ieva melgalve

So the last post left me & The Virgin in a rough-rough idea state, with a vague impression of a protagonist and magic system. The next day, I jotted down very simple bulletpoint lists about the protagonist and magic system (known things and possible spin-off ideas, noted as “weird stuff”–the places where the gray areas of magic are clearly visible, since keeping them in mind early on will enhance the story while ignoring them until the end would most likely damage it).
I tried to pin down the theme&tone and the protagonist as a personality, not just a cipher and a problem. The theme seemed to be all right, for starters. At some point, I figured out why I liked my initial idea, and noted it, mainly because it is tricky and I might grow disgusted with it pretty soon if I don’t do it with the necessary grace.
The protagonist was a problem though. I simply don’t have her before I actually start writing her. I can have the problems all right, and the stakes and everything that’s under the skin, but I can’t really describe the “skin” part of her yet. It’ll take at least one scene to get her down (and yes, I have a short and dreamy one).
Next steps–developing culture and more characters, as well as refining the magic system. (Really, I have the *system* but I have zero idea what it actually does. I’m like an engineer looking at wired-together something and determining whether it’ll work or not, but I don’t know if it’s a washing machine or the world elimination engine.)