Dawn Dragon - the whole Prologue

[Mark Robson]

Originally Posted by captaintripps

Hi Mark, just a couple of questions, then I may be able to offer some suggestions re your previous post.

Are the 'dark dragons' gonna be the 'bad lads' of the piece? Or is it less clear cut than that?

Is there any animosity between the various types of dragon?

If they are born for a purpose - and I'm not trying to get all metaphysical on you here! - does this preclude the dragons 'freewill'? Or is their individual purpose less specific than that?

Good questions, all. The night dragons will generally, but not exclusively be the bad lads, yes. There will be a natural divide between the day and night dragons, with the dawn and dusk dragons being the neutral parties. There will be a natural disharmony between the dragons of day and night, so there will be a certain amount of animosity that will go with it.

I'm not going to preclude freewill, but the dragon's natural urges will push them towards certain goals. These goals will not necessarily be shared by the riders, though they will feel the urges through the telepathic link. This will potentially cause conflicts. The rider/dragon partnership will therefore not necessarily be the totally harmonious relationship seen in many other dragon stories.

[Daeman]

Wow, you've already got the makings of an entire novel here. I really like the idea of the dragons being more like another character, then a legendary creature. The relationship between dragon and rider is unique and I hope to see more of the story soon.

[captaintripps]

Disharmony, that's my kind of word!
Seriously though, I think having the kind of relationship you describe opens up much greater possibilities for character development, sub-plots etc than a harmonious, utopian boy/girl-dragon liason.
I'd suggest the same goes for the dragon/rider not necessarily sharing the desire to fulfill the 'purpose'.
Also, the fact that there is the telepathic element opens numerous narrative possibilities - will this be a 'thought by thought' telepathy or more of an inexact science, where the pair with get a 'sense' of one anothers thoughts/emotions but no specifics?

[Mark Robson]

As in the piece above, the dragon can 'speak' clearly with his/her rider by thought, but can understand the spoken word, as the words are echoed by the speaker's mind. I haven't decided yet whether the dragon will be able to hear people's thoughts other than their own rider... probably not.

EDIT: The dragon should still be able to understand other humans providing that their rider is listening to the same conversation, as they would be able to 'read' the words as its rider heard them. However, if the rider were unconscious, it would preclude the dragon from understanding, or communicating with others. This could make for some very interesting situations.

[captaintripps]

Hi Mark, sorry about that. You do, of course, make it evident in your prologue that the dragon can 'hear' her rider's thoughts; forgive me.
I'd be tempted to go with the idea that they can hear only their specific rider's thoughts, as I feel this would enhance the 'uniqueness' of their relationship.


"EDIT: The dragon should still be able to understand other humans providing that their rider is listening to the same conversation, as they would be able to 'read' the words as its rider heard them. However, if the rider were unconscious, it would preclude the dragon from understanding, or communicating with others. This could make for some very interesting situations."

I think this is areally good call. Like you say, the possibilities are endless if this is the case...

[I, Brian]

Originally Posted by Mark Urpen

what I don't want to do is put too much on the web.

Absolutely stick to that, otherwise you could have issues with electronic rights being lost. The general advice on the net is that up to 3 chapters of a story is safe to put online - after that, there's a possibility of electronic rights having been put into the public domain, which is something publishers shouldn't be expected to like.

[dwndrgn]

As for thoughts and suggestions...have you considered what the dragons do to mate? Which dragons do they mate with? Can a Dawn Dragon mate with a Dusk Dragon and night and day and whatever? Or can they only mate with their own specific 'type' - or is it by choice that they choose only their type...you see where many conflicts can be explored there. Since I'm already discussing mating...what happens when the rider and dragon disagree upon potential mates? What happens if they get jealous of attention to others? How integrated are they in each others' lives - will the dragons be a part of everyday or because of their size and nature will they be mostly apart? What happens if the predestined rider is afraid of heights? or hates dragons? or has had an accident and lost the use of their legs/arms/hands/eyes? Ooh what fun this exploring will be for you!

If rider and dragon are predestined for each other - what are their lives like beforehand? Do they just exist as normal until they are suddenly aware of each other? Do they realize something is missing in their lives and don't understand until they meet? Is only the dragon aware of the purpose and if so will the dragon use subtlety to get the rider to help fulfill that purpose or will the dragon share everything with the rider? Can some share and others not because of their nature?

What do the dragons eat and what kinds of stress does it put on the rider? If the rider is a vegetarian and the dragon eats raw meat - how can the rider help his/her dragon?

Are the dragons widely accepted in society or looked upon as something evil, or are they just legendary creatures that most people don't see (which is actually sort of intimated in the prologue but it isn't definite)?

