Name your yearly writing goals!

Which goal are you most looking forward to starting/finishing? Why?

(a single sneak peek from the Super Secret Project! More info coming very, very soon. ;))

Is there any goal that you aren't very enthusiastic about completing? Why?

Did you maybe set too many goals for the year? ;)

How do you keep on track/accountable with your goals?

Have you told your family about any of your goals? What do they think of your goals?

Are you planning to do NaNoWriMo in November? If so, what will you be writing? 

Yes, I am! My hope/goal is to write Pentegreens book 4 for NaNo, which would be very ambitious indeed but which needs to happen. I want to wrap this thing up and kill all your favorites get my characters to the end of their story. It's going to be a massive novel. I have no idea how long it's going to be but it'll be huge and will answer every unanswered question and destroy everything and have six points of view and OOF. I'm already exhausted thinking about it. (And yes, it has a title, but I've decided to do the trendy thing and keep that title a secret! Mwahahaha.)

(In case you're wondering, the random guy in the bottom middle is Errol Redow. Also, Esma's on the villain row because she didn't fit anywhere else. Oh well.)

Are you nervous about any of your goals? Are some of them out of your comfort zone?

How are you doing on your goals so far?

The Questions

What projects are you working on besides Camp NaNo in April?

Give us some more info on these other projects--maybe an aesthetic or synopsis.

“Are you asking for death?”

“Only if it’s a worthy one.”

Rishatta Woods knew the cost of the choices he made in the forest near the Pentegreens’ city, but now that it’s time for him to pay up, he’s wondering: did he make the right choice after all?

His failure made known to Lord Dauthang, General Burashna turns once again to the conquest of his lifelong enemies the Pentegreens, striking them with a paralyzing blow that leaves the city of Misue reeling. Backed by his loyal daughter, his success seems assured.

Princess Esma Pentegreen has never seen herself as much more than a pawn. But when she finds herself isolated and surrounded by enemies, one thing is clear to her: They will not get her without a fight.

As the simmering pot prepares to boil, it becomes obvious that only one man can win this fight. But the question is: Who?

Also, aesthetics.

(If you wanna know how the dynamic of a certain family is working in this book, listen to The Riddle. It's 100% accurate.)

I know I did the right thing. But does it have to be so hard?

Not in love? Oh, please, if you don't see it, you're even more foolish than I thought.

He has eyes like the sky...and I thought I was strong until I saw them

What you wanted wasn't love. It was destruction. 

She has chosen her loyalty, just as you chose yours. The only difference is that your sister chose our family. You chose the enemy.

You were worth it

Which project is grabbing at your attention the most?

Do you have any plans for how you're going to finish these projects on the side?

If you had to set all projects aside and work on only one, which would it be?

What is the next step for each of these projects?

Share a snippet from these projects.

"Lord Dauthang will not be pleased with either of us if he does not get her in a timely fashion.” [name redacted b/c spoiler] gestured to Esma’s left side. “Frankly, he will already not be at all pleased with the… situation… regarding her arm.”

Esma’s heart stuttered, but she finally managed, “Would you stop talking about me like I’m some sort of good to barter for at a marketplace?”

Do you have any non-writing goals to complete during Camp NaNo?

Do these non-writing goals come before or after Camp in importance? 

The Questions

What WIP are you working on this Camp NaNo?

Book 3 of the Pentegreen series (again), The Winter's Chill.

What goal did you set for it, and why did you choose that goal?

Can you give us a short synopsis of the WIP?

How long have you been working on this WIP?

Where did the idea come from?

Do you think you'll be able to meet your goal? Why or why not?

Did you make any goals for March (Camp Prep)? Were you able to fulfill those?

Are there any aesthetics/music you'd like to share? Any goals related to these artistic endeavors?

They called us the villains, brother. But no more. Now we rise.

One drop of blood. Worth so much.

Share a snippet from your WIP.

It is time! 

Introduce your side characters, explain what makes them unique, and maybe explain their relationship to the MC.

Sort of how he looks? He's a LOOOOOOT more muscular than this...and darker in complexion too... From Pinterest

An absolutely perfect image of Derek, although he might be a little darker than this... From Pinterest

Kariana when her hair is red...no one actually knows what her face and hair actually look like. From Pinterest

Chose this one b/c he kind of has the right look....I'm not sure if it's quite right but we'll settle. From Pinterest

Pretty much the perfect pic of Bernathel.... From Artstation

(Don't have a pic of him at the moment....)

