Letters to the Editor.
Editor: "Hi Mike. Want to talk about Chapter 13? This is the one that pulls the rug out. Twelve chapters of warmth, laughter and feasting under the stars, and then in a single page you take all of it away. Max's eardrums burst and he rolls off the deck. The dorsals are torn apart. Hi-Sun splits in two, right between Shane and Mila, and they lose sight of each other forever. Then he wakes up on the side of the bed, and Pei hands him a warm cup of mill tea.
What strikes me is that you let the reader believe it. There's no hint it's a dream until he opens his eyes. Why did you choose to put Shane, and us, through the worst-case version before the real day arrives?"
Mike: "This is what nightmares do to you. It is real at the moment till you wake. Sometimes sticking for hours. That feeling, trying to run, but can't run. Trying to defend but can't move, can't yell out. Then to wake and find it was a dream. Or was it?"
Editor: "That paralysis is the heart of it. Everyone has had that dream: legs that won't run, a voice that won't come out. And you gave it to Gary too. He's yelling the call to arms and only silence comes from his mouth. The most capable people on that boat, frozen.
What gets me is how it sits against the rest of the book. Since Chapter 3, Shane's power only works when he plays with it. 'The harder I try or the more serious I get, the less it seems to work.' The nightmare is the exact opposite of play. It's pure fear, and fear is the one state where the Lord of Water can't move a single drop. So the dream isn't just scary. It shows the reader his real weakness.
And your 'Or was it?' — the book backs you up. Gary has already seen a patch of stars go missing. The nightmare wasn't wrong. It was early.
So was it a warning? Do you believe dreams can carry something real like that?"
Mike: "Absolutely. They can be life changing. Dreams I feel can be interesting. They test your personal integrity in an almost real life scene. It sure feels like it. Were we brave enough, did we do the right thing, did we keep our personal integrity in place, did we stay loyal? Or did the paralysis hold us down? Interesting to me, my dreams have been on the bad side of this. But when tested in reality, I feel I passed the test. Well, maybe a few flunks, but these are the times to learn.
I think my message here is that a dream is a reflection of our fears. A nightmare that is. We don't need to accept that. Be willing to be brave. Be in the present. Be brave and have integrity. Be impeccable with your word. Trust yourself."
Editor: "That's the EP for me. And it's exactly what Shane does. He doesn't argue with the nightmare or try to decode it. He touches Mila's forehead, steps out onto the deck, takes the warm mill tea from Pei, and lets the images fade until he finds his orientation again. Then: 'Today is the day.' The fear came, he felt it fully, and he didn't accept it.
That's your message on the page. The nightmare shows you what fear would do to you. Waking up is the choice. Be in the present, be brave, keep your integrity, trust yourself. A dream can test you, but you're the one who decides whether you passed. Good chapter, Mike."
More chapters, more letters, coming soon. — Mike
This series is built from real editorial conversations behind Lord of Water — the raw material, unpolished. New here? Read Chapter 1 free at lordofwater.com/chapter-1/