New Beginnings (Third Time's the Charm)

Hi, guys. We are three weeks into NaNoWriMo, and I started my novel over again.

Last time on Adventures with Abbey, I decided to focus on characters rather than plot and write from Varina's point-of-view. 

Something was still wrong, though. I started in medias res, which means in the middle of things, but this didn't give any context to my characters, their goals, or their motivations. I didn't feel any connection to Varina because I didn't have time to develop her before I threw her into a plane crash. I felt even less connection to Daniel because I wasn't writing from his point-of-view. 

Even though I am trying to write a character driven story, I didn't feel like there was enough of a plot to support the characters. Daniel and Varina were on their way to a conference when their plane crashes. Varina decides to kidnap Daniel when she learns that he is the son of the man whom her father used to work for because she thinks that Daniel has information about her father's death.

By starting here in the storyline, I felt like I couldn't go anywhere. 

So I started over.

Again.

I rearranged the events of the story, such as the conference and the plane crash, so that the novel begins earlier in the storyline. This allows the audience to meet, and become comfortable with, Daniel and Varina before they are thrown into a dangerous situation. I also switched back to third person.

They say third time's the charm, and I can agree: this new beginning is going the smoothest of the three. I know my characters better, and I know where they are going in the plot. 

The moral of the story is that sometimes the pacing of your story is off. Sometimes you need to restart. Twice. Sometimes in medias res does not work and you have to start earlier in the timeline. And that's okay. 

Has this every happened to you guys? Have you ever had to start a project over and over and over again until you finally found the right beginning? Let me know! 

The Truth About my NaNoWriMo Novel

We are just over a week into Camp NaNoWriMo, and I am right on track. I have almost 15,000 words, but, the truth is, I don't like what I've written. I don't like my plot and I don't like my characters.

Plot
My original plot for this Camp NaNo centered on Varina: her father has been murdered and she wants to find out whodunnit. As she searches for clues, she meets Daniel, a wannabe pianist held back by controlling parents. I was scared about this because I have always written plot-driven novels, and this idea didn't seem like it could support 50,000 words of story unless it was a thriller, which I didn't want to write.

I decided to make the story character-driven and hoped that the plot would follow. But then I had an idea in the shower... and my novel changed into a plot-driven, magical realism complete with Bigfoots and an intricate plot. A week later, I am kicking myself for letting familiarity woo me away from trying something new. I'm also not sure I like the magical realism twist. Daniel and Varina's characters are meant to be in the real world, I think.

Characters
I did extensive character profiles on Daniel and Varina before I started to write, but they are not coming off like I had hoped. Daniel is needy and privileged, but he lacks the charisma that is supposed to draw Varina and readers (and me!) to him. Varina is supposed to be angry and logical, but she is not supposed to have a compassion deficiency! I don't like either of them, which means that you won't either. They don't like each other either, which is problem if they are to become best friends later.

I'm also not sure who is supposed to be telling this story. I started by alternating between Daniel and Varina's point-of-view, but something was off, so I tried doing first person from Daniel's perspective. I haven't written much in first person, so I quickly reverted to third person without realizing it. This was the second new thing I tried that didn't work because I didn't put in the effort of trying something new.
A wise woman once said, "Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!" but I don't like any of those things, so I stay where it's familiar and safe. Several areas of my life are impacted by this, but my creativity suffers the most.
Which is why I've decided to start Camp NaNorWriMo over. I am ditching the magical Bigfoots and going back to my original idea. I am going to write in first person from Varina's point-of-view. I am also going to keep the 15,000 words that I've already written.

Oh, and guess what? My Camp NaNoWriMo novel does not have a title! I know, I know, you are all shocked, but perhaps you can understand that not every novel I write can have such a brilliant title as "Unnamed Fantasy Novel." That title took all of my creativity so that, four years later, I still can't come up with anything as clever.

Let's get a conversation started in the comments! Do you tend to write all of your stories in the same style? Do you think there is benefit to trying different styles? Am I insane for starting this story over again?

Going to Camp

"What makes good writing?"
"Does good writing have to be literary?"
"If I don't write literary fiction, does that mean I am not a good writer?"
"Should I even be a writer? Should I even keep trying?"

This is what I asked myself after taking a fiction writing class this past semester. I learned a lot of great things from this class, but I also lost my passion for storytelling as I questioned everything I thought I knew about writing. I didn't want to write. I didn't want to blog.
Weeks passed, and I started to think about maybe trying to blog about something—anything!
And then my friend texted me a crazy idea.
"Want to do Camp NaNoWriMo with me?"
"Okay," I texted back.

