New Website!!!

It's finally done, I have a fresh website, with official pictures and a blog posting plan!

Here is a link:

https://marlenesimonette.wixsite.com/outofmywritemind

I'm going to keep this site up for a bit while I see what I can salvage from it. Once I take what I need/want, I'm probably going to mark it as a private site. That way I can always come back and look through it. Or I'll keep this one just for reblogs. I haven't yet decided.

Also, I've started a book review site with the Treehouse of Writers:

https://treehousetales.godaddysites.com/

Right now, Robyn and I are the most active reviewers; she posts on Mondays, I post on Fridays. She takes amazing book photos, and has inspired me to give it a shot. So far I've only taken a photo of one book (I'm happy with how it turned out!), but I'm trying to set aside some time on the weekends so I can do it with all of my reviews.

If anyone has fairy tale retelling recommendations, let me know! It could be featured in the future, or one of our team members can review it!

That's all for now,

~Marlene

Camp Nano Wrimo, July

Alright, on to another Camp Nano session!

Since I've been slack on "Renewal of Spirit" rewrites, that's going to be my main focus. My other focus: a Western/Drama/possible Horror version either of or simply featuring some characters from "Trouble in Bookland."

Why? Because I was messing with some random generators one day, and came across a plot/blurb generator. It basically ripped off the opening paragraph of "The Hobbit," but it gave me some ideas. Plus, I want to try writing in a genre I don't normally write in. I'm hoping that working on "Renewal of Spirit" at the same time will curb the urge to make this new project a Fantasy endeavor. Though, I am going to try and work dragons into it somehow. Dragons must invade all genres. They're too wondrous not to.

Here's the blurb, with its horrid misuse of my lackadaisical adjectives:

----
In a house there lived a Fresh, icy Dragon named Linda S. Not a Fantastic Friendly, Devastating house, filled with Stones and a Rueful smell, nor yet an Illustrious, Mysterious, Reluctant house with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a Dragon-house, and that means housing.
One day, after a troubling visit from the Goblin Ethan Miles, Linda leaves her house and sets out in search of three Sylvan scrolls. A quest undertaken in the company of Elves, Bobcats and crumpled Humans.
In the search for the Goblin-guarded scrolls, Linda S surprises even herself with her Friendliness and skill as a Writer.
During her travels, Linda rescues a Pen, an heirloom belonging to Ethan. But when Ethan refuses to try Receiving, their friendship is over.
However, Ethan is wounded at the Battle of Five Armies and the two reconcile just before Linda engages in some serious Receiving.
Linda accepts one of the three Sylvan scrolls and returns home to her house a very wealthy Dragon.
----

I don't know why I chuckled about "crumpled humans" for more than five minutes, but I did. I don't know whether or not I'm going to try and make it a full-length novel story, or several short stories. Also, a vampire hobo may or may not make an appearance. He's been glowering at me for weeks, I'm just not sure how to fit him in.

So...onward, to a month of pantsing!

What are you working on this Nano? Editing/revising, writing a new story? I'd love to chat about your project!

Rapunzel Retelling: Renewal of Spirit

Just a quick update on the status of this story:

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get it done in time for the Arista Challenge. February was way busier than I thought it would be.
Thankfully, I’m almost done now. I’m still planning on publishing it, and I’d like to try out a GiraffeCraft critique, but I’ll probably wait to submit it until Kendra’s a little less busy. Don’t want to overwhelm her, what with her likely being in the middle of arranging things for said Arista Challenge. 💗

The story has gone through a couple of drafts plot-wise (and organization-wise), but I’m still not happy with it prose-wise. I wanted to focus more on describing the music, and the effects it has in this world (it’s basically the way magic works). However, I’m having a hard time deciding where to put these descriptions in (sometimes it’s obvious, and I’ve put that in). So I’m going to leave it somewhat bare, and ask my betas where they think it should go/would like a little more description.

Currently, I’m working on the last quarter-ish of the story. Progress is slightly stalled, as some changes I made in the last few scenes wrecked my plans for this section. I think I have them worked out; here’s hoping I can sit down at the computer tomorrow and hammer them out. :D

Rapunzel Retelling: Renewal of Spirit!

