Never Have I Ever Tag

I've stolen a tag from Elizabeth, who stole it from Marie, who stole it from Nicole. XD

It looks like fun, I finally have a day off, and the miscellany posts I have in drafts require too much linking. (A rant review of a Netflix series, an update on RoS, a book review, a couple re-blogs...)

I don't have time to answer all of the questions, unfortunately; I'm going to pick and choose. All questions will be listed at the bottom, though. So. Here we go, the Never Have I Ever Tag!

Click to head to Nicole's blog!

The Rules:

• Link and thank the blogger who tagged you. Thanks for letting me steal this, Elizabeth!

• Include the graphic somewhere in the post (or make your own!) *points above*

• Answer the questions truthfully and honestly. But what if I don't? You'll never know... 😆

• Tag 3 bloggers. Hmm, I tag anyone who's done one of three things in the last 24 hours: read a book in one day/sitting, practiced a skill they've been wanting to learn for years, or been kind to a retail worker.

Never Have I Ever...

...changed my protagonist's names halfway through a draft.

I don't think that's happened with a protagonist yet, but I discovered that the main antagonist in RoS, Aranka, had a name change. It used to be Aleka, a diminutive of Alexandra, Greek in origin (because Greek was one of the cultures that's part of the Miltiades, plus she's an important figure, just like Alexandra was). Somewhere along the way her name became Aranka, which means "gold", and is Hungarian in origin. No one will notice, right? 

I'm not entirely sure when or why it changed. The name just sounded more...witch-y, I guess.

...yelled in all caps at myself in the middle of my novel.

In rough drafts, yes, most definitely. I started using both Fighter's Block and 4 the Words. Each of these has a time limit or challenge, and I would sometimes start typing things like this so I wouldn't fall behind:

[CRUUUUD I FORGOT WHERE I WAS GOING WITH THIS BUT IT WAS COOL.]

[GAH YOU'RE ANNOYING ME SO MUCH RIGHT NOW, MC]

[DOUBLE CHECK NOTES CUZ I'M PRETTY SURE I GOOFED HERE]

...killed a character that was based on someone I know in real life.

Not yet. But I have been tempted. XD

If I did, though, the character wouldn't be a tried and true copy; it would be a character, who makes their own stupid decisions (which may or may not mirror those of IRL person), and ends up sleeping in their own ruddy mess (also may or may  not mirror those of IRL person). 😇

...created maps of my fictional worlds.

YES. I have one for Jarnis, the main continent of Bookland. The shape of the continent is based off the silhouette of a lavender/mint bush growing on the side of our house. I didn't include it in Trouble in Bookland, because it's super rough, not to scale at all, and generally unfit for publication.

Fun fact: all of the continents of Bookland are named after important figures in their history, and based off of silhouettes of random things around my house.

I have a map for RoS, which is developed enough I want to include it in publication. It's going to be epic, and showcase some nitty-gritty worldbuilding that I've had trouble explaining in-story.

...drank an entire pot of coffee while writing.

Not yet, no. I have downed a couple Boba Fett mugs' worth, though (the thing is huge, pretty sure it's the equivalent of two cups). Decaf, all the way; caffeine gives me the jitters.

I've gotten into the habit of mixing hot chocolate with it.

...written down dreams to use in potential novels.

Absolutely. I have several notebooks. It's pretty cool to see how my dreams have changed over the years, and how much more detail--like clothing, plot, or magic systems--is retained after doing it for awhile.

One dream I've been sitting on for years involves an apocalyptic-esque world with satyrs, humans, mermaids, sentient robots, dwarfs, and a huge event where everyone competes to become their nation's representative. The games are camp-like events; swimming competitions, races, etc. And the few hunting games they have involve hunting the Dark Isle's myriad twisted lifeforms, not each other.

I have two of the cultures almost fully fleshed out (satyrs and dwarfs), various character relationships drawn up, and loosely developed main side characters. And a Pinterest board.

...published an unedited story on the internet/blog/Wattpad.

Nein! Nyet! NEVER. Never will I ever publish an unedited anything. Unless it's some sort of bonus, like sharing deleted/partially edited scenes in a newsletter or at the end of the book or something...

...forgotten to save my work/draft.

I have Scrivener, which saves after every two seconds of inactivity. So nope! I don't think I've ever forgotten to save when I used Word, either...

