5th Nov 2017 by CG @ Paper Fury 24 Comments (8)

Beautiful Books 2017 || How’s The Writing Going?

Welcome to Part 2 of Beautiful Books where we talk about our NaNoWriMo novels!

Or any novels! you don’t have to be doing NaNo to participate in the linkup! We’re all here to just shout vaguely about our WIPs (works-in-progress) and probably cry a little or set our hair on fire. Good normal things.

Today’s all about giving us a bit of an “update” on how your WIP is going. You can catch up on Part 1 here where we introduced our projects. (Totally still do the questions even if you missed the linky!) And basically let’s keep motivated and enthused about our projects and not eat through a brick wall.

You’ve got this. I believe in you.

Just like every year, we’re giving our monthly link up “Beautiful People” a small rest so we can focus on “Beautiful Books”. Sky and I host Beautiful Books so we can focus on our NaNoWriMo projects. The format is the same as Beautiful People. We’ll post 10 questions to answer about your WiP — aka your beautiful book. Answer the questions in a blog post of your own and then come back here to link up! Don’t forget to grab the blog button and link to this post.

NOTE: You can do it for ANY novel! You do not need to be doing NaNo to join in!!

DON’T FORGET TO TAKE THE BUTTON!

Or link to this page so anyone can join in!

Overall, how is your mental state, and how is your novel going?
What’s your first sentence (or paragraph)?
Who’s your current favourite character in your novel?
What do you love about your novel so far?
Have you made any hilarious typos or other mistakes?
What is your favourite to write: beginning, middle, or end — and why?
What are your writing habits? Is there a specific snack you eat? Do you listen to music? What time of day do you write best? Feel free to show us a picture of your writing space!
How private are you about your novel while you’re writing? Do you need a cheer squad or do you work alone (like, ahem, Batman)?
What keeps you writing even when it’s hard?
What are your top 3 pieces of writing advice?

now i haven’t started NaNo yet (arhmm I’m dying I’ve just been too busy) but DO TELL ME HOW YOU’RE GOING?!? any other late starters??? has anything in your novel surprised you as you’re writing??? and what do you love best about NaNoWriMo?

Also feel free to add me as a buddy on the NaNo site! I’ll add you back.

6th Oct 2017 by CG @ Paper Fury 80 Comments (9)

Beautiful Books 2017 || Introduce Your NaNoWriMo Novel!

It’s the fun time of year again when we all dissolve into screaming about NaNoWriMo.

EXCITING.

In case you are very lost or confused (hi, me too for most things in life) let’s just talk about what National Novel Writing Month is. Also save yourself from me and google it. BUT ANYWAY —> It is a worldwide challenge for writers to hammer out 50,000 words in a month. You sign up on the official NaNoWriMo.org site and log your word count daily. You also get to be comforted by the fact that literally thousands of other authors are crying with you right now too.

JUST KIDDING. IT’S VERY FUN. It’s motivating! It’s challenging! And afterwards you get a vaguely book-shaped blob that might make you famous.

Now it’s time to tell us about your upcoming project. I very much look forward to hearing about your dastardly plans.

NOTE: You can do it for ANY novel! You do not need to be doing NaNo to join in!!

DON’T FORGET TO TAKE THE BUTTON!

Or link to this page so anyone can join in!

What inspired the idea for your novel, and how long have you had the idea?
Describe what your novel is about!
What is your book’s aesthetic? Use words or photos or whatever you like!
Introduce us to each of your characters!
How do you prepare to write? (Outline, research, stocking up on chocolate, howling, etc.?)
What are you most looking forward to about this novel?
List 3 things about your novel’s setting.
What’s your character’s goal and who (or what) stands in the way?
How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?
What are your book’s themes? How do you want readers to feel when the story is over?

raise your hand if you’re doing NaNo!! and if you have any clue what you’re writing yet!! or are you choosing between projects?? feel free to satisfy my curiosity by giving me a vague idea of your genius.

