Know the Novel Linkup | Part One: Introduction

Greetings, fellow bookdragons, bibliophiles, logophiles, and writers teetering on the brink of insanity thanks to their characters and plots.

How is it possible October has already arrived? This year has simultaneously flown and dragged. We’ve had a short autumn. Already my area has received a snow storm that, in less than a day’s time, knocked out power for the entire county and some areas in the state north of us. Some areas here were out of power for over seventeen hours.

I love snow, but I don’t like it wreaking havoc and falling when most of the trees are still clothed with leaves. Thus far, we’ve received over a foot of snow in less than twenty-four hours by my estimation. Multiple trees in our yard have lost massive limbs and one of Mom’s beloved aspen saplings has been snapped in half. Lil’ Sis and I spent over an hour brushing snow off the trees, and more is still gracing our fair area of the state. Word to the wise: pull up your hood before you shake snow off the branches above you. I did not remember to do so, and my back is still trying to recover from the amount of snow that slipped beneath my sweatshirt and shirt.

I digress about the weather. On to the real topic of this post: This year I am participating in Christine Smith’s Know the Novel Linkup. What is Know the Novel?

“Know the Novel is a 3-part linkup series for writers, one for each of these last three months of the year. Each part will feature ten questions you can answer on your own blog (or anywhere else on social media, if you’d like!). The questions will be focusing on different parts of your novel and how the writing is going” (Christine Smith).

Usually I am extremely reticent to share much about my WIPS, partially because I never know if they’re going to be accepted, and there’s something deflating about getting people excited only to tell them the story won’t come to be for a long while. However, things have changed for one of my stories, and I will be embarking on the self-publishing trail, Lord willing, next spring. This story will not only be my first self-published work, but also my debut. Thus I’m a bit less hesitant than normal.

Regarding NaNoWriMo, I don’t participate under it’s umbrella, so to write, but I do strive for 50,000 words every November. My fingers are too slow for my mind, so it’s a struggle to get 25,000 in a month, much less double that, but I like the challenge. I’ve garnered success only once out of three or four attempts. I hope this year will be different.

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THE QUESTIONS

Some answers will be vague, partially because I’m still outlining and partially because I am not comfortable giving away a lot of information.

What first sparked the idea for this novel?

A long time ago (not so long, really, just three or four years) I picked up Tricia Mingerink’s Dagger’s Sleep. It wasn’t the first fairy tale retelling I read, but it was the one that loosened the ideas I didn’t know lurked in the deepest, darkest crevasses in my mind. I went from never thinking about writing a fairy tale retelling to a grand total of six or seven different series, most with four or more books. One series has thirteen titles. No wonder I’m insane.

This retelling is of the Twelve Dancing Princesses and is taken from a series with twenty novellas and plopped in another world filled with mountains, forests, and moors. I planned to put two novellas to a cover, but that’s lunacy at it’s finest for me, so I’m stealing some of the tales and making them a series of their own (plus somehow creating more. I do not know how this happens). This fairy tale isn’t the most lighthearted to begin with, and typical me, I took it and made it darker. My writing tagline is Tales of redemption, faith, and action, and that really comes into play for this tale.

Share a blurb (or just an overall summary)!

This is going to be one of those vague answers.

It draws from the Twelve Dancing Princesses, obviously, so there’s going to be dancing, intrigue, schemes, and possibly poison. And a bird named Birdadett the White. Or red, or orange, or whatever color I decide this canary to be.

Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite aspects about the setting?

The tale takes place in the land of Everkeep. Maplegrove Manor is situated on the edge of the Arben Foothills, with the Mist Mountains to the west and the Everkeep Forest to the east. To the far, far north lurk the Ice Mountains, their peaks shrouded in mist and snow.

I think my favorite aspects are the diverse ranges of geography. Plains, moors, mountains, and forests fill this world, and I am eagerly anticipating being able to explore them through my characters and their stories.

Tell us about your protagonist(s).

This is another vague answer. Bren is an introverted soldier and reformed criminal. Mae is a semi-extroverted older sister and lord’s daughter. There is much more to their characters than that, but any more would be giving too much information.

Who (or what) is the antagonist?

Yet another vague answer. There are many antagonists. One is Bren’s past.

What excites you the most about this novel?

