Beautiful Books: November 2014


Beautiful Books is brought to you by the hosts of the Beautiful People linkup! While Beautiful Books was created with NaNoWriMo in mind, you can answer it about any of your books and characters. To join in the fun, click the button.

This month, the linkup is about writing. So, on to the questions:


Be honest: how is your writing going?
When I'm actually writing, it goes rather well. Speedier than I actually anticipated. It's just finding the time to write. The rough patch at the end of October made for a rocky start to November, but thankfully, things seem to be evening back out. 

Life, my dear readers, has been crazy around here.

 
What’s your first sentence/paragraph?
My sister has always been the dependable one. Never does my mother need to remind her to guard her tongue. My father never needs to remind her to hasten her pace with daily tasks so as to win the race with the setting of the sun.  

Do you have a book cover, and/or pictures that reflect your book?
I do have a mock cover for this one. 


Do you have pictures of each of your characters? If not, describe them for us! (Be as descriptive as you can.)
I've actually found some pictures that sort of remind me of my characters. So, I'll post pictures and descriptions, how's that sound?

 First up, Aven Reese and Gavin Sinclair:

Aven: Shoulder-length hair. It's a honey-brown (does that make sense?) color.
Hazel eyes. 
Gavin: Short, dark brown hair.
Hazel-green eyes. 

 And now, Paisley DeMore and Rett Elton:

Paisley: Long blond hair. Usually, she has colorful highlights (blue and pink are her favorites).
Blue eyes. 
Rett: Short blond hair.
Blueish-gray eyes 

What scene are you most excited to write?
There is a scene with Gavin, Rett, and Aven that I am really looking forward to writing. Lots of revelations should take place during it. And there's probably going to be a lot of shouting and interrupting. A story's gotta have conflict, right? 

Share a snippet or a scene that you really enjoyed writing.
Winter knocks on our doors with cold, damp hands.
He’s melting like a candle.
“Sorry. I’m…something of a history enthusiast.”
“Well, you’re not alone in the world.”
Paisley picked a shimmery white blouse off a clothing rack and held it up. “I like this.”
“You’ve said that about everything here,” Aven said, laughing. “Except that one dress with the sequins.”

“You know I have rules about sequins, and that dress broke all of them.”

Now that you're writing, have any of the plot details, or the process itself, turned out different from what you planned or imagined?
Just about everything, I think. 

There are plot details I thought I would use that I haven't; some I thought I wouldn't use have become central to the story. 

As for my writing process...I thought I'd have more time for writing. I also thought I'd be able to focus more on this project. I'm constantly having to force my focus back to it and remember why I was so excited to write it in the first place. I still love this story and these characters, but I forgot how easy it is to lose sight of that when I'm under stress. 

But I'm hoping to still make at least 40,000 words by the end of the month, and maybe, I can get caught up on my word count this weekend. (It's horribly behind at this point. I'm too afraid to check the count just yet.)
 
Is there a character or aspect of your plot that's difficult to write? 
I think the most difficult aspect is making sure everything and everyone is in the proper place. And the pacing. The first few chapters have felt so slow...

What’s your favorite aspect of this novel so far? Favorite character?
I think, maybe, my favorite aspect is seeing the same characters in different time periods. It's a challenge to write, but a fun one. 

Favorite character definitely goes to Rett, though I'm also rather fond of a character whose name is still being determined. The one I chose for her doesn't seem to suit her as well now. I may change it, but I haven't found the replacement yet.

Have you drawn off of any life experiences or people you know to create your novel and characters?
Not that I am aware of.

Do you have a playlist or certain song for your novel and/or characters?
My playlist is a mix of songs which remind me of characters and songs that set the tone for the story. I've got a lengthy list of music from the 1920s and 1940s I've been listening to as well. But, here are a few popular items from my playlist (I think I have all of the correct names listed):
It's Been A Long, Long Time - Kitty Kallen with Harry James and His Orchestra / Bing Crosby and Les Paul Trio
I've Heard That Song Before - Helen Forrest with Harry James and His Orchestra
House Home - Silver Trees
Some Days - 3rd & Union
Away From You - Silver Trees
Every Time We Say Goodbye - Ella Fitzgerald

Let’s have some fun for a moment: imagine you are somehow transported into your book’s world. Which character are you most likely to be found hanging out with?
Oh, dear. I think you'd find me around Rett. Through his travels, he's picked up a number of interesting experiences and insights, and I'd enjoy hearing him talk about them.

How do you keep yourself motivated to finish your daily wordcount? (Pinterest? Internet breaks? Chocolate?)
I haven't really had a motivation system. But I may try bribing myself with the possibility of a chocolate reward if I make 40,000 words by November's end. 


What’s your favorite writing quote or piece of writing advice?
Although, at times it seems surviving the zombie apocalypse
might be easier than meeting word count goals...
My mom sent me that picture last year, and it keeps coming to mind when the writing gets difficult.

How does this book make you feel so far? Are you laughing? Crying? Frustrated? 
A little bit of all of it, to be honest.



Comments

  1. Congratulations, you have just listed a group of songs by artists I've never heard of—which is getting increasingly hard to do! :) But really, it sounds like you have a cool cast of characters to get you through Nano this year, and with very definite rules about sequined dresses I don't see how you can go wrong. Good luck reaching your goal!

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    1. Thanks so much! When the story itself gets tough, I'm trying to remember how much I love these characters. :)

      I actually haven't known about most of those artists for very long! I found some of them on Noisetrade, and others from popular music from the '20s and '40s.

      Thanks for stopping by! :)

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  2. I love you're favorite piece of writing advice! It's so funny.

    I too am definitely struggling with pacing in my story, it's turning out longer than I thought and at times it seems really slow and then there are jumps in time. Things that I'm starting to worry may be confusing!

    I love the sound of your characters, they seem so fun, and I especially love their names, so unique!

    Good luck with the rest of the month and I hope you have better luck with finding time to write! =)

    -Alex Steele of Grace&Steele

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    1. Pacing is one of the hardest parts about writing for me, I think. The middle section seems to be moving along at a better pace, but those first chapters are slooow. At least I know one thing up front to fix in rewrites, hehe.

      Thanks! This cast has been fun to write, when they're cooperative. :)

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  3. "As for my writing process...I thought I'd have more time for writing."
    Amen. And I'm hearing that a lot in these BB posts XD That quote is pretty hilarious and I don't even watch The Walking Dead... it IS The Walking Dead, right?

    The snippet you shared was really funny. Woe hideous clothes. =P Good luck with your novel!

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    1. Yes, it is! :) And that quote's been one of the most motivating things for me this year, mainly because I needed the laugh from time to time, hehe.

      Thanks! The cast of this novel has become quite the sarcastic bunch, and it's been very fun. :)

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