A few scares have happened in regards to backing up my drafts, because the computer I love to edit on has a horrid mouse and likes to drag-and-drop things in the wrong places. 😭

...finished a novel.

Yes! Trouble in Bookland, which you can check out on the "Published" page. The original plan had been to publish three parts (cuz trilogies are a staple of Fantasy), then combine and streamline them into one book. What ended up happening was I published two parts, nixed the third partway through due to worldbuilding issues, then combined and expanded parts 1 and 2.

...researched something shady for a novel.

I have, I have. For whatever reason, I have yet to utilize my numerous pins and research on poisons, wounds, weapons, diseases, psychological disorders, hiding bodies, and random things about gangs of the past and the history of murder.

Okay, that's a lie. I use them.

I use them in stories I haven't published. 😝

All of those half-or-quarter-finished drafts that repose in my notebooks, my computer, that may never see the light of day because I'm trying to keep my writing under this pen-name PG-13. 

I do have stories in the works that will better utilize these things: Reality of Devotion (this story includes the most developed cultures I have written to date), that camp story I mentioned above (it has yet to be named), and a story currently titled Calling (it's going to be great and deal semi-allegorically with spiritual development in the Christian life, grief, joy, pestilence, demons, and other fun things).

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Here are all the questions in a list format to anyone who wants to copy/paste!

...started a novel that I didn't finish.
...written a story completely by hand.
...changed tenses midway through a story.
...not researched anything before starting a story. 
...changed my protagonist's names halfway through a draft.
...written a story in a month or less.
...fallen asleep while writing.
...corrected someone's grammar IRL/online.
...yelled in all caps at myself in the middle of my novel.
...used "I'm writing" as an excuse. 
...killed a character that was based on someone I know in real life.
...used pop culture references in a story.
...written between the hours of 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.
...drank an entire pot of coffee while writing.
...written down dreams to use in potential novels.
...published an unedited story on the internet/blog/Wattpad.
...procrastinated homework because I wanted to write.
...typed so long that my wrists hurt.
...spilled a drink on my laptop while writing.
...forgotten to save my work/draft.
...finished a novel.
...laughed like an evil villain while writing a scene.
...cried while writing a scene.
...created maps of my fictional worlds.
...researched something shady for a novel.

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What's the weirdest thing you've researched for a story? The funniest thing you've written that no one else seemed to get? Let me know below!

Know the Novel, Pt. 2: Reality of Devotion

I meant to get to this earlier in the month, but that didn't happen...
Time for another session of Know Your Novel!

1. How’s the writing going?

I’m behind. So very, very far behind.
Most of the words I’ve counted are rebellion projects (I’m including this post towards my word count cuz freaking flying snow gypsies am I behind). I had been planning on doing, like, one rebellion project a week. I’m doing one about every other day. There were some snags in plot/worldbuilding I thought I’d taken care of already. Hahhahaha, nope. But they’re taken care of now, so hopefully I’ll be able to finish the story before the year is over (I’ve given up hope of finishing before the end of November.)

2. What’s been the most fun aspect about writing this novel so far?

As grueling as it’s been, all of it? I love everything about writing in general: story, characters, development. This time is no different.
I love how the MC is acting differently than I thought he would (love-hate relationship, lol.) Michel’s a bit of a know-it-all with a penchant for shoving others around, and I have a really hard time writing characters like that without stereotyping them, but this seems to be something he does only semi-constantly, and only with people he cares about. He’s still annoying at times, but it’s more tolerable than I thought it would be.
I’m still in love with the world, even though I haven’t written anything terribly in-depth about it yet. Alas, I have yet to write a proper chimera encounter. :(

3. Has your novel surprised you in any way?

Yup; it’s way harder to write than I thought it would be. XD
I also came up with an explanation as to a particular, odd world-building snag. The nation that Michel is a part of (the Khorites) has a quirk: they love sleep, and view rising before the sun as a sin. But, they're sailors and pirates. These two things don't go well together. I decided that they're crazy adaptable at sea, but after a certain amount of time on land they're lazy and prefer to lounge rather than exert themselves. This ties in nicely with their sea-serpent chimera (hedammu). So I'm happy.