The fact that I’m getting to delve into a fairy tale, change it into something realistic yet in the fantasy genre, and tell Bren’s and Mae’s stories.

Is this going to be a series? standalone? something else?

Series because Madi can’t ever write a standalone. The overarching plot just exploded into something massive and sinister. I have seven retellings thus far for this series, most of them more obscure or lesser-known. At one point I had a list of titles for this series, but the document ate them without warning. So if you hear a scream at any particular time of day, it’s me as I try remembering what they were.

Are you plotting? pantsing? plansting?

Plotting. Details save lives and plots.

Name a few unique elements about this story.

It’s a different spin on a relatively well-known fairy tale. It’s nonmagical. It has a title more befitting a suspense novel. The entire series addresses PTSD, which is not often brought up in fairy tales or their retellings. There are also strong pro-life themes woven in.

Share some fun “extras” of the story (a song or full playlist, some aesthetics, a collage, a Pinterest board, a map you’ve made, a special theme you’re going to incorporate, ANYTHING you want to share!).

First, the themes. As I said above, my writing tagline, and therefore part of my brand, is, Tales of redemption, faith, and action. I want to highlight no matter what is going on, who is in charge, or what’s being forced on us, or how our world and lives are changing, God is always in control. Regarding the redemption element, I love a good redemption story – that’s what half of my stories are. This one’s a bit different though. It tackles a character’s doubts of whether or not they are truly saved (like I said, I took this fairy tale and made it deeper and darker).

Playlist:

Instrumental: Watch the World Burn by Audiomachine

This song captures the mood and feeling perfectly. Rising doom and danger with threads of hope, determination, and sacrifice woven in.

Bren’s Character Songs: Help is on the Way by Unspoken and The Sound by Random Hero

Mae’s Character Song: Easier by Manic Drive

Series Songs: Trust You All the Way by About a Mile, Raise Your Flag by Hidden Citizen, and, because it wouldn’t be a playlist without songs by Ashes Remain and Skillet, Right Here by Ashes Remain and Lions by Skillet.

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I’m coming off the end of finishing a rewrite that totaled exactly 106,517 words, so I’m a bit exhausted from those stubborn characters and a stubborner plot, but at the same time, I’m excited to work in this WIP. I’ve already 2,000 words and most of an outline.

What are your writing plans for November? Are you participating in NaNo or are you just aiming for 50,000 words? If you don’t mind telling, what’s your WIP about? Your characters? Your setting(s)? Or are you just teetering on the brink of writer’s insanity like I am?

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Your Writing Future – A Reminder for Writers, Part One

“I don’t know what my writing future holds.”

This is a paraphrase of what I’ve seen several of my blogging friends say. It echoes something I too often feel and face: uncertainty regarding my writing future. At times, it gets so bad I allow this fear of the unknown, this uncertainty, to dictate what and how I write. Numerous stories are currently abandoned because I didn’t think they were good enough. When I sit down and place my fingers on the keyboard, I have to fight the questions often lingering in the back of my mind. Is this book any good? Will I actually finish this one? What if I receive another rejection? What if permanent writer’s block hits and I can’t get past it? What if it’s just a sloppy, weak story overall? It’s nothing like the books I love and have on my shelves.

These questions are crippling, and I know many writers have faced them head-on and lost, myself included. Since reading a friend’s post a few days ago, this has been on my heart. This post might be rough and might seem like I’m inundating you with verses and songs, and am rambling all over the place, but I’m praying I can transfer what I’ve been ruminating on into clear paragraphs and sentences so those of you who struggle with this can find help and encouragement as we travel this road together.

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Not knowing can be nebulous, unsettling, and stressful. It can cause fear and that sinking feeling in your stomach as you contemplate the unknown. We bear this burning passion to write, to create, to weave stories and tales that touch others, but that passion comes with the crippling kryptonite we know as fear.

Oh, it may not feel like fear at first, but that is the root of it. Fear of what we do not know. Fear that our writing may go nowhere. Fear that our writing career will sink before it ever sets sail. We long to know that what we’re doing today will make a difference tomorrow. That these words emerging from the depths of our hearts, souls, and minds will bless others.

