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 

Know the Novel (Part Two): Within The Dorian Gray Trilogy

It is time for Part Two of Know the Novel, I had a lot of fun answering the first part. 

 1. How’s the writing going overall?

My writing has been going well. I have been feeling much more motivated, than I was previously. Aspects of both novels have come out more clearly than they did before-- there are still things I need to fix, but the stories in both novels have become much apparent to me. 

2. What’s been the most fun aspect of writing this novel so far?

I said this in the previous post, but I think the world-building. Whether it be more "realistic" world-building (such as using knowledge of history to construct a historical place) or more fantastical world-building (such as creating a spell or exploring how the characters' magic in general works), I like getting immersed in this new world and allowing the characters to guide me through the story. 

3. What do you think of your characters at this point? Who’s your favorite to write about?

I know them a lot better than I did when I first began writing, so the characters are like old friends to me. However, I find it difficult to choose a favorite. I like all of the characters for different reasons; they are flawed, but in ways that are endearing to me. So, my answer will be about two different characters that I am having fun writing at the moment...

Genevieve. An important character, but not a main character. I mentioned in a previous post that she looked different than most characters I usually draw. She also has a different perspective on the world, and I learned recently that she performs and composes music. 

Dorian. He always makes the wrong choices. There is something so fun about writing a character who acts on impulse, even when doing so, would hurt him and others around him. 

But I like all of my characters from this project for different reasons. 

4. Has your novel surprised you in any way?

I originally tried writing my character's false memories in the 3rd person. That did not succeed, because it didn't feel like a memory. While most of the story is told in the 3rd person, the false memories felt as though it should be told in the 1st. In this way the memory becomes up close and personal and allows me to create a false memory that no one else but the character can actually see.  

That surprised me, because the only time I ever tried to do a different style of perspective was in the 0 draft, where I tried to write a scene in 2nd person, and doing so felt wrong. So, the fact that alternating styles returned to the novel series surprised me. 

5. Have you come across any problem areas?

There is one continuous plotline I need to figure out. I want to have a particular character retain his goodness even in the morally bad situation in the plot. That is a "problem" I am working on because his actions have to be believable to the reader. 

Illustration from Pamela (public domain) 

I am currently reading Pamela (which is a 18th century novel) that explores a scenario in which its protagonist's virtues are threatened. While my series is different, I think reading the novel is useful. 

For book 2, I am doing research into certain historical settings and customs, because sometimes I feel as though I am having difficulty with writing scenes. I want to create immersive detailed descriptions. I try to remind myself as I am writing that if I do enough research I can fill in those blanks later. But, that is a problem I am actively working on overcoming. 

6. What’s been your biggest victory with writing this novel at this point?

My biggest victory has to be writing the false memories in the way I want them to be. I still have to do edits of course, and these are only first drafts, but I am not constantly going to be rewriting them. (As I was doing previously). 

7. If you were transported into your novel and became any one of the characters, which one do you think you’d be? Would you take any different actions than they have?

I think I would become Reed (maybe Dorian though, if I don't have good luck). I feel like if I was Dorian, I would do the exact opposite of everything he did in my book series. And maybe I would get his painting back much quicker than he does. 

If I were Reed, however, I don't think I would do much...differently. I think maybe I would use his magical art abilities in a slightly different way (I would use illusion magic to make art of my characters), but I wouldn't be trying to undo previous mistakes as much. 

8. Give us the first sentence or paragraph then 2 (or 3!) more favorite snippets!

The first sentence from book 1...

Millions of eyes gazed at the portrait each day. Observing it with curiosity, disgust, or perhaps hoping to see a strange sense of beauty within the textures of the brushstrokes. 

I will share some of my favorites that I have written for the series, a short excerpt from the false memories...

I never paid much heed to the songbird, I simply let it pass, flying away in the trees, being our only onlooker.

I remember he sat among the vines in the trees as if he were a statue framed by the leaves and the branches, one that I was uncovering in coming closer to him. Almost as if he were one in a graveyard—perhaps that comes to mind, for I felt that we swore this was a secret that would be kept until death... His golden hair always stood out in what remaining light there was, as if the setting sun wanted to illuminate his golden curls...

