Hello humans, writing beans, and other potential life forms!
We have a delightful childhood themed edition for you today. Can I hear a huzzah? BECAUSE HUZZAH. (And while we actually had these questions planned for a while, shout out to Melissa for reminding us of them!) Also we had 72 linkers last month which is, um, HUGE. So thank you for that, writing beans!
The linkup is open all month. Just a) grab the questions, b) answer them on your own blog, c) either link to our blogs or take the official button, and d) linkup below!
You can check out the official page (FAQs and examples and archive of previous lists) if you wish
Can I join Beautiful People anytime? Absolutely. It’s designed so you can jump in whenever new questions are posted. They’ll be posted at the beginning of the month, but you can join in at aaaany time.
Can I submit questions to Beautiful People? Yes! In fact, we encourage it. If you’d like to submit questions, you have two choices. Either leave a comment on Paper Fury or Further Up and Further In, or send us emails. Whichever way you choose, we’ll attempt to use your questions.
When is it? The meme is live on the 5th of every month! You can join in at any time during the month, just add your post-url to the linky. And don’t forget we’d love you to share the comment-love and visit some fellow linkers.
Don’t forget to grab the button and/or link to this page on your blog! So anyone can join in!
- What are their first childhood memory?
- What were their best and worst childhood experiences?
- What was their childhood home like?
- What’s something that scared them as child?
- Who did they look up to most?
- Favourite and least favourite childhood foods?
- If they had their childhood again, would they change anything?
- What kind of child were they? Curious? Wild? Quiet? Devious?
- What was their relationship to their parents and siblings like?
- What did they want to be when they grew up, and what did they actually become?
YAYYY another Beautiful People! I can’t wait to explore my character’s mischievous childhood. XD Also, are those new arrows? They look so awesome! I love peacock feathers. 😀
As for my current writing projects, I’m wrestling (editing) with a manuscript, and wading through two first-drafts. I’m also participating in a 100 for 100 writing challenge hosted by GoTeenWriters where you write 100 words for 100 days in a row. It’s really pushed me to be consistent with my writing. 🙂
YES! They are new arrows, hehe😂 I bought this big graphic pack for my society6 designs and there were ARROWS IN IT AND I AM SO HAPPY. *flails with all the arrows* Ahem.
Wrestling is totally a better word than editing. I HEAR YA. Omg. Books can be stubborn little children, can’t they? Ahhh, I did a 100×100 challenge once! I think, omg, back in 2014 is when I joined in I think? Agh, that was so long ago. hehe. But yes! It’s SO good for keeping you productive and motivated! BEST OF LUCK, MELISSA!!!
You know what, I’m going to completely ignore Grizzly and Wanderland, and instead do this for a new WIP I’m planning. Because yolo am I right? BUT YAY CHILDHOODS. I love the trauma.
THIS SOUNDS FABULOUS. I cannot wait. I reeeeeally want to hear more of ALL your projects. 😀 😀
OOOH THIS LOOKS SO FUN! My MCs have really different pasts, one ended up on the streets at twelve and the other lived in luxury (I guess??) I actually just started writing my third novel today and this could really help flesh out my characters.
Sadly, no Camp NaNoWriMo for me, since June and July kick of the school year. In fact I have to go back to school in 9 days and eeeeh I’m not ready 🙁 less writing and more school work! But on the bright side I’m HOPING to have this first draft done by July 13. Or July 29. I’m weird like that, I love choosing deadlines on random days of the month for my story.
BUT AHHH I AM SO NERVOUS I HAVEN’T WRITTEN A BOOK IN ALMOST 9 MONTHS!!! I’m determined to push through though! If you’re doing Camp NaNo good luck then, I’m 100% sure you’ll win straight away with your mutant Quicksilver-writing skills. 😂😎
AHHH I’M SO GLAD YOU LIKE THE QUESTIONS, ANDREA! *flails happily*
Eeek to school in 9 days though. *cries with you* I hope you had a good holiday though? But omg choosing deadlines is REALLY GOOD THOUGH! I do that. It gives me something to focus on so I don’t slack off too much.😂
AHHHH hehe, you’er so nice😂 I don’t think I am doing Camp NaNo because I think I’ll start writing in June….bUT I HAVEN’T DECIDED YET. I NEED TO FIND MORE PLOT FOR MY BOOK. *starts digging around for one*
OMG CAIT. This is amazing and I want to participate so I am totally favouriting this link to come back to. The question is, do I answer these questions on my writing tumblr, or on my book-based WordPress… Help?