I've reworked my Rapunzel retelling for the Arista Challenge several times. Something just didn't feel right, but I think it's fixed now. Here are the first thousand-ish words! Let me know what you think. :D
Also, the Loki/Thor x Reader (along with all my other misc. projects) is going to be on hold. The deadline for this and my Tales of a Modern Bard entry are rapidly approaching. So these take priority. Here's hoping I can get them both done in time... 😓
---
Loredana tilted her head back, eyeing the laden boughs above her head. very day, since they’d settled in this new land, the laden boughs of the fruit trees taunted her. They seemed to call, Can’t reach us! Just try!
Every day she passed by, the thought of how delicious and juicy the fruit would be played in her mind.
“If it were any closer to the Turning,” she growled to the ripe fruit, “I would shake you from your tree right now.”
Her husband Lando came up the path and toyed with her pale hair. “If it were any closer to Turning, you would be playing the zephyr and not caring for fruit.”
Loredana huffed and pulled away. “I will taste those plums, you’ll see.”
Lando sighed. He wondered what scheme his wife would devise to get what she wanted. “I hope she finds something else,” he muttered to himself. “With my luck, her plan would involve me getting it for her.”
“Oh! My love, look!” Loredana’s feet beat against the ground excitedly, as if she were standing in place. “Will you get this for me?”
Eyebrows drawn in a long-suffering frown, Lando continued up the path and rounded the bend. “What is—” He stopped short, breath taken away by what he saw.
The first thing he noticed was a large, golden tree. Its pale leaves and ocher flowers hung down to the ground on thin, wavering branches. Though there was no wind, the willow fluttered as if being toyed with. The very air around it seemed to sparkle.
The second thing Lando noticed was the fence. It was odd, to find any sort of boundary or border; the only people who did so were the enchanters.
“Darling,” he whispered. He wanted to say, “we should leave,” but he glanced down at her before he did so. A familiar glint was in her light gray eyes. His sentence turned into a stutter, then a sigh. “Why do you want it so badly?”
“I simply must have it!” She clutched at the lapels of his earthen-colored jacket. Her gray-cast face was drawn in longing. “Please.”
Feeling annoyed that the expression was almost the same as the one she’d met him with on their wedding night, Lando frowned. “But…it’s an enchanter’s garden!”
Loredana whirled away in a huff. Her dark red skirt flared out in an enticing spin. She crossed her arms and refused to say another word. She didn’t even say anything when the village gossip—a close friend of hers—tried to engage her in conversation.
The day passed by with the usual village activities; gathering flowers and plants for dyes, tending the wild gardens, working at the tannery. Loredana’s silence hung heavy on Lando, until they turned in to their cottage for the night.
When he was about to fall asleep, she laid her head on his neck. In a pained whisper, she said, “I will simply die if I can’t have it.”
Lando cursed himself for a fool. A sleepy fool, but a fool nonetheless. “Then I will simply have to get it for you,” he replied.

Lando stole along the path, wondering why he’d gotten up before dawn to do this. Weren’t enchanter’s powers stronger at night? Weren’t they more protective of their property?
He shivered and tucked his black undershirt into his loose breeches. “Why didn’t I change?” he asked himself. The memory of his wife’s desperate, nagging pleading played in his mind. “Still…”
The tree looked even more magnificent in the moonlight than it had during the day. Its petals and leaves glowed softly, still swaying. Still glittering as if thousands of stars had come to rest on them.
Holding his breath in fear and anticipation, he clambered over the dark wooden fence. His blond hair fell over his eyes in an untidy mop. Sputtering and trying to catch his breath—he wasn’t a very athletic man—Lando waited a few moments.
There was no alarm. No shouts. No flashes of magic. No yowling of hounds. He was safe.
Quietly, he side-stepped into the soft glow of the willow. With an expert hand, he pinched and twisted off a few blossoms. Carefully, and trying not to be overwhelmed by the wonderful scent, he tucked the blossoms and leaves into a pouch at his side.
That night, he escaped safely. He brewed a tea for his Loredana, hoping it would ease her longing. To his dismay, the next night, she declared that her longing had grown threefold!
He went back to the garden once, twice. The third time, he came face to face with the witch Kamille.
A beautiful outfit with many folds and waves, dyed purple and black, could not make the hunched, one-eyed figure pretty. The witch’s lank gray hair formed a weak curtain over the crooked hazel eye on the left side of her face. Her back was bent nearly double, her head coming to Lando’s stomach.
She glared up at him. “What are you doing with my laburnum?” Her voice matched her face; old, tired, and terribly cranky.
Lando fell to his knees. “Please, forgive me! My wife…” He trailed off, knowing he should have been more firm with her. “Please, forgive me. I have no excuse,” he said softly.
The witch was silent a while. When she spoke, her voice was flat. “I will forgive you your theft, provided you give me something in return.”
“Yes!” Lando kept his head down, awaiting the witch’s demand.
“I will be the godmother of your child.”
Lando glanced up in surprise. “But…we have no children! We were told…well…” He trailed off again.
“You will,” Kamille said with a twisted grin. “You will.”

