(Here I am, posting a day late again–sorry, everyone!)
So apparently I’ve been working on ECaPSSWR* for the last couple of months, but you’d hardly know it because I haven’t properly introduced that messy little novella here!
*”Epically Confused and Possibly Schizophrenic Snow White Retelling.” Not the final title. Ha.
But thankfully, Cait @ Paper Fury (who’s publishing a book next year, hooray!) and Sky @ Further Up and Further In have Beautiful Books to help all writers everywhere introduce the world to their works in progress. Normally, the link up is called Beautiful People and focuses on specific characters, but from October to December it’s all about the books themselves. Because it’s NaNoWriMo season! (But you don’t have to be participating in NaNo to do Beautiful Books.)
I’m not doing NaNo myself, so I’m something of a rebel in the writing community this month. I also missed October’s BB post . . . So why not embrace that rebel identity, ignore the Beautiful Books rules entirely, and use last month’s set of questions AND this month’s set at the same time for double the fun? Right? Who’s with me?
Okay. Fine. I wouldn’t be that excited either. After all, nobody knows much of anything about this ECaPSSWR thing except that it involves Snow White. Well, I’m here to tell you that I don’t know much more about it either. (Editing it this month is going to be so much fun. Heheh.)
Let’s get on with it, shall we? Perhaps I’ll gain some clarity along the way!
Beautiful Books October 2017
What inspired the idea for your novel, and how long have you had the idea?
I’d like to say something grandiose and romantic like, “I’ve had this story burning in my heart for ten years, and now I finally have the chance to tell it!” In reality, it’s more like I want to enter the final Rooglewood contest, Five Poisoned Apples, and I’ve had this idea for about three months.
Describe what your novel is about!
Here’s where I run and hide, because IT’S A LOVELY LITTLE MESS AND I HAVEN’T GOT A SYNOPSIS. But I’m a bold and noble writing warrior who never backs down from a challenge, so I shall try!
Ahem.
Skadi wasn’t born a hunter. But when tragedy forces her away from her home clan, she falls in with the seven huntsmen and soon learns how to shoot a bow and skin a deer. Yet a piece of her never got the chance to say goodbye to her old life.
When a mirror from the past draws her back across the fjord years later, she follows. Along the way, the mirror’s reflections tell stories. Stories spun into strange shapes that do strange things to Skadi’s mind. Meanwhile, a legendary lindwyrm stalks the woods, with its hungry gaze set on her second home–the home of the seven huntsmen.
Skadi will never let them burn, but according to the mirror, that means she must stand in the path of the flames. Mirrors never lie, people say. That may be so, but this mirror doesn’t reflect the whole truth.
A bit rough, but writing that blurb did help me sharpen my view of the central conflict!
What is your book’s aesthetic? Use words or photos or whatever you like!
It just so happens, I have Pinterest boards for most of my stories. And they happen to all be private boards, because I’m not the greatest at pinning down my characters’ faces (pun intended), and so I have probably a dozen different people for each character. Likewise for many different settings. Those boards are all fun little messes. Buuuut I’ll let you all in to the Snow White board, even if it’s still a work in progress, just because I’m nice like that! You can check it out HERE.
Introduce us to each of your characters!
Skadi (Snow White): She’s a tough gal, rarely squeamish, the kind with dirt on her knuckles and callouses on her palms. She tends to shoulder more than she should bear. Underneath her armor of independence, however, is a heart quivering with the thought that she’ll never be enough.
Torben (the Prince): He’s the youngest huntsman and Skadi’s best friend. In fact, he’s the one who saved her from the aforementioned tragedy in the first place, back when they were kids. He’s a good shot with the bow, and his lighthearted jabs keep Skadi’s smile from hiding too long.
Hackett: Former huntsman and now the leader of the Weylyn clan. Walks with a limp. Gruff as a grizzly but intensely protective.
Bruni: Oldest active huntsman, second in age only to Hackett. Wise. Doesn’t talk much.