Also feel free to add me as a buddy on the NaNo site! I’ll add you back.

6th Jan 2017 by CG @ Paper Fury 49 Comments (3)

Beautiful Books ~ 2017 Writing Goals

Welcome back to the first writing link up of the year!

WOOOO. WE’RE BACK. You may have noticed there was no link up in December and yes. You are right. Someone was distracted. (Spoiler: it me.) We generally pause the regular Beautiful People link up to do a “Beautiful Books” edition around October/November/December. But we’re just scooting this last Beautiful Books to January. Then in February we’ll be back to the regular character interview questions.

CONFUSED? NO? GOOD. We have work to do, writerlings, so buckle up.

Go peruse the October Beautiful Books questionnaires Part 1 (planning your novel) and Part 2 (novel update)!

Today’s set of questions will be all about GOALS and EDITING. Two fun things that we tend to think about come January. Are you editing your NaNoWriMo novel? What are your writing plans for 2017? LET’S SHARE ALL.

Just like every year, we’re giving our monthly link up “Beautiful People” a small rest so we can focus on “Beautiful Books”. (You can see last year’s Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 3 linkups.) Sky and I host Beautiful Books so we can focus on our NaNoWriMo projects. The format is the same as Beautiful People. We’ll post 10 questions to answer about your WiP — aka your beautiful book. Answer the questions in a blog post of your own and then come back here to link up! Don’t forget to grab the blog button and link to this post.

NOTE: You can do it for ANY novel! One you’re working on now, or one you’ve worked on in the past… no rules. Go wild, fiends.

DON’T FORGET TO TAKE THE BUTTON!

Or link to this page so anyone can join in!

What were your writing achievements last year?
What’s on your writerly “to-do list” for 2017?
Tell us about your top-priority writing projects for this year!
How do you hope to improve as a writer? Where do you see yourself at the end of 2017?
Describe your general editing process.
On a scale of 1-10, how do you think this draft turned out?
What aspect of your draft needs the most work?
What do you like the most about your draft?
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?
What’s your top piece of advice for those just finished writing a first draft?

time for our regular monthly WRITERLY CHAT in the comments!! i want to know what’s your #1 project for this year?? are you planning to query in 2017? edit? publish? let me know aaaaall the things.

3rd Nov 2016 by CG @ Paper Fury 64 Comments (3)

Beautiful Books 2016 ~ Novel Update

Hello, writerlings! How goes NaNoWriMo?

Are you still alive??? Have you fallen into any plot holes and broken a leg or two? Are you ABSOLUTELY IN LOVE with your current work-in-progress? I obviously expect all updates, but first — let’s get to the questions for this month’s round of Beautiful Books! Also you can check out October’s prep questions and still do them if you want.

We’re focusing on a bit of an “update” on your novel. We want to know if you’re working hard or if your book is eating your soul. Do your family still remember who you are? Is your wordcount on track? It’s time to spill your guts and, you know, procrastinate novelling by giving us a blogging update.

May the words be EVE RIN YOUR FAVOUR. And may you be as cute as this cat whilst typing. But seriously? I doubt it. I mean, look at this cutie. You can’t compete with that.

NOTE: You can do it for ANY novel! You do not need to be doing NaNo to join in.

DON’T FORGET TO TAKE THE BUTTON!

Or link to this page so anyone can join in!

Overall, how is your mental state, and how is your novel going?
What’s your first sentence (or paragraph)?
Who’s your current favourite character in your novel?
What do you love about your novel so far?
Have you made any hilarious typos or other mistakes?
What is your favourite to write: beginning, middle, or end — and why?
What are your writing habits? Is there a specific snack you eat? Do you listen to music? What time of day do you write best? Feel free to show us a picture of your writing space!
How private are you about your novel while you’re writing? Do you need a cheer squad or do you work alone (like, ahem, Batman)?
What keeps you writing even when it’s hard?
What are your top 3 pieces of writing advice?

so how goes the writing, my fiends?! i am here to hand out cake if needed. is your book going as expected? what’s your current word count? and if you’re not doing NaNo, just let me know where you’re up to on your current project BECAUSE I HAVE NEED TO KNOW ALL THE THINGS.