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

Rebel: The World

Is it May already?? *moves couches in an attempt to find a few days from April*

Here’s that bit about the world my Rapunzel retelling is set in that I promised. I don’t have the entirety of the world planned out yet, but enough to write the story.

Name: Not sure yet…Do I want to go traditional, like Saritum, Ursison? A name, like Aulis, Ritva, Ipaty? Or something more along the lines of a title, like Cleansed Terrain, Twisted Lands, the Sundered Earth?

Behavior: It has one sun and one moon. The sun and moon have darker stripes (like Roman numerals) visible depending on how close it is to the time of Turning. Each Turning, the world is refreshed via a large-scale tilling (only not so tame as a garden tilling; imagine a rototiller chunking apart a mountain, a rake and shovel driving earth into the sea). During the Turning, the inhabitants’ bodies revert to whatever element/substance their ancestry is. The closer it is to the Turning, the more the flesh and blood of the people revert (and the further from the Turning, the more their bodies solidify into flesh and blood).

Inhabitants: There are four known types of people, technically three since one exists only in stories. They are the Children of Earth, Fire, Wind, and Ice*. Each set of Children has specific physical characteristics, but that would be kind of lengthy for a blog post. While intermarriage between the Children is possible, most of the time it doesn’t result in offspring. When it does, the offspring must eventually decide which element will be dominant (sort of like half-elves in LotR). Otherwise a whole lot of crazy things happen to them during the Turning.

History: This is one of the things I’m still working out. I definitely know that Children of Ice were the earliest inhabitants, the Children of Fire were second, and the CoF introduced the CoI to flapjacks.

I'm hoping to put up a couple excerpts from my current draft before the end of the month.
Until next time!

*I have plans for more, but first I need to figure out how the souls work/how a people are formed in the first place. I have a few ideas... *sticks pen behind ear and chases plot bunnies*

Rebel!

So, it’s week three of Camp Nanowrimo. A plot bunny latched onto me while I was at work, and stayed with me throughout the day. It didn’t even have anything to do with my task at hand (frying chicken). I was just thinking about dryads, then I thought about Rapunzel, and then I thought about the Arista Challenge.

Hosted by Kendra Ardnek over at Giraffe Crafts.

A purpose to rebellion! :D

I’m trying so very hard not to let this rebellion take over my other projects, doing a smidgen of words here, half a scene there...but, my planned MC for Dead in Sleep has fallen silent, and my endeavors of writing Convoluted Chronicles stories are increasingly frustrating... :P

Here’s a bit about this rebellion project, tentatively titled Renewal of Spirit. Characters first, because characters are awesome. I’ll do another post within the month (or early next month) about the world it’s set in.

Corinna—the “prince” figure. An Earth Child. Is a bit of a loner, due to her crippled right arm (an encounter with a forest beast). Everyone except her family began ignoring her once it was clear her arm wouldn’t be healing. Who wants to watch a one-armed girl when they're busy hunting and preparing for the Turning?
Daughter of a disinherited princess, she just wants…well, she isn’t sure, but she knows she'll have to brave the Turning eventually. One can't grow cooped up in a castle, after all.

Laburnum Notah—the “Rapunzel” figure. A Wind Child. He’s been stuck in a mountain his whole life, and educated by a hag named Kamilla. He would love to have someone other than her to talk to, but Kamilla has convinced him (through proper education, of course) that he has no place in the outside world. He’s too reclusive for his boisterous people, and too rowdy for any others. So, he stays in the mountain, cooking, cleaning, and secretly resenting his name of “Laburnum.” Has the habit of singing when he’s lonely.

