R.M. Archer's Blog, page 41
October 24, 2018
Preptober Prompts Catch-Up
This is super late (five days late, in the case of the first prompt), but I’m catching up on Preptober Prompts as I promised yesterday.
We’re starting with Leila’s final prompt: Use an adventure that happened to you in the fall as inspiration for an event in your story.
I don’t have adventures, so this should be interesting. My life is super boring most of the time. (I might have to go digging through old journals for this one.)
Oh my gosh. Reading over my thoughts from two years ago is HILARIOUS. XD But it turns out that it was in November 2016 that Allegra and I plotted the end of the world on napkins and straw wrappers at Taco Bell. (I have a rather loose definition of “adventure.”)
We were in Taco Bell for dinner and talking about my plans to make Concordia post-apocalyptic Earth (it’s weird to me that that idea is that young), and we decided to brainstorm how that would work, so on napkins and straw wrappers we made tons of notes on what would happen if Yellowstone Caldera erupted and how it would affect the country and that kind of thing. (I still have those napkins and straw wrappers.) Overall I remember just having a lot of fun with it and jotting things down as quickly as her mom could look them up and kind of laughing that this was so representative of our friendship. I mean, we do wacky stuff like that all the time. I made a Facebook post afterward that said,
“You know you have a great best friend when you plot the end of the world on straw wrappers and napkins at Taco Bell.
“You also know you’re a writer when you think that having a great best friend is plotting the end of the world on straw wrappers and napkins together.”
As far as this inspiring an event in The King’s Paladin… The event makes me imagine a scene where a couple of characters are somewhere without much to write on, trying to work out how to defend against the invading armies. There would be less excitement and laughter and more franticness and worry.
If we want to go off the emotions more than the events, it would be a scene with Coraline and Gabel, probably in the stables or out on a horseback ride, just having fun and hanging out. They’d probably be laughing over memories of training and avoiding the other students’ antics.
What’s an adventure you had one fall?
Week 3 Responses
Leila:
Allegra:
Week 4
This week is flash fiction prompts, hosted by Allegra on Of Rainy Days and Stardust Veins. (Definitely check out her blog. Her writing is gorgeous.) For those of you who don’t know what flash fiction is, it’s a really short story, generally
Coraline stepped into the coffee shop and ordered her customary green tea. She smiled at the barista briefly before her gaze skipped over the shop. A history book caught her eye, with only a bit of blond hair peeking over the top. She stood on her tiptoes in an attempt to see the face of whoever was studying, but she was still too short.
She heard the barista set her tea on the counter and offered another smile with her thanks as she took her cup. As she stepped out of line, she bit her lip. She loved history and part of her wanted to go say hello to whoever was so engrossed in it, but the other part of her said that would be a terrible idea.
The history book lowered to the desk and Coraline’s heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t be caught staring. She saw a young man about her age run a hand through his hair with a heavy sigh before she could force her gaze away. Maybe he wasn’t enjoying that history book as much as she’d thought. Out of the corner of her eye she thought he might have looked up in time to catch her looking, but told herself he hadn’t as she made her way to a seat in the front corner of the shop, where there was the most light.
Coraline heard footsteps coming toward her table as she took a sip of her tea, and her hands shook so badly she missed her mouth and scalded her lips as tea spilled down her front. She felt her face go hot as she grabbed a napkin to dry herself off.
“Um… is this a bad time?”
Coraline looked up into dark blue eyes, sure she looked like a deer in headlights. “Oh. No. I’m fine. I mean… the time is fine.” She looked down at her tea, biting her lip so hard it hurt, cheeks still burning.
“I saw you checking out my history book.”
“Oh. Um. Sorry about that.” Coraline chuckled and looked back up at the boy, realizing it was probably impolite to look like she was ignoring him.
“It’s fine.” He smiled. “I was just wondering if you’re any good at it? I can’t see the point of it for anything, and I’m terrible at remembering dates.”
“Um, I’m okay at it I guess.” Coraline realized her hands were still shaking and pulled them off the table into her lap. “I mean, I really enjoy it and I tend to have an okay memory…”
“Would you be willing to help me out?”
