Characters in QT

So I thought this would be a fun little post to write up. What would the characters in The Red War Trilogy do with all this Covid-19/shelter-in-place stuff going on right now?

(They technically are medieval fantasy characters, but just imagine they were in real time, haha.)

Marywyn - Would comply with the shelter-in-place, at least in the beginning: wear masks and gloves and be extremely careful and safe. Would not complain with those who ask her to wear said mask/gloves to places. Has gotten a lot of gardening done, and is enjoying the time off.

Wisdom - Has been extra busy, driving around helping in-need families and the elderly. Brings them food and whatever things they need. Leaves things on their doorsteps with uplifiting, handwritten notes. Handmakes masks in her spare time (what spare time, haha).

Connaven - Complains about how hard the QT is, despite sheltering in her parent's huge mansion, complete with swimming pool, fitness room, and in-home movie theater. Has made way too many TikTok videos and is bored out of her mind, but is convinced that if she steps outside she will die.

Duren - Restless. Goes for a long run every morning and then stress-builds stuff around the house. Isn't personally concerned about the virus, and meets with friends when he can. Has completely re-organized the garage twice since QT started. The tree-house, porch, and doghouse were not in the yard before QT... Has probably started 5 new hobbies.

Mithrinn - Goes about life as normal, laughs at people in masks and considers them to be needlessly extra careful. Is constantly sharing "is this just a government hoax" articles on Social Media. Gets annoyed when told to wear a mask into a store, and rants about liberty and freedom.

Raya - Her life hasn't changed much, to be honest. She forgets to go down the grocery store aisles the "right" direction and worries she'll get arrested. Carries a mask in her purse but only puts it on when stores require it. Has enjoyed what extra time she now has with friends who normally work. 

Jaran - May or may not be living on a throne made out of toilet paper. When he's not helping Duren with the latest QT project, he's probably binge-watching something.

Mask - He's just relieved he no longer stands out in the crowd (since he normally wears a handkerchief over his nose/mouth). Doesn't watch any news or have social media, so honestly is just doing what his friends tell him.

Maxin - Hardly ever goes out anyway, but when he does, he doesn't wear a mask or anything. Said he "read something in the newspaper" about there being a virus...

Tache - Is the one trying to explain to Maxin that they could have it but not know it and still end up passing it around to people. Has given Maxin a bunch of extra masks and gloves but apparently Maxin keeps misplacing them...not to worry, Tache stocked up on a bunch, and even if he runs out, he could probably ask Jaran for some...

Dominin - Has stockpiled and put himself under mandatory QT. Hasn't left the house in weeks. There's a viral video of him aerosol-spraying a bag of groceries. He's not letting anyone visit, but will wave at them from the windows.

Ondore - No one has seen her for the past few weeks. General assumption is that she's gone off-grid again, but whether that's because she is concerned about the virus or concerned about governmental control, no one knows.

Well, how was that? Tag yourself - I'm Raya! (And feel free to steal the idea and do a post with your own characters.)

Tips for Co-Writing

Soooooo you still want to try co-writing? Here's a few methods that Sarah and I have found to help. If you have any others, drop them in the comments below!

Shared Google Docs

These are a life-saver. I used to hate Google Docs, but now I probably spend more time there than anything else. Sarah and I can easily view, edit, and comment on the same document and it's all accessible from phone and laptops so I can read what Sarah is writing while I'm driving the tractor around the farm.

We now have this saying "just make a shared doc for it".

For each WIP, we have a number of shared docs:

-A doc for the current draft
-A doc with an outline
-A doc where we originally brainstormed ideas

Sometimes the outline and ideas docs are combined into one. Sometimes we'll have old drafts saved as well. And we also have a doc with pictures that we shared with our illustrator.

Phone Calls

Sometimes an email won't just cut it. After doing random edits on our own, Sarah and I finally figured out a good way to do editing together. Twice a week, during lunch breaks at work, we would pull out our laptops and open the shared doc. Then we would simple take turns reading out loud and suggesting changes and discussing the scene/chapter/character.