Kamilla—the witch figure. An Earth Child. She was outcast so long ago that even she doesn’t remember why. In her old age, sometimes slips into dementia. Always wanted to have a child, but was barren. Surprisingly proficient with a kitchen knife, oddly deficient in magic. She does things like make little lights and bind people in curses with ease, but ask her to enchant something to be sturdy, and it might just end up turning into a toad.

Notah’s Parents (currently unnamed)—the parental figures. Children of the Wind. The father’s a weaver, the mother’s a dye maker. Notah was her first son, and while she learned not to covet, she is currently learning not to brag, especially about something as important as being able to weave flying carpets from grass. The father's learned that trying to keep his wife out of trouble is pointless, so he's settled for trying to get her out of trouble. Which may also be pointless.

Camp Nanowrimo

I'm participating in Camp Nanowrimo!

I've done it before (love it!), but not while I had a blog. Okay, I had a blog but never got around to posting...

My projects this session:

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Dead in Sleep:The two factions—Human and Imp—have always fought. The Humans, with their magic and knack for invention, have always had the upper hand. But their magic has been growing weaker to the point of vanishing altogether. The Imps with their vampire mounts have gained the upper hand, and it doesn’t help matters that their automaton have begun to turn on them. The Human cities are close to falling. Where has their magic gone?
Fayte Hargreave and her two friends--Eldon Rattlebag and Shania Darknoll--do their best to survive the downfall of their city and gain a lead on what is happening to their magic.
Goal: 3K-ish, counting attempts of prose for a scrapbook version

I'd Kill for a Bath:Pearl does her best to aid her friend, Snow--an overworked secretary of Castle Hematite--in winning the right to be queen for a day. In the process, Pearl tries to sort out her life--a life that her supposed father reveals to be a sham.
Set in Convoluted Chronicles.
Although, now I want to try my hand at literary fiction; so I may be exploring just Pearl's relationship to her uncle and father, and having the fantastic elements of fantasy as background props instead of spotlight items...
In which case a title change is imminent. Probably something along the lines of: You did What?!, Who are you?, or So my Father's a Dragon.

Goal: 5K-ish

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Here are small excerpts from each. The excerpt from Dead in Sleep isn't from the main POV; it's the start of a dare (Writer's Truth or Dare is so much more fun than regular T/D), because I read over my starting scene and...well, there are a few unique qualities in this world that I'm having difficulty showing in character.

Dead in Sleep:

Eldon couldn’t wait to visit the Inner ring of the city—there were so many hoity-toities to have fun with.

“The fact that they manufacture the guns you use to keep Imps out means nothing?”

Eldon glared at Fayte, a female soldier who seemed to be favored by the CO. “The mind meld is over. Why are you loitering in my head?”

Fayte shrugged. She adjusted her goggles so that the eye beams dimmed. “Sorry.”

“Upstart little…” Muttering derogatory comments, Eldon leapt aboard a departing tram. He glanced back at Fayte, flicked his goggles so that the eye-beams flashed. When she looked up, he did his best snarling grin. That’s what makes things interesting, pet.

Guns always made things interesting.

I'd Kill for a Bath:

Pearl took solace in the last few moments spent in her organized office. Notepads stacked on the edge of the desk; sparkling filing cabinets (their contents alphabetized and categorized by urgency); the trash can emptied. She took a picture in her mind, sucked a deep breath, and stepped out.

Luckily for her, her office was adjacent the castle’s lobby, so she didn’t have to wade through several levels of bureaucrats. A poster on the notice pillar outside caught her attention. The laminated, purple and orange and black poster reflected the moonlight garishly.

Contest: Queen for a Day.

The modern equivalent of a coliseum. She sneered in disgust, glad she wouldn’t be participating.

“Oh, Pearl!” A girl with the figure and looks of a vampire queen rushed over, her high heels clicking frantically against the concrete.

“Snow. What is it?”

The distraught secretary babbled incoherently. Frantic gestures, bleeding mascara…

Pearl looked at the poster again, took note of the date, and sighed. “You decided to participate?”

Snow latched onto Pearl’s arm, sobbing. “I’ve been stalked, threatened, work piled on my desk…” She paused, swiped at her face with her elbow. Black eyeliner stained the white sleeves. “They even laced my latte!”

