So there’s this 10 year old Nano challenge that has been in my bookmarks for waaaayyy too long, and every time I participate in Nano I say that I’m going to do it, but never do. So…
The challenge can be found here if you want to participate.
Day 8 -List your current, most up-to-date word count. Are you satisfied with your progress thus far?
Day 9 – Have you told anyone else you’re doing NaNo this year? Who? What was their reaction?
Day 10 – How does your love of writing manifest in non-NaNo months?
Day 11 – Ever tried collaborative writing (such as play-by-post roleplaying)? If so, what do you think of it?
Day 12 – Imagine you’re behind in your word count goals (even if you’re not) and are going to pull an all-nighter to catch up. Screencap a playlist of inspirational music you would use to get you up to speed.
Day 13 – Name a male character from your novel. Describe him through the point of view and words of the female character you introduced in question 3 (if they never interact, pick another female character).
Day 14 – Is the sexuality of your characters a large part of your novel’s story? If so, are there characters who deviate from the heterosexual “norm”? In what way?
Day 8 -List your current, most up-to-date word count. Are you satisfied with your progress thus far?
These are screenshots from Day 7, and yes, I’m very pleased 🙂
Day 9 – Have you told anyone else you’re doing NaNo this year? Who? What was their reaction?
The people over at facebook and here on my website. As always, the reactions are always supportive. I love how we have a nice supportive writing community and anyone who’s participating in Nano should surround themselves with positivity.
Day 10 – How does your love of writing manifest in non-NaNo months?
The same as a Nano month. Write, write, write. Bang out long stories… I have lost my writing mojo for a while but after writing 30k in just over a month I’m feeling rejuvenated a bit and we’ll see if we can keep this shit going! I miss writing, to be honest.
Then again, if you’re burned out, you should find something else to do for a bit (which I did) and don’t feel guilty about it.
Day 11 – Ever tried collaborative writing (such as play-by-post roleplaying)? If so, what do you think of it?
*happily points to crossover collabs on website* Meeko and I wrote a lot together and we’re each other’s biggest fans. I wrote with others in the past, which was a hoot, too, but Meeko and I have the same sort of writing style, and same sort of ideas. Not everything we wrote is on this website because some stories are just massive (although she does have Broken Bird on her website and that story was just fantastically massive. I had an idea, she was like… ‘uhhh’ and it ended up being so good – I even got recognized at a Stargate convention for it back in the day… LOL).
We also did some roleplay on forums, and that’s where I started when I was a teenager too, in MSN chatrooms. Roleplay itself, which I now do on a voice basis in FiveM, opens up more possibilities and is a good way to write differently and come up with different ways of doing things.
Good for the writing mojo too.
Day 12 – Imagine you’re behind in your word count goals (even if you’re not) and are going to pull an all-nighter to catch up. Screencap a playlist of inspirational music you would use to get you up to speed.
I like listening to music when I write. I make specific playlists for my stories and add to them when I find another song that fits.
This is the playlist for Lily and Saul (No Other Lover, but also during RP)
This is the playlist for Kingdom (Bella/Kol)
What also helps me write is instrumental music. Upbeat. Like… Lindsey Stirling! Instrumental music makes it so that I don’t get distracted by the lyrics.
Day 13 – Name a male character from your novel. Describe him through the point of view and words of the female character you introduced in question 3 (if they never interact, pick another female character).
Saul Fucking Peterson. Look, he’s hot as fuck, alright. Dark hair with some orange highlights in his hair, his dark eyes penetrating you with just one look at you and making you melt. He loves to show off his body and likes to be shirtless to show off his collection of tattoos that all have meaning but honestly, I like him better when he’s covered up. Especially in that sleeveless hoodie of his, that show off his muscular arms. His tight pants showing all the good bits, his ass… his cock… And his hands? They’re just magical.
Whenever he talks, people just listen. He can get a lot done simply by talking. Charm the literal pants off of someone.
He’s a shit driver, I’m pretty sure that his insurance company doesn’t want to insure him anymore because he keeps getting into accidents.
He’s fucking crazy. He claims to be immortal, even when getting shot in the head. He always bounces back and doesn’t die, and people have tried to kill him. Like the Reapers.
He’s also an addict and usually very very high, which makes him really calm and calming. If you have a storm raging in your head, Saul is the man to help you calm it. I really like it when we just sit and he has his arms wrapped all around me. His scent, his warmth and his voice are like a warm blanket I don’t want to get away from.
He’s like a drug.
And I’m addicted to him.
But he’s also an asshole who is disorganized and doesn’t know how to communicate properly, which usually gets him into shit with me. The last time it drove me into another man’s arms because Saul broke my heart. It’s not easy for me to fall in love, willing to give all of me to someone, and he had just upped and left. He was the first man I dared to give my all to; every fibre of my being and not just being used for sex in exchange of security. No. Saul was THE ONE.
So yeah, I have some trust issues. And yeah, it’ll be difficult for me to trust him again but fuck…
Saul Fucking Peterson is mine.
Day 14 – Is the sexuality of your characters a large part of your novel’s story? If so, are there characters who deviate from the heterosexual “norm”? In what way?
Honestly, sexuality is… I don’t see why people think it’s important to put labels on everything. If it fits, it fits. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. Unfortunately I’m asexual and hate sex. But if my characters want to have sex, or a romance, then they go for it.
The majority of my characters are heterosexual, although I’ve written bi-sexual characters (Leroy Jethro Gibbs, for instance), pan-sexual characters… gay characters in the past and I’m not afraid to incorporate them in my stories.
It’s just not the focus. The focus is telling a story, and allowing the characters to be who they want to be.
I’m pretty sure that both Lily and Saul are pan-sexual and would just fuck everyone, to be honest, they just gravitated towards each other like a magnet.