I am not going to share more excerpts at the moment, but, maybe more will come in future blog posts. 

9. Share an interesting tidbit about the writing process so far! (For example: Have you made any hilarious typos? Derailed from your outline? Killed off a character? Changed projects entirely? Anything you want to share!)

I mentioned in the previous post, that I am doing a mixture of a thin outline and of letting the characters guide me. Because of that, I keep making little discoveries about the world or them.
For example, I discovered that in some of the folklore that Medea accidentally influenced, people think her sewing needles are magical. They are not, she is, but the tellers put power into the object instead of the person. 

And while I am working on writing this series, I am planning ahead for the edits I am going to do in Dolls of Wax, Eyes of Glass. I am also developing characters for The Haunted Sketchbook. So, while I am working on writing this series, I am also preparing other writing projects. 

10. Take us on a tour of what a normal writing day for this novel looks like. Where do you write? What time of day? Alone or with others? Is a lot of coffee (or some other drink) consumed? Do you light candles? Play music? Get distracted by social media (*cough, cough*)? Tell all!

It depends on the day, but I try to wake up and after a short walk around a park in our area, make some tea, and begin writing the story. I find that writing in the morning is much easier than writing later in the day. Usually I write a new scene, however, I do not only work on writing scenes. When I feel I am prepared to look at feedback or find a solution to a problem I had, I work on editing scenes.  

And unless, I am doing dictation I usually listen to music. I have specific songs that remind me of this novel series that I return to as I work. Recently, I have been listening to this song: 

So, my routine is a mixture of creating new scenes, editing old ones, and going on walks (allowing my mind to wander).

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How has your writing been going? If you don't do writing, how has your November been?

-Quinley 

Know The Novel (Part One): the Dorian Gray Trilogy

I was sad that NaNoWrimo closed. A lot has already been said by others about the controversial reasons, and I did not want to make a negative post. Instead, I decided to search for NaNoWriMo alternatives and found FicFrenzy, which takes place in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. I joined in time for the Fall event. 

I decided to do a story that I have been working on for a while (at least behind the scenes, since I have not made many blog posts about it). I have not quite figured out how to explain this series, and that is something I am still working on. This post will explain the changes to the novel series and give new readers the basic gist of it. Also, FicFrenzy's Challenge has given me new motivation to write the series.

Here are the questions for the Challenge, let's begin...

1. What first sparked the idea for this novel?

A part of this idea came to me during college (though I had been thinking about it since 2020). I was tasked to write a screenplay for an assignment. I had written a few sketch comedies and written two short plays in response to Shakespeare's The Tempest, but writing a whole new screenplay from scratch was a fun adventure. 

At the time I was inspired by the television show, Sleepy Hollow, because I liked how they portrayed Irving's characters. So, I decided to write about Dorian Gray and this whole trilogy came into being. However, the original idea to make the story into a television series did not last long (because while I like screenwriting, it did not work for this particular story), and instead the story evolved into a novel trilogy. 

2. Share a blurb (or just an overall summary)!

To give you an idea of what my story is like: it is a literary fiction trilogy, and it is not the same type of story in every book (though from book to book the same characters will be the main characters). I also tend to mix genres within the series so, the trilogy is not primarily one genre. 

Also, the reader is not required to have read Wilde's novel to understand my writing. Familiarity with the source material merely enhances it, but one can read my series without even having read Wilde. 

Here is what the first book is like...

Dorian's painting (which is his soul) is displayed in a museum. When he attempts to steal his painting back he finds that his past may not be as buried and forgotten as he believes it to be. 

The second book... I am currently working on a summary. That summary will probably appear in future blog posts. However, the second book focuses on one of the character's backstories and their present, which are intertwined in the narrative. 

 Currently, I am only working on books 1 & 2, since they are in conversation with each other. I have plans for Book 3, but have not yet begun writing. 

3. Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite aspects of the setting?

