Know the Novel Part 1: Introducing Kings Bleed Gold

Look at me actually joining in on my own linkup and telling you guys about my NaNoWriMo novel. And only 3 days before NaNo. I’m always so on top of things!

Okay, in my defense I didn’t really know all that much about my novel until now. But I’ve been feverishly outlining it and digging into my characters and doing tons of worldbuilding and I ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON NOW. Woot, woot! Or, well, we’ll pretend I do. Ahem.

ANYWAYS.

Today I’m going to be answering the questions for my Know the Novel linkup, which you can find info for HERE if you missed it. But basically, it’s a 3-part linkup that asks questions about your novel and writing that you can answer on your blog (or anywhere on social media!). Part 1 runs through October, so there’s still a couple of days left to join in if you haven’t yet!

SO. I am fiiinally properly introducing my NaNo novel, Kings Bleed Gold, which is a King Midas retelling WITH DRAGONS. But also creepy fairies and an underground city-type place and weird magical technology and so. much. pain. It’s gonna be great!

HERE WE GO.

(Note: All the following pictures were found on Pinterest and do not belong to me. If you click on them, they’ll take you to their Pintrest pages.)

 

KINGS BLEED GOLD

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

That’s a funny story actually!

Back in last October, my awesome friend Jenelle Schmidt created a twitter challenge called #Drachtober, in which she gave us 31 dragonish questions to answer on twitter for each day of October. (And she’s running it again this year, so if you follow me on Twitter and have been wondering why basically all my posts have been about dragons, that’s why! Of course, most of my posts are about dragons anyway. *cough*) One day, the prompt was “Best Friend for a Dragon”. I spontaneously said King Midas, because I thought, what dragon wouldn’t want a best friend who can TURN EVERYTHING TO GOLD HE TOUCHES? I mean, gold, dragons. It just makes sense!

Buuut then, being the plot bunny plagued writer I am, my brain ran with the idea and was like, “But what if the dragons weren’t friends with Midas, but enslaved him because of his ability???” Annnd here we are.

This is the original tweet:

So I’ve had a year to mull over the idea. Though it wasn’t until September that some fun plans for it attacked my brain. It was at that moment I knew it had to be my NaNo novel. But it’s been fun plotting it literally exactly a year after the first idea for it came!

But yep, you can blame Jenelle for this story. I don’t even know if she knows this is her fault… If you’re reading, THANK YOU, JENELLE! <3

 

2.) Share a blurb!

Ugh, who created such hard questions? Oh wait…

Okay, so I kind of hate this blurb with a deep, burning passion. It’s so terribly written UGH. But I just have not had time to spend perfecting a blurb, so…this is what you’re getting. Sorry.

“Midas has gold running through his veins—literally.

One day, when young Prince Midas and his little brother were out on one of Midas’ crazy adventures, they stumbled upon a da nerai—one of the secret homes of fairies. It was there they found the golden pool, and there Midas nearly drowned. With the help of his brother, he managed to escape the strange waters, but when he emerged, he quickly discovered anything he touched turned to gold, including his brother. After that terrible accident, Midas chose to assure his new ability would be a gift and never a curse again. He would use it make his kingdom the richest and greatest in all of Ellador. And his little brother, forever encased in gold, would be placed in the throne room and be honored for his sacrifice.

Now nearly eighteen, Midas is almost of age to take his place on the throne and truly enact his plans. But someone else has other ideas for this boy with the golden touch.

Life of pleasures and luxury quickly turns to tragedy when Midas’ kingdom is ravaged by a beast he barely even knew existed—a dragon. Next thing Midas knows, he’s being swept away by the terrible monster into an underground world full of dragons, strange, magical devices, and enslaved humans. The dragons have one goal: to live on the surface world. The problem? The sun is poison to them.

With the aid of fairies and their magic, the dragons are creating a way to block the sun’s poisonous rays. But to use this magic, they need gold. Now with Midas in their clutches, they have an infinite supply.

As Midas goes from crown prince to slave and forced into helping the very creatures that destroyed everything, he begins to fear that his ability is actually a curse after all. For if the dragons’ plan succeeds, a reign of terror and darkness awaits not just his kingdom, but all of Ellador.

 

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

I am super pumped about the setting!

It takes place in a fantasy continent called Ellador. Midas’ kingdom, Chrysafel (name subject to change), is based off ancient Greece, since the original King Midas myth is Greek. Plus I really like ancient Greek culture. It’ll be fun to attempt to write it for the first time! So some of the story takes place there.