5th Oct 2016 by CG @ Paper Fury 94 Comments (4)

Beautiful Books 2016 ~ Introduce Your Novel

What is that I see upon the future? OH IT’S JUST NANOWRIMO.

Cue cheers! It’s nearly November which, most of we writers know, is National Novel Writing Month! And if you don’t know, here I shall explain: it’s basically a challenge to write 50,000 words in one month. You sign up to NaNoWriMo.org and get some writing buddies and log your word count and BOOYAH. You rest in the knowledge that there are thousands of people all over the world crying over their manuscripts too. #GoodTimes

And what could be better than talking about your upcoming project?! (Well, cake probably. Cake is always better.) I can’t WAIT to hear what you’re working on. Let’s get ready to create some worlds and ~~kill some characters~~ be nice to our characters!

NOTE: You can do it for ANY novel! You do not need to be doing NaNo to join in.

DON’T FORGET TO TAKE THE BUTTON!

Or link to this page so anyone can join in!

What inspired the idea for your novel, and how long have you had the idea?
Describe what your novel is about!
What is your book’s aesthetic? Use words or photos or whatever you like!
Introduce us to each of your characters!
How do you prepare to write? (Outline, research, stocking up on chocolate, howling, etc.?)
What are you most looking forward to about this novel?
List 3 things about your novel’s setting.
What’s your character’s goal and who (or what) stands in the way?
How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?
What are your book’s themes? How do you want readers to feel when the story is over?

are you doing NaNo?? can you give me a sneaky peek at what you’re working on? (i am the curious) and since we’re chatting over cake and tea — what are some thing you do to get ready for NaNoWriMo?? and if you’re NOT NaNoing, just tell me what project you’re working on!

17th Dec 2015 by CG @ Paper Fury 78 Comments (1)

‘Tis The Season Of Holly Jolly Rewrites And Murder

I have a guilty writerly confession: I avoid rewrites.

And “avoid” is putting it mildly. I literally run away howling anytime someone mentions it’d be a better idea to rewrite one of my 18 drafts instead of writing up 395839 new ones. Why? WHY!??! Excellent question my friend. There is much more pressure when it comes to rewriting and editing. In first drafts, if there’s a plot hole? AH. WHATEVER. Fix it later. But in rewrites…you must fix that plot hole NOW. Terror ensues.

BUT HERE I AM, ABOUT TO BE BRAVE. What could be better to distract me from panicking over Christmas* than dusting off my 2014 NaNoWriMo project and hacking at it with the proverbial chainsaw?! Plus I promised to return to The Dead Boy and the Paper Cut, part of which graces Wattpad, and continue updating it. SO I SHALL. I am a dragon of my word.

My 2015 NaNoWriMo project (Did You Lie About the Dragon) draft shall fester for a bit longer. But you can still read ~~my derranged shriekings~~ about how I won this year’s NaNo in 4 days.

* Yes I am a sufferer of Christmas Panic. It’s too overwhelming, okay?!? Expectations, presents, loud music, dubious amounts of tinsel and holly which would make a perfect murder weapon, I might add, so why are we leaving it around for potential attackers?!? WHY HAS NO ONE THOUGHT CHRISTMAS DANGERS THROUGH?!?! Ahem.

Myself! The last Beautiful Books linkup is live (join us here!!) and it’s all about editing. Enormously fun, right?! In 2016 we’ll be back to the regular Beautiful People linkups (with interview questions for your characters).

Eat all the details here.

And I’m NOT talking about my NaNo book that I just wrote!! This is an older draft from 2014!! JUST SO YOU KNOW.

