HAIIIIIIII!

I am dying to make this announcement to you guys, because I AM FLAILING LIKE A HELPLESS JELLYFISH PULLED FROM THE OCEAN and I don't even know anymore like WAT IS LIFE. WHAT IS WRITING. HOW WURDZ.

Ehem. So yeah. You know how I've been saying that I'm going to write The King's Vow, the sequel to The Thief's Conspiracy, my current WIP, for NaNoWriMo?

Haha. HAAAA. Ahaaaa. Ehem.

Yeah. No.

It came to me on a walk with my little brother. The inklings that I was a little more interested in this one idea than I really should be, given future plans. And then, in the shower, it came to me. (because let's face it guys -- all the best revelations come in the shower.)

I am not ready to write The Kings' Vow. 

Part of me is curled up in gross sobbing because I've been wanting to write this for SO LONG. (Well, it hasn't been THAT long but still.) And then part of me is kind of amused with myself. I've been planning to write this book for November's nano for ALMOST A YEAR and then, the month before, I realize I'm not quite ready. How does that ... work? Like, WAHT? o.O

There are a lot of reasons to why I finally came to this decision, but I'll give you the short version.

My WIP has been quite a rebellious child lately. The plot is being very stubborn, mainly because SO STINKIN' MUCH HAPPENS in SO STINKIN' LITTLE TIME (the book actually takes place in 16 days) and I am just really confusing myself and drowning in the chaos of conspiracies and plots and murders and assassinations and spies and ALL THIS CRAZY STUFF LIKE WHAT IS GOING ON I AM SO LOST.

SO. There's a lot of stuff I still need to figure out for book one. And with book one being in ... well, the state it's in, I can't write the sequel now. If I do, it will probably end up being thrown out the window on some dark night and then completely rewritten which WOULD NOT BE FUN CAUSE I HATE REWRITING. UGH.

Anyway, I'll wrap up this rambling rant now. *is done*

Just kidding. Ha. Ha.

I MUST ANNOUNCE NOW WHAT BOOK I AM WRITING. mwahahahhahaa. If you've been to my What I'm Writing page, you'll know what I'm talking about. And if you go check it out now, you'll see I've made a few updates. *grins mischievously*

For NaNoWriMo, 2016, I am writing .......

*drum roll*

*is making this way too dramatic*

*doesn't actually care oops*

picture not mine, source here

*cue the endless screaming and flailing*

YES I AM WRITING MY MIDDLE GRADE STANDALONE NOVEL THAT I'VE BEEN PLANNING FOR ... OVER A YEAR? *just made a lot of strange sounds becuase I JUST REALIZED THAT I'VE ACTUALLY HAD THIS IDEA FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS AND I THOUGHT OF IT BEFORE I THOUGHT OF MY WIP'S IDEA*

O.O

EHEM. I am very calm what are you talking about.

So yeah, I'M WRITING THIS! And to celebrate, I am going to participate in my first ever Beautiful Books Link Up!!! Hosted by Cait at Paper Fury and Sky at Further up and Further In!

I will keep it relatively brief, since I've already rambled quite enough. XP


1. What inspired the idea for your novel and how long have you had it? Oops. Kind of answered part two of this question above. But I got the idea when I was tucking my little brother (he would have been four at the time) into bed and I asked him if he wanted me to give him a dream, since my grandmother used to do that for me when I was little and scared to go to sleep on my own. He actually said no, and I was really surprised. And I started going into detail about the fascinating lands he could travel to if I gave him a dream, and then I kind of went into a fascinating land myself because I thought HEY WHAT A COOL BOOK IDEA. Thus, The Dream Walkers was born.

2. Describe what your novel is about! Mwahahaha. I actually have a blurb! It took some work, since this story is going to be in omniscient POV (which basically means head-hopping made okay) I don't really have a main character? I kind of had six. Then I kind of had five. And now I think I've found the main character (cause there has to be one, right?) but I'm not sure ...

Anyway. I did it and I will likely write a post about writing blurbs for ensemble cast books because THAT WAS A NEW CHALLENGE.

Here it issssss!


I'll note -- if you haven't written a blurb yet, I highly recommend doing so. I only wrote this up a few days ago and I've already used it quite a bit. Even though it will probably change in future drafts, it's still incredibly valuable to have and definitely worth the effort!

3. What is your book's aesthetic? Use words or photos or whatever you like! I MADE A COLLAGE. HAVE A COLLAGE.



And a few words are just like SO MUCH ETHEREAL-NESS BECAUSE LIKE WOW. Most of the book happens in a land made of dreams, so basically anything can happen and you get cool things like dancing on the stars and climbing the moon and walking on water and floating on/snuggling with clouds and all that super weird but cool stuff. Basically every world builder addict's dream.


