Beautiful Books | Living City is Written....Now What?

November is over and a few weeks behind us which means that NaNoWriMo is officially over. So my wordlings, did you win? Did you come close? Even if you didn't quite make it, the fact that you made the commitment to begin with is beyond commendable! *showers you with confetti sprinkles*

Now that December has come it's time for the third month of Paperfury's blog link-up, Beautiful Books. This time it's about the aftermath (aka editing). 

This is the first time I'm experiencing this process of writing. I'm feeling a mixture of pride and uncertainty and I stare a lot at the box my manuscript resides in. I haven't even touched the first draft so I'm expecting some more strong emotions to come about. 
But anyway...onwards to the questions! 

On a scale of 1 (worst) to 10 (best), how did the book turn out? Did anything defy your expectations?

On boy....it's a blind analysis since I haven't really read over much. I'm gonna be safe and say 6 or 7. It's a first draft after all and there are some things that I know need improvement. I got lazy for some scenes and breezed through them knowing I'd edit later. The story itself though? I'm very proud of that.

There was quite a bit that defied my expectations, actually. Sometimes I'd be about to move onto a new scene and it would just feel wrong so I'd go with the flow, letting my characters guide me, when all of the sudden a new development twists the entire outline, forcing me to rethink some scenes I had originally planned. All of the defiances worked for the benefit of the story though so three cheers for that!

Comparative title time: what published books, movies, or TV shows are like your book? (Ex: Inkheart meets X-Men.)

I've always tried to figured this out but felt I never could....let's give it a shot though.

The Maze Runner (for the escape stuff) meets...Percy Jackson (for the mythos and ability stuff)? When I put it like that my story sounds rather cliche XD

I suppose that's what I get for coming up with the comparative title on the spot ;)

Maybe a splash of "Heroes" in there as well? 

Do you enjoy working with deadlines and pressure (aka NaNoWriMo)? Or do you prefer to write-as-you’re-inspired?

Deadlines and goals are much better for me. *inner adventurer screeches* Sorry, inner me! We can still spontaneously explore the world!

Without some sort of goal in sight that I can compare my progress to, absolutely nothing will get done. I'm the type that has to tell myself how many chapters I'll study for a final exam or in the case of writing, how many words I'll write by the end of the week.

I will write when I'm inspired but usually poetry will come out of that. If I want to make this author thing work, I need to write both when I want to and when I'd rather curl up and binge watch "Once Upon a Time" all day.

Plus, deadlines always make writing feel epic

How do you go about editing? Give us an insight into your editing process.

Well I've never actually gone through the editing process but so far I've taken some steps and have a plan...

Step one: 

Print off my full manuscript. 

Step Two: 

Box the manuscript and hide it for six weeks. 

Step Three: 

Send the first draft straight off the keys to my Alpha readers with guidelines for watching for continuity errors. For most, I send a list of questions to answer so I can get the feedback I need.

Step Four: 

Read over the Alpha feedback once all or most of it has come it and make note of important or repeated comments in my feedback journal. 

Step Five: 

Once the six weeks have passed, I can open the box and take out the manuscript to edit. I edit best when I can scribble all over the margins and mark up every mistake—I like visual proof that I'm fixing mistakes. It's soothing XD 

Step Six: 

Write draft two. 

Step Seven: 

Send the second draft to selected Beta readers for micro edits. 

Step Eight: 

Mark up a printed copy of draft two. (why do I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot of money on ink and paper?) 

Step Nine: 

Read the comments and write them down like I did with the Alpha reader comments. 

Step Ten: 

Rewrite to form a third draft. 

Step 11: 

Reread the third draft and make any necessary changes ie. commas, spelling, word choice. 

That's the plan anyways....let's see how it goes. I've only gotten to step three so far. 

Bring on the rewrites! 

What aspect of your story needs the most work?

"Aspect". Thank you for not making it "aspects" XD

The beginning for sure. I was a little unsure of where the story would go when I started so it needs a massive reworking. It's choppy and rushed and confusing. Pieces are great but the pieces don't flow yet. I need to make that happen.

What aspect of your story did you love the most?

The ending <3 <3

I love my ending with a passion. It just fell into place and I wasn't expecting it to. It sets up the next book without being too much of a cliffhanger. I also really liked the build to the ending. There was a lot more action in it that I expected but I'm really glad so much of it got in there. As a reader, action is one of my favourite parts of a story.

Give us a brief run down on your main characters and how you think they turned out. Do you think they’ll need changes in edits?

Well this should be fun!