Also Emily @ Loony Literate and I are doing an impromptu rewrite challenge! Starting this weekend (the 19th). Basically we are just going to rewrite at whatever pace we want and howl at each other (that’s encouraging howling, by the way) on twitter under the hashtag #rewriteathon. It’s going to be fun. JOIN US.

I give a more logical blurb on wattpad, but the basic run down is:

It’s about a deaf girl and a dead boy.
They’re adorable.
They band together to discover the dead boy’s murderer because the ghost-life is making him a violent little brute and needs to forgive his killer and chill.
They develop squishy feelings for each other — but #awkward — BECAUSE HE’S DEAD.
There is so much coffee and cake, it’s ridiculous…ly awesome.
There is much murder.
Also the dead boy gets killed by a book. Yes, a B.O.O.K. This is to underline how dangerous the bookworm life is.

I prattle on about this novel of mine so much it has it’s own tag on my blog.

Follow Cait’s board WIP The Dead Boy and the Paper Cut on Pinterest.

1. ON A SCALE OF 1 (WORST) TO 10 (BEST), HOW DID THE BOOK TURN OUT? DID ANYTHING DEFY YOUR EXPECTATIONS?

Back when I first wrote The Dead Boy and the Paper Cut in November 2014 (OMG IT’S A WHOLE YEAR OLD, BIRTHDAY CAKE!) it turned out really well. I had a hilariously good time. But. Plot holes. PLOT HOLES. So many plot holes you can fall into Wonderland and never climb back out…aghhhh. I would give it a 7 right now, because I know I can do better. Or I hope I can. I BELIEVE IN ME.*

* I totally do not. Omg. Someone save me.

2. COMPARATIVE TITLE TIME! WHAT PUBLISHED BOOKS, MOVIES OR TV SHOWS ARE LIKE YOUR BOOK? (EX: INKHEART MEETS XMEN?)

It comes from an entire motley of inspiration, but basically I wanted a) books, b) ghosts, c) coffee, and d) muuuuurder. All the good things.

+ + +

3. DO YOU ENJOY WORKING WITH DEADLINES AND PRESSURE (AKA NANOWRIMO) OR DO YOU PREFER TO WRITE-AS-YOU’RE-INSPIRED?

YES DEADLINES ARE LIFE. Although funny how they’re considered deadlines isn’t it? Ahem. I always give myself deadlines because I’m a super competitive person. I’m super competitive against MYSELF. Basically my life is this:

Me: I’m going to write a book in a week!
Me: I did it. BUT I GOTTA BEAT MYSELF. Next time 5 days.
Me: 4 days?
Me: I’m going to finish before I start, basically.

It’s a problem.

I do wait until a book is ready to be written. This could mean a full year of it just bopping about my head, and months of plotting, and half a wall covered in sticky-notes of facts and dastardly plans. But I do not just write a “little bit here and a little bit there”. Either I write 8,000+ words a day or I don’t write at all. For like…months. I do not recommend this method. I’m an evil writer.

4. HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT EDITING? GIVE US AN INSIGHT INTO YOUR EDITING PROCESS!

I once did an entire post detailing my editing process! But I’ll break it down briefly for you here:

Start by crying and procrastinating for at least 9 if not 97 years.
ME, UNFORTUNATELY

Then reread old draft and cringe and gasp in horror and laugh hysterically because YA CALL THIS A BOOK?!?!
Write a list of things that need fixing.
The list consists of one word: everything.
HAHA JUST KIDDING. There is a list and it’s minutely helpful.
Then highlight the entire book in red and rewrite every. single. word — changing to black text as one goes. It’s a visual representation of progress. It saves lives.
Intersperse days of editing by HOWLING and running in circles in nice socks on the dewy grass under the dragon moon saying things like “I AM NOT CRAZY” and “MY NAME IS NOT FERDINAND”.
No one thinks the above is weird. It’s actually normal.
Eat. so. much. chocolate.

5. WHAT ASPECT OF YOUR STORY NEEDS THE MOST WORK?

The part where it starts, the middle, and the ending.

