NaNoWriMo is DOOONE! ...Now What?
YOU GUYS!
WE MADE IT TO THE END OF NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH 2020!!
HOW DO YOU FEEL?!
I am elated.
This has been a crazy month for me, I’ve seen so many things about how crazy this has been for everybody else.
It’s been so fun!
Today’s prompt is also kind of a prep for the future:
What next?
What is the status of your novel?
Is it complete, whether you hit that 50,000 word mark or not?
And while we’re on that topic, I’d like to leave you with this:
Every day is a writing day.
Every month is a writing month.
If you set out to hit that 50,000 and you didn’t make it, the most important thing to do is KEEP WRITING!
NaNo is there to get you into the habit of writing daily, so please don’t be hard on yourself if you didn’t “win.”
Any words produced are words you brought into this world, so as soon as December 1 hits tomorrow, make sure you get write on in to your daily session anyway!
See you… well, not tomorrow!
My Response
Well, I am certainly read to take a break from this book before I even bother coming back to it. This was a wild experience, and there’s some material I think I can work with in here, but it needs to go to sleep for a while. I’d love to spend some time developing more of the land and the cities and the world and everything. I can’t even believe that’s something I just said. Worldbuilding is my least favorite, but it might not be so bad for this one.
It’s weird, I was ready for this journey to be done, but now I’m sad that it is. Vaeda and his company of misfits trapped in a cave were quite the interesting band of characters to hang out with. It was a similar and yet different story to what I usually write. There were some themes that I’m used to writing, and others that challenged me. The weirdest thing, as usual, was being under a camera the entire time.
Besides the reread of this, I think it’ll be fun to look back and watch all of these videos one day. Every single second of it has been recorded, and that’s an idea I’ve always played with in the back of my mind. Vaeda was one of the most vulnerable characters I’ve ever had, because he was the one who chose to share himself from the start. He wanted people to accept him, flaws and all, and he picked up on that aspect of me as the author. I’ll never forget what I learned from him.
Who Was Your Character at the Beginning? At the End? How Much Are They Like You?
All right, y’all.
3 days left of National Novel Writing Month 2020.
Anybody else feel like this is the month that will never end?
Whether you’re in NaNo or not, let’s take one final opportunity to look at our characters.
Here at the end of the journey — whether you’ve finished your manuscript or just your 50,000 words — how has your character changed?
Did anything happen with them that you weren’t expecting?
Did they follow everything you had planned down to a T?
Are you two still friends at the end of this journey?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, our characters are the only ones who understand our novel writing journey just as much as us.
So spend one last section of time with them during this NaNo to reflect on everything you two have been through together, then get write on in to finishing up that manuscript!
See you tomorrow.
My Response
Vaeda has had me guessing from the start about who he is and how he works. There’s been so many ups and downs on this journey with him, but now that I’m moving toward a week out from finishing, I’m appreciative of him. He taught me much about myself on this journey, especially in regard to self-awareness and inner truth. I felt him during the writing process, and I feel his absence now that it’s done. I look forward to returning to him in an editing manner one day.
For once, I think I’d actually say we wrote this story together. So often, I feel at odds with my characters over who’s in charge of the story. Being a stubborn person myself, I tend to attract stubborn characters who think they’re just as right as I am. Vaeda has always felt differently because Vaeda has had me analyzing him instead of showing himself to me. There’s also the whole lack of sight thing that adds to his lack of physical characterization, and I don’t think that was unintentional on his part.
Although this story was constructed and oftentimes forced, I’m happy with what it’s turned out to be, as well as what it might become. Vaeda and I are certainly still friends at the end of this journey. I’m almost scared to introduce him to any of my other characters out of fear they’ll notice our closeness. I got some jealous characters in there, and they’re going to want to keep Vaeda quiet for a while. But Vaeda, just like the rest of them, will come back to me when he’s ready to finish off the remainder of his story.
Take Me To Paradise
We are crawling in to the last weekend of National Novel Writing Month 2020.
Maybe you’re stuffed from Thanksgiving.
Maybe you’re stuffed from just attempting to write a book.