4. What do you think of your characters at this point? Who’s your favorite to write about?

Kallias’ head is the easiest to get into, so I enjoy writing scenes from his POV. Problem is, I don’t want to write from close POV for this story; I wanted to do distant POV/omniscient. But hey, I need words.
Kallias and Michel's interactions are fun to write, too. They get into all sorts of trouble (most of it their fault).

5. If you were transported into your novel and became any one of the characters, which one do you think you’d be? Would you take any different actions than they have?

Oh, goodness…uh, I like to think that with my authorial knowledge of the characters and the paths they’re taking, I would be Aura, the mentor figure.
Logically, if I myself were the character, then I wouldn’t be myself, and thus wouldn’t take any different actions because I am the character, not myself. If, however, I were myself and not the character...well, if I had no idea what was going on, I would do things way differently than she did, namely face things with a bit less courage than she has. If I had an idea of what was going on...I still wouldn't look forward to it, and would try to run as often as possible because who wants to be kidnapped, sold as a slave, then blamed for everyone else's problems?

6. Give us the first sentence or paragraph and then 2 (or 3!) more favorite snippets!

Here’s the first paragraph from the scene that has the most potential for being the beginning scene:
***
Michelakos finished his inspection of the ship and disembarked. He slapped the hull affectionately. “Ready for another mission,” he sighed. Not that the captain would accept anything fun or challenging. Or profitable.
***
And because they were the most fun to write, some snippets from dare scenes, which may or may not end up making it into the final story.
***
The lily trembled in her hands.
Aura closed the little girl’s unsteady fingers about the thin stem. “Pass in peace,” she whispered to the feverish figure. “I am bound to another, and cannot guide you. May another more experienced than I take you in their arms.”
She pressed her forehead to the girl’s. She held it there. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Each unnaturally hard pulse of the girl’s heart sent a jolt through her forehead. Aura grimaced and put her cold hands to the side of the girl’s head.
Aura opened herself. The grief and anxiety and hope of the parents in the next room washed over her. The uneasy understanding of the girl pressed against her like a rock. “I shall give you what I can,” she said quietly.

Delara put a finger to her chin. “You know, you need to get out in the sun more. You’re as pale as a buraq.”
Kallias looked miffed. “You’ve been drinking, haven’t you?”
“Oh, hush.” Delara batted his shoulder. “Just sit down and let me work on that sallow face of yours.”
“I’m here for the artifacts, not a makeover.”
“Well, why can’t you have both?”
Kallias rolled his eyes. Seeing he would get nowhere with her until he complied, he sat on the stone bench. “Are you going to be using magic?”
“No, silly; that’s not how these things work. Mother would be infinitely prettier if they did.” With swift movements, Delara prepped her makeup kit.
Kallias squirmed. “This isn’t wise.”
“No, no it isn’t; it’s fun.”

Kallias sighed, leaning his head back and bracing himself for a tirade. “Yes?”
“Will you marry me?”
A blob of glowing goop spattered against his forehead. “Argh!” He jerked up, sending Delara falling into the mess. He rubbed his face with his shoulder. To his dismay, the only thing that managed to do was rub the goop into his eyes. “I’m fairly certain I misheard you,” he said, clamping his eyes shut.

He scrambled to his feet, ignoring Kallias’ cursing. “Let’s go!”
They ran out. Nothing came out to chase them, but when they got to the last room before the entrance, they couldn’t keep running.
Michel glanced down at his hands, only to find that they were terribly out of focus. He tried to ask Kallias if he was okay, only to find that his words slurred. Kallias didn’t seem to be in much better shape.
Kallias shook his head, then sniffed at his hands. His curses blurred together. “That…wasn’t blood…altar…”
They both went down to their knees. “Then…what…”
“Sed…sed…” With a sigh, Kallias’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he went down.
After calling out to a pillar, “Oh, hello mother,” Michel went down, as well.
***

7. Have you come across any problem areas?

Eh, one or two. Nothing a quick question session couldn’t fix.

8. What’s been your biggest victory with writing this novel at this point?

Honestly? The fact that I’ve written more than 2K words this month. This is the farthest I’ve made it in the three years of participating in Nanowrimo. I tend to have more luck during the Camp sessions, either meeting or exceeding my usual goal of 10K.

