Beautiful Books: October 2015



It's that time of year again! Sky and Cait (from Further Up and Further In  and Paper Fury, respectively) are bringing back Beautiful Books! Like the Beautiful People linkup, it features ten questions for writers to get to know their NaNoWriMo novel, or any of their works-in-progress.

After three weeks of plotting, I think I have finally chosen my NaNoWriMo project. So, I'm featuring Songbirds!


To the questions!


1.) How did you come up with the idea for your novel, and how long have you had the idea?
I don’t really remember how the idea started. I think it was probably a scene with Channah (one of the narrators) and Artemas. I’ve had the idea since Spring 2014.

2.) Why are you excited to write this novel?
 
It’s a little different than anything else I’ve written. Also, I’ve been mostly revising projects this year, so a new story idea sounds like a fun break from the usual.

3.) What is your novel about, and what is the title?
 
The title is Songbirds

Most of the story follows a group of people trying to determine who is behind an assassination-gone-wrong.

4.) Sum up your characters in one word each. (Feel free to add pictures!)
 
Kady: Proud.
Channah: Withdrawn.
Tiergan: Courageous.
Artemas: Reckless.
Cas: Charming.

5.) Which character(s) do you think will be your favorite to write? Tell us about them!
 
Hm. Probably…Tiergan?

He is the First Commander of the Songbirds division and the best friend of Kady Teller (who is his Second Commander). He’s a great leader, well-liked by most, and is also very good at his job.

6.) What is your protagonist’s goal, and what stands in the way? 
Kady: She wants to help Tiergan find out who is behind the whole mess they find themselves in, but she is also afraid that people will think she isn’t capable of doing so. She also feels like she failed somehow because she couldn’t stop the assassination attempt.

Channah: She wants to finish school and be brave, but she isn’t sure how to move beyond her grief and her anxiety over what happened.
 
7.) Where is your novel set? (Show us pictures if you have them!) 
Most of the story takes place in the main country's capital. I don't have any pictures that remind me of the Songbirds locations yet though.

8.) What is the most important relationship your character has?

Kady:
She has two very important ones. One is her friendship with Tiergan. The other is her friendship with her brother, Hal.

Channah:
Probably her relationship with her dad, Maverick. She also considers Cas to be her best friend.

9.) How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?
 
I’m honestly not sure yet. I have some ideas about where Kady and Channah will be by the end of the story, but I really have to write the draft and see what happens to know for sure.

10.) What themes are in your book? How do you want your readers to feel when the story is over?
 
I have a hard time choosing a theme for a book before I write it. Some I think will be prominent in Songbirds are friendship and bravery.

I guess I would want my readers to feel that they have read a satisfying story and to also be able to connect to the characters.

NaNoWriMo BONUS: Tell us your 3 best pieces of advice for others trying to write a book in a month.
#1.)
Even if you fall behind, don’t lose hope. Writing just fifty words a day is still progress, which is what matters.

#2.)
If you get stuck, take a break for a little while and then come back to your story. It will still be waiting for you and whatever new inspiration you’ve found. Or just try something different. If you’re normally a pantser, write down what you want to happen in your next scene. If you’re a plotter, start writing a scene you hadn’t planned on, or take a random prompt and write a paragraph or a scene based on it.
 
#3.) Don’t be too hard on yourself. If you don’t make it to 50K by the end of November, you still made the effort to dedicate time to your project. Whether it’s 100 words or 50,000 words, you wrote something. Sometimes, that’s the hardest part.



You can add me as a NaNo buddy here. :)
 

Comments

  1. How exciting!!! I think trying a new story for NaNo is a great idea. And doing something new and different will keep it interesting. This sounds great! Good luck!!! :D Can you believe it starts TOMORROW???

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  2. Sounds interesting... friendship and bravery are good themes for stories. Best of luck! :)

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  3. Sounds so very intriguing! I'd love to hear more. Best of luck to you this NaNo!! :D

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