HA. I’M JOKING. (I am totally not.) But right now the plot holes lie mostly with:

The fact that I wrote a lot of horrible cliches and misconceptions around my deaf character. MY BAD. I have since been researching all year and learnt a lot. (But if there is anyone who’d like to give me tips about correctly representing a deaf character, I WILL LOVE YOU.) This needs fixing.
I relied on my deaf character lip-reading…perfectly. But apparently lip-reading is really hard with basically 33% success rate. So I will have to edit/rework/delete a lot of dialogue.
There are plot holes.
I tried filling up said holes with my tears but it didn’t work.

6. WHAT ASPECT OF YOUR STORY DID YOU LOVE THE MOST?

I loved my ghost!

My snarky, mean, bitter ghost — who has issues. So. many. issues.

But yet is adorable and awkward and well-meaning.

(Despite um…stabbing several people throughout the story…um. But we all have bad days! C’mon!)

7. 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?

\\ Pictures link to their pinterest pages!! //

MOXIE: She is my 16 year old deaf protagonist and narrator. She’s wispy and sad and has PTSD and a coffee addiction and has more books than space in her room. I definitely need to work on making her deafness respectful and believable. I don’t want to misrepresent her!!
THOMAS: He is my 16 year old ghost. He is mean, but small and secretly nice and very very lonely. He is perfect. PERFECT, I TELL YOU. Let me live in my delusions, shush.
KHALIDA: This is Moxie’s best friend and I really need to make sure I don’t make her a “token” best friend who just gets dumped midway through the story. I’d like to slip her into the finale. So edits = yes.
MOXIE’S DAD: I can’t remember. It’s been a year since I worked on this book, okay?! I think he’s awesome. He runs a coffee shop, he has to be awesome.
MOXIE’S BROTHER: Okay so this dude started as her uncle, changed to her older brother, and now I’m considering making him a younger brother. GAH. He needs work.

8. 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?

I’ll be posting more to Wattpad! I’ve yet to decide if I’m going to post the whole book. I definitely want to. BUT YA KNOW. Fear. Trepidation. Other small details.

I do have an agent but we’re working on other projects and The Dead Boy is kind of just my “fun thing” at this point. But maybe I’ll still look for betas to help it be the best it can be! I’ll do a shout out on the blog when I get there!

9. SHARE A FAVOURITE SNIPPET!

I have shared these snippets in the past, but they’re my favourite so excuse me but I CAN’T HELP MYSELF.

10. WHAT ARE YOUR WRITING GOALS AND PLANS FOR 2016?

POSITIVITY! I had a really rough year (writing wise) and I want to be calmer about writing in 2016. Have some fun??! Write more wild crazy stuff and LET LOSE THE KILLER CRICKETS. (Or…something.) But I have an entire post I want to do on 2016 writing goals, so for now, here is a brief list:

I want to rewrite my 2015 NaNoWriMo book, Did You Lie About the Dragon? (Spoiler: everyone lies in that book. It’s like the book of lies.)
I want to write a Sherlock retelling but by the point-of-view of Moriarty with SHERLOCK AS A GIRL. It has a pinterest board so it’s official.
I will doing edits of SOMETHING with my agent. I can’t tell you what SOMETHING is. But SOMETHING is grand.
I have like three other books that are dying to be written.
And of course I plan to get a 6 figure publishing deal, be paid solely in pirate medallions, purchase a dragon, and then do all my writing on dragon-back whilst flying over the high seas. #legit

are you interested in reading more of this ghostly catastrophe when it’s on wattpad?!? any rewriting/editing tips for me? (and if you have any input to offer on writing a Deaf character, please let me know! book or website suggestions, etc.) OH. and are you working on any writerly projects over Christmas? will you join in the #rewriteathon on twitter with me?! I’M BRINGING CAKE.

