October Novel Prep Challenge

So, as I mentioned before, I'm Prepping something I do not plan on writing for NaNo this year (or ever, probably--I learned my lesson as to what projects work for NaNo). It's big, with multiple story arcs converging throughout the narrative, and different characters telling things from their POV.

For the first half, there's the psychopomp, the ghost, the warrior and his pet myth (the demi-god Cuchulain follows him around), the blind guy who sees souls, and the healer-who-hides-her-gift (and pretty much everything else except her attitude). There's also a Priest of God whose fears overcome him and bring him a tragic end. And a Satan corollary, playing a bit of a Trickster role for the purposes of this story. I have not decided if there's a POV for a member of the Burnt Men, who are the bad guys (of the human variety). I think I might need one, but will that clutter the POV chapters? Hmm...

Anyway, all of these guys continue to part two expect for the ghost, who moves on, and the Priest, who becomes a ghost like him. Satan is no longer corporeal, as well. But we add a Tiberian general and his wife, with the latter trying to convince her husband to abandon the imperium and help the Westerners. Oh, yes...the wife also appears at some point during the earlier story. Just to introduce her and upper-class Tiberian society, and at least meet her husband. It'll happen at the end and probably only once or twice.

I suppose I could let the ghost be a POV character for the first half and then bump the warrior up to POV for the second. The second half is really when the warrior comes into his own, because he has to lead the westerners against the Tiberians and the Burnt Men. Philo (the blind guy who sees souls) is definitely needed in the first half, and I want to keep him in the second to keep more Eastern perspectives. The general never becomes a POV, but once he joins the Westerners, I don't really need his wife anymore...but I hate characters that are just there to bring in another one. But I need her because I need her perspective as a woman. I suppose once he leaves, she could form a sort of woman's league type thing to stand against the Burnt Men and their minions...

Getting away from the point here. I suppose the closest I have to a "main" character is Moira, the psychopomp. She's completely necessary to bring the ghost into things in the first half (and that ghost is the only way of bringing God back to life, so he's sort of important), and in fighting back against the Tiberians in the second half. And her emotional story arcs over the whole story, 'cause she starts out alienated and feared, and this causes her to feel as though she deserves such treatment. She literally has no one in her life who loves her and appreciates her, and her abilities as a psychopomp confuse her small-town and so they think she's a banshee living among them. Her arc is one of no longer thinking of herself as a monster, even as she has to use her gifts in ways that are probably more monstrous (they grow to be able to pull a soul out of a living, healthy person), and finding love and acceptance. But every other character is also SO important to the story, and I have major love for Philo, especially. (I have a fondness for well-meaning leches and trickster types.)

And Aoife probably doesn't need a POV character, either. The healer. Maybe it'd be easier to keep her mysterious if she doesn't have to have her own chapters. The Priest in the first part is there so the Satan corollary can reveal his plans at the appropriate moment. But also to show the push and pull of what it's like to be a member of a religious order having qualms about what is happening and fighting against it, but ultimately failing because of fear (he initially supports the Westerners, but betrays them because their story of Satan being the Emperor and murdering God goes so far against what he has always been taught to believe that his own indoctrination overwhelms him).

So I suppose POV chapters are psychopomp, blind guy, ghost and then warrior, the priest, the Tiberian gentlewoman...I suppose I need at least one Burnt Man, too. Maybe the leader.

Of course, now I run into the problem of needing more women and more POC. The people from the West are white because, well, how many black Celtcs were there? Lots of redheads and blondes. The Easterners are basically Romans, so Mediterranean. I'm thinking the Tiberian upper-class lady could be a WOC if her family were powerful in Egypt and the Priest can certainly be a POC. Philo is olive-skinned, as is Agrippa (the ghost). But I don't want the only black person to be the Priest who betrays them or the leader of the Burnt Men. Women will come in as warriors and part of Caecilia's group (the Roman general's wife--he is also probably olive-skinned). Oh to have representative historical-fantasy.

I feel like this duology is about to become a tetralogy...

And I've written an essay. But at least I figured out who my main character was, eh?
-Quaddy

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