*Drags Kim to the stage* This is Kim. She's my main character and she's super determined...maybe too determined since it gets her into some trouble. Also, she's a little too independently wired for her own good. *pats her head* She needs to make friends.
She turned out exactly as I hoped and better. As I wrote, I found out a lot about her. I do need to change her reactions to a few events and also must explore her backstory some more. She lead me astray a few times so there's some false info in her profile. *parents glares her* 

And this is Colton. *pulls Colton onto the stage* He's my caring British character who is definitely the most level headed of the group. He's kind of the only one who can actually talk Kim out of something since he's reasonable and knows how to tailor information to certain individuals. One thing that I kept running into with this one is that he sometimes acted a little too much like Matt in both speech and action. I'll need to watch for that in my edits.

Lastly, I'll introduce you to Matt. *yanks him to the stage with Colton and Kim* He's not exactly the most charming of people but he's pretty helpfully so we've decided to keep him around, haven't we Kim? Colton?

Matt surprised me though, proving he has a heart for those suffering from injustice. It's a good thing this isn't a revolution story or he'd probably get himself killed.

So those are the main three for this book. *hugs them all*  

What are your plans for this novel once you finish editing? More edits? Finding beta readers? Querying? Self-publishing? Hiding it in a dark hole forever?

Edits and beta readers for sure. Beyond that, I'm going to be prepping all January to pull together a fabulous pitch—one sheets, first five pages etc. In February I'll be travelling to Florida to pitch it to agents and editors *fingers crossed*. If that doesn't work, I'll start querying and hit up some more conferences. I'm determined to be published. 

Share a favourite snippet!

Oh boy...this is hard. Most of my favourite snippets are at the end and they're full of spoilers. I do like this piece though: 

"Kim looked back at the phone and rolled the turtle charm between her finger and thumb. "What're all these phones from?" 

Matt reached into the box and pulled out one with a black protective case. "Wrecks." 

Kim's eyes darted to him. "Like…"

"It's a museum of stuff from Up There. What did you expect?" 

"Well I knew it would be like this but…all this stuff. It feels so personal to hold." 

Matt sighed. "I know what you mean. Whoever owned this phone, it's a piece of their life." He flipped the device over in the palm of his opposite hand. "You can tell a lot about a person based on what they owned you know." 

Kim glanced at him. "What do you mean?" 

"Well, this person has a protective case around an old phone. The case is black and clunky. Obviously they didn't really care about trends. Functionality was more important to them." He nodded to the phone in Kim's hand. "Whoever had that phone was obviously a girl, probably liked the colour green and maybe went to Hawaii or something." 

Kim looked at the phone. "I never would have thought of any of that." 

Matt dropped the phone in the box. "Yeah well you pick up on it when you're surrounded by this stuff.""

What are your writing goals and plans for 2016?

As I mentioned above, there's that trip to Florida. I hope to finish "Living City" to it's final draft and have the first draft of "Crec" written. If I'm lucky, I'll even have "Sunken Sky", Tholus's second book started. I'm super excited for 2016. It'll be a new era in my writing universe :)

2016, here I come

So that's the link up for this month. If you missed last month's post where I talked about the process of writing "Living City", click here and if you want to learn more about the story itself, follow this linky here. 

How was NaNo this year? 
Did you do Beautiful People? Share a link with me so I can read about your novel too :) 

Write on, Wordlings! 

Interview With Matt (The Dome)

Me: 

Hey guys! This week I'm going to be interviewing Matt using the great questions that you asked him. Thanks for all that you submitted!
I made a typo in last weeks post so depending on which phrase you read, I'm either on time or late on posting this. Sorry about that! 

So without further ado, lets get these questions rolling. *turns in my plush red chair to face Matt in his* Hey Matt. *smiles*

Matt: 

*nods a hello* 

Me: 

I have a lot of questions to ask you so lets get started.

Matt: 

Sure. Sounds good. 

Me: 

The first few questions are from Cassidy. *glances at tablet* She says, "Do you like paintball? It sounds random, I know, but that was the first thing I thought of when I saw your celebrity look alike in the first pic." 

Matt: 

*scrunches up his face slightly* Who's my celebrity look alike? 

Me: 

*brings up the photo on the tablet and shows it to him* 

Matt: 

*leans forward to look at it* Is he holding a gun? 

Me: 

Yes. That's why Cassidy's asking about paintball. 

Matt: 

Which is what? *leans back in the chair* 

Me: 

It's a game they play Up There. *pulls the tablet back onto my lap* I'll explain it to you after. 

Matt: 

*disbelieving* A game with a gun. Guns kill people. 

Me:

No these ones—I'll explain after. Next question from Cassidy says, "I assume you like cars—do you have a favourite model? Or a dream car? 

Matt: 

Probably an Tesla Model S. It has a 4.4 second acceleration, 416 horsepower, reduced torque and increased traction, extrusions, stampings, and castings are expertly joined for rigidity...it's a good car.

Me: 

*laughs a little* You know so much more about cars than I do. I understood like, half of that. 

Matt: 

*smirks* Well I kind of have to with my job and all. 

Me: 

Right. *looks at the tablet* Cassidy also wants to know if you have a favourite colour. 