Pearl led Snow to the curb. “I’m sorry, but I really don’t want to get involved. Especially not after an extended weekend.”

“It’s okay.” Snow sniffed. “It’s not like…like…oh, I just can’t be sarcastic! Pearl, I’m not alright and I need help!”

Still here!

So, updates.
I’m alive.
After a year of…let’s see, what were the defining events…hard work, knitting, more work (yay overtime), meeting new people, the death of a pet, sort-of-kind-of getting used to driving, getting another pet, deciding three weeks before Christmas to buy presents for my sibs…
It was fun.
I hope it doesn’t come back (I feel that way about most all of my years previous, so… :P).

I’ve done a bit of redesigning on the blog and added a few project pages. I’ve also decided that I’m going to try to get some more content on here (maybe review a couple recently read books, participate in cover reveals).

And, finally:

Trouble in Bookland (completed!!)

Click the pic or text to go to the Amazon page!

Parts One and Two have been combined, a better ending has been added, and gosh darn it I’m done. I actually finished months and months ago, but just haven’t had the time to put it out there. Yay overtime and downed computers. *sarcastic fist pump*

I’m glad that I decided to peruse the document one last time before publishing. I found: a missing transition scene, a misspelled word, sentences referring to cut scenes… :-/



I'm keeping it priced at $0.99 (almost priced it at $99 instead of $0.99! :P) because it's my first complete self-pub, and because it was a high school grad project (hence not a lot of hype). The story is where I'd like it to be (I actually enjoyed myself going over it again), and it's done. Done, done, done. XD

And now, a song from Peter Hollens. Why? Because I like it. Have a Disney Villains Medley.

Beautiful Books: The Seer

I'd add the linkup button, but for whatever reason, Blogger is giving me a red banner saying I shouldn't add it...
So instead, click the following hyperlink to check out Paper Fury!
Now onto the questions.

********

1. Overall, how is your mental state, and how is your novel going?

From giphy.com

I'm over 15K behind...and work is giving me little time to actually sit down and write. :P
Though I have been getting snippets written here and there. So yay!

2. What’s your first sentence (or paragraph)?
Weeeeeeel, I changed it in the past few days, so here they both are. At the moment, I’m going off the second one with the character change.
***
1. Mara stood on the balcony of cabin ML. Below, in the gathering area of Camp Dragon Loft, the games were being arranged. Campers trickled into the area like so much grease.
“Aren’t you going to join the others?”
Mara glanced back at the cabin mother.  She always seemed to be smiling. “No.”
“Why not?”
Mara braced herself for a lecture on the importance of physical activity. When it didn’t come, she shrugged. “I don’t care to.” She hated the noise, the lightning-fast pace, and the breakdown that seemed to happen between people’s minds and decency.
2. Herman became conscious of a pulsing in his chest. He hated, yet anticipated, his moments of wakefulness. Hated because he could do nothing but listen. Anticipated because it was better than being trapped in sleep.
“You’ll do nicely,” said his father’s voice, muffled by the glass encasing Herman. “Yes, soon you’ll accept my soul, and the work will continue.”
I’m your son, Herman wanted to scream, not your clone! Get me out!
***
3. Who’s your current favourite character in your novel?
I really like Mara (she was the original protagonist), but she’s kind of cold and distant. At least to other people, and that’s how she’s started seeing herself, so…yeah, sort of dark and brooding type of charrie. I like her. XD
I like Herman, too, but he just became the protag a couple days ago. We’ll see how he works out. *prepares gauntlet* ;)

4. What do you love about your novel so far?
Dragons. I like the dragons in this world. And the fact that it’s connected to another one of my stories. :D

5. Have you made any hilarious typos or other mistakes?
The only consistent typos I find I make are misspelling “embarrassed,” and the occasional scramble of a character’s name. There are others that happen, of course, but I usually fix them right away and don't remember them afterwards.

6. What is your favourite to write: beginning, middle, or end — and why?
It depends on the story. With most stories, it’s splurging the beginning out onto the paper. When I have to start stressing about getting it "just right," then I prefer the end.