Answer them wherever you like!! 😀 Whatever is best for you. ;D I can’t wait to read it, Ara. 😊😊
YAY. Okay, now to pick which project I want to do the answers for. (:
Hmm… I’m editing at the moment. It’s so slow– it takes me like 2 1/2 hours for seven pages, which is my daily goal– but my writing is improving (I think?) I’ve also set up a writing workshop with my sister and a friend where we read each other’s writing and critique it once a week, which is good to have I guess. One of my MC’s had a super traumatic childhood; the other had a really happy child and is now an angsty teenager. But I’ve told myself that one I get through this second draft I can plot more new projects to work on once school starts again, so that’s good.
Editing is super slow for me too!! Sometimes I spend like an entire DAY on a three page chapter. *sobs* I think it’s the pressure to get it RIGHT? Plus, I don’t even deny, I spend a lot of time looking out the window.😂 Ahem.
Ooh, like a writing club? THAT IS REALLY COOL!! Good luck to you three!
(And I need to start plotting actually too. Eeeep. I want to plot my book I’m going to write later this month AND another fantasy I came up with and have zero time to think about but is consuming my brain. Typical. Ideas are so pushy and demanding.)
Oh I likes the green feather arrows. I am doing camp NaNo, I have set myself a tiny goal, because I write slow. Most of my characters have interesting but not to crazy childhoods.
Ahhhh, thank you!😂 I like them too. I felt it was time for a change and the green matched the button so THERE WE GO. 😀 *happy flails*
Writing slow is still writing which is still good! And at least you don’t torture your characters from a young age, right? GO YOU. Mine are…mine are…um. Probably traumatised from childhood. OOPS.
I’m planning a futuristic one! And my Camp NaNo project is a co-written story, we’re really excited about that. 😀
AHHH SOUNDS EXCITING. And co-writing is FUN. I co-wrote a book with my sister once and we totally couldn’t stop laughing.😂
Awesome! I won’t be able to participate this month, but I’m excited to read the entries. 😀
I DO hope to participate in Camp NaNoWriMo. Sounds fun and entirely insane.
Ahaha, it’s a funny question. Because one of my main characters has a great childhood and the other one kind of… murdered people. So yeah. Not the happiest of homes.
AHHHHHH YAY FOR NANO THEN!! Will you be blogging about your project or do we have sit here in curious wonderment? Because, seriously now, Katherine. I HAVE CURIOSITIES. Ahem. 😂 ;D
Oh murdered people, eh? That sounds like a very stable childhood for sure. I think I wrote one happy childhood once….maybe…
Will I blog about it? Humm, hard to say. Ever since people screamed at the that they hated Wix I’ve actually started the move over to a new site (shhh, don’t tell. This is super secretive, which is why I’m posting it in public comments). So I don’t know if the site is going to be ready by then? (Talking about the July NaNoWriMo thingy). If it is then I definitely will.
And I’m still working on that Wattpad story. It’s coming along nicely. 😉
I keep secrets PERFECTLY OF COURSE. You know me. Picture of subtlety and caution. (And good luck with the move to the new site!! :D) And yayyyy for your wattpad story coming along. That is stupendous news. I shall just wait
impatiently for that.Alright, here are all the updates:
sci-fi story: still on hold. It will probably stay that way for quite awhile yet.
Gearbound: currently working on chapter 7. I just found this major plot hole though, and so now I have two versions of Gearbound: the version on Wattpad with the plot hole, and a Word doc version without the plot hole. ARGHHHH HELP.
Bumble Bee: I’ve put this one on the back burner for now, as I’m focusing mainly on blogging and Gearbound.
As of yet unnamed contemporary: As this is my secret summer writing project, I can’t really say anything other than I’m outlining it right now, and freaking out because I’m so in love with this story I can’t even. It’s basically sadness + music + cake. It’s also going to be a book about mental health(sort of) as the main character has depression and struggles with self harming(both of which are things that I understand all too well,)
Fantasy: I’ve been working on the world building, like the maps and the languages and customs and stuff, because I need those things worked out before I can scrap the old plot line and start afresh.
Are you going to put The Never Never Prince up on Wattpad??? IT SOUNDS SO GOOD.
AJFLKDSA I AM REALLY EXCITED ABOUT YOUR SECRET SUMMER PROJECT, EVEN THOUGH I DON’T KNOW MUCH. but you said cake and, like, that sells me. 100% and no regrets. *nods* And omg that’s super brave of you for tackling big topics like mental illness, especially when it’s personal. <3 You are super inspiring. *gives you chocolate for this projefct*
AHHHH TO THE OTHERS! I hope Gearbound behaves itself and the plot holes work out and oh oh the fantasy sounds EXCITING.