There are two timelines in the trilogy: the 20th century and the Victorian Era. I had originally planned to set the series in the present, since I was inspired by Sleepy Hollow. However, the series went in a different direction.

 In the first timeline, the setting is the 1920s-40s.  I chose this 20th century time-frame, because I wanted to explore the Art Deco and Modernist (literature) movement. 

In the second timeline, the setting is the end of the Victorian Era (or near the end of it). And in that time period, I explore the Aesthetic and Pre-Raphaelite movements. 

4. Tell us about your protagonist(s).

(Characters from books 1 and 2). 

In book 1... 

Dorian Gray 

An immoral immortal who has his soul stuck in a museum, and wants to free it.
He loves aesthetics, and while he may look innocent, he is not trustworthy. 

Reed Hayward 

Reed is a magical artist. He suffers from false memories, though he is unaware that his memories are not what really happened. He has magical art abilities which allow him to enter paintings and create illusions. 

Ivy Hughes 

Ivy is a painter who creates replicas of paintings, and owns a painting business with her husband. However, she longs to make her own artwork. She is also witty and thinks like a critic about art. 

And in book 2, the same three characters remain, but a new character appears.. 

Medea

Medea is a magical artist--her magic relates to embroidery and weaving. She is mysterious, and you will never truly understand who she is, even when you think you do. 

I am still working on their character pages (the old pages are severely out of date), but if you wish, you can look at the works in progress here. 

5. Who (or what) is the antagonist?

In book 1... 

Raymond 

He's technically not the antagonist unless you see him through Dorian's eyes.
Raymond is a thief, who is sly and cunning, and can be vindictive against his enemies.  

In book 2... 

The antagonist isn't a person, instead it is a psychological feeling (unless you count Dorian, then it's Dorian again).

6. What excites you the most about this novel?

The characters, because they are what fuels this novel series. Spending time with them, helps me to learn about them, and writing becomes a journey of discovery. 

Also, what excites me is the world-building for series. A whole new world was sparked because of this story series, and I have been steadily building and writing it. 

Also, because of this trilogy, I am researching topics that interest me. 

7. Is this going to be a series? standalone? something else?

It is going to be a trilogy series with maybe some spin-offs involving other characters (such as Medea). 

8. Are you plotting? pantsing? plansting?

I am doing a mixture of planning out the novel and improvising. I have the basic idea of where this is going, though I am still figuring out how to express some of my ideas. 

9. Name a few unique elements in this story.

While I do have other projects which explore art (notably, The Haunted Sketchbook), I like exploring paintings, sculptures, etc. through this idea of magical artists, since they show the magic of art. 

And while immortality is not really the focus (morals are), I like having characters from different time periods interacting with one another. 

This novel series also plays a lot with social situations. So, I get to explore the etiquette from different time periods in which the characters live. 

10. Share some fun “extras” of the story (a song or full playlist, some aesthetics, a collage, a Pinterest board, a map you’ve made, a special theme you’re going to incorporate, ANYTHING you want to share!).

I am going to share some of the art (visual and music) that inspired me (and is inspiring me) while writing this: 

Windflowers by John William Waterhouse 

Early Art Deco Furnishings

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What are you working on? Is there anything you've learned about your projects as they've developed?

-Quinley

Miscellaneous Drawings #15

Hi everyone, 

Sorry about the accidental weird post I made. If you saw it in your feed, it was due to me trying to show a technical difficulty in my writing group to someone else. It was not meant to be posted as a blog post. 😁

To make up for that mistake, here is an actual post... 

A drawing of Medea, she first appeared in this post. Medea is a magical artist who has embroidery magic. Medea is, also, a character in my Dorian Gray trilogy, who you will learn more about in the future. 😉

A drawing of Fiáina. I had not drawn her since 2023, and I do not know why. So, I decided to draw her relaxing after a run through the woods. Her appearance changes based on the seasons and in this drawing it is summer. This image was featured in a monthly showcase my writing group ran here (I recommend checking out my fellow writer's art, writing, and blogs, too). 

A drawing of Denisse who I have not drawn since my style changed. I decided it would be fun to draw her again.  

