- April 24, 2024
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Will Wight, 23, sat on a stool last week in the Flagler Palm Coast High School media center and read to a group of students from his iPhone.
He shared with them the story of Simon, a boy who watches, helplessly, as his family is killed, and his friends are captured by enemy travelers — men and women who can summon mystical powers from otherworldly territories. Wight read to students the prolog of “House of Blades,” which was turned into Chapter 1, when he published the novel on Kindle Direct Publishing.
The novel took the 2007 Flagler Palm Coast graduate exactly one year to complete, from first word on paper to its Kindle release. Wight, who just received his master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Central Florida, shared his story with current students during the last week of school. He also spoke to the students about the creative process.
“This was the place where I first started thinking about writing a fantasy novel,” Wight said as he looked around the shelves in the library where, as a teen, he read several fantasy novels. “Coming back here is really cool, because this is where I was inspired. So it’s fun to come back here and share that with students.”
While in high school, Wight began to write several books, but he never finished them. He was constantly reworking the beginnings. That continued through college.
He admitted to being a master outline writer, which was as far as his book got. For this novel, Wight decided to approach it differently. He started with a core concept and just started writing, developing the story line and characters as the words appeared on the screen. The original concept only sort of made it to the final version.
The fantasy novel is the first in a trilogy, Wight said. He is looking to release the next book in August.
“House of Blades” can be purchased for Kindle or Kindle apps for $2.99.
Visit www.willwight.com or follow him on Twitter at @uru81189.