The last of the good guys I'll deal with is Clarence Redow, who I guess fills the role of the Love Interest? Esma's had a crush on him since she was about ten and now it seems like he's finally starting to return her interest. I....don't actually know what his power is. (#Whoops) He's not a character I care a ton about. So. XD Esma likes him. So. We roll with it.

Clarence, basically: from Pinterest

Provide snippets from your WIP for each of the side characters (can include villain).

Which of your characters is closest to the MC?

How do the good guys work together as a team?

How do they clash with one another?

Describe your villain/antagonist in 3 words.

Why is your villain bad?

Is the villain the "I work alone" type, or the kind who has a ton of minions?

How does your villain walk and talk?

"Do you not want victory? Is there not something remarkable about the idea of encasing the Pentegreens in ice?...Destroy their city, destroy their dynasty, and finally, we get the place back...."

What are the villain's main mannerisms that define him?

Week 3 of the F(ive) part Writing Special!!!!!!!

Introduce your Main Character:  

How are the goals of the main character and the villain clashing?

What motivates your MC?

What lie does your MC believe in?

What is one trait the MC disapproves of in herself?  

What does the MC love about herself?

What is your MC’s greatest strength and weakness?

What does your MC like to do when she's bored?

What does the MC look like?  (Bonus points for picture)

Thanks to Deviantart for this image

Via Pinterest

From Pinterest

How is your MC similar to and different from you?

What would we immediately notice upon stepping into your storyworld? (What would stand out the most)

Well, pretty much every person in Sildalone has a "power" or enhanced ability that allows them to do things that ordinary humans couldn't. It's not magic--it's more like X-Men, I guess. Some people are stronger than others, and some are closer to superpowered (like many of my most important characters.)

The range of these powers is all over. My protagonist has, as she puts it at one point in frustration, "the power to string words together" (or to give excellent speeches, which is useful when you're a princess!) Another character has the uncomfortable power of making people cold. One character can create lightning storms. The most interesting thing I've found is that making one villainous character a mirror of one of the good guys creates a cool effect. (For example, one of my main villains has the power of ice; one of the heroes has the power of fire.)

My book's aesthetic, basically: from Pinterest

What place in this world (Earth) most reminds you of your world? 

From Pinterest

Are there specific food/dining habits particular to this world?

Okay.

As mentioned above, there are four main countries.

One of them, Brue, doesn't really feature in the story at all because it's kind of that walled-in-totalitarian-society that no one gets into and no one gets out of. I didn't choose to focus on it much. Mostly because there's just not enough room.

The other one that I don't deal much with is the Southlands (yes, I am now ripping off of Goldstone Wood; deal with it. XD). Mostly farmland. Mostly peasants. I don't know a ton about it.

Then there's Venaria, where everything used to be rich and beautiful and the defining characteristics of the people are: Arrogant. Beautiful. Powerful. They're a ton of fun to write, even though their society is kind of being crushed under the heel of occupation and I wish I could do more to help them out of it...

And finally, we have Lascogine (I'm not sure if I ever actually use that name within the story. This must be remedied.) The capital city, Misue, is where my protagonist lives with her family, and so that's where most of this first book takes place. The others will be a little more all over the place. Lascogine contains a broad range of places, from the Mise (which needs a name change because it's too similar to the capital city) which is kind of the slum of the world and is inhabited by a ton of people with knock-off British accents; to the Northern Sector which is all farmland and fun times.

Misue as a city is large, and kind of that stereotypical walled fortress that fantasy is known for. However, there is trade and commerce that happens there, and the city is not just a means to itself.

While this is not quite what the castle looks like, the coloring is accurate; everything in Misue is made of white stone. Faith totally didn't rip this off of Minas Tirith when she was eleven, not at all....From Pinterest

Are there biases in your world, and how do they define the people? Is there a class structure and how would it affect the characters?

There's not really any sort of class structure, but my book does center on the elite (seeing as my protagonist is the princess) and I haven't yet spent a lot of time dealing with all of that. Just yet, anyway.

I guess the one thing I will say is that where you live does affect how wealthy you are? Like, the people of Misue tend to be fairly well off; the people in the Mise are typically very poor; the people of the Northern Sector are farmers and content with that.

That's about all I can come up with.

What belief structures/ worldviews do your characters hold?  What are some philosophies of your story?

How is trade carried out in the story world, and how do the cities and nations interact with one another?

Are there any unique or special traditions or celebrations that your world is known for?

Are there any significant historical events that affected the way your world is now?

What do you love most about your world?