Know the Novel Part 3 - The Writing of Kings Bleed Gold {NaNoWriMo 2018}

 

Annnnd I am back to go ahead and answer the questions to my Know the Novel linkup, which I posted yesterday if you missed it. *wink, wink*

I have news. Super excited, happy neeews…

I FINISHED WRITING KINGS BLEED GOLD.

Fiiinally. IT. IS. DONE. I mean, the first draft is done… It needs a total uber major rewrite but we’re not thinking about that right now because IT IS WRITTEN AND I AM SO RELIEVED. I feverishly kept writing through all this first week of December and Thursday night, December 6th, I made it to THE END. I may be a teeny tiny bit over enthused. But WHEW. I didn’t know if this beast was ever gonna get finished. Having to keep writing through some of December after non-stop writing alllll of November was, well, overwhelming. But I am stubborn and was determined to not stop until it was done! And strangely? All these last few days of writing went way better than almost any days during NaNo. GO FIGURE. I thiiink it may have been because I was writing super fast-paced, exciting climatic stuff, which always goes really fast for me. BUT STILL. If only writing had been so fast and easy during NaNo. *rolls eyes* Ah well, it’s finished and that’s what matters!

Annnd it ended up being 129,042 words. O_O Yeah. Just HOW? Because, if you’ll remember, this was gonna be a standalone but I decided to split the story into a duology or trilogy. And yet it still ended up being a 130k beast. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME??? But I’m just happy to be done. I wrote 36 days in a row. Like…every single day for 36 days straight. I think that’s a record for me. Which may sound pathetic to some of you who write every single day but, sadly, I am not one of those magical writing fairies. Writing every day is nooot I habit I have, unfortunately, so I was pleased with my 36-day record. XD

ANYWAYS. Kings Bleed Gold is FINISHED. AND I AM SO HAPPY!!!! So to celebrate, I shall be doing my own linkup (lolz) and telling you guys allll about how the writing overall went! Woot, woot!

THE WRITING OF
KINGS BLEED GOLD

 

 

1.) Firstly, how did writing this novel go all around?

Well, I think? We’ll pretend? There were some grueling days but, as with every NaNo, now that I look back at it, all I can think of is how fond I am of the story and how much I enjoyed being immersed in it for a month, instead of remembering all the maaany days I really just wanted to lay on the floor and whine instead of write. In fact, I already miss writing it, despite being so, SO ready to be done. Now I just feel kinda empty and desperately miss the characters… I tend to always do this when I finish a novel. Being a writer is an emotional ride. XD

But yeah, overall I’d definitely say it went well. I actually sorta kinda think it’s one of my most polished NaNo novels. Which is hilarious, because it’s a MESS. But I was a liiiittle more careful with the writing than I usually am during NaNo. Still though, I suspect every single word needs rewriting. Eheh.

 

2.) Did it turn out like you expected or completely different? And how do you feel about the outcome?

It actually stayed to my outline for the most part, thank goodness! Though there were a few things, once I started writing, that I realized weren’t going to work and had to be readjusted. I’m weird in that way. I’ll outline something that seems perfectly logical, then once I get in the story and write it, I see all the flaws and holes. Is that just me? I still think I’m a pantser at heart, despite hardcore outlining all my last novels for years now. I just see the story so much clearer once I write.

So the events all stayed along with the outline, but there was some backstory and certain aspects of like the world and magic system that shifted a bit as I wrote. But it all became much better than I had outlined, so that’s good! My stories tend to always tell me what should happen. XD Though some things I decided to change halfway through and just kept writing as if they had already happened so yeah, thank goodness editing is a thing.

Also, some of my characters’ motivations took me by complete surprise, mainly a couple of my antagonists. I thought I knew them, but apparently not???? I liked that though. It kept the process interesting for me.

 

3.) What aspect of the story did you love writing about the most? (Characters, plot, setting, prose, etc.)

I mean, OBVIOUSLY the characters. Is that any surprise at all? No, no it is not. Making Midas go from a totally bratty, immature prince to a sacrificial hero got my all emotional. You know how I feel ‘bout them character arcs. Korinna and Syram also had some arcs as they overcame their fears and just alkdjflsjldkjfs I LOVED IT. Characters is seriously the reason I write. I’m obsessed.

Though, I have to say, all the magic and Midas turning things to gold was a super fun aspect to work with. I was worried it’d be stressful having a character who turns eeeverything to gold with a single touch of his skin. Like…how was that even going to work? But, actually? The challenge was a BLAST. The amount of things that he kept accidentally turning to gold were hilarious, and working with someone who could have no physical touch was very interesting and different. This is super bizarre, but I was in his head so much, that when I had other characters interact I sort of forgot they could touch??? Like, I’d have a characters squeeze another’s arm or hug or something and my first instinct was like, “Wait they can’t touch!” And then I realized…they’re not Midas. They’re not going to turn to gold. Touching is fine. Yeah, I don’t even know. But that was a rabbit trail. (Also, Midas wears special fairy-made clothes and gloves, if you’re wondering how he functions day-to-day.)

All that to say, working with a character who turns everything to gold was a very interesting challenge that I surprisingly liked. A lot.

 

My Midas would be horrified to be depicted this way, oh my gracious. XDDD

 

4.) How about your least favorite part?

Hmmm… I kind of had a pretty hard time figuring out how the dragons’ underground home worked and how to describe it all. I had a good picture in my head of everything, but getting it down on words was a whole other story.

 

5.) What do you feel like needs the most work?

*points up* I think the whole underground world thing is gonna need some fleshing out. And, like I said earlier, I ended up changing some things halfway through the story, and I feel like there’s a plot hole or two involving the magic system and the villains’ plans that will need some more brainstorming and smoothing out. This whole plot just hurt my brain.

