What's Your WIP? Blog Tag

Welcome, readers, to a very different kind of post—a blog tag. 

In case you're thinking to yourself, "what does that even mean?" I'll explain. A blog tag is a kind of challenge. There are rules to follow and steps to complete, and once you're done, you pick a few friends to do the same thing on their blog. 

The "What's your WIP?" blog tag is for fiction writers, and though I haven't posted very much about my writing here, I'll give it a go today. 

(A note for the non-writer: WIP stands for Work In Progress.)

I was tagged by Rose Q. Addams of Rewrites with a Faerie Pen. Check out her blog for fairy tale retellings, book reviews, and wonderful thoughts on bookish things from a Christian perspective. 

 

The Rules    

-   Thank the person who tagged you & link to their blog. (Thanks again, Rose!)
-   Link back to the creator and add the tag graphic. (That would be Katja from Little Blossoms for Jesus.)
-   List the rules.
-   Answer the questions. Feel free to add snippets!
-   Tag as many or as few people as you wish & let them know they’re tagged.
-   Add a clean copy of the questions at the end of your post for the tagged.

 

The Questions:

Has your WIP a working title? If so, tell us! If not, have you any idea of what it might be?

I do have a working title—but it doesn't make sense to anyone but me. I call it "Underworld Prevella." 

Yes, I'm aware that those aren't actual words, but let me explain. "Underworld" is the series name. I originally got the idea to write the second book in the series, and that one is set underground (in the titular Underworld). But the backstory for that novel ended up being so much more interesting to me, so that's the project that I ended up finishing. 

"Prevella" is a combination of the word "prequel" and "novella." Originally, that's what it was: the prequel novella to the main book in the series. 

It has now graduated to the main book, demoting the original to a sequel. And it's a full-fledged novel now, not a novella. But Prevella it remains.

I'm bad at titles. 

 

Have you a synopsis for your WIP? If so, give it to us! If not, can you give us a blurb on what your WIP is about?

The blurb: 

When the petty noble Telem Hannary accuses Marden of theft, she loses her reputation and livelihood, destroying her last chance at protecting her aging mother and younger brother. Her only option is to join the Resisters, a group of rebels who fight the tyrannical Triumvirate and their Regulators—but when Resister groups begin to vanish without a trace, Marden fears that her new family might be taken from her too.

 

Have you a working/mock cover for your WIP? If so, show us! If not, have you an idea in mind?

Not only do I have no cover, I have no ideas for one. 

I'm bad at graphics.

 

How did you get the idea for this story?

The seed of it came to me in a dream. I dream in stories, you see, and this dream was particularly vivid—so when I woke up, I had to write it down. 

It was quite random. But I sent it to a friend, and she liked it, and I was in need of a new project at the time, so... 

One and a half years later, that scene is no longer actually in the book. It didn't fit. But it was a jumping off point, and I'm glad for what it began. 

 

How long do you think it will be? Is it longer or shorter than you thought it would be?

The first draft: 73,088 words, 153 pages. 

Again, I'd expected it to be a novella, so it's about twice as long as I'd thought. (And took six months longer to write.)

 

Who's your favorite character so far?

That would be Levin, the younger brother of my main character. He's rambunctious, good-natured, and entirely too reckless for his own good—getting in fistfights to defend the family honor is not the activity that his older sister would choose for him.

Honorable mention goes to Kida, a street urchin who fends for herself in the most dangerous city in the country. She only shows up very briefly, but I just love writing children with strong personalities. 

 

What’s your favourite memory related to this WIP?

Writing death scenes and getting yelled at for it. 

I don't know why that's my favorite. 

 

Any special person(s) who helped create it?

That would be my friend and brainstorming buddy, Emma S. She's helped me out of rough spots, gotten invested in the characters, and been the most amazing cheerleader I could have asked for—thank you very much, Emma! 

 

What’s your favourite scene so far (if you can tell about it without spoilers!)?

I absolutely cannot tell you without spoilers. They are all very spoilery.

In vague terms, though, I really enjoyed writing the scene where Kida is introduced. And, of course, the aforementioned death scene... again, I don't know why that's my favorite.

 

Can you give us a snippet?

“Good evening, Marden!” Mother sang out as I pushed open the door and set the sack on the table. “How is my daughter this fine evening?” 

I snorted. Fine evening indeed. “I’m not dead, Mother. How are you?” 

“As good as ever!” she said cheerfully, and I looked over to where she was kneeling in the corner. “Did the fish bite?” 

I did a double take. “Levin! What happened to you?” 

Levin, my ten-year-old brother with entirely far too much rambunctiousness for his own good, grinned at me, displaying a black eye and a bleeding elbow with pride. Mother swatted at him and brought his elbow back down so she could continue bandaging it, but that didn’t dampen his grin. “Don’t worry, I won,” he said cheerfully. 

“I’m not worried about that,” I said, stepping around the table to examine the damage further. He looked less scraped up than usual, I decided, but that wasn’t saying much. “Levin, you need to control yourself. You can’t be getting into fights all the time.” 

Levin groaned, tipping his head back. “Marden. I do control myself.” 

“You do not,” I said sternly. “Getting into fights every other week is not controlling yourself. It’s reckless.” 

Mother rested her hand on Levin’s good arm. “Levin, dear, I think Marden just wishes that you’d be a little more careful. We all want what’s best for you.” 

