Before I explain the meme, this is a mock-up sketch of my main character, a fairy boy named Zet. While you might argue that in the picture, he has no wings, that was intentional. In my book, fairies do have wings, even this one, but in a later disaster, he loses them to the villain after rejecting her offers.
Zet is a young fairy, and though he may only look 14-15 years old, he is actually almost a century old. He is unique in his world, being the only fairy to be born with white hair, and also blue eyes as a rarity. Not only are his looks unusual, but he wields a rare power–the ability to see the future.
While he may sound cool, or weird, he was not my first idea. Actually, he was my fourth.
As an author, I’m supposed to have this marvelous idea that turns into an okay draft that turns into a stunning novel… right?
To be blunt, it’s not that easy. I came up with many side stories and even a prequel before I arrived where I am today. None of them worked, I’ll be honest. Everything I tried to incorporate into my book ended up looking like a soggy hamburger bun soaked in ketchup. Mush. Not good, even in the slightest.
So I’ll explain why Zet was my fourth main character. First, I started writing from the perspective of Nia Dare, a young human who accidentally stumbled on a portal into the magical realm of the fairies. She and her two friends were given the task of finding a magical opal that would help them return to their home on Earth. While that may sound like an okay story, when I wrote it as an eleven-year-old, it wasn’t. I had this big dream of making Nia and her two friends the most powerful people the world had ever known. Author power craze, I know. The beginning of the story was okay. The ending was iffy. The middle was… garbage. I didn’t want to read it, and I had made it.
Enter Zet, a young fairy with future powers and a desire to prove himself. First, he was a side character, that strange guy who wears purple and yellow clashing knee-high socks. The weirdo who does not belong, no matter what you try. Over time, I realized that he was a much better fit for what I had a need of. I rewrote the entire book, (it had been written by an eleven-year-old, there was no fixing it) and suddenly, I found myself with a complete novel and almost ready to be published.
Funny what switching out the main character does. I can’t believe my last draft, it was awful. Even though it was, I am glad I stuck with it to the end. For how much pain it’s cost me, the more it means to me.
Back to the picture at the top, Zet really was an afterthought. I didn’t care much whether he was paid attention to or forgotten. Now, if you ignored him, there would be no story. It really goes to show how much a story can change over time.
Read more about Zet at https://nixiray.com/2022/05/13/exclusive-sneak-peek-of-zeturnisc-li-book-1/ and subscribe to my email list for more sneak peeks!
Stay Magical,
