Know the Novel Part 2 - Within the WIP {A Writers Linkup}

And I am back with PART TWO of my Know the Novel linkup! A 3-part linkup for us writers to share fun tidbits about our noveling ventures.

Part 1 was all about introducing our novels. Now we’re going to get to the deep stuff: WRITING THE NOVEL. Because, um, it’s NANOWRIMO, GUYS. We have survived the first week (or did we??? *Twilight Zone music*) and are now well into week two. Which means if you’re eyeballs aren’t burning out of their sockets, your brain doesn’t wonder what the real world even is anymore, and you haven’t just finished your 473rd cup of coffee for the month, then you’re probably doing something wrong.

Juuuust kidding.

…I think. (Someonehelpme.)

If you missed last month’s post announcing this linkup, here’s the deets! (Here’s the deets? Wow, I sound like I’m trying to be “hip” like all the youngsters these days.)

THE INFO

Know the Novel is a 3-part linkup series, one for each of these last three months of the year. Each one will feature ten questions you can answer on your own blog (or anywhere else on social media if you’d like!). The questions will be focusing on different parts of the novel/your writing.

It goes as followed:

October

• Part One: Introductory – These questions were centered on you telling us all about your novel and giving the fun, juicy details. We had over 30 participants! Like GUYS. What a fantastic turn out! And oh my goodness, you all blew. me. away. with the creativity. SO many epic sounding novels in the works! Do check out all the links because wow wow wow. All the awesome novel ideas!

November

• Part Two: Within the WIP – This is more focused on how the writing is going, what problems and victories you’ve experienced, your writing process, etc. Basically all the fun behind the scenes writing things!

December

• Part Three: Writing and Beyond – The last one will have questions asking how the full writing of the novel went and what your next plans for your novel will be!

The gist of it is,  I throw ten novel/writing-related questions your way each month, and you can answer them on your own blog.

Though I am doing this during NaNo season since, ya know, a lot of us are doing NaNo. You DO NOT have to be doing NaNoWriMo to participate. You can answer these questions for any WIP you have. And you DID NOT have to participate in part 1 to do this one. It’s all just for fun! There are basically no rules. Plus I love seeing what all my writer frens are working on. So share away!

Easy peasy! Now for this month’s questions!

KNOW THE NOVEL PART TWO:
WITHIN THE WIP

I’d be honored for you to use the graphic above for your own posts, but it’s certainly not required!

 QUESTIONS

1. How’s the writing going?

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

3. Has your novel surprised you in any way?

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

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?

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

7. Have you come across any problem areas?

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

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

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!

 

 SHARE YOUR LINK

Now for the important bit, ADDING YOUR LINK! Do be sure to use the widget below to link to your post so others can check it out!

This one closes at midnight on November 30th (the end of NaNo *le gasp*). But part 3 will be coming your way on the second Monday of December. I’m excited!

 

TALK WITH ME!

Let’s talk writing!!! If you’re doing NaNo, how’s it going? Are you surviving? Having fun? Ready for a 12 year nap? Tell me everything! If you’re not doing NaNo, are you working on any writing projects anyway? Or being an actual sane person and taking a break for the holidays while cackling at us haggard Wrimos? (Okay, but really, you guys always encourage us crazies so much and I love you all. <333)

NaNoWriMo ‘18 Week One: Involving Surprises from Characters, Nutcrackers, and 911

OH HI THERE. How are you? I’m fine. Just sitting over here, ya know, SCREAMING BECAUSE IT’S NANOWRIMO AND HOW DID THAT EVEN HAPPEN???

Ahem. Yep. Perfectly calm.

But seriously, guys, IT’S NANO. And just WUT? I think I’m still in shock that it’s actually here and we’re a few days in and nearing the end of the first week. It came fast and hard!

Screaming aside, it is in fact Monday, which means I should be posting a blog post, but during NaNo I usually just explode my blog with totally incoherent writing updates (we’re gonna pretend that’s not what I do the rest of the year eventhoughitkindofis). So if you nosy dragons are curious how my 2018 NaNo has been thus far (and what on earth the title of this post means bwahaha), buckle in!