So, I am doing Camp. I've been thinking about reinventing some characters, and I decided that Camp NaNoWriMo would be as good a time as any. (For the unaware, NaNoWriMo is a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. There are "Camp" challenges in April and July.)

Some of you may remember Daniel and Varina from my previous blog. I wrote several (horrible, terrible) books about them from 2012-2014. They were spies working for a government agency, having adventures that would have fit well into a Get Smart episode. Daniel, Varina, and their cohorts have been my favorite characters since I created them, but I knew that if I was to go back into their world, I would need to change a lot of things to make them less (pardon the pun) campy.
So, instead of spies, Daniel is a pianist and Varina is a journalist. Instead of searching for Liberace's missing rhinestone, Varina is trying to discover who murdered her father and Daniel is along for the ride. Instead of waiting until the third book to introduce Varina's crazy-wonderful family, they are going to make their debut in this first book. Instead of actually having a semi-decent plot, I am going to make this story character driven and see what happens.

I realized (or, perhaps, re-realized) something as a result of the writing class I took this past semester: my creativity does not thrive when my imagination is limited. In my class, we learned how to write contemporary, literary fiction, which I can appreciate but do not enjoy (an explanation for another post?). I like to write what I like to write, and what I like to write is not literary and it is probably not publish-able either (another explanation for another post?). So, I am a writer, but maybe I am not an author. For Camp NaNoWriMo, I am going to write the story that I want/need to write to get my creativity back. I will see how it goes and report back.

NoNoWriMo

I'm not doing NaNoWriMo this year.

No Novel Writing Month for me.
I'm breaking a six-year streak, and I feel horrible about it.

I simply don't have time to plot and write an entirely new novel right now.
But I won't be forsaking writing all together... No. I may not be writing a new project, but I am working on an old one. One of my goals this month is to work on my Unnamed Fantasy Novel (you know, that one I'm planning to publish next summer that STILL DOES NOT HAVE A NAME) every day for one hour (or one chapter... whichever happens first). I'm planning on cutting a lot of unnecessary content, especially at the beginning of the novel. Why yes, I am terrified. The beginning of this story has stayed mostly unchanged since the first draft. I've been so attached to it that I haven't been able to cut out much. Do you guys ever suffer from that problem?
I'll let you know how the amputation goes.

Good luck to everyone who is participating in NaNoWriMo this year! I know you can do it. Tell me about your project in the comments!

Beautiful Books: October 2016 // NaNoWriMo

~Beautiful People is a monthly linkup for writers hosted by Cait at Paper Fury and Sky at Further Up and Further In.~

It's almost NaNoWriMo time! That means that the Beautiful People link-up changes to Beautiful Books, with an emphasis on a person's entire novel instead of just characters.
My homework load is lighter this quad, so I am able to do NaNoWriMo. I found a friend on campus who does NaNoWriMo, too, and we have been busy brainstorming our novels together! It's so much fun to have a friend to geek out about writing with!
I'm really excited for NaNoWriMo this year because, for the first time since 2013, I'm working on a new project! For the past several years, I have been working on my unnamed fantasy/fairytale story (you can read about my progress here), so it will be really nice to start a new story.

1. What inspired the idea for your novel, and how long have you had the idea?
A few months ago I had an idea for a character, but he did not have a story to go with him. Since I was working on my unnamed fantasy/fairytale story, I put away this character to think about at a later time. I was working on the worldbuilding for my unnamed novel when I had a sudden idea: the race I was working on had a hinted-at but long-forgotten past. What if my storyless character was a part of this long-forgotten past? Before I knew it, I had a four book series planned out!

2. Describe what your novel is about!
Witches/Warlocks are living in a technologically advanced world; their technology is powered by their magic. The government is trying to find ways to harness magic more efficiently. Unfortunately, their experiments cause a massive explosion which decimates most of their kingdom and the nearby human kingdom.

3. What is your book’s aesthetic? Use words or photos or whatever you like!

 

4. Introduce us to each of your characters!

Finnias Flannagan: Finnias is the character that I came up with a couple months ago who didn't have a storyline to go with him. He is a Warlock living in the capitol city of his people. He is a brilliant hairdresser who is making a name for himself among the elite. He is personable and easy to get along with, but he can be obsessive compulsive about a lot of little things, like cleanliness, which is sometimes a problem between him and his three roommates. Finnias comes from a large family whom he visits often. He is medium height and sleight of figure. He has brown hair (which he always dyes other colors) and blue eyes.

