NaNoWriMo 2021: Day Three Recap

Are we writers or are we superheroes? Or both?

Day three of National Novel Writing Month turned into a close call. I was exhausted from work and staring at a screen all day, so I became a couch potato for a while, watching anime and then I took a short power nap before diving into the scenes I needed to finish.

The words flowed pretty well after that. I got to some flirty bits and I was LIVING for the banter. The seeds have definitely been planted for Jonathan and Eleanor’s future relationship, and I cannot wait to get to some UST (for the uninitiated, that means unresolved sexual tension… my favorite thing to read and often to write).

I finished out the day with 15 minutes to spare before midnight, landing at 5,026 words. I’m not ahead like I wanted to be, but I am still happy to have met word count. The only issue is that day four is Thursday, and Thursdays are reserved for couch potato status while I watch Critical Role Campaign Three live for the entire evening. But hopefully I can get some words out in between, during intermission and after. We’ll see. *fingers crossed*

As always, I will cose out this entry, this recap, with a snippet from day three. Some fun banter with a shout out to a very specific readership that I hope to, on occassion someday, call my own!

PSA: Romance is a genre for everyone!

NaNoWriMo: Day Two Recap

Day two of National Novel Writing Month signified a return to regular life. I could only take one day off from work, so Tuesday November 2nd was spent mostly at work, imagining words I could write out, but not being able to get them onto the page until I got home.

Sometimes that can be a detriment to my writing and other times it can aid in it.

Day two was a little bit of both… I exceeded the required word count, but only by a small margin, and that’s okay. I’m still ahead. I’m still enjoying the story. I left my word count last night at 3,437 words.

If I’m being 100% honest, a lot of my writing yesterday was put on hold when I finally started watching We’re Here on HBOmax, and I was an emotion mess. If you’ve watched it, you know the sort of blubbering mess it can turn you into. But I still wrote some good words. Worthwhile words. Here’s a snippet.

Jonathan is quite the oblivious artist…

How did day two go for you? Did you write all the words, already fall behind or did you get distracted like I did? Either way, I hope you’re enjoying this NaNoWriMo season!

NaNoWriMo 2021: Day One Recap

How did your first day of NaNoWriMo go?

Yesterday was the first day of NaNoWriMo 2021, and it was a good day.

Every year I take November 1st off from work to get ahead on my word count and enjoy the writing season festivities. Live word sprints, all the lovely vlogs and just the general sense of togetherness NaNo provides. It can be a struggle to maintain word count throughout the month, so any advantage I can get, I will take it.

And I accomplished my goal. I reached 3,218 words on the first day of NaNoWriMo, getting me only a 116 words away from meeting the Day Two goal! I never get ahead like that, so I feel quite proud of myself. I was on a roll.

And it is no wonder why. This story is super fun and refreshing after years diving into a world of horror, past trauma and cosmic fear-eating entities in The Unknown Eye. This project, Spotlights & Fistfights, is light and airy and full of cuteness, alongside some violence and past darkness, but it is nothing compared to my other stories.

I flew through the prologue and am nearly finished with chapter one. I’ve already shared a snippet on social media, but in case you missed it, I will close out this blog entry with a snippet about my main character, Jonathan Knight, as seen by his executive assistant and eventual love interest, Eleanor Spark.

Eleanor sees all, doesn’t she?

I hope your first week of NaNoWriMo is full of all the words and all the fun story discoveries! Have you found some burrowing plot bunnies yet? Until tomorrow! Good luck! ❤

NaNoWriMo 2021 – A dive into superhero romance and old roots…

Have you declared yourself a NaNoWriMo writer yet?

It is that time of year again! NaNoWriMo is just a few days away and I’m getting excited and nervous. I know I have a bunch of work to do on The Unknown Eye, the first book in my superhero horror ‘verse, but I’ve had an idea for a fun superhero romance story mixed with rock star lifestyle drama. So, that’s my project for this year’s NaNo.

