Beautiful Books: November 2017

NaNoWriMo 2017 is finally underway, and it’s already proving to be its own kind of adventure! It’s been pretty fun so far. Today, I’m joining the Beautiful Books linkup to talk a little bit about how NaNo is going. Beautiful Books is hosted by Sky and Cait—to find out more and join the fun, check out their blogs!


Overall, how is your mental state, and how is your novel going?
So far, so good. I mean, it’s always a challenge to get the characters’ voices down and figure out the style of the book, but once I made it through the first 10K or so, the momentum started to pick up.

What’s your first sentence (or paragraph)?
Let’s do the first line and paragraph, shall we?


  The first punch came hard and fast.
  Marcus rocked back on his heels, stumbled. Couldn’t figure out where the blazes the mat had disappeared to under his feet. Sparks shot across his vision, and just beyond them, he could make out the silhouette of a man moving toward him. 

Who’s your current favourite character in your novel?
I really like my three primary characters a lot—Abigail, Marcus, and Donnie. I’m still figuring out a lot about them as the story goes on, but I like seeing what secrets they’re still hiding and what decisions they’re considering and how their motives drive them toward their goals.

What do you love about your novel so far?
Probably that it’s a for-fun project, so I’m not worrying about the imperfections or inconsistencies right now. I’m just seeing how the story unfolds and having fun with writing something different than what I usually write.

Have you made any hilarious typos or other mistakes? 
I don’t think so, but I’m sure there will be!


What is your favourite to write: beginning, middle, or end — and why?
I think with Spinner & Kidd, the middle will be the most fun to write. I’m looking forward to digging into the plot there and really seeing how the characters interact once they have a reason to be working together.

What are your writing habits? Is there a specific snack you eat? Do you listen to music? What time of day do you write best? Feel free to show us a picture of your writing space!
Chocolate is always a go-to snack, along with the other leftover Halloween candy. ^_^

I usually listen to music when I’m writing, though I haven’t been listening to the playlist I made for Spinner & Kid as much as I expected to. (I’ve had a lot of Owl City music on repeat this month.) I write best in the evenings, but I’ve been writing whenever I have the time.


Most of my writing happens at my desk. To the right are my bookshelves, and to the left is a window that looks out over the yard. The note cards above the shelf have quotes written on them (I also have a dry erase board on the other side of the desk for tracking daily goals and such).

How private are you about your novel while you’re writing? Do you need a cheer squad or do you work alone (like, ahem, Batman)?
I’m a little more open about my works-in-progress than I used to be, though I do like keeping some things secret. I’m not doing any hashtag games about Spinner & Kidd while I write it, though I’ve been posting the occasional snippet on Twitter and Instagram. And I’ve been word-sprinting with my writers’ group on Twitter, which is always so much fun! 


What keeps you writing even when it’s hard?
The desire to see how the story will turn out. Even when I have an idea of the ending, I don’t always know every detail, so writing the story is how I find out where each character’s journey takes them.

What are your top 3 pieces of writing advice?
1) Have fun.
2) Don’t be afraid to try something new in your writing process.
3) Sometimes the characters do know best.
How’s NaNo going for you? Do you have a favorite character in your story yet? What’s been your favorite part of NaNo this year?

Comments

  1. I loved reading about how your NaNo is going! I totally feel you on taking a bit to get the feel and voices of your characters. I always have a hard time with the beginnings. I'm so glad you got your momentum going though! And oooooh my! THAT FIRST PARAGRAPH. I'M HOOKED ALREADY.

    Your writing space is absolutely adorable! I love the wall of quotes and lights. What an inspiring place to write!

    Your writing advice was fantastic! I've definitely learned over the years that the characters tend to know best, as much as I try to wrangle them into submission. XD

    I hope the second half of NaNo goes wonderfully for you!

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    1. Eep! Thank you! It turned out better than I expected (fight scenes are HARD) and was kind of a fun place to start the story.

      It really is! I love working there. :)

      They usually do, don't they? Of course, sometimes they don't like letting their authors in on their secrets at all... ;P

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  2. Beginnings are always hard, aren't they? I'm like you, once you get into the swing of things and get to know your characters voices, it's always so much easier! I love writing things just for the fun of it, not for anyone else, but because you want to do it. Sounds like you're having a good time, keep going and you'll get there :D.

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    1. They are! It's rare that I can get the beginning of a story to turn out like I want it to or in a way that fits the rest of the story's tone, but once the first 10K or so is out of the way, the writing does get easier!

      It's definitely refreshing to take a break and work on something without putting pressure on it to be perfect. :)

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  3. This is great! Can't wait to hear how your story continues to progress. That was a pulling first sentence/paragraph -- need more!! I LOVE the name Marcus :]

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    1. Thank you so much!

      It took a little while to settle on a name for him, but he kept coming back to that one! It fits him pretty well. :)

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