6th Dec 2015 by CG @ Paper Fury 33 Comments (1)

Beautiful Books #3 // The Editing Process

It’s time for the LAST round of Beautiful Books (and then we’ll return to the monthly Beautiful People linkup in January) so WEEP and CHEER, blogglings. And let’s get to it!

Welcome to Beautiful Books #3: The Editing Process

Around this time each year, Sky and I pause our Beautiful People writers linkup and switch gears to Beautiful Books — where we talk about our NaNoWriMo projects. Not doing NaNo?! NEVER FEAR. These questions fit with whatever manuscript you’re working on. And you can do this any time during the entire month of December for any project!

You can check out what we did for Round 1 here and Round 2 here.

WHAT IS BEAUTIFUL BOOKS EXACTLY?

Beautiful Books is a writerly blog linkup event, focused on NaNoWriMo novels. This month we’re introducing your work-in-progress and next month we’ll talk about YOU as a writer (!) It was designed with NaNoWriMo in mind. NaNoWriMo is a writing event where you write a 50,000 word novel in a month. But you can do it for ANY novel if you’re not a NaNo participant.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The format is the same as Beautiful People (see what that’s all about here). Each month, we’ll be posting 10 questions to answer about your WiP — aka your beautiful book. Answer the questions in a blog post of your own and then come back here to link up! Don’t forget to grab the blog button and link to this post.

PREVIOUS BEAUTIFUL BOOK POSTS

Last year we had three editions about writing, plotting and editing.This year will be a little different, so if you want to steal those older questions too, go for it!

Don’t forget to grab the button and/or link to this page on your blog. So anyone can join in!

On a scale of 1 (worst) to 10 (best), how did the book turn out? Did anything defy your expectations?
Comparative title time: what published books, movies, or TV shows are like your book? (Ex: Inkheart meets X-Men.)
Do you enjoy working with deadlines and pressure (aka NaNoWriMo)? Or do you prefer to write-as-you’re-inspired?
How do you go about editing? Give us an insight into your editing process.
What aspect of your story needs the most work?
What aspect of your story did you love the most?
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?
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?
Share a favourite snippet!
What are your writing goals and plans for 2016?

If you have trouble with the button, just save it as a file, then upload it to your blog, and add a link to my blog manually (like you would link text).

**sooo…did you win NaNoWriMo?! ARE YOU HAPPY WITH YOUR BOOK!? and i’m going to be sneaky and ask here what your 2016 writing plans are?? because i am curious.**

9th Nov 2015 by CG @ Paper Fury 40 Comments (1)

Beautiful Books #2 // The Writing Process

We usually do Beautiful People, where we interview our characters, buuuuut…considering it’s NaNoWriMo we’re doing something a little different.

Welcome to Beautiful Books #2: !

You can check out what we did for Round 1 here. And I think we broke a record with 70+ linkers! WOOT WOOT.

WHAT IS BEAUTIFUL BOOKS EXACTLY?

HOW DOES IT WORK?

PREVIOUS BEAUTIFUL BOOK POSTS

Last year we had three editions about writing, plotting and editing.This year will be a little different, so if you want to steal those older questions too, go for it!

Don’t forget to grab the button and/or link to this page on your blog! So anyone can join in!

Is the book turning out how you thought it would be, or is it defying your expectations?
What’s your first sentence (or paragraph)?
Are you a plotter or a pantser? Have you ever tried both methods and how did it turn out?
What do you reward yourself with after meeting a goal?
What do you look for in a name? Do you have themes and where do you find your names?
What is your favourite to write: beginning, middle, or end — and why?
Who’s your current favourite character in your novel?
What kind of things have you researched for this project, and how do you go about researching? (What’s the weirdest thing you’ve researched?!)
Do you write better alone or with others? Do you share your work or prefer to keep it to yourself?
What are your writing habits? Is there a specific snack you eat? Do you listen to music? What time of day do you write best? Feel free to show us a picture of your writing space!

