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Beautiful People

Beautiful People #7 // March Edition

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HELLO, HELLO, WRITERS!

Welcome back to another round of our writers linkup: Beautiful People! We had 47 wonderful linkers last time for our Valentine’s edition (which was awesome, thanks so much for joining in everyone!). There’s no theme this month, but we’ve got some meaty questions for you to mull over. 

As always, questions? Comments? ASK AWAY IN THE COMMENTS. And you’re most welcome to interpret the questions however you like. There’s no right/wrong.

WHAT IS BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE ABOUT?
If you’re new (greetings, mortal) this is a linkup hosted by Sky @ Further Up and Further in and I, for writers to 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

FAQ

What is Beautiful People? Beautiful People is for writers. Every month, we post a list of 10 questions for you to answer about your characters. It’s designed to help you get to know your characters – their quirks, their personality, their flaws, and who they are.

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!

 Q U E S T I O N S

1. What is their secret desire?
2. What is the best and brightest moment they experience during the story?
3. What are the emotional places your characters are afraid to go to?
4. Is there a place/city/room where they will never go? Why?
5. If they were permanently leaving town, what would they easily throw out? What would they refuse to part with? (Why?)
6. What do they want (consciously and tangibly)?
7. On the other hand: what do they need (on the emotional, subconscious level)?
8. If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be?
9. What is the most humiliating event of their life?
10. What things do they turn to when they need a bit of hope?

TAKE THE BUTTON!

PAPERFURY

ADD YOUR LINK

is anyone doing Camp NaNo in April?! (i’ve possibly been persuaded to sign up. EXCITING) and what are you working on?! TELL ME ALL THE WONDERFUL WRITERLY GOSSIP! are you editing? drafting? plotting? are things exciting or frustrating?

Beautiful People #6 || Valentine Edition

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It’s time for a smushy Valentine’s Day themed BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE!

You knew this was coming, right?! February is notorious for romance and we writers do know how to aggressively ship a couple.

WHAT IS BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE ABOUT?
If you’re new (greetings, mortal) this is a linkup hosted by Sky @ Further Up and Further in and I, for writers to 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

FAQ

What is Beautiful People? Beautiful People is for writers. Every month, we post a list of 10 questions for you to answer about your characters. It’s designed to help you get to know your characters – their quirks, their personality, their flaws, and who they are.

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 everyone can find where

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 Q U E S T I O N S

1. How long have they been a couple?
2. How did they first meet?
3. What were their first thoughts of each other? (Love at first sight or “you’re freakishly annoying”?)
4. What do they do that most annoys each other?
5. Are their personalities opposite or similar?
6. How would their lives be different without each other?
7. Are they ever embarrassed of each other?
8. Does anyone disapprove of their relationship?
9. Do they see their relationship as long-term/leading to marriage?
10. If they could plan the “perfect outing” together, where would they go?

TAKE THE BUTTON!

PAPERFURY

ADD YOUR LINK

let’s talk about romantic characters, you little shippy writers. do your couples often sail happily into the sunset? or do they sink? what kind of romance do you usually write? (tragic, fluffy, forbidden, triangle, steamy?)

Hello, My Name is Writer

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HeloMy Name IS Writer

It’s time for a writerly interview with yours truly.

That’s right.

Me.

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10928109_595959117172101_1450331761_nOh don’t raise your eyebrows at me, because, firstly, this is an entire blog with over 1,000 posts all about ME. And yet you’re still here. Obviously I am a fun topic of conversation.*

I’m linking up with our meme Beautiful People. Linky is open all month so jump over here and grab the questions! Instead of interviewing characters this week….we’re interviewing ourselves.

* The funny part is I am actually the most shy and awkward turtle of the universe, but shhhh. I’ll leave you with the image of me as Kuzco.

1. How many years have you been writing? When did you officially consider yourself a ‘writer’?

I attempt my first novel at 12. (I believe I wrote two chapters.) That aside, I really began writing at 15. After an entire pile of novella adventures in which I plagiarised Narnia, I finished my first real book that I was notoriously passionate about. People read it. They liked it. Life was golden.