 

Me during the whole process of creating this book.

 

6.) How do you feel about your characters now that the novel is done? Who’s your favorite? Least favorite? Anyone surprise you? Give us all the details!

*see questions #3* Eheheheh. I really loved my bbys. I know I’ve been so subtle about it. *grins*

My favorite is Syram, obviously. (#noshame) Although, truthfully, I loved them ALL in different ways. Even the antagonists because, like I said, they really surprised me with their motivations and their thought processes intrigued me greatly. (So vague I know, but #spoilers.) I think ALL of the characters surprised me more so than any cast I’ve ever written. Usually I know my characters really well before writing the novel, and I thought I knew all of them but…wow. Apparently not. It was such a blast exploring them though. I ended up falling in love with them more and more the farther I got into the novel. I can’t really say I have a least favorite. Perhaps a certain villain or two, but they’re supposed to be unlikable so…

I think my most favorite thing was the 3-way relationship between Midas, Korinna, and Syram. Midas learned to care about Korinna and Syram SO MUCH, and Korinna and Midas were constantly like “Syram is our child and must be protected at all times” despite him being a little older than them. Lol. And Korinna and Syram kept teaming up to get Reckless Midas out of all sorts of jams, while Midas and Syram had such a fun buddy-buddy relationship. They all had different dynamics with each other, but worked the best when they were all together and UGH. THEY MAKE ME HAPPY. And break my heart… *cough, cough*

 

7.) What’s your next plan of action with this novel?

Let it sit in the dark recesses of my laptop for…a while. LOLZ. So exciting. But I have other projects clamoring for my attention now that it’s done. I 100% plan on coming back to it and giving it the big, major rewrite it deserves, because I seriously love this story idea and want to turn it into something readable. Buuut I don’t know when said rewrite will happen. For now I’m taking a writing break, then will be diving back into yet another round of edits for Burning Thorns come the new year. So yeah, poor Kings Bleed Gold will have to wait for a bit.

 

8.) If you could have your greatest dream realized for this novel, what would it be?

Well, my greatest dream for all my novels is to be traditionally published. I’d loooove that for this one. Though this one is a bit different in that, if I pursue publishing with it (which I hope to do one day!), I’d probably pitch it to the general market instead of the Christian market. Though, yes, naturally it’s got my worldviews in the themes, as anyone’s books would, it’s one of my few books that doesn’t have an outright God figure. And I think Christians should have more books in the general market. But that’s a post for a another day! Haha.

 

9.) Share a snippet of one of your most favorite scenes!

Wellllll, here’s Midas and Syram’s first ever meeting. I was so excited for this scene, because it was my first time to “officially” meet Syram as well. You can tell this is early on in the story from Midas’ bratty-ness. Hehe.

“Are you thirsty?”

Midas’ eyes snapped open. When had he even fallen asleep? He winced at the pounding in his head as he pulled it up. A face peered at him through the bars. Sucking in a breath, he leapt to his feet, but the sudden motion sent spikes of pain down his body. He hissed and pressed his gloved hand against the wall to balance himself.

“Oh…dear. Sorry.”

He focused again on the person outside his cell, and was in for another shock. It was one of the strangest people he had every seen. The man seemed to be about his age and height, but with a wild head of shockingly red hair stuffed under a rounded leather cap. His skin was neither fair nor dark, but almost ashen, though that could have been the dim lighting. Though it was his eyes that was the oddest of all. The large, almond-shaped, amber colored things practically glowed in the dark. There was a boyish playfulness to them but something else as well, though he couldn’t pinpoint what. This man was clearly foreign. Or…foreign to Chrysafel anyway.

The man studied him for moment, his head cocked. “You’re the one with the golden touch?”

He blinked. There was now gold woven all throughout the floor and walls of his cell, as well as the floor outside it. “I would think that’s rather obvious.”

The redhead just grinned. “Would you turn something gold for me?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Just because I’m in a cell and you’re not, doesn’t mean I’m some form of entertainment for you.”

“No, of course not. I just thought you might would want some water.” He pulled up a water flask in his hand.

At the sight, his dry tongue scraped over his cracked lips, but even still, he wasn’t pleased with the treatment he was receiving. “So you’re going to let this wounded, dehydrated man go thirsty unless he does something for you?”

The other’s strange eyes flashed in what seemed to be pure surprise. “No, no. That’s not what I meant. I just…well… Never mind. Here.” He held the flask between the bars. “Take all of it. Free of charge.”

He stared at the flask for a moment. What if this was some sort of trick of the dragons? He eyed the man again, who smiled at him and shook the flask like an eager child. Sighing, he took it with his gloved hand, thirst winning out. The water was cold and fresh and glorious. After multiple gulps, he poured the rest down his back and released a sigh of relief as it trickled down his wound and cleared the dirt. Once he had used up every last drop, he handed it back to the man.

“Water does not turn to gold when it touches you?”

“No, liquid never does. Thank the heavens.” He grimaced. “Can you imagine never being able to take a bath?”

Mischief gleamed in the man’s eyes. “Well, truthfully, that’s why I asked. The way you look and smell—doesn’t seem like you’ve bathed in years.”

He opened his mouth to retort, but then looked down at his bloodied, dirt-caked clothes. Maybe it was the relief of the water or the exhaustion or just the completely absurdity of everything, but a laugh escaped him. “You have a point.” Now feeling far more clear-headed, he softened up to the person. “Thank you for the water, by the way. I…suppose it wouldn’t hurt for me to turn just one thing gold for you, since you did bring me water.”

The man’s face broke into pure delight and he dug into his stained, threadbare trousers and pulled out a rough rock with a short point.