Regardless of where you’re at on you’re noveling journey, let’s look back on where the story takes place.
Or, more importantly, a place you wish you could have included.
Maybe the bulk of your story takes place in one room, or one house or city.
Did you ever wish you could find a way to take it somewhere else?
What might have happened there, if you’d done that?
How might the arc of the story have shifted if the background was totally different?
Is there anywhere your character or characters wish they’d gone?
Tell me all about it.
Transport yourself into the paradise that is your mind, and then get write on in to your daily session.
See you tomorrow!
My Response
I wish I could have basically included anywhere else in this story. I got to see a little of the city they’re trapped under, and a bit into Vaeda’s home city, but most of it takes place in that damn cave. It would have been cool to explore some of the other places people were from. There’s the whole list of city and country names I did, but none of them ever got seen. Well, not until the development stage, anyway.
I also think it’s safe to say all of the characters would have rather gone somewhere else. Whether off to their hometowns or not, anyplace has to be better than a cave, right? Especially with the lack of sight and everything going on in the book, it would have been cool to spend some time in a place that had a little more life. Then again, I don’t know if it would have had a different impact than I’d wager on the story itself. The lack of sight whilst building trust is one of the most endearing parts of the story, I think.
But there is much more to this little world of Kadiux, which I’m not even sure was named in the actual text. There’s so many other places I would love to explore, if I ever came back to this world, or to Vaeda. Vaeda’s become a bit of a friend, now, so I wonder if he’ll be coming back to make himself known again at some point. Especially with this little power of his. Perhaps his next adventure will just take place in some place that has a little more color.
Home Stretch! How's Everybody's Mental State?
We are closing in on the end of National Novel Writing Month 2020 everybody.
Like, almost down to the seconds now.
The completion of a manuscript is always exciting, whether it’s during NaNo or not.
If you’re looking for some extra wind to push you through the last week, let’s bring our focus back to our characters once again.
On the home stretch of the journey, how are they feeling?
How might they feel by the time this is all over?
Will they reach their goal, or are the rest of us going to have to wait until a book two?
Your characters are probably just as tired as you, and it’s been a long journey for all of us.
Check in with their mental state — perhaps even your own — and then get write on in to your daily session.
See you tomorrow!
My Response
Vaeda
I am tired and weary from this journey, but for me, it is over. There were so many times when I wondered if I would be successful or not. Times I wanted to quit and never give another thought. Anytime things got difficult, I worried about the probability of my success. All I had to do was think of the people I did this for, and that kept me going.
There are times when that brings on a pressure on its own. It isn’t as though I chose to be a leader; it was a role assigned to be at birth. I suppose there are times I would shed that role, if I could. There’s no point in sitting here and wondering what things may have been like, for they’re not any different than they are in the present. No amount of wishing I could be somebody else would make that matter a reality.
I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything, though. All of the ups and downs it came with have proved worth it, in the end. Now, there is happiness and peace. Everything I strove for when I started this mission has seen its way all the way to the end. All of these experiences now exist as nothing more than a memory — and one I hope I don’t forget.
Use This #WritingPrompt To Help You #GetWriteOnIn To Your Story's Historical Influences
Whether you are crawling your way toward the finish line of National Novel Writing Month 2020 or just doing your best at pumping out a manuscript, let’s talk about where this story of yours takes place for a minute.
Previous prompts have had us looking at historical influences, whether fictional or factual, to help us bring our settings to life.
So, let’s go back to the piece of history we focused on at the beginning of our stories.
How has that piece of history impacted where your story takes place?
How might the general population be different if this event hadn’t happened?
Would the entire arc of your story be different, if the history of your setting had seen different days?
Worldbuilding can be fun, or it can be kind of a pain.
But the more time you spend treating your setting like you would a friend, the more active your setting will come across on the page.
So immerse yourself into the history of your world, then get write on in to your daily session.
See you tomorrow!
My Response
When I first responded to this prompt at the beginning of the month, I focused on Hardmoure, my main character’s homeland, because we never got to go there. I wanted to develop some importance there because it strengthened my character. A lot of the development I’ve done has gone to the places around where the characters are trapped as opposed to the caves where they’re stuck. The Lanniswell Hollow has plenty of history, which is partially looked upon throughout the text. But it has definitely seen its share of darker days.
