Beautiful People - Danica

So when I asked my beta readers who I should interview, everyone said different characters. (I love you girls but you need to get better at agreeing.) Two of the characters already have painfully awkward and outdated interviews, so we're going with the other one - Danica! She is my sweet little INFJ genius made of stardust and quiet comfort, and I love her dearly.
   As usual, I'm joining Beautiful People, a linkup hosted by Cait @ Paper Fury and Sky @ Further Up and Further In, who are both wonderful people that you should follow right now. I mean it. Go follow them. I'll wait.

   So without further ado, let's get to know Danica!

1. What’s their favourite book/movie/play/etc.?
   Well, she's from a fantasy world, and her family is far too poor to own any books. But if she lived in our world...
Book: Jane Eyre, The Raven Cycle, Harry Potter(duh)
Movie: Beauty and the Beast, Labyrinth
Play: Phantom of the Opera

2. Is there anything they regret doing?
   She regrets being awkward and bad with people, because that makes it hard for her to fit in and have friends.

3. If they were sick or wounded, who would take care of them and how?
   Danica is usually the one taking care of the sick or wounded, but if she needed someone to take care of her, she'd trust Egin and/or Allorie. 

4. Is there an object they can’t bear to part with and why?
   This isn't exactly an object, but she'd hate to cut her hair. It's very long and thick, and she's able to do a lot of cool braids. She considers it her most attractive feature.

5. What are 5 ways to win their heart (or friendship)?
- Pay attention to her (she was a neglected little child)
- Have philosophical discussions with her
- Treat her ideas, thoughts, and feelings with respect
- Let her be her own person and don't try to control or confine her
- Take the initiative in social situations*

   
   *Danica is an shy introverted child and appreciates when she doesn't have to make the first move

6. Describe a typical outfit for them from top to bottom.
   Some kind of braid, a simple dress, and during the colder months, well-worn shoes.

7. What’s their favorite type of weather?
   Clear days where the sun is bright but the air is still cool. Or nights when there are no clouds and you can see all the stars.

8. What’s the worst fight they’ve ever been in?
   She's probably gotten into some nasty fights with her stepmom or her oldest half-sister. Neither of them are very fond of Danica.

9. What names or nicknames have they been called throughout their life?
   Her siblings and the mean kids from her village have probably given her some nicknames that she'd prefer not to hear again.

10. What makes their heart feel alive?
   Stars. Late-night talks about anything. Hugging the people close to her. Stars. Learning new things. Taking time to herself to just think. And did I mention stars.

   And that's all the questions! I love participating in Beautiful People and I look forward to it every month. Thanks for reading!

   What did you think of Danica? She's pretty great, isn't she? Do you have any characters like Danica, or characters she'd get along with? (hint, she has a secret weakness for "bad boys" when they aren't actually terrible human beings.)

#WIPJoy Character Takeover

   Okay, so I literally missed all of February. I've been lazy and sick and working more than normal. I'm doing my best, okay? And I have a super cool post planned for next week. Anyway, on to the post. 

   On Twitter, author Bethany A. Jennings created a hashtag for celebrating your work in progress. Every few months, she has a daily prompt so that we writers can ramble about our WIPs. Well, as much as you can ramble with a 140 character limit.

   I love participating, but I lost momentum about two weeks into January and kinda just....stopped. But there was a week I really wanted to do—the Protagonist Takeover week! So, I'm just gonna do it here.

   The thing is...I have six protagonists. So this will be interesting. I'm not sure if I'll have all of them answer each question, but they'll all answer at least one. We'll see what happens.

   (Click the links on the characters' names if you're new to Children of the Nameless or you just want a refresher.)

Describe yourself in five words

Kaleth: Courageous, strong, a good leader.

Danica: Um...quiet, thoughtful, peacemaker...tired.

Barrow: Loud. Obnoxious. An irresistible charmer. *hesitates, then winks* Recalcitrant.

Allorie: I'm gentle, selfless, and...hopeful. *feels unconfortable praising herself*

Katria: ...no.

Egin: I...um...I like trees?

