Brother versus Brother

This is the first time ANY part of my novel has been put on display. This happens while the twins are confined to the Immortal HQ in Ireland for 75 years. Someone needs anger management classes...

    The argument started out stupid enough.

            Thomas and William were discussing their plans for the free day; William wanted to stay inside, while Thomas wanted to venture to Dublin. The heated debate continued as they walked to the weapon room to do some training on their 

    “Why in the world do you want to go to Dublin?”

            Thomas shrugged. “I just want to get out of here.”

            William frowned. “Why? We’re safe in here, there are no humans to attack.”

            “God, it is the same argument every time!” Thomas groaned. “I want to test our progress, and you want to stay locked away from the world.”

            “It is safer.”

            “Will, forget safe, okay? I want to live.”

            William glanced up, his eyes narrowed. “I am living.”

            “No, you are sitting around here staring at the walls.” Thomas started heading toward the door. “I’m out of here.”

            “You cannot just leave.”

            Thomas laughed. “Of course I can, just watch; I will go to Dublin with Georg or Gustav.”

            “No.”

            “And just what are you going to do, stop me? Are you coming along?”

            William started flexing his fingers. “No.”

            “Fine, then I am leaving.”

            William growled, and Thomas glanced back. William’s eyes were very light brown. “You are not leaving me here by myself,” William said in a low voice.

            “Watch me.”

            William hissed, causing Thomas to turn completely around. William’s eyes had turned yellow, and he hissed fiercely at Thomas.

            “Wonderful,” Thomas muttered. Aloud, he said, “Will, snap out it.”

            William’s growl grew louder and claws appeared in the place of his fingers.

            “William!”

            William roared once, staring at Thomas but not seeing him. Thomas gave a deep sigh, and then pulled a lance from the wall. “If you won’t snap yourself out of it, then I will have to do it, brother.”

            William, sensing an attack coming, dropped to all fours and hissed loudly at his twin. Thomas closed his eyes briefly, fighting back a threatening tear. He never thought that their lack of self-control would lead to this, to brothers fighting each other.

            Thomas’s eyes snapped back open and William launched himself at him. Thomas held up the lance, blocking William. William grabbed the lance, trying to pull it from Thomas’s hands.

            Thomas focused on staying in his calm mode; going crazy at the same time as his brother would only lead to both of them getting seriously hurt or killed. Thomas jumped back, and William lunged at him again. Thomas dodged this attack, leaping over William and smacking him across the back with the lance. As William hit the ground, Thomas felt the searing pain of the blow swim across his own back as well. He frowned; it would be hard to subdue William if he himself was affected by every blow he dealt.

            William climbed back to his feet, his hair flaring around him. Thomas grimaced; his twin was pissed. William jumped at him again, this time catching Thomas off guard when he went around him and hit Thomas across his face. Thomas hit the ground about 15 feet away. He felt something warm ooze across his face; he was bleeding. Thomas raised his head enough to see William, who was furious that a similar gash had appeared on the side of his face as well.

            Thomas seized the moment. He jumped up and attacked, pinning his brother to the opposite wall, the lance held against William’s neck.

            “Stop this, Will!” Thomas cried. “Come out of it!”

            William gave a loud hiss, struggling against Thomas.

            Thomas gave another sigh; he knew what would take William out of the rage, but he hesitated to do it. It had worked on the two of them before; a sudden stab of pain from a serious injury. Of course, if he did this, he would suffer the exact same injury. Thomas narrowed his eyes. He had to, for sake of his twin brother.

            “Forgive me for this, Will,” Thomas said in a whisper. In one quick, fluid motion, Thomas dropped the lance, pulled out his dagger from his belt, and stabbed it into William’s arm. The dagger cut straight through, digging into the stone on the other side.

Yeah, I stopped there because I'm mean, lol. Let me know what you thought of it, and I'll finish the scene in the next blog (there's not much left).

The Search for the Twins: Character Building

I started thinking about a debate I have seen between writers: Should the characters or the plot be developed first?

My opinion: Characters make your plot, so they should come first. I'll admit, though, that for Forbidden Children, neither came first. The Immortal society itself was created first, back when I was about 15. I then started a 12 year hunt to find my characters. 

I went through at least 20 potential main characters, but encountered the same problem. Back then, I didn't know exactly what the problem was. Now I know that I was dropping cardboard cutouts into a plot and hoping for the best; the story wasn't their story, it was anybody's story. I eventually scrapped the whole original plot (which was much more predictable as far as horror novels go) and sat the story on the back burner. 

I knew I had found my main characters in 2008 when I could not picture them in any other story except this one. They gave me my plot. They did not neatly slide into a peg hole like my previous attempts did, but they clawed out their own. This is why William and Thomas are my favorite characters, and this is why their story needs to be told. 

I have also seen how crucial it is to know your characters inside out. You have to be able to answer any question about them. You have to get to the point where people think you're talking about someone real. For example:

What would William think about a typewriter? Answer: He'd laugh at it and go back to writing longhand. He thinks that typewriters and computers degrade his profession; he is a scribe.

What does Thomas think about love? Answer: It's a nice idea but ultimately a pipe dream.

This is a nice exercise for writers: can you answer nearly any question asked about your main characters? Do they have a favorite food, piece of clothing, childhood memory? The trivial facts have led me to some great plot points.

