Happy Tuesday, everyone! I hope your week is going well. Mine is! :)
I've been asked a few times why I write The Amüli Chronicles, and more specifically, why I work with characters that I've written about before. The truth is, I don't always choose. In some cases, the characters make it clear that they have more of a story to tell. Such was the case for Frendyl Krune, who made his first appearance in The Soulbound Curse. Out of the numerous characters named within that book, he was the first and firmest to state that he needed his own story to be told.
From the Frendyl Krune series emerged more characters, who in turn desired their own works. Thus, Axis of the Soul came into being, which will explore Kel's life after the events of the Frendyl Krune series.
Now, I suppose the biggest reason I continue to work with characters readers see in various stories is to maintain consistency within the world. I'm a firm believer that interesting characters will always draw out their own tale, whether or not I'm the one to write it. Still, if the characters and plots are interesting enough, one series eventually leads to another, which in turn leads to another, and another, and so on.
There are so many stories within the amüli world that I couldn't possibly write them all, even if I had a lifetime to do so. I find myself thinking about a farmer or a miller or a miner from time-to-time, wondering if there's a story there. What's that character's struggle? Why is it important? How can I transform a labor-intensive task into a powerful obstacle? These are the questions I ask when a character comes to me with a story. I want to know who the character is, of course, but I also want to ensure that there's some connection between one character's tale and the grand theme that needs to be played off of in the greater Amüli Chronicles as a whole.
Some day, I will likely return to the stories of those who aren't mentioned by name in any of the series I'm currently writing. For now, I'm content working on character that are already established. This creates roots for readers to grip onto. I also must note that I can't begin to say how many series I've enjoyed where one set of characters is thoroughly explored only to be replaced by other characters that I have no connection to. Such a drastic change rips me out of the larger arc of the world, and often times, if I can't find a connection, I don't return to that series. This happens not only with books, but with television series and movies. If a creator spends a massive amount of time developing a set of characters, I as part of the audience, want more of those characters. I don't want a rehash of the original (Legend of Korra) or something entirely new; I want to continue the tale that was told before. Perhaps from a different perspective, but one that I can connect with.
This is why I link together every story and every character in The Amüli Chronicles. It might take a long time to get everything the way I want it, but until then, there are plenty of characters and tales to explore.
How do you link together your world? Do you do so one book at a time or with entire series? If you do write all of your work in the same world, why? What about that setting is so powerful to you? Let me know in the comments!
I've been doing this with some of the short stories I've been writing, that'll eventually be combined into a book. The world centers around the idea that everyone has a soulmate that they travel through their lives with, and that souls are tangible objects to be bargained with. Agents and representatives ensure that rules are followed (and loopholes exploited). Some of the characters appear in multiple stories, much in the same way that Flagg is a reoccurring character for Stephen King. I like writing like this because it gives me a lot of flexibility within the world to explore different characters and situations.
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