Matt: 

*considers* I have a lot of grey hoodies and my Imprisonment colour is orange so I guess those ones. *shrugs* 

Me: 

*nods* Last one from Cassidy, "Aside from getting out, do you have any goals or ambitions?" 

Matt: 

I want to graduate high school with good marks. My parents would like that. 

Me:

Is that what you want or what your parents want? 

Matt: 

*frowns* I want to make them proud of me. Getting good marks will do that.

Me: 

Oh, okay, I see. Austin has some questions for you too. *scrolls down on the tablet* He says, "Hey Matt, Have you ever wondered whether a team you lead actually likes you as a leader?" 

Matt: 

For Imprisonment? Well no one complains and I've heard a few compliments so...*nods his head to the side* Have I wondered specifically about that? No, I haven't.

Me: 

Austin also asks, "Are you aware of your own arrogance?" 

Matt:

Am I aware—why would he think I'm arrogant? 

Me: 

Uh...

Matt:

What's in my bio? *cranes his neck to see the tablet* 

Me:

*turns it away* Answer the question and I'll let you read it after. 

Matt:

My mom warns me of it...so does my dad. So I guess you could say I'm aware. 

Me: 

Next one from Austin says, "What if you find out that Up There is a worse place than where you are living in right now?" He also asks what you'd do if it was all in vain.

Matt: 

If it's really that bad, I'll go home and it's not in vain.

Me: 
A few more from Austin: "Is there anyone in the Dome that you want to see eliminated?"

Matt: 
If by eliminated you mean kill, then no. *glances at the tablet* Austin asks a lot of questions.

Me: 
And you're answering all of them. *scrolls down* "How do you determine people you can trust? Can you do it without having to see or know their past actions?"

Matt:
It's better knowing who they are before you trust them. Other times it's just intuition.

Me: 
The last one from Austin says, "What's your love language?"

Matt: 
Love language?

Me: 
Yeah. It's an Up There thing. Like, what makes you feel most loved.

Matt: 
Oh that thing. I'm quality time and acts of service according to a test we took at school.

Me: 

Victoria wants to know if you wish you had any siblings as an only child. *looks up from tablet* 

Matt: 

Sometimes. *purses his lips* It's probably easier to keep secrets without a sibling though. 

Me: 

Interesting. Another question from Victoria, "What do you want to do when you get older? Do you want to still be a mechanic when you're an adult?" 

Matt: 

I'm hoping to have gotten out by then but if it came down to it, I'd probably take over the shop.

Me: 

Kristana says, "Do you have a lot of friends? Do you have any 'special' girl friends?"

Matt: 
Girl friends? I don't have time for a girlfriend right now. As far as other friends go, I hang out with Ryan and a few others but I wouldn't say I have a lot.

Me: 
Her next questions asks, "What intrigues you most about Up There?"

Matt: 
*clasps his hands together and rests his elbows on his knees* I guess I just want to experience life in a place not closed in by a wall.

Me: 
*nods* "What gets on your nerves the most?"

Matt: 
People that don't trust me or don't cooperate.

Me:
The last questions is from Kristana as well. "Who do you share your secrets with?"

Matt: 
No one. If I shared my secrets they wouldn't be secrets anymore.

Me: 
Good point. *sets the tablet down on my lap* Well that's all the questions I've got for you. Thanks for coming.

Matt: 
*sits up and leans back* No problem.

Me: 
Thanks again to all you asked question! Feel free to ask any more in the comments below and thanks for reading.

Questions For Matt

Connor Jessup who looks kind of like Matt

Next Saturday I'm going to be doing a character interview with one of my main characters from The Dome, Matt Layden and I want you guys to be the ones coming up with questions! Here's some information about him to get some ideas going.

Matt Layden is a seventeen year old, telekinetic citizen of the Dome: an underwater city at the heart of the Bermuda Triangle. Just like the other students in the city, Matt has grown up learning how to use his ability in both a general and defensive way. The city-wide mentality that abilities involving the mind are more important and influential than others, has cultivated his arrogant side. A strong competitor and team leader in the high school's semi-annual competition, Imprisonment, Matt possesses leadership qualities, knows how to work with a team and has a strategic mind.

Being an only child, Matt has struggled with the pressure of being the perfect son. Congratulations come from his father when he does well. Criticism comes when he does not. To cope, he hangs out with his best friend Ryan, and tinkers at his after school job at the mechanic's shop. His free time is filled with his secret obsession of discovering more about Up There and ultimately getting out. For years he's crept behind his parent's backs, collecting information about both the Dome and the world beyond his own, hoping to find a way out and experience it for himself. In the back of his mind are the nagging rules and warnings against escape. Getting caught means losing everything. But after a life ruled by others, it's about time he takes the risks and rules it himself.

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below and he'll answer as many as he can this coming weekend!