This will be sixth year as a writer.

2. How/why did you start writing?

Most people have glorious answers for this like “I write because there is nothing else” and “I started writing because there was a story in me burning to be told”. Do you want the truth from me? THE REAL* TRUTH?

I began writing because my little sister did. And she was getting way to much attention.

Aren’t I inspiring and artful?

* There are, in fact, fake truths. I tell them all the time. I’m a writer, remember? I cheat. It’s similar to being a pirate except there’s less cool hats.

22c51c5a41060fb5c28da2cd9c43909a3. What’s your favourite part of writing?

Finishing.

How fun am I, right?! I actually find writing very hard. But sometimes the magic of the book swallows me and I just type and type and type. Mostly, though, it’s sitting back with that feeling of having made a whole world and thinking, “Wow, I am cool.” (Let’s not talk about rewrites or retrospect.)

4. What’s your biggest writing struggle?

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  • Self doubt is a biggie. I always think I suck. I’m never sure my ideas are original.
  • Editing. I edit like a blind octopus and that’s embarrassing.
  • Motivating myself to rewrite. I’m okay once I get going! But getting there…unnngh.
  • Worrying I won’t reach my dream!  Come now! Don’t we all panic about this?? Will I get published? Will I be the next Best Author Ever? Will I be able to get away with just giving my own novels out to people for Christmas/birthdays for the rest of eternity?

5. Do you write best at night or day?

It used to be night! But when I finished highschool, daytime became the best for me. I write best in 1-hour increments directly after a snack.

6. What does your writing space look like? (Feel free to show us pictures!)

My writing space has changed drastically over the years.

Once up on 2 years ago, it looked a lot like this:

Cait D's Writing Space

I won a space in a writing contest because of this.

Now it looks remarkably like this:

writing space

Yes, I have comic background images and a sea-themed quilt with a turtle that I literally sneaked and stole from my mother. And I would use my desk but…that isn’t happening, folks, because my desk looks like this…

paper sisters workspace

Hey, but I make messy fun art here instead!

7. How long does it typically take you to write a complete draft?

My average is 50,000-words in 10 days. I like this. I do it often. It’s comfortable. (I have to write fast, peoples, because I literally loose the plot if I don’t. My memory is shocking. Who even are you??)

Although I have nailed 75,000-words in 7 days. And I once wrote an MG of 40,000-words in 4 days.

8. How many projects do you work on at once?

ONE. Only ever one.

9. Do you prefer writing happy endings, sad ones, or somewhere in between?

I like sad endings. I like endings that burn down the book, your feels…practically the whole world. Yes I am that kind of author. Even my sister finished one of my books and said, “Was that necessary?”

To which I replied:

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Accurate representation of me (as Edna) and my sister (as Helen).

 

10. List a few authors who’ve influenced your writing journey.

  • Suzanne Collins: made me try present tense.
  • Maggie Stiefvater: had me fall in love with paranormal and odd quirky characters.
  • Sarah J Maas: made me realise fantasy is cool and doesn’t have to sound like Tolkien.
  • Michael Grant: taught me how to me write short, crisp sentences and…let everyone die.
  • Veronica Roth: taught me that an author always knows what they’re doing and that they need to stay true to the characters, not their audience.

11. Do you let people read your writing? Why or why not?

I do and I don’t. I’ve had several epic readers over the years and they’ve all taught me insanely good stuff. (Including my mum, my sister Mime, Ashley, Caitria, and Sky.) Currently I have the best critique partner of ever, Emily.

I’m always very nervous about my writing because it’s a) dark and scary and b) rarely written in the same style as my blog. WHAT WILL PEOPLE THINK?! But I don’t ever hide my writing because I want to be published someday and what’s the point of writing if no one ever reads it?

12. What’s your ultimate writing goal or dream?

To be published. To be famous. To own a dragon.*

* This is definitely writing related because RESEARCH.

