Know the Novel Part 2: Dragon Tales Progress *Or Lack Thereof
by
R.F. Gammon
- November 06, 2023
Hey guys! NaNo/FicFrenzy/whatever you're participating in is in full swing, so I'm writing from the cave to report my progress (hint: none). I always do Know the Novel, but this is honestly not much news. But I shall share anyway :D
1. How’s the writing going overall?
I haven't written much in October-November because...busy. I've had work, school, lots of babysitting, and a principal role in my school's play (actually the biggest time-eater). But I'm at over 50k at this point, and the midpoint twist is close. Very, very close. At least...I think it is? I am the Struggle with the actual plot of this book.
2. What’s been the most fun aspect about writing this novel so far?
Definitely getting to know these characters. I'm absolutely in love with them, as I usually am with my babies, but this set is special. I'm also loving deep-diving into this worldbuilding because GOODNESS I am in love.
3. What do you think of your characters at this point? Who’s your favorite to write about?
Nicolas and Elizabeta (Z) are definitely my favorites. They're such little disaster beans and I adore them. But also all of them are driving me crazy. I have a handful of new ones--including a seductive inventor, an easily irritated sidekick, a crotchety and territorial princess, and a cowboy villain with a toothpick and blazing guns. They've been a handful and then some.
4. Has your novel surprised you in any way?
Yes. Every way, tbh. I'm exhausted by it already. I really thought it would be easier to plot and I also thought the romance would be easier to write. The good news: at least I have a clear idea of what needs editing.
5. Have you come across any problem areas?
The characters? The plot? Everything? Idk, we'll get there. It's a hot mess overall, but I'm really excited about finishing it. My biggest problem, tbh, has been pulling the plot into a cohesive piece. I usually have a plot in my head for an entire series, but I really tend to struggle with the Act 1 portion that is book one. I thiiiiink this book is a trilogy opener, but that means I'm still trying to get to know the characters and introduce their conflicts, so we Struggle.
6. What’s been your biggest victory with writing this novel at this point?
Actually having multiple villains! Normally I struggle with making villains be anything other than a hidden little force in the background. But this time I have...what, five? It's a problem. I really do need to work on that plot.
7. 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 suspect I'd end up being Delphi, tbh, because her emotional struggles are heavily based on me. I probably would be less high-strung (I say, like that's actually true). I'm honestly very similar to Delphi.
8. Give us the first sentence or paragraph then 2 (or 3!) more favorite snippets!
The first snippet in the book:
With the last gasp of breath in his lungs, Nic slammed the needle into his leg.
The greyness of his vision cleared. The fog fell away, and Nic landed on his back, breathing hard into the sky. Or what would’ve been a sky anywhere else. Hundreds of feet up, the roof of the Underground spun into view. He needed water. Or vinegar. Or something.
“Drink milk after you take the cure,” the black-market dealer had said. Then he’d paused. “Oh, wait. I suppose milk won’t help in your case, will it?”
No, milk would do nothing. Nic clawed for his water bottle and chugged several sips without letting himself pause for breath. There was no way to know what had been in the vendor’s food, what had nearly poisoned him. It could have been nearly anything. He’d thought some black beans cooked in water would be fine, but they must have had peanut oil or something mixed in. Or parsley. He had terrible reactions to parsley.
He groaned and rubbed his eyes. This was awful. They only had three of the cures left, and he was low on money. But he could think of no other way out. They needed more emergency needles or the next time he accidentally ate something would be his last.
~
Delphinium stood in the hallway before all the court. They were all gathered before her in silence, lords and ladies, men and women, everyone who had permission to be in these halls. The guards stood between the crowd and her. She was in the center of the Great Hall. The summons to war had just come. The entire region of Cliffside was raging about the fact that the king had accepted and declared war on their own people.
But the court stood to watch their princess go to war. They were calm and silent, despite the fact that they’d seen her rage in fire in the arena. Perhaps they assumed that her ability to do that would do well in the heat of battle. Perhaps it was not the sort of thing one talked about. Perhaps the royal family could be full of traitors, but not monsters.
The royal standard bearer, Morgan, came forward. He was a middle aged man, his dark beard thick on his chin. He bore a blade, still sheathed, in his hands. Flanking him came the captain of the guard, Callum, and the general of all the armies, Mirkham. They were dressed in ceremonial dark colors, dark shades of gray.
Delphi glanced back over her shoulder. She stood at the base of the stairs to the throne for the ritualistic ceremony. Curtis backed her, her second in case of her own death, standing two stairs up. The rest of her family was on the top of the raised stage, sitting on their thrones. Father was in his throne, the scepter in his hand, his robe spilling down past the first step down. Quincia sat at his side, her face pale and her eyes wide. The two princesses sat on the other side. Delphi’s throne, at her father’s right hand, was purposely empty. In going to war, she cut herself off from her family.
She turned back to the standard bearer and raised her right hand.
“I go to war,” she said, her voice ringing through the room. “I atone for my wrongs. I will bring back a standard of peace. Our own standards will never fall.”
~
He certainly couldn’t go back to the house. He charged right past it. His feet were pounding, echoing off the rocky ceiling. Or maybe that was just his imagination. His heart pounded. His throat burned.
Hadn’t he been through enough?
He wanted to go home.
Pain lashed across his rib cage.
Nic’s scream made his throat go raw. He was on his hands and knees, hands clawing at the stones. The world went white from pain. Nic reeled, still screaming, as another arrow ripped into him. Then another. His lungs were collapsing. His ribs were cracking. He couldn’t even draw breath to scream.
Another arrow slammed into him. Its point hit something. One single, sharp moment threw the entire world into clarity—one moment where he knew, with dark, sickening clarity, that the arrow had hit his heart.
He fell to his knees and the world went dark.
The end.
9. Share an interesting tidbit about the writing process so far! (For example: Have you made any hilarious typos? Derailed from your outline? Killed off a character? Changed projects entirely? Anything you want to share!)
Nothing off the top of my head, tbh. However: I have added a character named Ariana whose entire purpose is Sass. She is a character that came out of nowhere but adds so much to the book. A little bit of Ariana for your viewing pleasure:
“I want to leave,” Ariana sang out, her voice low and husky in her throat. “I want to go home to someone who loves me. Doesn’t that sound nice?”
Cyril glared. “I need you to help me.”
Ariana let out a long sigh. “I just want to go home. Not that I currently have a home. But I’m going to do my best.”
“We’ll make a home someday,” he promised.
“As long as that doesn’t mean marriage to you.” She curled her lip.
“Don’t worry. I’d never marry you.”
“You better not.” She glared at him. “Let’s go. Please and thank you.”
10. 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!
There is literally no routine or rhythm or anything to this book. I just write what I can when I can, screaming the whole time. It's usually around 1am when I finally get the chance to write (see point 1: I am relatively busy screaming in a French accent until then because of the play). But it's going to get written and I will HOPEFULLY have more progress to report pretty soon.
So there you have it: my writing progress so far for this project. I would love to have better news, but this is just life sometimes. Please lmk in the comments how you're doing with NaNo/FicFrenzy/whatever project you're up to!
