Brinn Commentary
by Author Diana Metz
Stories are a process. You start with a seed, you plant it, you watch it grow a little, then you transplant it somewhere else, you feed it, water it, watch it grow a little more, and then all of the sudden, you see a flower bud. That's when the story has "blossomed". I thought I'd share a few thoughts and changes in the process here. Enjoy!
Please Note: There might be spoilers here, so reading the book before delving into my mind might be a good idea.
The ideas for Brinn came shortly after I first began to write bits for Talon, somewhere around the late 1980s. Initially Brinn was to enter a school for the magically inclined where she would be the only girl. She would gather a collection of misfits and fight against the control of mean, pompous teachers. But when J.K. Rowling came out with her books I had to throw that idea out. Brinn was not intended as a sequel for Talon. I'm awfully glad I changed my mind.
Another origin of Brinn's character was as Talon's wife. Yes, what many reader want to hear. Alas that is not to be. I still might bring Rose (Mrs. Talon's name) to life but many of her attributes belong to Brinn now. Rose was the daughter of a dying gentleman who asks Talon to help him pass painlessly. After her father's death, Rose becomes Talon's housekeeper. Eventually Talon marries her and teaches her to use magic. The surprise ending comes when six wizards arrive for Talon's funeral. The Rite of Transference is carried out by a cloaked figure who performs the Rite in Dragonese. After the ceremony, when the power of magic as been given the hood is pushed back to reveal Rose. The other wizards are furious that a woman has obtained magic power. I decided to give Brinn the trial of being the "first" female wizard.
I was amazed when I heard from readers that they wanted Talon and Brinn to "hook up". Since Talon is well over 60 (in mortal years) and Brinn is in her late teens, I thought this would be a bit…odd. Yes, I did at one point have Brinn…interested in Talon (he is rather mysterious after all). But I knew it wasn't going to go anywhere. Brinn wants to be independent and isn't looking for a relationship. Don't worry, Brinn finds her love.
I couldn't resist bringing back Felgrig and Tolago. Did you notice the beginning uses the same phrases? This simple storyline, compared to the one in Talon, shows how much things have changed between humans and dragons.
Rose's story isn't the only "stolen" idea. The nightmare Brinn has of the dark cave originally appeared in a storyline I wrote years ago about a boy who discovers in his dreams a cave where Merlyn is held. It was Merlyn's spirit that escaped when the stone was lifted and the wizard's spirit that inhabits and shares the boy's mind. I don't know what made me think of using this idea here, but I think it works.
I wrote Talon over several decades, eventually piece it together for my son. I added bits here and there and lengthened it considerably. Brinn was written in a much more linear fashion. With a few exceptions I wrote Brinn straight through and in 9 months. Writing in this manner allows the characters to do a bit of roaming.
I just had to bring back The Widows. To me they are the ULTIMATE grandmothers.
I know I didn't do justice to the dragon war. I visualize when I write and visualizing a battle scene isn't easy.
There are times when I have no clue what's going on. Here are a few unintended moments:
"Why don't we go into town." Loris insisted that I let them go to town. I didn't want to let her go, because it meant that I had to create the town. That wasn't on my agenda.
Dragon Delivery practice. The thought of ways humans and dragons might interact brought the vision of an early postal system.
Brinn was happily weeding the garden, minding her own business when the Mayor burst onto the page. I couldn't think of a way to get rid of him but Brinn didn't seem to have that problem.
Like me, Brinn just wanted to be left alone, but Madam Vorcha is very insistent. The idea of mice was a flash of brilliance. I would have only used one, but my mother insisted on a whole pack of the little critters.
I loved the way Brinn got rid of the assassins.
I never thought to make Brinn a role model for feminism. There are definitely more male heroes than female, I just didn't think it really mattered one way or the other. I didn't really consider gender to make any difference what so ever. I did think the technical differences of "witches and wizards" to be a bit lopsided. The literary connotation of "witch" was not as noble as that of "wizard". So I thought it fun to have Brinn be classified as a "wizard". Once I decided to make this step toward equality in the world of fantasy, I went one step further and added the touch of gender bias as an underlying theme.