Michael T. Hare

Before we dive into today’s post, I’m delighted to announce that my family and I have moved back to our beautiful home of the West. New Hampshire will always hold a special place in my heart, but it is good to return to the open plains and towering mountains, both of which my neighborhood sits directly between. I see deer almost every day and am surrounded by horses and other livestock, including what appears to be a flock of sheep a little ways from my house. I am still debating if that’s what they are. They could also be goats. There are lots of goats here too.

Okay. Enough about goats. Let’s talk about books.

Core concepts are vital for keeping a story alive. Let’s say that you’re writing a book about dragons. “Dragons” is not enough to carry you through an entire story. “Dragons” is merely an idea. A concept is what sits in the middle—the beating heart, so to speak. The rock upon which your book stands. A concept allows us to answer the question, “What is my book about?”

For example, my current work in progress has a very strong core concept. If someone were to ask me what my story was about, I would tell them, “It’s about two enemies who accidentally become soul-bonded and learn to work together.” Establishing a core concept is how we writers define what our story is truly about. Back then, I didn’t consider core concepts, and my books felt listless, veering off in strange directions that didn’t serve the overall story.

I want you to think about How to Train Your Dragon. How would you describe that movie to somebody? I would say, “This movie is about a boy who refuses to kill a dragon even though his people are sworn enemies with them.” That is the core concept. That is the jumping-off point. It keeps the movie grounded. It keeps the characters’ ambitions aligned with the movie’s purpose. And it keeps us—the audience—focused on the right things. Once you have that core concept, THEN start creating your villages, peoples, and lands. THEN add the fine details and subplots. Always remember that a core concept should not be inserted. It should be built upon.

Now, I bet you’re wondering what happened to Untitled Dragon Rider Project. The summary I have above certainly doesn’t sound like it. You’re right to question, traveler, because Untitled Dragon Rider Project has officially been placed on the back burner for a while (possibly even forever). My toil with Untitled Dragon Rider Project wasn’t normal. It was fueled by a belief that I HAD to write it. That if I didn’t write a good enough “dragon story,” I wasn’t successful. The process was draining me to the point of depression, and I eventually came to the conclusion that I had to stop everything.

It was hard, but undoubtedly worth it. Because now I have a new story, one aligned with my true desires as a writer, unhindered by perfectionism and fear. You may not be surprised to hear that there is indeed a dragon in it. You can’t get me away from them; they just make stories better. But this time around, I’m going to write the dragon instead of letting the dragon write me.

What can you expect from this new book? Well, you can certainly expect a dragon, and where there are dragons, there are adventures. Stay tuned for updates because there will be a lot of them after today.

Until we meet again, traveler.