Brey Willows

Card 18, Writing Down the Bones: You might want to try fiction?

Well, yes…I suppose I might do. The rest of this question was to think of a character and write about them. But honestly, I’m in the midst of a (fiction) book and already have quite the crowd in my head, yammering for attention and their turn in the spotlight. I simply can’t add another guest.

So instead, I’ll tell you about a character I enjoyed writing. How’s that?

Alex Minty is a pirate with a reputation for ruthlessness. And boy, does she have secrets. I enjoyed finding out what those secrets were as we went along together and she revealed them to me, one by one. She’s a bad ass who can wield a sword and an airgun, who drops from her pirate ship onto the ships she’s raiding with flare and determination. When I figured out what made her turn to pirating, I understood her so much better.

And getting to see her in action as she took control of her past? That felt so therapeutic. I loved how complicated she was on a deep level–she wasn’t about to take any crap off anyone, and yet the child inside her was badly damaged and needed love. Being able to heal that child, almost literally, by using ancient mythological methods, was even cooler. I had to ask what healing meant; what did she need to accept wasn’t her fault, and what did she need to take responsibility for?

I become attached to all my characters to some degree, and I think Alex is one who will stay with me for a long time.

If you want to meet Alex yourself, she can be in your hot little hand on Sat, Feb 1st. You can even pre-order now so you grab her the moment she’s in the air.