Know the Novel - Ships, Secrets, and Survivors Part 2

Well, November is coming to an end and I suppose I'd better get this post finished and published...

How’s the writing going overall?

Pretty good. I finished November 21st, which is a little late for me, but I did end up taking a trip to IN the first full week of Nov., and basically wrote nothing but like, 4 or 5 days. And then I struggled to get into the characters heads for a long time.

Apparently the last time I drafted something was last NaNo??? And I've been editing all year? So it was really hard to get back into the drafting headspace. I finally "got into" it about 30K in...

What’s been the most fun aspect about writing this novel so far?

Getting to explore the characters and write the ships (literal ships, not the romances). :)

What do you think of your characters at this point? Who’s your favorite to write about?

I'm pretty happy with how they've turned out. Ravin is still my favorite, but Adi has come very close to my heart. She's got a neat way of viewing the world and she's braver and more determined then I am, which is cool.

Has your novel surprised you in any way?

Um, yes. Because Sarah and I had already written about 30K, I was sure that the draft would end before I reached 50K for NaNo, and I would have to write some flash fiction or something to get my word count up.

But, wonder of wonders, I hit 50K and still had story left!

Have you come across any problem areas?

Well, there are a lot of characters, and I think we'll either have to pick up some loose ends in editing, or else cut a few folks. And I changed a few things (arcs, personalities) halfway through, but those are simple edits, y'know? No huge plot points to change or anything.

What’s been your biggest victory with writing this novel at this point?

Getting into the groove around 35K and realizing that the draft was going to be more than 50K.

If you were transported into your novel and became any one of the characters, which one do you think you’d be? Would you take any different actions than they have?

I'd like to be Heather. She's all calm and steady and keeps the crew in line and cooks amazing meals and doesn't take crap from anyone.

Give us the first sentence or paragraph then 2 (or 3!) more favorite snippets!

Beginning sentence of the NaNo draft (not where the actual book begins):
Two people have died.

(Like, what a fun way to begin!!)

The officials looked at Ravin’s—or rather, Justin’s—papers, squinting and flipping the paper over. “We can’t read this,” they said at last.
“Sorry. We sail, uh…here two days of Andolin. I speak a little your tongue. I help you talk.” She pointed at Ravin, as if offering to be a translator.
Adi did her best to look Andolin (whatever that would be like), and tried to pretend she couldn’t understand a word that was said.
“Ah, just leave them.” The younger man tossed the paper back. “I can’t stand sailors.”
“Good day at you,” Ash quipped, offering a kind of salute, and then hurried away, giving Adi and Ravin a pointed look to stay close. Ravin rambled on in Andolese, and Adi laughed, praying that no one actually understood what was being said. Ash interrupted Ravin, pointing at a funny looking house, and the two engaged in some sort of conversation for a few more minutes until the officers were out of sight.
“Ravin, what on earth?” Ash spat, the moment they felt safe. “I think I need to cut off my ears or something.”
“Sorry,” he blushed.
“The only Andolese you know is one of the most grammatically incorrect and crude poems ever written by that half-mad Andolese poet Sachrin? Is that really all you know?”
“I used to speak it, barely. But I wanted to speak naturally, without pausing to figure out what to say next. So I just rattled off something I’d memorized.”
“Of all the beautiful Andolese poems, you chose to rattle off Ode to a Rusty Scythe?”
“I was a kid. And I thought it was funny. At the time, of course.”
“Who even let their kid read Sachrin? Let alone memorize him…”


~~*~~

“We need to keep the fire going at all times.” Justin sat cross-legged in front of his handiwork. “And make sure it doesn’t burn down the island.”
“That happens in all the stories. The survivors get angry at each other and burn the island and kill each other.” Hawthorn poked a branch into the fire. “They could get rescued if they just worked together, but they just fight.”
“If we ever starting picking people off, I know who’d be one of the first ones to go.” Shade glanced at Hawthorn, his eyes narrowed.
“What? I’ve been helping! When I was younger, I used to imagine what it would be like to get trapped on a deserted island. I made all these plans for what I would do if it ever happened, but I never got to go sailing until now. And look! Stuck on an island on my first time! This is great!”
“Is it too early to start the whole ‘getting angry and killing each other off’ thing?”
Justin turned to Heather in despair. “We’re never getting off this island.”

~~*~~

There are some awesome snippets I would love to share, but can't because of SPOILERS. :)

Share an interesting tidbit about the writing process so far!

A friend surprised me by making a mock cover for my book!!

I also wrote while watching the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, which is what inspired the pirate hunters, so many years ago.

Take us on a tour of what a normal writing day for this novel looks like. Where do you write? What time of day? Alone or with others? Is a lot of coffee (or some other drink) consumed? Do you light candles? Play music? Get distracted by social media (*cough, cough*)? Tell all!

Usually I write right before bed. Dinner is cleaned up, the animals have all been fed and bedded down for the night, and I've changed into my PJs. I curl up on the bed with pillows and blankets and write for an hour before heading to bed. Occasionally I'll make some tea. Lately I've been listening to Riverdance and the local horse auction live cam while writing, or else not listening to anything. The last few days I also wrote during lunch break at work, just because I was sick and tired of taking so long.

But there you have it. NaNo2019.