The Major Players

My psychologist would argue that each of the main characters is a sliver of my overall complex self. She’s probably right. Annoyingly.

As a writer, I’ve learnt to loosen my control over characters. Yes, I can have an idea of where I want them to end up and set challenges along the way, but they are making their own path. These fully-fledged beings tell me how they feel. They decide what to do and what to say. I’m along for the ride.

To allow for this character-based control, I’ve opted for deceptively simple arcs across the six books. Each book will question, advance, and sometimes regress these journeys.

Wren Findley (14), Human, Time Thymus

Arc: To like herself — a hard thing for someone with OCD and complex trauma to do.

Wren Findley (in Book 1) is a fourteen-year-old girl with OCD. She’s a Time Thymus: quick to love, but finds it hard to forgive. A lover of science fiction, she uses clothing to express her true (OCD-free) self. Clever, her first weapon is sass — backed up by ingenuity and a wicked left swing. Plagued by intrusive thoughts, she’s constantly caught between what she knows is right and what her brain tells her is best.

Largely me. Wren is also inspired by Valkyrie Cain (Skulduggery Pleasant), Annabeth Chase(Percy Jackson)Colonel Jack O’Neill (Stargate SG-1), a few comedians I know, and many of the students I’ve taught. You give everything to your students, and they always leave a mark. Even if they think we’ll never remember them — we do.

Wren is the POV of the series. Each book is a field report. We’ll experience other characters’ stories through her dreams — to be explained in a future blog.

Colonel Gomez (23, Utahraptor)

Arc: To find peace — internally and externally.

If Wren is the teenage version of me, still figuring things out, Gomez is the warrior. A veteran of the Great Snake War, she’s spent most of her twenty-odd years in battle. Born royal, she’s expected to rule — but refuses to. Colonel Gomez can lead armies, but won’t lead her people.

Sometimes called “Green” or “Queen Killer,” Gomez has fallen for human music. It’s her secret joy. She’s the military leader on Lunar Command and MR-1’s field commander. Driven by guilt, she’s overprotective of her younger (by 30 seconds) siblings. Gomez is a vegetarian.

Hans (23, Utahraptor)

Arc: Life is for living — you can’t keep escaping or avoiding it forever.

Although he shares his name, this universe’s Hans is very different to the plush toy you all know and love. He’s a genius (like, super), but the ultimate manchild. Distracted by shiny things and whatever’s new, he often forgets to ask whether something is safe before he does it.

Hans, named after the bad guy in Die Hard, is mistrusted and mistreated by most. They’re scared of him — and the miraculous things he’s capable of. He can create pocket dimensions, manipulate time… yet he can’t boil an egg.

Wren changes Hans’s life for the better. She’s the first person to accept him for who he is. Hans, the definition of ADHD, is often a source of laughter and loyalty. He loves pop culture and cute things.

The last character we’ll explore today is Lunar Command. Any science fiction fan knows that a place, object, or ship can become an important character in its own right. Situated in a pocket dimension on the Moon, Lunar Command is the base from which our heroes traverse time. The following excerpt from Book 1 will introduce it.

Welcome to the Wrenverse

Stories are how we make sense of ourselves and the world. The trick is to not let your mental illness weaponise it. 

As a teenager diagnosed with OCD, hours of my mornings were spent checking to see if the front door was locked. I used to get to school, only to have to walk back home and then back again several times.

M*A*S*H, on every weekend day at 5pm, became an anchor in the swell of overpowering thoughts. The characters and stories of them finding a way to survive the challenges of being trapped in a front-line medical unit helped me process my own. Later, JD’s monologues in Scrubs helped me clarify my place in the world. Hell is always nicer when you have someone to walk through it with you.

Domestic violence darkened my household. I needed a friend to take into battle. Luckily, I had story worlds to draw from. My Generation 1 Optimus Prime toy stood by my side. He could kick ass. Later, Hans (my plush T-Rex mental health carer) tagged in.  He is cooler, of course. More modern. 

Two of the four times I tried to commit suicide were when I felt detached from my beloved narratives. I didn’t feel connected to the things that help me keep grounded. 

As a writer, I’ve been quiet for a few years now as I’ve been rebuilding from my latest (hopefully last) suicide attempt. The stalling of my creative endeavours had left me lost and hopeless. Even thinking about anything new was taxing. 

Alongside years of intense therapy, the help of Hans and my dear network of friends has seen me become functional again. Trauma therapy is hard. FYI.

Hans, ever the proud genius, suggested that we could combine two of our older stalled projects into something new. For the past few years, we’ve been working on an Upper Middle Grade science fiction novel.

Wren Findley and the Call of the Pied Piper.

“I don’t understand why I need to write an abstract for a field report. People can read my account… T-Rexes and paperwork. Sigh. Whatever. This thing is written by me, Wren Findley. I’m a teenage Time Thymus assigned to MR-1. This tracks our journey to unmask the douchebag kidnapper who calls himself the Pied Piper. Along the way, we battle Devil Frogs, robots, and ninety-foot Snake Queens. I discover I’m part of some prophecy and meet my Utahraptor teammates, Hans and Gomez. You’ll probably get frustrated with how much OCD comes up. It frustrates me too. Sadly, it’s part of who I am. Not sure what’s more complicated — dinosaurs, mental illness, or time travel. Maybe I’ll figure that out one day.”

A deeply personal journey, each chapter reflected a life lesson in the real world. I found myself healing. The characters were allowing me to grow with them. Wren’s OCD has become so authentic that I’m actually (irrationally) worried about giving readers the illness. 

Some other victories include:

• Finding my audience

• Writing in third person and utilising past tense

• Jumping the shark twenty times (at least — it’s part of the story world’s DNA)

• Being able to embrace elements from my favourite stories and make them my own. 

The Book is finally ready to be sent out into the world. I am ready for that challenge (#publishme). 

This also means I’m ready to dive into Book 2 of the six-part series. As part of my continued healing, I’ve decided to bring you along for the ride. Each week (or fortnight), I’ll post a new entry about what I’ve learned,  my ongoing progress, and maybe even drafts of chapters.

For now, here is a teaser poster for Wren Findley and the Horror at the Tower of Babel.