NaNo - Day 8, And The Little Children Shall Annoy Them

I'm not a big fan of little kids in fantasy or science fiction for that matter; they often come off as unrealistic or cloying. So naturally I end up with a small child in this book. My mission is to make her realistic without being overly annoying – to me. On the other hand, most little kids can be very bothersome, especially to those who are unfamiliar with the breed. I decided if I had a child in my book I would inflict her on the least likely character to handle it well. An apprentice ropemaker just trying to return to his guildhall and get his next assignment. Unfortunately, fate has other plans in store for him. Like saving a child from demons.

In The Godhunter, a woman's small daughter is kidnapped/stolen/intentionally lost by the manipulative factions I spoke of in the previous post. I debated having the child remain an invisible character, but two things happened. The chance to torture the ropemaker secondary character, and the child. She developed a voice and presence of her own and demanded inclusion. She didn't demand a POV role, which is good. I don’t think I could carry the POV of a child for long at this point. She is not a main character although part of the story revolves around her. Of course, when she is on stage, like all little kids, she wants to be the center of attention. When your father is a god, and you don't get attention, well, let's just say your demands can border on magical blackmail.

For some characters in the book, the child is a means to an end, for others, she is a goal. For the mother of the child, she is a look into the abyss. How far will she go to save the life of her child? How far should she go? If something has to be sacrificed to save this child's life, what should it be? Strangers? The girl's father? Her kingdom? If you think being a parent is hard, try being the mother of a demigod.