Apprentices: A Fresh Perspective

Have you noticed how many of the Warriors series start with a new apprentice? Beginning a series with fresh characters is always fun and, if they’re young and inexperienced, it’s even more fun.

I love writing from an apprentice point of view.

Even when the storyline tells me exactly what an apprentice will do next, I have no idea how they will do it or how they will feel until after they’ve done it. But I can be sure they will do it with plenty of wide-eyed enthusiasm or trembling anxiety. Apprentices feel everything so intensely; everything’s new to them, and interesting. And they are unpredictable.

Old warriors have walked in the same pawsteps for so long, they’ve worn their own path, and it’s usually clear where they’re going and how they’re going to think and feel. Jayfeather, for example, is always going to be sour. And Graystripe – dear Graystripe – he’s always going to say something funny or reassuring.

But apprentices! They could do ANYTHING!

Exploring Clan territory through new eyes makes old landscapes feel interesting again. And I love introducing an apprentice, fresh from the nursery, to a territory I know well but they’ve never seen before. I can take them to the Owl Tree or the WindClan border or the abandoned twoleg nest for the first time and enjoy their reaction. I love seeing how a young cat reacts when they first see the lake, or finding out how they feel when they travel to the island for their first Gathering.

Little by little, a new apprentice teaches me who they are. When I write training scenes, I find out if they are clumsy or skilful. When I write action scenes, I learn whether they cautious or rash. Although our characters have no choice but to follow the storyline, they will soon let me know how they want to follow it – whether it’s reluctantly or eagerly, anxiously or boldly.

Jaypaw, Hollypaw and Lionpaw were my favourite apprentices to write. When I started writing the Power of Three I had no idea how they would turn out. But, by the end of the first few chapters of the Sight, they had made it clear who they were going to become.

Writing apprentices lets me start each new series afresh, bringing energy and originality that is part of what keeps the Warriors series from becoming dull. I hope we have many more apprentices to meet and train and learn to love as much as the apprentices we’ve already guided through our adventures.