9. Be honest, have you killed any characters off yet?

Not directly? I know in a recent scene there’s mention of the death of a character who was giving Michel problems. And then there’s a scene where the deaths of several crew members are mentioned. Then there’s a zigurat scene where Michel and Kallias kill enchanted warriors (but they were technically dead to begin with).

10. Take us on a tour of a what a normal writing day for this particular novel has looked like. Where do you write? What time of day? Alone or with others? Is a lot of coffee (or some other drink) consumed? Do you light candles? Play music? Get distracted by social media (*cough, cough*)? Tell all!

My schedule is very erratic, and revolves around work. Some days I have a night and morning shift back to back, and don’t have much time for anything except quick notes hammered out on my iPod.
Depending on the scene, I’ll play music (check out my music inspiration page above!). Most of the time, I’m okay with the general ambiance of the house.
I usually write alone, though word wars/sprints with my Cabin mates have really helped me get words written this session. Snacking tends to distract me, so I try not to write while I eat (unless I have no other time to write, in which case I eat breakfast/lunch/dinner, whatever meal my sibs aren’t on the computer for). Drinking (coffee, tea, or hot chocolate) is easier for me to do while I write, so sometimes I’ll drink.
Pinterest occasionally distracts me if I try to stop in the middle of a scene and research, or find inspiration pins for my story. Fandom things, fluffy animals, and epic fantasy landscapes dominate my feed as of late, and it’s really hard to just go directly to my research board without looking at a few things… XD

Know the Novel: Reality of Devotion

Check out Christine at Musings of an Elf!

It's almost November!
I only ever got to participate in one of the Beautiful Books linkup, and was saddened that there wouldn't be any more forthcoming. So when I found out about this linkup, I leapt at it!

1. What first sparked the idea for this novel?
I think it might have been this song from Moana.

Don’t get me wrong, it was a great movie, but afterwards I was just so done (and am still slightly irked) with the “follow your heart” message that inundates everything Disney. Seriously, what if what’s in your heart isn’t sugar, spice, and everything nice? What if it’s…not-so-good? Or downright evil?
With that small question, a million little things started to stand out from a variety of sources.

2. Share a blurb!
This is a snippet from a scene that may or may not make it. The story outline has gone through several drafts since I wrote this, but it’s the only readable snippet I have at the moment.
---
“You say to help the needy,” Kallias snapped, no doubt reading the rising hostility in Michel’s eyes. “She is more needy than any; she has no choice but to practice the dark arts. All to help us.” Kallias stood between her and Michel.
Michel realized that his hostility had turned to a sour-tasting vehemence; Kallias had seen this before he’d even realized it. Michel held his breath, hoping to calm his racing heart. “She…” He choked on his dry throat. “…is our informant?”
Kallias nodded.
Michel ground out, “This…was not the right time.” Seeing red and feeling the press of the lemon in the folds of his cloak, he left.
---
I feel the need to explain that this lemon was very significant a few paragraphs before. It was a bit of fruit from the garden of a woman who had been very dear to Michel. A garden that said informant mostly incinerated. And a woman that said informant disposed of rather nastily. So yeah. There are going to be a handful of conflicts like this.

3. Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite aspects about the setting?
It takes place in a land that has yet to be named. Naming the people groups, characters, and cities kind of sucked everything out of me. It took me over a week and several drafts to sort out the language groups, mix different origin languages, organize the cultures…
It’s all going to be in English, and the languages in and of themselves probably aren’t going to play an obvious part, but I really wanted to get specific with origin languages and name meanings. Organizing the languages also helped me to narrow down cultural influences.
Oh, the chimera. Definitely. They’re kind of important to the story, and the people in the story don’t realize their significance, so I won’t give away too much. Just know that there are buraq, nian, and hedammu.
Edit: Silly me, I forgot to list the names of the nations. :P
Khorites--based in Grecian/Roman culture, and the Hellenic/Italic languages (the hedammu belong to this nation)
Merdochians--based in Ancient Egyptian/Persian culture, and Indo-Iranian/Armenian languages (buraq belong to this one)
Slavomir/Kresimir--mostly based in Medieval/European culture, and Celtic/Balto-Slavic languages (nian belong to this nation)
I didn't look terribly deep into the validity of these charts, but these are what I used to figure things like how difficult it would be for trade and whatnot to be established.
A sun chart.
A language tree. (The gal who made this chart makes an awesome webcomic, too. Stand Still, Stay Silent. 💖)
I also browsed the glossary at Behind the Name.

