From Concept to Creation: The Evolution of The Lost Tales of Erandelle

 

Today, I am going to share a deeply personal part of my creative journey - the process behind “The Lost Tales of Erandelle”. Why share this? Because sometimes, in order to move forward, it's important to revisit the past without getting stuck in it. 

On August 5, 2012, I published the first chapter of what was then known as "The Emerald Bay Chronicles" on this blog, which had a different name at that time. Subsequently, I posted chapters two through five in the following days before halting. As you may recall, vampires were immensely popular at that time, saturating the literary landscape with books and series focused on them. My challenge stemmed from having already explored a gothic/vampire phase in my teenage years. So by 2012, I found myself disenchanted with the vampire theme, craving something fresh and different.

I had multiple ideas swirling in my mind about elves, influenced by numerous fantasy universes such as Warhammer Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons, Forgotten Realms, World of Warcraft, and Lord of the Rings. I particularly admired characters like Raistlin, Drizzt, and many others from Silmarillion, mostly elves. However, instead of going into High Fantasy, I wanted  a more contemporary urban setting. And this was what brought back my memories of playing role-playing games via email.

For those unfamiliar with them, these games were heavily focused on storytelling and the creative writing process. Typically, the game master would begin by setting the scene and then the story would evolve as it passed to each player. Every player would have their own character and had to describe how they responded to the challenges presented in the main scene. As a game master, I always enjoyed creating impossible situations for my fellow players' characters. In one instance, I placed their characters in the Mines of Moria alongside Gandalf and the Balrog. Despite the entertaining and intriguing experiences, I still sought something new.

Then I considered a different approach: what if, instead of sending my characters to another realm, I brought characters from that realm into my world? While not a revolutionary concept, it hadn't been explored with elves before. So, there it was, this was the idea that led to the creation of “The Emerald Bay Chronicles”.

I initially wrote the first five chapters in English - a language that is not my native tongue - primarily so my husband could read the story. However, doubts soon crept in; my English proficiency seemed lacking, making me question if I could successfully achieve this. Thoughts like nobody would ever read it, the writing was terrible, and I could never match Tolkien's skill, haunted me every time I tried to write something. Admittedly, I had set my standards unreasonably high and eventually gave up. What I didn't understand then was that my goal wasn't to emulate Tolkien; and it took me years to realize that I simply needed to be true to myself. I had to discover my own voice, not imitate someone else's.

During this period of indecision, while I contemplated emulating Tolkien's style, "The Emerald Bay Chronicles" was transformed into "Shattered Realms." Despite this change, the result fell short of my expectations. It was only after I accepted that imitation was not how it should go that the narrative evolved into "The Lost Tales of Erandelle." This shift marked the creation of not just a story, but an entire world where characters of diverse races, backgrounds, and cultures intermingle. As a result, many of the characters’ names were altered, the original plot was refined, significant changes were made to the first five chapters that I had previously released, and I believe my English writing skills have also progressed and developed.

Throughout these years, I have revamped this project entirely. However, this does not mean it will be a masterpiece. What it does signify is that my comfort with it has increased and I am aware of my own limitations. My doubts have not vanished; they are still present. What happens is that I now approach them differently when they arise.

I still haven’t finished the first book, even though I already have a draft of the second and some scribbles on the third. I’m very close to the end, but sometimes it feels like I’m boycotting myself so I don’t finish it. I will finish it, I just don’t know when yet. 

If you would like to read the original 5 chapters of the first version of “The Lost Tales of Erandelle” you can find them here:

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2  / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5