We usually got 1-3 chapters done during a session. Once we were finished with the edits, and were working on brainstorming the next book, we continued the phone calls to discuss ideas and plots and themes out loud.

Emails and comments can easily be misread/misinterpreted. But if you can't talk in person, a phone call is the next best thing. Just put it on speaker, pull up that shared doc, and fangirl away! Any awkwardness will pass, I promise!

Define Goals

When we get together with our phone calls, we quickly set down what we hope to accomplish within the allotted time. Edit 2-3 chapters? Finish the blurb? Plan out next month's goals?

Thankfully Sarah and I both work with a "monthly goal" mindset. We have a Google Doc where we keep an outline of things that need to be done each month, and then we'll assign certain projects to each other.

Read-Through for Edits

Took us a while to figure this out, but it is the best.

When we started editing our first book, it was kind of this "jump on and fix things that you notice need to be changed" and then we'd literally be changing the same thing back and forth and missing stuff and it was basically chaos.

Then we tried something new: we got together via phone twice a week and took turns reading aloud each chapter. Not only did we get the added benefit of reading aloud (which really helps show weird sentence/grammar structure) but we could then talk over suggested edits.

Sarah would be reading, and I'd interrupt and say "oh, wait, that's weird, let's change it" and we'd discuss and make changes. I'd be reading and Sarah would stop me and say "I think this needs more description" and we'd talk about how we both imagined the scene and how to convey that.

It really works, y'all. 

Humility and Grace

You need to be willing to let things slide.

Maybe you're convinced a sentence sounds weird, but your co-writer thinks it sounds great? Just take a breath and let it slide. Are you willing to start a fight over a sentence?

Maybe your friend wants to go overboard and write some wild multi-plot-twisty story, but you want to write something simpler, especially for the first attempt at co-writing? Set out your concerns and wishes and politely ask for them to be respected.

Share Your Ideas

You may want to surprise your readers with a new character or plot twist, but do not surprise your co-writer. Instead, share you ideas and plans. They may help may them better -- or be the voice of reason that says no, don't do it.

Spend time discussing the characters and plot together. Make sure you are both on the same page. If you are constantly at odds in regards to something, it'll be a nightmare.

Also, don't just assume the other person knows what you want them to do, or what you want to happen. Err on the side of annoying over-communication instead of leaving things unsaid.

Set Aside Time to Fangirl

Usually we had set plans for our phone calls, but every now and then we'll just give ourselves permission to just scream at each other and make weird noises and shed some tears about what we'd been writing or editing or planning.

It really helps you get motivated to continue. :)

So??? Anyone else sold on co-writing??? GRAB A WRITING BUDDY AND TRY IT!!

Introducing The Pirate Hunter Chronicles

So I've got some SUPER AWESOME EXCITING NEWS TODAY!!!!

A while back, y'all might have seen the beta signups for Ships, Secrets, and Survivors (the book that Sarah Rodecker and I are writing). Well, that's been done and over and finished.

(Also, just a quick shout-out to our awesome beta readers! Y'all are so, so wonderful and your comments were helpful and encouraging and getting to see folks fangirling over this story and the characters was just a dream come true.)

In short order, here are my announcements:

Ships, Secrets, and Survivors has now become the first book in a four-book series!!!!

It's so strange to think about...it all started with me trying to write a pirate story on an old notebook...to me and Sarah trying to write a story together...to us creating an entire series.

The title of the series is (as you might have guessed by the blog post title) The Pirate Hunter Chronicles.

(so so so so exitinggggg)

There will be some more information coming out for our blogoversary in June, so stay tuned for updates!

We will be posting signups for something so stay tuned...mwahahahahhaha.

And I just want to say that I am beyond thrilled for the journey this book has taken me (and Sarah) on. 

It's a dangerous business, starting a new project. When we first started writing Ships, Secrets, and Survivors, it was a side WIP. We would occasionally pull up our google doc and work at it as we felt so inclined. It wasn't at the top of our list at all.

