NaNoWriMo Know the Novel: Introduction

I can't believe it's already this time of the year again. Last year I joined Christine Smith  in her three-month Know the Novel link-up. This link-up starts the month before NaNoWriMo and goes through December. If you've been following this blog for more than a year, you'll recognize this series from last year. If you just started following me or are visiting this blog: Welcome! I'm so glad you're here.

This month's theme is Introduction and sets up the groundwork for what I'm doing today. 

I've mentioned Harbinger before. It's a WIP I've been working on for almost six years now. Over the summer I've decided to split it in three books, so now it's the Harbinger Trilogy. The working title for book one is called Sirens of Fate, and it's this book I will work on for NaNoWriMo. I'm rebelling NaNo, meaning instead of doing this writing challenge traditionally and starting a book from scratch on November 1st, I'm using the challenge to get into some serious rewrites. My writing style has transformed since I first started writing this, so I'm eager to revamp this "child-of-my-heart."

So, without further ado, let me tuck in and introduce you to my novel.

KNOW THE NOVEL: PART ONE: INTRODUCTION

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

A: Ooh... Good question. Ages ago I got this picture in my head of a sunken city with two visitors. The city was in ruins. A broken throne sat in what seemed to be the ruins of a palace. Pieces of stone and shattered pillars lay everywhere. Among the ruins, fish swam and eels poked their heads out of dark holes. The questions I kept asking myself were:

1. What happened here?

2. Who are these visitors?

Out of these questions, I decided to write an Atlantis retelling, but not quite the Atlantis you might think. 

I've always been fascinated by the myth of Atlantis, so I was excited to work on this. 

I wrote two small paragraphs of the story on a hidden blog and worked out from there. Altogether, the trilogy is over 250k words. 250k of mess that I have to sort over, which is why I split it into three novels.

Q 2. Share a blurb!

A:(Be prepared... This is rough still.) 

{Sybil is just an ordinary Siren trying to find where she fits in with Atlantean society. Except, she's not as ordinary as she thinks. Sybil is part of a story begun long before she was born, a story reaching back generations. The world she knows is getting darker and people aren't always who they seem to be. What can one girl do when the world is falling apart?

Sabrina is an ambitious soldier in the Siren militia. When her little sister is sucked into an enchanted mirror, Sabrina will have to decide whether to work with the person she hates most: Sybil, the Queen's ward.}

With war coming to Atlantea, Sybil and Sabrina will have to learn to put their differences aside, learn to work together and step into roles they would never choose for themselves. If they cannot, it might just spell ruin, not only for them, but for their home as well.}

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

A: This is tricky. There are two different settings. 

Setting 1: Atlantea (underwater)

Setting 2: Saiena (above water)

I really enjoy see the contrasts between the two cultures. One is Siren, one is human. Atlantea is underwater, Saiena is in a hot, desert sort of city. 

Favorite aspects of Atlantea: 

• The emphasis on community. The Siren culture has a huge emphasis on unity and community. They work on a system where everyone has jobs that benefit the community they live in.

• The different subgroups of magic. All Sirens have beautiful voices, but not all are super powerful. There's an ancient group of Sirens known as Singers of Song. Their voices boost others' magic and can shatter minds with the emotion behind their voices. Another subgroup would be the builders. These Sirens use their magic to not only build the many structures of Atlantea but also to help build each other up. (There are more, but these are some of my favorite examples.)

• Fierce friendships. Sirens are very warlike, but among their own, they are very close friends. Most (not all) of them would be more than willing to give their lives for each other.

Favorite aspects of Saiena:

• Bright colors. Living in the harsh barren landscape of the desert, the clothing of the Saiens is vibrant and bright, a wonderful contrast to their bleak surroundings.

• The secret poison garden. Somewhere deep in the city is a garden of poisons. Its location is known only to a few, and it's a closely guarded secret.

• Saiena is home to two monarchies that live within its wall: The Saien Royal Family and Castle Morin, a haunted, blackened place home to a group of spell casters known as The Order of the Snake. 

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

A:

• Sybil Ryder: Sybil is a shy, curious, introverted Siren who has grown up between the temple of Spornaik and the palace. She enjoys a unique relationship with the king and queen as the queen's ward and friend. Much to her chagrin, Sybil's bubblegum pink hair and grey eyes make her stand out. She's happiest spending time with her best friend, Lyric and the royal family or with her nose in a book.
• Sabrina Rhordyn: Sabrina is an ambitious soldier of the Siren militia. Pressed by her mother to succeed in her career, Sabrina has spent most of her life either on patrol or in the barracks. She doesn't have many friends outside of the militia, but she doesn't really care. She's too busy for such frivolous activities. She wishes that her little sister, Lyric, would come down from her daydreams and join her in taking life more seriously, but Lyric has other ideas.
  
  

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

A:

There are several antagonists in the Harbinger Trilogy, but I'll focus on the main one for Book 1.

Serena Morin: Serena pulls double duty as the antagonist and a minor protagonist. Her motivation is a bit of a spoiler, so I'll tell you some other awesome things about her.

• She's married and has a teenage daughter, Liana Morin.
• She's a spell caster for the Order of the Snake.
• Serena has three main pets: a nameless cobra that she stole from the marketplace, an orange and black tiger named Benji, and a dragon with chameleon-like abilities named Rindar. 
• Her colors are deep red, emerald green and black.
• She loves plants, especially roses.
• She dabbles in toxicology and loves poisonous plants.
• Serena has a hidden room in her castle with a magic mirror.
• Because of a childhood wish, Serena used her magic to create jade-green glass slippers. 

Q 6: What excites you most about this novel?

A: I don't think I can boil it down to any one thing. I'm taking a few standard mythological creatures and flipping the common ideas of them on their heads. Example: Sirens. 

I decided not to go with the half-woman, half-bird sort of Siren. My type of Sirens are a magical race of women warriors who live under the sea. When I first got the idea for them, I imagined them as underwater Amazons and the idea stuck. 

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

A: Okay, so I'm not sure on all the logistics of this because I'm still figuring things out. Harbinger was originally one book before I split it into three. This is the first of The Harbinger Trilogy, which will be a smaller section of a much larger series featuring different protagonists all across the world of Iruni, which is where this story takes place. Eventually, I plan on bringing all those protagonists together in one book. I've honestly been planning this for years, and I can't wait until I get there.

Q 8: Are you plotting? Pantsing? Plantsing?

GIF courtesy of Tenor

A: So... Here's the thing.... I'm rebelling this. Meaning, I'm using NaNoWriMo to rewrite Book 1 because it really needs it. And I mean really, really needs it. 

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

A: Trying to find metaphors and explanations of life from the perspective of someone that has lived under the sea for most, if not all of their life, a super-sassy ghost with a redemptive arc, portal-mirrors, a pet seahorse, an underwater world, a secret poisonous garden and a villain with a pet snake. (Honestly, I could go on, but I'll restrain myself.)

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: Here is my first aesthetic I made for Sybil with images from Pinterest (I'd show you the one I made for Sabrina, but that would get into spoiler territory):

So that's it. Since I'm rebelling NaNoWriMo, I'll be working on this project through a fierce slog of homework. Hope to see you on the battlefield. 

 Nota Bene: If you are writing next month, consider joining Christine's link-up. Participation in NaNoWriMo isn't required. Here's the link: Christine Smith's "Know the Novel Link-up" . Part one of the link-up ends when the clock strikes midnight on October 31st. 

Thanks for reading and happy writing!

-Julia Garcia/ Arysta Henry