 

NANO ‘18 WEEK ONE

 

THE WEEK BEFORE

I’m gonna be honest, this was one of the first years I was terrified I was not going to get everything done before NaNo. My outline was being a monster, my inbox had exploded, I was really exhausted the week leading up to NaNo, things just weren’t looking great. But, as I’ve mentioned before, there’s nothing like a deadline to kick me into super ultra hyper drive. I sat myself down and kicked my brain until it finally figured out my story’s ending. I attacked my inbox with full force. I caught up on social media, I did some cleaning, I even threw together a mock cover for my book which I always love to do for my NaNo novels but this year just did not think I’d get the time. BUT I DID IT.

And so, by Wednesday evening, I found myself, miracle of miracles, READY. It was such a relieving feeling! Now that I had gotten things more in order and finally had all of my novel mapped out, I knew I could just relax and enjoy the writing process. I WAS READY TO GO. …Sorta.

Every single NaNo (except for last year due to work getting in the way), I’ve stayed up on October 31st to midnight to start writing. It’s such a thrilling moment when that clock strikes twelve and you jump into that story you’ve been anticipating, plus get a good start for the month at the literal first second. Buuut this time I was tired. I had gotten up a little early Wednesday because I had work that day and, really, I wanted nothing more than to collapse in bed and sleep, but I also reeeally wanted to stay up to midnight and write some. Finally, I caved and decided forget good health and common sense! IT’S NANO. Let’s do this thing! (Read: I’m a terrible influence and you should probably never follow my example.)

 

THURSDAY: DAY #1

This year I was going to be a little itty bitty NaNo rebel (which is what it’s called when you don’t start a brand new fictional novel for NaNo) because technically I already had 1k words of this story written. Buuuut after completely outlining it and actually figuring out what’s going on, I decided to scrap those 1k words and fully rewrite the beginning. So I’m not a rebel this year after all!

ANYWAYS.

It was ten minutes before midnight, and the rush of excitement woke me up a little bit. I made some tea, grabbed my laptop, opened Kings Bleed Gold’s Scrivener file, stuck my headphones in, and…WROTE. And guys. GUYS. IT WAS SO FUN.

I don’t know if it’s because I had written the beginning before (I did change the scene a lot, but it was still more or less the same scene I had scrapped) or…what. But the writing went so smoothly. Because, see, story beginnings are the bane of my existence. It always takes me a bit to get into the story and figure out the characters’ voices and grasp the right feel of the novel and just get into that groove of writing, you know? So, pretty much always, the first couple of days or so of NaNo are pretty rough and grueling. And it’s funny because every year I think, “Well, maybe the beginning will go better this year!” and then every year the beginning does not go better at all. So this year, I struck down that optimistic thinking (lololol so positive) and was all set for a hard couple of days of writing. I just knew if I could get past the first days, then I’d start really enjoying the story and having fun.

Well har har. I guess I did reverse psychology on myself? Because the first days of writing were a joy. When I started writing at midnight, the words just flowed. Since I was so tired, I had decided I’d just write 500 words and then go to bed. But I ended up writing 1k and had to force myself to stop and sleep, but I really didn’t want to! I went to bed so happy and encouraged and raring to go.

The following day was a gloriously free day and it was cold and rainy—optimum writing weather. And so I did. And wrote and wrote and wrote. It continued to go well, not perfect of course, but far better than most beginnings. Now, that’s not to say the writing isn’t a disastrous mess. I’m pretty sure it is, but that’s what editing is for, yeah?

I think my favorite part of writing this day was the setting. The beginning starts in Midas’ kingdom which is based off Ancient Greece, a setting I’ve never written before, and I found it such a fun place to build and explore. Writing is awesome, guys! I’m just sayin’.

WORDS WRITTEN: 7,031
(Ehehehe…yeah. But 1k of that was the night before technically, and I always try to get as much in as I can on the first day.)

 

FRIDAY: DAY #2

The success of the first day was boosting me on, and I started this day with a goal to end it with 5k words (because, pffft, who even needs a life and sanity and sleep?). I honestly barely even remember anything that happened Friday except writing????