Then there’s where the dragons live, which is underground because the sun is poisonous to them. FUN STUFF. And their homes basically hang from the ceiling and there’s weird glowing creatures and all sorts of crazy fantasy thiiings.

I’ll also be incorporating African culture. THEN there’s the places where the fairies live which are basically these secret forests dotted around the world that you can only get through by special means and they thrive off this special kind of magic (that involves gold hehehe). And all the fairy stuff is based a lot off Celtic culture. I’m even incorporating the “fairy ring” myth for something fun. I’M EXCITED.

So yeah, it’s probably my most diverse, wild world yet, and it makes me really happy.

But what’s probably my favorite aspect is it’s not going to be fully medieval-type fantasy like I usually do. Yes, a lot of the world has that flavor, but I’m also adding technology that runs on magic. There will be these special machines and weapons that are kinda futuristic, kinda medieval, kinda fantasy-esque all at the same time. Plus a lot of other stuff, like strings of light made with gold magic and yeah. Pretty much all the magic needs gold or blood or both to work. It’s gonna be interesting! And I really hope I can pull it all off. Eheheh…

 

4.) Tell us about your protagonist.

I sort of have three. Midas is my main, main protagonist, but two of the other characters play key roles. So I’m gonna cheat and give a brief description of all three!

MIDAS

ESTP, almost 18, extremely ambitious, bit of a lady’s man, really good at rationalizing his questionable behavior as a cause for the “greater good”, charismatic and fun but not always very sympathetic.

On the surface, Midas is actually a really fun guy. He’s always good for a laugh, has great conversational skills, and can charm the wall if he smiles at it hard enough. But that’s the problem, all his relationships never go past the surface. He’s far too caught up in his goals and ambitions to truly care and think of others at an emotional level. It doesn’t help that anyone who touches him turns to gold, so he has to be very guarded with his human interaction. He’s convinced himself he doesn’t need any deep relationships, that being able to use his ability to make his kingdom the greatest in Ellador is worth the sacrifices, buuut well. He still has a heart. *smile, smile* It’s gonna be so fun to completely and utterly break him of his selfish, cocky, warped-thinking self. Bwahahaha! (Also, that picture of him isn’t exactly how I imagined him (plus the guy is too old lolz), but it’s close!)
(If you want to know more, you can check out my Language of Worlds post I did for him HERE.)

KORINNA

ISFJ, softhearted, kind, broken, extremely smart but far more of a feeler than a thinker, lets her own fear constantly drive her, probably could use a hug or 12.

Korinna is a warmhearted soul, though her fear, depression, and determination to keep everyone safe is her ever-driving force and can often hinder her relationships. She would do anything to assure no one gets hurt, even if that means putting herself in harm’s way. She is organized, efficient, and focused—all around having a good head on her shoulders. Her sharp wits mixed with diplomacy helps keep her alive, though she won’t shy away from a debate if she sees an injustice that needs to be put right. Her want to keep others safe and happy very often hinders in her own happiness, as she’s not quick to share her own fears and worries, despite always having time to listen to other’s needs. She carries her own emotional baggage, making her a highly sensitive being. But, if you can find her in the right mood, you will see there is a fun-loving, mischievous person behind that shroud of emotion and fear.
(I also did a Language of Worlds post for her HERE.)

SYRAM

INFP (I think), spacey, somehow both wise and childish at the same time, surprisingly intelligent, rather quiet and private, relaxed and very sympathetic to others.

OKAY GUYS. This guy may be what makes me the most excited about my novel. I know I’m not supposed to choose favorites but… *GRIIINS* Syram kinda popped out of nowhere while I was outlining (and also wouldn’t tell me his name for like TWO WEEKS) and I fell in love. Some of my favorite types of characters EVER are those off-their-rocker, not really all there types, ya know? The…well, the crazies. Such as Winter from The Lunar Chronicles. I LOVE THOSE. And here Syram bebopped into my brain and pronounced himself such a character and I was all WELCOME!

As I said, Syram is a not always there. He’s known for his vague looks and off-the-wall remarks and sometimes childish behavior. But then, every once in a while, he’ll say something so wise it sounds like he’s 100 years old or something. Despite his strangeness, he’s the nicest person you’ll ever meet. He’s a harmony maker, and his calming presence can be very comforting. His shortcoming is the fact that he very rarely reveals anything about himself, being private and too concerned about other’s wellbeing. As a result, he carries a huge emotional load. But he’s also hardworking, creative, and very fun-loving. And he has a mysterious past and everyone but Midas and Korinna hate him because of reasons and he’s kinda broken inside because I always torture my favorite characters the most. SO YAY. FUN STUFF. ButseriouslyIlovehim.