AND YES I KIND OF WANT TO DO THE NEVER NEVER PRINCE FOR WATTPAD. My tentative plan is to write this Van Gogh retelling in June and then end of July/August to start editing Never Never Prince. ;D I'll probably upload it as I go, too. SO YAY FOR THAT. And then panic while i wonder if everyone will like it.😂
YAY BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE! I was seriously stalking your site yesterday waiting for it to come up. *blushes*
My writing project is on pause because I need to take a break from it. BUT ITS SO HARD I JUST WANT TO KEEP WORKING. Not that I know what I would do. The break is partially so I can figure out what my next step is, partially so I can give my single beta reader read it and tell me what next. XD
My characters all have some amount of traumatic elements in their childhood. But that doesn’t been mean being hurt… that could be being ‘loved’ and doted on so much you start to cause trauma for others because everything revolves around you. >:)
AHHHH I’M GLAD YOU’RE EXCITED. I’M EXCITED THAT YOU’RE EXCITED. *flails* And also, I totally understand about taking breaks to wait for things to sort themselves out. *nodS* I always get antsy when I do that too.😂 I JUST WANT TO WRITE BUT GAH. STUCK. I hope your beta gets back to you soon!
Also traumatic childhoods = most writers love to give them to their characters. We’re super kind. Super loving.
These questions are really useful! I often forget about the smaller parts of backstories and characters’ lives before the book starts, so maybe these will finally prompt me to think about that! Also I love the cat gif(;
I’m just getting back into writing after a few months off, and my plot is getting a bit…messy. I have too many ideas and they’re not working together! I might unofficially take part in Camp NaNoWriMo but not set a word goal(;
AHHH I’M SO GLAD, LIBBY!! *flings cake in the air* (Also that cat gif is the cutest, right?! If only I was that cute while writing…*sighs* 😂) And yay for unofficially doing NaNo to get back into writing. YOU GOT THIS. I BELIEVE IN YOU.
Yay! I always love doing these linkups. Though I am curious why you were so adamant about not copy and pasting. XD
Only not copy and pasting the button! 🙂 (You can copy past text!) It means my blog has to host the content and if everyone’s doing that then I have to pay to host them and it slows my blog.😂 This post explains it all if you’re interested.
HI! Okay, this is my first comment, and to be honest I’m kind of nervous, but you have such a great community here, so not really.
I get super pumped every single time I see one of these BP memes come out because I love them so much :3 I always have such a hard time figuring which character to do, because I love them all way too much. Well, not all of them because I have jerks too but yeah, haha.
I have a writing project that’s really frustrating because its first round of revisions haven’t been finished yet and I just set it aside because it was so frustrating. Especially because I’m rearranging some events and making it slightly darker. Which it should be. REGICIDE!!! MWAHAHAHAHA. Um… Excuse me… XD
I’m plotting a sci-fi right now which I haven’t announced yet but I’m so excited for everything about it!! Hopefully I’ll be drafting that during July Camp NaNo, which is always hard because I’m probably going to be roadtripping or celebrating fun stuffs a lot next month. July Camp NaNos are always interesting.
I actually almost wrote novellas on some of my characters’ childhoods, but I never got around to it. Some of them are traumatic, others not so much. I like the traumatic ones, though, they’re so great!
HI FIN!! *waves wildly* WELCOME!! AND OMG I’M SO GLAD TO *MEET* YOU. *gives you welcome cake* Ahem. So I shall be calm and sensible now so I don’t totally scare you away.
Awk, I hear ya with the pain of revisions and changing things and then howling. My life = that always when rewriting. *howls* But OH YAY FOR DARKER THINGS. COOKIES FROM THE DARK SIDE FOR YOU CLEARLY.
And omg I admire you for doing Camp while you’re so busy too!! I’m like terrible at multi-tasking. I never write unless I know things are going to be quiet and calm.😂
Yes, the traumatic characters are always so fun to write, eh? WAIT. WAIT. I DIDN’T SAY THAT. I’M A NICE AUTHOR I SWEAR. *busily pretends to write nice things* #lies
THANKS!! *nom noms welcome cake* Haha, it’s fine. I only sound calm and sensible too.
YES. Do you have any advice on revising/rewriting and that jazz? I needs it. Especially ’cause it’s my first time *trying* to rewrite.
