Wonders & Woes of Writing: Shazar and Megumi

            Recently I’ve been working on a short story about the parents of Cora, one of my characters.  I came up with Megumi and Shazar and their story in the past year, which is a bit ironic considering I came up with their daughter’s story almost a decade ago!  (It was during Geometry class my sophomore year of high school.  Believe it or not: I got straight A’s in that class.)  Only last summer, while I was in the midst of revising an early draft of my manuscript and considering developments to be contained in the second book, did I realize this glaring hole.  Even if Cora was to never learn about her parents, I wanted to know. 
            It’s been interesting: devising a story when I already know the ultimate ending.  Usually, when I start developing a story I take a rough idea of my characters’ identities and a “what if” scenario and proceed from there.  In this case, I already knew where things ended so I had to decide what type of people Megumi and Shazar were and then backtrack to see what choices would result accordingly. (Anticipating how exactly they'll react to whatever situation I throw them into is one of my highlights as a writer.)
            Still, the whole process has been a been a uniquely frustrating experience.  I’ve figured out the beginning and obviously the end, but figuring out how to properly express all that needs to happen between those points is exasperating!  Certain aspects of their ending can’t be changed.  Those points are necessary for the further development of Cora’s story and even her legacy.  I have to properly develop everything leading up to that while managing to avoid info-dumping! 
            Nevertheless, I enjoy the writing process (or I wouldn’t come back to it time after time) and I look forward to the completion of Megumi and Shazar’s story.  I hope when I have to opportunity to introduce them to you, that you'll come to enjoy their company as much as I do.   

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