Beyond The Twins: Back Story

I'm going to be honest; most of the back story for this novel was discovered by pure "what if" questions. It was not part of this elaborate plot line I had thought up, completely fleshed out, at midnight on some idle Tuesday. It is the "what if" moments, though, that can either take your story to new heights or sidetrack it straight to paperweight status.

For a novel like this, the biggest piece of back story was world history itself. When I realized that a huge piece of this takes place around World War II, I got a little scared. How in the world was I going to take such an influencing event and accurately portray it in about six chapters or less? Better yet, what aspect should I focus on? If you have really solid characters, they will answer this question for you. William and Thomas couldn't care less about Germany invading random countries, and while they find the Holocaust extremely upsetting and horrific, they are not trying to save all the ethnic groups in a daring rescue mission (which, oddly enough, they still get caught up in). They have two reasons for getting involved, and both reasons start out as being a bit self-serving.

The characters' backgrounds are another source of back story. In the last month or so, I have started asking myself a lot of questions about Elizabeth and how she fits into everything. Little things that I wrote about her that seemed insignificant then are now becoming glaring and mysterious questions. My advice to you is that if you see this happening, don't get upset or think you screwed up. Your characters are trying to tell you something, and you would be wise to listen.

The lack of character back story can be a story in itself as well. I haven't really developed any major biographical points for the two NightWolf Handlers, and for awhile that bothered me. I thought that maybe I hadn't fleshed them out enough, or maybe they weren't even needed. Then I looked at everything from their points of view and discovered something; this adventure with the twins is the most excitement Georg and Gustav have had ever. The NightWolves themselves think little of their lives beforehand because they were simply going through the motions. Basically, the G's were in the middle of a midlife crisis when the twins stumbled into the picture. That is never directly stated in the novel, but their sheer fascination with the twins indicates that this is a welcomed detour in their lives.

I say all of that to say: don't fear the back stories, the subplots, and the writing left turns (or even U-Turns). I got over my fear and plunged straight into my fourth draft of this novel, and so far I have loved every second of it.

Interview With A Dark One

I wrote this months ago, just because I felt like it. It is basically a character exercise. It has little to do with the novel, but I decided to post it because it gives you a peek at what the twins could become. It is an imaginary interview between the twins and a college professor who knows what they really are.

William is, by his own admittance, a chameleon of sorts.

Standing in the doorway to my office, there are a lot of things I cannot immediately tell about this 6’3 newcomer. For one, I am having a hard time believing that he is male.

“Please tell me I don’t have to drop my pants to prove this,” he laughs in a rolling German accent. “I can’t tell you how often I get that.”

It was my understanding, I say, that his type is well known for beauty.

William looks skyward for a moment, pondering this rumor. “I have seen some ugly Dark Ones, though,” he finally says with a grin.

With that, he heads over to my box of cigars, picking up and examining one with slender, bony fingers. Of course, these fingers are accented with perfectly manicured nails. “I would, but…maybe not a good idea.” He places it back in the box.

I am curious to ask him about countless things, mostly history-related questions. I want to know about the plague that nearly killed him and his brother many years ago, the years training to learn self-control, and William’s personal quest to find a soul mate.

“It has gotten very depressing,” William laments. “I have been single for a few years now, and while that does not sound like much, one has to remember that before that, I did not know love at all. Now that I know it, now that I have felt it, I want it all the time."

Thomas

Thomas, perhaps going through a midlife crisis at 418 years of age, dresses like he is 18.

He is quite different in appearance from his brother, choosing a more urban-influenced appearance.

“I like this better,” he explains of his attire, examining the same cigar his twin had found just a half-hour earlier. “I am not as constricted, and I blend in a little easier.”

And what of his brother’s fashion sense?

Thomas waves a hand. “Oh, I haven’t the foggiest clue where he gets that from. I tease him about his outfits every chance I get.”

Normally, Thomas’ style of speech is as urban as his clothes. He acquires American and German hip hop slang almost systematically, doing a sweeping review of the culture every few months to see if some new trend escaped his eye. Unlike William, Thomas is determined to assimilate into some culture within normal society. Beyond this and away from human eyes, a much older and mature Thomas emerges. His speech shifts to more Old World cadences and vocabulary, a sight that is a bit unsettling if one is not prepared for it.

“I wouldn’t go as far as to say that we are playing two different people,” Thomas responds when asked if he and his brother are playing roles for society’s sake. “What you are seeing, what humans are seeing, is no different than what any other Immortal presents. I present hip-hop because I am naturally curious and fascinated by that culture. It is more than simply poetry set to music, it is in fact a movement. Mind you, I enjoy other music as well, but it's this culture that interests me.”

Thomas could easily discuss music for hours on end, telling about some of the composers he has met (Mozart is amongst them -“an insane genius if I ever saw one”), the first time he picked up an instrument (“a guitar-like instrument at age seven”), and his attempts to sing (“I sound quite horrible”).

Then there are his countless female conquests. Thomas says that he stopped counting long ago, but reveals slyly, “I would say close to 1,000. I have slowed down considerably in recent years, though. I think that can be attributed to my ability to control my more primal urges better. Sex was a need for most of my life; now it is a want, and wants can be postponed or terminated.”

I ask him if he was indicating a desire to become chaste for a time, and Thomas gives me a strangely pensive look. “I suppose so. I am a bit tried of it all, to be honest with you. I believe that I want to look for a lifemate now…not quite sure if anyone would want me, though.”

There are also the unshaken whispers of the twins being bisexual, and that a few males may be part of Thomas’ extended sexual history. Thomas smirks at this. “My lifemate will be a female. End of story. They are the most beautiful creatures on Earth.”

I then ask why he wasn’t sure if anyone would want him.

He shrugs. “I am a Forbidden Child, nothing will ever change that. It is like being branded as a leper; everyone avoids you. My brother and I do not have some kind of disease, but we might as well have one. We have very few friends, I can count them on one hand, and Immortal females tend to avoid us. Perhaps that is why we dress and act the way we do. We were branded as rebels, outcasts, so we behave as such."