Next post: I am actually going to post a scene from the novel, and I am both excited and terrified.

The Soundtrack

Yes, this story has its own soundtrack in my iPod. I think a lot of writers do this; it gets me and keeps me in the mood to write. Here are some of my favorites and why, in no particular order:

1. "Madokara Mieru" by Corner Stone Cues. Hands down, my favorite piece on the playlist. It captures the mystical feel, the element of suspense, and the journey of the twins.

2. "Nara" by E.S. Posthumus. Most people know this as the theme song to "Cold Case." To me, it sums up the entire Immortal world and all of its dynamics.

3. "Fully Alive" by Flyleaf. A former teen client of mine introduced me to this group. I just love the music and the idea of the twins living "fully alive."

4. "Local God" by Everclear. I just picture the four main characters slumming it and getting into trouble in some random town in Germany, lol.

5. "Ein Wiener Walzer" by Adiemus. This is a waltz and goes directly to a scene in the story.

6. "Before The Worst" by The Script. First, I got to meet this band and they are great guys. Second, pretty much sums up Thomas' love life.

7. "By Your Side" by Tokio Hotel. Someone sharp-eyed probably saw this coming a mile away. All about the four best friends.

8. "Un Bolero Azul" by Adiemus. Germany just before and during World War II. At least, that's what I think when I here this haunting, march-like song.

9. "Beautiful" by Eminem. I know, I was surprised too. The chorus is amazing, though. If William and Thomas wrote a rap song, it would sound like this. 

10. "Main Title Music" by Marco Beltrami. This is from the "Angel Eyes" soundtrack. It is such a sad piece. I listened to it while writing a troubling death scene.

There are a bunch more, but these are the ones I listen to the most. There are 52 songs in all in the playlist, and they span the music spectrum. I'm not the only one who does this, right?

So...why call the blog Marked?

I know, this should have been the first blog entry, right? 

William and Thomas, as part of their punishment, are Marked. This is basically a painfully applied tattoo with the Immortal symbol for whatever Deadly Sin they committed. I won't say the sin here, but you can probably narrow it down. Anyway, this Mark tells all other Immortals that the twins have been VERY bad and should been treated as the complete psychopaths that they are. It is like the Scarlet Letter; everyone knows you seriously sinned, and everyone can avoid you if they wish.

Thankfully, it doesn't stay on forever. If the twins stay on the straight and narrow, and avoid killing anyone in a blind rage, then the Mark can be removed. For them, it has to stay on for most of the story, which equals a few centuries. Only the Elders can apply and remove the Mark. 

The Mark has meaning for the twins as well; it serves as a mark of shame and a reminder of the consequences of losing control. They convince themselves that, as long as they are Marked, they cannot go to Heaven if they die (there are only two ways to kill Immortals; cut their head off or disintegrate them). This Mark becomes a motivator for them, to do all they can to get it removed. 

The Elders

All societies have leaders, people who have absolute rule or simply the last word. For the Immortals, there are four leaders representing the Immortal clans. They are purposely a range of cultures, races, and viewpoints. They pass final judgement if needed and give final approval on laws. William and Thomas get to know most of them fairly well. I'll briefly introduce them.

Vladimir: this is the Dark One Elder, and he is by far the most visible of the Elders. He is the voice of the Dark Ones, hails from present day Russia, and is the oldest Elder. Vladimir is a character that has lasted through all 15 years of brainstorming, because he is classic, smooth, witty and wise. He becomes one of the twins' father figures.

Saynan: She is from modern day Japan, and is the ShadowWalker Elder (you won't hear much about the ShadowWalkers in this novel). She is also the only female Elder in history. While she puts on a cool exterior, Saynan is very passionate about issues of ethics and equality. She becomes something of a mother figure to the twins.

Claudis: He is a Moor, and the NightWolf Elder. It is often assumed that he is gruff and unyielding, and while he has his moments, he is loyal to what he believes in. Claudis likes to play devil's advocate in meetings and debates, but he does it to get others to think about their choices.

Romain: Hails from present day Spain. Romain is the leader of a widely scattered  and hunted clan, the Felians. He is gone from Great Hall often, off to track down his brethren. As a result, he is not in this story much. He appears to be a mix Claudis' no-nonsense attitude and Saynan's compassion.

Where the twins walk...

In the brainstorming days and months, I envisioned my twins seeing the world, traveling to foreign lands, and getting into misfit-like situations all along the way. Then I realized how that would ruin their entire story; their confinement and lack of control over their lives is part of their struggle. Their roaming is confined to about three different parts of the world for this story:

1. Germany: This just makes sense. It is their home, and no matter what happens, they always return back to where they began. They live in southeastern Germany and witness the country's growing pains, its highest and darkest moments. Through it all, they never stop calling themselves Germans. 

2. Ireland: This is where they serve out their time for their crimes, at Great Hall in Northern Ireland. The twins mature the most here; they make lifelong friends, learn to control their instincts, and strengthen their already tight bond. This is also the setting for some of the funnier moments of the story.

3. Washington DC: William and Thomas are assigned to a school in the United States' capital, much to their surprise. This transfer is the most important location change in the novel because it sets the stage for the climax of the story and also answers a few important questions concerning the twins' family.