This fairy was fun. I created her through a fun character generator, and I thought the randomness would be an interesting limitation when it came to character creation. 

--------------------

Which drawing is your favorite? 

-Quinley  

Miscellaneous Drawings #14

 

Hello everyone, 

I thought it was time to do another drawing post. I have some watercolor drawings and Inktober art from last year, which I intend to share in a future post, so stay tuned. For now let me show you my drawings: 

A drawing of Edith. I wanted to draw a full body drawing her since I had not done that, yet. 

A drawing inspired by Blackbriar's song "Cicada." I enjoyed drawing her hair and the wings. 

This was a drawing that I did with mixed media: the above image is a digital drawing, and 
the background image is a watercolor painting. This drawing was featured in a showcase, my writing group ran here. 

I decided to play around with backgrounds and here is a potrait of my character, Genevieve. Her face is a bit different than some of my other characters. So, I thought she would be fun to draw. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Which drawing is your favorite? 

-Quinley 

My Art from Inktober 2023 (Part Two)

Click here to read part one. 

Greetings Adventurers, 

Here's the second part of my Inktober series. The post after this one is going to be what I am writing for NaNoWriMo. But after that, I will return to posting the final part of this year's Inktober series. 

 Here's the official prompt list: 

Day #11 Wander. Reed Hayward (from The Heist of Dorian Gray) feeling lost in thought. I decided to go for more wanderings of the mind rather than wanderings in the physical sense. 

Day #12 Spicy. Ocean Guy cooking. I figured he has an interest in cooking when he isn't saving the world from villains. So I decided I would give him an apron with a seahorse on it and draw sea themed stuff in the background. 

Day #13 Rise. Since Zora (the lead singer of Blackbriar) often acts as characters in the band's songs, I figured I would draw a character the song "I'd Rather Burn" which is about a witch,
and one of the lines is: 
"But know I'll return and I'll be dead awake

I'll be dead awake, rising from the stake"

Day #14 Castle. Denisse Grigory going on tour and performing near a haunted castle. 

Day #15 Dagger. This was the sketch I used to create my new header (above). In this drawing, I am imagining that Arcasia found a weapon given to her by the goddess, Artemis (indirectly: Artemis left it for her). This is like how in Clash of the Titans (1981) Perseus receives weapons from the gods. 

Day #16 Angel. I decided to draw Aziraphale from Good Omens.

Day #17 Demon. I drew the "painted" devil, a creature that appeared in this post. 

Day #18 Saddle. This is Ophelia going out for a ride through the forest. I haven't drawn my characters riding horses a lot, so I decided to challenge myself. 

Day #19 Plump. I took "plump" to mean the round kind of plump (referring to the tapioca balls) and drew Dorian Gray (from The Heist of Dorian Gray) trying bubble tea. He does not like it, nor does he get the point of why anyone would do this with tea.

Day #20 Frost. Edith (from The Haunted Sketchbook) walking through a graveyard. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Which drawing is your favorite? What weapons would you like to receive from a god/goddess and/or, what's your least favorite type of food? 

-Quinley 

Writing Reflections

   I thought I would do a writing updates post, since it's been a while since I did one and I have a lot of thoughts about the projects I am currently working on.  

                       

                       What I'm Working on 

Dolls of Wax, Eyes of Glass

 

Last month, I started working on Dolls of Wax, Eyes of Glass again. I had previously paused for research, which I have now partially finished. (I still have to research the spiritualist movement, which I need for Matilda's portion of the story.) Some of the research I did involved reading Beckett's trilogy, since there was an aspect of the trilogy that I felt would work in Felix's narration. In the time that I was drafting, I got a satisfying partial draft of Felix's part done, so I will feel good about coming back to finish it in a few months. 

As I was writing the draft, a singer I like released a song that reminds me a lot of my story, and it was helpful for writing a scene involving the Wax Witch. The song itself is about a folk figure, Black Annis, who is a blue hag that eats human flesh. She is not exactly like the Wax Witch, but some of the lyrics reminded me of her. 

