Okay, December is upon us. We’re trading in one crazy time crunch for another! NaNo is officially over, and hopefully, you’ve had a minute to breathe by now. Or perhaps you still have story to write and you’re powering through!
Personally, I’ve had some Christmas obligations this first week of December so I haven’t had a moment to spare to touch my writing, but I’m planning to pick it back up a little over my break in a few weeks. Unfortunately, I did not complete the 50,000 words for NaNo, but I still cranked out just shy of 35,000, so that’s no laughing matter.
Regardless of whether you won or not by NaNo standards, I congratulate you! NaNo is a challenge! And some words are better than no words, no matter how many that some is. 🙂
Alright, for the recap:
Know the Novel is a 3-part writers linkup series, one for each of these last three months of the year. It was created by Christine Smith and you can find the post that fully explains everything here.
Each part will feature ten questions that focus on different parts of your novel and how the writing is going before, during, and after NaNoWriMo. You can find her post for Part Three, specifically, here.
To see my first post, Part One: Introduction, see here.
To see my second post, Part Two: Within the WIP, see here.
And, now, here is the final part of the Know Your Novel series!
The Questions
1. Firstly, how did writing this novel go all around?
Well, it’s still not 100% finished and, like I mentioned last time, it’s been a bit strange. I have a collection of bits and pieces, partial scenes and all out of order. It was actually a bit like pulling teeth at some points, but it’s been really fun at points, too.
2. Did it turn out like you expected or completely different? And how do you feel about the outcome?
Um, well, it’s not quite done yet and no it didn’t really turn out like I planned, at least not at first. (For more on that, see the previous post.) It’s not completely different, but I do think it’s maturing…if that makes sense.
3. What aspect of the story did you love writing about the most? (Characters, plot, setting, prose, etc.)
I think…I do really love the characters. I love finding out who they are and what motivates them, seeing deep into their hurts and bringing those out. Wow, that sounded terrible of me XD
4. How about your least favorite part?
I don’t know about least favorite, but the setting is definitely the weakest part. It still needs some serious solidification.
Plus, I don’t know, it’s kind of boring compared to my fantasy worlds. Maybe that’s why I haven’t spent much time on it yet. This world isn’t full of creatures and critters and magical legends like many of my other stories. It’s presented its own kind of challenge.
5. What do you feel like needs the most work?
Besides the setting? Definitely the continuity. I have none, whatsoever. Not yet anyway. I have to reorder the scenes I wrote so they’re chronological. Because I most certainly didn’t write them in the right order!!
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!
Ack! Favorites?! Guys, stop! Okay, well, I really like getting into Lenora’s head. Truthfully, Lenora, then Morgana, and recently Scarlett have opened up and sort of let me in through the cracks to see a deeper character, which is a lot of fun. I’ve learned more about who they are and why they do what they do, how they change and grow–which is so much fun!
Not picking a least favorite, but I will say Celosia still is as closed off as when I started. She’s barely budged. I still can’t seem to figure her out just yet. I know it isn’t her story (that’s book 2!), but it’s really, really hard to write a Cinderella story when Cinderella won’t cooperate!
Morgana took me for a bit of a loop when I dug into her backstory, but it more explained things in an “ahhh, now I see” way than anything else. Lenora’s depth came at me and that really made me smile…and tug my bangs. She’s complex, but that isn’t easy to convey. Charles always surprises me. I still don’t know who he is deep inside yet, but every time he opens his mouth, I blink at him in surprise.
All that said, I think Scarlett takes the win for the surprise category. She’s the one who genuinely surprised me the most in an unexpected way. Sadly, I don’t think the readers will get to see her core until much, much later in the story, but I am really excited to watch her develop and grow and to secretly know her deepest heart and motivations throughout the stories prior to hers.
7. What’s your next plan of action with this novel?
First, finish the draft. XD Including arranging all the bits and pieces in the proper order and connecting them together to make a coherent, chronological story. Then, I need to figure out a few timeline things; well, more presentation of the timeline than the timeline itself. Next, finish Morgana’s prequel since it’s halfwayish written. Then, revise, edit, polish, and start preparations to see about publishing it! EEP!