By this point the story was really moving, and I got to write some high action scenes and drama which is always a good time bwahahaha! I was also getting to know Midas much better.

While day one of writing did go well and I was loving the setting, I was not feeling as emotionally connected to my protagonist as I’d like. Midas was just kind of….there, and I feel like the writing was a bit too distant and not as deep into his point-of-view as I like. (I’m alllll about those deep POV stories.) But I wasn’t stressing it too hard. I knew it’d come, I just needed a bit more time with him.

But by the second day I was definitely getting a grasp of his voice. And he’s surprised me. Like a lot. Because…he’s nice. See, the first idea of this story was to make an extremely jerkish main character and then torture and break him into a good person. I’msonice. Things of course evolved, but that idea is still the core of the story. I was a bit worried Midas was going to be unlikable though. Who wants a jerk of a protagonist??? But it doesn’t matter how over-the-top-detailed I make my character bios, I never really get to know them until I start actually writing them. My characters just kinda…do what they want. I never force their personalities, they just come. So, though I do have a huge bio for Midas, I knew I’d have to write him to fully see how he’d come out. And, like, he’s way, way nicer than I originally thought…

I mean, yes, he still has a ton of issues, can be a huge brat, has plenty of jerk-ish moments, and is selfish beyond belief, buuuut he’s also charismatic and (hopefully) rather likable. And this is a good thing! Because now I think I can continue my plan of utterly breaking him in two, while also having a protagonist that’s not totally detestable. Win-win! He’s also proving to be a bit of a sass-master, which I’m not complaining about… Except he keeps sassing off the big, scary, murderous dragons and eheheheh good luck with that, boy.

But really, I’m having a blast figuring him out. He feels a lot different from the protagonists I’m used to writing, and I like that!

WORDS WRITTEN: 5,005

 

SATURDAY: DAY #3

Writing has honestly just gotten more and more fun with each day, which is usually what happens in the first week. Now I was really getting a grasp of Midas’ voice and finally delved into that deep POV I felt like I was missing at the start. I was at last not just writing words on a page, I was living them, which is my absolute favorite feeling.

This day of writing was particularly fun because we got our first glimpse of SYRAM. Midas met the crazy boy for the first time, and I may or may not have been grinning through the whole scene (because fangirling over your own characters is normal???). Then, at the end of that day’s writing session, Korinna entered the picture, which was a scene I was quite looking forward to. I didn’t get very far into it though, but leaving in the middle of a scene I was excited about helped me jump right into writing the next day (which is something I should remember…).

WORDS WRITTEN: 5,556

 

SUNDAY: DAY #4

This is the day the true adventures began.

As I said, I had left on a scene I was enjoying, and jumping back into it took no time. This was Midas’ and Korinna’s first meeting, and I was curious to see how they interacted. Which…to non-writers (and probably even some writers) may sound weird but, as I said earlier, my characters just do what they want. I really NEVER know exactly what they’re going to be like until I start writing them, and then it’s even more so when they’re first interacting. Like…will they like each other? Hate one another? Be super awkward? WHO CAN KNOW.

I feel like first character meetings are like being a parent trying to set up playdates with new friends for your kids and hoping to goodness they get along.

Except…oftentimes the goal is for the characters to not get along in order to create conflict, and we writers spend like 96% of our time figuring out ways to makes our characters lives worse so, um, maybe comparing us to parents is a bad thing. Ahem.

ANYWAYS.

I’m pleased to say the first meeting between Midas and Korinna went super well, and now I’m really excited to write more scenes between them. I think the dynamics between them and Syram are going to be SO FUN. (I just love characters, guys!)

So most of this day’s writing was their conversation, and I was having a lovely time. I had to cut the writing a little short though, becaaause I was going to see The Nutcracker and the Four Realms!!!

I have been screaming in excitement over this movie since the day the teaser trailer came out last December. I’ve always, always adored watching ballet and I really like the story of The Nutcracker and go to see pretty much anything Disney produces so yeah. I WAS EXCITED.