Sigmund and Osmund: Twin huntsmen, constantly bickering. Os is large, with an impressive beard. Sig is average, with impressive eyebrows. Os has a knack for pointing out the negative. Sig likes to argue just for the sake of arguing.
Alfrigg: Another huntsman, but a rather rotund one. (Pretty much the Bombur of the group.) Happy. Likes simple things. Somehow manages to bring home just as much prey as anyone else, despite is ungainly size.
Kjell: Second youngest huntsman. Skinny as a twig and fast as a rabbit. Extremely extroverted; always asks for a pal when Hackett sends him hunting.
And then there’s also Skadi’s deceased father, mother, and stepmother. The stepmother still needs a name, and she’s the one who’s mentioned the most in the story. She could be best described as glacial.
How do you prepare to write? (Outline, research, stocking up on chocolate, howling, etc.?)
This time, I started with an undignified braindump in a fresh Word doc, in the form of bulleted lists and lots of crossed out words.
Then I discovered a way to outline that actually calculates the length of your story, thanks to author K.M. Weiland! I have this genius method to thank for finally staying under the contest’s word limit! Even so, no outlining process is perfect, and my scattered thoughts resulted in a scattered first draft.
So let’s commence that chocolate and howling.
What are you most looking forward to about this novel?
Fixing it!
List 3 things about your novel’s setting.
1. It’s Nordic-inspired, but still fantasy, so I can make up cool trees, invent adorable creatures called burrowbirds, and say Groundsleep instead of winter or Groundwake instead of summer.
2. It’s set in the same wide storyworld as The Brightest Thread! Just much further north, and decades earlier.
3. It’s more primitive than any of my other fantasy settings, which is fun.
What’s your character’s goal and who (or what) stands in the way?
I think this is one part of the novella that’s still a bit foggy. “What?” you exclaim. “Isn’t the character’s goal pretty much what THE WHOLE STORY HANGS ON?” Well yes. You’re right. This might be why the story’s having problems.
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But I’m not entirely clueless.
First, Skadi wants to return to her home clan, Renshaw, to make peace with what she was forced to leave behind.
But then stuff happens–what she finds there isn’t what she expected, and the mirror starts playing with her head–so then her goal changes to, “I have to defeat the lindwyrm before it decimates my other home.”
Obviously it’s the lindwyrm (a type of two-legged dragon) that stands in her way! Come on, guys. Did you really think I’d write a book without a dragon in it?
How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?
She lets go of some of her pride and independence, realizing that it’s okay to ask for help. It’s okay to not do something alone. It’s okay to need family.
What are your book’s themes? How do you want readers to feel when the story is over?
We tell ourselves a lot of lies, you and I. That’s the heart of what this book is about. We too often swallow the lies other people say about us; but even worse, we adopt as truth the lies we spin about ourselves. And sometimes we can go for years without realizing it.
At the end of this still-untitled story, I hope readers have peeled back just one more layer of their hearts in order to confront their own lies and discover the truth.
Beautiful Books November 2017
Overall, how is your mental state, and how is your novel going?
My mental state is a cross between this:
And this:
What’s your first sentence (or paragraph)?
All stood still.
The birches, white branches stripped of most of their leaves, made not a rustle. No wind stirred. Even the hare in the middle of the clearing sat erect. Its long ears pointed straight up, and it was no longer chewing as it had a moment ago.
I held my breath. My whole body was strung taut as the bowstring I had pulled back against my jaw. The arrow’s fletching tickled my cheek. I narrowed my gaze down the shaft and pointed the tip at the hare’s furry white chest. One . . . two . . .
(Oops, that was three paragraphs!)
Who’s your current favourite character in your novel?
Um, not Skadi, unfortunately. I think she will be once I’ve cleaned the manuscript up and given her personality something of a re-haul in the first half of the story!