But then. Then. Then it grew and next thing you know, it's basically our top project. We call each other twice a week to discuss the next steps to be taken. It's been quite a journey, y'all, and it ain't over yet.

Again, keep your eyes peeled. There's some awesome times coming.

4 Cons to Co-Writing a Story

Sadly, yes, there are cons to co-writing. Maybe not so much cons as possible problems you might encounter. These can be worked around and overcome with humility and determination.

Overstepping the Bounds

I was the first one to do this in our co-writing. Basically, I went on an editing craze, and then Sarah went onto the doc and was like "You just completely re-wrote my chapter!"

Whoops.

I needed to take a step back and realize that what I was changing wasn't wrong or badly-written, it simply wasn't how I personally would have written it. And since it was in a chapter with Sarah's POV character, I should have let it shine in Sarah's writing style.

Thankfully Sarah was very gracious and we set out some more obvious boundaries and moved on.

Different Plans and Desires

I might want one thing to happen in the story. Sarah might think that's ridiculous.

We gotta talk it out and decide how to work in the things we both want to see in the story. One of us might have to give up or give in. We set down the idea we have, and discuss it. But ultimately, we may have to let our idea rest.

It's Not All Your Story

Simply put, this isn't just your story. You are sharing it. You can't claim all the credit. You don't have the final say in what happens to the plot and characters. It may be tough to get used to, especially if you've been writing on your own for years. And you might accidentally anger or annoy your co-writer if you do major (or even minor) changes without discussing things with them first.

Technical Difficulties

Working with another person aside, co-writing has it's own challenges in regards to how in the world you are going to write your story. Do you email a Word Doc back and forth? What if one person prefers Scrivener and the other uses Shaxpir? What if one person uses a different font? What if one prefers handwriting? How are edits going to be addressed?

It's complicated enough to have lots of drafts and Pinterest boards and plot charts and character sheets for one person, but now these all have to be shared with two people. And kept up to date. And yeah, it's a pain.

Still want to try co-writing? Next week I have an exciting announcement, and then I'll be back with some helpful tips and tricks!

5 Pros to Co-Writing a Story

I'm sure y'all know by now that Sarah Rodecker and I are co-writing a book together. And it's SO COOL.

Co-writing may not be for everyone, and it does take a slightly different mind-set then writing all by ourselves. But it can be really enjoyable and rewarding and exciting.

The Writer's Dream of a Story Magically Appearing in the Document

This is one of my favorite "pros" to co-writing. We are working on our story via google docs, and there is nothing so exciting as opening the doc on my phone and seeing that Sarah is currently writing her chapter.

And then I just sit there and read along as my story is being written. Like, it's so awesome y'all. The story is getting written and I get to read along as it's just poured out on the page and ahhhhhh so much fun.

Even if I don't get to sit and watch Sarah type in real-time, when I finally do get to the doc, there is a brand new chapter waiting for me to read it. :)

The Sounding Board

Probably the biggest bonus of co-writing is that you have a partner to work out the plot and characters and themes and scenes with. We all know that two heads are better than one, and Sarah and I build off each other.

Me: Wait, what if we did this?
Sarah: Awesome, that would build on this character and their arc, and maybe we can hint at this thing as well.
Me: Ohhh and we can mention that secret while we're at it.
Sarah: And bring this character into the scene to make things interesting.
Me: And build a catapult!
Sarah: Nope, no catapults.
Me: :(

So it works both ways. We feed off each other's ideas to expand the story...and also keep each other from going too far in the craziness.

High Accountability

We have a pretty solid system set up. For writing the first draft, Sarah writes her chapter in the morning, and I write mine in the evening (unless I'm able to get to it earlier, thanks to being in QT).

If Sarah doesn't finish her chapter, I can't write mine. If I can't get mine done, Sarah can't write hers. (We are gracious, however, if someone is unable to finish because of life events and whatnot.)

