Happy Sunday!

So, NaNoWriMo has ended, and every single participant has entered Recovery Mode. XD To everyone who participated, both winners and losers: congratulations, you wrote something!

My NaNo experience this year was very, very different than my experience from last year and even from the year before. And what better way to discuss this than by participating in Christine's lovely Know the Novel linkup!

Come, let us travel back in time, to a month full of insanity . . .

Um. Heh heh heh.

During the first half of November, writing was going well. I was about a thousand or so words behind the daily goals, but I wasn't too stressed about it. The story was progressing well, and I was actually writing description, something I never do! *mind explodes*

Then . . . well, I stopped writing completely and didn't open the document for weeks. XD Part of that was because my stress levels rocketed sky-high, and I had so many other things to do. (Who knew that school and work should actually be priorities???? ;) )

The other part of it was that I realized that this WIP (which isn't one I've ever discussed before, but I'll gradually explain it throughout the post) isn't one that can be rushed. It's going to take a longer drafting process - more research is required, and there's a larger cast of characters than what I'm used to. It also didn't help that I literally started plotting the story FIVE DAYS BEFORE NANOWRIMO. *facepalm*
Based on the parts I've written, it's turning out like I expected it to, which is nice. I don't think it's a very messy first draft (at least, compared to other first drafts I've written . . . *cough cough* the Inhumans *cough*).

I got a grand total of 18k words written of this WIP in November, which was more than I had expected, so I'm pretty happy with what I have so far. :)

THE CHARACTERS. I LOVE THE CHARACTERS. I was pleasantly surprised to realize that I love my main character. Usually I have to tolerate my MCs, but not this one. Oh, no.

Here's a quick introduction to my MC, Alison Maher:

• Flautist (aka flute player)
• Irish
• Soul-searcher (a special ability where she knows people's deepest desires and fears through seeing their most deeply rooted memories)
• So she's obviously more than a little traumatized from all she's seen BWAHAHAHAHA
• Earbuds perpetually in her ears
• A hard worker
• Is literally my obsession with TwoSetViolin written on paper (she even has a GO PRACTICE t-shirt XD)

THE SETTING.

*hides from Merie's glare*

This WIP is set in an alternate Earth, where everyone has a superpower or special ability. The majority of the story is set in Switzerland, where there's this school for teens whose powers are dangerous or out-of-control. (Guess where Alison's going??? XD)

Except . . . I neglected to research Switzerland's geography and culture before writing, so I hit like fifty roadblocks in the worldbuilding department. Go me.

See answer to #4. XD

As I mentioned earlier, I LOVE ALL MY CHARACTERS. There are five major side characters and I adore them ALL. (And Alison, of course, because she's amazing.)

I don't want to overwhelm you with characters that you probably won't remember in thirty seconds, so I'll just mention my two favorites.

THIS BOY IS MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE. I can't tell you much about him, because he doesn't know much himself. (and if THAT doesn't tell you about what torture I'm planning for him, nothing does XD) Suffice it to say that he's one of those sweet, conflicted, quiet characters that I love writing about, and I want to hug him very badly. he'll need it

While Jay leans more on the pessimistic side of the spectrum, this girl here is 120% a bright ray of sunshine and bubbly to an extreme degree. But don't let that fool you. She's got pretty dark fears that I will take pleasure in feel bad for giving her.

Wait a little while before continuing with this first draft. I might continue it over the summer, but I'm honestly not sure. It all depends on when I finish getting feedback from my alpha reader and when I want to start editing the Silver Sword (my NaNo '18 novel).

*shrugs* I don't know. I guess it would be amazing for someone to read it and love it, but that's my dream with any novel. Maybe I'll turn it into a serial, I'm not sure.

*gulps* Welcome to the segment of Let's Call Out All of Nicole's Self-Inserts! Keep score as we go, and at the end I'll tell you the grand total. XD
But hard work doesn't always mean I'll get into the orchestra. It also takes a fair amount of courage and a certain bit of luck. And I'm anything but lucky these days.
I am not going to throw away this second chance. (bonus points if you know what I'm referencing XD)
Someone runs into me, and a jolt of energy - probably adrenaline - shoots through me. "Sorry," I say on instinct as I hit the ground hard.
Nothing's seriously hurt, although my right foot might be bruised for a little while. But at least I'm not starting school with a broken bone.
I look up to see the person I crashed into. He's sprawled on the ground, but as I watch, he lifts his face up and stares directly at me.
I almost flinch away, but something in his dark eyes - fear? - keeps me riveted.
(this is my favorite scene I've written, but I can't tell you why because #spoilers)
"Don't worry, Gabby - we are going to crush the other Squad!" Jasmine tells her with all the confidence in the world. "We're going to crush them so hard that there will be nothing left of them when we're done."
"That's the spirit," Gabby says, sounding disinterested.

I counted four self-inserts. I'll leave you to figure out which snippets those are. XD

- Don't be afraid to leave a WIP aside if it's not the right time for that project.
- PRIORITIZE YOUR LIFE. Seriously. Larger obligations are more important than NaNoWriMo (sadly).

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Well, there we have it - that was my NaNoWriMo in a nutshell! It was kind of an epic fail, word-count-wise, but it was the best I could do, and I'm proud that.

To all other NaNo participants - I hope your experience was good and that you got lots of writing done!

-Nicole <3