One thing you'd change about your past?

Kaleth: I wish I'd known the truth about my father sooner, so I could have helped even more people.

Danica: I... *looks down* If I could, I would have my father marry someone kinder.

Barrow: *folds his arms defensively* My past is none of your business.

Favorite way to relax?

Kaleth: ....talking to Allorie or Danica, I guess.

Danica: I like going out on my own, somewhere peacful and quiet where I can just think. Maybe braid my hair or pick flowers.

Barrow: Reading. It's always been an escape for me.

Allorie: *smiles shyly* I like when Danica braids my hair.

Katria: Bein' with Conryn*. 

Egin: Being alone in the forest. Practicing my magic.

Egin spending time in the forest

*her best friend

A line you were proud to say*

Kaleth:

ah, my brave son

Danica:

technically she didn't /say/ it but it counts, man

Barrow: 

the sassy problematic fave

*I'm just including lines from the current draft. the first draft is huge and embarrassing and I am too tired to scroll through 70k+ to find good lines. You'll get snippets from the others eventually, I promise

Tell us about where you live

Kaleth: I was raised in a small village in Iyon, but now I'm traveling to world to find the other Nameless.

Danica: I lived in a village a few day's walk from Kaleth's. There are big green fields, and we're surrounded by a forest. It's beautiful.

Barrow: Most of my life was spent in the city of Reoun, a city near the edge of Frayn. But like most Fraynics, I've traveled much and spent time in other parts of the country.

Allorie: I spent my entire life in the capital city of Daglen.

Katria: Tsuki. Born an' raised. Only ever left for... *twirls knife between fingers* jobs.

Egin: I lived in the badlands between Skovia and the territories until I was six. It was just me and Lisbet* and Ma. Then she.... *trails off* Then Lisbet and I lived in Skovia.

The forest surrounding Kaleth's and Danica's villages

*Lisbet = Egin's little sister

Do you sympathize/relate to the antagonist?

Kaleth: *frowns* Absolutely not. Just because I'm Iyonian doesn't mean I agree with what my former countrymen did.

What are you self-conscious about?

Kaleth: My mistakes.

Danica: ...everything? I have all these thoughts inside my head but I can't seem to get them out. It makes me feel stupid.

Barrow: Nothing. *winks*

Allorie: *sheepishly* My hands. They're rough and calloused from working hard...I wish I could have soft hands.

Katria: No point in being self-conscious. Ain't gonna help anythin'.

Egin: I, um...not being normal.

   Well, I hope you liked this little character interview thing! I really enjoyed getting to talk about my babies. Who was your favorite/least favorite? Have you ever participated in #WIPJoy? Comment below so we can chat!

Beautiful Books ~ 2017 Writing Goals

   If you're one of the few people who frequently reads this blog, you already know this, but I'm SUPER EXCITED about it so I'm gonna say it again. For my birthday, my parents are paying for me to go to the Minneapolis Young Writers Workshop this summer! Which means I'm going to meet Aimee, Katie, Hannah, Caroline, and Olivia!! I am beyond thrilled to meet you* girls, as well as all the authors who will be at the conference(including Shannon freaking Hale oh my gosh).

*"you" because you're really the only ones who read this blog

   The only problem with this is that I have to have a draft ready way sooner than expected. Which is scary. So instead of actually writing, I'm going to blog about my writing goals for 2017 by joining the Beautiful Books linkup!

1. What were your writing achievements last year? 
I actually did a lot of writing last year, including the beginning of a few stories that I'll post about later. And, because I'm sure you want to know everything I did, I'm going to make a list.