8. If you could have your greatest dream realized for this novel, what would it be?
Oooohhhh. Good question. Hmm. Well, go big or go home, right?
My greatest prayer for this novel is that it would be everything God wants it to be. My dream is that He guides my hands as I write it, that I may get across the pain and depth on the page that is deep in my heart. I want more than anything to portray the story the way it’s supposed to be. I don’t want the ideas to be lost in translation. I just want them to come through right, you know?
I’d love to see it published one day, to see a physical copy sitting on my shelf. It would be beyond amazing to see others read and enjoy it! I have plans for other stories in the series, so I guess ultimately, I’d love to see the entire trilogy completed, published, and changing lives. 🙂 Hah, I’d say it would be cool to make them into a movie, but we all know that’s just a disappointment in the end, so I’ll simply treasure the hope that one day it’ll be a real book sitting on someone’s real shelf.
9. Share some of your favorite snippets!
Ah!! Oh no! The godmother scene is possibly my favorite so far, but since it’s a bit of a spoiler, I’ll pick something else. Here are two from Lenora’s childhood:
“No!” Scarlett frowned, pointing her wand at Lenora.
Lenora’s eyes widened and she dropped the shoes to the floor of Mother’s closet. “But, Scarlett, you already have a pair.”
Scarlett’s little mouth twisted and she rose her chin in the air. “We can’t both have Mother’s shoes!”
“Why not?” she asked, brows knit together.
“One of us has to play the pauper, and since I’m wearing Mother’s shoes, I get to be the princess.” Scarlett crossed her arms, answering matter-of-factly.
Lenora opened her mouth to argue, but her sister put her hands on her hips and glared at her. “I won’t play if you don’t play by the rules.”
With a sigh, Lenora relented, “Alright.” She turned to put Mother’s shoes back in their proper place. Neither of them would get to play dress up if they didn’t leave things orderly like Mother liked them.
“Now,” Scarlett continued, “I’m the princess and you have to do what I say.” Lenora tugged her sheet tighter around her shoulders and played the part of the pauper, doing as Scarlett instructed. When it came time for the two to switch, as the tale goes, Scarlett made sure her time as the pauper was short. They returned to their original positions and the game ended.
“Scarlett,” Lenora giggled, falling back onto the small sofa in Mother’s room, “I love playing pretend. Can we do a magical game next? It’s so much fun to be someone else and dream of worlds with magic and fairies. We could have monsters and princes and sword fights!” The girl jumped up from the couch and waved an invisible sword in the air. “I want to be a pirate!”
Scarlett squinted, her lips puckered. “That’s absurd, Lenora. Why would we play a game about things that don’t exist?” She shook her head, sending raven curls all around her small shoulders. “No, I think we should keep playing games with real kinds of people. It will be good practice for when we’re older.”
“Practice,” Lenora groaned, falling back to the sofa again. She rolled her eyes, “All we ever do is practice being grown ups. Games are supposed to be for fun.”
“You said that was fun,” Scarlet argued, smiling.
“It was,” Lenora said carefully. She thought for a moment, “But why can’t we rescue the princess from something instead of just pretending we are living an ordinary life? She’s always trading places with a commoner or sleeping on a pea.”
“A princess’s life is not ordinary,” Scarlett replied as if Lenora were dimwitted.
Lenora’s eyes lit up and she spoke with an excited grin, “What if she finds a talking frog and they become friends?”
Scarlett didn’t grace her with an answer, just blinked slowly and stared at her. Lenora didn’t seem to notice the bored look. She continued, “And she could fall in love with the frog and when she kisses him, he turns into the prince!”
“You can’t be serious,” Scarlett sat on the floor and fell back, staring at the ceiling, “I’m playing with a crazy person.”
“Or there could be a princess held captive by a beast and–“
“Lenora, this is ridiculous. Frogs don’t talk and beasts don’t hold princesses captive. If you can’t come up with something logical, we’re going back to one of my ideas. We haven’t played the rich princess and the orphan prince in a while.”
“I’ll think of something!” Lenora said quickly. She hated the orphan prince. Scarlet cocked her head to the side and tapped her fingers against her arm, staring at her sister.
“Okay,” Lenora said, hopping up and sitting on the edge of the sofa, “How about this: I get to be a pirate, you get to be a princess, and I will save you from a real bad guy instead of a magical one?”
