I promised in my first post that I’d tell you guys more about my book. I figure now would be a good time. The Drisk Chronicles (TDC) first came to me one night about four years ago. I was working in one of my sketchbooks, but it was one of those nights where I had the drive but not the inspiration. Just wanting to put pencil to paper, I decided to make a mash-up of a variety of different animals. This creature would be able to go over all different terrains: mountains, prairies, the ocean, the sky. With that in mind, Zachary, the first drisk, was created. I was so proud of this drawing, so much so that I began to develop a world around him. I made many diagrams of different drisks and their body parts, how each limb functioned in relation to the other, how they would function on each terrain, the difference in genders, and how groups of drisk, known as clacks, organized themselves. I fell in love with my creation. During one of my art shows, I even made a 3D piece that focused on the growth patterns of the drisks and their relationship with the humans that lived in their world. Soon, the world of the drisks began to turn into something more than a fantasy creature that I knew too much about. A story started to develop. The first story circled around Zachary in a world only inhabited by drisks. I hadn’t progressed very far in the development process before I realized humans needed to be added to the equation. Countries formed, characters were made, and the first draft of Feronia was born. Two main characters, Wyl and Korlae, lived in Feronia. They had an intertwining story that would take them all over the world. It was around this time that I began to think about the drisk’s role in the world. They were supposed to be these sacred creatures bound to the “good” side, but I had stuck them with a face only a mother could love. This thought was only confirmed when I was talking to a friend about wanting one as a pet and how cute they’d be as babies, and she told me they would be the most terrifying creature to have in real life. The drisks began to go through several phases of recreation. I wanted to make sure that people wouldn’t look at one and call it a dragon or pegasus or some other premade mythical creature. I eventually settled on a drisk inspired by the cheetah, but with similarities to a horse and a griffin. (Below shown: LEFT - second to last draft RIGHT - final draft) ![]() After that, I started working on Korlae and Wyl. I went through every character building questionnaire I could find. I had their Myers Briggs Personality figured out. They were set, but as I continued to write, something felt off. I had reached 50,000 words, over halfway through the word goal I had planned for the first book, when I realized what was wrong. The character I had wanted for Wyl was gone. In his place was a lonely, weak character who hid from all his problems, couldn’t stand up for himself, and had will somewhere in the first chapter. I know that this was a wonderful opportunity for a serious character arch, but Wyl had settled. I tried so hard to change him, but by this point, he was as much a person as anyone, and you can’t force people to change. Despite the pang in my heart, I decided to scrap Wyl and Korlae, but doing so meant I had to start over, throwing out 50,000 words. The story changed a lot during this time. Feronia’s map expanded, the governments were replaced, and quite a few plot points were rewritten. ENTER: Faryn Kirie, Kaidro Mirioza, and Zanira Bahille. The main trio in the world of Feronia. I don’t have any good character sketches of Kai or Zanira yet, but here is one my friend Courtney (@alicnqveen) drew of Faryn for me. That’s about where The Drisk Chronicles is now. I’ll post more about the plot and individual characters later, but until then…
Stay Creative, Alexa C.
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About The AuthorsAshlyn and Alexa are two aspiring authors and artists who decided to band together and create something to share with the world.
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