13. If you didn’t write, what would you want to do?

I really have no answer for this. None. I would become a professional reviewer, except that that’s technically writing isn’t it?

I think I would rule the world and be fair but firmly cruel.

14. Do you have a book you’d like to write one day but don’t feel you’re ready to attempt it yet?

There. are. so. many.

6ee5e17a7cd2084f7c8b8449bafb92eaMy brain is being constantly pestered by this idea of a heist story. It has crime families, professional thieves, and prison breaks and I don’t know how to write it. I constantly mull over it in my skull…the characters change, the plot changes, the setting changes. It goes paranormal and then back to plain thriller. IT IS JUST NOT READ TO BE BAKED YET.

15. Which story has your heart and won’t let go?

This goes to the novel that is, as we speak, with my agent. (So I can’t actually give details!) I was told constantly that it “wouldn’t work”. Seriously…how depressing can people be?! I’ve rewritten it from scratch over 10 times and edited it twice as many. I first wrote it when I was 15 and I’m still passionate about it. Even if it never finds a publishing house, this will be the story of my HEART.

Oh gosh, is that a tear? This vulcan is getting all passionate and emotional. Gesundheit.

if you’ve done the linkup, feel free to link me to your post! and my writerly friends, time for a question for you to answer now: do you let people read your writing?! is it easy/hard for you?

and bonus question as added wisely by Ana! which clearly needs to be asked…

what’s your favourite writing drink/snack?!

boots USEFULCait is trying to write this post while a certain rambunctious puppy chews her toes. It’s distracting. She has been quite slack in the blogging world lately, but it’s HOT in Australia. It’s stinkingly meltingly hot. She just wants to swim in ice cream and read good books. (Speaking of which, she’s nearly finished the 4th Skulduggery Pleasant book!)

Beautiful Books Linkup #2: How’s The Writing Going?

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Hello, writerlings! Are you still alive? Has NaNoWriMo eaten you whole? Are you still SANE?!!

As you know from last time, we’ve taken a 3 month break from the Beautiful People linkup (which is all about interviewing your book characters) to do Beautiful Books! Sky and I made this version more book directed (since a lot of us are doing NaNo). 
Ready for round #2?
Of course you are, stop running away. Come back here. I have marvellous questions for you to answer. 

What is it Beautiful Books exactly!?

Beautiful Books is a three-month-long blog event linkup focused on three different stages of writing: plotting, writing, and editing. It was designed with NaNoWriMo in mind. NaNoWriMo is a writing event where you write a 50,000 word novel in a month. Because a lot of writers will be participating, we decided to help get your juices flowing! We’ll be focusing on plotting in October, writing in November, and editing in December. See how organised we are? Super cool.

Do I have to be doing NaNo to participate?

Nope! Just pick a work-in-progress and you’ll be good to go. If you don’t have a novel that works for the entirety of the blog event, you can feature different ones. The point is, you absolutely don’t have to do NaNoWriMo to participate, and we really want you to join! We also want your friends to join, so if you have writing groups…spread the word!

Are you ready for this?!

The Questions for Round #2: How’s The Writing Going?

  1. Be honest: how is your writing going?
  2. What’s your first sentence/paragraph?
  3. Do you have a book cover, and/or pictures that reflect your book?
  4. Do you have pictures of each of your characters? If not, describe them for us! (Be as descriptive as you can.)
  5. What scene are you most excited to write?
  6. Share a snippet or a scene that you really enjoyed writing.
  7. Now that you’re writing, have any of the plot details, or the process itself, turned out different from what you planned or imagined?
  8. Is there a character or aspect of your plot that’s difficult to write?
  9. What’s your favorite aspect of this novel so far? Favorite character?
  10. Have you drawn off of any life experiences or people you know to create your novel and your characters?
  11. Do you have a playlist or certain song for your novel and/or characters?
  12. Let’s have some fun for a moment: imagine you are somehow transported into your book’s world. Which character are you most likely to be found hanging out with?
  13. How do you keep yourself motivated to finish your daily wordcount? (Pinterest? Internet breaks? Chocolate?)
  14. What your favourite writing quote or piece of writing advice?
  15. How does this book make you feel so far? Are you laughing? Crying? Frustrated?