While we are editing, we assign tasks/chapters/scenes/etc to each other, and make sure the other person is getting those things done.

Shared Knowledge

While working on a WIP, I often keep the details to myself, even when discussing the story with friends/family. Mostly to keep spoilers, ya know? But even when I do share stuff about the story, I don't tell them everything. That big twist...the shocking reveal...the tragic backstory...those I don't share. I want them enjoy the surprises, after all.

But having a co-writer means I finally have someone to share that with. It's so much fun to talk about how "the readers are going to cry when..." and "I can't wait for people to read about..." and "ahhhhhhh THIS STORY!!!!"

Weaknesses and Strengths

Sarah and I have different writing styles. We have different editing styles. Different things we notice, different things we catch. Where I might fall flat on delivering in a story, Sarah can pick up and make better, and vice versa. Something Sarah might miss will catch my eye, and so on.

This month I'm going to be talking about the joys and hardships of co-writing! Hope you enjoy the little mini-series!

April Wrap-Up

(AKA I don't know how to QT properly...)

(To be fair, we only had like, 3 cases of COVID-19 in our county, and they all recovered in a day or two.)

How did QT go? Well, in a sense, well. We never got sick. Our friends and neighbors never got sick.

But on the other hand, during this time when we were trying not to go to the hospital, my family had a tough time.

-Someone got attacked by bees and reacted rather badly to the stings
-Someone got serious poison ivy and had to go to the doctor
-Someone got their finger's stuck in a winch
-Someone tore up their hand while hammering boards
-Someone sliced up their palm with a honey scraper
-Someone was lighting a fire with a tub of gasoline and the tub caught fire and exploded in their hand (and it wasn't the first time this has happened to this person...)
-Someone had a run-in with a police officer
-Someone sliced their finger with a knife
-Someone was balancing on the raised bucket of the tractor while chainsawing branches and nothing bad happened but just the thought

-The barn caught fire
-The truck wouldn't start and had to be towed
-We got bees
-We also got chicks

Social distance ride - 6 feet apart, lol.

Clearing the new pasture.

Super fun and new little .22 (with night vision mwahaha).

Baking cookies!

Riding out with more friends!

And even my dad came along!

Spying on the neighbors.

More farm work.

Louie and Max going out for some farm work.

Sweetie and Pepper getting a good grooming.

Max.

Going for a Ride and Tie with a friend.

Cleaning out the Falcon. (Considering the CD player hasn't worked in years, there is a surprising large quantity of CDs....)

The Falcon: farm car!

Going for a hike with Max.

New chicks! (Cornish Rocks...meat chickens.)

Got more bees.

Went to work and there was a food truck selling doughnuts. I had no excuse.

Went for a Ride and Tie with another friend, and she grabbed this picture of me and Pepper. :)

Went for a bike and ride on the greenway with the fam.

So, yeah...QT didn't go so well.

Anyways...

Camp NaNo went well. Reached my goal. And then started on editing The Red War trilogy. And guys. I'm gonna need help. The entire 3rd book is basically gonna be rewritten, and AHHHHHHHHHHH *panics*

Hope y'all have been doing well and surviving and enjoying your Camp NaNo and warmer weather and Springtime. :)

Writer's OTP Challenge

So I stole this from MK who stole this from The Splendor Falls On Castle Walls. I have no shame, apparently.

Here are the guidelines: You can fill this out with any of your WIPs, published books, or ideas-to-be-written.

I will be using characters from The Red War, Char ne Rayft, and Heritage of Kings. I will not say which books the characters are from in hopes that that will keep spoilers to a lower rate. :)

The first OTP you wrote

Shahima and Lars. First book I ever finished (they had different names then). Shahima was trained to be an Evonian Knight, and is fierce and independent and headstrong. Lars, a Forester, is just as stubborn and ready-to-fight, only he has a sense of humor. Together they help...well...spoilers...but basically, they didn't fall in love at first sight, but became friends simply when the war threw them together and they had to save the missing king.

