If you have read my bio or the description of this blog, you would know that not only do I love reading, but I love writing! There is one story in particular that I’ve been working on (yet to be named), so I asked you all to send me some questions regarding it. I received a lot of excellent questions that I’m going to be answering today. I hope you all enjoy!
How would you describe your story in one sentence? James, younger brother to the leader of a notorious gang, discovers the power of sacrifice and redemption during a drawn out feud in Viorta City’s criminal underbelly.
Do you draw from any real life “characters” for the characters in your story? The characters in this story really aren’t pulled from anyone I know. Normally I’ll just use a trait or a name, rather than completely inserting someone into my stories.
How long do you think it will be? I’ve only written about a third of it, so I’m not totally sure yet. Maybe about 100-150 pages; I’m not sure I could handle more than that!
What age group is it intended for? I’m thinking middle-school/YA. It deals with some serious topics and gets a little intense, but it is still light-hearted and imaginative. Plus, I’m not sure my writing is at an “adult novel” place yet!
What is your inspiration? This story developed from a few different places. Quite a few of the characters are from a really old story I wrote with my friends, whereas the setting was loosely inspired by the Studio Ghibli film, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. The reason this story is sci-fi comes from the fact that my fantasy story was just not clicking for me, so I decided to try another genre entirely.
Who is your favorite character to write? I actually really love writing about my protagonist James, and then the villains, Ryker and Anna. Boden is fun too.
When do you plan to finish? I’m aiming to finish my first draft by the end of the summer, so I can enlist some beta readers and start seriously editing. But we’ll see if that plan plays out…
Does it take place on earth? My initial answer is no, because I don’t want to have to stay accurate with Earth’s geography and history. However, most of my “science” (take that with a grain of salt) is based on Earth’s physics and chemistry. So I’ll say no… but hypothetically it could!
Do you prefer to write inside or outside? I LOVE writing outside, but only in perfect weather. Like today, it’s sunny and breezy, not too hot or cold. The only disadvantage is that screens and sun don’t really get along, and I don’t like bringing my laptop charger outside. When I write inside, I opt for the dining room table, or my bed.
Do they have lightsabers? Unfortunately no, the technology is not quite there yet. It might be getting close though, so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see!
Which character do you think is the most like you? I see a lot of myself in Casey and Amethyst, which is strange because when you all get a chance to read it, you’ll find that they are almost complete opposites. Casey is proud to a fault, bringing people down to cover her deep insecurities, while Amethyst is motherly and kind, looking for the best in everyone. I see a lot of my past self in Casey’s brash desire to always be right, and a lot of my current self in Amethyst’s optimistic attitude. I hope that people who know me today will see me as kind-hearted and happy, but a lot of my close friends know that I have a very stubborn streak.
Why are you writing this story? At first, this story was just a way for me to hone my craft and play with some old characters. But it has slowly developed into a tale full of themes that I think are really important for people to hear. In this story, there are a lot of broken people brought together by hate for a common enemy, but they ultimately stay together out of love for each other. Trust, sacrifice, and forgiveness are key to these characters development: these are themes that I hold close and dear to my heart. I’ve also realized writing this story is a way for me to show the love of Christ to the people who read it, so ultimately, that’s the reason I’m writing it.
Now, we’re getting dangerously close to some spoilers… so let’s just leave it off right there!
Until next time, Namárië!
Fabulous! I didn’t know a lot of that and I love getting to hear more about your writing!