A little teeny tiny note:

Last time I noticed a lot of linkers (sorry I didn’t get to everyone! I try!) skipped questions because they didn’t want to give away “spoilers”. I get that. I totally do. But remember, a huge point of these questions is to help YOU learn more about your book. If you don’t want to give spoilers: don’t. That’s fine! (Skipping questions is also okay.) But in reality…if/when your book is published and available to readers, they’ll have forgotten these “spoilers” anyway.

The buttons

Grab whichever you prefer! Or just link back to my blog or Sky’s. 

The Linky

Come let us talk about our NaNoWriMo novels, my writerly friends!

If you have any questions, feel free to throw them at me. I answer to “your majesty” and “oh mighty one” because I am so flexible.

We had 51 linkers last month, so let’s go! go! GO! and hear more about your books. The linkup is open all month.

Be fabulous, now.

i want to hear your current word-counts in the comments! speak to me, glorious writers! is NaNo being tough on you? (how much chocolate/coffee have you eaten so far, really?)

Beautiful Books #1: Let’s Talk Books || New Linkup of Awesome

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Greetings, writerlings! Let me introduce you to Beautiful Books!

Now I know you’re saying, “What the heck is going on, Cait, you confusing antelope.” But calm down. Please. Let me explain. Obviously you know of our Beautiful People linkup? It’s on the 5th of every month…EXCEPT FOR THIS MONTH.

This is why.


 Sky and I wanted to theme a version of Beautiful People around NaNoWriMo…and it turned into a three month long event. Because we have enormous imaginations. Thus, Beautiful Books!

What is it exactly?

Beautiful Books is a three-month-long blog event linkup focused on three different stages of writing: plotting, writing, and editing. It was designed with NaNoWriMo in mind. NaNoWriMo is a writing event where you write a 50,000 word novel in a month. Because a lot of writers will be participating, we decided to help get your juices flowing! We’ll be focusing on plotting in October, writing in November, and editing in December. See how organised we are? Super cool.

Do I have to be doing NaNo to participate?

Nope! Just pick a work-in-progress and you’ll be good to go. If you don’t have a novel that works for the entirety of the blog event, you can feature different ones. The point is, you absolutely don’t have to do NaNoWriMo to participate, and we really want you to join! We also want your friends to join, so if you have writing groups…spread the word!

How does it work?

The format is really similar to Beautiful People (see what that’s all about here). Each month, we’ll be posting 15 questions to answer about your WIP. These questions will correspond to either plotting, writing, or editing, and are designed to help you with each of these stages. Even if you aren’t up to editing yet, they’ll get you to think about making your book the best of ever — basically turning it into a beautiful book. You’ll take our 15 questions and answer them on your blog, then come back and link up here! And don’t forget to go around and read the posts of the other participants — it could be a great way to make friends!

What about Beautiful People?!

We hope to do both concurrently, but, depending on life and reasons, there could be a few breaks here and there. Thankfully, you’ll have Beautiful Books around to fulfil your blog link-up needs, and there’s always the archive if you get the itch to do BP at any time.

So… what do I do? Sit tight and read the questions Sky and I will post in the next three months, then use them to help you think through one of your novels! Then link back, and overall, be your awesome self! And totally share with your writing friends. We wish to have a ginormous writerly party.


The Questions

  1. What came first: characters or plot idea? Are you a plotter or a pantser?
  2. Do you have a title and/or a “back-cover-blurb”?
  3. What wordcount are you aiming for when your novel is finished?
  4. Sum up your novel in 3 sentences.
  5. Sum up your characters in one word each.
  6. Which character are you most excited to write? Tell us about them!
  7. What about your villain? Who is he, what is his goal?
  8. What is your protagonist’s goal? And what stands in the way?
  9. What inciting incident begins your protagonist’s journey?
  10. Where is your novel set?
  11. What are three big scenes in your novel that change the game completely?
  12. What is the most dynamic relationship your character has? Who else do they come in contact with or become close to during the story?
  13. How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?
  14. Do you have an ending in mind, or do you plan to see what happens?
  15. What are your hopes and dreams for your book? What impressions are you hoping this novel will leave on your readers and yourself?