Currently titled Spotlights & Fistfights, this story will follow my hero Jonathan Knight, a broody rock star with a secret: he’s a night-time vigilante in downtown Las Vegas with a magical guitar and ready fists. Where does the romance come in? His executive assistant Eleanor Spark has a sneaking suspicion that something is going on with Jonathan, but can’t exactly put her finger on it…

If you’re familiar with my fanfiction roots, you’ll recall that I wrote fanfiction for the Arrow fandom, specifically for the Olicity ship. This story will definitely call back to that time in my life and pull from what I learned from writing fanfiction. The tropes romance readers enjoy. The balance between romance and action and darker themes, also mixed with well-timed quips. This will be a sort of love letter to those old fics, my beloved Olicity shippers and the fandom that truly got me back into writing in the first place.

I think this story will be super fun and hopefully reinvigorate my stagnant muse and I can finally get my stories out into the world for your eyes to see. I plan on posting snippets from this story as I work on it throughout November, as well as blogs about the daily struggles of participating in NaNoWriMo. So please follow my socials, my ko-fi and this blog to see more! I’m excited for this new story, my old stories and the callbacks to my fanfic roots, and I hope y’all are excited too!

Have any questions for me or suggestions for content you’d like to see during November? Drop me a comment! I’d love to hear from you!

See y’all on November 1st! ❤

Story Playlists: The ultimate form of author procrastination…

One of my favorite things to browse are music playlists, particularly for stories or characters. Stories of all forms always seem to need a soundtrack of some sort, and I have to say that they are a massive weakness for me.

I love creating them. I love browsing them. I just… love them.

I think music weaves itself into my stories thanks to a love and appreciation for music that was instilled in me since I was a child, and really, music is another form of storytelling. Sometimes a song can tell more than an entire page of prose. But even as music can be the perfect complimentary force to a written project, it can also be a detriment.

I have so many playlists on Spotify. I have ones for my old Arrow fanfics, for specific months or years of my life, and so many for the superhero horror universe I am currently creating. I have playlists for characters, scenes and novels. I just have… a lot of playlists. And there is something to be said of that. There is something great about listening to a song and seeing a scene in your head that you want to create; it can be magical to hear a song and think: “Wow, *insert character name here* would totally sing this song outloud in the car with the windows down!”

But these revelations about the connection between music and your own fiction can cause procrastination….

“Oh, I’ll write that chapter as soon as I add new songs to the story playlist.”

“Oh, I’ll edit that scene as soon as I get the right music to set the mood…”

These are definitely things I’ve said to myself or to my spouse multiple times. It is a problem.

But, I can’t help it. I know it is a problem. I know it is. Truly. I can’t waste time on Spotify dragging new songs into playlists until it is thousands of songs deep. Or can I?

It isn’t a rare thing to do this–many writers do this. Best-selling authors have posted links to their playlists and shared how proud they are to have pinpointed the perfect songs for their favorite characters. Best-selling authors have gone on record sharing their characters’ favorite songs or genre of music. It is as normal as authors building and sharing aesthetic/mood boards for their projects. It is just… a thing now.

For the characters in the novel I’m currently editing, The Unknown Eye, I have a playlist for each of my main characaters. Each one has a different mood or vibe and I truly feel each of them in the songs I’ve curated. And, often, I find myself spending too much time adding more to the lists. But no matter what, each of them has their signature songs. Their anthems.

Anton Anders, my main male character, is a broody and damaged hopeless romantic tech/telepathic hero. I’ve had loads of fun digging into his psyche and understanding what makes him tick. He is emotionally scarred, full of anxiety and uncertainty. Some songs that definitely speak to who he is are:

Rooftops & Invitations – Dashboard Confessional, My Father’s Father – The Civil Wars, I Will Follow You Into The Dark – Death Cab for Cutie, and I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes) – The 1975

Kala Anders, my main female character and Anton’s wife, is optimistic, assertive and always lending a hand to enhance others’ powers with her own. She’s an archaeologist and student of ancient religion and language; the past informs the present and her ideas of the anicent world showcase a romantic, optimistic world-view. Some songs that fit with her are:

