Sunday 4 June 2017

Ignoring the draft. Retaining the concept.

First, I typed a one sentence idea for each chapter. It was exhilarating! I was delighted with the story line, the adventure, the very concept of a fantasy where the line between good and evil choices becomes increasingly blurred, a series called Daoine Maithe (that’s Gaelic for The Good People) where it becomes questionable who the good people really are, regardless of titles.

I went back to the start, and for each one-line “chapter”, I expanded the text until it encompassed every idea I wanted to include in that particular chapter.

Once I had this draft, I began writing The Guardians, Daoine Maithe Book 1.

From that moment on, I entirely ignored my draft. The story rushed from my head and raced across the pages. From the very first paragraphs, I deviated so far from my draft there was no point glancing back. The story itself flew forward at such a pace and in such unexpected directions that my fingers were flat out keeping up. And the finished result, though a world away from my original draft, was even more than the spectacular adventure I hoped it would be.

What did I retain from my original plan? The concept. As the series progressed through Books 1, 2 and 3, the characters only increased in fascination and desirability.

Get Dan O'Sullivan's Trilogy on Amazon

Book 1 - The Fallen
Book 2 - The Guardians
Book 3 - Child of a Guardian and of the Free


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