#mindoftheirown

Ah, the serene scene of tree tops glistening! 🌲🌟 But let's be real, children listening? 🙉 They're probably off exploring, causing chaos, or just lost in their own little world. Tree Tops Glisten and Children Listen to nothing children literally don't listen to anything

As someone who has always had a vivid imagination, it is always hard to explain the writing process to others. I was having a conversation with someone today (Hello Julie!) who commented that I talk about my characters as if they are from a movie I have watched. This is in fact the closest way for me to describe what is going on inside my head. If I am silent, which does not happen that often, I am most likely ‘watching’ and listening to my characters play out scenes in my head.

Once a character is created, they take on their own personality, no matter how much you can plan and decide for them, they most often than not make decisions for themselves. For example, the queen from my story is not set in stone. When I sat down to write The Rose of Eralit she was originally of a pleasant nature who would welcome Arabella into the family. As I began to write it was very clear that was never going to happen. While she has always made her feelings for Arabella clear to me how she treats Basilieos changes regularly and we are currently having it out, until one of us wins.

There is one character that completely threw me a curve ball and in doing so has become a firm favourite of mine. Sabastian (Bash) Whittle is the Royal Advisor and takes his role very seriously, he is mid-to-late fifties and has the appearance and mannerisms of a well to do gentleman. He was a secondary character and while he still is, he has grown in my affections and is slowly working his way up the character ranking. Until I sat down and began writing the following I believed Bash was so devoted to his work that he was a single man, he had other ideas and made sure he put me straight. It also appears that all the other characters in the story were aware of this. Talk about leave me in the dark!

“Hmm, I am sure she was very grateful Sir.”

“I am not going to be able to sleep for a week.”

“Then may I suggest you go and visit the Queen, who knows maybe an heir will come of it.” Sabastian began sorting through the papers he had brought the King. “Now if you could just-”

"How about you see to the Queen tonight and I turn a blind eye?"

"While I appreciate the Queen is extremely beautiful, she is alas a female Sir."

"Yes, that does pose quite a problem. I guess it would not go down well with your husband either."

PILOTJONES5'