The magic around the Lanniswell Hollow prevents any of the prisoners from leaving. The walls take away the memories and the sanities of the prisoners. It has definitely changed and shaped the setting, and not in a good way. It withholds all the pain from the past prisoners, and influences the despair within the caves. This would certainly change the mood down there, if it were different.
Although, that being said, the entire story would definitely be different if things were not the same. If the prisoners were allowed to think for themselves. If the idea of removing hope was not its sole purpose for existing. The caves of the Lanniswell Hollow hold many secrets, but they’re more than happy to share them. They’re just not sure if anyone else will ever truly be ready to listen.
Check in With Your Character's Mental State with This #WritingPrompt
If you’re entering into the last week of National Novel Writing Month 2020, you might be feeling like your fingers are about to fall off.
Same statement could be true if you’re writing a book in any type of sprint fashion.
Whether your story is coming to a close or not, we’re going to kick off the final week of NaNo by revisiting the first prompt:
Character journals.
The first journal had us checking in with the character at the beginning of the story.
Potentially before they even knew anything that was about to happen to them.
So check in again with them now.
Write out a journal entry in their perspective to see how they’re feeling.
How has this journey changed or shaped them?
Is there anything they would change, if they could?
Do they have any predictions as to what might happen to them before the end?
Spend some time as inside of your character’s mind as possible, then get write on in to your daily session.
See you tomorrow!
My Response
From Vaeda
Everything has been… crazy, to say the least. There’s so many thoughts and memories flooding through my head, but I seem unable to focus on any of them. Even the memories I do remember seem blurred and confusing. I know there’s a power and a strength in me, and I’m grateful that it’s coming more full circle. I know I am standing on the edge of success in my journey.
As hard as it’s been, there’s so much about it that I appreciate, in a weird way. This challenge has forced me to look inward. It has made me realize there is more to myself than even I knew, and I cannot be angry about that. Anytime I doubted myself, I faced myself. Anytime I faced myself, I found that I came out the other side even stronger than I’d expected.
The end is near, but I do not know what that means. Although part of me welcomes to the idea of death, another part urges me to keep fighting forward. I know I must at least find succession saving the others. Their lives are worth more than mine, and I can’t forget about that. The moment they’re free, this whole fight becomes worth it.
If These Walls Could Talk... Just What WOULD They Say?
Depending on when you watch this, there’s only 10 days left of National Novel Writing Month 2020.
So close, but so far.
That same statement can be ushered at almost any given time during the novel-writing process, so NaNo or not, let’s talk about today’s prompt.
We’ve given our settings different historical stories and emotions to help us strengthen them, but today, we’re going to have a conversation with the walls.
Take the room of whatever scene you are currently in, and let the walls tell there secrets.
Could this potentially be the scene of a crime?
Or a place where a celebrity baby was born?
How many different people or experiences or stories have these very walls seen?
There’s so much about history and past energies that can be said about a place, so have some fun interviewing the walls, then get write on in to your daily writing session!
See you tomorrow!
My Response
From the Lanniswell Hollow
There have been many souls that have passed through my hallways, none of which have ever seen the light of day again. I have existed here for thousands of years, and was untouched until the civilians of Raelevarre. They understood that I had power within me that they couldn’t find anywhere else. My untapped power allowed them to fuel their greed and suppress those they deemed unworthy. They have abused every offering I have to take the souls of the people who have come through here.
I wonder at times if I believe in the idea of hope myself anymore. I miss the silence. All of the screams from the people who have died, whether naturally or by the hand of something or someone else, echo the empty hallways that house the bodies. I am the one who is left to hear the screams, nobody else. It is I who must remember, time and again, day after day, all of the horrors that have existed within my domain.
If things were up to me, it would be different. My power, to prevent the mind from wandering into psychosis, has so much more use than how it has been used throughout the years. It seems as though the people above forget that I have thoughts and feelings myself. You wouldn’t think that much, since to you I’m nothing more than a cave. If you could hear the screams I did, I’m sure you’d think differently.
