Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links. To learn more about how affiliates work on the blog, you can check out our privacy policy HERE.
Hey everyone! Hope you are doing well and are staying safe.
May is finally here, which means a month full of content about Gwen, The Core Energies series, and writing in general. I’m so excited for the content I have planned for the rest of the month, because this is still a huge passion project of mine. One day the world will get to read of Gwen and her epic saga. But there’s still a lot of work left to do, and so that’s why I wanted to make that the focus of May’s content. Keep reading till the end of the post to get a run down of my content line up for May!
For this post, I wanted to update you on the story as a whole, and to explain why I’m choosing the format of a graphic novel. Let’s get right into it!
The Basic Plot So Far
Just a note: all of the ideas you see in this post are my original ideas. Feel free to share these if you like, but respect the artist and their work by giving me the credit. These are my babies, my passion projects, so please do not copy them or share them as your own. Thanks so much for your support and for respecting the artist.
You may have seen me mention Gwen and the novel before. A lot has changed in the story and the concept since the last time I shared it, so I figured I would give you an update on the plot and on the main character line up. I think this is where you’ll start to see why I’m choosing a more visual medium, but I’ll get into that a bit more in a minute.
The Core Energies Series
In the series, we are introduced to eighteen-year old Gwen Wilder. Gwen is an interesting young woman. She lives on a training base under the organization A.T.L.A.S., which helps protect and maintain the peace for all of the Districts. Gwen is an agent in training, and hopes to one day make it out in the field. But no matter how hard she trains, she is never allowed to enter into the field. After another meeting with her advisor, she gets upset with her situation, and goes digging in the agent files. She comes across a file labeled with her name, and opens it. Within the file, she finds more information than she could’ve possibly imagined. The very place that she has been calling her home has been keeping secrets from her.
With all of this new information, Gwen goes out to find the truth, and to learn why she has been lied to this whole time. She learns of the family she has, the ones she has never met. She meets a young boy who she vaguely remembers, but can’t figure out why. And as she continues digging, she learns of one, very important, but very dangerous secret. She has energy in her. A bright blue energy that sets her nervous system on fire, but allows her to use these newfound abilities.
Will Gwen uncover the truth? Will she learn why she has these powers, and why she remembers the boy from the lake? And will she be able to stop the corrupt organization that has been lying to her this whole time? I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.
The Main Cast Of Characters
I love creating and developing new characters, which is why I probably have way too many. The main crew has changed over time, so I thought I’d briefly state the main cast, and each character’s role in the story. Don’t worry, no spoilers here.
- Gwen Wilder. Obviously Gwen is still involved, she is the protagonist after all.
- Thomas Anderson. Thomas is Gwen’s main love interest, and the boy she vaguely remembers. He has his own arc as well, as he learns to find peace with his energy and move on from his past experiences.
- John Wilder. John is Gwen’s twin brother, and can kind of be a jerk at times. But he learns how to be more patient and kind. John is also supposed to be taking over as the head of the A.T.L.A.S. organization, and is a great leader.
- Samantha Wilder. Gwen’s cousin, best friend, master of manipulation and interrogation, and also a high functioning sociopath. But at the end of the day, she wants to do the right thing and to help Gwen in her quest for the truth. Plus she hates A.T.L.A.S. and wants to burn it to the ground.
- Cole Saunders. Cole is the misunderstood emo kid. I have to have at least one edge lord, I don’t make the rules. But Cole is more than that. He has collective running through his body- a dark matter that normally would kill you- and has learned how to control and manipulate it. He ends up helping Gwen in learning how to use her powers, and is almost always right.
- Michelle Anderson. Michelle is Thomas’ younger sister, and is a master hacker. If you need help with code or getting past security, she’s your girl.
- Jenny Peterson. There’s not a whole lot I can say about Jenny, since she’s still being developed. She is John’s main love interest, and has a lot of connections.