Finnigan Flannagan: Finnigan is Finnias' twin brother and also one of his roommates. He is easy to get along with, like his brother, but not as OCD. He's funny and witty and loves to entertain his friends with jokes. He's very manly and spends a lot of his free time working out or helping his father and brothers with high labor projects.

Chay Deron: Chay is Finnias' second roommate. He is an endearing pessimist and can be very blunt. He's very observant and speaks up for people when they can't speak up for themselves, when he bothers to care. He tends to brood in corners.

Kelsie Jams: Finnias' third roommate is an artist. He is constantly lost in a world of his own inside his brain so he is very forgetful, helpless, and accident prone. It's a wonder he hasn't been killed by accident yet.

Aileen: Aileen is Kelsie's girlfriend. She is an ambassador to the Witches/Warlocks from the humans. She is extremely intelligent and passionate. She also has a sixth sense when it comes to Kelsie. She is, undoubtedly, the reason that he is still alive. She watches out for him and makes sure his absentmindedness doesn't get him into trouble.

5. How do you prepare to write? (Outline, research, stocking up on chocolate, howling, etc.?)
This year, I have been doing quite a bit of NaNoWriMo prep work. My novelling buddy has inspired me to develop my characters, world, and plot before NaNo even begins! Sometime in the next week, I hope to outline my plot.

6. What are you most looking forward to about this novel?
I'm really looking forward to writing character interactions. I have a versatile cast who are different enough that their interactions should be entertaining to write (and read, too, hopefully!). In addition to my five major characters, I have many members of Finnias' family who will show up in the novel. I'm hoping that I can write them like J.K. Rowling did with the minor characters in Harry Potter: even though the minor characters have small roles, they are still memorable enough to stick in the reader's imagination many years later.

7. List 3 things about your novel’s setting.
The Witches/Warlocks live near the ocean.
The novel takes place in the capitol city.
Everything gets destroyed so there is a lot of rubble.

8. What’s your character’s goal and who (or what) stands in the way?
After the city is destroyed, Finnias' goal is survival. A new leader rises from the rubble whom Finnias does not agree with, so his goal is also to find some way of saving his people from a tyrant.

9. How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?
Once his world is destroyed, Finnias must learn acceptance. He must also learn to be heroic, rather than cowardly.

10. What are your book’s themes? How do you want readers to feel when the story is over?
One of the major themes of the book is going to be the difference between right and wrong, between good and evil, and how one should react to them. Some other themes will be sticking up for what's right and what you believe in, learning to let go, dealing with grief, and dealing with betrayal.

Are any of you doing NaNoWriMo? If so, tell me about your story!

A Letter from Camp

Dear Family, Friends, and Followers,
Right now, I am sitting on the edge of the carrot bed here in Camp NaNoWriMo's Creativity Garden. I know, I know... shame on me for packing my bags and leaving without telling anyone. I'm sorry. I hope you didn't hire any helicopters or private detectives to look for me.
A week ago, I realized that if I was going to finish two short stories AND write descriptions for two of the races in my fantasy story before I go to school in a few weeks, I needed to sit down, concentrate, and write. So, like I said, I packed my bags and left. I drove straight to Camp NaNoWriMo, Imagination Land. Even though I was twenty days late, they sorted me into a cabin (though I decided to string up my hammock outside rather than break the camaraderie that my fellow cabin-mates had already built) and let me sign up for 20,000 words.
Well, as you can imagine, all of my good intentions have fallen short. Instead of 20,000 words, I have managed a measly 3,700.
What has been distracting me from writing all the way out in the middle of Imagination Land, you may wonder? The internet. Yes, even Imagination Land has wi-fi.
Books have also been distracting me (I should have known better than to bring them to Camp NaNoWriMo with me). I'm reading Into the Vast by DJ Edwardson and Hidden Pearls by Hayden Wand and both stories have me captivated!
Additionally, a few adventures have stolen me away from my stories... Can you believe that Imagination Land has a Wal-mart? Well, they do. And, once I heard that Wal-mart was having a back-to-school sale, I snuck out of NaNoWriMo's campground (which is specifically forbidden, by the way), forded streams, and climbed over logs to reach the Great Deals awaiting me. I found binders, pencils, highlighters, erasers, paper, and everything else a college student could need and—after paying for them—smuggled them back to my hammock.
With four days left to write, I doubt that I will be able to write 16,300 words. But, maybe, if I work hard, I will be able to finish one of my short stories. It chronicles the childhood of King John, a villain in my fantasy novel. The other short story and my fantasy race descriptions will have to wait for another time.
Oh dear, I see one of the other campers coming toward me. If they find out I'm writing a letter home instead of working on my Camp project, they may report me to the counselors and I could be thrown out!
Farewell!