So those are the three I shall be spending all of November with. I AM EXCITED. And don’t worry, there is not a love triangle between them. I’m actually super, super pumped about some purely platonic but deep friendships I’ll be exploring in this novel, including an awesome bromance between Midas and Syram. MY FAVORITE.

 

5.) Who (or what) is the antagonist?

Well, basically all the dragons for one. They are capturing people and dragging (and I just typed that as “dragoning at first, which I guess is also accurate?) them underground and enslaving them. So nice. This’ll be my first book where dragons are evil. It’ll be interesting.

But then there’s also a certain group of fairies that end up being a huge part of the plot and make things even messier.

And I guess sometimes Midas is his own antagonist because despite being really smart he’s just so, so dumb ugh.

So yeah, there are antagonists everywhere. I basically never have just one main villain. Because why do that when you can make your readers scratch their heads and go, “Um WHO are we rooting for and who are we hating again???” *smile, smile*

 

6.) What excites you the most about this novel?

SYRAM!!!

Oookay, lots of things!

I am excited about the setting, I think it’s gonna be a lot of fun. I’m also looking forward to trying my hand at mixing an old world setting with magic and some technology.

I also really like the concept of the fairies. They’re not your average little people with wings. In fact…the don’t even have wings, and are normal human height. But they do have magic and wildly colored hair and grayish skin and golden eyes and antlers growing from their heads and live in these areas that are kinda sort of in alternate dimensions and they’re all bound to each other and yeah. I really like my fairies!

 

Basically how I imagine my fairies.

And this is weird, but I’m excited about how emotional it’s going to be. I KNOW. I have a problem! But like, my favorite scenes to write are always the ultra feelsy, painful ones, and this whole novel will basically be one giant ball of pain with some pretty heavy themes and IT’S GONNA BE FUN. I’m really not making this sound any less weird. Should I be worried about myself? Probably.

Also DRAGONS. Last year was the first NaNo novel I ever wrote that didn’t have dragons. IT WAS CRAZY. It’ll be nice to be writing about dragons again. My happy place. Except this time they’re not-very-nice dragon which is kinda new for me but it’s gonna be fun!

 

7.) Is this going to be a series? Standalone? Something else?

Ehehehe. Funny story about that.

When I decided to write this book, I had every intention of making it a standalone. Right now, standalones are more popular than series, and as much as I enjoy series, it’d be nice to write some standalones. That was my goal for this book. A pure standalone, no exceptions.

……….

Well. Then I started plotting, and more characters appeared and the plot got bigger and more convoluted and ideas kept coming and I may have wailed because HOW WAS I GONNA FIT THIS ALL IN ONE BOOK? And I had an existential crisis or two and questioned everything and got really stressed because I did not want this to be like a 200k beast NO.

Then I took a deep breath, prayed about it, mulled it over and…I decided to make it more than one book. *LE SIGH* I’m hopeless, I really am. But, honestly, the second I decided it, all the stress was gone. It just felt…right.

So yep, Kings Bleed Gold is no longer a standalone. BUT, I am determined it will not, not, NOT go past a trilogy. Although, I’m actually hoping to make it a duology, but obviously my hopes and plans mean NOTHING. >.> But yeah, no longer than three books. I REFUSE.

 

8.) Are you plotting? Pantsing? Plansting?

So much plotting. Like, detailed character bios, a list of reminders for important bits about the world and such, and, um, a 16k chapter-by-chapter outline type of plotting

Do I over plot? Probably. But at least I won’t get writers block during NaNo! Woot, woot! (Unless my outline decides to jump off the deep end but we’re gonna pretend everything goes as planned. I really, really hope everything goes as planned.)

 

9.) Name a few things that make this story unique.

Well, I guess the entire concept of King Midas and dragons is kinda unique??? Maybe? I literally have no idea. I’ve never actually read any King Midas retellings. Eheh. It’s honestly not even a story I’ve ever paid much attention to and yet here I am writing a retelling of it. Lolololol someone help me.

I also think my whole magic system and how it’s tied into gold and blood (and the sun is actually also involved) is a little different. And the way the magic is mixed with technology to make everything work. Plus the fact that there is some technology in an ancient Greek-esque setting.

