The Bard’s Choice – Story Origins

Laptop on the Grass
(photo credit)

November Spotlight SeriesThe Bard’s Choice – Week 2

The Original Seed

The Bard’s Choice is one of my experimental pieces, and I honestly wish I could say that the origin of the story was more… more. It was pretty simple, really. I was sprawled out on the lawn between classes, just doodling ideas, and one of them was “story told from POV of the villain.”

Not all that original (and it’s not really what The Bard’s Choice ended up being about) but this is where it started.

I Like Villains

This isn’t really a secret if you’ve been following my blog for a while. (I’ve talked about them here, among other places.) What can I say? They’re what makes the story tick.

"I don't like to feel good, I like to feel evil" Meme
(photo credit)

On ‘Story Origin Day,’ sitting on the grass, I was reflecting on books with POV sections from the baddies, and how fascinating it was to get inside those diabolical little minds. But, at least in most of the books that I read, these sections always came with the veil of ‘Yeah, but he’s the bad guy, though.’

So, originally, my goal was to write a book from the Vil’s POV, but in such a way that they really did seem like the main character.

But, Why?

That original idea fell apart quickly when I asked that ever important question in fiction: Why?

Why is this story told from the antagonist’s perspective? I didn’t know. Other than ‘it’s cool’ or ‘it’s fun’ I didn’t have any clear reasons for telling a story this way.

The thought train rerouted to the power of POV in storytelling.

Hamilton Quote: Who Tells your Story
Yeah, I caved. I’m obsessed with Hamilton. (photo credit)

It occurred to me that simply by the act of telling a story through a villain’s eyes, I would be changing the essence of the plot. The POV is more than just a lens – it’s an active participant in the events of the story.

It’s almost like POV is…

And that line of thinking led me to the notion of POV being an actual thing rather than a style choice. And that, friends, is only a short hop away from “What if POV was a physical object within the story?”

Office Space: Let's Jump to Conclusions
(photo credit)

Now that’s the kind of wacky ‘what if’ that this writer LIVES for! After I turned that corner, magic systems, characters, plot, and all that other good stuff solidified. This was several years after I wrote that original ‘Villain POV’ note to myself. Most of the time, my stories need to percolate for a long time before they hit the page.

The Bard’s Choice was definitely one of those projects where the final draft looked nothing like the original idea, but that’s the process sometimes. ^_^


Enter to Win a Copy!

Picture of Pirzes - Copy of The Bard's Choice, Pin, Necklace, Bookmark

Don’t forget, since November is the spotlight month for The Bard’s Choice, two lucky winners will receive a signed hardcover copy of the book (Or the Audiobook version! Your choice), plus extra goodies! To enter, just comment on this post! Winner will be announced on November 30th.

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