Currently, I’d say Torben. He’s not in the middle of the story much, mostly just the beginning and the end, but he’s a fun contrast to Skadi’s inner gloom. And he’s kind of adorable and stubborn.
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What do you love about your novel so far?
I love the Nordic setting because it’s something new for me. I love the mirror’s powers because I’m always up for story elements that play with the mind. (Plus mirrors are packed with so much imagery and interesting connotations.) I love having a motley family/crew of seven rough huntsmen, because it’s a fun twist on the solitary huntsman of Snow White + the seven dwarves. I also love the singularity of Skadi’s journey. Whereas The Brightest Thread encompassed 100 years and a wide spread of characters, this story focuses on the journey of just one girl’s heart.
Have you made any hilarious typos or other mistakes?
Probably some typos, but I haven’t actually started editing yet, so I haven’t found them. However, I did accidently forget to incorporate the poison apple element! WHICH IS KIND OF A BIG DEAL. So far, the only resemblance to the original fairytale comes in the form of huntsmen and an evil stepmother. I really wanted to add the apple in somehow, but throw a big twist into it. Good thing I’ve got some vague ideas for how to write that into the climax . . .
What is your favourite part to write: beginning, middle or end–and why?
In this case, I fell in and out of love during all three stages! Overall, I would say my favorite part to write is whatever part clicks right away. You get this feeling that you’re on the right track, building off a decent foundation, heading in the right direction. Contrary to my complaining, I did have some of those moments. Now it’s my job to go back, find them, and use them as a guide to hammer the rest of the novella into shape.
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!
Snack? Music? Time of day? WRITING SPACE? What are these luxuries? I starve in silence at midnight in the corner of my dungeon!
I kid, I kid. In all honesty, I’ve been writing on the weekends once I catch up on homework. So the time of day is never ever set in stone. I will clarify that I write best when I don’t have other things on my to-do list hanging over my head, and I prefer an earlier start over later.
I don’t eat much while writing, although all the Halloween candy sitting around the house makes for good brain food. Tea is my usual choice, though! As for music, lately it’s been the soundtrack from How to Train Your Dragon and Two Steps from Hell’s latest album, Unleashed.
You don’t want to see a picture of my writing space. It’s a disaster.
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)?
Thus far, I’ve pretty much been pulling a Batman, which is weird for me. But now I’m finally, actually talking about this novella with you! Hooray! It kind of makes it feel more like a “real” writing project now.
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What keeps you writing even when it’s hard?
A deadline. That sounds woefully uninspiring, but I LOVE the satisfaction of completing something on time! For this story, my hard deadline is December 31st–that’s the contest rule. But my personal soft deadline is more like December 1st. I’d love to blaze through the editing process during the remainder of November, but we shall see!
Also lots of prayer. My family and I have been praying that I would find ways to balance my college schedule with writing and life and all those other good things. And so far, though it hasn’t been easy, I’ve been surprised at how much writing can be packed into one or two days a week! The bursts of speed are definitely an answer to prayer.
What are your top 3 pieces of writing advice?
Top three pieces of writing advice ever? That’s tough! Let’s narrow this down to the top three pieces of writing advice I’ve been learning from this particular project.
1. Try new things, and don’t be alarmed when you fumble around with them the first time or two. They’re new. You haven’t written this before. Keep at it, and you’ll get better.
2. They always say you should compete with yourself and no one else–keep improving on your own performance. There’s a lot of truth to that, I agree, but I’ve found that comparing this wet, wobbly-kneed, barely standing novella with the full-fledged novel that I just wrote (The Brightest Thread) isn’t helping. Rather, I have to keep reminding myself to play. Have fun. Writing is oftentimes hard, but if you’re not having fun overall, there’s something wrong. Deadline or no deadline, you need to relax enough to enjoy the process!
3. With every story you pen, put a little piece of yourself into it somehow, and let that shadow of you struggle and fail and win inside the confines of that story. Be real on the page, even if it makes you wince at the dark corners you try to forget you have. There’s light to be had there too.
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