Midas frowned at the thing. “That’s what you want gold?”

He nodded enthusiastically.

Shrugging, he reached out his exposed hand. The man dropped the rock into it and his eyes sparked in awe as the rock transformed to pure gold in a matter of seconds. Slowly, he pinched it between two fingers, careful to not touch Midas’ hand, and then held it up to examine it closely.

“It’s perfect!”

Despite himself, Midas couldn’t stop a chuckle escaping his lips. “You’d think I’d be pretty used to the sight of gold by now, but honestly, I never get tired of it.”

 

10.) Did you glean any new writing and/or life lessons from writing this novel?

Oh goodness, I feel like I learn something new about my writing and myself with every single book. Which is why I love doing NaNo. Because even though it always ends in a ridiculously messy draft that will probably need to be completely rewritten, I’ve grown and learned so much about writing through all my years of NaNo-ing.

I already mentioned in my after NaNo post last week that writing such a dark book in the span of 30 days kinda depressed me. My heavier books miiight should be saved for non-NaNo months, when I’m writing slower.

Another huge thing that struck me was a bit of a surprise. As I’ve said before, I used to be a hardcore pantser, but these days outline my novels to excruciating levels. But, as I was writing this, the few times I ended up having to pants a scene because someone’s motivations and/or backstories decided to change on me, it ended up being way better than anything I plotted out. That got me thinking to the last book I fully pantsed (which was allll the way back in 2014 yeah o.o), and how well the plot unfolded. And it hit me: I think my stories turn out better when they can organically come together, instead of me forcefully trying to come up with a full plot in like a month.

 

Me plotting.

What this means for my future novels… I don’t know. My outlines are my lifelines for NaNo novels, so I still may use them during NaNo. Buuut I might should try to be a little more loose with them, and perhaps attempt a bit of pantsing again and see what happens. I rather miss pantsing, honestly, even though the idea kind of scares me because, again, outline = lifeline because it helps me not run down rabbit trails and chase random subplots that lead nowhere (which deeefinitely happens while pantsing, for me at least). So I don’t know. It’s something I’m pondering right now.

I feel like there were a dozen other little lessons I learned while writing, because there always are, but I’d say that was the big epiphany for this novel. I always have at least one with each story. XD Writing is an adventure for sure!

And here we come to The End. Because…I think I may actually be done blabbering about NaNo and Kings Bleed Gold. :O I’ve only blogged nonstop about them for the past 2 months. *COUGH* You gotta love NaNo season. *grins*

But, well, I really do love NaNo season. It’s such an exciting, crazy time, and it makes it a thousand times better sharing with friends. So THANK YOU for putting up with all my crazed NaNo babbles and repeated talk of KBG. It’s been a wild ride, guys. But WE MADE IT!

NaNo is over, I’ve officially finished KBG, and now I’m allllll set to do all the Christmas-y things, have a refreshing writing break, and enjoy this magical month. I’M EXCITED!

Don’t forgot you can answer these questions and join the linkup yourself HERE!!!

 

TALK WITH ME!

Are you relieved I’m finally done with all my NaNo talk? Bwahahaha. Okay, but really, who’s excited that it’s Christmas time? (Meeeee!) What’s your plans for the month? Anyone still writing? Or are you taking a break for the holidays? (If you need me I’ll be over here reading and watching movies and eating Christmas cookies.)

NaNoWriMo 2018: Thoughts, Stats, and Snippets

IT’S DECEMBER. December. DECEMBERRRR. NaNoWriMo is over. WUT???? We have made it through the insanity that is November a.k.a National Novel Writing Month and I MAY BE A LITTLE SHOCKED.

NaNo is always this weird paradox of time in that it feels like 3 days long and a lifetime all at once. I think it’s because the days are zipping by in my life, but I’m also so immersed in my characters lives, I feel as if I’ve gone on the same ginormous, life-changing journey as them. When I think back to the beginning of November, it seems like yesterday, and yet also so much has happened since then. It’s weird. NaNo is weird. EVERYTHING IS WEIRD.

But hi! We have made it!!! AND IT’S DECEMBER.

Except, erm, NaNo is still basically going on for me because I didn’t quiiiite finish my story. Yeah. It’s a beast. As of right now I have just FIVE chapters left and am right in the midst of the crazy climax so I’m excited to wrap this thing up. It shouldn’t be much longer now… Icandothis Icandothis Icandothis.

Ahem. Anyways. Just because my story isn’t finished, doesn’t mean I can’t do a big ol’ NaNo wrapup post with some thoughts on the experience and stats (because who doesn’t love stats?)! And yes, snippets shall also be included. *wriggles eyebrows*

NANOWRIMO 2018

 

MY THOUGHTS

This was both a wonderful and stressful NaNo, as all NaNos are. Although this one did feel a bit rougher than some of the others. Or it may have just felt like that because last year went so smoothly it gave the illusion of this one being hard. I DON’T KNOW. But still, I definitely enjoyed this one.

I think a big thing was that I have been in total editing mode pretty much all year long, so shifting into that first draft mentality didn’t go well. I keep pausing and stressing over every single wording choice, and bemoaning how dumb my sentences are. Some days I threw caution to the wind and wrote like a rabid monkey, but mostly that inner editor would not shush.

And yet, despite all my stressing, I still think this draft is a total disaster. XD I should have just enjoyed making a mess and accept it which is what I usually try to do during NaNo. But, again, I’ve been so focused on editing this year, more so than any other year, my inner editor has ingrained itself in my brain and won’t go away. >.> I also feel like the words were harder to get down because, despite my enormous outline, the absurdly complicated plot hurt my poor wee brain and it took a lot of effort to bring everything together in a (hopefully but probably not really) logical way.