It feels good to get back into this story, since I realize I tend to miss characters if I don't write about them for a while.  

The Haunted Sketchbook

In The Haunted Sketchbook I figured out a problem I was having with Edith's narrative, which will make it much easier to do the second draft. Earlier, I had been trying to adhere to a certain formula (from a M.R. James ghost story), and that constrained the story too much. So, I will let the story move outside of this formula and become what it wants to be.  In this way, I figured out that I want a combination of a murder mystery and a ghost story but not in the formula of either: merely using elements of both genres. 

I also discovered a similarity between Ferdinand and Macbeth. While it is not a perfect resemblance, Ferdinand's motives (for doing what he may or may not have done) are similar to Macbeth's: ambition. However, he is in the art world instead of in the world of kings. The similarities between the motives has made it easier for me to understand Ferdinand as a character.  

The Heist of Dorian Gray 

I finished outlining The Heist of Dorian Gray. This is the first time that I've written a story involving heists, so I wanted to make sure that I had a basic idea of the structure of them. (However, I may change some things about the structure, since other genres are present in this story).

I watched The Great Train Robbery to get an idea of the heist structure, and it helped. 

Also, Ivy now has a character sheet which you can look at here. I still need to make ones for Ava and Alfred, but for now I have the three up. 

I then began writing the novel. I found that "zero drafting" (basically outlining and writing short scenes as exercises), helped clear things up, that otherwise might have caused awkward scenes in the first draft. I basically see zero drafting as throwing things at the wall, to see if they stick, if they don't that's fine, or if you miscommunicated a concept you get to clarify it in the 1st draft. (This then makes 2nd, 3rd, etc. drafting much easier, since then it isn't a mess of awkward scenes). 

The Mystery of the Body Thief 

(image from wiki commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Henry_Meynell_Rheam_-_The_Fairy_Wood.jpg)

In world-building recently, I have since changed what I call my elves. I now call them the Sídhe (pronounced like SHEE. This is the Irish word for "people of the fairy mound.") So, if you see me referring to them as that, don't be confused, because early drafts of my story had pointed to them being like Irish fairies. This will be a part of the update in the character sheets. I am also working on a short story set in that world (from the myth collection). I am working on editing and rewriting, and I plan to release it as a story introducing the world. Once it's published I will make an update post on that. 

Also in my world building, I figured out a division between the humans and Sídhe in terms of learning magic from the gods.This was inspired by the research I did for a paper I presented at a fantasy conference. Magic is less common among humans than among the Sídhe, and the humans who do have magic call themselves "fairy doctors." Magic is still a religious thing among humans, as it is among the Sídhe. But the Sídhe call those of their own kind who have magic from the gods, "devotees" or "priests/priestesses." 

And that's all I've been working on writing-wise. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are you working on this September? Do you have a song that reminds you of your story and/or character? 

-Quinley 

I Finished the First Draft of The Haunted Sketchbook

 

On July 11th, I completed the first draft of The Haunted Sketchbook, I had worked on it long before Camp NaNoWriMo--for a couple months in fact. 17,000 words was about the right amount of words to get me to finish the first draft (which ended about 40,000 words in total).

                                                                              Synopsis-

Genre: Gothic | Historical Fiction 

The Haunted Sketchbook is set in two time periods. 

In the past, an artist by the name of Ferdinand Diggory is experiencing a haunting. He discovers that his sketchbook is cursed; whenever he draws in it, it will twist the sketch into something monstrous, and something he didn't draw. 

In the present, Edith Porter is trying to discover whether the haunting was truly real-- she wants to discover the truth, but will her curiosity lead her into more danger than it's worth?

                    What's Next for The Haunted Sketchbook? 

I am currently working on characters in preparation for the 2nd draft. I want to make sure that I know the characters well, as I did with the second draft of Dolls of Wax, Eyes of Glass, which helped move the story forward and also create new discoveries along the way. 