Start of Time – Gabrielle Aplin, I Caught Myself – Paramore, willow – Taylor Swift, Blue Heaven Midnight Crush – Betty Who, and Eighteen – Pale Waves

Elena Watkins, my favorite character in all honesty, is a spit-fire pixie of a woman with superstrength and a matching foul mouth. She is all awkward quips and blunt delivery. Her music inspiration is all over the place, including:

Wreak Havoc – Skylar Grey, Boss Bitch – Doja Cat, Voldemort – With Confidence, and Indestructible – Disturbed

Selene Motrinov is a mysterious woman with an old soul and creation magic in her veins. Her music tastes when not listening to classical music is:

Summertime Sadness – Lana Del Rey, The Symphony of Blase – Anberlin, and No Light, No Light – Florence + The Machine

James Halloway is a roughneck, family man, damaged shapeshifter with trust issues from Georgia. He gives off a take-no-shit, country rock aesthetic and I live for it. I always picture him when I hear these songs:

Tennessee Whiskey – Chris Stapleton, Howlin’ For You – The Black Keys, Barton Hollow – The Civil Wars, and Heavy Is The Head – Zac Brown Band, Chris Cornell.

Terrence Waters is the wise and quiet scientific mind of the group. He’s all theoretical physics and skepticism in the face of cosmic deities and insane displays of magical abilities. I adore him, and I always hear older music or easy-going jazz vibes in my head when I think of him, including:

Dream A Little Dream of Me – Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong – Nothing Can Change This Love – Sam Cooke, and Moon River – Frank Ocean.

As you can see, music plays a huge part in the creation and writing of my stories. It defines characters and helps me understand them. It shapes the universe and gives it a soundtrack, even if it is just for my own ears. But, it also distracts and postpones the creation process.

Playlists are the ultimate form of writer procrastination, but I’d be nowhere without them. And the world would be a lot less fun and inviting.

Do you make playlists for your creative endeavors? How often does do they cause straight-up procrastination?

Where The Monsters Reside…

Fantasy and horror are genres riddled with strange things. Unexplainable things. In the midst of all the magic systems and fantastical worlds and scenarios are creatures. Mythical, otherworldly creatures that can so often become villains or obstacles for the main characters. But, how do you create them?

I’ve found myself, over the last few weeks, thinking more in-depth about the strange creatures that must show up in my novel… and it has been tough.

In The Unknown Eye, the novel I’ve been working on for what seems an eternity, there are creatures and deities from other dimensions. They aren’t of this world–they aren’t even of a parallel world to this one. They are from something completely different. Completely other.

How do you create and describe creatures that aren’t of this world? How do you create something new when there’s a plethora of monsters and beings from mythology and folklore already? How do you even create something that isn’t close to those already established things?

The monsters I’ve created are similar to other beasts. They have characteristics similar to other monsters in pop culture, but they have characteristics that can also set them apart. Minor additions or subtractions. The atmosphere surrounding their appearance and the fights against them help to solidify them as creatures specific to the world I’ve established, and that atmosphere creates a different kind of fear and loathing.

But there is always a sort of anxiety I feel about including monsters and other otherworldly entities in my stories. I’m always nervous that I haven’t been inventive enough or that I haven’t differentiated enough.

Always second guessing and debating every little thing. This is the ever present fear in creating a story with fantastical or horrific elements.

I hope my hellish beasts are original and unique and terrifying, but I also hope that they feel… familiar somehow. What a balance. What a strange and almost impossible balance.

*sigh*

writing a synopsis is hard.

My book, currently, has no synopsis, summary or cheesy tagline. It has no promotional images, sneak peeks or ads. It hasn’t gained any sort of pre-publication traction or interest outside of a few of my friends who are impatient to beta read (you know you are <3).

