TWICE UPON: KNOW THE NOVEL PART THREE!

Happy December!! *throws Christmas cookies everywhere like confetti*

I hope you've all been having a lovely Christmas season! I've been baking, watching Christmas movies, listening to as much Christmas music as I can cram in, and regretting waiting until mid-November to start my Christmas shopping. XD It's going by quickly, but it's been a good season so far. Also, the semester is finally winding down, and I've only got a couple more assignments to finish up before freedom! 

Today I'm doing the final part of Know the Novel! Remember how NaNoWriMo ended just a couple weeks ago? O_O It's so strange how, for me, anyway, NaNo CONSUMES MY LIFE for a month and then when it's over it just fades into the background. Maybe it's because Christmas takes my mind off it. Or maybe it's because I don't go on after November 30 to finish my book like a lot of people do. But NaNo is just like a weird phantom that haunts you for a while and then goes away until you think about it again. xD (and apparently it's still messing with me because as you can tell, my blogging schedule is still nonexistent oops)

I had a ton of fun writing Trentley and Jynnia's second story this year! My precious babies are so adorable and I just love writing them so much. Read on to see how they treated me last month! ;)

1. Firstly, how did writing this novel go all around?

It went really well! This pantser definitely had her moments of sitting here staring at the computer screen as if it were going to come to life before her very eyes, but I really have no complaints. Things flowed pretty well and I had a great time writing!

2. Did it turn out like you expected or completely different? And how do you feel about the outcome? 

HAHA! You assume I expected anything from this book. (see above, where I identify as a "pantser") 

If you've been around here for more than five minutes, you might have realized that the way I write a book is to start at the beginning and then stumble through the rest of the book as if I'm trying to wallow my way through the Dead Marshes blindfolded. I have no idea where I'm going or what's going to happen or how many people are going to end up dead on the bottom of a lake. wow that got dark fast 

That being said, I think what I wrote turned out well in terms of the (very small) expectations I went in with. The story has roughly the same feel as the first one, but I think it's also taking on its own feel at the same time, which is good! Like I said before week, I don't want this story to just be a repeat of the first one. 

So, overall, I think it turned out well! Though it's not done yet (if it comes out like the first book, it's a little over halfway finished), so we'll see how the rest of it goes.

3. What aspect of the story did you love writing about the most? (Characters, plot, setting, prose, etc.)

Characterssss! I've stated an obnoxious amount of times how much I love these guys, and I don't think they'll ever not be my favorite part. But I've also been digging into some more fairy tales, which is SUPER fun. I just love finding ways to sneak hints of the fairy tales into the world's history and then incorporate different characters and objects.

4. How about your least favorite part?

Um... none of it? Seriously, this story is just so fun. Though I suppose if I had to choose a least favorite aspect, it would be that like in book 1, my characters are traveling a lot, and it's hard to keep things interesting when they're just constantly going from location to location. (Actually, I feel like I ALWAYS write books where the characters are constantly on a journey?? Help xD)

I wish I knew.

5. What do you feel like needs the most work?

Maybe the fact that everybody's always traveling. xD But no, I think what needs the most work is probably just the general half-of-this-isn't-going-to-make-it-to-draft-two problem. These are pantser probs, everyone. 

6. How do you feel about your characters now? Who’s your favorite? Least favorite? Anyone surprise you? Give us all the details!

I adore them, of course. Trentley will always be my favorite. Least favorite? Probably, ah, a certain dwarf who doesn't quite share everybody else's cheery dispositions. He needs to stop bringing everybody down, but he's still a blast to write. xD 

7. What’s your next plan of action with this novel?

Finish it? xD Like I said, it's probably around a little more than halfway finished. The definite plan is to finish it for Camp in April, if I don't get to it before then (anybody else totally depend on NaNo events for first drafts???)- which, honestly, I kind of don't see happening. But I could surprise myself! (I would actually really love to finish it sooner, so it's still fresh on my mind.)

And yes, someone did surprise me: my villain. When he showed up, he was all suave and charming and kind of cool and then he threw one tantrum and NOW HE'S JUST A HUGE CHAOTIC MESS. Like, a conceited, impatient, slightly drama-king-ish chaotic mess. I... I don't even know what happened. xD

8. If you could have your greatest dream realized for this novel, what would it be?

For it to be published alongside the rest of its series and make people cry and make Trentley and Jynnia their OTPs and ship them harder than anything else they've done in their LIFE. these are good goals

9. Share some of your favorite snippets!

(enjoy this first one in which Jynnia FaceTimes Deston using a magic mirror xDD) 

Deston rolled his eyes. "Are you serious? You reached out to me in a way mysterious to me- because you won't say how you're doing it- just to check on your fairy friends?" He leaned his head sideways on his templed fingers, glancing off beyond the glass. "They're fine," he said, waving his hand toward them and looking quite tired, if Jynnia was correct. "Annoying, if they're anything, but fine," he added in a mutter, shaking his head and letting his gaze roll away from the glass. 

Jynnia grinned. Winlie, she suspected. Although perhaps Quinnie would join in the shenanigans, as well. Her heart warmed at the thought of the two sisters bonding over their captivity. 

Huh. Now we're all in captivity. 

"Well, we need you to tell these crazy dwarves to leave us alone," Jynnia said. She glanced over at Tane and Fenny and shook her head to keep them from talking. It was probably best if Deston did not know that they were with them. 

"Crazy dwarves? What in heaven's name are you talking about?" Deston said, shaking his head hopelessly. 

"You said that if we ran into any dwarves, they wouldn't bother us," Jynnia said. "Well, guess what? We ran into some dwarves, and they bothered us. Look." She turned the glass to show him the hole they were in, quickly turning it back to herself before it revealed Tane and Fenny. 