I have recently been doing what is called a "character sketch" for some of the characters in the story. Basically, the writer lays out traits of the characters and then describes them in different perspectives (third, first, and second person). That's what I did for Ferdinand Diggory, and it highlighted an aspect of the character I had not seen before. I am going to do the same for Edith and even Cecile, as this technique helped me discover in the past what I had missed with Felix Moore--what elements of his character were being overlooked. 

I am also thinking about the backstory that Ferdinand has and what the ghost and other mysterious figures motives are. Even if the reader does not know their true motives, it is important to the characters to figure it out, so their actions seem clear. 

I also hope to research 18th century England. My knowledge of the 18th century mostly comes from American history, so I want to expand that knowledge to England when writing this story. As I noted in my Camp NaNoWriMo post about the novel, it takes place in two different time periods. (That is Edith's telling of it is set in the Victorian era, and Ferdinand's in the 18th century). 

I am going to be writing the second draft soon, so these are all things to look out for. 

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If you're a writer, how do you develop your characters? If not, who are your favorite characters in Gothic fiction? 

-Quinley 

A Gilded Drowning Pool | A Book Review

 Disclaimer: I received this book from a publisher, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Greetings Adventurers, 

It's been ages since I wrote a book review, so now is the time to break my fast of not writing reviews and write one. This book is part of a series that I have never read before, but it's now a series I would like to read. I received this book early, and it will be released on May 9th. 

The book is the fifth book in a longer book series titled, The Roddy and Val DeVere Gilded Age series. However, I read it as a stand alone, and I believe it can be read without having read the other four books. 

The Review: 

(Image from Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123575213-a-gilded-drowning-pool?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=VJMjkmoZZA&rank=1) 

Genres: Historical fiction | Murder Mystery  

 I have always been a fan of historical fiction and mysteries, so this book immediately got me interested. While set in a different time and different place than books I usually read, the book itself reminds me a lot of The Murdoch Mysteries (but with a woman lead instead of a man).

Providing a heading with the date and location reminded me of other novels such as Frankenstein or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The author is a historian, so I imagine this influenced her choices in her writing. Like Where the Crawdads Sing, though, I would have liked the dates to continue throughout as it makes more sense for me as I read. 

The book itself was set in 1899. So, a year before the turn of the 19th century to the 20th century. I am not deeply familiar with the time period in America, but the author seems incredibly knowledgeable about it. At times I had to look up information, but that was not a failing of the book, because a reader could read it without having any idea of what is mentioned. Instead I was driven by my own curiosity to look things up. Another thing that is worth mentioning is the main character. I like that the main character, "Val," is a daughter of an Irish immigrant. My great-great-grandparents were immigrants from Ireland. So, that was a happy moment for me as a reader, because interestingly I have not read many books from the perspective of a character like that. The character herself is intelligent and is married. She and her husband work on the cases together. But she also works independently, and is shown to be strong on her own. She reminded me of detectives I had liked in the past, as she solved the case in a sophisticated way. She reminded me a bit of Enola Holmes, but a grown up version of her.

However, from the title of the series, it seems like both of Roddy and Val are main characters. I found Val to be more of a main character than Roddy. It could be because the whole story is told from her perspective, but she gets the most attention and detective work in this book. That might not be the case for the other books in the series, but in this one Val seemed like a more prominent main character. 

While the writing style is plain-- it does not sound like it comes from the time period-- it works for that story, since other stories have been written in a similar fashion. The opening paragraph was strong and set up tension with horse imagery, "[a] horse that kicks can kill anyone near its hind legs. A stable hand, a groom, a coachman, or a care-less owner will risk their lives if struck by the animal’s lightning-fast speed and power" (Tichi 1). I've been thinking a lot about opening sentences as a writer myself, and this one works because it sets up what is going to happen, not with a person-- but with a horse. The build up for the detectives going to solve the mystery was well done, for the characters received a message through telegram to show that they were going to go where the body was found. I preferred that to them stumbling over the body (in this case), because it seemed like a call to adventure, a call to the crime scene that is-- since Val had not been wanting to leave where they were currently staying. 