I don’t even know! I’m just throwing a bunch of random stuff into one story and hoping it works. XD

 

10.) Share a fun “extra” of the story.

Firstly, here is my Pinterest board, which I love and adore. All the gold mixed with a touch of other colors is so aesthetically pleasing to meh eyeballs.

Secondly, here's a link to my playlist on YouTube. Because I’m a weirdo and still haven’t made a Spotify account. I DON’T KNOW WHY. But yeah, I’ve been compiling songs on YouTube and it’s seriously the most emotional playlist I have ever made. It’s basically all epic instrumental pieces and I LOVE IT. It totally makes me pumped to write! (And also gives you a hint of how feelsy this story is eheheh.) This song and this one are probably my favorites if you just want to listen to a couple and not all 30+ that are on there. XD

And there we have it! Waaay more information than you ever needed about Kings Bleed Gold. Sheesh, I wonder why I keep having to write series and not standalones??? #foreverlongwinded

Needless to say (except I’ve already said it like 29 times in this post), I AM EXCITED FOR THIS STORY!!! I don’t think it’s going to be the easiest to write between the heavy themes, complex storyline, and crazy world, but I’m totally up for the challenge!

And don’t forget there’s still a couple of days to join in this linkup! All the details HERE!

Next time you guys hear from me we’ll be a few days into NaNo! O____O

 

TALK WITH ME!

What’da think of my dragonish King Midas story? Can you believe NaNo starts in THREE DAYS???? *hides under shock blanket* WHO’S PUMPED?! (My NaNo profile is HERE if you want to be buddies! *hint, hint*) HAPPY NANOING, GUYS!!! *throws motivational cookies at everyone*

 

P.S. For all of those who asked to join my NaNo Google Hangouts, it’s up and running! I think I’ve added everyone who asked to join, but if I missed you, do send me an email and let me know! (Also, I discovered you DO NOT have to have a gmail account to join so yay!) And if I’ve added you but you haven’t seen it yet, go to https://hangouts.google.com/ and there should be a chat box titled “The Pen Dragons” there, which is what we’ve decided to call ourselves for now. *grins*

If you have no clue what I’m talking about (but are interested in joining a Hangouts chat full of enthused writers), you can check out last week's post. Scroll to near the bottom where it says “A Special Invitation” and you’ll find all the info!

5 Reasons Why I’m Still Doing NaNoWriMo

So…NaNoWriMo will be upon us in a little over a week. *wailing and gnashing of teeth* And I’m feeling a bit of shock/denial/what-the-even-WUT because this will be my NINTH year participating. NINE YEARS??? Do I value my sanity at all? (Not really no…) Why on earth have a brought this torture upon myself for 8 years and am about to do it again??? WELL. That’s what I want to talk about today!

Because that’s the thing. NaNo is such a stressful time. I mean, who chooses to write 50k or more words in 30 days during one of the busiest months of the year? WHY??? What is this ridiculousness? And for me, it’s really bad, because I, erm, have a rather obsessive personality. I don’t stop at 50k, I write until the book is DONE. Even when the book ends up being 150k words (lololol I whish that was an over dramatization). Quite a few NaNos ended with me continuing to write through the first week or two of December to get the book done. Because I get obsessed with writing it all to completion. (NOTE: I do not recommend being like me. I need to tone it down like 30 notches…)

Between NaNo Prep in October (my outlines take ages and often end up being around 20k words o.o) and then NaNo in November, it really consumes all of fall, one of my most favorite times of the year! Not to mention ends in soooo many late nights and a ridiculous amount of being overwhelmed as all my other responsibilities fall to the wayside and pile up into a ginormous monster that may or may not eat me come December.

So I ask again, WHY? Why do I do this year after year? Why would anyone? Is it really worth it?

My answer: YES!!!

I have never regretted a single one of those 8 NaNos I’ve participated in. Each one was worth it to me for so many reasons. And that’s what I want to share today: The reasons why I keep doing this insane thing. And why you should too!

And stick around, because at the end I have a special invitation for all you NaNo participants!

5 REASONS WHY
I STILL DO NANO

 

IT CHALLENGES ME TO TRY NEW THINGS AND HELPS ME GROW AS A WRITER

For my very first NaNoWriMo, I tried something I had never, ever done before: I plotted my novel. Before then, I was a hardcore pantser. And never physically plotted any bit of a story a day in my life. I thought pantsing would forever be The Way for me.