If you have trouble with the button, just save it as a file, then upload it to your blog, and add a link to my blog manually (like you would link text).

okay, NaNoers! how are you going?!? what’s your word count? how are you feeling about your project (confident or flapping like a deranged penguin?) and for those not doing NaNo…tell me where you’re up to in your latest writing project. IT’S WRITER CHAT TIME YEEHA! (and don’t forget you do NOT have to be doing NaNo to participate.)

10th Oct 2015 by CG @ Paper Fury 71 Comments (1)

Beautiful Books #1 // Introduce Your Novel

We have something deliciously special and different for you this month, writerlings!

Welcome to Beautiful Books!

(And yes we are a bit late this month, since we usually post on the 5th, but better late than never, right?!)

WHAT IS BEAUTIFUL BOOKS EXACTLY?

HOW DOES IT WORK?

PREVIOUS BEAUTIFUL BOOK POSTS

Last year we had three editions about writing, plotting and editing.This year will be a little different, so if you want to steal those older questions too, go for it!

Don’t forget to grab the button and/or link to this page on your blog! So anyone can join in!

How did you come up with the idea for your novel, and how long have you had the idea?
Why are you excited to write this novel?
What is your novel about, and what is the title?
Sum up your characters in one word each. (Feel free to add pictures!)
Which character(s) do you think will be your favourite to write? Tell us about them!
What is your protagonist’s goal, and what stands in the way?
Where is your novel set? (Show us pictures if you have them!)
What is the most important relationship your character has?
How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?
What themes are in your book? How do you want your readers to feel when the story is over?
BONUS! Tell us your 3 best pieces of advice for others trying to write a book in a month.

If you have trouble with the button, just save it as a file, then upload it to your blog, and add a link to my blog manually (like you would link text).

are you doing NaNo?! how many years have you done it? what genre is your book?! and feel free to share your NaNo advice right HERE in the comments for us who are NaNo newbies! (this will be my second year.) oh and feel free to friend me! we can encourage each other with cake. (oh and don’t forget you do NOT have to be doing NaNo to participate! any book from any time! go go go!)

8th Jan 2015 by CG @ Paper Fury 83 Comments (0)

Beautiful People #5 || Author Edition

Keep calm, fabulous writers, because Beautiful People is back!

YES. You may flail now! Flail copiously, for you have missed this.

As you know, we took a 3-month break from Beautiful People for a NaNoWriMo themed Beautiful Books linkup.

What is Beautiful People?

If you’re new (greetings, mortal) this is a linkup hosted by Sky @ Further Up and Further in and I, where writers answer questions about their books/characters. It’s designed to help you get to know your book better! (And also give us a sneak peek of your works-in-progresses.)

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) if you wish it.

**But PS. This week is a special edition.**

Instead of interviewing characters…we’re interviewing authors.

YES, HUMANOIDS, THIS MEANS YOU.

Get ready to talk about your awesomeness.

Q U E S T I O N S

1. How many years have you been writing? When did you officially consider yourself a ‘writer’?
2. How/why did you start writing?
3. What’s your favorite part of writing?
4. What’s your biggest writing struggle?
5. Do you write best at night or day?
6. What does your writing space look like? (Feel free to show us pictures!)
7. How long does it typically take you to write a complete draft?
8. How many projects do you work on at once?
9. Do you prefer writing happy endings, sad ones, or somewhere in between?
10. List a few authors who’ve influenced your writing journey.
11. Do you let people read your writing? Why or why not?
12. What’s your ultimate writing goal or dream?
13. If you didn’t write, what would you want to do?
14. Do you have a book you’d like to write one day but don’t feel you’re ready to attempt it yet?
15. Which story has your heart and won’t let go?

ADD YOUR LINK

here’s a bonus question for you to answer now in the comments, my writerly friends: are you a one-genre-author or do you dabble in all kinds of books? spill all.

Welcome to Part 2 of Beautiful Books where we talk about our NaNoWriMo novels!

NOTE: You can do it for ANY novel! You do not need to be doing NaNo to join in!!