When the Hudson River Valley was mentioned by the characters, my mind instantly connected that to Sleepy Hollow. But the characters don't end up going there. In one of the chapters, when they came to the Hudson River Valley, reminded me strongly of Irving's writing. When they got onto a boat, for example:"Dark wisps from every smokestack signaled on-time departures when every giant sidewheel would churn the waters named for the Dutch explorer who sailed here nearly two centuries ago" (Tichi 33). This reminded me a little of Irving..."In the bosom of one of those spacious coves which indent the eastern shore of the Hudson, at that broad expansion of the river denominated by the ancient Dutch navigators the Tappan Zee, and where they always prudently shortened sail and implored the protection of St. Nicholas when they crossed, there lies a small market town or rural port, which by some is called Greensburgh[...]" (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, P.1). Despite the differences in what they're describing, I wonder if the author had researched anything about Irving when writing this, for there are references to what the Dutch did in the Hudson throughout. And also, supernatural elements are not the main theme of Tichi's book (there isn't a headless horseman running around for example), but there is a character named Cassie who sees auras and has visions. She is important to the ongoing mystery and seems to know information that was not ever given to her. 

The plot had many suspenseful elements: the idea of people wandering about on the property, the mysterious drowning, and who caused it. I felt like I was on the edge of my seat because of the way the author built up the tension-- in some cases, the fear turned out to be nothing, but it worked to set the scene for the suspense of the mystery. I won't be revealing who or what the killer was, but the author builds up the mystery well, laying clues throughout, making the reader want to solve the case along with the detective. It makes you wonder if those who you trust are trustworthy, or those who seem as if they could do the murder, don't. 

The clues were revealed steadily and mostly conveyed through dialogue instead of through research. The book relied upon social interworking between characters for the mystery to work: they heard about the murder through social connections, and got information through that, which added to the lively feeling. However, despite the feeling that the place was alive, the side characters were rather flat and not memorable. Some mysteries want the suspects or people the detectives talk to be memorable; others don't. This book went for the latter. So, I found myself more interested in the relationship between the detectives than I was in the suspects at times.

I normally find books that are so dialogue heavy difficult to follow, but this one was easy for me. I could keep up with the pacing because Val always brought up the questions over and over again, about who was the killer, why would they do this, so I could be up to speed and not fall behind. 

When the killer was revealed at the end, I was surprised. But I didn't feel like the author pulled something out of thin air. Instead, it came naturally. There was a red herring that I truly believed for a moment, the certainty of it from the character's perspective was what made me believe it. 

The ending hinted at a sequel. Since this is a part of a larger series (being the fifth book), there had to be room for the series to continue. But as a mystery, it resolved the plot well, and I am happy to have read it. 

This is a small note, but there were cocktail recipes, which reminded me of my reading groups at The Rosenbach where often the host posts recipes for alcoholic beverages relating the book. So if you're someone who makes cocktails and enjoys trying them, the book lays a short recipe in some chapters how to do so. I have not tried them, so I can't state how they taste or whether they are good. But there is a sort of audience interaction one can do between the characters and the reader, by trying what they make.

Overall, this was a fun and gripping (but not too intense) detective read. So if you're interested in adult cozy historical mysteries with a female lead, you will enjoy this. 

                 Overall rating: 

Descriptions: ⭐⭐⭐ (my own personal taste, but common for the crime genre to have simple descriptions). 

Dialogue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (not much to say about it, other than it moved the story forward). 

Characters: ⭐⭐⭐ (the characters weren't as memorable as I thought they would be. But it's more plot driven than                                                       character driven) 

Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(overall a gripping mystery that made me want to keep reading). 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Have you read books from this book series? If so did you enjoy them? What's your favorite murder mystery book? 

-Quinley 

How April's Camp NaNoWriMo is Going for Me (Part 2)

Click here to read Part 1. 

Greetings Adventurers, 

This is the final part of the series about my adventures in Camp NaNoWriMo for April 2023. Next year, I may do something similar if I am working on a project that I've already talked a lot about. But in terms of posts relating to Camp NaNoWriMo, you can look forward to hearing about the project I am working on in July, sometime soon. 