Show Some Author Appreciation From Your Characters With This #WritingPrompt
We are only a week and a half away from finishing out National Novel Writing Month 2020!
I don’t know if you are anywhere near as excited as I am about that, but I am ready to be done with this book of mine.
You may be feeling the same about your current work in progress, regardless of when you’re writing it.
It’s easy to get frustrated with first-draft manuscripts, which was why the first half of these writing prompts had us letting out our frustrations.
Today, we’re going to keep the love going and return to letters from our characters.
The first prompt of this category had our characters telling us everything they didn’t like about us, but it’s time for them to show some appreciation for the people bringing them to life!
How much do they love the story you’re putting out there?
How are they adjusting to the spotlight?
Just how thankful are they for you taking the time to write their story?
Let your characters shower you with the love of everything you’re doing right, then get write on in to your daily session.
See you tomorrow!
My Response
Dear Andrew,
Thanks for everything you’ve done for me. I know this struggle has been hard for you. I know that, since the start, you have rattled your brains trying to figure out who I am and how to tell my story. If it were up to me, I’d have told you everything you wanted to know from the start, but, as with any other book, is it not just part of the journey? If I’d have given you everything you wanted to know would you have treated this with less sincerity?
I doubt it, of course, because you always give your all to every project. That’s what I chose you. I knew that, even though you’d enter into this with an idea of me being an “example” story that you would treat it as more than such. And you have, haven’t you? You’ve cared more about this story than you’ve let on, and it’s gotten you into more than one temper tantrum along the way.
But that’s why I’m here with you. I picked you because of that passion. I knew you were going to throw yourself into this, look sleep, and get out on the internet looking like a raccoon. But I chose you because I knew you could do it. And would you look at that — you’re almost done.
-Vaeda
Strengthen Your Worldbuilding Skills With This #WritingPrompt
All right y’all.
Halfway through the third week of National Novel Writing Month 2020.
Or, potentially halfway through your novel.
Or maybe just halfway through life, who even knows at this point?
I hope you’ve hit a stride, wherever you are in your book, but whether you have or haven’t, maybe you just need a little boost for your writing session today.
The last few days have had us focusing on our love for our characters and plots, so let’s show some love for my least favorite thing about writing books:
Our settings.
And hey, if I can find something love in a setting that is a cave where my character cannot see a thing, I’m sure you can find something to love about wherever your book takes place, too.
Is this a place you’d live, if you could?
Would you at least want to visit it and see what it’s like in person?
If it actually exists, have you been there? What would you do if you could visit, or how has a real-life visit affected the shape of your story?
Love the world you’re in, then get write on in to keeping it moving forward.
See you tomorrow!
My Response
You know, this book has really grown on me. Especially having it take place in a cave. That’s been a really weird and really up and down thing for the writing of this. It’s one thing to have a blind character, I think, but another to have them all trapped in a place where they can’t see. Especially one that’s filled with so much general darkness and despair as with the Lanniswell Hollow.
That all being said, I feel like there’s so much life in the caves. So much life potential, anyway. Caves in general have so much life in them, which is something I learned out in New Zealand and exploring some caves of my own, as well as whatever cave episode was part of the Planet Earth documentaries. Sometimes there’s life within the darkness, even if we can’t see it. It can be a scary-ass-looking life, but a life all the same.
I think that’s still what Vaeda’s searching for in all of this. What they’re all searching for. Just a life outside of the darkness that’s holding them back. To connect with whatever inner power is meant to guide them forward. They can find everything they need and more, all within themselves, and all because of the caves of the Lanniswell Hollow.
Use This #WritingPrompt To Promote Your Main Character to Your Best Friend
I hope you have decided to push through the first half of National Novel Writing Month 2020 and join me for the second.
Even if you’re not in NaNoWriMo, sometimes you just need an extra boost when it comes to your writing.
Our last few plots have let us get out all the frustrations we’ve had toward our characters, plots, and settings, but we’re going to brighten up everybody’s days a little and do the exact opposite.
Today, I’d love it if you could focus on everything you love about your main character or characters.