"I must be missing a crucial detail."

"We ran into some dwarves and they captured us and threw us in a hole!" Jynnia hissed, holding the glass too close to her face. Deston's eyes grew wide, and he pulled the glass away from himself. 

in which jynnia and delga are fangirls 

"So, Snow White knew Cinderella," Jynnia said, taking Trentley's hand in hers as they continued walking. She checked the comb to be sure it was still glowing. It was. "That's amazing. And kind of not surprising at all. I mean, of course two of the best-known princesses would be the ones to know each other personally." 

"That's what I was thinking," Delga said with a laugh. "I was kind of hoping it would be somebody different, like, I don't know... the girl from Rumpelstiltskin or something."

"Or Snow White, from Snow White and Rose Red," Jynnia added. "Wouldn't that have been funny, the two Snow Whites being friends?"

"Would you stop talking about them as if they were book characters?" Fenny growled. 

Jynnia blinked and looked at him in surprise. 

"Oh, come off it, Fen," Tane said. "They are book characters to them. We all are. They've only just recently learned that we were all real." 

Jynnia gave him an appreciative smile. "We try to honor you all and recognize that you were real people. But you've been nothing but fairy tales to us our entire lives. Please forgive us if we slip up."

Fenny merely glared and looked away. Tane nodded at her apologetically. 

"Okay, so anyway. Snow White and Cinderella-"

"Ella," Fenny stressed. "Don't call her by that awful name her stepsisters gave her. She nearly became suicidal because of that name, you know."

all right you guys have been wanting to see trentley and jynnia together so here you go try not to melt

She walked out the balcony doors, wondering too late as she did so whether the balcony was sturdy. Fortunately, it supported her just fine and did not creak as she walked out toward the railing. 

She hoped nobody would follow her. Except-

"Hey." 

Trentley stepped up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, as he had done earlier when she first looked out the window. 

"Hey." Jynnia dipped her head and looked over her shoulder, seeing his face out of the corner of her eye. "I'm fine, really."

"I know. I just wanted to make sure."

"I know. Thank you." She leaned her cheek on his hand grasping her shoulder. There was nothing more comforting than his touch. "I just feel like it's going to take forever to find all this stuff, if we even do. And we've already come here because we thought it was the right way to come, and apparently we already messed up by doing that."

"Yeah, but there's a whole castle to search," Trentley said. Jynnia groaned, and she heard the slight smile in his voice when he spoke. "That's a good thing," he said gently. "It means just because we didn't find the comb here, doesn't mean it's not in the rest of the castle. Besides, we've got a couple different things helping us."

Jynnia frowned, thinking he was referring to the dwarves and Delga as things. Then she chuckled at herself as she realized that he meant the tracking spell and the other pieces of the set. "I just hope Winlie, Quinnie, and Sarden are all right. What if Deston's torturing them?"

"Honestly?" Trentley huffed out a hollow laugh. "I don't think he'd be able to stomach torturing anybody."

Jynnia laughed. "Yeah, I think you're right. But what if he's not feeding them?"

"They're in Quinnie's own house. I have a feeling they're fine." He squeezed her shoulders. "Just relax. Panicking won't help anybody. We can do this."

"Yeah. With you I can." She turned around to smile up at him, holding onto the front of his shirt with both hands. She stood on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. He held her close a few extra moments. 

I still so greatly enjoy sharing snippets with absolutely no context and no guarantee that they're in order and just letting you guys take from them what you will. xD There are so many little things throughout these snippets that make no sense unless you know what's going on and it's great. sorry to be so cruel I am a writer after all 

10. Did you glean any new writing and/or life lessons from writing this novel?

Well, I learned that I can write a book (or most of one, anyway) while in college! I was seriously concerned that NaNo wasn't going to pan out the way I hoped this year. And of course, if it hadn't, it would have been okay. I haven't won every NaNo I've participated in, and I learned to appreciate the progress I did make. But I knew that I would be very disappointed if writing took a backseat this November, because NaNoWriMo is one of my favorite things and I did NOT want to let it suffer just because I was a little (okay, a lot) busier this year.. 

BUT it worked out. Granted, like I said last week, I'm fairly certain I wouldn't have won if I hadn't gotten COVID and had almost two whole weeks stuck in my house. And, well, I guess I also learned that I could write 25k in six days, and 10k in one day. needless to say, I went all in that last week

Basically, what (I think) I'm trying to say: I learned that I could still make time to write. No, I didn't write as much as I would have liked until the last week, and I didn't write every day. But I wrote, and that's all I can really ask for. Honestly, NaNoWriMo is so beneficial because it helps me realize that I make way too many excuses. I say I don't have time to write until something like NaNo comes along which (good-naturedly) forces me to write, and then I write 50k words in a month. So, I know building a writing habit even when I'm busy is possible. I'm just lazy. xD 

And that's it! Know the Novel comes to a close for another year. I always have so much fun participating! :D

Honestly, I'm kind of missing my story already and want to finish it. But I also want to take a break and do some other things. I've really been wanting to write and submit some flash fiction, and that just has NOT happened for several months. I haven't done any writing this month (that isn't school related), and I've just been letting it sit on the sidelines until I'm done with school. This is not the season that I want to be stressed out trying to do a million things at once. So, after the semester's finally over, I'm super excited to get back to writing again! 

I have a special post planned next week that I'm SUPER excited about, so stay tuned for that. I think you'll like it. ;) Until then, eat lots of Christmas cookies and watch all the Christmas movies!

So, how's your month going? Still writing or taking a break? What's your favorite thing to do during the Christmas season?