It lives, mainly, in my head…

And in my head, it dances around, begging to be let out. Begging to be shared. My story needs some sort of description. Something to make it seem more real in the eyes of folks who haven’t been privy to my rambles and brainstorming sessions and chaotic writing marathons. But, like, how do you even summarize a story that has been living in your mind and within your computer for years? How do you hit enough points of interest without giving away the plot or spoiling the ending? How do you even make it seem worthy of reading in the first place?

I’ve never been good at explaining my original fiction. Fanfiction was another story somehow. I had catchy taglines and really fun summaries that, from what I can tell, got me quite a few readers. You’d think it wouldn’t be any different for my original fiction… My novel should be even easier to summarize, right?

Wrong.

I have no idea how to get the right words out to hint at the themes and the action and the mystery. I can’t seem to make anything work.

I wish I could share with you a summary today. Some sort of hook that you can latch onto. But really, I don’t have anything substantial, and if I’m being real with myself, it is probably too soon to put a synopsis or summary out there anyways. I have no cover and I haven’t even finished a major round of edits yet.

But there is that part of me that says, “Sharing something might gain you some attention and make the process seem more real.” That same part of me also gets a little sassy and says, “Bitch, just go for it!”

So, I’ll start off with a fun little hook. The quick, snappy description I’ve given in chats during live write-ins and on Twitter when the ocassion has arisen. My go-to.

The Unknown Eye is basically the Justice League meets The Mummy (the good one…) meets eldritch god horror.

So that’s how, right now, I am decribing my novel. No summary. No synopsis. And that’s fine! But I can’t wait to have more to share!

Fear in the time of editing…

In October I typed those most sought after words: the end. My novel, in its really rough glory, is finished. For a bit, I felt so relieved. I felt excitement and a weight lifted off my shoulders; those final scenes were finally complete. But then a new weight replaced the old one: editing and rewriting.

I have never made it to this point in novel drafting. I’ve completed some fanfictions, but never any of my original fiction, and I am finding myself… overwhelmed. I wrote a novel! Yay! But now I have to make it readable to people besides myself.

So I’ve begun the process of reading through my manuscript. I am taking notes, keeping track of errors and thinking of new scenes to add for context and character development. I am finding myself truly amazed that I wrote a whole novel and, despite my better judgment, I keep feeling pride. I never find my work worthy of pride. It is never up-to-snuff with anything I read or fangirl over. But this… my manuscript… my novel… I feel pride when I read it.

I know there is major work to do, and the work ahead scares me to death. Questions begin to surface… How do I keep up momentum? How do I keep my fear from sinking in and halting progress? Pride can only get you so far…

My novel is about fear. About how fear can drive you but also stifle you. About how sometimes fear isn’t controlled by outside forces, but also controlled by what you hold within you. Insecurities, failures, dreams and goals… all of these inner demons can become stifling fear. And perhaps I am experiencing this, as ironic as that is. Some of the same fears my characters have to face are ones I’m facing in the process of telling their story.

Poetic, I suppose…

So that is where I’m at. Reading and editing and rewriting, all the while learning a whole lot about fear…

NaNoWriMo 2019: How I failed and what I learned from that failure

I’m like most “wrimos.”

I spend all of October prepping for November so I can get a headstart on the daunting, crazy and altogether hellish yet rewarding experience that is National Novel Writing Month. Some years I prep and plan a lot more (and better) than others, but the process is typically the same every year:

Plot/Plan > Stress about whether I can get November 1st off of work > massive coffee intake for energy > make numerous story playlists > adjust an outline for the umpteenth time… and on and on.

This year was… weird. I still planned, but a lot less than usual. I planned to begin a very rough “zero” draft of the sequel to my 2018 project. I figured my new characters out. I did some necessary world building to explain the timeline and how the world has changed since the catastrophic events of the first book. You name it, I probably attempted to think of it. So what’s the problem, you ask?

I still hadn’t finished book one.

My project from last year’s NaNoWriMo was, and still is, unfinished.

So why did I think it would be a good idea to jump ahead, exactly? Impatience? Overconfidence? An absurd desire for greatness?

