Featured Character: Hugh de Montfort
Q: What do you enjoy most about Pan Historia? A: There are a few things I like. I mostly like the people that make up Pan Historia. It’s nice to have a wide range of creative freedom. You can write anywhere but its really I think the people that make this site terrific. Finally, I have to add that the management of Pan Historia may not always do what you want, but they are very communicative to the members that are part of Pan Q: Would you tell us a little about your character Hugh and his roll in 1066? A: Hugh de Montfort in 1066 is based on a historical person that I will speak of shortly. In 1066, he is a close adviser to the Duke of Normandy. You might think of it as a chief of staff. Mostly, his role is to help provide military and diplomatic advice to William. But like all landed people of that time, he is not doing this out of the goodness of his heart, but with an eye to increasing his land and power by any means he thinks that he can get away with. Not really an evil person, just ... practical. Q: What is it about 1066 that drew you to the novel? A: I was drawn to the novel because Hugh de Montfort is an ancestor of mine. There is a very good Mobster there named Lady Isabella who very quickly got me involved with the story. Before I knew it, I was a Mobster there, and getting talked into doing other projects around Pan Historia. Q: Hugh de Montfort was a real person ... do you try to keep your portrayal of him close to history? A: The biggest problem I have had with trying to be historical compared to the real Hugh de Montfort is, there is just so little information on him. From what I can find, he had a fair amount of land, he was a close advisor to William, even to the point that at one time he was one of three regents in England while the Duke was back in France. There is even a story that he was one of three Normans that hacked up the body of Harold II. However, I do not want to just repeat history. I look at the story as a framework, and I want to try to flesh out the character through the story, as I envision him. Q: Lady Isabella mentioned in her nomination of you that you have been active in the recruitment of new writers, what is the secret to recruiting good writers to a novel? A: I find that recruiting a good writer to a story is one of the hardest things to do. That’s especially true if you’re a fairly small novel. I am not sure there is really any real secret. I try to locate people that I think might be interested in that time period, or just like the idea of guys with swords hacking at each other. It sometimes takes a lot of perseverance and sticking to it. Not getting discouraged when someone says no thanks and when you do have someone that wants to get involved, help them out in all ways you can to quickly get their excitement level up. Q: Do you find your writing influenced by anyone in particular? Are there any writers whom you particularly admire? A: When I am asked who has influenced me, one-person leaps to mind. William Shakespear. His work has so many hidden parts, and there is so much that can have more than one meaning. Shakespear rarely has clear-cut heroes. It is so “not Disney” and I find the characters he wrote to be more than just what you see is what you get. Just when you think you have a character figured out, Shakespear gives you a twist and it really makes me look at my own writing to see if I have characters that are interesting to read as well as write. I want them to be like an onion, never sure just what will happen to them next. But its not just his plays that I like, I love the sonnets, and that is what most of my poems that I write are, sonnets. Q: What's the most difficult aspect for you in writing Pan style storyplay? And the easiest? A: I had a hard time getting use to the idea of role-play. I had never done that anywhere before and thought it a bunch of malarkey. That was until I started getting into it. There is something fun about writing with others and not knowing just where the story or characters are going. That to me is now the easiest part. Sometimes someone will ask me what so and so is doing next. I honestly never can say that I know what is going to happen next. In a way, the characters take a life of their own, and I am sometimes surprised myself to find out after I write something that I really did not expect it to happen that way. Q: Lastly a more personal question - would you tell us the thing you are most proud of, either online or out in the big wide world? A: You could not have picked a harder question to ask me. I am about the most laid back person you might very come across. And then I am the most excitable person you would ever meet also. Kind of a contradiction but is not really to me. There is nothing in life that stands out to me. By the same token, there is nothing in my life that is any less than the rest. It all carries the same weight to me. For me to say, I am proud of something would not just lift something over the rest, but would mean there is a lot that I am not as proud of. I love my job, past jobs, friend current and past, my family (and can be like Ms. America and hope for world peace *lol* while I am at it). I can get excited at seeing a boat, or something at the zoo. I have been in highly stressful situations and never feel a thing. I am just your basic guy that no one in their right mind would write a book about. So my proudest moment would have to be. Every single moment of my life. |
Hugh
de Montfort is one of the mainstays of 1066: The Year of Conquest
and like many of us at Pan, writes in the persona of an historical
character who once lived and breathed. He
took a few minutes out of his time to answer some questions
about his character, 1066 and Pan in general for the Pan
Historian.
