commentaries

Two chapters in one day today, mainly because what I have to say about them is the same for both chapters. One of the biggest problems the early draft of VODNIK had was this huge gaping hole in the middle of the build up to the climax. In the original, Tomas gets zonked out for two weeks, and then it’s all a mad dash scramble for him to catch up and do everything that needs doing in just a few days. It didn’t work at all. But why it didn’t work was a very eye-opening experience for me as a writer. […]

When I’m writing a scene for the first time, it’s always interesting to me (after the fact) to see where all the bits and pieces and shreds of ideas came from. An excellent example of this can be seen in this chapter, where Tomas’s descent into the well drew upon several bits of writing I’d done in the past, as well as some life experiences. First up is Lesana’s transition into a living ice sculpture. I think I’ve mentioned a few times in these commentaries that Vodnik is actually my second story set in Slovakia–my second starring a vodnik, actually. Back

WARNING: SPOILERS–DON’T READ IF YOU HAVEN’T FINISHED VODNIK Starenka was another fun character to write. She first appeared back when Tomas and Katka were doing their original tour of the city. Back then, she tried to give Tomas the herbs he’d need to complete the spell the Vodnik put in his hands much later on. (Which is another argument in the “Fate” camp, if you’re looking at the plot of this book from that angle. How did Starenka know Tomas would need to be having those herbs? Since we know she’s not actually Starenka, but instead is Tomas’s grandmother, working

Two things to comment on in this chapter: potions and the effects of a vodnik’s bite. First up, potions. When I was about five or six, I was obsessed with making potions in the bathtub. I’d combine shampoos, soaps, gels–anything I could get my hands on, all in an effort to make some magical anything. It just made sense to me that all I had to do was find the right combination to be able to do something that had never been done before. Of course, I never succeeded–but I took that same idea and made it the basis for potions in

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD I’ll be honest. I’m still not in love with the random wishy-washiness of the Vodnik in this book. He goes from deciding he wants Tomas dead to deciding he wants to help him–back and forth, back and forth–throughout the whole book, and that’s behavior that tends to bug me. I like my characters to be consistent. To have a single goal, and do everything they can to achieve that goal. Then again, the Vodnik does know what he wants: to be able to add Lesana’s soul to his teacup collection. He’s been working toward that goal for centuries,