They’ve been with you from the start, so there has to be some redeemable qualities to them, even if they drive you crazy every so often.
What about them still intrigues you?
What about them makes you love more than characters in books you didn’t write?
If you could spend a day with them, what would you do?
Strengthen that bond with your character by sprinkling in some honey with your words, then get write on in to your daily session.
See you tomorrow!
My Response
I’ve obviously had my up and down struggles with Vaeda, my main character, especially if anyone has read what I’ve written about him so far. Since crafting him from the nothing, I feel like he’s given me a complete run for my money as far as being a writer goes. But the thing is, the more I get to know him, the more I find myself channeling him. I’ve been struggling with self-deprecation and depression during the writing of this novel — standard considering the themes — but I think of him any time I want to give up. Vaeda is in a position where he has to be the only person who has any hope and belief in what he’s doing, and in some ways, I’m in the same position.
He has those close to him, and it’s not like I’m completely alone, but I feel like Vaeda understands what it’s like to carry a burden you don’t want. I think he’s a much stronger character than I had anticipated when I first started writing him. He’s pretty quiet and reclusive, which allows me to spend a lot of time in his head, which is also kind of cool. I think he’s very connected with his mind, despite what’s going on, and I’m trying to find that all within myself, as well. Any time I want to give up hope, I remember how he carries on and how I have to carry on for him.
For someone I felt like chose me instead of the other way around, he could become one of my top five favorite characters by the end. I’m excited about the rest of his adventure and to see what he does. It’s still difficult to explain to non-writers how characters and stories take a life of their own. I’m just grateful that, the more life that’s breathed in to Vaeda, the more I like him. Otherwise, Lord knows I would have given up on this bitch after chapter 2.
Halfway Through #NaNoWriMo, Where We At?
Congratulations, everybody!
We are officially halfway through National Novel Writing Month 2020!
I don’t know if you’re actually in NaNo whenever you’re watching this, but if you’re writing a story at all, chances are, you’re going to feel some frustrations sometimes.
Today’s writing prompt is going to be the last of us letting out those frustrations as we take them out on our settings.
We already know everything that drives us crazy about our characters and plots, but what about where the story is taking place?
Is the location coming through crystal clear?
Are you like me and absolutely detest anything that has to do with building up your settings?
Are there any other disconnects going on because of these frustrations?
I know I’m feeling a large wave of emotions this year, so I’ve certainly enjoyed my time letting my story know all about the frustrations I have with it.
So let your setting know how it can shape up, then get write on in to your daily session!
See you tomorrow!
My Response
I am frustrated with the fact that I CANNOT SEE MY SETTING!!! I actually thought I was doing that to myself as something as a favor when all of this started. You know, if the character can’t see it, then I don’t have to either. My lazy author ass should have known better by this point, to be honest. This is not my first book, and I should have known it wasn’t going to work like that once I actually went to go get write on in.
But I just feel like this story is making me WORK for it!! Every other story just comes so naturally and I just have so much fun while I explore it. There are so many aspects to this one that I love, but it’s weird that I don’t really have the opportunity to explore the surroundings like I normally do. It makes me feel like there’s just a darkness over the story, which there kind of is in a lot of ways, but it’s just harder than I thought. I wish the setting, as with the characters and plot, would just speak to me more than it is.
I can’t figure out the layout of the caves and I don’t know how to get anybody out of them. The characters aren’t the only ones who have no idea where they are in all of this. I’m trying to channel Vaeda to find the hope to get through this story myself, but the caves also depict despair and sadness, so that’s probably not helping. I feel like the story is trying to make me feel the way the characters do. How method of it.
My Main Character Drives Me Nuts
If you’re closing in on the halfway mark of National Novel Writing Month 2020 like I am, it’s hard telling how you feel right now.
Even if you’re on a novel writing journey of any sort, it’s hard to tell where you’ll be at.
Some of these prompts have had our characters looking at us as the authors with the magnifying glass.
Letting us know everything they didn’t like about us our how we were representing them.
Today, we are going to turn the tables on them!
Today, we’re going to let our pesky little characters know just how much they annoy us.
Are they not doing what you’re telling them, even though you’re the one that’s supposed to be in control?