“I… I guess?” She’d only ever really studied with Gabel. How was she going to help a stranger with it? She had no idea how he best remembered things or—
He was holding out his hand. “I’m Jay.”
Coraline shook his hand. “Coraline.”
“Nice to meet you. Um, let me go grab my book.” Jay smiled and headed back to his table, returning in a moment with the history book. “I’m especially having trouble with the Civil War. I don’t get the impression it was really about what they said it was.”
Coraline chuckled. “That’s a really long story.”
Jay shrugged. “I have time.”
Read Allegra’s Day 1 piece here.
Coraline squealed as she caught sight of the sale sign. “Candy corn: buy 1, get 2 free.” A deal that cheap meant they wanted to get rid of it because no one liked it, but who cared. Coraline snatched six bags off the shelf and Wisterin recoiled.
“Ew. Why are you buying that awful stuff? It tastes like wax.”
“Exactly! It’s the perfect fall gift for Eliot, always reading by candlelight.” Coraline grinned. “With enough left over for the guys.”
“Oh. Here I thought you were with Gabel actually liking the stuff.”
“Nope. We’ll have to keep it away from him, though, or he’ll eat it all before we can get it to the others.” Coraline laughed.
“Well,” Wisterin grinned, “let’s get this stuff home, shall we?”
*****
Coraline stepped into the library, immediately hit with the smell of old books and fir-scented candles.
“I have a present for you.” Coraline smiled, handing Eliot a wrapped bag of candy corn.
“Oh?” Eliot’s brow was furrowed as he took the ‘gift.’ He unwrapped it and rolled his eyes. “Goodness. Every time.”
Coraline busted up laughing. “Well you fall for it every time.”
“It’s so odd to give someone a gift out of the blue that it catches me off-guard.”
“Mhm. I’m sure that’s it.” Coraline grinned. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a few more gifts to deliver.” She lifted her stack of wrapped candy corn and skipped out of the library toward the garden.
As she’d predicted, Toril and Dorian were playing chess by the garden wall. Wisterin was perched on top of the wall to watch.
“Gentlemen.”
Toril looked up, while Dorian remained intent on the chessboard.
“Coraline,” Toril replied.
“I have something for you.”
Dorian looked up, then, looking confused.
Coraline stifled a grin as she handed each of them a bag of candy.
When the packages came open, Dorian rolled his eyes. “I swear, if this goes on another year…”
“Then what?” Wisterin asked. Coraline grinned.
“I’ll pour it all over your mattress and then whatever’s left I’ll throw at you, one piece at a time.”
Coraline and Wisterin both laughed.
“I’d like to see that,” Wisterin said.
“Thank you,” Toril said as he tucked the candy under his chair. He hated the stuff just as much as the rest of them, but he was always more diplomatic about it.
Coraline looked up at Wisterin. “Would you like to do the final honors?”
“You know I would.”
Coraline tossed the third bag up to Wisterin, who caught it before jumping off the wall.
Wisterin grinned. “Let’s do this.”
*****
The smell of sweat hit Coraline first, then the erupting sound of loud laughter. The barracks were a place Coraline generally tried to avoid, but she hadn’t pranked Orlan with candy corn before and she was looking forward to seeing his reaction. And dreading it, hence sending Wisterin instead.
Wisterin had no qualms about the setting, just strode up to Orlan where he was sitting, shirtless, joking with his men. Coraline tried to keep her eyes on his face.
“Orlan,” Wisterin said, “I have something for you.”
Orlan raised an eyebrow, and his men laughed and whistled. I grimaced.
Wisterin rolled her eyes. “Nothing that interesting.” She handed Orlan the package.
He opened it up and frowned. “What is this?”
“Candy corn. Can’t you tell?”
Coraline bit her lip. This was not going to go well. She should have just continued leaving Orlan out of the tradition…
“I can tell. Why would you give me this?”
“It was Coraline’s idea.”
Great. Throw me under the bus, why don’t you?
