Beautiful Books 2016: Novel Update

Welcome, blogglings, to the second edition of Beautiful Books, hosted by Cait and Sky! And…it’s all about your NaNoWriMo novel!

Quick catch up about mine:

Called Witches Black & Silver, Italy-based epic fantasy world, witches, magic, burning, diversity, talking crows and cats, cute girls, and basic shenanigans. You can read last month’s post for more information.

I’m currently running a little bit behind on my novel right now, mostly thanks to midterms, which are today (or Monday, as I’m writing this), so any free time  have at home is dedicated to studying. I don’t think I’ve finished a book in a week (it’s horrifying, I know).

I am, however, catching up, thanks to the Write or Die website, which I’m both loving and hating at the same time, but it totally works and I’m slowly but surely catching up. I think I’ve written 6k words in the past two days. It’s awesome.

Onwards with the questions!

Overall, how is your mental state, and how is your novel going?

Mental state is somewhat shot, but that has less to do with novel and more to do with school. And my novel’s going well. Currently just in the stages of introducing all the characters and whatnot, but I’m enjoying it because I love my characters, and I get to right All The Food. I mean, this is set in an Italy-based world. Italians love food.

What’s your first sentence (or paragraph)?

I notice the smell before I notice the screams. Smoke, thick and heavy, invading my lungs, coiling around my gut and squeezing tight.

Who’s your current favourite character in your novel?

Favorite is probably River, my MC, just as all-around favorite. But I have to say, my favorite to write so far is Lissandra, the familiar. I mean, she’s a talking cat. She’s vain and lazy and somewhat rude and I love her.

What do you love about your novel so far?

Remember how I mentioned the food?

Have you made any hilarious typos or other mistakes?

“indicnetly”. It was supposed to be “indignantly.” No idea why the C’s in there.

What is your favourite to write: beginning, middle, or end — and why?

I love writing the ending. It’s where everything starts to tie up, and maybe starts to set up the sequel, and it tends to be the most action-packed part of the novel, with the highest stakes, plus it’s just so satisfying to write “the end”. There’s not a better feeling in the world.

What are your writing habits? Is there a specific snack you eat? Do you listen to music? What time of day do you write best? Feel free to show us a picture of your writing space!

I actually don’t really have any habits. I wrote 2k words on the kitchen floor earlier for no reason other than that’s just where I got an idea. I just tend to kind of go into the writing zone, and just bang out words until I’m out of the zone.

How private are you about your novel while you’re writing? Do you need a cheer squad or do you work alone (like, ahem, Batman)?

People on the internet hear all about my novel. Like, all about it. But people I know I real life…well, some of them don’t even know I’m participating in NaNoWriMo. Some of them only figured it out because they happened to find me muttering to myself about medieval punishments for witchcraft. And they didn’t buy my excuse that it was for homework.

Admittedly, I do go to culinary school.

What keeps you writing even when it’s hard?

The satisfaction of finishing. The knowledge, that, one day, this might be the novel that gets published. And, of course, the pressure to get that purple bar on your profile.

What are your top 3 pieces of writing advice?

USE WRITE OR DIE. Seriously. I’m addicted to it now.

Talk to other writers. Go to a write in, chat on the forums, meet other bloggers who write. Writing can feel like very lonely thing, and sometimes that’s a creativity killer.

Just stick to it. Do anything you have to. If you have to lock yourself in a room with a notebook and a pen and nothing else to write, do it.

Also, don’t forget to eat.

Happy Monday,