I’m about halfway through drafting the first book in my new dragon series. As this story unfolded, I realized something about my writing.

It’s driven by secrets.

I find things out at the same time as you do. Sure, there are some things I know before any character does, but much of it, I don’t. There are a variety of names for this, but my favorite one was coined by Dean Wesley Smith: Writing into the Dark.

It means I just sit down and write. The characters run into and out of trouble, panic, happiness, etc., without me prodding them along. It’s very organic.

What do secrets have to do with that? Well, I’ll be writing and Seguin will say or do something which will make me wonder, “Why?” And the answer will surprise me.

Often, I have to put that knowledge aside because Seguin isn’t ready to share, or events haven’t pushed him to reveal that bit of his past or knowledge he’s been avoiding or hiding from others.

I keep his secrets, Madras’s and Zyla’s, too. From you, from the other characters, and sometimes, even me. I’ll wonder, but let him keep his secret, not push him to reveal it to me. I let him save it for later. He has his reasons.

Zyla’s more of an open book (pun intended, but it came out of the dark, unplanned), but sometimes how she sees things doesn’t reveal what they actually mean. She lacks information. When it arrives, like her, I’m as surprised at the new emotions, perspectives, crises, and motivations it creates.

This is what I find fun about writing. The process is an adventure for me.

So secrets drive my writing, and I’m happy with that. I always was one of those kids who knew where Mom hid the Christmas presents, but I never dug into the closet to find out what I or my siblings were getting.

Check out Book 1 in the Annals of the Dragon Dreamer series and see if you can ferret out the many secrets that bind the story.