7. What are your writing habits? Is there a specific snack you eat? Do you listen to music? What time of day do you write best? Feel free to show us a picture of your writing space!
If I have a few spare minutes, I sit down and try to write anything (more often than not, it’s a WIP other than the one I’m supposed to be working on).
I rarely have food while I’m typing because both hands are occupied, but sometimes I’ll have a coffee, or apple slices, things like that.
I tend to write better at night, or mid-morning.
And no pics because I just got a new desk (yay!) and it’s still kind of a mess. Well, my desk is always a mess... ^.^’

8. How private are you about your novel while you’re writing? Do you need a cheer squad or do you work alone (like, ahem, Batman)?
I really like sharing things about my stories…but only if I trust people. Which is why I don’t have many specifics on my blogs; they're open to just about anyone. :P
I’m okay with sharing rough-draft snippets, though, because it’s probably going to go through a handful of changes before the week is out.
I don’t think I need a cheer squad, but having someone/some people to encourage me while I’m writing definitely keeps me from slacking.

9. What keeps you writing even when it’s hard?
Um, depends on the type of “hard.” If it’s “agh, words, coming they are not,” I just play some epic/fantasy/instrumental music. It gets me going (even if it’s on a totally different project… ;))
If it’s “wut happening now?” then dares and character chats with online friends usually makes for some interesting and inspiring material.

10. What are your top 3 pieces of writing advice?
Don't write alone; at least have someone to bounce ideas off of.
To paraphrase Jack London: Chase/cage the plot bunnies until they give you something useful. (Original quote: "You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.")
And my final piece of advice:

Writing Update

Current story:

Trouble in Bookland

The Seer (nano novel!)

Progress:

Editing and alpha reading

First draft

Helpful articles:

How to Outline Your #Nanowrimo Novel

16 Government Types

Prompt of the week:

Writing Update

Current story:
Trouble in Bookland

Progress:
Editing (adding more detail, fixing a few plot points, etc.)! Almost done with Part One. :D

Helpful articles:
Not Quite Dead: A Writer’s Guide to Serious Injuries and Calamities
What Writers Need to Know About Archery

Prompt of the week:

Writing Update

Current story:
I was writing Part Three, and a few things came up...
1) It was getting repetitive (almost exactly the same as Pt. 2)
2) It would only be a few chapters long

Progress:
I'm going to add a more satisfying ending to Pt. 2. Then I'm going to work on extending the story (more detail, clearer backstory, a couple minor plot changes, etc.) and formatting it for paperback. :D
I'm going through the Structuring Your Novel Workbook, and it's coming along nicely.

Helpful articles:
How to Write a Story a Week: A Day by Day Guide
A Modern Herbal: Henbane

Prompt of the week:

Via Pintrest; click to go to the site promptuarium

Writing Update

Current story:
Trouble in Bookland, Part Three

Progress:
Outline

Helpful articles:
How to Fight Write: tag: fight scene
Between Nations

Prompt of the week:

Via Pintrest

Writing update

Current story:
Trouble in Bookland, Part Three

Progress:
Outline

Helpful articles:
Alchemy
The Difference Between Mermaids and Sirens

Prompt of the week:

Writing update

Current story
Trouble in Bookland, Part Two

Progress:
I just got in the last of my beta input, so once I go through that, I'm editing!!

Helpful articles:
Latte 101: Ordering a Latte (I feel the need to say that one or two of the pics may be inappropriate. I didn't recognize them, and a friend of mine said that was for the best, so...)
5 Biggest Mistakes When Writing Mental Illness

Prompt of the week:

Via Pintrest

Writing update

I'm hoping to make these bi-monthly, if not monthly. We shall see.

So, this is the story/project I'm working on. Note that this is my main project, not necessarily the only one I'm working on. So if the articles given seem totally unrelated, they probably are. XD
Current story:
Trouble in Bookland, Part Two

This next one is pretty self-explanatory.
Progress:
Almost finished; only one or two more chapters left to write! And then on to edits...

And these are some articles I've perused and used in my writing this week.
Helpful articles:
How to Describe a Person
Writing With Color: Description Guide: Part 1, Part 2

These are prompts I find intriguing, or they gave me an armful of new plot bunnies and I needed to share. ;)
I'm going to be posting one or two images found on Pintrest (if they come from another source, I'll be sure to let you know). It'll be one image if I think it's an awesome prompt, and in pairs if I think they go well together.
Prompts of the week:

Via Pintrest

Via Pintrest

Thanks for reading! Any thoughts, questions? Let me now in the comments. :)