I don’t know how I am at multitasking, but I do it all the time because I’m a productivity-and-efficiency obsessed person. It’s kinda weird. It’ll be interesting though, trying to write while on vacation O.o I haven’t really done that before.
HAHA! Why would you want to be a nice author though? XD Evil authors with traumatic books and characters are more fun.
I did a post here on editing if that helps! But just general advice is to…plan! hehe. Have lists of what you want to achieve and don’t rush yourself. 😉
AND YUS I KNOW RIGHT?!? Who wants to be a nice author anyway. PFFTT. 😂
YAYAY THANKS! *devours information* Oh, another question, do you get anyone to read your first drafts?
Nice authors are no fun XD
I write reeeeeally fast so my first drafts are HORRIBLE. I hide them at all costs.😂 I only get readers in on the second draft…but it’s different for everyone! It depends on how good your first draft is, I think? When I already know I have tons of stuff to fix, I feel I should fix it before getting more opinions…but like I said, my first drafts are the worst.😂😂
Haha my first drafts are practically trash too XD Thanks! Trying to gauge when to pull in betas and stuff.
Thanks again!!
I HAVEN’T BLOGGED IN OVER A MONTH SO THIS IS PERFECT.
I reeeeeaaaallly want to do Camp NaNo because it is my Favorite, but I’ll be at camp one week and moving for the rest of July, so it’s probably not happening? *cries* I’m working on editing the first first draft I’ve ever finished, so that’s incredibly exciting.
And difficult.
Send cake.
OH YAY I CAN’T WAIT TO READ YOURS, KRISSY! 😀 But zomg, moving…eeek. I hope that goes well for you and not too stressful! And YES editing is exhausting. I think writers who are editing deserve at least 394309% more chocolate than normal. *sends all the cake*
I’m going to be doing Camp NaNo for my second time! (I did April too.) And I’ve also made my own cabin: ‘The Fellowship of the Keyboards’. So far I’ve got just four other people in ‘the Fellowship’ but I’m hoping a couple more will come along and join us on our epic quest to conquer the words! I’m so excited about doing it again, particularly the fact that I’m now brave enough to have a 20k word-count! 😀
AHHHH I read about that on Clare’s blog! THAT IS SO COOL. I also love your cabin name.😂 And oooh, best of luck for your 20K!! I kind of want to wait until July to write? But my house is going to be quiet for a weekend soon and AHHHH I feel like I Should make use of that and write my little fingers off. *nods*
My updates are as follows: doing a typo sweep of my Japan-inspired scifi series for a big cover reveal and sale at the end of the month. I want them in pristine shape! Lots of marketing mumbo-jumbo that takes up WAY TOO MUCH TIME from writing. Plotting a science fantasy novella to write THIS MONTH. I WILL DO THIS. Teasers are made for my July release. Can’t wait to get them on the blog starting tomorrow!
I’m swamped and can’t answer the beautiful people questions but they look like fun!
Ohhhhh, that sounds EXCITING! And a bit stressful?!? Good luck with it, S.J.!! *flails for you* And omg, so much happening too…cake for you. LOTS OF CAKE.
Hello! *waves wildly hoping my hands doesn’t come off* Another “Beautiful People” and I am so excited! BLOBFISH FOR EVERYONE! I actually do have a writing project planned, but I am not really sure about July’y Camp Nanowrimo. I did it in April, but I am not sure about July because my summer has been so busy so far.
I am actually planning the sequel to April’s Camp Nanowrimo novel, but I really don’t know if I should write it right now. I mean, there are SO MANY IDEAS floating in my brain that I should write down, but I always forget to write them down. HAH! Silly me. 😀
Anyway, I just got done with this edition of “Beautiful People” and Jax Attwell, my character for this month, sounds like he has a happy childhood. It doesn’t look so happy in the future. *scary music plays in the background*
OH oh I HEAR YA with trying to decide between all the ideas! That’s like my #1 life trouble.😂 I MEAN, WHICH BABY NEEDS THE MOST ATTENTION??? HOW DO WE DECIDE!?? *shrieks*
I’m looking forward to read this not-happy edition for Jax. POOR JAX. ARE YOU BEING A TORTURER THERE, MADDIE???
Big fan of the arrows smushy. BIG FAN.
I thought NaNoWriMo was a once a year celebration, or had the year just passed really quickly. I’m not a writer and have never felt tempted to write anything really, but I kinda want to give it a go one of these years. I have ideas and almost complete stories in my head but just can’t imagine being able to translate them into anything. We should totally network. I give them to you and you turn them into something and then we both bask in you being published and us being gazillionares!