“That’s almost as absurd as a monster. Really, Lenora, pirates don’t save princesses.”
“Did someone say ‘monster’?” Greyson pushed the door open and bent over, roaring like a wild beast. He stomped toward his youngest daughter, arms held high and back arched as he roared again.
Lenora squealed and fled, sending shrieks of laughter through the room. Scarlett tried to fight the grin she felt tugging at her lips. She knew the idea was silly, but when her father tumbled toward her, she ran wide-eyed, laughing just as shrilly as Lenora had.
Greyson snatched Scarlett up and threw her over his shoulder. She squirmed and laughed, calling out for help. “No! Help! Someone help!”
“I’ll save you!” Lenora jumped onto the bed and thrust one of Scarlett’s fallen shoes out like a rapier.
“Not if I eat her first!” roared Greyson. He swung Scarlett out in front of him and grinned at her as she squirmed in his grip. He pulled her close and muzzled her neck, tickling her everywhere. “Nom nom nom!” She shrieked again as he pretended to eat her shoulder and then her arm. “What delicious fingers you have!”
Lenora swung from the bed onto Greyson’s back with a mighty war cry. “Let her go, beast! Or you will face the wrath of my blade!” The man released Scarlett and turned his attention to the monkey on his back.
Scarlett sighed, splayed out on the floor again. “Lenora, that isn’t a blade. It’s a shoe. No self-respecting beast would run from footwear.”
“I don’t know,” Greyson shook his head, pointing to the red heel, “That’s a pretty scary shoe. Have you ever worn those things? I hear they hurt like crazy.”
Lenora giggled. “En garde!” She pointed the heel of the shoe at her father and charged. Greyson feigned left and then moved right, but Lenora managed to clip his side.
He fell dramatically, clutching the wound. “No!” He rasped, reaching for the sky, “No! I…I’ve been bested…by a shoe-wielding pirate!”
“Father!” Scarlett complained, “That doesn’t make any sense! It isn’t logical.”
Greyson ignored her and sputtered his last breath before collapsing completely and lying on the floor. Lenora put one foot on his stomach and pointed her shoe-blade to the sky in triumph. “I have b-bested the beast!” She tripped over the word a little, but grinned widely.
“Psst,” Greyson opened his eye just a crack.
“What is it?” Lenora whispered, leaning down. “You aren’t supposed to talk; you’re dead.”
Scarlett threw her hands up. “Now she wants to be logical,” she mumbled.
Greyson bit back a grin. “You have to get the princess,” he whispered to Lenora, “The beast is dead. Now go get the girl.”
“Oh, right,” Lenora climbed down and ran to Scarlett’s side. The older girl still sat splattered out on the floor. She eyed Lenora suspiciously, but when the girl bowed gallantly, Scarlett sat up primly. It may be pretend, but she was still a proper lady.
“My lady,” Lenora said in her deepest voice, “May I…uh…return your shoe?”
Scarlett stuck out her bare toe. Lenora nudged back her skirt and knelt down, slipping the giant shoe onto her sister’s foot. She grinned and took Scarlett’s hand, pulling her up and swinging her around.
“Lenora!” Scarlett cried, putting a hand to her head to steady the plastic crown she wore.
Lenora stopped the spin, giggling a little, “My princess,” she bowed again. Scarlett straightened her hair and stood regally, but it didn’t take long for a matching grin to split her face.
The sound of applause drew the girls’ attention. “Very good, girls,” Greyson rose to life again. “You found a compromise.” Both girls looked at each other and then grinned again, running for Greyson. They charged him, sending him back to the floor and creating a wriggling pile of shrieking laughter.
The door creaked open again. “Well,” Morgana’s condescending tone cut through the laughter. The three figures on her floor looked up, smiles dimming. “I see you’re encouraging this nonsense, Greyson.”
“The girls were just having a bit of fun, Morgana,” he smiled gently, glancing fondly at Lenora, then Scarlett before looking back to his wife, “No harm done.”
Scarlett immediately stood, brushing herself off and straightening her hair. She pulled the crooked crown from her head. “We’re sorry, Mother.”
“We’ll clean up,” Lenora said brightly, hoping to appease the woman.
