Why, hello! Now that I have a new book idea that I’ve fully committed to (and not just act like I’ve committed to it, DB) I’m entering this rising author tag!
I’m sure all of us have been like ‘Ooh shiny new idea!’, pick it up, write like 2 or 5k of it and then put it back down and immediately reach for a new idea. Or at least that’s me. Those of you who stick to an idea, how is that like and can you teach me your secrets?
No one actually tagged me in this but I saw it on Ruby Rae Reads (well, a couple of other places too, but most recently on Ruby’s blog, so feel free to enter the tag as well! Questions come from various posts, though I don’t know if there’s an official list of questions so I just took questions that I like.
What’s your current WIP about?
**Synopsis is simplified here**
Des, a bounty hunter, is tasked to bring back The Sacred Scrolls, but also picks up a traveller in the form of Pierce – who’s recently found out he’s the Queen’s brother.
It’s YA, it’s fantasy, it has giants and magic – I’m pretty proud of my brain. Des is this tough guy who’s all about action and the thrill of a job; while Pierce is a sort of a soft person and gardener. And I’m thinking of all the things I want to put in the draft and I’m pretty happy about writing it. Its current title is Here Be Giants: The Sacred Scrolls, or a shortened version is Giants.
Do you plot things out and/or outline, or do you just figure it out as you write?
Lol, yeah, so normally I have a simple plot and then I just try to write it BUT this time I am trying with an outline! I’ve found that so far (when writing this post, I’m still in Chapter 1) that it is actually helpful writing an outline, even though I haven’t reached Chapter 5 of the outline – but I’m hoping inspiration comes to me (or rather when I’m half asleep and then I remember maybe half of it).
How do you name your characters?
Okay, so Des was because I flicked through a baby name book really fast and then stopped on a ‘D’ page. Then saw Des and just fell in love with it. Pierce was basically chosen thanks to Pierce Brosnan. With all other characters, I get them from movie and series credits, my yearbook, or I just think of a letter and look through all the names and wait for something to jump out at me.
What was the worst thing you ever wrote?
Normally it would be something for school (as all the writing assignments have the worst prompts). But my worst ‘story’ was definitely when I was in Grade 8 and in the height of my Twilight phase. So, what I did was I took my 4-in-1 pens (yes, those types where you would try to push down all 4 levers/whatever they’re actually called) and wrote a story that was basically an AU of Twilight. First of all, my handwriting was just the absolute worst. I used to change colours like all the time! ‘Edward’s’ character was named Tourmaline – don’t even ask me why. Jasper and Alice were renamed as Jandy/Jendy (like, DB, are you sure your brain was working?). I believe the main character could turn into a dragon. There’s no way but up from here I guess.
What’s something you’ve written that you’re proud of?
It’s a piece written for a dystopian/sci-fi draft I never finished (mentioned below). Wrote 600 or so words in one sitting, but I think I’ll rewrite it to work for my current WIP. I’m very proud of it because it’s so raw and made me feel all the feels – I also cried a bit while writing it so that led me to thinking about how much my readers would cry when reading it (I’m really nice, I promise).
What are some book ideas you want to write in the future?
Oh, boy. Ok, so I was writing this dystopian/sci-fi draft where people can only save 100 people but I never reached past 10k and the story didn’t make sense. Maybe I’ll go back to it sometime in the future. There’s also this YA summer camp idea I wrote a bit (like 20k or so) back in my last year of high school so maybe I’ll work on that later. I have this one idea of a YA fantasy like Survivor but with creatures. There’s this other idea of this girl and her therapist having to go ‘inside the girl’s brain’ – via hypnosis or virtual reality, not really sure. Apparently, I want to write it in 2nd person, mostly because I like torturing myself, I guess. But I try not to think about those things because if they spend a minute in my mind they tend to stay there for the next 3 months.
Can you do other things while writing?
I try to listen to the WIP’s playlist (which is still growing so if you guys know of any fantasy songs/scores, like anything that makes you think of travelling in the woods or battling giants, let me know, thanks). But I mostly watch series while writing, it calms my mind to have to focus on two tasks at once.
Do you let other people read your writing?
I talk about my WIP to my best friend (also a writer) aka I ask a plot or character question and then while I’m waiting for her to answer me (curse these time zones) I come up with a solution. Other people – like beta readers – will probably only read the fourth or fifth draft or tenth draft (or whichever one sounds the best). But other other people – like my parents and friends? Hahahaha uhm no.
What’s your favourite thing to write about?
I love worldbuilding! Which is why I love fantasy so much because with worldbuilding you get to choose everything. How the towns look, the common professions, even really simple things like weekend markets in the centre of towns. I also love writing dialogue, because it’s mostly me writing my little sarcastic hearts out.
What’s your favourite genre to write about?
Much like my favourite reading genre, it’s fantasy! I love all the different worlds and the magic that comes with it and the magical creatures that you find in the novel.
What do you find the easiest part of writing? And the hardest part?
For me, the easiest part (and nicest) is when I sit down and write and the words just come out of me. When the writing just flows and whatever else I’m doing – watching a series or listening to music sort of falls into the background and my mind thinking out the next words and the sound of my fingers on the keyboard (I’m a loud typer, but I actually like it) falls into the foreground like I LIKE THAT?! MORE PLEASE!!
The hardest part is having to sit down and try to write while there’s no words in you and then the aftermath. Like those days where you’re only able to write 50 or 300 words and then you think back to the previous day, or the day before that where you wrote 5k or 2k. That’s the hardest part – knowing that you had days where you nearly broke your keyboard trying to get all the words out and then having days where you barely touched the keyboard.
Show your WIP’s aesthetic in images or words (or both)
The aesthetic is my lockscreen, actually. The aesthetic is to remind me to actually work on my WIP and not just think about it.
All right, I’m done and dusted! Time to write some really really overdue reviews and then I’ll write a bit!
So long and thanks for all the fish.
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DB's Guide to the Galaxy 
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