ability to use magic, well, all but one human named Miral Akemi.
Gods in the world of TSDS are also unique from other Gods. Magic amongst gods is far more diverse then the people can ever use.
I really can’t get into this at all, the novel will tell you all you need to know about gods, and demi gods.
The Silver Dolphins are by far the most unique aspect of the novel series. The other four concepts that I can’t disclose are as well! I can’t say I have seen any these before in any story. If after reading TSDS if you find similarities I didn’t know about please share!
3) Why do I write what I do?
When I first wrote The Silver Dolphins it was good but not worth being more than a fun thing to share. That changed and now the purpose to share it is deep and profound. TSDS is jam packed with moral stories, emotions and life lessons. I hope to teach the world valuable lessons through this novel.
To change the life of one is the greatest reward for me. Change starts with one, and then cascades through time as it is spread.
I do this on deviant art regularly and have been thanked for taking time to show kindness, and lend a helping hand through words, and I have stopped a few young people from wanting to commit suicide. They are suffering the way I once did. Bullies. Mean and insensitive people who don’t think about anyone but himself or herself. I have already lived that, and I will not stand by and watch teen after teen write a journal about it and not try to help them.
All are equal; people are the ones who place these “labels” on others.
Take the main character Miral Akemi. She has only her father, no friends, and no other family. She will be a person that people will identify with.
I am this person who is picked on for being different. I am this person who feels alone. Will things change for her?
King Justin, the other main character, acts as the voice of wisdom. He has a lot of valuable lessons to teach, and I have no doubt that I will see his words quoted all around the world one day. He already is making a huge impact on the lives of people on deviant art.
These are some of the life issues that TSDS covers through its natural progression. They were not forced to make a point it is all part of the journey the characters lives took.
I hope that it can make an impact on the lives of others. As long as I can bring hope to someone’s life, show him or her that holding onto the lights in their life no matter how few or how dark the world around them appears, is the way to be, and then change their world in a positive light. Then I will be happy and I will have begun to repay God for his gifts to me.
Life is beautiful when you stop to see it for what it really is. As quoted from the novel: “Live your life to the fullest for the sake of love. The light of love in life is the greatest power you have.”
4) How does my writing process work?
This is an intriguing question and the answer may cause people to jump to conclusions about us. By us I mean my sister and I. As I said earlier we are a judgmental species. Be sure to read with an open mind.
Our writing process is remarkably the same for every author or story creator, this includes game players who role-play a character of their design. However the experience that several others and we have is something that not just anyone can pick up and master overnight.
If you are blessed by this experience embrace it. Don’t judge, no one who has this experience is odd or mentally disturbed. It is an experience shared by creative minds across the world! Minds such as the author of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, and the great mind of J.R.R. Tolken. So why stifle creativity?
If you wish to know more about what I’m going to discuss please read this article on the Illusion of Independent Agency: Do Adult Fiction Writers Experience Their Characters as Having Minds of Their Own?
The answer is a resounding yes, and I have met many other authors and creative individuals who have experienced this. J.K Rowling was interviewed in this article as well. Did you know that Harry Potter was supposed to be Harriet Potter? Rowling said that the character refused to be a girl, and as such became Harry Potter.
I have a quote taken from the journal of a deviant art friend named MelianoftheMists. “In the forward to her graphic novel The Lives Behind the Lines, Lynn Johnston wrote "...instead of looking for or making up characters....they come to you. They enter your life -- at your invitation. They move into your home and into your head. They talk and can be heard in conversation --with you, with each other. They feel, and their feelings can be felt by you, or kept from you. They are sometimes frighteningly independent of the very mind that is believed to have created them. They allow you to be a part of their world insomuch as you have asked them to be a part of yours."
King Justin Arisdale is the chief director of my story writing process. He has been telling me how it’s supposed to be long before I realized that he was independent of me.
When Justin decided to betray the queen that is when he confessed his reasons why, and I would tell you his confession but that will ruin the story! Needless to say I was surprised by his stubborn refusal to carry on the original story. I am a king, this is my kingdom, these are my parents, these are the people in my life, Agar is not just my best friend he is my brother and on it went. Everything that I had created before was scrapped and rewritten by his directive.