- Grace Adams. Another character who still needs a bit more development, but is an essential character for Gwen’s arc in both The Caretaker Society and Healing Centers.
- Cory. Okay so I haven’t landed on a last name for him yet. But Cory is amazing. He is a former assassin who Gwen meets while in The Guardian Complexes. He helps her out a bit.
These are the main players at the moment, and I still have a lot of work to do in developing them and their arcs. I also have more to do with each of the districts, A.T.L.A.S., etc.
One way I’m working on getting all of the needed details is by using World Anvil. It’s a great tool for world building and writing in general, and is amazing for those who are visually impaired. Their services are amazing and aren’t expensive either. If you’d like to check them out you can use the link below. I will get a small cut of whatever purchases you make, which helps me continue to create content for the blog. I also have done an in detail review of their site, which I’ll link below.
World Anvil Review- Why It’s One Of My Favorite Writing Tools
Why A Graphic Novel Format is Ideal
It’s been a long, long process of writing this and getting it out into the world. I had a huge dilemma because of the nature of the story itself. There are a lot of visual elements to it, such as the energies, the settings, and how much color is involved in the storytelling. So in order for those elements to be properly showcased, I need a visual form of media. I debated on wether a short film, a TV show, or a book would be the best format. But ultimately, doing a Graphic Novel is the best of both worlds. Here’s why.
A Graphic Novel Allows For Both Visual And Written Storytelling
Like I just mentioned, there are a lot of visual aspects to my story. The energies each have a different color to them, and you need to be able to showcase those colors and the effect they have on an individual. You need to be able to see the energy flowing through Gwen’s body, and how it changes her appearance. The aesthetics of each setting is also important. You need to be able to see the bright whites and minimal style of The Caretaker Society, the dark colors and grungy aesthetic of the A.T.L.A.S. training grounds, and the high society living of The Nightingale Facilities. You also need to see the character’s abilities in action.
At the same time, you have to tell the story. There has to be dialogue between the characters, and the narration of the overall plot has to be present. There are also details or information that can’t be represented visually. And a graphic novel allows for both of these aspects to be present.
It’s Easier To Break Up Into Sections
One of the main setbacks with writing the novel was the amount of work I had to do in one sitting. When writing a traditional novel, you have to describe those visual elements, and explain the settings to the reader. I found it hard to do that because of how visual they were. I also have such a short attention span, and can get overwhelmed easily.
The format for writing a graphic novel is different than that of a traditional book- it’s scriptwriting. You are writing the main ideas, the parts that need to be told, and then giving the details and necessary information for the artist to interpret into the visual media. It makes it easier to break down into manageable chunks- such as getting through one scene, one page, or one piece of dialogue. And this is perfect for someone with a short attention span.
The Core Energies Series Is Essentially A Superhero Story
You don’t have to write a superhero tale as a graphic novel. In fact, there are plenty of books that do so and kill it. But ultimately, it’s the best format for telling a superhero style story. There’s plenty of inspiration in that field of superhero’s and their origin stories. I’ll be doing a post this month on my writing influences, and I’ll definitely be mentioning some of my favorite comic writers. It’s a great way to showcase the superheroes powers, their origin, and to build on those visual elements.
All in all, a graphic novel just makes sense for Gwen and her gang. It fits the aesthetics, the overall narrative, and helps to tell the story. So that’s why I’m doing a graphic novel.
And that’s it for this post! Thanks so much for reading. I can’t wait to share more of my story and the characters I’ve created with you guys, since it’s been an ongoing project. With that in mind, here’s what you can look forward to seeing in May:
- #musicmondays are all songs related to my novel
- #writingwednesdays are prompts that have to do with my characters
- Writing quotes on both instagram and pinterest
- Blog posts on my writing influences, tools I use, etc.
- Email newsletters each week with extra content.
Make sure you are following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and are subscribed to my email newsletter so you don’t miss out on any of this content!
Until next time 🙂
Recent Comments