• Children of the Nameless draft one (72,739 words) This is the first first draft I've ever finished, so I'm understandably thrilled. I also won Camp NaNo(the first NaNo event I've ever won) while writing this draft. Those 72k words were actually written over a two-year period of time, but I still finished in 2016 and I'm really proud of that.
• Children of the Nameless draft two (17,546 words) Draft two is a thing, guys, and I love it. I have wonderful betas, the plot is coming together, and the writing is infinitely better. And yes, some of that 17k was written in 2017. Sue me.
• Unnamed NaNoWriMo novel (10,695 words) I obviously didn't win NaNo, but it was really nice to focus on something other than CotN for the first time in 2 years. And, when I reread it the other day, it was a lot better than I remember. So perhaps there's hope for the future for this story.
• Rust, Blood, and Stardust (2125 words) This is a lovely sci-fi about three best friends that has aBSOLUTELY NO PLOT but I love it so much.
• We Are The Summer (3456 words) I normally don't write contemporary, but when it's a novella, I actually trust myself to finish. Also it's very fluffy and cute and summery(obviously) and I kinda love it.
• (also there was some fanfic, some of which I'm actually really proud of)

2. What’s on your writerly “to-do list” for 2017? 
Finish draft two by April 15 and then edit the first few chapters for the conference in June. I plan on finishing draft three as well, possibly working on one of my other projects, and writing more fanfiction because gosh dang it, fanfic is really fun.


3. Tell us about your top-priority writing projects for this year!
I kinda already answered that? I have several projects I might work on after CotN, but I won't decide until the time comes.


4. How do you hope to improve as a writer? Where do you see yourself at the end of 2017?
I want to get more consistent at writing. I'm coming to terms with being a slow writer, but my inconsistency is annoying and detrimental. By the end of the year, I want to be writing every day and have draft three(or maybe even draft four) of CotN finished.


5. Describe your general editing process.
This is kind of a complicated question, because the beginning of CotN was so messed up that I'm having to completely rewrite it in draft two. Draft three will probably be tightening up loose plot stuff. After that, I want to print it out so I can make notes on the actual manuscript like a cool person.


6. On a scale of 1-10, how do you think this draft turned out?
Honestly, 6-7. Draft one was such a mess, but it has lots of good parts and lots of potential and I'm SO PUMPED.


7. What aspect of your draft needs the most work?
The beginning of both drafts need some work. Draft one has a lot of plot holes and I'm working on fixing those in this draft.


8. What do you like the most about your draft?
Well the fact that draft one exists is pretty spectacular. And honestly I really like the kissing scenes, even if the romances were rather abrupt. *sighs at myself for not planning better*


9. What are your plans for this novel once you finish editing? More edits? Finding beta readers? Querying? Self-publishing? Hiding it in a dark hole forever?
More edits! Take it to a writer's conference for people to look at! (*screams*) Even more edits! More betas! Repeat cycle until published! 

I couldn't get away with not using a gif in this post

10. What’s your top piece of advice for those just finished writing a first draft?
For the love of all that's holy, take a break. You won't want to, but you need to. Also, it's not as bad as you think. I promise.

   How did your writing go in 2016? What are your plans for 2017? Would you actually be interested in hearing about my many plot bunnies/future projects? Also, it's not midnight for be yet so this totally counts as posting two weeks in a row. #virtualskittlesforme

Beautiful People — Kaleth

   At the risk of sounding really conceited, I'm gonna say right now that I really like Children of the Nameless. It's a bit of a mess, but it's getting there. It has great potential, and I think it's pretty beautiful.
   There's just one problem. And his name is Kaleth.

   I love Kaleth. I really do. He's the first character I came up with(more on that later) and he has an incredible character arc that I'm so excited to write.
   Sorta.
   I just have such a hard time writing him! I don't know exactly what it is. Maybe it's because we're very different. or because I'm trying to hard to portray him the way I want him to be seen. But he's difficult. So I figured that doing a Beautiful People post for him could help.
   (Click here to learn more about Beautiful People!)

The Questions

1. How did you come up with this character?

   When I was imagining the start of CotN(find out more here), Kaleth kinda just popped into existence. I didn't know anything about him, but he was there and (sorta but not really) ready to tell me all about him.

2. Have they ever been starving? Why? And what did they eat to break the fast?

   I don't think he's ever been starving, but he's definitely been very hungry. Farming doesn't always go well, especially when the Feor are going around destroying crops and stuff. But there's always hunting and foraging when things get rough.