But I also discovered something that surprised me while writing this. Usually, I am all for dark, emotional stories. Those are my faaave to write (should I be worried?), and I was extra excited about this book because ooooh boy, was it gonna be a feels-slayer. Bwahahaha. I had a playlist full of dramatic instrumental music to tug at my heartstrings, and was totally ready to destroy some fictional people’s lives. But then something happened. I…depressed myself with my own plot. Which has never really happened before. I do get very emotional with my stories, but I usually kinda…like it. We like to feel. And I love when I feel deeply over my novels. But this time, everything was so ridiculously sad, it actually made some cracks in my stony author’s heart.

And I realized…spending 30+ days straight in a depressing story may not be a good thing. If I was writing this slow, and not immersing myself in it during every. waking. hour. for a whole month, I doubt the dark side of it would have bothered me. I like how dark and emotional it is, I don’t want to change that. I think it really brings out the themes. BUT, it may have been a bit much for a NaNo novel. Because this is, without a doubt, my darkest book I’ve ever written. My other stories have some prettyyy emotional things, but I have to say Kings Bleed Gold won as far as deep, heartbreaking themes and a constant flow of sad circumstances. Eheheh. Hurray? XD

But seriously, I don’t regret writing it like that. This is a story I felt needed to be told, and I’m pretty happy with the outcome. Buuut I’m thinking for something like NaNo, where it’s filling my days and thoughts and life for a complete 30 days, writing something a liiiittle lighter may be better? Or at least not writing something super dark every year. I’m already considering a much more light-hearted and super fun idea I’ve had for a while for next NaNo. *griiiins*

Overall though? I really, really love this story. It definitely has not been the easiest to write, and it’s going to need a lot of work, but it really is a story I want to tell. It’s been a pleasure watching Midas go from bratty prince to hero. Seeing Korinna overcome her debilitating fears and taking a stand. And rooting Syram on as he finds his place in the world. It’s been a journey for sure, and I have no regrets writing it. Every single story is going to cause hard days, long days, stressful days. But, in the end, writing them is always, always worth it.

But enough of my blabbers! Onto the fun stuff!

 

STATS

 

My final NaNo ‘18 stats.

- Number of Days I Wrote: 30! I managed to write every single day this November. Some NaNos I’m able to do that, some I’m deeefinitely not, but I’m always happy when I can. Despite some insanity, I actually didn’t struggle to find writing time most days this month, which was definitely a happy surprise. And it proved to me I can make time for writing every day if I put effort into it.

- Wordiest Day: November 1st with 7,031 words

- Least Wordiest Day: November 10th with 566 words

- Number of Character Deaths: BWAHAHAHAHA!!!

- Hit 50k On: Day 13!

- Hit 100k On: Day 28! (Yes, I did a double NaNo because sanity? pssshhh. Who needs it?)

Total Words Written: 107,280 words

 

SNIPPETS

So many of you sweet people actually kept requesting snippets. Like…of my messy, ridiculous novel. Just SDKJF:LJSD:LJF. I AM HONORED. I kept telling you I’d try to share more and…HERE WE ARE! Just remember I wrote 107k words in 30 days of no sleep so yeah. These are nooot exactly New York Times bestseller worthy. Or even sharing-on-my-little-blog worthy but here we are.

 

A mock cover I made just for funsies.

 

First up is one of Midas and Syram’s first conversations (because Syram).

“Are you a slave? I mean, is everyone here a slave?”

“Everyone?” He raised an eyebrow. “Of course not.”

Hope fluttered in Midas’ chest. “Really? Who’s not a slave?”

“The dragons.”

He groaned as the hope instantly deflated. Was this person serious? His name was becoming more and more fitting by the second. “Of course they’re not, but what about the people?”

“Oh them? Yes, they’re slaves.”

“Where in Ellador even are we?”

“Beneath.”

He furrowed his brow. “Beneath what?”

“Ellador. Well, somewhere in the west of Ellador I think.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” He mind spun. “Do you mean to tell me this place is underground?”

The man cocked his head again and looked at him as if he was the strange one. “Naturally. Where else would dragons live? The sun is poison to them you know. Well…for now. But I better get going. I doubt they’d be happy if they found me here. Goodbye.”

“No, wait!” But it was too late. The man was already down the tunnel and climbing right off…the edge? Was there a ladder of some kind there? He called to the man again, but his wild head of hair and leather cap had already disappeared from view.

 

And part of Midas and Korinna’s first conversation.

“It’s nice to meet you, Midas.” The genuine warmth in her tone startled him.

“Is it? No one else seems to think so.”

“Well.” She moved her gaze toward the fire where most of the slaves had gathered to eat and talk amongst themselves, though they didn’t seem too busy to shoot Midas a nasty look every now and again. “You’re our worst nightmare, really.”

He almost choked. “Oh, well that makes me feel better,” he said, coughing up bits of fish.

“Sorry.” Her eyes sparked with a hint of amusement, but the moment was fleeting and her tone dropped again. “It’s just we have hoped for so long the dragons would never reach their goal. We were encouraged when the gold in the mines seemed to run out. But now that you’re here…” They locked eyes, and that strength he had seen in her seemed to seep out, leaving nothing but pure terror. “I fear it will only be a matter of weeks.”

Syram and Korinna were obviously making Midas feel very comfortable with this whole enslaved-by-dragons thing. *cough, cough*

 

“The earth-shaking roar of a dragon startled him awake. “Get to work!” The dragon’s cry echoed through the sleeping quarters like a boom of thunder.