4. Tell us about your protagonist.
From my Nano page:
Michelakos Blago [Michel for short] is a man with a sea captain’s mettle and a poet’s heart. He’ll face the world to provide for his loved ones, but lately he’s been feeling as if the world wants him to let go. It's certainly doing its best to tear his estates from him. He’s currently a respected member of the community and a candidate for the Council of Limta—a rigorous event where the city-states’ laws are decided—but after a witch in training ravages the countryside, things change.

5. Who (or what) is the antagonist?
Oh, goodness. Let’s see, the metaphysical antagonists are selfishness, greed, and other such offshoots. The physical antagonist is probably going to end up being Kallias.
Also from my Nano page:
Kallias is shrewd. He's always doing his best to protect his childhood companion, Delara—and asking her to procure valuable items from her mother, the witch Lilith. He wants to undermine the regime that made him a eunuch and drove his mother mad, but that’s hard to do when your only allies are a half-mad woman and a rich sea captain content to meddle only in home affairs. Matters become more complicated when his employer and distant cousin, Michelakos, buys a new slave--a slave who knows Kallias' secrets.

6. What excites you the most about this novel?
The character conflict. *steeples fingers together* *smiles*
Also, oddly enough, Kallias’ development. He’s technically not the protagonist (though he was originally going to be) because he doesn’t have as much to lose as Michel. I’m hoping that he’ll deviate from his original Negative Arc and come out with his heart intact.

7. Is this going to be a series? Standalone? Something else?
I was planning for it to be a standalone. But, who knows.

8. Are you plotting? Pantsing? Plansting?
Plantsing. If I try to pants, I fall on my face after two thousand-ish words. If I try to adhere too rigidly to an outline, everything chokes and dies.
I have the characters more or less figured out, all the major world-building is done, and I know a smattering of important scenes. Let’s hope this is enough to get me through November. :P

9. Name a few things that makes this story unique.
I’m never sure how to answer this kind of question/demand… XD
Um, the chimera and the way they’re linked to the people, I suppose. Also the lack of focus on the “follow your heart” motif. The more I think about it, the more it annoys me…

10. Share a fun “extra” of the story (a song or full playlist, some aesthetics, a collage, a Pinterest board, a map you’ve made, a special theme you’re going to incorporate, ANYTHING you want to share!).
Here’s my Pinterest board. I’m hoping to find some inspiration pics for location, but for the moment it’s mostly quotes and a few character inspirations.

Writing Updates

In preparation for Nano, my CampNano cabin-mates and I are going through Tim Clare's Couch to 80K Writing Boot Camp. It's been fun! There are some exercises that, although I know the principles, were surprisingly hard.
Plus I've somehow outlined half of a plot for a new story just from Tim's waffling. :P Unfortunately, there is a bit of cussing in some of the later podcasts. So I've missed some of the waffling. :(

I have a synopsis for my project, the characters more or less figured out, and the major building blocks of the world are in place. However, I have no plot (other than a vague "maybe this'll happen" list). But that's going to be part of the fun!
I'm still working on Renewal of Spirit--my Rapunzel retelling--but I'm lacking a bit of...something. Once I figure it out, I'll post more. For now, here's a bit on my Nano project.

Project: Reality of Devotion

Synopsis:
Michelakos Blago is a man with a sea captain’s mettle and a poet’s heart. He’ll face the world to provide for his loved ones, but lately he’s been feeling as if the world wants him to let go. It's certainly doing its best to tear his estates from him. He’s currently a respected member of the community and a candidate for the Council of Limta—a rigorous event where the city-states’ laws are decided—but after a witch in training ravages the countryside, things change.

Kallias is shrewd. He's always doing his best to protect his childhood companion, Delara—and asking her to procure valuable items from her mother, the witch Lilith. He wants to undermine the regime that made him a eunuch and drove his mother mad, but that’s hard to do when your only allies are a half-mad woman and a rich sea captain content to meddle only in home affairs. Matters become more complicated when his employer and distant cousin, Michelakos, buys a new slave--a slave who knows Kallias' secrets.

Word goal: I'm going to start with the standard 50K, but I'm hoping to get enough written where I can up the goal partway through.


In other news, I heard this song for the first time. And have been listening to it..."NON-STOP"! XD