Nah. It was literally that the characters were screaming at me to tell their story. Practically begging me. And I, stupidly, listened. I opened a new document on November 1st, 2019 and started typing a sequel I had no idea how to write. I wrote in stops and starts, slowly determining I was wildly out of my element. I updated very little on the NaNoWriMo site – there was very little to update about anyways – and I actively avoided my computer.

I updated my word count for the last time on November 21st. My ending word count was 8,647 words. Is that the worst I’ve ever done at NaNoWriMo? Nope. (2013 was a rough year.) But for some reason this failure has been hitting me hard over the last few days.

November is gone and December is here. And while I am super enthusiastic about the holidays and enjoying all of the end of year magic, there’s still that disappointment eating at me on the inside, not quite taking everything but really wanting to. So I’ve been pondering this whole thing. The process. The prep. The lack of writing that happened during November, and whether I have learned anything.

Yes, and no.

The experience of failure, while not being the worst I’ve done, has taught me to slow my roll.

I’ve taken a step back and allowed myself to see that I gave in to whimsy. That childlike wonder that storytelling can give a writer. I gave in to the emotions of my characters and the plans I had for my series despite the unfinished status of the first half of it. I let the characters dictate everything. When they screamed, “Tell my story!” I responded with a positive and naïve, “Okay!” And while I’ve always believed that characters will lead you where you need to go… well… maybe that’s not a positive thing all the time. Maybe characters aren’t always the best judge of when to move forward.

Maybe characters lie.

So have I learned anything?

Yes, and no.

I still believe that characters can lead you where you need to go, but this experience has taught me that, most of the time, characters lie about that. Characters want their stories told. And they want them told now. It doesn’t matter what you’re currently working on. It doesn’t matter what you’re planning or plotting, what schedule you’ve made for yourself or the goals you’ve set. They. Need. Attention. NOW.

I gave in, and because of that, I failed NaNoWriMo 2019.

I’ve allowed myself to process this information, and with that I have been putting together a game plan for my writing here on out. I will not give in to whimsy unless it is within the project I am currently working on. I will stay focused.

I will write the damn thing, and then the next thing… and so on… on and on.

In the coming weeks leading into the new year, I intend to lay out my game plan. Projects and their hopeful start and end dates, publishing goals, and maybe even some information about the world I am building within my projects.

I intend to make 2020 my year to buckle down and WRITE THE DAMN THINGS.

Naming things is hard…

The other night I was writing.

I had just gotten to a point where I felt inspiration for the sequel/companion to the novel I’ve been working on since November, but then my fingers stopped moving over the keys.

I had started the project with very little to go off of. Vague ideas. A little bit of planning. Lots of questions. I was basically going into things with the “zero drafting” strategy that Kate Cavanaugh over on AuthorTube talks about a lot. And all was going well until one thing became abundantly clear:

I hadn’t named anything besides my two main characters.

Normally this doesn’t cause me much of a problem. I put in a placeholder and then move along. But this time it was a bigger deal. I hadn’t named a very important organization. One that is a huge part of my series and the world I’m creating. A superhero organization a la the Justice League or Avengers.

I sat there for a few moments contemplating this issue. It had to be punchy. It had to showcase importance. It had to have that same level of awe and inspiring bravado as the above mentioned teams from popular superhero media. But… I had nothing.

I had a character asking their mother how she knew they weren’t going to be harmed or killed during a city-wide threat. The mother’s response was supposed to be praise and confidence in the superhero organization to protect those under their wing… but I didn’t know their name.

The end result?

“Because that’s what the Organization is for.”

I literally named the all-important, humanity saving team of superheroes the Organization. How original.

And perhaps this is exactly what I needed. A placeholder. But right now it feels like I’m stuck with this cheesy, uninspiring name. And I still have two more important characters to name… Once again, I have nothing.

Is this a normal struggle? The naming of things? Is it just my lack of inspiration and motivation manifesting into the process of naming things? Perhaps I will never truly know.

All I can hope is that a better name comes along and the Organization will actually be know as a placeholder.