We humans are foolishly silly. We think we can control the future. Doing so would be nice, we think, being able to decide when we finish our books, how popular they’ll be, and how our writing careers will go. That stems from a desire to control, which is a branch from the tree of fear. Not knowing the future unsettles us. We want to reach out and create our future like we create the worlds we write. We want tie it in a nice bow and place it in a safe only we can access – all because we want things to go our way. How we want them to. We don’t want to question, to wonder, what tomorrow, the next week, and year, and the next decade will bring. We want to know in advance so we can plan.

In that desire, we derail ourselves. We get off the track we need to be on and crown ourselves queen or king of our writing future.

Reality check: we’re not. The crown we wear is one of our own making. It is superficial and, ultimately, will lead us nowhere.

I’ve donned my crown many times, thinking by my writing ability alone will I succeed, will I impress a publisher or acquisitions editor. I forget to align my heart with the One who created it. I forget that He was the one who gave me this desire to write. I forget that only though His will will I ever publish a book.

On the other hand, a crippling fear and anxiety can grip my heart. I’m not good enough. What if I fail? Will I no longer have a chance at success? It’s an odd dichotomy, this rancid pride and this debilitating fear of what the future may hold.

I’m the type who likes to control everything. I like everything neatly organized and where it should be. Heaven help the soul who dares mess up the order of things. Because of this, I want to control my writing future. When I can’t foresee what will happen, or where my writing is going, that fear rises. When I think I have a decent WIP, that pride reemerges.

In my effort to reassure myself I can do this, I place a chain on my writing. I hinder it by my inane delusions that Madisyn is the one who can do it all by herself. Help? Pft. What an alien concept. No assistance needed, God. I’m a big girl. I can do this alone. Or I contemplate quitting writing or dis the idea I”m working on. The idea of claiming the title of author is so far out of reach it feels like it’ll never come to fruition.

Either way, I’m leaning on myself. I’m relying on my tenuous grasp on the future. I’m trying to pave my own path and am ignoring that God’s plan might be different than mine.

It brings to mind Anthem Lights’ song “Follow Your Heart”. Our own way is nothing compared to God’s.

Fellow writers, why, oh why do we reject the unarguable truth that the One who gave us this desire to write will not fail in providing us a future for writing? Whether we think we, with our all-so-mighty-and-incredible plans, can conquer every writing obstacle with ease, or we doubt and question and fear our writing future, we’re brushing aside the truth. We can’t do this alone.

A big part of this is that we hesitate to give Him everything. Do we doubt He can bear it all? Do we think it’s too much for Him? Or do we simply struggle through the mire created by our futile attempts to blaze our own paths?

Think about the following verse and the lyrics of the next song:

We can make all the plans we want, but God determines our steps. Why is it so difficult place our writing into the hands of the One who holds the stars?

An image of Gollum comes to mind. That ugly creature hunched over the ring and obsessing over it, or even just after Smeagol killed Deagol for it, and is stroking the ring and whispering, “My precious”. We’re a lot like Gollum. We hunch over our writing, clutching it to our chests while hissing at God, “Mine. My precious”.

That’s not who I want to resemble.

Another big part in this is fear of the unknown. If we’re honest with ourselves, we don’t like not knowing what’s going to happen. We see this throughout the millenniums. Humanity has tried numerous methods – all wrong and antiBiblical – to ascertain the future: Fortune tellers; astrology; sacrifices to the gods in exchange for knowledge of what was to come. Humanity is driven with the need to know the future, and we collectively will do anything to get that knowledge.

Not knowing is scary. It can be nebulous and encases our hearts and minds in fear’s choke hold. This is natural, to an extent. But when we allow fear to become even a slight whisper in the back of our minds, we give it a foothold in our writing.

Not knowing the future feels like you’re wandering along, alone, on a mist-shrouded path. Surrounded by dark sylvan outlines, mist droplets peppering your face. You think you know where you’re going – after all, you chose this path in the beginning, when everything was clear. Now, all you can do is stumble through the mist and wander in the direction you think is right.

I’m going to quote the aforementioned blog post I read a few days ago, which addresses this matter: “You don’t need to know what God’s doing to trust Him” (quote courtesy of Issabelle). How true this is, and how grateful we should be that God’s wisdom and power don’t depend on our plans or lack thereof.

Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established”. Do realize that doesn’t mean our plans the way we’d like them, but our plans as they come into accordance with God’s will.

Our prayers need to echo the lyrics of “Help Me Find It” by Sidewalk Prophets: “Whatever Your will, can You help me find it?”.