And…it was good. But it didn’t blow me away. *ALL THE TEARS* Really, it had all the right elements. Clara was a good heroine, everything was GORGEOUS, I adored all the things being run on clockwork, the fantasy world was awesome, there were some fun scenes and lovely music. But…it just didn’t enthrall me. I think the problem was they had this big, awesome, fantasy world and didn’t really use it. The plot was way too simplistic and straightforward, and honestly just kind of lame. And I have this weird pet peeve about simple plots being set in huge, intricate, epic worlds. Like…no. If you’re going to promise me an epic world, I want a big, epic story to go with it. But I think that’s just a weird Christine thing SO. I still totally recommend going to see the movie! It was definitely worth the watch, and actually had me tearing up a time or two. I just expected more. (I think after the pure perfection of Maleficent, my expectations have been too high for these new Disney movies. Because Maleficent was EVERYTHING and I want more like that!)

But yeah, it was definitely a great break to go see the movie, especially since movies are one of the biggest things that refills my creativity tank, but after looking forward to it for almost a year I do wish it had enraptured me more.

So that happened. And then, later, my sis and I were in the car with my dad. It was dark and rainy, and we were at a red light, minding our own business and discussing supper plans, when, right in front of us, a car smashed into another one, spun out, hit a pole, and bumped into the front of Dad’s truck. O____O Um. Yeah. Cue the panicking.

Dad called 911, everyone scrambled out of their cars, and, praise God, no one was hurt. Which, really, was a miracle of God. The front of the first car was destroyed, and the one that spun out was pretty much totaled. Yet still, somehow, the person inside was unscathed. Still thanking God for that! My dad’s truck just got a dent in the front, nothing major.

But yeah, that was quite the adventure. I’m just so, so grateful everyone was fine. Definitely an unexpected way to end our Sunday evening.

Needless to say, this was a much slower day of writing than the previous ones. But I did get in that good bit of writing at the start of the day, so I’ll take it! And I guess now I have an interesting experience to remember this NaNo by??? We’ll look at the positives. Eheheh.

WORDS WRITTEN: 1,714

Total Word Count: 19,306

I had really hoped to hit 20k, buuut obviously I was a smidge preoccupied yesterday.

 

CONCLUSION

Other than yesterday’s little hiccup, it has been an AWESOME start to NaNo ‘18. And I feel like the farther I get into my novel, the more I’m going to love it.

But don’t get me wrong. It has not been perfectly smooth sailing. I know there are going to be plenty of hard days ahead as the holidays get closer and life piles up and burnout takes root. And don’t think every word has come easy for me! I’ve been agonizing over how to word things like every other sentence, and literally keep thesaurus.com permanently opened because apparently coming up with a different word for something like dropped is too much for my tired brain??? I also suspect every word of this novel is a monstrous mess of grossness (I haven’t dared read back over any of it). BUT. I have been enjoying the story immensely and am getting words down, and that’s what counts! Just have fun and make a mess, guys!

Also, I know I’ve said this before, but I think it bears repeating: The only reason I’m able to get a high wordcount in each day is because I do not have a full-time job, go to school, or have children and such like that, and, due to health problems, I live a pretty quiet life in general. I honestly don’t know how so many of you manage to keep up with NaNo amidst school or work or raising children and just all the things you do. YOU’RE ALL AMAZING.

Just remember, we all have our own pace and a certain amount of craziness in our lives, and there’s nothing wrong with that one tiny bit. So write when you can, don’t stress it when you can’t, and just enjoy the journey! Because writing is seriously a magical thing, you guys!

Week two is near approaching, which can often be the hardest one as the excitement of week one has worn down but there’s still such a long road ahead. But let’s face that road with our adventure boots on (or am I the only one who feels like adventuring whenever I wear boots?) and race across it with enthusiasm. WE’VE GOT THIS!

 

TALK WITH ME!

To all my fellow Wrimos: HOW’S IT GOING??? Have you survived the first stretch of the journey? What are some victories you’ve faced these past few days? And to my non-NaNo-ing readers: How was your first week of November? I do hope these cool, crisp days are treating you well (and that we NaNo-ers haven’t driven you totally up the wall with all our NaNo talk eheh). TELL ME EVERYTHING!

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!