The buttons

Grab whichever you prefer! Or just link back to my blog or Sky’s. 

The Linky


Let’s do this, writerlings!

The linkup is open all month, and if you have questions…throw ’em at me in the comments. I will be joining in just as soon as I figure out which book I’m writing for NaNo. (It’s a battle between two of them now.)


so writers, are you joining in?! is this an acceptable swap for the Beautiful People characters-themed linkup for this month?! we hope so. anyone have plans for NaNo? and remember you can totally do this even if you’re not doing NaNo.

Cait only has two ARCs left to review and 3 library books. A manageable TBR? What IS this wizardry? Mind you, she’s officially filled her bookshelf and is now relocating her Narnia audios and DVDs so she can squeeze more books into their old spots. Terribly sad. Currently she’s listening to an audio of DISRUPTION because Twitter told her to.

Beautiful People Linkup #4 || September Edition (Villains!)

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Yay for another round of our character interview link up!

Last month there were 52 of us interrogating our characters, which is an awesome number and thank you to everyone who joined in!! Oh, but don’t forget to pop around and visit other blogs linked up, okay?! Comments make everyone happy.

Welcome to our September Edition! 

As you’ve probably noticed from my epic post title…we’re doing villains this month! YAY FOR VILLAINS. Okay, that did sound bad. I always have an intense soft spot for my villainous characters (they’re misunderstood, okay?) and we all know it’s extremely important to have well-fleshed out villains.

Beautiful People is a meme designed to help writers learn more about their characters. The hosts (that’d be Sky @ Further Up and Further In, folks, oh and also me. I’m wonderful) will give you 10 interview questions for you to answer on your own blogs.

You link up. You have mandatory fun. We eat virtual cheesecake together. What’s not to love?!

The linkup is open all month! It will run on the 5th of every month.

You can check out my announcement post here or jump over to our FAQ here for more details! If you want to read one, check out Sky’s character interview!

NOTE: If you have a private blog, you’re still welcome to use the questions. Obviously you just won’t have the bonus of meeting and chatting with other writers. But you’ll still get to know your character better. Which is awesome.


Feel free to submit questions for us to use in the future! Here’s Sky’s contact details and here’s mine.

This week’s questions are submitted by Bound and Freed.

1. What is their motive?
2. What do they want, and what are they prepared to do to get it?
3. How do they deal with conflict?
4. Describe their current place of residence.
5. If they were writing this story, how would it end?
6. What habits, speech patterns, etc. are unique to them?
7. How do they show love? What do they like to do with/for people they love?
8. Do they have any pets?
9. Where would they go to relax/think?
10. What is their weapon of choice? (FYI: words, eyes/looks, and fists count as weapons too.)

– Big or small! It’s your choice.
– If you absolutely can’t get the button to link back to my blog, that’s okay! Just make sure somewhere in your post there’s a direct link to my post…that’s so if your bloggly friends want to join in, they know where to go!


– add the url to your specific interview-post (not your whole blog!)
– you can write your name in however you like (we’re flexible) but if you want to you can write it like this: My Name @ Awesome Blog

Let’s do this! 



so, writers, will you be joining in the linkup this month? i want to hear about your characters! and who is disturbingly excited to be interviewing their villains?!! come now, CONFESS. the dark side does have delicious cookies.

Beautiful People Linkup #3: August Edition

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Yay for another round of our character interview link up!

Last month we had a staggering 47 linkers! (Still unsure whether linkers is the right word, but you know what? Who cares. Linkers has a fabulous ring to it.)

Welcome to our August Edition! 

