Know the Novel (Part Three): Words Written

Click on either link to read part one and two. 

Time for the final part of Know The Novel. I had a lot of fun answering questions. And one of my friends from my writing group also posted responses to Know the Novel, too, and I recommend checking her posts out.

Now, here are my answers to these questions...

1. How did writing this novel go all around?

I think my writing went well. There is still work I need to do, of course (such as name some of the characters and give them appearances), but I made more progress on it than I did previously. And I look forward to returning to write this novel series, and in the meantime to thinking of how I will edit/expand certain things. 

2. Did it turn out as you expected or completely different? How do you feel about the outcome?

My writing did not exactly go in the direction I was expecting. In fact, a theme appeared as I was writing that I had not thought about much in relation to this project. The themes of dreams or dreaming (or something being dreamlike) became important enough that one of my character's dreams (which is pointing to something happening in the future) is now central to the plot. 

Though there won't be anything like an ending of "everything that happened was all a dream," I do think dreams are connected to art in a sense. After all authors, poets, and artists are sometimes referred to as "dreamers." So, I am happy about this outcome. 

3. What aspect of the story did you love writing about the most? (Characters, plot, setting, prose, etc.) 

I enjoy three things: the characters, setting and the prose, but for different reasons. The characters and world I like exploring and creating; the prose I enjoy crafting. And while I know a lot of people don't like editing, I enjoy modifying a sentence or a paragraph, and thinking over what I'm trying to say. I find editing to be rewarding. 

4. What was your least favorite part?

This isn't part of the examples stated previously, and is more of an experience that comes every once in a while. My least favorite part was when I had no ideas about what to write next. 

5. What do you feel needs the most work?

I need to work on some plot elements in books 1 and 2: I need to organize the heist plot and what follows after in book 1. And I need to work on the "present" plot in book 2: I have the general idea of what I want to do (and what is going to happen), I simply need to organize the order of events to be more clear. 

6. How do you feel about your characters now? Who’s your favorite? Least favorite? Anyone surprise you? Give us all the details!

I still view my characters as if they were old friends, that has not changed since the previous post. But I will say Raymond as a character has surprised me. He went through several iterations in the 0 draft, and I finally figured out parts of him that made him act the way he does. He thinks of most artists as liars, and given that he is an art thief, there is a complicated history with that. I do not know his backstory fully, since he has not told me (he is also a liar, so I do not expect to get that information out of him anytime soon).

There is a sort of "web of connections" in my book series (which is an idea I borrowed from Charles Dickens), so, that helps me figure out which characters are connected to which. If I feel like there is a character missing, I can think about the web and what person is missing in that dynamic, and then create a character based upon how they relate to everyone else. 

As for favorites (I will mention characters I didn't say were favorites last time): Mr. Raine, Medea, Ivy, and Reed. 

Mr. Raine is a character from book 2, that I created during a Shakespeare workshop. I used a prop that was provided by the actors, which was a leather notebook filled with disjointed ideas. He is a working-class clerk, a different status than the most of the other characters in the story. 

Medea is mysterious. Her embroidery and textile art magic is fun to write about, and I like learning more about her through my writing.

I like writing Ivy because I like her wit and the relationship dynamic she has with her family. 

And finally, I like writing Reed, since I like exploring his false memories and magic. I do not, however, have "least favorite" characters. 

7. What’s your next plan of action with this novel? 

I need to do more research into topics both for the 19th century and the 20th century. As I said at the top of the post, I also feel as though naming and giving appearances to certain characters is something else I will need to do. This requires thought since I want the characters to be distinct. 

There are a few plot elements I need to work out for both books. I also need to work on structuring for both books 1 and 2. But that may come later on, since for my other novel, Dolls of Wax, I didn't figure out how I was trying to structure the story until much closer to "the end." (That is of drafting so far, not chronological end). 

And I am planning to work on short stories which are connected to the world of the novel series. I have several involving magical artists which tend to be more myth/fairy tale-like. I also have specific character-focused short stories I am working on and am going to work on next: a short story about Genevieve's past and how she met Clarence.

Dorian trying bubble tea, from Inktober 2023

And I also have a short story about Dorian trying bubble tea. This scene got removed from the first book (given the time period change), however, I intend to make it a short story. It will likely be set further into the future for these characters (given when bubble tea was invented), or something else may happen...

8. If you could have your greatest dream realized for this novel, what would it be?

I would like to have the trilogy published in physical book form. I would like this to happen for my other projects as well, and that is a dream I am working towards. Ideally, I would have the art on the cover and within it designed by me. The designs would be aesthetic-- a sort of reference to Victorian book covers like this one: 

From wiki commons here. 

I am not necessarily trying to write my series as if it were a Victorian book, though my writing style may automatically sound in some ways like one (since I read so much literature from that time). And the characters would want the book series to have covers like this (particularly Dorian).
However, if that doesn't happen when it is first published that's fine, as I can have the covers and illustrations as a special or later edition. 

I doubt the first book in the series would be my debut novel, but, I would like eventually to have the series out in the world along with my other work. 

9. Share some of your favorite snippets!

I shared two last time, so I shall share some more... 

Raymond's thoughts about art... 

But most artists were liars by trade. Whether authors or painters, they twisted the truth to their liking, telling stories, or modifying the appearance of the sitter to tell a lie. They did not call such things “lies.” They called what they did "art," but he still believed it to be a lie, but one accepted socially and not frowned upon within society.  

And an excerpt from book two, since I didn't share one last time, this is from the start of the backstory plot-line... 

Genevieve contemplated, names had meaning, they held purpose. There were stories in which a name had power, it was something someone could view as holding who they were, the individual. But also, simultaneously if told to the wrong person, the essence of ones’ name could be taken and used against them.

Those stories were merely fairy tales, told for the purpose of warnings to children. but...Names, names were far from trivial, for names were tangled in the complexity that was an individual. She knew not who he was. No one knew when a child is first born, for it took years, even a lifetime to understand, but perhaps the purpose was, not who he was. But rather, who she wanted him to grow to be.

That is all I will share for now. 

10. Did you glean any new writing and/or life lessons from writing this novel?

This novel series has helped me a lot with understanding social situations, as social situations and etiquette are present in the series (despite a lot crime and magic being present). I find the things I learn from writing these to be applicable to real life. (Even if the etiquette and rules do not exist in our present in the same way.) 

Other than life lessons, writing wise, I learned that directly addressing magic (unless this is done satirically) can seem strange to the reader when in conversation with characters. So, when magic is discussed in my writing it tends to be more subtle and less direct. And I am learning to write scenes that are more dialogue focused. 

Overall, I enjoyed doing Fall FicFrenzy and Know the Novel and look forward to doing more of each next year. Thank you, Christine Smith, for hosting both and in doing so, introducing me to amazing writers. 😁

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Did you do any writing or art challenges this November? What would you like to learn more about in regards to my project?

-Quinley