“Well, if you heard what happened you wouldn’t say I wasn’t careful,” Levin said matter-of-factly. 

I sighed. “Who was it this time?” 

“Jesin,” he said, the bright expression on his face souring to as near as hate as a boy as young as Levin could muster. “He said that Mother was crazy for marrying Father. And that Father was a dirty criminal. And if you think that I could let that go, then you’re the crazy one.” 

I glanced at Mother. She had clearly heard the story before, as I noticed only a slight downturn to her lips. Though her pain would be hidden to an observer, I had learned to see her like no one but Father had ever been able to. “So you attacked Jesin for saying that?” 

Levin nodded firmly. “And I would have beat him, too, only Charel broke it up before I knocked him down. I had to make him stop saying that, Marden.” 

I bit my lip to stop myself from smiling. His simple childish determination was frustrating, yes, but also endearing. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay. But, Levin, you really have to stop getting into fights. It’s dangerous.” 

“It’s not dangerous!” Levin protested. “I’m fine even if I lose. Look, this isn’t even as bad as the time I fell out of the oak tree by the town, and I wasn’t even in a fight then.” 

I shook my head. “I don’t mean that kind of dangerous. I mean that you could get yourself involved in a kind of trouble that you can’t handle.” 

“I can handle it,” Levin said stubbornly. “Stop acting like Mom.” 

Mother laughed, a sound that we heard far too little of these days, and finished wrapping up the bandage on Levin’s arm. I frowned slightly as I realized that it was made of the same material as Mother’s old apron. “Oh, Levin. I must say, though, Marden is right that you need to keep yourself out of trouble.” She tapped him on the nose, and he crossed his eyes trying to look at her finger. “One of these days, you’re going to have to realize that you have to choose your fights with wisdom.” 

“Fighting Jesin about you is wisdom,” Levin insisted, crossing his arms to better display his new war wound. “Neither of you two have to worry about anybody talking bad about you when I’m around. I’ll make them change their mind.”

 

Is the story still what you thought it would be or has it thrown you a couple curveballs?

Given that I thought I'd finish in November and actually finished in May, I'd say there have been a few curveballs, albeit minor. Some of my favorite characters were invented on a whim, and I'm very glad they were. But on the whole, the plot has stayed the same. 

 

Is there a Bible verse, poem, hymn, picture, or quote that helped shape this story?

Proverbs 25:26 embodies the theme rather well. "Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked." However, it didn't shape the story—I found it just now after googling the theme. 

For the second book, though, I'm thinking about forgiveness. Matthew 5:43–44 - "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

 

When and where have you done most of the writing so far?

The first half was written between 6 and 7 AM, sometimes on the kitchen floor. 

The second half was written at my desk, usually in a chair, like a sensible human. 

 

Where do you get inspiration for this story?

From the story itself, honestly. I've gotten to know these characters quite well over the last year and a half, and when I'm feeling stuck I have imaginary conversations with them. They're great motivators, except for when I kill them. 

If you're not a writer, you are probably feeling very concerned at this point. Don't be. This is normal. 

 

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Plotter all the way. Pantsing is for people who don't mind being lost.

 

Do you have a little ritual before you start writing?

I try to pray before writing, but I often forget. It's a good habit, though. 

 

Are you thinking of publishing this story?

Heh. 

Definitely not. This story is nowhere near publishable—it's the first project I've actually finished, and it has so many problems that I simply don't know how to fix. 

Perhaps I'll come back to it many years from now when I'm more experienced. I do like the story. 

 

What things have you learned while writing this story?

Saving the best for last, huh? 

I've learned that grief is hard. That bonds between loved ones are strong, and breaking them can give you whiplash. 

I've learned that you can spend so much time in someone's head that you begin to think like them, and that isn't always good.

I've learned to treasure what I have, because not everyone is so lucky. 

I've learned that writing is hard. 

And I'm still learning to let go of perfectionism, to be still and know that God is in control even if my skill isn't good enough, and that all of my stories are his. 

 

And that's all the questions! Now, to tag people: 

- Desiree at Flight Patterns

- Annabelle at Pen and Ink  

 

The questions: 

• Has your WIP a working title? If so, tell us! If not, have you any idea of what it might be?
• Have you a synopsis for your WIP? If so, give it to us! If not, can you give us a blurb on what your WIP is about?
• Have you a working/mock cover for your WIP? If so, show us! If not, have you an idea in mind?
• How did you get the idea for this story?
• How long do you think it will be? Is it longer or shorter than you thought it would be?
• Who’s your favourite character so far?
• What’s your favourite memory related to this WIP?
• Any special person(s) who helped create it?
• What’s your favourite scene so far (if you can tell about it without spoilers!)?
• Can you give us a snippet?
• Is the story still what you thought it would be or has it thrown you a couple curveballs?
• Is there a Bible verse, poem, hymn, picture, or quote that helped shape this story?
• When and where have you done most of the writing so far?
• Where do you get inspiration for this story?
• Are you a plotter or a pantser?
• Do you have a little ritual before you start writing?
• Are you thinking of publishing this story?
• What things have you learned while writing this story?

 

And that's a wrap! This isn't a typical article, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway.

Do you like reading fantasy? Do you like reading in general? What's your favorite book? 

Lord willing, see you Monday for a slightly more normal post.