“I do it to everyone…” Coraline stammered. “Eliot, Dorian, Toril, usually Wisterin…”
Orlan glared at her. And now he hates me even more. Great. “Don’t ever do this again.” He threw the bag at her and she caught it just before it would have hit her in the face.
“I won’t.” Coraline turned and hurried out of the barracks.
*****
Coraline took the remaining two bags and the one Orlan had thrown back to the stables and found Gabel brushing Maris, the roan mare she often rode. His touch was gentle and tender, as it always was with the horses, and he wore the same contented smile he always had when he was working. Coraline couldn’t help the smile that spread across her own face as she watched.
When Gabel finished and moved to put the brush away, he spotted Coraline and she hastily removed the smile from her face.
“Hello, Coraline.” Gabel smiled. “How are you?”
“I’m okay.” She shrugged. “I brought you something.” Coraline held out the candy and he took it with a grin.
“Thanks. How’d the pranks go?”
“I got them all, as usual. Except Wisterin, who was in on it this year.”
Gabel nodded and set the candy on a stack of saddles. “That explains the extra bag.”
“Actually… we tried to prank Orlan this year.”
Gabel frowned. “I take it that didn’t go well.”
Coraline shook her head.
“Well, I appreciate the candy.” He smiled and held out his arms for a hug.
Coraline wrapped her arms around him, inhaling the scent of leather, hay, and cinnamon. It was a smell deeply reminiscent of the season, and she felt safe and content in his arms. Orlan would get over the prank. Hopefully.
Read Allegra’s Day 2 piece here.
Today was day 3, but I’m going to double up tomorrow because this post is already really long and I need some more time on the prompt.
Do you have a favorite prompt so far? Don’t forget to submit your own prompts for the last partial week this month! We need three prompts before the end of this week, and if we get more than that I’ll put up a vote for top three. Submit a prompt (or multiple prompts) below!
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October 23, 2018
My NaNoWriMo Toolbox
I’m sorry I’ve fallen off the rails with Preptober Prompts the past several days. I’ve been kind of in a funk lately and trying to figure out how to get out of it, starting with getting this blog post up. I’ll be back to Preptober Prompts tomorrow, since this is already my second post of the day, and include a round-up of last week’s prompt answers.
NaNoWriMo is nearly upon us (I’m feeling very under-prepared), so I figured I’d share a list of the tools I use to survive this crazy event. (All logos belong to their respective companies.)
Scrivener
Scrivener is $50, but it’s well worth the investment. It’s a one-time payment, and you’re allowed to use the same license on multiple computers which you own and are the primary user of, as well as the computers of family members who live with you.
The main thing I appreciate about Scrivener is that it keeps all of your documents (story, character profiles, setting descriptions, research, etc.) in one file so that you can easily access them all from the same interface. I’ve also found its two-pane view feature really helpful, which allows you to see two documents side-by-side. This has been helpful for me in rewriting, because I can see the original as I’m writing the new one so I know what I want to keep and what I want to change as I’m writing.
There are also features like the distraction-free mode, easy export to a word document, and the ability to design templates so that—for instance—all of your character profiles look the same.
Fighter’s Block
This is a free online word sprinting app set up like an RPG game battle. You set a word goal, and that’s the monster’s HP (health points, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the term). As you write, the monster’s HP decreases and yours replenishes. The monster attacks you whenever you’re not writing, and you can customize how quickly and how much he hurts you. It’s great for getting your writing speed up.
Story Binder
How this works exactly depends on the person using it, but my story binder has character profiles, world information, and the first 49-ish pages of The Last Assassin. I like it because it’s something I can reference while I’m writing without switching programs or minimizing my story or anything (something you can also do with Scrivener using their two-pane view option). I also like the feel of a physical reference, and I enjoy decorating it.
Drink of Choice
Ordinarily I prefer hot chocolate or water, but I’ll also occasionally get sour cherry juice. A lot of writers like coffee or tea, but I don’t particularly care for tea (unless it’s sweet iced tea) and I really don’t like coffee. (I love sitting on the sidelines of the coffee vs. tea debate with my hot chocolate. ;) )
The Official NaNoWriMo Site
There are a few things I appreciate about the official NaNo site.
