The Writing Methods of Renee Wildes

March 20, 2018
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Guest Post

A lot goes into any novel that’s written. Just thought I’d share how A Guardian’s Heart came about, and what happens in my “writing process.”

I’m a history geek. I watch Forged in Fire, Expedition Unknown, & Mysteries at the Museum. I’ve books on ancient Egypt & Greece, the Iron Age, Dark Ages, & Medieval Europe. I have the entire Edwin Tunis collection. I’m a Joseph Campbell & Tolkien groupie and love reading fantasy, esp. Mercedes Lackey. Research is my thing! I love creating new worlds based on old ones—cultures, traditions, costuming, politics & religion. Familiar fantasy tropes with my own unique twists.

MY WRITING METHODS by Renee Wildes

A lot goes into any novel that’s written. Just thought I’d share how A Guardian’s Heart came about, and what happens in my “writing process.”

For A Guardian’s Heart, I relied heavily on a diverse musical selection to help me write specific scenes. Mediaeval Baebes is my core background sound, with Nightwish, Within Temptation, and Axel Rudi Pell whenever I’m doing battle scenes or arcane rituals. My family knows when I’m at the computer and Axel’s playing, someone’s fighting for their life!

I love Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/reneewildes/a-guardians-heart/

I have a board for each of my books, and throw in images of characters, costumes, weaponry, critters, houses, settings, and such. For A Guardian’s Heart, my dragon-human peasant heroine Dara is based on Dina Meyer’s spirited and defiant portrayal of Cara in Dragonheart and my empathic elven-prince hero Loren is based on Craig Parker’s warm portrayal of the loyal and noble Haldir in Peter Jackson’s LOTR The Fellowship & Two Towers. Throw in families & best friends, servants, frenemies & enemies, strategically-placed random strangers, the “Cast of Thousands” that make up the background social scenery. Place them in a recognizable scenery with peasant villages and a few crumbling and not-so-crumbling castles and monasteries. Add in costumes, food & drink, music & art. Don’t forget the pets. Now think of what the heroes want/need most and create the villain to block it. Give the villain a master plan, and the heroes a counter plan to thwart the villain and get what they want/need. When the heroine & hero fall in love, give them a zillion legitimate reasons why it won’t work.

For A Guardian’s Heart, I made it a new twist on Cinderella. Heroine Dara is a human orphan raised by peasants, trained as healer but also warrior.

She knows nothing of her parents, except her mother’s dead and never revealed her father’s identity. So Dara’s also a bastard—and mortal. When she saves the life of Loren, after a catastrophic battle, she has no idea at first he’s an immortal elven prince. They have no business falling in love and being together.

Dara knows nothing of the fancy ways of court—she struggles through a royal dinner and has no idea how to dance. She makes a deal with her new lady’s maid, Verdeen—Verdeen teaches her to be a lady and Dara teaches Verdeen how to fight. (Verdeen wants to be the first female to enter the elven Warrior Academy.)

For Loren, give him a family with their own pre-set plans for his future, that include being Right Hand for his older brother, who’s jealous of his younger brother’s popularity, and a hand-picked elven mate. Loren wants nothing to do with any of it. They’re willing to accept Dara as his mistress, but he wants her as a wife. But Dara just wants to return home.

Except Count Jalad, a demon-possessed local nobleman, has taken over the castle. Queen Moira’s fled for her life. Dara’s people are dead or scattered. King Hengist is away trying to raise aid. Loren is trying to raise aid of his own to help Dara—but he wants her to stay with him after the dust settles.

There’s a lot Loren’s family knows about Dara’s ancestry and past. But the knowledge only served to drive more wedges between them…

I used the Dark Ages to create the human environment and Medieval times to create the elven, so the elves would seem so much more advanced in Dara’s eyes—and that’s before I added magic…and plumbing! I gave Loren a sentient (and opinionated) war-mare partner, Hani`ena, who’s more frenemy than friend to Dara.

Secrets, conflicts, major differences, cross-purposes, and misunderstandings. What chance do mutual attraction and love stand against such odds?

LOL—find out in A Guardian’s Heart, now out from Champagne Book Group!