Know The Novel (Part One): the Dorian Gray Trilogy

I was sad that NaNoWrimo closed. A lot has already been said by others about the controversial reasons, and I did not want to make a negative post. Instead, I decided to search for NaNoWriMo alternatives and found FicFrenzy, which takes place in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. I joined in time for the Fall event. 

I decided to do a story that I have been working on for a while (at least behind the scenes, since I have not made many blog posts about it). I have not quite figured out how to explain this series, and that is something I am still working on. This post will explain the changes to the novel series and give new readers the basic gist of it. Also, FicFrenzy's Challenge has given me new motivation to write the series.

Here are the questions for the Challenge, let's begin...

1. What first sparked the idea for this novel?

A part of this idea came to me during college (though I had been thinking about it since 2020). I was tasked to write a screenplay for an assignment. I had written a few sketch comedies and written two short plays in response to Shakespeare's The Tempest, but writing a whole new screenplay from scratch was a fun adventure. 

At the time I was inspired by the television show, Sleepy Hollow, because I liked how they portrayed Irving's characters. So, I decided to write about Dorian Gray and this whole trilogy came into being. However, the original idea to make the story into a television series did not last long (because while I like screenwriting, it did not work for this particular story), and instead the story evolved into a novel trilogy. 

2. Share a blurb (or just an overall summary)!

To give you an idea of what my story is like: it is a literary fiction trilogy, and it is not the same type of story in every book (though from book to book the same characters will be the main characters). I also tend to mix genres within the series so, the trilogy is not primarily one genre. 

Also, the reader is not required to have read Wilde's novel to understand my writing. Familiarity with the source material merely enhances it, but one can read my series without even having read Wilde. 

Here is what the first book is like...

Dorian's painting (which is his soul) is displayed in a museum. When he attempts to steal his painting back he finds that his past may not be as buried and forgotten as he believes it to be. 

The second book... I am currently working on a summary. That summary will probably appear in future blog posts. However, the second book focuses on one of the character's backstories and their present, which are intertwined in the narrative. 

 Currently, I am only working on books 1 & 2, since they are in conversation with each other. I have plans for Book 3, but have not yet begun writing. 

3. Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite aspects of the setting?

There are two timelines in the trilogy: the 20th century and the Victorian Era. I had originally planned to set the series in the present, since I was inspired by Sleepy Hollow. However, the series went in a different direction.

 In the first timeline, the setting is the 1920s-40s.  I chose this 20th century time-frame, because I wanted to explore the Art Deco and Modernist (literature) movement. 

In the second timeline, the setting is the end of the Victorian Era (or near the end of it). And in that time period, I explore the Aesthetic and Pre-Raphaelite movements. 

4. Tell us about your protagonist(s).

(Characters from books 1 and 2). 

In book 1... 

Dorian Gray 

An immoral immortal who has his soul stuck in a museum, and wants to free it.
He loves aesthetics, and while he may look innocent, he is not trustworthy. 

Reed Hayward 

Reed is a magical artist. He suffers from false memories, though he is unaware that his memories are not what really happened. He has magical art abilities which allow him to enter paintings and create illusions. 

Ivy Hughes 

Ivy is a painter who creates replicas of paintings, and owns a painting business with her husband. However, she longs to make her own artwork. She is also witty and thinks like a critic about art. 

And in book 2, the same three characters remain, but a new character appears.. 

Medea

Medea is a magical artist--her magic relates to embroidery and weaving. She is mysterious, and you will never truly understand who she is, even when you think you do. 

I am still working on their character pages (the old pages are severely out of date), but if you wish, you can look at the works in progress here. 

5. Who (or what) is the antagonist?

In book 1... 

Raymond 

He's technically not the antagonist unless you see him through Dorian's eyes.
Raymond is a thief, who is sly and cunning, and can be vindictive against his enemies.  

In book 2... 

The antagonist isn't a person, instead it is a psychological feeling (unless you count Dorian, then it's Dorian again).

6. What excites you the most about this novel?

The characters, because they are what fuels this novel series. Spending time with them, helps me to learn about them, and writing becomes a journey of discovery. 

Also, what excites me is the world-building for series. A whole new world was sparked because of this story series, and I have been steadily building and writing it. 

Also, because of this trilogy, I am researching topics that interest me. 

7. Is this going to be a series? standalone? something else?

It is going to be a trilogy series with maybe some spin-offs involving other characters (such as Medea). 

8. Are you plotting? pantsing? plansting?

I am doing a mixture of planning out the novel and improvising. I have the basic idea of where this is going, though I am still figuring out how to express some of my ideas. 

9. Name a few unique elements in this story.

While I do have other projects which explore art (notably, The Haunted Sketchbook), I like exploring paintings, sculptures, etc. through this idea of magical artists, since they show the magic of art. 

And while immortality is not really the focus (morals are), I like having characters from different time periods interacting with one another. 

This novel series also plays a lot with social situations. So, I get to explore the etiquette from different time periods in which the characters live. 

10. Share some fun “extras” of the story (a song or full playlist, some aesthetics, a collage, a Pinterest board, a map you’ve made, a special theme you’re going to incorporate, ANYTHING you want to share!).

I am going to share some of the art (visual and music) that inspired me (and is inspiring me) while writing this: 

Windflowers by John William Waterhouse 

Early Art Deco Furnishings

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What are you working on? Is there anything you've learned about your projects as they've developed?

-Quinley