The Beginnings

Hi Everyone

Here’s the continuing story:

So there I was with a fascination for the history of how Britain – at least part of it – became Angle-land.

But what story to tell?
Should I write about Vortigern, King of Rhegin? (Now on the middle south coast of England. His capital was at Chichester.) But I could go online and read about him – and I did. Why would I want to give you something you could get anytime by pressing a few buttons?

Then it hit me. 

Let’s write about his sister!

No, you’ll find nothing online about her. But as I wrote, I soon realised the amazing power of an author: that you can make your own characters do absolutely whatever you want them to. No limits – except that in my case, because I would make her see actual history, I’d better fit my story into the cracks of the true history. Pretty well anyway. I do take a few liberties which will enrage pedantic historians.

Fortunately, those cracks are large. Big enough to get a really juicy story inside.

Back to the King’s sister. Would she be a simpering weak woman?

Not a chance!

I’d make her a warrior! Gifted by a strange power she called El Elyon (more of that later) to be accurate with a bow – shocking her fellow, more seasoned warriors, with her ability. Even from her early youth, she trained with the men. At the same time I made her beautiful. Why not?

So, I started to write about her. I found an app called Scrivener which allows you to either just bash the keyboard, or do the most intricate pre-planning, your choice. 

I turned out to be a basher, not a planner.

And as I sat and bashed my keyboard, I found I had some idea of what would happen next. Not the whole story, although by then I’d researched piles of the history at the time, so I knew what would be happening to the historical characters, but I found I could only write one move at a time for my own Warrior Princess. But the next move always appeared, dead on time, like Japanese trains!

More about the story in ‘The Emerging Princess’