I gotta go for now and get ready for work. Good luck with all of this and let me know if you need anything.

[Mark Robson]

Thanks, Dwndrgn. I had actually given the mating some thought (typical bloke I suppose ), but will largely duck the issue in this story. I have come up with solutions to some, though not all of the questions you raised. My problem is with how to tackle such a delicate subject in a way that is not offensive and is not in any way graphic. McCaffrey did this quite well, but my dragons are going to have a completely different set of rules, so I'll not cop out by using her ideas.

Yes there will be the potential for jealousy between dragon and rider, or more specifically rider and dragon! The pre-destination issue is a tricky one, because I am opening myself up for inconsistencies, but the general idea is that the dragon know it has a purpose to fulfil. The complete purpose is not a clear picture to the dragon, but it senses when it must do things and go to places in order to complete its purpose. The awareness of their rider is clearer, but the rider (as is seen in the piece above) is not totally aware of the dragon.

The idea of a vegetarian rider is priceless - thanks! I hadn't even considered that, but will definitely use it. It will make for a great dragonrider character. A dragonphobic rider... well, what can I say? I can see a very motley bunch of characters beginning to emerge here.

As for acceptance in society, my plan was to have the dragon and rider communities living far from the reach of the general public. They will not be mythical, but will be generally viewed with fear, as the only dragons that the public will normally see will be the 'rogues' - those dragons that for whatever reason never met with their riders. These dragons turn nasty and as they are very large carnivorous creatures, they will cause mayhem amongst the villages and towns. Hence - pretty maidens tied to stakes to feed them, dragonhunters etc could all come into play!

All in all, I think I'm going to have a lot of fun with this.

[I, Brian]

Sounds like dwndrgn would probably make a good reader for pushing your work.

[Mark Robson]

Originally Posted by I, Brian

Sounds like dwndrgn would probably make a good reader for pushing your work.

You're right, Brian. I'll see about sending her review copies of The Darkweaver Legacy shortly.

[I, Brian]

I was thinking more on your asking earlier for people to offer constructive reading on Dawn Dragon - but, heck, if you want to send her free books as well, go for it.

[Balinor]

hey mark, some quick questions

1. what gives rise to the dragons type? e.g is a dawn dragon only born at dawn
2. are there going to be lots of dragon riders or only a select few?
3.how powerful will the dragon riders be? (will having a dragon make them faster, stronger etc)
4. what opposition will they have and how powerful will the opposition be?
5. how do you choose proof readers?

[rune]

I love dragon stories and got hooked by your short one Rather cruel though Mark as it'll probably be a while before you get to publish the book.

[Mark Robson]

Originally Posted by Balinor

hey mark, some quick questions

1. what gives rise to the dragons type? e.g is a dawn dragon only born at dawn
2. are there going to be lots of dragon riders or only a select few?
3.how powerful will the dragon riders be? (will having a dragon make them faster, stronger etc)
4. what opposition will they have and how powerful will the opposition be?
5. how do you choose proof readers?

Right, one way or another I’m going to answer this post! This is my fourth attempt. My computer locks up every time I hit the key to post and I’ve got fed up with all the typing, so I’ve written it in word now and will keep cutting and pasting until it decides it likes me enough to respond properly!

• Spot on, Balinor. Because dawn is such a short time span, the dawn dragons are very rare. The majority of dragons will be day and night dragons.

• There will only be one dragon rider for each dragon. However, there will be many dragons without dragon riders, as they will still be waiting for their riders to be born.

• The dragon riders will be ordinary men and women. The only extraordinary thing about them will be their ability to communicate with their dragons by telepathy. It is the very normalness of the dragon riders that will make the story such fun to write.

• The opposition faced by the dragon riders/dragons will depend on their quest. The title of the book gives something of a clue towards Elian and Ryshell’s quest, but I’ll say no more than that for now.

• If you’re looking to be a proof reader, Balinor, then you’re hired … figuratively speaking of course! I already pay three professional proof readers, but I have several others who like to read the stories and make comments for fun. If you want to join their ranks, then you only need to ask. But there will be no money changing hands, I’m afraid.

Originally Posted by Rune

I love dragon stories and got hooked by your short one Rather cruel though Mark as it'll probably be a while before you get to publish the book.

The same offer applies, Rune. I’ll probably be sending out the book in chunks once I get going a bit later in the year. It will inevitably get revised and resent several times, but you would be able to have a hand in shaping the story if you wish.

[Balinor]

Originally Posted by Mark Robson

If you want to join their ranks, then you only need to ask. But there will be no money changing hands, I’m afraid.

lol, i wasnt looking to be paid to read it , i would read it because i love to read (and i like your books )

thanks for answering my questions, i'm eagerly awaiting the opportunity to read a great story