Character Sketch: Darkswift

It's been a while since I've posted any character sketches. In earlier posts, I have shared my drawings and thoughts on the main hero, Galen Griffon; his brother, Lucas; and chief adviser to the throne, Glamis. This time, I thought I'd share some sketches of one of my favorite characters. In true Swords & Sorcery tradition, this character is an elf. As he rarely shares his true name, he generally goes by the name given to him by his master: Darkswift.

In short, Darkswift is a ninja. Not really, but that idea is my guiding thought as I write the character. He's an acrobatic, blade-flashing martial artist. Actually, I started out thinking of him as a combination of a ninja and Jedi Knight, but without any magical powers. But since it wouldn't do to call him a ninja or a Jedi, I came up with the name mokeshi.

The story in My Brother's Keeper makes reference to a far-off realm known as Hanopin. In this world I've created, Hanopin is my Asian analogue. It's sort of an amalgam of China and Japan. I arrived at the name by referencing China's Han Dynasty and by playing with the Japanese word for Japan, Nippon.

The mokeshi warriors are also referred to in the book as "Shadow Knights of Hanopin". Like all candidates, Darkswift trained at the Mokeshi Temple, enduring grueling trials until he had earned his rank. However, at the end of his time in Hanopin,Darkswift discovered a truth kept hidden by the temple master. The nature of this discovery will remain my secret for now, but suffice it to say that it will have ramifications for Galen that won't be felt until the second book, Marching As To War.

The sketches you see here on this post are lifted from my sketchbook. He's a very kinetic character, always flipping, spinning and kicking.
Some of these sketches are nothing more than an attempt to capture some of that moving energy. It has taken me a while to settle on a definitive look for the character. It is partly for this reason that not a lot of description is given within the pages of the book, other than to say he's wearing traditional Hanopinese clothes.

However, in the very first sketch you can see where I roughed in colors. Darkswift is a character that exists in shades of gray, figuratively speaking, so I decided to translate that literally by the clothes he wears.

He is a long time friend to Glamis. He was raised in a non-religious clan and then trained in Hanopinese philosophy at the mokeshi temple. He's a lethal killer and dangerous foe. However, he has learned something about the nature of Truth that has challenged the way he views the world.

Again these rough sketches are just attempts to settle on a look for the character and to get a sense of how he moves. The pony tail you see in a couple of the drawings is gone. The top sketch is the most definitive look I've got for him at the moment. But I do hope readers like him because he's fun to write and Glamis is busy secretly preparing him for a crucial role in the looming war.

Plot vs. Character

I got a problem.

I got a lot of plot.

Where the first book clocked in right around 100K words, the second one is just getting going good and it's already at 29K. I'll be lucky to keep this under 150K and there's a danger of it soaring above 200K.

My problem is a bit structural. As I wrote in earlier posts, I'm trying to align the books in this series with the division of the three dramatic acts of the story. By nature, this would tend to make the second book the longest since that's always the case with the Second Act.

I've got a lot of plot to cover but I don't want the word count to soar out of control. Now I can keep the word count low if just mechanically get through the plot as quickly as I can. But I don't really want to do that.

There's always a balancing act that must be performed juggling the needs of plot and characterization. If all I do is crank out a plot description then I don't think the readers are going to stick with me. I can't be afraid to spend a few extra words-- or paragraphs-- on fleshing out the characters.

There is a need to allow readers into the heads of certain characters, or to take the time to explain a bit of backstory or description of a character. For the characters to come alive on the page they each need their own personality, their own voice. I've got to find those things then allow them the space to express themselves.

But I got a lot of plot.

If I'm not careful, the final word count could prove to be way too big.

And to make matters worse, I keep coming up with new characters. For example, I decided that I needed a naval warship and crew to serve as the hook, the reader's POV, for all of the naval action that will be depicted in the book. So next thing you know, I've spent two pages introducing a ship's captain, first mate and helmsman; including a history for each of them so readers feel like they know them.

Now think about it: I spent ten years thinking about the characters and plot of the first book, but I just came up with all of these guys an hour ago. So now, perhaps, you can see why the writing on this second book is taking so much longer.

Then again, when the plot picks up later in the book and it's in the thick of a bunch of naval battles, the time spent early on investing in these characters will (hopefully) cause the reader to care more about what happens.

Word count vs. reader investment.

Plot vs. Character.

I'm going to need an editor.