Shared WIP Tag, Part One

Hello everyone!!  It's back!!!  Welcome to the first round of the Shared Wip Tag, the WIP Special, Julian's Tag Thingy...this poor thing gets lots of names and no one can really decide what to call it, myself included.

But this round is super extra special because it's NaNoWriMo themed!!!

Okay, not necessarily themed, but it's about our NaNo novels, and it's also going on during NaNo, so we can post while we're racing for that 50K and not have to sweat much about creating posts.

 Introduce the story

Betrayal and Bravery: Words of Song

Marywyn the villager has received an honorable title – Protector of the Princess.  The only problem is, the Princess has just disappeared.  Eager to prove that her friends have not judged poorly in voting to promote her, Marywyn leaves Raybir on a quest to rescue Connaven, but only runs headlong into more danger and betrayal.  And this time there are no mistakes.  The enemy is on the hunt, and they know exactly who they are looking for: a red-haired girl with a powerful singing voice.

As the danger only grows, Marywyn begins to doubt: was she the right person to do all this?  Surely there are many others who can be the hero, others who are more brave.  Can Marywyn rescue her friends and save Raybir, or will she leave at the first opportunity to return to the safety of her garden and flowers?

Where did you get the idea for your story? What came to you first: your theme, character, premise, setting, etc?

Well, the original idea for the Betrayal and Bravery Trilogy came to me sometime in 2014. I was reading up on new plotting techniques and wanted a new story to write while trying them out. I read some old fairy tales, thinking I might do a re-telling, and one caught my eye. I took that idea, shoved in a few old RPG characters, added some ideas from a few dreams I’d written down, and started plotting.

I started out with three books in mind and planned them all out, but while writing the first one, I realized there was so much more to the story. So what originally was the second and third book is now combined to make Words of Song, and the third book, Words of Peace continues the story on even further.

Basically I guess the premise kind of came first? It was supposed to be about being brave, like the fairy tale, though it’s greatly changed since then, and there’s really nothing else from the tale now.

What have you done to get experience for your story? What did you put into the book because it’s something you know about?

A particular scene in this book is taken straight from one of my own experiences – when Marywyn has to ride a highly energetic horse.  Many of Marywyn’s reactions are copied from my own when I had to ride a particularly hyper horse on our farm. And so is the way we both brew braver as we realized we could do this.

Other parts of my life have slipped into the pages, though mostly in the third book. I expect more will happen to Song, but since it’s been a few years since I’ve touched it, it still has a lot of my early writing mistakes in it.

What made you decide to write this particular book for NaNoWriMo?

I actually thought I was going to opt out of NaNo this year. I currently am completely focused on my trilogy, and all three books are already written. I really didn’t feel like putting my editing aside to write something new. But then, during September, as I was starting the edits of Song, I realized that it was a hopeless cause and needed to be completely rewritten. So I decided what better time than to do so for NaNo?

Do you research before, after, or during your first draft writing process? Have you done any research for this particular book? How do you usually research?

Honestly, I do very little research before I start drafting. Because I do minimal prep, I usually don’t know where the story will take me. If I feel the need to look something up during drafting, I’ll do it, but otherwise I wait until the draft is finished. For Song, I think the only thing (recently) I’ve done is made a Pinterest board for some reference pictures. Since I’ve been in this storyworld for years, I kinda know most things about it by now.

Do you plot or plan your book in any way before you start writing? What methods do you usually use and what did you do this time?

I kind of already explained how Song came to be. For this time around, not only have I written the book before this one, but I’ve already done one draft of Song and also written this book after it. So I know where the story is and where it needs to go. All I’ve done is filled in the gap in between.

I usually prep a first draft with just a synopsis. Basically a running commentary of what everyone does just to keep me on track, though I pretty much know exactly where it’s all going to go.

Do you hand write or type your first draft?

Type, for sure. You think I’m gonna write 100,00 words by hand? No way. My carpel tunnel would render me useless for the next three years.  Listen. If I have to alternate hands multiple times while taking notes during a 40 minute sermon, I ain’t gonna make it through a month.

Do you have a brainstorming buddy and if you do, who was it this time and how did they help?

Normally Sarah Rodecker and Evan Diasimah are my brainstorming buddies. Sarah, however, hasn’t read Song or Peace, and is currently focused on helping me with Gold at the moment. Evan knows a little more about the entire trilogy, but usually just because our conversations go like this:

Me: “...and so that’s why I’m not sure if Marywyn should go back to Ristor. What do you say?”

 Evan: *looks up from drawing, mutters something, adjusts the volume of earphones*

 Me: “Thanks! I guess she should go. I’m glad you’re here to help!"

How did you come up with your characters’ names?

So I work as an office manger. And I’m frequently working with people in other countries (Australia, Finland, Germany, you name it). When I come across interesting names, I save them in a note. When I character comes without a name, I just go through the list.

But sometimes characters just come straight in with their names. Wisdom, Connaven, and Duren, for example. I don’t know why, but sometimes they just show up with a nametag.

Do you know what your story's theme is? If you do, how did you find it, and if you don't, how do you plan to find it?

The theme for the entire trilogy is essentially being brave and trusting in God when things seem dangerous and dark. Bravery in the face of betrayal.

Don't forget to check out everyone else's posts!!!  I'll link to them as they're available.

Keturah
Nicole
Ceci
Lisa
Gray
Julia
Jem
Melissa
Brooklyne
Ariel
Sarah