Your cliché OTP from an early work that you still love

HAHAHA. Drew and Georgie. Second book I wrote. Drew was 100% based off Anakin Skywalker - hot temper, impatient, long wavy red hair, even had the scar. Georgie was the typical "girls can do everything better than boys and don't even give me a hand up I can get up myself thank you very much" kinda gal. They hated each other. Then tolerated each other. Then fell in love. I'm honestly surprised my beginning-writer-self managed to tie in their love story fairly neatly and realistically.

A hate-to-love OTP you’ve written. (Or your favorite, if you’ve written several)

Rashida and Coden. They were betrothed by their parents. Rashida hated Coden from the start, he tried his best to tolerate her though she frankly annoyed him to no end. Throw in some adventures (like scryrens, mysterious runes, and the end of the world) and they soon learned how to get along.

Your OTP with the craziest relationship

Gerim and Vanyar. Like, wow. Vanyar speaks several languages, has no social skills or filter, claims to be an historian, and has an extremely good sense of smell. Gerim is a wood right by trade, doesn't know what danger is, and is 100% down for any insane plan anyone has. I'm surprised they are both still alive.

Your best dressed OTP

Probably Cade and Jewel. She's super artsy and also makes a lot of their clothes herself, so she always makes sure their clothes are looking nice. Especially as they're both royalty (though middle children, so not in line for any thrones).

Star-crossed love: your forbidden love OTP

Hmmm. Actually don't really have one? Rashida was in love with another guy when she was betrothed to Coden, but I didn't ship her with that person. I also believe Georgie's parents weren't too thrilled about her getting engaged to a Kalt (Drew), but once they met him, they were fine with it.

Your funniest OTP

Joshi and Vop. Technically Joshi is a little teen boy and Vop is a strudel (though anything passed on as edible in the Shep Kingdom is liable to be suspect), but they were inseparable for an entire book, so I'm counting them as a funny OTP.

Your OTP with the healthiest relationship

Probably Rhun and Rabe. They have the most brain cells out of anyone in the entire series. He's a born leader, and she is sweet, and they just work together really well. They know how to put up with each other.

Your sweetest, most adorable OTP

Marra and Nato. Like, she's a princess with anger issues who was exiled from her home for many years, and Nato? Umm....his brother is someone important, and Nato just kind of went along on the trip for some excitement, and next thing you know he's been captured by slavers along with the sister of the Wolf Lord and the pirates for some reason think they're married and that the random orphan that was hanging around is apparently their son??

The OTP who snuck up on you, the one you didn't expect to love

Um...Riley and Lianna. She technically isn't in the series, but I wanted to find how what happened to Riley after the books ended, and wrote my own little fanfic novella thing, and Lianna showed up and at first she thought he was weird and he was kind of a little wary of her but wow they continued being awkward but it's all cool.

Your moodiest OTP

Rodian. The moody third-wheel (because I'm running out of OTPs and don't want to double-up). He gets to stand around and be grumpy while everyone else is spending time with their true love. Thinks he knows better than everyone, and would probably rather live in the woods by himself but he happens to like his friends (though he may not admit that to their face).

A class-crossed OTP you’ve written

Cadren and Tanneran. He's one of the Dreman Mountain Kings, and she was born a slave. And also tried to kill him a few times. They're both super awkward and shy and sweet, I love them to bits.

An OTP you wrote that most people don’t ship

So not many people have read my books, oddly enough...but I originally wrote Marywyn's ending in a way that she married a guy named Nahale. In the meantime, I totally shipped her with Duren. And finally Sarah looked at me and said "You're the author, you can change that." So I did.

Your very favorite OTP you'll love for the rest of your days

Marywyn and Duren. After all they've been through, it's only fair to let them continue looking out for each other. She comforts him and he encourages her. And I could ramble on and on about them but I won't. :)

Feel free to steal this tag, y'all! Let's share our favorite OTPs!!