Midas squinted at the gold light now gleaming from the threads. It was day time already? But didn’t he just get to sleep? They couldn’t possibly expect him to get up already. But judging by the sounds of men shifting out of their cots and clumps of feet on ladders and stone, they did.

He really, really, really hated dragons.

 

“Things were looking brighter. At least as bright as being enslaved by dragons below the earth and aiding them in bringing the end of the world could be.

 

“His other source of companionship was Syram, who, unlike Korinna, lingered on the farm for long amounts of time and often aided Midas in his tasks. The man was utterly fascinated by the upper world, and asked Midas a hundred questions a day about his life there. He didn’t mind a bit talking about his kingdom and, odd though the man was, welcomed the company. It helped distract him from his own thoughts.

One day, he was sitting outside the stone building and pulling feathers out of a dead chicken (not his favorite task) with five more piled up, when the redhead bounced down the path to him, a book in hand. He plopped down in front of Midas with a grin.

“I thought I’d entertain you today.”

Midas stared wide-eyed at the enormous volume in the man’s lap. “Where did you get that?”

“The dragons’ library,” he said matter-of-factly.

“They have a library?” His mind whirled.

“Of course. The dragons love knowledge.”

“But where do they get the books?”

“Mmm…” He looked up, scratching his head. “They steal them a lot. Dragons do like collecting things, you know. They go above at night quite often to take things.”

“Including people,” Midas murmured.

 

Syram has a knack for dragging Midas on crazy escapades…

“It looks safe,” Syram whispered. “Come on, quick.” He lowered the plank off the ledge, looped the part of the rope around the hook and held the other end. Then he hopped on and pulled at the rope, keeping the plank from plummeting.

Midas’ heart skipped. “What are you doing?”

Now Syram’s impish grin made an appearance. “I’ve done it tons of times. Though usually I’m by myself, so you better keep a good grip on the rope too. Once we’re both on, we’ll slowly lower ourselves.”

“This is insane.”

Syram cast a nervous glance behind him at the guard dragon. “We need to go.”

With a huff, Midas reached down and took the end of the rope Syram held to keep the plank steady. He took a deep breath, held his foot out, and stepped onto the plank behind Syram. It jerked down, nearly throwing him off his feet, and the rope slipped between their fingers. “Whoa!” He snagged it tight and they halted. The plank rocked underneath them.

“Shhh,” Syram hissed.

He gritted his teeth, more concerned about falling to his death than keeping quiet.

“All right, on the count of three loosen your grip, then grab hold of it again. One, two—”

“Wait but.”

“Three.”

Midas grunted as both their weight tugged on his arms. Slowly, heart pounding, he loosened his hold. The plank shot down as the rope slid across his gloves. With a yelp, he snagged it again, but Syram did as well, and they lurched to a halt.

Syram tossed a grin over his shoulder. “See? It’s easy. Ready to go again?”

“Not really.”

“One, two, three.”

Midas loosened his finger despite himself, and his stomach flopped as they jerked down farther, but now he was getting the hang of it. After four more session, the plank plunked to the ground. Breaths heavy and arms sore, he stumbled to the earth. “This better be extremely important.”

“Very. Come on.” Syram dashed down the path, ducking in the shadows of the hills.

Groaning, Midas hurried after him.

 

Introducing Princess Ahleri (and her odd pet) of my African inspired kingdom. I only just met her officially at the tail end of November and may totally love her. XD

“Something black and white hurtled toward Midas’ face. He cried out and snatched it from the air before it made contact, but even as he held the wriggling thing before his eyes, he couldn’t comprehend what it was. At first appearance, it seemed to be a white rabbit with black tipped ears and specks along its lower back. But that wouldn’t account for the wings sprouting from its back and three tails. Its wings and tails, too, were tipped with black. It wrinkled its noise and made chirping noises as it continued to writhe in his grip.

“Suru! What do you think you’re doing?”

He pulled the odd rabbit down just as two young woman bustled into the room through a door to the left. One was the young female warrior who had escorted them to the castle. The other appeared a year or two younger than him. Dark hair piled atop her head in a haggard up-do and a smudge of something black streaked across her cheek. Her robe resembled the Queen’s in style, but had patterns of green and brown, save for the stain of black across the front. She wore no jewelry, and rough leather gloves covered her hands.

“I’m so sorry about that!” She ran up to Midas and took the winged-rabbit and held it up to eye level. “Will you please behave?”

Queen Malkaya cleared her throat.

The young woman snapped her head up and seemed to notice Midas for the first time. “Oooh, are you him? The one that can turn things to gold?” Her mouth spread into a delighted smile, and that’s when he saw the resemblance, and it took him by surprise. Was this Queen Malkaya’s…daughter?”

“I am,” he said slowly, offering a slight bow.

She gasped and scowled back down at the winged-rabbit. “See what could have happened, Suru? You could have become a gold statue to stick on the mantel.” The rabbit just squeaked. Rolling her eyes, she placed the creature on her shoulder. It clung there obediently, eyeing Midas with enormous black eyes.

Queen Malkaya stepped forward. “Midas, Korinna, Syram, this is my daughter Ahleri.”

So she was a princess. Amusement tugged his lips up. Her appearance reminded him of the days he and Nikolas would come into the castle after one of their “adventures”, tracking in mud and their clothes ripped, much to Mother’s chagrin. “It is an honor to meet you, Princess Ahleri.”

“Oh, you as well!” Despite her rather disheveled appearance, she curtsied with all the grace of her mother, and grinned wide. “Can I see you turn something to gold? It sounds fascinating!”

“Ahleri, dear, this really isn’t the time,” the Queen said in a long-suffering tone.

 

“Ahleri handed the book to Syram, whose grin reached all the way across his face. “Thank you,” he breathed, holding it on top of his other book.

