Day 8

Some of the people I love are real, but some are imaginary. So if it’s all right with you, today I’ll tell you about some characters of mine that I love, characters who have been waiting for me to write them a story for nearly a decade. (I am hugely self-conscious about doing this, but…here goes.)

There are the princes: Even, Bright, Good and Wise (the twins), and V. Even is in charge, though he may be dying; Bright is a little taller, funnier, and more handsome than the rest; Good is a warrior; Wise is a widower, holed up in a seaside hermitage, grieving; V is trouble, and everyone knows it.

Pilar is a merchant’s daughter, or so she thinks. Belen can sail the skies, though she does not know it. Margot is a warrior and the secret head of a band of highwaymen, who are helping her keep a secret. Madame Pianu is a fairy seamstress; she is tiny, but her skill is unmatched. Alice and Gracie are elderly nannies who know too much. (Any story I think of seems to start with Gracie dying.) Old Didius and Count Warm are the royal advisors–they are older than anyone else but seem never to age past a certain point; Old Didius is round and hotheaded, Count Warm is slender and reserved; they are the best of friends. Hahn is mysterious—in disguise and still not certain if he’s a good guy or a villain. (I am certain, though.) Ibby is a princess in search of a fairy godmother. There are others, of course; enemies, accomplices, and so on. But these are the ones I love. These are the ones never far from my mind.

A writer once told me to start with motivation, to ask what motivates each character. And you would think that after so long, I would know these characters better. I would know what they want, what they are after. But they are still mysterious to me. What motivates them? I think once I can answer that, the story itself will unfold. For now though, we all just wait.

Love,
February