Back in August, I did a post on the goals that I had for the rest of 2015. This was inspired by the lovely Jenna Moreci, whose writing videos are also incredibly helpful. In this post, I will be going over last quarter’s goals, talking about how well I achieved them (or didn’t), and what goals I have for this quarter. This is a bit of a long post, so feel free to skip around among sections~
You may or may not have noticed that I haven’t posted in 31 days. This is because I WON NANOWRIMO.
It only took me 6 tries and a lot of stress and sweat and tears, but I finally did it. So I thought I would share a little bit about this journey has taught me.
So, I wasn’t tagged to do this, as far as I know, and I have very little plot and I know very little about my characters so far (because hello NaNo goal), but I kept seeing this and I thought I would take the opportunity to share a little about The Project. As a brief note, I have a specific schedule for The Project: October was worldbuilding, November will be character exploration and development, December is plot, and I will be writing the monstrosity next semester. Just a frame of reference for some of the answers I will be providing~
I’ve created a page here on the blog on which you will find all things relevant to The Project. Click for access.
Say hello to Beautiful Books, which is a blog writing link-up thing by Cait @ PaperFury and Sky @ Further Up, Further In. It’s like Beautiful People (where you talk about your characters) but Beautiful Books, where you talk about your current WIP.
ONE || How did you come up with the idea for your novel, and how long have you had the idea?
So, I read Vicious by VE Schwab a couple of months ago (I never reviewed it because I don’t know how to not word vomit) and I’ve been unable to stop thinking about it since. Somewhere in there, a darkness crept in, a twist to what I saw, and it wasn’t so much that I thought I could do it better (I really don’t think I can), but that I think I can do it differently. The idea has been developing in my head since early September, and it just really won’t leave me alone.
TWO || Why are you excited to write this novel?
It’s something new, in the sense that it’s a beautiful mix of something I’ve been doing for over a decade (writing character-driven fantasy) and something that I have yet to try (superpowers). I am really attached to the worldbuilding I’ve done so far, and what Amy has already told me has me really excited—she’s coming to me, telling me things, whispering in my ear and insisting on details. All of that tells me that she’s likely to be a strong protagonist, and hopefully interesting for people outside of my head, too.
THREE || What is your novel about, and what is the title?
The Project does not have a proper title yet, though I will admit I’m tempted to just call it that for the rest of forever. Because why not? It’s about people with superpowers, ethically suspect genetic experimentation, finding someone who may not want to be found (or who may be dead), and generally trust.
FOUR || Sum up your characters in one word each. (Feel free to add pictures!)
There will be many, many more, and chances are good that Peter will not be Peter any more, but that’s what I know so far.
… Did I mention November is character month?
FIVE || Which character(s) do you think will be your favourite to write? Tell us about them!
I think Amy and Shiloh will both be a lot of fun. They are completely different parts of me, and being able to develop both of them is going to be just such a rewarding experience.
SIX || What is your protagonist’s goal, and what stands in the way?
Amy wants to find someone who’s been missing (presumed alive, but possibly dead) for about 50 years. All the evidence is cold, and there’s a team of people competing with hers to the same goal, trying to sabotage her progress. More to be developed in December, when I do plot.
SEVEN || Where is your novel set? (Show us pictures if you have them!)
I’m purposefully leaving this in a very generic large urban area (imagine New York City, London, Berlin kind of sizes). I don’t want to give too much hint to the actual setting only because I think it will detract from the story I’m telling, partially because plausibility might be an issue. Oops.
EIGHT || What is the most important relationship your character has?
Amy will be spending the novel trying to figure that out, which is my way of saying I really don’t know yet. Maybe it’s her mother, who doesn’t understand but wants her around. Maybe it’s her team, because they are her family now. Maybe it’s the guy at the coffee shop who keeps her down on Earth and connected with the rest of reality.
We’ll see.
NINE || How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?
She learns 1) to let go, and 2) that she may not be able to trust the people she thought she could.
TEN || What themes are in your book? How do you want your readers to feel when the story is over?
My main theme is going to be one of trust—who can you trust, who can’t you trust, when should you trust someone, and with what? What different types of trust do the different types of relationships encourage or discourage or threaten? Etc.
If one reader goes to hug or buy dinner or do something nice for a really good friend after reading my book, I’ve done my job.
NaNoWriMo BONUS || Tell us your 3 best pieces of advice for others trying to write a book in a month.
1. Do not read what you wrote yesterday unless absolutely necessary—and then, only the last paragraph or so to orient yourself. A friend of mine said she’ll be writing in different word documents every day in November to stop herself from editing, and I think it’s a fabulous idea.
2. Write what you want to write. Don’t write what you think you should, but what your heart and soul and (other metaphorical creative/emotional center) tell you to write. Passion is the single easiest way to keep going.
3. Be careful about comparing yourself to other writers. Some writers will finish much more quickly than you. Some writers will lose track, but write 25 thousand words in the last week alone. Go at your own pace, and use other writers only as a means of encouraging yourself, not as a way to beat yourself up for not having done enough. You’ve put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. That’s enough.
I took an unintentional hiatus and I think, retrospectively, that it was a good idea. See, classes start for me this coming Monday, and life is going to go a little crazy. I’m taking 15 credit hours (that’s five writing-/reading-oriented classes) and working 15 hours a week on campus, with roughly a 2-hour commute to and from campus.
Life is going to be a little hectic.
As Jenna Moreci recommends, I’ll be making some “quarterly” (I’m going for more than a quarter of a year but it doesn’t sound as nice) goals to hopefully get me through the semester just fine, in terms of blogging, homework, writing, and reading.
My list might be a little short in comparison to some of the Jenna’s lists, and some of goals rather low or rather high, but I think it’s a good starting place. I’ll hopefully be doing an update on my progress regarding these goals sometime in October.
I’m also in the progress of typing up some posts that I will be scheduling over the course of the next handful of weeks. You will see more of me!
The Book Boulevard 
