Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Starting at the Beginning: The Prologues

(Reposted from 11/24/07)

So, the best place to start talking about SFA is probably the beginning, right? Although the time line of when we wrote the scenes is murky at best, I can safely say that the first complete scene I ever wrote for SFA was Averi Rysten's prologue. It's gone through some editing since the initial draft, but I like to think that the main ideas are the same.

Averi is meant to be an off-shoot of the typical 'willful princess' character. I wanted to explore the idea of having a character who played to that stereotype but also went beyond it. My idea of Averi is a princess who isn't rebellious for the sake of rebellion, but rather for a good reason that she truly believes in. She also knows that her royalty comes with a cost, and she understands and somewhat accepts the restrictions that come with it. And, unlike the usual 'willful princess', she thinks about what she says very carefully.

My understanding of Averi is a girl who has been raised to play the game of royalty, and she plays it well, from courtly intrigue to diplomatic speeches. I wanted to show this through her prologue, as well as the fact that Averi is somewhat of a nerd--always studying too much, always working too hard--despite the fact that her royal status and pretty appearance land her in the popular crowd.

Averi's prologue is meant to start off Averi's story with who she is: a book-smart princess capable of standing up for her (rather idealistic) beliefs.

Of course, as anyone who has kept up with the story so far knows, Eastridge Academy has a way of changing people--or perhaps of showing them who they really are... but that's a post for another day.

Take care,

KL

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