4. Introduce us to each of your characters! 

So I have quite a few characters, but not very many at the same time? Like, all my characters are very important and there are very few minor characters (at least, so far). So I'll just show you the MAIN main characters. The cast that runs the show. The foster children.

I have five. (I actually originally had six, but one of them was just not fitting into the plot and he had to go and I'm really confused about him like why was he even there in the first place if he was going to just run off and leave me like that but OH WELL.)



Chloe is my adorable cinnamon roll muffin cake who is quite a loner. She's the essence of me as a child which might surprise a lot of people because I've never appeared to be a loner. Somehow, though, I've felt very alone for as long as I can remember and am only recently getting over that and trying to grow past that and find the truth.

ANYWAY. Here's a picture.

Chloe, age 11

Jake is my little naughty meanie boy. He's rough and gruff and makes fun of everyone and is downright rude like, why you acting like that you naughty little thing?

Let's say he learns some stuff in Dream World to whip him into shape XP

Jake, age 9

MAGGIEEEEEE I LOVE HER SO MUCH. She's Jake's twin sister and actually basically my little sister? She's a tomboy and she's got a strong will and she yells way too much and stomps around and wears her red hair in two long braids that she likes to hit people with and she's just very headstrong but also very soft and emotional inside and SHE JUST STEALS MY HEART AHDKJFASLDHKJFH. *hugs little child*

Maggie, age 9

Wolf is my frightened little scaredy cat baby. He is afraid of everything and knows it and is just so ashamed of everything and who he is and just AHHH POOR BABY. And this is something I feel very passionately about and I have a feeling will become a theme -- that just because you're afraid of something doesn't mean you're not, or can't be, brave. And that's something he has to learn and just AJSKDFLKJSDFHALKSDJF.

Wolf, age 8

Agatha is my adorable little six year old angel who actually has quite a temper but is usually very sweet and just so adorable and very inquisitive and big eyed and I just love her so much. She's not afraid to ask questions, or speak her mind.

Agatha, age 6

5. How do you prepare to write? (Outline, research, stocking up on chocolate, howling, etc.?) I have a folder on my computer filled with files of book ideas. This is where I begin. Last Thursday, I created a new folder and that's when I know the book is officially a WIP. Because when I create that folder, I can fill it with separate, more detailed documents filled with specific notes on certain things. As you probably guessed, I also make a map (I've had one for this for about a year) and write a blurb (or at least try. This project was being finicky.)

Last year, I went and stocked up on nano bribery candy, but sadly I am broke so that is not an option. *weeps* I'll just settle for lots of coffee.

6. What are the things you are most looking forward to about this novel? THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS AHHH. I think one of the biggest things is that it's a standalone, which means ONLY ONE BOOK TO WORRY ABOUT AND THE PLOT WILL HOPEFULLY BE SO MUCH MORE MANAGEABLE AND I AM SO EXCITED FOR IT. Also ... the world. Enough said. I just cannot wait. *aggressively loves magical, impossible things*

7. List three things about your novel's setting. *swallows hard* Only ... three? Well ... Nano is all about doing the impossible, so I guess we've gotta start sometime XP

    1: DREEEEEEEEAMS. THE WORLD IS MADE OF DREAMS AHJDSKFLHAKJSDHFLEUH. LIKE, TECHNICALLY THE WHOLE BOOK HAPPENS IN A DREAM WHICH JUST HAS MY WORLD-BUILDER HEART FLAILING WILDLY AND HAPPILY IN THE EPIC MAGICAL GLORY OF IT.

    2: I'm still not sure what the boundaries/rules are? Because I know there have to be SOME. So far I only have one solid rule which applies for the Second Level (which I will explain for Thing Three) and that is, "Gravity is a choice." *mad cackling* Ehem.