1. The community. I’m only really active in one forum—the Christian Teens Together! thread—but the people in it are fabulous. I love writing and brainstorming alongside them and chatting year-round.
2. The word-count tracker. Being able to see your word-count climb throughout the month is super motivating.
3. Setting up your project. This sounds super silly, but just having a place to put a cover and synopsis for your book together like it’s an official book (even if the pieces are temporary) makes the project seem real and important.
Go Teen Writers Book Cover Reveal
Stephanie Morrill and Jill Williamson are releasing an updated version of How To Turn a First Draft Into a Published Book – now titled Go Teen Writers: Edit Your Novel – on November 2, and today is the new cover reveal! :D
Drumroll please…
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TADA! I love the corkboard design. ^-^
The new book has the same great information on editing that the old one did, but also includes new chapters on historical fiction and self-publishing (yay!). For more details and to download the first three chapters, visit goteenwriters.com/edityournovel.
October 19, 2018
Preptober Prompts Week 3 Day 5
Mm, weather affecting the plot. This is something I stink at thinking about. XD I guess mostly the changing temperature would be a factor, and I’d have to remember to show that through the characters’ wardrobe and responses to being outdoors and that kind of thing. As far as the main plot… I’m not sure it does affect it that much. The plot is pretty independent of seasons (at least unless/until we get into winter), so I don’t think it really affects the main happenings of the story.
Check out Leila’s original post here!
October 18, 2018
Preptober Prompts Week 3 Day 4
There are no current fall superstitions in Mandoria, but when the faeries were around they would have a week around the autumn equinox where they went totally crazy and often wreaked havoc on human settlements for that week. After the faeries were defeated in the Lornean War and vanished into their own parallel dimension, the Mandorians were still terrified that they’d return on the autumn equinox and make messes like they had for centuries prior. It was an ongoing fear for a whole generation after the faeries’ defeat, and it was a legend that they’d still come back to Mandoria in the night and subtly alter things (rearranging bookshelves, flipping things upside down, etc.). People would have new doorknobs and window latches made of iron to keep out the faeries, and this lasted beyond the legitimate fear of faeries returning as a silly tradition and a bedtime story for children.
October 17, 2018
Preptober Prompts Week 3 Day 3
This image brings me a feeling of wonder and awe. God is such an artist, isn’t he? ^-^
I’m thinking a good place to incorporate wonder and awe would be in a scene where Coraline is finally understanding and controlling her power, and she realizes what a capacity it has for helping people. Where she starts to think maybe she’s capable of handling this responsibility after all. I don’t know exactly what power she finds that results in the same kind of wonder that I get from this picture, since I don’t have a solid handle on Coraline’s powers yet, but I think that’s how it’s going to figure in. :)
Check out Leila’s original post here!
October 16, 2018
Preptober Prompts Week 3 Day 2
My favorite things about fall are the colors and the crisp weather that’s not quite too cold yet. There’s such a… wonder about fall. That kind you get from Hallmark movies set in the country, the kind that makes you wish you could leave the city and spend time in the wide open spaces of the world, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. I love that about fall.
Upon consulting my story timeline, I’ve found that the Dark War Trilogy does extend into autumn, so it will no doubt include a scene where Coraline and her “siblings” go to the apple grove. (I promise I’m not trying to be repetitive!) There will be a somber tone to the scene, since it’s the first trip to the orchard since Eliot’s death, but there will also be that element of quiet wonder, the admiring of changing leaves, and the refreshing crisp air. It’ll be a little pocket of peace and good memories amidst the chaos that’s happening in the story at that point.
Make sure to check out Leila’s original prompt post. Her scene sounds really interesting. ^-^
My Fall Reading List
This is a post I’ve seen a lot of bloggers writing lately, and I figured I’d jump on the bandwagon. (I like books, and I needed an easy post while I’m supposed to be keeping up with Preptober Prompts.) So, here are the books I’m reading this fall.