I shall start planning.
OH GOOD. I thought it was time for a change.😂
oh oh and I should’ve actually explained the NaNo thing better. The official NaNoWriMo is in November, but there are two “camps” in April and July. You can set your own wordcount and things. I haven’t ever actually joined in because I am a hermit (but an adorable one) BUT YEAH. SO THERE’S THAT. YOU SHOULD TOTALLY WRITE A BOOK KELLY. Or yes just give me your ideas and I’ll write them, but eh, not such a fan of sharing my gazillion dollars with you. Maybe I could just mention you in the acknowledgements? In small print? That would be fair, yes?
GAHHHH SO MANY TRAGIC CHILDHOODS I CAN BARELY KEEP UP WITH THEM ALL. :”’) but tragic childhoods can make a character so DELICIOUSLY DEVIOUS/BEAUTIFUL/BOTH LATER ON, RIGHT?!? I also have a few (Ahem….maybe one?) non-tragic character because #diversity
XD
YES ALL THE TRAGEDY FOR OUR POOR BABY DARLINGS. (I mean, sometimes I try to be nice???? But it rarely works out at this point.)
Well this makes things super easy for me this month! Now all I have to do is decide which character to talk about. XD
YAYYYYYY. I look forward to reading it. 😉
this summer I’m hoping to start working on a poetry/prose collection (all the poems will kind of link together to form a story of sorts) and I’m making a mental note to start using this series for prompts! best of luck with all the writing x
AHHH that’s super exciting and sounds wonderful! And poems that link together?! LIKE THAT IS INSANELY IMPRESSIVE. GOOD LUCK!🎉
So glad I was able to do this link-up this month! It was a lot of fun. 😀 My story’s actually finished, I’m just doing some final edits and putting it together to get ready to publish it soon!
Omggg that’s HUGE NEWS!!! Congrats on nearly being published! *breaks out the celebratory cake*
YAAS YAAS YAAS THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE IS HERE.
Sorry, that’s all I really have to say and now I’ve interrupted you. Go make another one. 😉
I’M GLAD YOU’RE EXCITED. I’M EXCITED. ALL THE EXCITE. *flings confetti and cake in the air*
This looks like a great set of questions! Also, I am loving the peacock arrows. The glorious colors!
AHH THANKYOU! I felt it was time for an arrow-y change. 😂
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA obviously all my characters have extremely traumatic childhoods. I mean,:
-Lisa and James’s parents DIED when they were eight, so they were passed off to various insane foster parents
-Ari’s mother died of fever. And something happened to her dad. Actually, besides that, her life was pretty fine.
-And poor dear Brenna had an abusive father and horribly wafer-thin, weak mother.
HAPPINESS? FOR MY CHARACTERS? NAH.
Also I love your new arrows!
OKAY YOUR CHARACTERS SOUND LIKE THEY NEED KIDNAPPING FROM YOU AND WARM COOKIES AND PILLOW FORTS, OMG POOR LITTLE DARLINGS. (You mean author you😂)
Considering that my current WIP involves seven former assassins/warriors and a troubled teenage runaway – err, most of them had traumatic childhoods. I decided to break form and use my oldest character for this BP.
These were really fun questions, and they really helped me hammer out her past, so thanks for that!
I added my link!!! I’VE NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE UGH I’M SO NERVOUS. But it was lots of fun, too!
Thanks so much for coming up with these questions every month–they’ve helped me a lot as a writer, even though I’ve never officially “done” them before.
Right now I’m working on a historical novel about the Netherlands in WW2, dealing with both the Holocaust and the Resistance. It’s sad but it’s EXCITING. And I love my characters so much. #all the adorable cinnamon rolls 😉
Well, seeing this topic sparked a new story idea for me and so I decided to join in on participating in Camp NaNo in July! I’m going to be writing a story with shapeshifting dragons, so I’m pretty excited about that.
And of course I have characters with traumatic childhoods. It makes things more interesting that way, at least in my head. >>
Oooh, yay for new story ideas!! *flails wildly for you* And good luck for Camp NaNo! SHAPESHIFTING DRAGONS ARE LITERALLY MY FAVOURITE OF EVER AHHHH. I have two books with them now, but honestly I want a gazillion books with dragons. <3 hehe.
Yessssss! I finally did my BP post for the month… I loved these questions! So much fun! 😀
These are actually exactly the questions I need right now for “discovering” my characters better and learning their backstory. Thank you!
YAY I am so so glad!! *flails happily*