Did they give you too much attitude when you started to let them run free in your mind?
Are they just making your story that much harder to write?
Let them know how they can be a better character, then get write on in to your daily session.
See you tomorrow!
My Response
Vaeda is becoming very cyclical I feel. Or I fear, rather. He’s responsive enough to the things I tell him to do, and for a character that’s been constructed and designed out of the either, he’s not doing such a bad job. Apart from the fact that he’s really refusing to connecting with me, though. I’m doing a lot of effort and spending a lot of time trying to picture him, but he’s really taking this whole “I can’t see” thing seriously and not even letting me in on what he looks like.
These black energies that I’m writing about in my book are because of how distant I feel toward him. I want to feel more connected to him. I think he’s actually a pretty strong character, and I’d like to connect with him on a deeper level. Such is life, as with every other man, there is no deeper connection. Nothing more than whatever surface level crap he’s ushering me that’s supposed to help me make this into a good story.
Doesn’t he want to be represented better? Doesn’t he want people to be hanging on to every word of his story, scared they’ll miss a detail? He’s too focused on figuring out how he’s been wronged to think about ways to make his story more interesting. Only one of the two of us involved here actually cares about that. Sounds like he and my dog would be great friends.
Feeling Emotional During #NaNoWriMo? #GetWriteOnIn to a fix with This #WritingPrompt
Whether you’re in National Novel Writing Month 2020 or not, we’ve all been stuck in the hell that is 2020 either way.
Most of us have experienced every emotion under the sun this year.
Some of us experienced those emotions for the first time.
Writers always strive to find ways to evoke emotions, whether they be for joy or anger or sadness, or anything else in between.
I’ve talked before about treating the setting of your story like a person.
Today, we’re going to further that idea once more by assigning an emotion to our setting and describing it.
How does the city, or building, or cruise ship, or wherever you are actually feel?
If it were a person you were able to have a conversation with, what would be the strongest emotion evoked from the surroundings of your characters?
Let that emotion guide you as you get write on in to your daily session.
See you tomorrow!
My Response
The caves of the Lanniswell Hollow are just as sad and depressed as the energies they emit. If they could speak, they’d cry within a minute. All they feel is the pain of the souls that wander through them. All they know is despair and grief. If this cave were a person, it would be the one nobody would want to spend any time with.
But if the Lanniswell Hollow were able to speak for itself, it would be full of defense. It wouldn’t ask to absorb the pain of everybody else. It doesn’t want the empathetic energies that are forced within its walls. If anything were left up to them, everything would be different. The halls within it would be full of light and love, not of the darkness that fuels it as it does not.
Nobody would ever let the Hollow speak, though. It is reserved for those cast from society. It is treated as the lowest of the low in and of itself, when the only crime it ever committed was existing under the city of Raelevarre. If only the prisoners within the Hollow knew how much it shared their feelings. If only it could give them any reason to feel some semblance of hope.
Side Character Spotlight!
Hopefully, you haven’t lost too much sleep on this National Novel Writing Month 2020 adventure.
Or, hopefully you’re not too hard on yourself for wherever your word count is at whenever you are in your personal writing storyline.
Anyone who knows me knows I love me some good character-driven stories, and I’ve, personally, enjoyed responding to the character prompts from this month the most.
However, if you are anything like me, sometimes you can get stuck on just one character.
The main one, usually.
Today, whether you have one character that hold point of view screen time or multiple, choose a side character that we never get to spend time with and explore a side story for them.
What is something from their past that makes up who they are in the present?
How has that event shaped them as a character?
What relevance might it have to the story, even if you never get to physically write it out?
The main character is sometimes only as strong as their supporting cast, so delve into the minds of the people surrounding them, then get write on in to your daily session.
See you tomorrow!
My Response:
When Cochava was younger, she never asked to watch her sister get murdered. She never asked to feel like she was next, or to hide underneath her bed as she shook and waited for the murderer the leave. The murderer she had trusted at one point in her life. A man she could probably give thanks to for being alive. A man she once called father.