3. Do they have a talent or skill that they’re proud of?

   A better question would be if there's anything he's not proud of. Kaleth's a pretty prideful dude, but he's definitely very proud of his swordfighting skills.

4. List 3 things that would make them lose their temper.

   1) Disregarding his advice/authority
   2) Hurting someone he loves
   3) When his plans go wrong

5. What is their favourite type of weather? Least favorite?

   His favorite is hot sunny days, and he hates humidity

6. What is their Hogwarts house and/or MBTI personality?

   Kaleth is an ESTJ Gryffindor.

7. Are they more likely to worry about present problems, or freak out about the unknown future?

   He definitely thinks about and plans for the future, but he sees no point in freaking out. It's better to focus on what he can do now.

8. What is their favourite thing to drink?

   Water? My worldbuilding has not yet extended to food and drink.

9. What is their favourite color? Least favorite?

   Green might be his favorite; it's one of the colors I always associate with him. And I've got no idea what his least favorite is.

10. What is a book that changed their life?

   I don't know if he's ever seen, much less read, a book in his life.

   Well, that did seem to help a little. If nothing else, now you guys know more about Kaleth! My life is pretty crazy right now, since my family just moved and I'm in college now, but I'll try to keep posting consistently! I have a bookish post planned for next week, so keep your eyes open!

What do you think of Kaleth? Do you have a character you struggle to write? If you did Beautiful People too, share the link in the comments so I can check it out!

If my characters went to high school

   As you can tell, this post is what role the characters from my WIP would have in a typical high school.

   Kaleth: Definitely a jock. The popular quarterback that all the girls love.

   Katria: The punk kid that gets in a lot of fights.

  Ritamarie: The shy, quiet girl who has a disturbingly overprotective mother.

 (but seriously, this picture doesn't even begin to cover it…)

   

   Barrow: The class clown. He jokes around a lot, but doesn't have many real friends.

(And he gets in a lot of trouble.)

   Egin: The introvert who doesn't talk to anyone, really. He likes hunting and has a crush on smart girl in his class.

   Danica: The quiet, straight-A girl who sits in the back of the room. (And has a major crush on the jock.)

   These are my babies. Yeesh, I have a lot of quiet ones.

Beautiful People Linkup #3

 So, this month I'm doing the Beautiful People linkup again. These are fun(if not extremely mentally challenging).




 Today, I think I will interrogate  interview Barrow. This guy.

So, without further ado, I give you Barrow!

Barrow: Hi guys! So, what exactly are we doing?

Me: I'm interrogating you.

Okaaayyyy…

Question 1: What do you regret most in your life?

…

…

…

You have to answer or I'll do it for you.

Fine. I regret trusting people.

Anyone specific?

My cousin.

Ok, we're moving on because you look like you want to kill something.

Question 2: What is your happiest memory, and your most sorrowful memory?

I remember once, when I was a little kid, I was in the garden playing with my best friend. Mother didn't call us in until it was nearly dark. I'd never had so much fun in my life.

Of course, he died that winter, so that kind of ruins it.

That…that is awful. I really needed more sad stories to use against you, didn't I?

No. 

And my worst memory…I was hiding in the corner, and Teir was kicking me and saying horrible things about me and…and…

Ok, we're moving on now. That's enough misery for one question.

Question 3: What majorly get on your nerves?

When people try to control me. I do what I want, thank you very much. 

And-

Oh no don't-

When people criticize my rock collection.

*moans*

I mean seriously, what's wrong with my rocks? I like them. They're pretty. You don't have to be spiteful because of it.

Dude, you're sixteen!

And that's applicable because….

Ugh, never mind.

Question 4: Do you act differently when you're around people as opposed to being alone? If so, how?

Yes. I'm very gregarious when I'm with other people. When I'm alone…

When you're alone you do nothing but hate yourself and bemoan your miserable life.

*glares*

*clears throat* Question 5: What are your beliefs and superstitions?

Well, I believe in the gods and all. I am not particularly religious; not like Danica. But I pray and do my best to follow them.

Good boy.