But then I decided to attempt NaNo, and as I was trying to think of ways to make the process quicker and easier I thought, “What if I outlined the book?” Because, as fun as pantsing was, it was slooow going as I’d constantly have to pause, often days, even weeks, at a time to mull over what happened next. But if I knew everything that happened, then I could just write nonstop. So I did. And now? I’m a hardcore planner. My young self would have never thought, yet here we are. Because NaNo pushed me to try something new.

From them on out, each NaNo novel (really each novel, a NaNo one or not), has been plotted a little differently. A lot of things I still do that I adapted that very first NaNo, a lot of it I’ve taken my methods and adjusted them to suit my needs. But there’s always something a little different, a little new, with each novel, and as the years have passed, I’ve refined my methods more and more.

NaNo challenged me to look at creating a novel differently. It made this girl who is really set in her ways and not wild about trying new things to, well, try new things. To step out of my comfort zone and find the best possible way to produce a novel.

But going from pantser to planner is just one example. There are so many other ways NaNo challenges me to keep pushing the barrier with my writing. To be wild and free with it, and not stuck in the same ol’, same ol’ I tend to fall into when writing. It taught me that I can write in short bursts in between life, instead of setting out a very specific set of time to write like I used to do. It gave me permission to try crazy things with my stories, because, hey, why not? I’m only writing the thing for a month. Why can’t I experiment a little? It helped me see what my strengths and weaknesses are, and what types of scenes and plots in general I enjoy and dislike. And because of this, it’s helped me GROW as a writer.

Because NaNo gives me permission to experiment and make a mess with my stories, I’ve very much found the best methods that work for me, what types of stories I like to tell, and the best way to tell them. Such as some of my NaNo stories had way too slow pacing, a couple sped by far too quickly. And I learned all this because I wasn’t bogged down by perfecting my story, or taking my time writing it. NaNo gives me permission to focus solely on the story and truly, deeply refine my craft.

Which happens to be to my next point…

 

IT FORCES ME TO FOCUS ON STORY FOR A WHILE

I of course do a lot of writing during non-NaNo months. But during those crazy November days, there’s something different about the writing process.

During all the other times of the year, I get distracted. Oh goodness, the distractions! I always refer to myself as a “productive procrastinator”, because I do productive tasks while procrastinating to make myself feel better about procrastinating. And, unfortunately, usually what I’m procrastinating is writing. Instead of taking time out each day to write or edit, I think, “Oh, well I need to go write a blog post.” or “I better spend some time this afternoon taking pictures for my Instagram account.” or “Wow, I’m behind on my friends’ social media, I should catch up!” See? Productive procrastinator. This is my life. *shakes head* Unfortunately, it puts working on my actual BOOK at the bottom of the priority list, when, really, it should be the top. But NaNo changes all of that.

There’s fewer things in this world that kicks me into gear more than goals needing to be met within a time limit. Something about that ever moving clock pulls out my ultra focused, obsessive side like no other. So you can only imagine how on hyper drive it is during NaNo. Suddenly all those things I worry about for 11 months of the year? They’re insignificant. During November, it’s all about STORY. And I love it.

Yes, we shouldn’t be that hyper-focused 24/7 for all of the year. There are other priorities in life and to-do lists that need to be checked off. But as writers, it’s also so important that we sometimes allow our novels to consume our thoughts. To give ourselves permission to fall so deeply into our stories that it’s more real to us than reality.

NaNo always does that for me. For those 30 days I’m living my story. It suddenly feels so real and so important, and it’s such a thrilling feeling. It’s like a 30 day retreat with my characters (a 30 day retreat of torture and pain and feels but ya know). And it’s so nice to not be worrying so much about all those many other things on my to-do list, and have my novel be at the top of the priority list for a time.

(Sidenote: I’m talking about physical tasks that need to be accomplished. God, our loved ones, and our health should be permanently at the top of our life priority list, and I do actually fall short on those things during NaNo so much. So of course there is a balance, as with everything.)

It’s a funny thing. Because during NaNo, I often get so flustered and tired and stressed and want to do anything in the world but write. But then afterwards, when it’s all said and done, I never really remember those moments. Whenever I think back to any NaNo, I smile, because what I remember is the magical feeling of being utterly immersed in my story. That’s always the lasting impact of NaNo for me. And it is for that feeling alone that I find NaNo is always worth doing.

