The Best Laid Plans…
So why didn’t “Bequeath” wrap up the Lady’s hijinks in Rwahle, as I confidently but mistakenly stated, back when it first started?
You see, the way I had originally plotted out the issue, Rona and crew were supposed to head straight back to Senserealm. The Lady was supposed to head straight to Belahm’s lair and have that final confrontation with the Huntress that we’ve all been waiting for. End of story. End of arc.
But characters don’t always do what they’re supposed to. Sometimes, they take on a life of their own. That’s when a story more or less writes (rights?) itself. Knowing Rona, Perse, Zai, et al as I have gotten to (I did create them after all), and the way things had developed, there was simply no way they would meekly give up and head home. Likewise, the Lady just didn’t seem to me (and I’d like to think I know her pretty well too) like the type of heroine who would go charging into enemy territory without sufficient reason or motivation.
So, there you go. “Imprisoned Lightning” brings us the belated conclusion to the Rwahle arc, and I intend to make it worth the wait (and buildup). Maybe I could have gotten to this point a bit quicker, but Twilight Lady has never been about just getting to the action, has it? I suspect if you were looking for a comic that just cuts to the chase (or the shootout, or swordfight, or explosion, or fistfight) all the time, you would have looked elsewhere long ago.
No, this comic has always been about characters who live and breathe (at least to me). And sometimes write themselves. Who don’t always follow the plan laid out for them by their creator. And that’s okay… right?
Keep doing your great stuff man, we just love the way you make things happen.
Woudn’t make sense to me if the Lady just entered Belahm’s lair like the average hero…
Congratulations on your great job bringing this characters to life!
I’d gotten the impression that the Lady would have gone in a long time ago if it had been anyone but Belahm; the fact that she’s been resisting it so much (and the word does seem appropriate) says things to me about her personality. (As you can probably tell by looking at my comments.) So now I have to wonder, am I reading too much into this?
And yes, as he said, congratulations on bringing your characters to life. The reason I like this comic, at least, is because of how deep it is, what it seems to say. Its reflective moments are far more delightful and intriguing, in my opinion, than any action sequence could be.
What you say here makes me wonder, though. Are you one of those authors whose characters talk to them? And if so, what do they have to say?
Thanks, guys.
“Are you one of those authors whose characters talk to them?”
If you mean literally, no. Out of curiosity, do you know any examples of authors who experience such phenomenon?
While I don’t have the time to sit and think about life, the universe and the Twilight Lady, I’m still enjoying your story! You cannot know how many times I’ve started a comment, then got seriously distracted and ended up trashing the comment:-(
I’m still lurking around 😉
I don’t know if I mean literally… probably not. I just know that for some authors their characters take on their own identities and personalities in the authors’ minds, and seem to have a dialog with them. I’ve heard of authors who, when they hit a creative slump, would say “My characters aren’t talking to me.” I can’t remember who that quote was attributed to, but I think it may have been Agatha Christie.
Blake, I totally understand what you mean about getting to know the characters – they develop while you’re writing, and you realise hey, for her to do this would be inconsistent with her character. And oh, yes, the characters do talk to you – authors are just mediums, through whom the characters write their own stories. The creative slumps happen when the connection isn’t solid and clear 🙂
The idea of actually having conversations with these characters seems weird to me. It would take me out of their story, like when characters in a play or whatever start talking to the audience in that breaking-down-the-4th-wall kind of way. I want to be so engrossed in their situation and believe it to be real that the last thing I’d want to do is put myself in there with them. Don’t know if that makes sense…
So rather than talking to these characters, I prefer to listen in on their conversations. Like a fly on the wall. In a kind of voyeuristic way… hehe.
When read the blog entry, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking of an old radio comedy called Romantic Friction.
Listening in is probably better for your sanity.