“I think we have more like that in the library,” she said.

He snapped his eyes up from the book at this. “Library?”

Midas shared a grin with Korinna. The keyword to Syram’s happiness.

Syram, a man of my own heart.

 

“I’m going to fix this,” Midas said, and he meant it with every bit of strength in his being. “If I leave, the dragons will just come searching for me again, so I’m going to stop them. Forever.”

Korinna’s brow furrowed. “How?”

“I highly doubt any person on Ellador will be too happy to hear that there is a horde of dragons right under their feet, just waiting to rise up, block the sun, and take reign. And so I’m going to rally forces, all the forces I can across Ellador. And we are going to fight.”

Slowly, Korinna rose to her feet, as did Syram, and the looks on their faces fueled his determination like a burning fire. Hope. He had given them hope.

“Syram.” He held his hand out.

Wordlessly, the man dropped his golden rock into his palm, but a smile crept across his face, and Midas smiled too.

“Let’s get me up on that pillar. It’s time to make a war.”

 

And there we go! I’m honestly proud I managed to find so many lighthearted ones. XD (And, yes, I may have just picked ones featuring Syram. *cough*)

 

CONCLUSION

Despite some bumps in the road, I had a wonderful time this NaNo. I was talking with some of my NaNo-ing buddies and one of them asked us to describe this NaNo in one word. It took me a minute to think of a single word, because this NaNo had so much. And then I realized, that was the answer right there. FULL. I’d describe this NaNo as full. Full of hard days, full of amazing days, full of all around cRaZy days, full of sleepless nights, full of emotions good and bad, full of words. Just very, very full in every sense of the word.

I think that’s what makes NaNo so special. It is an experience, and though sometimes it’ll make you want to pull your hair out and wonder whyyyyy you took on such a ridiculous challenge, in the end, the memories made, lessons learned, good writing habits formed, and novels created is invaluable.

I’d definitely call my 9th NaNoWriMo a success. I’m already looking forward to next year!

Buuut we’re not quite through with the NaNo talk yet. Yeeeah. You guys are gonna have to put up with it for just a bit longer, because next Monday I’ll be posting the 3rd and final installment of the Know the Novel linkup! And will hopefully be answering questions about it for Kings Bleed Gold soon after. Hope you don’t mind!

But seriously. Sooooo many of you have been cheering me on, encouraging me, praying for me, and just all around being a huge, huge, huge blessing to me through this crazy venture. I am utterly grateful for your friendship. I love my internet community so, SO much! Thank you for being the most supportive, enthusiastic friends in the world! <333

Also, I have to give out a huge CONGRATS to alllll of you who participated in NaNo. I watched so many of you conquer those words, carve time out of some craaazy days to write, and do insanely amazing feats to get those words on the page. I’m so beyond proud of ALL my writing buddies. And whether you hit that 50k mark or not, you WROTE. You took the initiative to get words on the page, even when it was hard, and that is the greatest accomplishment of all. I’M SO PROUD OF YOU GUYS! CONGRATULATIONS!!! Now go, take a nap, say hi to your family, eat some well-deserved Christmas cookies, CELEBRATE, because IT’S DECEMBER AND WE MADE IT TO THE FINISH LINE!

 

TALK WITH ME!

If you made it through this beast of a post, you get another congratulations! Now TELL ME EVERYTHING. How was your NaNo??? Because I MUST KNOW. How was your November? Are you excited it’s December? (I AM. *cranks up the Christmas music…even though I’ve been listening to it since the beginning of November #NOSHAME*) Let’s discuss all the things!

Know the Novel Part 2 - Within Kings Bleed Gold {NaNoWriMo 2018}

WE. ARE. OVER. HALFWAY. THROUGH. NANOWRIMO. Not that I’m freaking out. Noooo. Buthowdidthishappenhalp.

I had a prettyyy awesome week. A thing may have happened on the 13th…

I HIT 50K WORDS!!!!

This means I’ve officially participated and won 9 NaNos in a row and just…what is my life? (Answer: I have no life.) I hit 50k on the 13th last year too, so see? 13 is most certainly not unlucky. I also managed to write almost 27k this week because, again, no life, and am now at 71k words on my novel!

BUT. This week, instead of doing a day-by-day update, I’m going to be participating in my Know the Novel linkup! If you missed it, this is a 3-part linkup, one for each of these last 3 months of the year, geared toward writers. In October we introduced our novels, and this month the linkup is all about how the writing is going! It runs until the end of November, so if you want to join in (you shooould) you can find the questions and linkup HERE!

I’ll, of course, be answering questions about my NaNo novel, Kings Bleed Gold, so let’s get to it!

WITHIN THE WRITING
OF KINGS BLEED GOLD

 

1.) How’s the writing going?

Well? Good? Great? I don’t know???

Sleep has become a foreign thing, I’ve consumed so much coffee and tea I probably have sugar running through my veins, I’m writing half a NaNo’s amount of words weekly, am super behind on things like replying to blog comments (I’m so sorry, guys, but I will respond when I can snag a minute!), annnd I’ve destroyed Midas’ life at least 27 times over at this point.

Basically? AWESOME. I am extremely sleep deprived and a little overwhelmed by how massive my story is proving to be. (I’m estimating it to be around 130k??? I may die.) But, at the same time, I’m so enjoying being immersed in this storyworld.

I just hit the halfway point Saturday where eeeeerything changes, and I’m really excited about writing the next half. So much drama and deliciously emotional scenes. Bwahahaha! And it’s nice to have the story shift on me and get into some new scenery and happenings.