 

IT PUSHES ME TO GO BEYOND WHAT I NORMALLY WOULD

A huge thing that NaNo helps with is pushing us to go beyond what we think we can do. So, so many times during non-NaNo I’ll consider writing, but then decide I’m too tired or that I need to do something else. Or write a just a few words and then call that “good enough” and go do something lazy. But with NaNo, I don’t really have that option. Again, there’s that goal that needs to be met and a time limit ever pushing me forward. So instead of turning on the TV, I take up the laptop and write. Instead of claiming I’m too tired to write, I just write anyway. Instead of considering 1k words enough for the day, I write 1 or 2 more thousand. Instead of scrolling on Pinterest while waiting at the dentist office, I pop out a few words on my phone.

But more than that, it reminds me that I can finish a story, and within a short amount of time. Before I did NaNo, I would take over a year to write a book. And some I never even finished. But then I did NaNo, and I realized, as long as I put my mind to it, my novel can get DONE.

If I remember right, it was Lisa Mangum at Realm Makers who said that we can always stretch a little farther than we think we can. And NaNo taught me that more than anything. Every single year it helps me get these novels done, and reminds me that I just have to put my mind to it, not get distracted, and do it.

 

IT REMINDS ME THAT WRITING IS FUN AND WORTH MY TIME

I think all writers have those occasional existential crises where we wonder why on this green earth are we writers? Writing is hard. Shouldn’t we be doing something else with our time?

I definitely have those moments, more frequently than I’d like. There are even some scandalous moments where I’ve considered not doing NaNo for a year. I KNOW. It’s true! But I always force myself to do it. Why? Because, every single time, it shoves away those writer doubts.

Like I said earlier, whenever I think back on past NaNos, all I can ever seem to dwell on is how utterly fun I had writing my novel. Not on those nights I stayed up until 2 in the morning feverishly trying to get a blog post ready for the next day because I had used up my day writing. Not on the moments where I’d assume move to Antarctica rather than have to write a single more word. Not when I wanted to sit and cry at how behind I was getting on other things because writing was taking up all my time. Those moments happen every November, but I so rarely remember them. Instead, what is always at the forefront of my mind is how fun it was writing my novel.

Because writing is fun. We’re literally creating entire worlds and characters and have the liberty to make anything at all happen that we want to. It is magic. And being so consumed in our magical stories is something utterly special.

So I do NaNo every single year, even during those times when I’d really rather just skip it and take it easy during these amazing fall days, because I need to do it. Sometimes I forget just how amazing storytelling can be. I need that reminder that creating stories is FUN. And that it’s something worth doing.

I have learned so much about writing and the world and life in general through writing. The amount of lessons I’ve gleaned through those stories I’ve written during NaNo are innumerable. Stories have power. They’re truly one of the most powerful weapons we have on this earth. And I firmly believe writing them is always worth your time. Even when it’s tiring and hard and doesn’t seem it.

 

IT PROVIDES COMMUNITY

Lastly, one of my top, top, top favorite things about NaNoWriMo is the community it provides.

Back in the dark ages before I did NaNo, I had zero writing friends. I was the only writer I knew, and it was lonely. Because, well, we writers are weird. And sometimes you just can’t understand a writer unless you are one. Every writer needs some fellow writers friends so we can feel understood. And what better way to find writing friends than NaNoWriMo, where literally thousands are participating all over the world!

During my very first NaNo, I poked around the NaNo forums and stumbled into a group that called themselves the Purple Elephants, full of fellow writing teenagers (ya know, back when I was a teenager, good times, good times). And, oh my goodness, the fun we had! The amount of random nonsense we’d talk about and stories we shared and inside jokes we made. It was hilarious. A lot of us got older and I think most of the core group faded away, sadly. (Though I think it may still live on a bit. I haven’t checked the NaNo forums this year to see.) But it was within that group that I learned what it felt like to have fellow writer friends. And it was in that group where I made one of my closest writing buddies who, to this day, I consider one of my bestest friends in the world. Through her, I met other writing friends, then I started blogging and met more. And it grew and grew, and here I now have a whole community of fellow writers all of whom I love and adore. (Seriously, you guys make my world. <3) And it even went farther than that. Through blogging I learned about Realm Maker, where I met some of you, and made more friends. The connections just continuously grow. But all of that was because of NaNo. I never would have met any of you, and probably wouldn’t even be blogging, if not for NaNo. It was the starting point to this writing life I now lead.

It is seriously a wonderful place to meet writers. But not only that. There is something utterly motivating knowing that you’re writing your novel along with thousands of others. Suddenly writing isn’t lonely. It’s one, ginormous, epic group activity! And there are always people to cheer you on every day.