    3: Since this is Dream World, I needed to figure out how they can go deeper into the world, and why the one kid goes into a coma in the first place, getting trapped in Dream World, so I decided there were layers. There are three layers (four if you want to be technical, but only three are super important here). The First Layer is called The Shallows and it is basically a blank slate of gray and white. When children arrive, that's when things appear. The land is molded and customized to fit the childrens' imaginations. Most children never go deeper than this. They're not supposed to. But, of course, my cast does *evil grin* The Second Layer is where most of the story happens. It's where the one kid goes at the beginning, and it's where all the adventures happen, because this level is a little more real than they first thought. There are certain things that have to happen in order for you to come here, because when you make it to this level, you become a ... *wait for it* Dream Walker. MWAHAHAHAHA. Ehem. The Third Layer is The Deep. No one has ever come back from The Deep, and no one is quite sure what is down there. *mysterious smile*


8. What is your character's goal and who (or what) stands in the way? This question could be taken several ways, but I'll address the main plot side of this. My cast of adorable little children are all trying to save their brother, who did not wake up the morning after the little "dare-gone-wrong" incident. He's trapped in the Dream World. And my charries have to go save him. (of course, a whole new set of problems arise when they finally get to him, but that would be spoilery so I'll hush up now.) *zips lips and smiles innocently*


9. How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel? All my characters go through a journey. They each start out this story with a lie that they believe, and they all learn by the end of it the truth (or at least the beginnings of it, since the truth is not always that easy) and are changed for the better.

10. What are the book's themes? What do you want the reader to feel when it's over? I try not to plan my themes, but ever since I realized what a thematic writer I am (I didn't realize this until ... a few months ago. #oops) I have noticed the themes that appear in my stories more and more. And there are a good deal of themes I've already spotted. I'm trying not to pay too much attention to them, or even write them out, because I want the story to come as it is meant to be. But I know that belonging and family are going to be two big parts of it. I want readers to know that they have a place in this world, that they are here for a reason, and that they belong, even if they may not feel that way.

*whistles* wow that was fun! And ... very long. *did not actually keep it relatively brief #oops* I AM SO IMPRESSED IF YOU MADE IT THROUGH THIS WHOLE THING LIKE WOW. *gives coffee and hot cocoa*

This is already getting so long, so I'm going to give just one more very brief note.

Plans ... don't always work out. So don't hold onto your plans too tightly. I was so determined, so set on writing The King's Vow. Even as I was plotting and illustrating and drawing maps and fleshing out characters for DW, somehow I was still convinced that I was going to write TKV. But that wasn't how it worked out at all, and I know I'm not going to regret this decision.

As a good friend told me, you have no bonds, no restraints! You are free to write what you want, when you want. So do it. <3

How about you? Have any of your plans been turned on their head? DO BEAUTIFUL BOOKS IT IS FUN. How did you come up with your book idea, and what do you look forward to most in writing it? 

Characters have always come quite naturally to me. When I get a story, the characters generally come hand in hand. I have a vague idea of who they are, but I don't really know them until I write them. So don't freak out if you don't really know your characters yet.

The surest way to do that is to write them.

For some people, it takes a whole first draft until they really know their character. For others, it could take even three drafts.

But right now, let's focus on what we can do before we start our stories. What we need to know before we start.

(Technically, you don't NEED to know much at all. But knowing the basics can really save you some editing.)


Who was your character before the book started? What were they doing the day before your book begins? An hour before?

What happened to your character to make them who they are today? Knowing their past experiences can really help you anticipate how they handle things and how they see the world.

These two are such HUGE motivators when brainstorming characters. What is your character afraid of? I'm not talking about spiders and monkeys here. I'm talking about thoughts that haunt them. Fears that plague their every waking moment, or at least rest in the back of their minds.

Fears like, "What if I'm not good enough?" "What if no one likes me?" "What if I'm getting all this wrong?" "What if everyone is lying to me, and I'm really not important or special or worth anything at all?"

Fears. Lies. You get the gist.

If you're writing a sequel, ask yourself a few questions to refresh yourself about them, and then more. How do the events in book one change them? If a certain fear was eased in their plot arc, or a certain desire fulfilled, what replaces that now?



When I started planning The Thief's Conspiracy, I took this test for my two main characters. It's sooooo helpful in getting to know them. Even if you're not really sure about your charrie yet, even if you don't know them thaaaaat well, I'd still recommend you take it, and then read about the type. Some stuff might not be accurate yet, but a lot of it will and it will help immensely in fleshing them out in your mind.



And this is just SO MUCH FUN, OKAY?!?

There are lots of characters aesthetics you can make. Collages, songs, drawings. But there's this one really cool one where you put together words for aesthetics and like WHAT EVEN IT IS SO COOL. Like, we're writers. And we get to make pretty, writer-y things for our characters?!?! I think YES.

I'm not sure where exactly this originated, but I heard about it from Carlyn Ross on the GTW facebook group and YOU SHOULD TOTALLY DO IT FOR YOUR CHARRIES BECAUSE IT MAKES YOU THINK ABOUT WHO THEY ARE TO THE REST OF THE WORLD. Like. You describe bits of them, little parts that people see, and it carries this weight that means much more than just an outward thing. It's so much deeper than that.