Fallen Leaves by Tessa Emily Hall
Fallen Leaves isn’t coming out until the 26th, but I got an ARC copy to review and that review will be going up next Saturday.
King’s Warrior by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt
This is another I got free to review, and I’m about a third of the way through it currently. It’s not a top favorite, but it’s been enjoyable so far.
Dragons’ Bane by Melody Jackson
Melody is a friend of mine, and I got both Dragons’ Bane and Dragons’ Might for free to review in preparation for the release of Dragons’ Hope this winter. (Which I’m super excited for! You can see my cover reveal post here. ^-^)
Women of Kern by Maris McKay
This is the one I’ve been primarily reading lately, and I might review it this Thursday if I finish it soon enough. The world Maris has created is really deep and richly developed, and her description is excellent (if a bit too in-depth for my taste in places). Desert fantasy is something I’m trying to read more of as I develop Kersir, and this is definitely a great example of the genre.
This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti
This is a re-read for me (possibly a second re-read). This Present Darkness is an excellent book that delves into the spiritual battle being waged in our lives.
Azalei’s Fall by Miranda Marie
This is the third book in the Fire Rain Chronicles. I read the first two fairly quickly, but my reading tapered off about the time I finished Azalei’s Strategy and I didn’t get to Azalei’s Fall. The plan is to read it this fall, though, and find out how things end for Azalei and her crew.
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
This was a recommendation from my best friend, who loved it. (You can read her review of the duology here.) I haven’t gotten to it yet because I’ve been trying to focus on my to-review books, but I expect I’ll enjoy it. (And there were some plot twists that surprised Allegra, so I’m hoping to be surprised for once, lol.)
Tales of the Slayer Volume 1
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of the shows my dad and I watch together, so my sister got this book for me for my birthday and I’ve worked through it story-by-story since then. (It’s a collection of short stories.) It’s been good so far, but I haven’t gotten very far through it since I’ve been reading it so sporadically.
Rose of the Oath by Hope Ann
I’m super blessed to be one of Hope Ann’s alpha readers and part of her street team, but I haven’t actually read any of her published books except The Stealthmaster’s Shadow and the beginning of Rose of the Oath (I’ve grown familiar with her through Kingdom Pen and Story Embers more than her writing). I’m working on remedying that, obviously. I enjoy fairytale retellings, fantasy, and Christian themes, so her stories are a good fit.
I’m not sure I’ll get all of these books read this fall, but I’m hoping to get through a fair number of them before December.
What are you reading this fall? Have you read any of the books on my list?
October 15, 2018
Preptober Prompts Week 3 Day 1
*blinks at prompt* Is there any possible way I can make this not repetitive…
The only way I can think to not emphasize Coraline’s intense love of apples is to answer this for Ismena instead, so we’re gonna do that. Ismena is the second main character in The King’s Paladin, and likely a second POV character. She’s the princess of Mandoria, and she’s fully prepared to be queen when the time comes.
Ismena doesn’t much care for fall weather, due to the cold, but she appreciates the colors and the festivities that come with it. As for traditions, there are three large festivals in the fall, one for each month: Veshalla, honoring the god and goddess of messages and travel; Dalhalla, which both honors the god and goddess of death and is spent honoring and remembering the dead (i.e. more of a Dia De Los Muertos than a Halloween); and Kalinhalla, which honors the god and goddess of the sun. As princess and Lankadian (meaning she believes in the pantheon), Ismena participates in the festivities for all three holidays. While she most enjoys Kalinhalla, Dalhalla means the most to her since her mother died.
Ismena and her father, Shordin, spend the day of Dalhalla remembering all of their fallen family and friends, but Ismena primarily remembers her mother during this time, which makes it both a hard and a joyful occasion for her. Ismena was nine when her mother died, so she has plenty of good memories of them together, but it’s always difficult for her to focus on the joy of those moments when the pain of losing her mother is so sharp in her mind and she lives every day without her. The closest thing she has to a mother figure now is her maid, Dara, but continual comparison of the two keeps Ismena painfully aware of their differences and the things she misses without her mother.