So overall, the writing is going really smoothly. I feel like the story is a mess and I’ve already discovered some plot holes that will need to be fixed during revision. But hey, that’s why we write first drafts. Gotta figure this stuff out and get it all on the page so then it can later be rearranged.

I do wish the story was shorter, but still. I’m loving this wild journey of writing it! I haven’t first drafted anything since last NaNo, and I almost forgot the joy of just vomiting words on a page.

 

2.) What’s been the most fun aspect about writing this novel so far?

Everybody say it with me now…

THE CHARACTERS!!! (I’m so predictable.)

Midas amuses me endlessly because he’s got such a quick temper and can be a total brat, but at the same time he really does mean well. Korinna both breaks my heart with the pain and fear she lives with everyday, but also inspires me with her heart for people and strength of never giving up. And then there’s my preciousest, softest, cinnamon roll-y-est child Syram who keeps pulling Midas into crazy schemes and I adore him.

They’re fun individually, but what I really like is the dynamics between each of them. Their growing friendship has been a blast to write, and it just makes me happy.

I’m also really enjoying the magic system, and how it has to be used with blood and gold. I’ve never written anything like that before. It’s been a super fun concept to play with.

Also dragons. Because DRAGONS.

I’m kind of loving all the aspects??? I guess that’s a good sign!

 

3.) Has your novel surprised you in any way?

My characters have actually surprised me! Like…all of them. Which is a surprise in and of itself, because I usually know my characters pretty well before they even hit the page.

I’ve already mentioned in a previous post how much Midas is surprising me. Because I was expecting a jerk, but instead I’m getting a charismatic, kindhearted guy who’s just bratty and immature because, well, he’s a teenage prince who can turn anything into gold. Obviously that's gonna cause some repercussions on his character. I also had no idea he’d have such a temper. And it amuses me greatly, even though it’s getting him in a loooootttt of trouble. Eheheheh.

Korinna’s character is far more complex than I realized (which I’m not complaining about). Every time I peel back one layer of emotions, there’s yet another underneath. It’s actually been fascinating.

Syram is even more precious than I expected, but I didn’t realize just how quiet he was. So far he hasn’t had an excess of lines, and when he does speak it’s usually short sentences. I kind of thought he may be a rambler, but nope. He’s a quiet one. But it makes sense. He internalizes everything and has a lot going on inside his head that he usually isn’t too keen on sharing. Naturally he’d be a quiet little dude. Isn’t it crazy how your characters just become there own? Writing is weird. And the best.

Then I have a couple of antagonists who also aren’t turning out like I thought. I won’t say much because #spoilers but I thought I had their motives pinned but now? I’M QUESTIONING EVERYTHING.

I seriously think this is the most surprising cast I have ever written. But…I kind of love it. It’s been so fun getting to know them and having all these unexpected surprises pop up. Goes to show, even if you write a 16k-word outline, do a lot of worldbuilding, and create ridiculously detailed character bios, you really never know what’s going to happen until you get those words on the page.

 

4.) What do you think of your characters at this point? Who’s your favorite to write about?

Lololol. Oh look, another excuse to squeal about my character! *griiiins*

I guess technically I’ve already answered this in question #2. I’m basically in love with all my characters. I feel closest to Midas because the majority of the time we’ve been in his POV, but, I mean…Syram. *cough*

Again, though, I really like their dynamics. Midas and Syram have formed a delightfully fun bromance, and Midas’ and Korinna’s relationship is complex and beautiful and painful and yeah wow. It’s giving me feels. Iloveit.

 

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

Why would I even ask this absurdly hard question?

Ugh. I don’t know. All the characters are so wildly different from my personality. It’s kind of hilarious how rarely I make my characters anything like me.

Normal Writers: “I put a piece of me in all of my characters.”
Me: “Eh. They just popped in my head and do what they want. I have no claim on any of my wild children.”

Honestly, out of my main three—Midas, Korinna, and Syram—I relate to Midas the most…which is probably bad, but yeah. Would I do anything differently? Mmm…I think I'd be way too frightened to constantly yell and challenge the ferocious dragons who could swallow me whole. I’d be a coward, but I’d be a smart coward, instead of a brave fool like Midas. He’s seriously so stupid sometimes I can’t even…

Also, if I was Midas I’d cry every day over the fact that I could never properly pet a cat or dog ever again since, ya know, everything he touches turns to gold.

Kittens > Infinite Riches

 

6.) Give us the first sentence or paragraph and then 2 (or 3!) more favorite snippets!

Oh, gracious. The writing is an atrocity. I keep thinking about sharing snippets on social media but…mlgh. Let’s see if I can find something that’s not totally embarrassing.

Here’s the opening scene:

“Midas patted the top of the gold encrusted head of his younger brother.

“One fortnight, Nikolas. Just one more fortnight and I’ll be eighteen. Then I can take my place on the throne and after that…” He grinned just thinking of all the excitement ahead. “Oh, there are so many things after that. Chrysafel is going to be the most powerful kingdom in history. Just you wait and see.”

Of course, the boy didn’t reply. Gold statues in general weren’t prone to talking.

 

One with Korinna:

“You really are a prince, aren’t you?”

He glanced over to find Korinna watching him, a curious look in her gaze. “Well, yes. But why do you say that now?”

She shrugged and focused back on the path ahead. “You have a knack for getting people to do what you want them to.”

He pressed his hand against his chest, and pulled in a mock gasp. “Are you saying I’m pushy?”

Though she kept her eyes ahead, a hint of a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “Maybe. But it’s more than that. You know how to take charge of a situation and get things done efficiently—all things needed in a good leader, I would think.”