When I role-play Justin in conversations with people on deviant art or in the elder scrolls online, they honestly think that I am a man, and that I have portrayed him so well that it’s believable. This makes me laugh because I am not portraying him at all; I’m simply typing what I hear him say. I know his voice and his accent distinctly from every other character. I know of several other authors’ who experience this as well.
When people have come to me wishing to role play a relationship with Justin and their lady character I have to tell them no. He won’t have it. I can’t make him do anything that is not in his morals. If I do it behind his back to make people happy, he will stop talking to me. I take the king’s threats seriously guys! I can’t have the mascot of TSDS not speaking to me!
So how do I write like this? It’s a lot like meditation, and if you don’t know how to, go learn it! King Justin’s orders! He loves to meditate. Another factor is that everything you wish to be present in the story must be created or it wont exist. This is an interesting concept but the same event happened with the merging of my sister’s characters to the world. They were never a factor. By placing them there and seeing them there, they were now a part of the world and the story path altered around them. There is one character I have that I can’t connect with, meaning I don’t see his interactions or hear him. I was told the reason for this is because I haven’t fully visualized him yet; his creation is incomplete which is why he is missing. This goes for every thing even buildings or mountains. Build your world fully before you write, or rewrite it as things change.
Mindfulness is a learned gift, and blessing. It is discussed in the novel as well. I fall into this state of day dreaming when I write. I silently observe what is being shown and spoken to me by the characters. I literally sit down and say ok guys, here is the plot this is where it begins this is where it ends, this is the scene, these are your props, and action! It is like watching an impromptu!
My sister and I and another deviant on deviant art call this process channeling. Channeling is exhausting and you often can’t achieve full scene and emotional capture in one channeling session. If you go at it for hours you will only get the surface events, and what was written will read like a script and be almost emotionless.
After I get all the surface events down I go back and relive each scene over and over until I feel I got it right. Sometimes it takes up to a month to find something missing from a scene. Much like our thoughts, my characters are trying to recall what their thoughts were at the time. The worst part is these realizations can come anytime a day and my characters will just blurt it out. My white tiger, Prince Agar is funny, he will hop up and down waving his hand franticly while talking. I have to run to find a pen and paper so I don’t forget what they just said. Trust me you think you wont but you will, then you have to ask them to recall it for you.
Doing this has revealed massive, what I like to call, logic holes. I would love to explain the biggest logic hole I had but it is too much of a spoiler. I can summarize it to this: I needed some characters to be trapped. They kept telling me: nope I can get out. Ok what if this is a factor? No I can still get out, and it went on until we figured out how to keep them trapped in a way that makes sense. A new item was created that never existed in the world before and it shows up several times through out the book. Oh it is great! Logic hole filled! *cue final fantasy victory music*
I think logic holes are the dread of writing next to writer’s block. The one almost brought a very vital scene to its knees!
You can have the most amazing scene and you think it’s great until someone else reads it and says…that makes no sense, logically that wouldn’t be able to happen that way. While logic in a fantasy world is different, even fantasy logic should make some sense.
I have written several drafts, I am up to seven, and it’s more like ten, I didn’t save what I changed as separate files in the beginning. It is advised to write new drafts when making changes. After an alpha read by a good friend who reads a lot, the girl is amazing, I am preparing the book for beta reading and then I will send the book to my fantasy editor.
I hope this helps others with writing. To me realizing what I had been experiencing was a real thing that others do too, and that my characters don’t need me to live, made my writing change and blossom. Where the story is going now due to all this has brought my sister and I to tears with its beauty. We hope that you all think so too!
All our characters thank you for your interest in their lives. Feel free to ask them, or us questions here or on Deviant art. We all love to hear from you!
Links to more sites can be found to the right!
Now I Tag…
I am also tagging the amazing, and kindhearted Deviant artist Theartisticpony. She is a young intelligent author of a YA series that is in the process of being written and is known as “The Everwhite Angel”. I have no doubt this series will make for an excellent read one day. Check out her characters on her site at deviant art: http://theartisticpony.deviantart.com/