My Writing 

On April 14th I got to my word count goal! The story is far from finished and I still have a lot of work I need to do in terms of writing it. But it feels good to have a better version of it written than my first attempt at the third draft. It still needs a lot of editing and rewriting, but I am getting closer

     in terms of publishing. 

 However...I am going to have one of my standalone books be my debut novel, since this novel lands on a cliffhanger and is a part of a series.

 In the meantime, I finally rewrote the summary. The original summary I had written was from 2018, so it was outdated. Here is the new summary:

“Arisias” is the only thing Horatio remembers after waking up from a coma. He doesn’t remember who he is or what happened to him before the accident. 

At the same time in Dragons' Province, two detectives are working on solving the case of the murdered royalty. It’s unclear who the killer or killers are, for a different person is always seen leaving the scene of the crime. Will they be able to find out who or what is behind it all, before it is too late?

(Two pages from my writing notebook from 2016) 

I feel the story is becoming clearer and clearer, though it is very different from the first draft. I found the first page of the notebook I had written about the characters, when I first created them. They were so different then. And it's interesting to see how it evolved. I don't know what younger me would have thought of the story as it is now, but the fact that I've been able to work on it for so long and have not given up is an accomplishment. 

I do, however, have a to-do list of things for the story from writing this. I figured out some world-building elements, which I will now need to decide how to fit in. And I need to redesign one character's clothes--while I may end up using them somewhere else in a different project, they now seem out of place in this story. They were inspired by 18th century clothes, and most of the other characters' clothes are inspired by Ancient Greek and Irish culture. 

However, I am not going to completely forget about the clothes: they will be reused somewhere else. I have done this before with other story elements. For example, Ophelia's former boyfriend, Austen, ended up getting a project of his own, which I hope to explore sometime. And a character who changed appearance wise, but is still in the story, had their appearance used by another character in a different story.  (Admittedly if someone heard this out of context, a person using another person's face would sound incredibly weird.) 

(Image from wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evelyn_De_Morgan#/media/File:Cassandra1.jpeg)

In the writing group I am in, there was a fun exercise to "post artwork that reminds you of your project." It reminded me how much of my project-- character wise was inspired by Pre-Raphaelite art. Besides being inspired by Tauriel from The Hobbit (movies), Arisias took some inspiration from a painting when I first created her. And more recently, there are paintings that remind me of her, one of which is posted above. 

(Image from wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_William_Waterhouse#/media/File:Waterhouse,_JW_-_The_Sorceress_(1913).jpg)

I even found some paintings that remind me of Ophelia, in particular this one by John William Waterhouse. 

The writing challenge I mentioned in the previous post has helped a lot with understanding my characters more. I not only figured out the relationship between Karleon and Salissah, but I also figured out the inner workings of other relationships that they have with other characters-- which is great. 

What I've Been Reading and Watching 

While in the past I have read fantasy and murder mystery books to get into the mood to write, now I am mostly reading classics. I'm currently rereading Jane Eyre. It's fun to delve back into it since it has been a year since I read it. (The last time I read it was for a book club.) It's nice to read about the characters again, and I also am appreciating the descriptions in the book, upon rereading it. I particularly enjoy the gothic elements spread throughout, with the red room, and Jane thinking she sees a figure in the mirror.

I've also been reading Middlemarch and watching the BBC adaptation. I love George Eliot's writing style, and it makes me want to read more books of hers. I will have more to say about it on a later date. 

And I've been loving watching the Sleepy Hollow tv series. I started watching it recently and am on the second season.

(Fan art I did of Abbie). 

 I love Abbie's and Ichabod's friendship. While the main story is nothing like Irving's story, they sprinkle elements of the original story back into it. 

I also love the aesthetic of the title sequence. 

So, from reading Jane Eyre and watching Sleepy Hollow I may have gotten ideas for my gothic novels. 

Anyway, that's the end of my posts about April 2023's Camp NaNoWriMo. I am looking forward to July's. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------How has been April been? Have you been reading or watching anything good recently? 

-Quinley