“A good leader?” Hearing the words come from her lips stirred something in his chest. That had always been his goal, to be the best leader Chrysafel could ever ask for. He thought he was doing it too, but now… He cleared his throat, shoving away those thoughts. “Well, there’s really nothing to getting people to do what you want them to. You just have to not let them shove you around. But the main thing is to give them a reason to take action, a motivation more than just being told what to do. I’d say not being eaten by a bunch of overgrown lizards is a pretty good motivator.”

 

Annnd one with Syram, because Syram:

“Midas, Midas. Wake up.”

“Crlmblgh.”

“Miii-daaas. Come on!”

The sing-song voice dug into his groggy brain and he dragged his eyes open. Syram’s grinning face hovered inches from his own. He cried out and scrambled up so fast his head smashed into the rock wall above.

“Syram!” He mentally cursed the man as he rubbed the forming bump on his head. “Don’t startle me like that. Or get so close! What if I had accidentally touched you?”

The redhead, now leaning back on his heels at the foot of the gold cot, merely shrugged.

“What are you even doing here?”

This brought out his grin again. “I wanted to show you something.”

“Now? It’s the middle of the night.”

“Exactly. They’re only awake during the night hours.”

“What are?”

“Will you two shut up!” someone hissed from one of the lower concaves, followed by multiple annoyed agreements.

“The things I want to show you, of course,” Syram said, as if he hadn’t even noticed the shouts.

Midas groaned and massaged his eyes. “I don’t know, Syram. I’m really tired.”

“Oh.” The excitement in his voice faltered. “I just thought it might cheer you up. You’ve seemed…quieter lately. Sadder.”

He pulled down his hand at this to study the man before him. Syram had noticed his change in mood? Not only that, but he was making an effort to help him. He blew out a long sigh. “All right. Let’s go.”

Instantly the grin returned, and he scooted out of the concave, hopped onto the ladder, and was already halfway down by the time Midas had untangled himself from the blanket.

 

7.) Have you come across any problem areas?

Well, there’s the fact that it’s. so. massive. Remember how I decided to make this just book #1 of a duology or trilogy instead of a standalone? I thought that decision would make it shorter but AHAHAHAHAH. Nope. I’m like 93% sure I’m going to have to continue writing it through some of December if I want to finish it, which is kind of depressing. But here we are. Maybe one day I’ll write a short book for NaNo… (Why are you laughing?)

I’ve also been suddenly having the hardest time finding clever action beats. I feel like I’ve said “she smiled” like 48 times. I don’t know where my brain is, but it sure ain’t here. Thank goodness editing is a thing!

As far as the actual story. Mmm… I guess I have found a few holes in my plot that will need fixing, and I’m not sure I’ve elaborated well on some backstory and how certain things work. Mainly because it’s so complicated, and weaving it organically into the story is hurting my brain. One of these days, not only will I write a short book for NaNo, but it’ll be a simple story. (Seriously, why do you keep laughing?)

 

8.) What’s been your biggest victory with writing this novel at this point?

Hitting 50k words was certainly a happy moment!

I was also really pleased when I fiiinally nailed Midas’ character down. Now I’m so deep in his head (being as how I spend hours there a day), it’s funny to even think about those first days where he was a mystery to me.

And I’m ecstatic to have made it to the big halfway point moment. I’ve been loving the story, but I was anxiously waiting to get to this part. I seriously can’t wait for all the upcoming scenes!

 

9.) Be honest, have you killed any characters off yet?

Aherm…her…herm…hem.

People maaay have already been dying by chapter 2. And if that doesn’t indicate what kind of book this is, I don’t know what will.

 

10.) Take us on a tour of a what a normal writing day for this particular novel has looked 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!

LOL. I basically write everywhere with no exact pattern to speak of. Every day has just been a mad dash of words every chance I can get.

Usually I don’t really get started until after lunch. I get some coffee and start writing, and don’t stop much until I’ve gotten 2k words written. I pretty much never let myself update my wordcount on the NaNo site until I’ve gotten in that first 2k. Once I reach that, I update my wordcount, take a bit of a break, then dive back in (after the first 2k, I’m allowed to update my wordcount every 1k words, it’s the little things that keep us motivated, amiright?). And I just…write. I write in the big comfy chair in my room, I write on the floor, I’ve been going out to sit on the porch a whole lot. And yes, I’m drinking coffee, lattes, and tea allll throughout the day.

I mostly write alone, though my sister and I have been writing together some because she’s doing NaNo too. And I definitely play music, can’t write without it. I’m always either listening to my Kings Bleed Gold playlist or songs from the Skyrim soundtrack.

I often end up writing all the way up to midnight, but that’s my cutoff line. I hate updating my wordcount after midnight because then it’ll count as the next day’s words and, er, I’m a little OCD and can’t stand that. But then, once it’s midnight, I usually end up checking all the social media and things I completely ignored during the day because I was too busy writing, and don’t end up in bed until 1 in the morning (I usually go to bed around 11:30 during non-NaNo months). Then I get up and do it all over again.

It’s a mess, really. But hey, I’m getting words in, so that’s what counts, right?

 

And there we are! Overall, it’s been a very successful and fun NaNo so far. I am kind of completely exhausted and overwhelmed, but what would NaNo be without sleep depravity and questioning life’s choices?

But it’s always worth it. I’m having a good time and, by the end of all the insanity, I’ll have another finished draft under my belt. I’ve still got a bit of a road ahead of me, but I hope to take it all the way.

Now excuse me while I go make another pot of coffee…

Don’t forget you can answer these questions yourself and join the linkup HERE!!!

 

TALK WITH ME!

YOUR TURN. Tell me some victories you’ve had this NaNo! Can you believe we are over halfway done with November??? How has your November been so far? And I do hope all my fellow Americans have the happiest of happy Thanksgivings! <3