NaNoWriMo Know Your Novel Introduction

This is my first time joining the wonderful Christine Smith and a bunch of other wonderful writers in her three-month Know the Novel link-up for writers in these final months of the year. I'm completely nervous, having never done anything like this before, but also very excited.
 October's theme is Introduction which is the post featured today.
 Earlier this month I announced that for the months of October and November I would be switching projects from Harbinger to Tear in honor of NaNoWriMo, using this month to prepare. So without further ado, let me introduce you to my novel.

KNOW THE NOVEL: PART ONE: INTRODUCTION

Q 1. What first sparked the idea for this novel?

A 1. Well, most of my novel ideas, (no pun intended), come from questions. I had this question pop into my head, "Where does Writer's Block come from?" This story was born out of the quirky answer that I came up with.

Q 2. Share a blurb!

A 2. I warn you this is an extremely rough blurb. It's as unpolished as an un-cracked geode.

{ Twenty years ago, writing was outlawed by the Governor, James Rupert Quinn. Since then, the city of Inspira has gone to ruins. Libraries and bookstores have been torn down and writers have been hunted and turned in, never to be seen again. Inspira is a haunted city where compassion is long dead and hostility flourishes. Neighbor turns against neighbor and the slightest difference in opinion may be a cause for arrest.

 Ten years ago, writer Elizabeth Anne Tolliver came to live with Detective Warren Ross when her parents were mysteriously killed during a top-secret meeting. Now at sixteen-years-old, Tolliver still wonders who was behind her parents' deaths. Was it the sorcerer, Darin who was also at the meeting and whose body was never found? Or could it be someone else? Someone who hides in the shadows. The answers might lie in the records.

 There is only one problem. The records are kept in Governor Quinn's mansion, the one place in the broken city of Inspira that is definitely off-limits to writers.}

Q 3. Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite aspects about the setting?

A 3. Where do I begin? I'm having a difficult time finding words to explain it, possibly because I'm still working on the setting details. 
  The story takes place in Inspira, a city created by ink and imagination that borrows aspects from Edwardian London and early France, (to name a few places that have inspired the setting). 
 One of my favorite aspects is that Inspira is a land without bright colors, music and most artistic things that give brightness to our world. It's been a challenge imagining a world without these things that are so vital to my own corner of the world I live in.

Q 4. Tell us about your protagonist (s). 

I have three protagonists: Warren Ross, Elizabeth Anne Tolliver and James Rupert Quinn.

• Warren Ross: Ross is a detective and also a native Inspiran, which means he was created from imagination, ink and (unlike other Inspirans), inspiration. He's an introvert who's been forced out of introversion to protect his friend and creator's daughter, Elizabeth Anne Tolliver. If you ask him what his goal in life is, he'd say it's to protecting Tolliver and find her parents' killer before they have the chance to strike again.
• Elizabeth Anne Tolliver: Elizabeth goes by Tolliver. She thinks her first name is too proper and she has a hard time sitting around pretending to be a lady while her parents' killer is on the loose. She's an extrovert who loves peanut butter, coffee and activities that set Ross' teeth on edge, (like hanging off the sides of building and pushing her nose into dangerous places). Her recklessness and sense of independence just might be her undoing.
• James Rupert Quinn: James is a shy, introverted writer who wants nothing more than to finish his stories and get away from his controlling uncle. He believes that he needs inspiration to finish his story and finish creating the world of Inspira into the beautiful world he intends it to be. Unfortunately, he's been cursed to go without inspiration, which means he'll need to steal it from those that have it. 

Q  5. Who (or what) is the antagonist?

A 5. Actually, James Rupert Quinn is both a protagonist and the antagonist. Poor guy is pulling double-duty. (Side note: James was the original protagonist of Tear, then Tolliver ran in and pulled Ross behind her.)

Q 6. What excites you most about this novel?

A 6. I'm not sure if I can boil it down to just one thing. I really love some of the underlying themes of unity and friendship and the idea that one word can ripple out and affect another person. Then there's the idea that words have power, in this case, literally.

Q 7. Is this going to be a series? A standalone? Something else? 

A 7. The way it is right now, I'm planning on this being a trilogy. It's how I've always seen it in my head and it's been floating around in my head for two years now.

Q 8. Are you plotting? Pantsing? Plantsing? 

A 8. It's complicated. I'm doing a fair bit of plotting because Tear has mystery aspects of it that need to be thought out ahead of time. I'm using One Stop for Writers and The Novel Factory to plot out certain aspects of it. I have written snatches of it, but those snatches are probably not even going to be used. Maybe in part. I'm a pantser by heart, so I will use the parts of my paths as guidelines and use them to light my path. 

 

 

Q 9. Name a few things that make this story unique.

A.  Words have power; use them wisely. A few other things are: writer protagonists, a girl who honestly reminds me of my little sister and who also loves peanut butter and coffee, a writing curse, an unfinished story, and a city-wide curse that's brought characters to life.

Q 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!).

A 10.  Here is the first aesthetic I made for it using pictures I found on Pinterest featuring Ross and Tolliver:







How about you? Are you braving the seas of NaNoWriMo?  (No judgement if you're not. It's a vast undertaking, but so much fun!)
 If you are doing it, consider doing the Christine's link-up. I had lots of fun doing it. You might too. Here is the link: Christine Smith's Know the Novel Link-up . Word has it part one of the link-up closes midnight on October 31st, 2019.

 Thanks for reading and happy writing!