I guess Mandorians don’t really celebrate fall as a season, lol. They tend to be more excited for spring, when everything starts to grow and come alive again.
Do your characters celebrate fall? Don’t forget to read Leila’s original post on the prompt!
October 14, 2018
Preptober Prompts Week 2
I intended to do these on the days they were posted, but I forgot so I’m doing all six at once. This past week’s category was description and was hosted by RaeMarie at Ozark Mountain Cailins. (Click on the prompt graphics to go to the original posts.)
I take a walk down an empty street, admiring the colored leaves as they fall. They skitter across the pavement, whisked away with a crisp autumn breeze. Loose hair that has slipped from my braid tickles against my cheek. I climb brick stairs onto my porch. As I open the door, the scent of hot apple cider cuts through the cold and I follow it into the kitchen. There’s a red mug ready and waiting on the table with a note addressed to me, and I smile as the warm liquid meets my lips and tangy apple flavor fills my mouth.
Coraline peruses the contents of her closet and her gaze locks on a cranberry-red dress. It’s sleeveless, but that can be remedied. The material is soft and thick under her fingers as she pulls it out and drapes it over the edge of the bed, turning to her dresser for a shirt to wear under it. She grabs a cream-colored linen shirt and pulls it on, catching the scent of clean laundry as she does so, then adds the dress and looks in the mirror. The bronze embroidery on the dress’s neckline and hem adds a bit of elegance to the otherwise plain outfit and she smiles. But it’s still missing something. She grabs a brown leather belt and ties it loosely around her waist, then pulls on matching boots before heading down to the stables for her ride to the apple orchard.
A bell rings over the door as I step into Starbucks, and the heavenly scent of coffee meets my nose. If only it weren’t accompanied by its bitter taste in the air. Laughter, chatter, and the clicking of laptop keys fill the air as I make my way to the counter I set my fingers on the cold marble and order a venti cinnamon hot chocolate. I wrap my fingers around the warm cup when it arrives and thank the barista with a smile before heading to a corner table to work.
The rich, warm smell of apples and cinnamon fills the air before I even open the oven to pull out my latest creation. Pumpkin bread is ready to take the pie’s place as soon as it’s set out to cool, and after the bread goes in the oven I’ll start whipping up a batch of peanut butter cookies. Cookies for writing fuel, the bigger desserts for word count rewards.
Coraline stepped into the apothecary and was assailed by a myriad of smells, all of which blended into an aroma that was somehow both earthy and medicinal. Sunlight filtered through a curtain of herbs and turned the room green, the patch of sunlight shining in the front door providing the sole exception.
Coraline closed the door, shutting out the clamor of footsteps and voices and horse’s hooves clicking against cobblestone. Here it was quiet. Here there was only the rustling of leaves as a breeze brushed through the open window. Here there was peace and quiet even from the voices in her head.
She lifted her cotton apron from a hook beside the door, the material soft beneath her fingers as she pulled it over her head and tied it around her waist. Booted footsteps ricocheted through the space as Era emerged from the back room and marred the serenity.
Looking out the tall windows, I see the trees around the library, their leaves fluttering in the breeze and shimmering like silver. The room is still, filled only with the quiet murmur of conversation, a few chairs being pulled out, and the continuous rush of the air conditioning. There’s a natural pressure to be quiet here, as if you’ve walked into a vast cathedral and you’re both in awe of the stained glass and aware of how easily your voice will echo. Quiet breeds quiet, somehow. The scent of old books also contributes to the need for quiet, like speaking too loudly would cause the yellowed pages to crumble.
Allegra’s responses:
Preptober Prompts: Wk. 2 days 1-2
Preptober Prompts: Wk. 2 Remainder and a Quick Notice
Leila’s responses:
Preptober Week 1
Be sure to subscribe to Leila’s blog, Wildflowers and Cosmic Tea, for this week’s NaNoWriMo prep prompts!