With this prayer comes the necessity to release our control. Fearing the unknown and letting that fear control our writing is a poison. It weakens us, slowly wearing away our understanding that God, not us, is in control. It’s naturally difficult for us to hand over the reins. It goes against our fleshly nature to give Someone else control.

But when we wrest away control from ourselves and hand it over to the One who formed us and decides when we draw our last breath, we are stepping into submission to God’s will and saying, “Here I am. Use me, use my writing, according to Your will”.

When we return the control we’ve stolen, our writing is in the safest hands it could ever be in. Take to heart Proverbs 3:5-6 and the songs below.

Understanding that our writing futures are in God’s control is worthless if we then fight God’s will at every turn. When we say we give it to Him, we need to mean it. Understanding must coincide with our willingness to obey, even if it looks like a door we’d really like to walk through is closing. It’s closing for a reason. When another will open, or why it’s closing is for God only to know. Remember, we see one letter amongst the vast pages of a master tome. This is part of giving Him control. Handing everything over, even the outcome or lack thereof regarding our writing. We can’t say, “Thy will be done” and then retract our statement and try adding in a clause stating, “Thy will be done for everything but this particular issue”.

He will create our writing futures in a way only He can design. It won’t always be easy, but we need to willingly follow the path He provides.

It won’t always be easy. We won’t always know what God has planned for us. But we need to face our fear of the unknown, admit that we cannot control it, and recognize that even if God’s plan differs from ours, His is the best way. Don’t let fear hold you back from pursuing the desire to write. Keep in mind these three verses:

“Behold, God is my salvation;  I will trust, and will not be afraid.” – Isaiah 12:2a

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” – John 14:27

Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” – James 4:15

These three verses remind us not to fear and to remember that Christ provides peace in our uncertainty. The last one is a good reminder that everything we do ought to be from a desire to accomplish the Lord’s will.

We say we know Who holds the future, but do we really believe it?

As you continue writing, and when you face the fear of your unknown writing future – for you will face it, remember we are not meant to control what will come. Our attempts will leave us empty, worn, and depleted.

Take courage and know that the Creator, the One who made galaxies and worlds, is fully capable of forming our writing futures and seeing them to completion.

When Motivation Goes on Strike

Whether attempting to write an essay, blog, or a novel, we’ve all faced that moment when our minds go blank and we stare at the screen in confusion and bewilderment. It’s something every writer has experienced.

When motivation goes on strike, it sets off a chain reaction. It can initiate writer’s block, which erases any ideas we ever had, our mental energy drains, our eyes cross from staring at the screen, and we lose half our hair from pulling it out in frustration.

So, when our motivation decides to pack its bags and hightail it out of here, what can we do?

#1: Get Away

This might seem like an odd thing to do, but the one time you aren’t near the computer or laptop, inspiration will hit. Do chores. Do the dishes. Go to Walmart. Or mow the lawn or shovel snow. Your mind will go into creative overload, and you’ll likely lose what’s left of your sanity due to your inability to write it down at that precise moment. But what’s a little insanity when you can get that word count in, or get that scene written?

#2: Reread the Last Five Chapters

Sometimes, all you need is to go back and reread the last five chapters. Not only will this “refresh” your memory of what’s happening, but it also gets you back into the characters, and can stir your creative juices. Whatever situation your characters are in will be fresh in your mind, which makes it easier to cook up a solution – or even more problems for your characters.

#3: Watch a Movie

Watching a movie that is the same genre as your book will often spark ideas for your work-in-progress. Writing fantasy? Watch Lord of the Rings. Science Fiction? Rogue One. Just be sure that you don’t copy directly from whatever you watch. It’s fine to be inspired, but not to create the same scenario that can easily be identified as taken from a movie.

#4: Listen to Music

I have a theme song for each of my main characters, and other songs that apply to the book in general. Listening to “All of Me” by Ashes Remain helps me feel for and get in the mood to write my character who has a hard time believing God actually cares. Why? Because this song echoes what my character feels and experiences. “Stronger” by Mandisa and “I Can Wait” by Mikeschair are also songs critical in helping me write upcoming main characters.

Listening to music can also put you in the mood to write a particular scene. While “Lonely Are The Brave” by Two Steps From Hell inspires me for a particular scene, it reminds me of the series’ general feel: slowly shifting from troubled and turbulent to triumphal.