DON’T FORGET TO TAKE THE BUTTON!

now i haven’t started NaNo yet (arhmm I’m dying I’ve just been too busy) but DO TELL ME HOW YOU’RE GOING?!? any other late starters??? has anything in your novel surprised you as you’re writing??? and what do you love best about NaNoWriMo?

It’s the fun time of year again when we all dissolve into screaming about NaNoWriMo.

NOTE: You can do it for ANY novel! You do not need to be doing NaNo to join in!!

DON’T FORGET TO TAKE THE BUTTON!

raise your hand if you’re doing NaNo!! and if you have any clue what you’re writing yet!! or are you choosing between projects?? feel free to satisfy my curiosity by giving me a vague idea of your genius.

Welcome back to the first writing link up of the year!

Go peruse the October Beautiful Books questionnaires Part 1 (planning your novel) and Part 2 (novel update)!

DON’T FORGET TO TAKE THE BUTTON!

time for our regular monthly WRITERLY CHAT in the comments!! i want to know what’s your #1 project for this year?? are you planning to query in 2017? edit? publish? let me know aaaaall the things.

Hello, writerlings! How goes NaNoWriMo?

DON’T FORGET TO TAKE THE BUTTON!

so how goes the writing, my fiends?! i am here to hand out cake if needed. is your book going as expected? what’s your current word count? and if you’re not doing NaNo, just let me know where you’re up to on your current project BECAUSE I HAVE NEED TO KNOW ALL THE THINGS.

What is that I see upon the future? OH IT’S JUST NANOWRIMO.

DON’T FORGET TO TAKE THE BUTTON!

are you doing NaNo?? can you give me a sneaky peek at what you’re working on? (i am the curious) and since we’re chatting over cake and tea — what are some thing you do to get ready for NaNoWriMo?? and if you’re NOT NaNoing, just tell me what project you’re working on!

1. ON A SCALE OF 1 (WORST) TO 10 (BEST), HOW DID THE BOOK TURN OUT? DID ANYTHING DEFY YOUR EXPECTATIONS?

* I totally do not. Omg. Someone save me.

2. COMPARATIVE TITLE TIME! WHAT PUBLISHED BOOKS, MOVIES OR TV SHOWS ARE LIKE YOUR BOOK? (EX: INKHEART MEETS XMEN?)

3. DO YOU ENJOY WORKING WITH DEADLINES AND PRESSURE (AKA NANOWRIMO) OR DO YOU PREFER TO WRITE-AS-YOU’RE-INSPIRED?

4. HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT EDITING? GIVE US AN INSIGHT INTO YOUR EDITING PROCESS!

5. WHAT ASPECT OF YOUR STORY NEEDS THE MOST WORK?

6. WHAT ASPECT OF YOUR STORY DID YOU LOVE THE MOST?

7. 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?

\\ Pictures link to their pinterest pages!! //

8. 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?

9. SHARE A FAVOURITE SNIPPET!

10. WHAT ARE YOUR WRITING GOALS AND PLANS FOR 2016?

Welcome to Beautiful Books #3: The Editing Process

sooo…did you win NaNoWriMo?! ARE YOU HAPPY WITH YOUR BOOK!? and i’m going to be sneaky and ask here what your 2016 writing plans are?? because i am curious.

Welcome to Beautiful Books #2: !

Welcome to Beautiful Books!

Keep calm, fabulous writers, because Beautiful People is back!

What is Beautiful People?

But PS. This week is a special edition.

Q U E S T I O N S

ADD YOUR LINK

here’s a bonus question for you to answer now in the comments, my writerly friends: are you a one-genre-author or do you dabble in all kinds of books? spill all.

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**sooo…did you win NaNoWriMo?! ARE YOU HAPPY WITH YOUR BOOK!? and i’m going to be sneaky and ask here what your 2016 writing plans are?? because i am curious.**

**But PS. This week is a special edition.**