Know the Novel — Part 2: Within the WIP

 

Hello again!

I'm atrociously late with this post, but in my defense, my life was upended late last Saturday and my Wi-Fi access has been spotty. This has also been my first NaNoWriMo without caffeine due to health reasons, so it's been interesting to say the least.

Today, I'm answering some questions from Christine Smith's Know the Novel series.

So, without further ado, let's drop into the questions.

KNOW THE NOVEL PART TWO: WITHIN THE WIP:

Q1: How's the writing going overall?

A: 

So, here's the thing... Sometimes, I've been the "Little Engine that Could" and other times I'm a speedy penguin

The first half of the month, everything just poured out like liquid gold, but certain life events have slowed things down. It's been hard writing when everyone around you is in panic mode. 

Q2: What's been the most fun aspect of writing this novel so far?

A:

Yup. That's pretty much it. My characters go from serious to goofballs in 0-60 and I honestly don't know what's going on anymore. I'm trying to write a serious story, but my characters just stick out their tongues at me and laugh.

Okay. I will try to give you a snapshot of what I have been having fun with.

• A magic flute that can literally take you from one place to the next. (SO MUCH FUN, RIGHT?)
• Getting to delve into areas with secret entrances. (Hidden doors, secret tunnels... *Screams*)
• A giant collaborative mural depicting life before everyone got trapped in Inspira.
• Characters verbally sparring against each other. (So much snark. I can't even deal with it anymore.)

Q3: What do you think of your characters at this point? Who's your favorite to write about?

I honestly love my crew. They are the silliest, most sentimental and dearest people ever, even if I sometimes want to shake them.

My favorite character to write about?

Well, Tolliver got the spotlight in book 1, so James Quinn, my protagonist/antagonist, gets it for book 2. He's just very sweet, but push him and he's all kinds of snappy and sarcastic. To be fair, I have put him through all sorts of hell this month, so his snarkiness is well-deserved.

Q4: Has your novel surprised you in any way?

A:

Well, I should've expected this, but I didn't expect the first act to take so long to conclude. This story is going to be a long one and I should've known. Almost none of my stories are short, but that's okay.

The magic flute element was a nice surprise. The flute is my favorite instrument and has always been magical to me so when a magic flute showed up in my story, it was perfect. It made my heart so happy.

Q5: Have you come across any problem areas?

A:

Well, yeah. The fact that the first act took forever to end is a bit of a problem, but Hey! that's what editing is for, right? At this point, I just want to finish the story. I can fix it later.

Q6: What's been your biggest victory with writing this novel at this point?

A: 

The biggest victory for me has been showing up each and every day. Even when my life has gone from peaceful to chaotic, I've still been able to write, and that soothes my soul. Writing is a haven for me, so I'm very thankful that I've been able to write every day so far.

Q7: If you were transported into your novel and became any of the characters, which one do you think you'd be? Would you take any different actions than they have?

A:

Well, my protagonist/antagonist, James Quinn and I share a lot of similar traits, so I suppose I would be him. We both struggle with finding our voices in a busy world, we both just want to write, we both dislike parties and we both like nature.

What would I do differently? Well, for starters, I would call off my engagement. Nobody needs that kind of stress in their life. I mean, his bride-to-be isn't even a nice person. (James, I really hope you throw one of those hard-as-a-brick biscuits at her. Do it. Make me proud.) 

Q8: Give us the first sentence or paragraph, then 2 (or 3!) more snippets!

A:

Okay, you asked for it.

Here is the first line:

(Ooh look! A quote graphic! I decided to be civilized and put the quotes on graphics this time around. Otherwise they dissolve into puddles of un-formatted goo all over my nicely formatted page.)

This next one is from Ross. He's helping a friend take care of this family in dire straits and meets this little girl, Evie.

Here. Have an ominous line:

This sweet quote is from a side character who is near and dear to my heart. Lillian is the owner of a shelter in the heart of the poorest area of Inspira. She's selfless and angelic. If you were in need, she'd do anything for you.

This next quote is from Elizabeth Tolliver (Tolliver). My dear girl is maturing so much in this story. She's thinking before acting much more, and becoming more contemplative.

And... My last quote is from a conversation between James Quinn (my protagonist/antagonist) and his servant, Nathaniel Tevins. They've gone from being distant towards one another, to being best friends. (Lady Isabel is his bride-to-be. I don't like her one bit, and James loathes her, but he's kind of trapped in the situation right now.)

You see what I mean? I can't even handle these characters. They always manage to act mischievous when I least expect them to.

Q9: Share an interesting tidbit about the writing process so far! (For example: Have you made any hilarious typos? Derailed from your outline? Killed off a character? Changed projects entirely? Anything you want to share!)

A: There's not a lot of interesting so far about my writing process. It's been chaotic and takes place whenever I can open up my computer and snatch words. I've written at the office, at my sister's house, at a camp with no internet (the horror!), at a Starbucks and at home. I think this NaNo wins for the most places I've written. 

I have made hilarious typos, but alas! I have not saved them, and I don't even remember what they were. 

I have derailed a little from my outline, but it's an outline, not written in stone. 

All characters currently remain alive. I can't promise anything, though.

To be honest, I did consider changing projects, but my stubbornness has carried me through.

Q10: Take us on tour of what a normal writing day for this novel look 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!

Okay, there is no normal writing day. Just know that. I write whenever I can: morning, afternoon, night... I've done them all! I mentioned I've written everywhere from my home, to the office, to Starbucks, to a camp to my sister's house. I've written mostly alone, but one day I did meet my friend for lunch and writing sprints. It was fun!

I stopped drinking coffee on a daily basis for health reasons a couple of months ago, so now I mostly drink herbal teas. I do allow myself a coffee on Sundays after church though because the weekends leave me exhausted.

I don't use candles because I forget I lit them and wildfires are a real problem where I live. I have candles, but I have to be very present when I light them. For writing, I have a variety of wax melts. They've been a constant companion in my main writing area.

I did listen to music a lot during the first half of the month, but then opted for silence. I get a lot more written that way.

Do I get distracted by social media? Yes. I confess I do, which is why I adopted a policy of no internet until I meet my word count.

And that's all for today! I hope you've enjoyed this brief peek into my chaotic month.

Now, I want to hear from you! Are you doing NaNoWriMo? How's it going? Have you been able to keep up with the daily word counts or have you fallen behind? 

Let me know in the comment section below. I'd love to hear from you.

Until next time....

-Julia Garcia /Arysta Henry