E.C. Myers Talks About Writing Books for RWBY
E.C. Myers has written a few books for the awesome animated series RWBY from Rooster Teeth. His latest entry is Fairy Tales of Remnant which I loved. I was granted the opportunity to ask Myers a few questions about the book as well as RWBY in general and it’s been fun to learn how these fairy tales came about.
Tommy: What got you into RWBY? I know Fairy Tales of Remnant is your third RWBY book, but where did your journey begin?
E.C.: I learned about RWBY when an editor from Scholastic, Chloe Fraboni, e-mailed and asked if I would be interested in writing a YA tie-in book to the series. I had heard of Rooster Teeth before, because of Red vs. Blue, but I had been out of the loop with recent media for a while—becoming a new parent can have that effect. As an old-school fan of anime (I started with the first U.S. broadcast of Sailor Moon when I was a kid), particularly the “magical girls” genre, I thought the show sounded like something I would like. So I started bingeing RWBY and knew right away that I was into it, and that I would love writing stories about its characters and world. I wrote a sample scene to audition for the project, and it all worked out from there.
Tommy: Who is your favorite character to watch? Who is your favorite character to write?
E.C.: This is one of those shows where I feel like every character is my favorite to watch when they’re on screen, and they’re always introducing new characters you want to see more of. But one of my favorite characters in the series is Penny Polendina. She’s just so wholesome and fun, and her unique background and potential are fascinating. My favorite character to write is Fox Alistair, because he’s that sarcastic voice that pops into my head that I don’t need to keep to myself.
Tommy: What was the process like creating the various tales in Fairy Tales of Remnant? Were most of them plotted out for you by Kerry Shawcross and the Rooster Teeth team and you wrote it out meeting their framework? Did you have 100% free reign?
E.C.: From the beginning, we knew the collection would include retellings of three stories from the series, “The Two Brothers,” “The Girl in the Tower,” and “The Story of the Seasons.” I had already written a short version of “The Man Who Stared at the Sun” for RWBY: Before the Dawn, which we also wanted to be in the book. Chloe and I brainstormed ideas for the rest before we talked with Rooster Teeth to make sure everything lined up with their plans. They made some changes and suggested some additional stories, and then I outlined the best options for another round of discussion to finalize the lineup. We also planned to have Professor Ozpin introduce the stories and comment on them, and that influenced which stories we would include and how I would write them.
Tommy: Is there another piece of RWBY that you would love to write about?
E.C.: Wow, there are a lot of characters I would love to write about, in other areas of Remnant. Top of the list are the early adventures of Roman Torchwick and Neopolitan, but I think it would also be fascinating to spend some time with a pre-Beacon Academy Pyrrha Nikos. I’m also really into the Ace-Ops, so exploring one of their side adventures in Atlas might be fun.
Tommy: I’m assuming you have your own OC for the RWBY universe. Tell me about them. What’s their semblance? What’s their weapon?
E.C.: I don’t have my own OC actually, but I’ve been fortunate enough to come up with a bunch of other original characters in the RWBY stories I’ve written. It takes me long enough to come up with interesting Semblances, names, and weapons that I think I’d better save my efforts for a potential third YA book.
Tommy: Do you have any other projects that fans should be on the lookout for?
E.C.: I have a short story in the works, coincidentally another fairy tale, which will be published early next year, and I’m co-writing the second season of Orphan Black: The Next Chapter, from Serial Box Publishing.