My Inspiration For Warrior Girl
When I was writing Warrior Girl by SFX Fantasy, I went back to my secondary school days, drawing on my memories of my Secondary 3 and Secondary 4 classmates in an all girls school.
Sarah was based on 3 girls I knew then, the main inspiration was around 15 to 16 years old at that time, a plain jane who became a prom queen, a tomboy who was quite a romantic and who is now a lawyer who'd sue me out of my home if she knew I based a character partly on her. To be safe, Sarah was also based on two other girls, one 16 to 17 years old and another 13 to 14 years old, all of whom were tomboys. Maybe that's why at times, Sarah seemed a little Schizo.
As I wrote the book I recalled the old conversations going on around me. All that boy craziness. The sighs throughout the room whenever certain names were mentioned. Mondays were when the girls would chatter excitedly about their weekend dates and when some girls might waltz starry eyed into the room.
When word got out that George Michael was gay, one girl was practically inconsolable and no, Jake is not in any way based on George Michael *shudder*
Jake embodies the old world strength and charm as well as gorgeousness and physical perfection that might make the entire class of 15 to 16 year old girls of that time, swoon. His personality and looks were inspired by snatches of conversation from lovesick girls in the class, the way they described the guys they fancy and the dream guys they had yet to meet.
Those were the days. My pals and I would sit on the window ledge between lessons and yak about our futures. We had big dreams back then.
Story-wise, the bulk of the book was based on vivid dreams. I was burnt out at that time and had nightmares as well as strange dreams that I wove into the book. The first draft of the book was like a patchwork quilt, with each dream written into a scene. My dreams are in full color but while the emotions I felt in those dreams left strong impressions, I recalled nothing of the conversations.
Most of the scenes were played out silently, so I had to figure out the dialogue, which I must admit, leaves much to be desired. Still, those 3 books are my first attempts at fiction.
I have drafts of 3 more books, with Jake and Sarah as secondary characters and a romance between a rather kooky lead female character and an unconventional hero for the next 3 books. Nothing is set in stone right now and the next trilogy seems more comedic than romantic. That is on the to do list for the next few years.
Meanwhile, my kids have been bugging me to write the next book for Tween Tales. They loved the first one and are waiting to read what happens next to Kay, Hank and the gang.
Wish I had more time. I've got a day job as I've got to eat you know. Books are my passion but hey, I can't even make a profit on book sales, but over time, I hope to get the other books out
Sarah was based on 3 girls I knew then, the main inspiration was around 15 to 16 years old at that time, a plain jane who became a prom queen, a tomboy who was quite a romantic and who is now a lawyer who'd sue me out of my home if she knew I based a character partly on her. To be safe, Sarah was also based on two other girls, one 16 to 17 years old and another 13 to 14 years old, all of whom were tomboys. Maybe that's why at times, Sarah seemed a little Schizo.
As I wrote the book I recalled the old conversations going on around me. All that boy craziness. The sighs throughout the room whenever certain names were mentioned. Mondays were when the girls would chatter excitedly about their weekend dates and when some girls might waltz starry eyed into the room.
When word got out that George Michael was gay, one girl was practically inconsolable and no, Jake is not in any way based on George Michael *shudder*
Jake embodies the old world strength and charm as well as gorgeousness and physical perfection that might make the entire class of 15 to 16 year old girls of that time, swoon. His personality and looks were inspired by snatches of conversation from lovesick girls in the class, the way they described the guys they fancy and the dream guys they had yet to meet.
Those were the days. My pals and I would sit on the window ledge between lessons and yak about our futures. We had big dreams back then.
Story-wise, the bulk of the book was based on vivid dreams. I was burnt out at that time and had nightmares as well as strange dreams that I wove into the book. The first draft of the book was like a patchwork quilt, with each dream written into a scene. My dreams are in full color but while the emotions I felt in those dreams left strong impressions, I recalled nothing of the conversations.
Most of the scenes were played out silently, so I had to figure out the dialogue, which I must admit, leaves much to be desired. Still, those 3 books are my first attempts at fiction.
I have drafts of 3 more books, with Jake and Sarah as secondary characters and a romance between a rather kooky lead female character and an unconventional hero for the next 3 books. Nothing is set in stone right now and the next trilogy seems more comedic than romantic. That is on the to do list for the next few years.
Meanwhile, my kids have been bugging me to write the next book for Tween Tales. They loved the first one and are waiting to read what happens next to Kay, Hank and the gang.
Wish I had more time. I've got a day job as I've got to eat you know. Books are my passion but hey, I can't even make a profit on book sales, but over time, I hope to get the other books out
Labels: books for teens, teenage girls, warrior girl, warrior girl author
posted by sfxfantasy at 6:24 AM
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