So, find that song that inspires you for your character or a particular scene, listen to it, and be ready for inspiration to strike once again.

#5: Step Away

While this might seem like #1 reworded, there’s a big difference between getting away from a project for a few hours, and actually stepping away from a project for a few days, weeks, or even months.

I worked on one  WIP for seven months before my motivation appeared to take a permanent leave. As in, I had nothing. Nothing. Right when I was crafting my proposal, too. Talk about timing. When none of the aforementioned solutions helped me regain my motivation, I put the manuscript aside for the entire month of January. It was tough, but necessary. When I finally returned, I was slowly able to integrate myself back into my characters’ lives, their problems, and their world, and resume perfecting the proposal and manuscript.

#6: Create

I’ve discovered that taking a few minutes to work on my potential author website designs, even though getting published is nowhere in my immediate future, really stirs the creative juices. While not everyone may know or be learning how to create websites, there are other ways to get creative as well. Draw a scene from your manuscript. Get out in nature and take pictures of places that would make good settings. Go on Pinterest and create a board for your book ideas. I have several, some of which are “Weapons”, “Situations Characters Find Themselves In”, and “Settings for Books”. These always give me some sort of inspiration or prod to go back to writing.

Writing is difficult. But don’t let lack of motivation hold you back. Find what works best for you for inspiration, and write!

When Motivation Goes on Strike

Whether attempting to write an essay, blog, or a novel, we’ve all faced that moment when our minds go blank and we stare at the screen in confusion and bewilderment. It’s something every writer has experienced.

When motivation goes on strike, it sets off a chain reaction. It can initiate writer’s block, which erases any ideas we ever had, our mental energy drains, our eyes cross from staring at the screen, and we lose half our hair from pulling it out in frustration.

So, when our motivation decides to pack its bags and hightail it out of here, what can we do?

#1: Get Away

This might seem like an odd thing to do, but the one time you aren’t near the computer or laptop, inspiration will hit. Do chores. Do the dishes. Go to Walmart. Or mow the lawn or shovel snow. Your mind will go into creative overload, and you’ll likely lose what’s left of your sanity due to your inability to write it down at that precise moment. But what’s a little insanity when you can get that word count in, or get that scene written?

#2: Reread the Last Five Chapters

Sometimes all you need is to go back and reread the last five chapters. Not only will this “refresh” your memory of what’s happening, but it also gets you back into the characters, and can stir your creative juices. Whatever situation your characters are in will be fresh in your mind, which makes it easier to cook up a solution – or even more problems for your characters.

#3: Watch a Movie

Watching a movie that is the same genre as your book will often spark ideas for your work-in-progress. Writing fantasy? Watch Lord of the Rings. Science Fiction? Rogue One. Just be sure that you don’t copy directly from whatever you watch. It’s fine to be inspired, but not to create the same scenario that can easily be identified as taken from a movie.

#4: Listen to Music

I have a theme song for each of my main characters. Listening to “All of Me” by Ashes Remain helps me feel for and get in the mood to write my character who has a hard time believing God actually cares. Why? Because this song echoes what my character feels and experiences. “Enemy” by Newsboys and “Faithful” by Hawk Nelson are also songs critical in helping me write upcoming main characters.

Listening to music can also put you in the mood to write a particular scene. While “Forces of Destiny” by Two Steps From Hell inspired me for my entire manuscript, it was specifically what helped me craft a battle scene.

So, find that song that inspires you for your character or a particular scene, listen to it, and be ready for inspiration to strike once again.

#5: Step Away

While this might seem like #1 reworded, there’s a big difference between getting away from a project for a few hours, and actually stepping away from a project for a few days, weeks, or even months.

I’ve been working on my current WIP for seven months. A few weeks ago, my motivation appeared to take a permanent leave. As in, I had nothing. Nothing. Right when I was crafting my proposal, too. Talk about timing. When none of the aforementioned solutions helped me regain my motivation, I put the manuscript aside for the entire month of January. It was tough, but necessary. When I finally returned, I was slowly able to integrate myself back into my characters’ lives, their problems, and their world, and resume perfecting the proposal and manuscript.

Writing is difficult. But don’t let lack of motivation hold you back. Find what works best for you for inspiration, and write!