No Small Parts

In my previous blog posts leading up to the release of Poison, I've introduced you to the Logia and the Strages. But I'd be remiss if I left out their counterparts--the Lumen and the Crepusculum.

The Lumen are followers of the Crown, but do not possess the gifts the Logia do. They support the Logia in every way possible, and seek to bring people to the Crown. They can act as Crusaders (think missionary work), but they cannot hold leadership roles within a Logia domicile. Lumen is Latin for light.

On the other hand, the Crepusculum does the same for the Strages. Most of them are awed by the power the Strages hold, and the Strages are able to recruit from this pool of followers. In future stories, this faction is comprised of people who have grown angry with the Crown for one reason or another. Crepusculum is Latin for dusk.

(Side story: When I studied theatre in college, I was required to take a set design class. The teacher introduced to us the word "crepuscular," describing a sunset as having crepuscular rays. I always that that was a cool word, and I often used it to impress friends and family. I had to use it somewhere!)

I toyed with the idea of scrapping these factions completely, but as I wrote, I grew to see their importance. They helped me differentiate a follower versus a non-follower. A few of them play key roles, even though they are in the background. So they stayed. And I'm glad.

Hearkening back to my theatre days, I'm reminded of the famous quote by actor and director Konstantin Stanislovski. "Remember, there are no small parts, only small actors." Those of us who have wound up with one-liners and chorus parts want to kick good ol' Konnie in the shin, but really, it's true. Without these tiny, integral parts, the play--or the novel--can fall apart.