Beautiful Books: November

Yes. This is a procrastination post.

Yes. I should be writing.

No. You can't stop me.

Excerpt from Cait's Post:

Just like every year, we’re giving our monthly link up “Beautiful People” a small rest so we can focus on “Beautiful Books”. (You can see last year’s Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 3 linkups.) Sky and I host Beautiful Books so we can focus on  our NaNoWriMo projects. The format is the same as Beautiful People. We’ll post 10 questions to answer about your WiP — aka your beautiful book.  Answer the questions in a blog post of your own and then come back here to link up!

Ze Questions:

1. Overall, how is your mental state, and how is your novel going?

*covers ears* LALALALALALALA

I'm behind actually. I don't feel like it's coming very fast. And I feel like it's taking me way too long to get to the parts I want to actually write. The climax is so far away. *minor freakoutation* (psht, totally a word. Shush)

2. What’s your first sentence (or paragraph)?

Ok, so my entire first paragraph makes no sense without the rest of the scene, so here ya go:

Dust and ash. Cloud. The stench of burnt-ness hovered in the stuffy air. Red was the horizon. Darkness everywhere else.

            A Queen sat on her throne. A creaky kind of crackly laugh ushered from her throat. Her eyes were watery, her hair long, loose, and dirty. Filth lined the cracks of her feet and hands. Streak marks from tears revealed pale skin. She drew her ragged cloak around her thin shoulders.

            “Master.” She hissed.

            A tall figure came from behind her throne. His eyes held fire, power fairly dripped off of him. Long cruel fingers clenched around her head.

He smiled. And her memories were gone.

3. Who’s your current favourite character in your novel?

At this point, actually the evil sidekick, Uan. Bc, obviously. *sips tea*

"Really? I mean, really?" Uan questioned. "You just got abducted to an unsettling and completely drab and lacking of glitter world, and I frighten you?" he shook his head, and Aurora sat a little straighter and removed her hands from over her eyes where they had flown when the wolf had appeared.

"Surely a talking wolf is not the strangest thing you have experienced today," he went on, circling her. "I'm not going to hurt you, so kindly stop sending me the death glare. Thank you." He sat in front of her. "Allow me to introduce myself, hey!" He yelped when Aurora sent her shoe flying right at his nose, how terribly rude! "None of that!" he growled slightly. "Now, as I was trying to say," he sniffed at her, "my name is Uan. The perfect picture of an evil henchman, thank you for noticing." He gave a slight bow. "And you are?"

4. What do you love about your novel so far?

That Aria and Doran hate each other (and that kinda makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside bc they have no idea what's in store for them).

5. Have you made any hilarious typos or other mistakes?

Ummm, no not really. Typos annoy me to the moon and back so I either correct them immediately, or finish the scene and then do it.

6. What is your favourite to write: beginning, middle, or end — and why?

Middle to end. Because that's where most of the action is going to be.

7. What are your writing habits? Is there a specific snack you eat? Do you listen to music? 

What time of day do you write best? Feel free to show us a picture of your writing space!

Writing habits include: procrastination (this post and my newly cleaned out closet are proof of that), editing as I go (which I am trying to work on not doing so much), and drinking tea and/or hot chocolate.

I can't really eat and type at the same time, but if I'm going to have anything for a quick snack, it'll either be a cookie or an apple, depending on what we have.

I really write best and fastest either in the morning or after dinner. It's those afternoon hours that really make me bored and tired.

Sometimes I can listen to music, and I have a writing playlist as well as playlists for each of my stories on Spotify, but then there are the days where nothing sounds good at all, then I either don't listen to anything, or I use Ambient Mixer.

I either write in my papasan chair, or at my desk.

8. How private are you about your novel while you’re writing? Do you need a cheer squad or do you work alone (like, ahem, Batman)?

There are aspects of both I appreciate. When I work alone, I don't feel pressured to finish and can just go at my own pace. When I write with a group, I can be a bit more competitive (word sprints).

As far as sharing what my book is about, I'd rather explain it on paper than orally. 

9. What keeps you writing even when it’s hard?

Word sprints. A quick break. Eating something to make sure my blood sugar doesn't drop. Tea. 

10. What are your top 3 pieces of writing advice?

1. Be yourself when you write. Let your personality shine through. Don't try to be posh or humorous if you know you can't pull it off. 

2. Remember that all first drafts look like a tangled mess, and that you're just supposed to be shovelling sand into the sandbox so you can make the castle later (not my words, I'm trying to quote a pin I saw a while ago).

3. Anything is possible in the writing world. If you want to write about the origins of the spork, go for it. 

How are you doing?

Are you behind too?

What are some of your writing habits?

Top three pieces of writing advice?