She never knew what her mother, her sister, nor her had done to upset her father so. But she’d never forgotten the last look on her sister’s face as her father sliced her neck open. The way their eyes met in a last look of pleading. Cochava wished, still to this day, that she could have done something to save her. It didn’t matter, for regardless of time — even that spent in the Lanniswell Hollow — she did not forget.
From that moment forward, she swore she would never trust anyone. Her father had looked at her after he killed her sister, and it seemed as though seeing her crouched underneath her bed forced him to realize what he had done. He let her go, for whatever that meant, and left her, alone and scared, to fend for herself. She was all of nine years old when that happened, and no amount of time passed could change the effect it had on her psyche. She’d never seen her father again after that, but she swore if she ever did, he’d never live to see another day.
#GetWriteOnIn to Your Character's Living Space With This #WritingPrompt
We are well in to National Novel Writing Month 2020 now, so hopefully you’ve done some good connection with your characters, plots, and settings.
I hope the same for you even if you’re not doing NaNo 2020.
Today, we’re going to do a bit of a double-dip and increase our character connections through a focus on setting:
Describe your main character’s bedroom.
Are they clean, or a total mess?
Do they even have a bedroom?
Are they one to settle, or do they bounce around a lot?
This is another place to let out some expository information.
Sometimes, you want to include every little detail within the actual manuscript, and it can take you away from the actual story.
So detail out one or more of your character’s personal spaces, then get write on in to your daily session.
See you tomorrow!
My Response:
Vaeda’s room is absolutely nothing like mine. Granted, he doesn’t exactly have a room in the story as it is, but back in his hometown in Hardmoure, he kept things tidy. Dark, but tidy. He didn’t have much, really in the first place, because he liked to keep things simple and neat. He’s never been one to put much thought into material, and outside of the necessities like a bed and a place to cook and eat, he didn’t need much.
His living space is also not the biggest. It would be akin to a studio that hardly fit the bed, but he felt comfortable in his little shell. There was always some part of him that wondered what it would be like in a place much larger, although a cave wouldn’t have been his first choice. He didn’t have many windows as it was back in his home, so the darkness of the cave doesn’t bother him in and of itself. He just had a very simple and plain existence.
His unit was one of fifteen in a subregion of Hardmoure, and it wasn’t known to be the richest portion of town. Hardmoure itself wasn’t too interested in the ritzy glitzy life as seen in the larger cities. There wasn’t even any carpet on his floor, just dirt like he lived in a tent. None of it ever bothered him, and he always appreciated his additional connection to the earth. He never realized how much he’d miss it until it was already gone.
Angry Characters? #GetWriteOnIn to Their Issues With This #WritingPrompt
If you’re here on publication day for this video, you’ve just made it through the first week of NaNoWriMo 2020.
One way or the other, so far, at least, we’ve all survived the first week of November 2020.
Hopefully.
Whenever you are, I hope your story is going well.
Our last few character prompts have seen us journaling as our characters and interviewing them, but today we’re going to turn around the spotlight.
Today, you’re going to let your character tell you all of the problems they have with you.
How much do you annoy them?
Are they happy with the way you’re representing them?
Do they think you’re giving them enough time and attention?
Are they bored and lonely?
Who’s really at fault for the disconnect here?
This is your time to let your character unleash all of their frustrations.
Once they’ve blown off some steam, it’s time for you to get write on in to your story.
See you tomorrow!
My Response
From Vaeda, my main character.
You better not screw this up, dude.
Seriously, I get it. I’m random. You had no idea who I was a few months ago, and it’s not like I just “came to you” like your other characters or whatever.
But do not for one moment forget that it was I that chose YOU.
So far, I think you’re doing a pretty good job, if I’m actually being honest. I chose you because I had faith in you, so don’t start getting twisted and egotistical thinking this is all your doing. If I hadn’t decided to make myself known to you through the randomness of the generators and by simply assuring that my name bore your favorite letter, this wouldn’t happen.
You’re welcome.
All of that being said, though, I’m getting a little tired of all of these comparisons you keep making to me and your other characters from other books.
When are you going to realize they have nothing to do with this?
