I usually only date the beginning (and maybe the end) of each notebook so the timing of what I wrote down inside is generally a mystery, however, I can manage an overview.
The Idea
It was January 2010. I had recently completed my second writing (I actually rewrote it in 1st person) of another of my books for NaNoWriMo and was ready to tackle something new. A new-year's resolution may have been involved. I'd had the idea of combining cultures inspired by both Japan and England into one world/country for a long time, but with no story or characters attached.
I finally hit on the idea of having exiles from a Japan-like country conquer parts of an England-like country. (This of course removes North America from the equation, but don't expect me to eliminate chocolate from my world!) The story, however, would take place hundreds of years after that, giving plenty of time for the cultures to intermingle--or not as the case may be.
I don't recall my reasons for deciding on Regency England (the broader time-frame, not the actual 9-year Regency) as the inspiration time period, but it probably had to do with Gail Carriger's The Parasol Protectorate series (which is actually urban fantasy meets steampunk in Victorian England), Naomi Novik's Temeraire series (alternate history set during the Napoleonic Wars--with dragons!) and the numerous regency romance novels I have read over the years (favorite authors being Mary Jo Putney, Mary Balogh, Julia Quinn and Sherry Thomas). Of course, there is no "England" in my story. It's more of an alternate shadow-England.
There are lots of interesting things to explore in his world/time period, fertile potential for story ideas and conflicts. There is the clash between the two cultures, a war (not necessarily French Revolution/Napoleonic Wars, but some kind of war), politics, the disparity between the the classes and of course, the main character himself and all his backstory.
The Character
I wanted this book/series to be different than the ones I've written before. I was inspired by these long urban fantasy series that go on and on, following one character having multiple adventures (Jim Butcher's Dresden series; Charlaine Harris Sookie Stackhouse), but, unlike Gail Carriger, who I mentioned above, I didn't want to write an urban fantasy during any time period. However, the concept of a long series (hopefully!) required a character interesting enough to sustain interest over multiple books.
My solution was to think of someone with such a rich backstory that an epic story could be written about his life before my story even starts. Unfortunately, I can't say too much about him without spoiling the story. Rest assured Dakotashi, or "Dakota" for short, lives between two cultures, two worlds and has a mysterious, layered and painful past. He is ripe for all kinds of conflict and angst.
I'm probably also heavily influenced by Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vokosigan series, even though it is science fiction/space opera, because Mile Vorkosigan is an amazing character, who has the type of adventures--a little mystery, a little romance, a little politics, a little war--that I want my character to have over the course of the series.
The Magic
Normally, the magic is something that I think of right away with my ideas/story concepts. It wasn't like that this time. I did some early research on Shinto and got some ideas for some Japanese-inspired magic and already planned on some Druid-inspired magic. When I first started writing I still had no idea what the magic was going to be like. I had the vague idea that it would be tied up with religion.
I started my first notebook for Dakotashi in January 2010, but I think I had already made some notes elsewhere, possibly in Scrivener. The first backup from Scrivener I could find was from February 2010. I was planning on writing the first draft for NaNoWriMo in November 2010, but first I needed a plot to go along with my world and character. I'll be tackling that next part of My Journey with Dakotashi, in Part II: NaNoWriMo.
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