So that’s why, here 9 years later, I’m still doing NaNoWriMo. It’s not just a fun, crazy challenge to accomplish. It’s so much bigger and important and more magical than that.

Now, of course I 100% understand it’s not for everyone. For some people, NaNo has the opposite effects and makes writing a negative thing. Or maybe life is just way too busy right now to take on something like NaNo. I absolutely get that, and I suspect one day I’ll decide life is just too hectic to participate myself. But if you’ve been considering it, and think you can find the time, I cannot recommend it enough!

 

A SPECIAL INVITATION

I know this post is already long enough to cover like the first week of NaNo words, buuuut I promised you I had something special to share! I left my point of the community and having writing friends for last, because that leads me right to it.

I’ve decided to create a NaNo Google Hangouts Chat.

Sadly, these days I never find the time or make the effort to poke around the NaNo forums like I did in my earlier NaNo days. I’m just a lot busier. But I really miss the tight-knit group I had with the Purple Elephants. Then it occurred to me. I already have a group of NaNo participants, right here! We just don’t have a specific place to chat. Which is where Google Hangouts comes in! It’s such a great place for instant messaging and popping in now and again for quick chats.

So if you like using Hangouts and are participating in NaNoWriMo (or just a writer! it doesn't have to be exclusively NaNo participants) and want a place to chat with other fellow Wrimos where we can talk about our stories, do word wars/sprints together, share snippets, encourage one another, and just have FUN, then send me your email address at Lauriloth@gmail.com, and I’ll make this happen! It’ll basically be like the cabins that Camp NaNoWriMo has. I think it’s going to be a blast and I’M SO EXCITED!

(NOTE: I will make sure this is a very safe environment and will remove anyone who uses crude language or tries to bully or anything like that. But I feel SO blessed with the readers I have on my blog and am like 99.999% sure none of you would ever do that! Just figured I’d better assure you that it will be safe.)

THIS NANO IS GOING TO BE SO FUN, GUYS!!!

Other posts you might like:

 

 

And stay tuned, because next Monday I’m actually, finally going to be sharing more details of my NaNo novel Kings Bleed Gold!

 

TALK WITH ME!

The obvious question is, WHO’S DOING NANO??? (Pst. My NaNo account is HERE. I’d love to buddy you all over there!) Don’t forget to email me if you want to join my Hangouts! (Also, I apologize to all my non-NaNo participant readers. I know I probably drive you guys craaazy this time of year. Thank you so much for sticking by me and my NaNo obsessed self and always being an encouragement. I love you ALL!)

The Language of Worlds - Korinna

Hello, my elflings! I am all the excited, because today not only am I gonna tell you what I’ll be writing for NaNoWriMo (oooh yes!), buuut you’ll be meeting one of the characters. *DANCES*

The ever-fabulous Liv K. Fisher has posted the set of questions for her bimonthly character linkup, The Language of Worlds—a linkup that asks us ten questions about any one of our characters of our choosing. I think this one runs until the end of October or thereabout, so if you want to join, check out the details and find the questions HERE. (But seriously, it’s so much fun. You should do iiiittt.)

In August, I joined in the last one (you can find my post HERE), in which I introduced you all to a new WIP I spontaneously started, called King Bleed Gold—a King Midas retelling with DRAGONS.

Well… Guess what I’ve decided to write for NaNo?

KINGS BLEED GOLD

Haha, yeeeah. I’m being a smidgen of a NaNo rebel, because you’re “supposed” to start something entirely new for NaNo. But I’m only being like…a fourth of a rebel, because I only have 1k words of the story written, and I might change up those 1k words anyway. So yeah, it’s still a very new novel. AND I AM EXCITED TO WRITE IT.

I’ll be telling you guys alllll the details and fun things about this story near the end of the month when I answer the questions to my own linkup Know the Novel (#shamelessplug). Buuut, first I’ve got to actually figure out what all this novel is about. Because eheheheh, the more I plot, the more confused I get. It’s already turning into a convoluted monster, per the norm for me. (Whyyyy?) But yeah, you’ll be getting all the fun facts soon!

For today though, I’ll be answering Liv’s lovely questions about one of my main characters, Korinna. I haven’t quite got a full grasp on Korinna’s personality yet, so this linkup came just in time! These things are always so helpful in digging deep into our characters’ heads. Are you excited? I’M EXCITED. So let’s get to it!

KORINNA

1.) What does your character fear the most?

Seeing others be harmed due to her own failings.

