For the past two years, I’ve been slowly developing a short story turned novella turned (hopefully) novel. Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to actually write very much, but I think that has been advantageous in some ways because it has let me work on the story in ways that I might have skipped or not known about if I began writing right away.
I have the first chapter, the majority of the second chapter, and a few chapters within the story, as well as many small writings and drawings sifting through different ideas. I’ve always been fascinated by fantasy and magic books, resulting in this story’s creation and story-line.
The setting of the novel is split between two broad locations: a small rural-suburban town and another world, Aspira. I must admit, I’m not certain how to categorize Aspira. Alternate or Parallel Universe is too much of a Science Fiction-esque title, and while I love Sci-Fi, it doesn’t fit the Fantasy themes in the book. It is a realm of magic and legends, a number of kingdoms and peoples all precariously united beneath the Aspirian flag. I want the story to be a mix of Fantasy, with a pleasant touch of Slice-Of-Life. The main character of the story is a fourteen-year-old girl named Agatha Reed, but has been nicknamed Lotus Reed by her family and peers for her mysterious connections to nature (Aspira and its magic). I feel obligated to mention that she hails from our world rather than Aspira considering I’ve prattled on about universes and magic and such.
The story follows Lotus as she travels back and forth between her home town on Earth and the regions of Aspira. The story begins, showing her as almost an urban legend to some of the townsfolk. No one, other than her friend Matthew (whose last name is to be determined) and her family, really know who she is, and only Matthew knows of Aspira. Most of her family live several towns away, excluding her cousin Max (who she works for), whom no one recognizes as her relative. She just exists, she goes to school, has her job at her Max’s office, and disappears the rest of the time. These disappearances, of course, are her travels to Aspira. After the initial introduction to how she is characterized by the human world, we look into how Aspira sees her. If I’m quite honest, it is rather similar. She isn’t really known outside her friends, she sells things in the market and is known to go out exploring.
That is far from what I have planned, but it is all I have written out thus far. I have the characters developed and the storyline designed.
Lucy Gabbert's Writing 