Greyson patted her head and stood, gently ushering Morgana into the hall. He opened his mouth, but she spoke first.
“Tea parties are one thing, Greyson,” she narrowed her eyes, bringing her clasped hands primly to her waist, “But floundering on my bedroom floor is not acceptable. I’m not entirely sure I agree with the idea of pretending in the first place. I only allow it because you insist the girls need a form of entertainment outside of their studies.”
“They’re just children, Morgana,” he said softly. He glanced through the door and back into the room as the two sisters hurried to clean the room, one cheerfully and one gracefully.
“They won’t have that luxury long,” Morgana’s harsh whisper drew his gaze again, “They will soon be old enough to court and I mean for them to marry well. They must be prepared. I expect them to be the epitome of grace and elegance, the ideal ladies.”
Greyson gave her a sad look, “But do you expect this at the expense of their happiness?”
“Happiness,” she said lowly, “is a myth.”
***
And here’s one where Lenora’s father shows her what he does in his glassblowing shop. This is just before they leave:
“Papa, it’s beautiful!” Lenora clapped her hands in delight. She peered stared into the wooden box. The dim light of the fire from the oven shone on an entire collection of little glass objects. There were many little glass boxes like the one she held now. She turned to her father, “Do you always make such pretty trinkets?”
Greyson laughed brightly, patting her head, “Not always, my little light, sometimes I have to make things that are ordinary and useful like windows and vessels. Those are what people need. Those are what people pay for.”
“But can’t you make even the ordinary things beautiful?” Lenora cocked her head to the side.
“I suppose I could,” he answered thoughtfully. Rubbing his chin. “What a clever little light you are.” He bent down to her level. “There is always beauty to be found even in the most ordinary of things. Remember that.”
She gently sifted through the box of glassware, her fingers flitting from boxes to beads to little glass figurines. “Papa?” she turned her gaze from the box to the man beside her.
“Yes, dear?” he asked, closing the lid and taking her hand. He led her to the back door and pulled her cloak from the hook by the door. Wrapping it tightly around her, he fastened it at her neck and did the same for his own cloak.
“Can you make a necklace?” Her hand slipped out of the warm cloak and into his as they stepped out into the streets to head home, “One of glass beads, like pearls?”
He thought for a moment, rubbing his chin, and nodded, “Perhaps.” He glanced down at her, “Would you like a glass necklace, my little light?”
She shook her head, “No, but I think Scarlett would love it for our games of dress up. It would make her look like a proper princess, just like one who lives in a castle.”
Greyson’s heart warmed and his chest expanded. He paused and turned to face her. “That’s very thoughtful of you, Lenora.”
The girl blinked at him, returning his smile, “You think she’ll like it?”
“I think she’ll love it. I’ll start working on it first thing in the morning,” he started walking again, but then paused, turning once more to face her, “But what about you, little light? What would you like for your games?”
Lenora shrugged. “I don’t know.” She swung his hand and skipped alongside him as they started walking again. Finally, she grinned, “Shoes! Would you make me a pair of pretty shoes? Lenora always gets to wear Mother’s shoes when we play. I’d like some of my own. Then I can be the princess, too.”
Greyson barked a laugh and scooped her up, “Shoes, huh? Well, I shall see what I can do for my little light.”
10. Did you glean any new writing and/or life lessons from writing this novel?
Writing 2000 words a day is a lot. And you’ve got to build up to that goal. Doing the 100 for 100 challenge earlier this year really helped me to understand the meaning of consistency. I wasn’t quite prepared for a consistent 2000 words a day, but I did write consistently and there were actually several days where 2000 wasn’t far off one way or another.
I also learned that I am highly motivated by NaNo badges, so keeping up a streak is super important to me XD Writing in small chunks is easier than trying to pound out thousands of words all at once and having scene ideas ahead of time is helpful in a crunch. It also tore the fleeting moments of writer’s block down when I had something pre-prepared to write about.
***
Okie dokie then! That’s a wrap for the NaNoWriMo Know the Novel series! Thanks for joining me, guys! I hope you found something fun in this three part series. Let me know what you thought of the series or of any of the snippets! I’d love to hear!
And, remember, if you missed it, here are the posts for part one and two.