This is OUR story — nope, I’m so sorry, scratch that — this is MY story, so if you would please desist with all of this self deprecation and just allow me to EXIST LIKE I ALREADY DO, that would be great. The story’s going fine, and it doesn’t matter if anyone is here or not. I’m with you on comfort levels when it comes to thinking about who may be here with us They may be your words on the line, but it’s my life people either attach to or don’t.
At least you (probably) don’t have to worry about people hoping you die.
You'll #GetWriteOnIn to Setting Development with This #WritingPrompt
Week one of NaNo might be coming to a close when this video comes out, but who knows when you are.
November 6, 2020 or anytime thereafter, today’s writing prompt will bring us back to our settings again.
You may have developed a history or researched events based in fact, but today we’re going to have a little more fun.
Today we’re just going to pick one of our favorite locations, and do one of two things.
Either describe why it is your favorite location, to yourself, and elaborate.
Is it because there’s a memorial from the character’s deceased grandparent that brings forth its sentimentality?
Is it a place you know more of only as the author, but wish you could share it more in the story itself?
The other option is to detail it out in as much expository detail as possible.
Describe every color, every building or room or drawer, or whatever.
Spend so many words describing it — or just fifteen sentences — so you don’t have to worry as much about some of the expository information.
Picture the story, then get write on in to your descriptions.
See you tomorrow!
My Response:
I think my favorite location here is, or at least will be, Hardmoure. This is where Vaeda, our main character, is from, as well as Go’Ranashu, who is the only person he can trust. Hardmoure is a beautiful city that, quite frankly, reminds me of where I am from. I grew up in the foothills of Yosemite, and I thrive when I am among the trees and the mountains. I had to give Vaeda a similar home setting, because I think that’s what helps him connect so well with his inner self.
Everyone knows I’ve been reflecting on my own journey during the writing of this book. Hardmoure reminds me of the mountains of New Zealand. Those bring about multiple bouts of nostalgia, both because of the fact I had the fortune of seeing them for myself, as well as because of movies like Lord of the Rings. There’s a peace out there that’s hard to explain. Those who have seen it or experienced it for themselves know all too well what that’s like.
The cave is the total opposite of that. The stark contrast of everything in Vaeda’s life is represented by the darkness of the cave. In a lot of ways, the cave of course is a representative of darkness in general. Vaeda is also on a search of self-discovery as he tries to find and hold on to any memory that will present itself. Hardmoure is the root of all of that, a place he may never see again, but one that has molded every aspect of who he is, all the same.
Practice This #WritingPrompt to #GetWriteOnIn to Character Interviews
Getting into the mind of your character can be a bit tricky sometimes.
If you tried out the character journaling prompt the other day, it may have helped you connect with the mind of your character.
Today, we’re going to tweak that exercise, just a little bit.
Pick a character — perhaps a side one you haven’t spent as much time with for this one — and put them in the hot seat.
Play a detective and interrogate your character.
Ask them the questions to the answers they won’t offer themselves.
Dig deep into their psyches to see what makes them tick.
Sometimes, in journals, even when you act as your character, there are aspects of ourselves that remain in denial.
This is an exercise to “sit your character down” and have a chat with them.
Depending on the theme, mood, and character, this can vary in intensity, of course.
But talk some things out, get some answers you might be struggling with, then get write on in to your story.
See you tomorrow!
My Response:
Character: Runavan
Me: Why aren’t you telling me what you know?
Runavan: *After a shrug* I have told you what I know. It’s not my fault you don’t want to believe me. My memory isn’t what it once was, and it isn’t my fault.
Me: Aren’t you afraid of what’s going to happen?
Runavan: Of course I am. But what else am I to do? The future is always scary, but sometimes so’s the past.
Me: I feel like there’s more to this that you’re not telling me.
Runavan: Of course there is, but why would I tell you more? Wouldn’t that take away the fun of the exploration?
Me: But I feel stuck sometimes. I feel like I don’t know where to go because I feel like I don’t know how to connect to people like you. People who know more than they let off.
Runavan: You aren’t as right as you think. While I know plenty somewhere deep within me, neither of us know how to unlock that yet. Until you go forth and explore, neither of us will ever know the answer.