Bit of backstory: Korinna is a slave to the dragons, and when the slaves misbehave, instead of punishing them, the dragons punish them by going off on a human killing spree. (This is such a nice world I’ve created.) Korinna has a deep heart for people, and she’s been through…a lot, and seen some pretty terrible things. She hates serving the dragons, but she knows if she doesn’t, other will suffer. So her greatest fear is that people will die because of her.

 

2.) How would they handle it if they were to face their fear?

This fear is really Korinna’s driving force day to day. When something terrible like this happens, it just pushes her harder to make it never happen again, as well as to try to get the other slaves to behave themselves and avoid this terrible punishment as well.

She hopes that as long as she does as much work as she can, it’ll cause the dragons to not kidnap more slaves, and appease them so they won’t harm anyone.

 

3.) Do they want to get married? Why or why not?

Something like marriage has never really been an option for her, and she most certainly wouldn’t want to bring a child into the life she endures. Again, her driving force is assuring no one else gets hurt, no matter how much harm that brings herself.

But, yes. She’s definitely dreamed of a normal, safe life where she can happily be married and have all the children she wants. She just knows such a life will forever be denied her. So she fills that void by doing her best to protect the people she does have.

 

4.) What is their love language (i.e. words of affirmation, physical touch, gifts, quality time, acts of service)?

Words of affirmation, definitely. She pours so much of herself out for others, being encouraged and told what she’s doing is important and that she means a lot to a person lifts her up more than anything else.

But quality time comes verrrryyy close. She truly values when people show they care about her enough to choose to spend their time with her. Her time is so consumed with work, she’s acutely aware at how precious it is. So having someone use their valuable time for her touches her deeply.

 

5.) On a scale from 1 (messy) to 5 (organized), how do they rate?

I would say a full 5. Again, time is a valuable thing, and she doesn’t have enough of it to be disorganized or messy with her work. She can map out a day and her workload to optimum capacity. Gotta keep those grumpy dragons happy, remember. Eheh.

 

6.) How do they feel about debates/disagreements?

Korinna does not shy away from them. She’s often the instigator of debates if she finds the subject important and needs to be discussed. Disagreements are certainly nothing she enjoys, but her need to speak out against injustices is stronger than her want for peacekeeping.

 

7.) What do they bring to a battle (figurative or literal)?

Korinna isn’t really a fighter, but she could absolutely be one of the sharp minds behind battle formations. Again, she’s extremely organized and also intelligent. So I guess she’d bring…her brain? XD

 

8.) What's their favorite thing to eat for breakfast?

Erm, she doesn’t have a lot of options when it comes to food. She has to eat to survive, she doesn’t have the luxury of it being a recreational activity. Berries and cooked fish are her main sources of food.

But if she wasn’t a slave and had her option of any food, I see her as a fruit on top of pancakes type of girl. Not that…they have pancakes in her world, but ya know.

 

9.) How do they treat themself after a long day?

Every day is long for her. (I treat my characters so, so well.) Usually she just collapses in bed. But she values time to herself to just think, so when she’s not too tired, she’ll occasionally just find somewhere quiet outside to sit and ponder life.

 

10.) What do you most want readers to glean from this story?

One of my most favorite quotes is by Oswald Chambers that says:

“Never look for justice, but never cease to live it.”

If we spend our lives searching for justice in this world, we’re going to be sorely disappointed. It’s a dark, harsh world we live in. BUT, that does not give us permission to dish harshness back. We should always, always show kindness and goodness, no matter how terribly injustice our circumstances might be.

And that is the theme of this book. My main character Midas is a bratty, pompous king who is constantly rationalizing his behavior. But through many, er, unfortunate circumstances he begins to learn the importance of just being kind, for no other reason than that it is right, even though it’s hard. And, as you can probably guess, Korinna is a key factor in helping him learn this lesson.

There we are, my girl Korinna! This was exceedingly helpful getting a better grasp on her character. I even accidentally realized what her MBTI type is whilst writing this post. I’m pretty positive she’s an ISFJ. (One of my main characters in my last NaNo novel was an ISFJ too. I’m apparently very partial to that type…)

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, Liv, for these great questions and wonderful linkup! I’m now all pumped to get back to plotting now that I have a better understanding of this character. This was great!

And don’t forget, if you want to participate yourself, just head on over to LIV'S POST to snag the questions and link up!

 

TALK WITH ME!

What do you think of Korinna? Am I totally the worst to my characters? (The answer is: yes.) And have you joined in on this linkup, because you definitely should!