Question 6: What are your catchphrases or things you say frequently?

"Well, this is absurd."

"Are you sure that's wise? It could end badly."

Ummm…any others?

"Where's the food?"  "Can I sleep now?"  "Ooh look at that!"  "Why not? It looks fun."  "Don't tell me what to do!"  "You're all so boring…"

That was very good, especially since I haven't come into the story yet…

Why thank you.

Question 7: Would you be more prone to facing your fears or running from them?

Well…I don't like people to know that I'm frightened, so I have no choice but to face my fears.

*cough* people pleaser *cough*

*glares*

What? 

Question 8: Do you have a good self image?

OK. I'm just going to answer this one for him. Years of being abused by the person he admired most has left him…a little lacking in confidence. Which he doesn't need to be, because he's awesome. Hint hint.

You still have to write the character development. You can't just fix me in the nothingness world known as character chats.

I know. 

Question 9: Do you turn to people when you're upset, or do you isolate yourself?

I usually isolate myself. I have to trust you a lot to share my problems with you. Which doesn't happen often. I do use my friends as a distraction though. Works well until they're gone.

Oh wow, that was your last question! This next one is for me.

Question 10: If they were standing next to you, would it make you laugh or cry?

Well, after the "HOLY CRAP YOU'RE REAL THIS IS AMAZING" freakout, I would probably laugh. Because we would just be awkwardly standing there and he would say something really funny.

Thanks for letting me interrogate you, Barrow! That was fun.

For you maybe. But can I watch next time? I want to watch Katria squirm.

No. I'm not doing Katria next. And you will be turned off when I turn her on to interrogate her.

Darn.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. I did. :)

Beautiful People: Character Interiew

Today, I'm going to interview my character Egin, using the questions from the Beautiful People thing on Cait and Mime's blog Notebook Sisters. (Yes, I'm new to this; why do you ask?)

1) What is their full name and is there a story behind why they got it?

His full name is Egin. And I just made it up. But the country he's from is based on Scandinavia, and when I looked at a list of Scandinavian names..."Egon" was one of them. I was very happy. 

2) How old are they, and when were they born?

He's 15. He was born in late winter....and he lives in a fantasy world so there's not really a year.

3) Describe their physical appearance. (Bonus questions: 1. What is their race/nationality/ethnicity? 2. Do you have a picture?)

He has red hair. He's a hunter, so he wears a lot of leather and rough materials.

1. He's pretty much a Viking. Which is really cool.

2. Yes. Yes I do. *slightly obsessive laugh* He looks exactly like Eddie Redmayne, so it's really easy to find good pictures.

Look at him; he's so adorable!

*fangirls* :3

ok I'm stopping now.

4) Describe your character's personality first in one word, and then elaborate with a few sentences.

Quiet.

He's lived alone in a forest for most of his life, so...he's not very good with people. And he's not very talkative. And he's a little too curious. If he can't physically see the danger, he'll probably check it out. And despite the fact that he's pretty shy and seems kinda unfriendly, he honestly likes people a lot. He's also an amazing archer.

5) What theme song(s) fit their personality and story arc?

I haven't really thought of this yet. I will probably comment if I figure out a song.

6) Which one of the seven deadly sins describes your character? (Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Envy, Sloth, Wrath, Pride.)

I'VE BEEN THINKING FOR LIKE HALF AN HOUR AND I CAN'T DECIDE WHICH ONE. EGIN IS PERFECT.

7) If they were an element (fire, water, earth, air) which would they be?

Water. He's very mellow and relaxed.

8) What is their favorite word?

Hunt.

9) Who's one person they really miss?

His best friend(who still doesn't have a name). He would stay with her family when he was staying in town. And they became really close and stuff.

10) What sights, sounds, and smells remind them of that person?

Ugh, you people are making me think. Uuummmm…porridge. She would make porridge when he would visit and now it makes him think of her. (This is new information to me and now I'm giving myself feels. #writerproblems )


And that's it! Thanks for reading; comment, like, subscribe(I guess I'm youtuber now. Hm).