I'm going to give you an example because I FEEL LIKE IT and also The Thief's Conspiracy DID just turn a year old on the second, and I feel the need to celebrate somehow.

And I give to you Rissa's character aesthetic.

Clenched jaw, aching ribs, fists at sides, wrists shackled with burning iron, glaring eyes, heavy heart, scarred back, long dark hair, bloody knuckles, empty eyes, soft voice, gentle steps, a secret place deep inside no one can see, no one can control.

There're also character collages and pinterest boards were are also REALLY FUN AND YOU SHOULD TOTALLY MAKE THEM. I like to make character collages and book collages and put them as my desktop background and then I get ALL DA FEEEEEEEELS. *doubles over and howls*

Ehem.


There are loads more things you can do for your charries, but those are some of my favorites. And now I shall do as I did last week and give you some pictures to inspire you, in case you don't have a character yet or need to flesh one out!

source

Who is this girl? Why's she sitting outside with all the animals? What's she looking at? What's she thinking about? Does she live alone? Is she poor? If so, why? What does her father do? Is her father around? Does she long to travel the world, or is she fine here, feeding the animals and cooking for her family?

Look. Notice. Ask questions. 

source

Who is this boy? Is he a repairman, down below to fix something wrong with the ship? If so, what went wrong and how? Why is he down there alone? Is he a pirate? Why is he down there? Maybe he's harvesting something that the ships catch when sailing through these special waters. What is that thing, and why does he want it? Who will he sell it to? And how did he end up becoming a pirate? Are these ships full of people or abandoned? Maybe he's a poor boy (could be orphaned) that's looking for something to scavenge, and he's about to brave the ropes and climb up to look inside. What will he find there?

Look. Notice. Ask questions. 

source

Who is this old man? Why is he sitting in the shop, alone? Is he waiting for someone? Customers? Is no one coming? Why? Or maybe music has been outlawed, and he's waiting for soldiers to come and take the violins away ... Or he could be a wizard, infusing his violins with magic ... but why?

Look. Notice. Ask questions.

Sometimes I am afraid to ask "why". Usually this fear comes when I've already written the book, because I'm afraid if I dig deeper I'll have MORE EDITING TO DO AND NO UGH. As little editing as possible, please and thank you.

Ehem.

So, especially now that we're planning, DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK WHY. Why takes everything deeper, and it really makes you think.

Don't fear. Look around you. Notice what you see.

And ask lots of questions.


I hope you liked this post! I have an announcement to make soon. I'm not sure when I'll do it, but I already wrote the post up so I might put it up Wednesday, or Tuesday ...? We'll see. I'M SO EXCITED THOUGH AHHHH.

(No it does not start with "e" and rhyme with creditors, sadly, but IT'S STILL EXCITING)

WELCOME TO MY NANOPREP SERIES!!! I'm so pumped for this, guys! I really am enjoying writing this so far, and I hope you will enjoy reading it!

The goal of this series is to get your creative juices running and the wheels of your glorious brains turning. The goal is to inspire you. Because some of us might not know what we're writing for nano. Some of us might have just a vague idea, but have a lot of stuff they need to figure out because they actually have no idea what's going on (that's me). And some insane people might know exactly what they're writing and what's going to happen, but they're already bored because WHERE IS THE FUN IN PLANNING EVERY LITTLE THING EVER?

Fear not! There is always something else to discover, some new idea waiting.

It is time for me to PROMPT YOU.






What are they carrying? Did someone die? Is their body in the coffin, or is it a ruse? Maybe someone died, but they're trying to keep it a secret. There aren't many people, after all. Or maybe the person that died was a nobody. So no one cares about why he mysteriously passed. No one except his brother. Or his sister. Or his mother. What's their status? Do they work at the castle you see in the background, or do they own it? Why would they want to keep it a secret? Is the child a disgrace? Did someone in the household, someone with authority, kill him?

Look. Notice. Ask questions.


I could give you so many more pictures and ask so many more questions. If you still don't have a book idea, go look on Pinterest! Check out my Inspire Me board. I post all kinds of pictures like this on there.

Look. Notice. Ask questions. 



Hopefully this got your creative juices turning! If you didn't have a story before, I hope you might begin to get ideas now! Keep looking and noticing the world around you. Keep asking questions.

Also, if you're wanting to write a shiney new blurb for your nano page, check out this guest post I did on Katie's blog a while back! (It remains one of my favorite posts I've ever written. For some reason, I really like blurbs. XP)