Also HUGE congrats to everyone who did NaNoWriMo in July and won! I don’t care what your word goals were: you absolutely definitely deserve chocolate.

Couldn’t have said it better myself, Lupin.

Beautiful People is a meme designed to help writers learn more about their characters. The hosts (that’d be Sky @ Further Up and Further In, folks, oh and also me. I’m wonderful) will give you 10 interview questions for you to answer on your own blogs.

You link up. You have mandatory fun. We eat virtual cheesecake together. What’s not to love?!

The linkup is open all month! It will run on the 5th of every month.

You can check out my announcement post here or jump over to our FAQ here for more details!

If you want to read one, check out Sky’s character interview!

NOTE: If you have a private blog, you’re still welcome to use the questions. Obviously you just won’t have the bonus of meeting and chatting with other writers. But you’ll still get to know your character better. Which is awesome.


Feel free to submit questions for us to use in the future! Here’s Sky’s contact details and here’s mine.

This week we have some questions submitted by Ana and A Finch Of the Soul (I can’t find your blog url, I’m sorry!) and Rachel. You obviously rock.

1) What does your character regret the most in their life?
2) What is your character’s happiest memory? Most sorrowful memory?
3) What majorly gets on your character’s nerves?
4) Do they act differently when they’re around people as opposed to being alone? If so, how?
5) What are their beliefs and superstitions? (Examples: their religion or lack of one, conspiracy theories, throwing salt, fear of black cats.)
6) What are their catchphrases, or things they say frequently?
7) Would they be more prone to facing fears or running from them?
8) Do they have a good self image?
9) Do they turn to people when they’re upset, or do they isolate themselves?
10) If they were standing next to you would it make you laugh or cry?


– Big or small! It’s your choice.
– If you absolutely can’t get the button to link back to my blog, that’s okay! Just make sure somewhere in your post there’s a direct link to my post…that’s so if your bloggly friends want to join in, they know where to go!



– add the url to your specific interview-post (not your whole blog!)
– you can write your name in however you like (we’re flexible) but if you want to you can write it like this: My Name @ Awesome Blog

Let’s do this! 

Also: if you have any questions or I have been confusing, do mention it. And I’ll be joining in the interview questions later in the month. Just as soon as I figure out which character of mine I want to corner and interrogate interview.


so, writers, will you be joining in the linkup this month? i want to hear about your characters! and who won camp NaNo?! i want to hear your successes! or, like, console your failures. i’m flexible

Beautiful People Linkup #2: July Edition

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Last month was our very first edition of the rekindled Beautiful People link up! How’d it go? Well, 60 of you linked up.

CAN I TAKE A MOMENT? 60 PEOPLE LINKED UP!!!!!

So that is absolutely thrilling and mind blowing.

Welcome to our July Edition! 

Also: We know it’s Camp NaNo, so good luck to everyone who’s madly writing!

This is going to be awesome, by the way. I’m excited!

Beautiful People is a meme designed to help writers learn more about their characters. The hosts (that’d be Sky @ Further Up and Further In, folks, oh and also me. I’m wonderful) will give you 10 interview questions for you to answer on your own blogs.

You link up. You have mandatory fun. We eat virtual cheesecake together. What’s not to love?!

The linkup is open all month! It will run on the 5th of every month.

You can check out my announcement post here or jump over to our FAQ here for more details!

If you want to read one, check out Sky’s character interview!

NOTE: If you have a private blog, you’re still welcome to use the questions. Obviously you just won’t have the bonus of meeting and chatting with other writers. But you’ll still get to know your character better. Which is awesome.


Feel free to submit questions for us to use in the future! Here’s Sky’s contact details and here’s mine.

This week we have some questions submitted by Arende and Ashley and Kelly. You obviously rock.

1) What’s their favourite food? (Bonus: favourite flavour of chocolate!)
2) What do they absolutely hate?
3) What do they enjoy learning about?
4) Who is the most influential person in their life?
5) What is their childhood fear?
6) What is something they have always secretly dreamed of doing, but thought impossible?
7) What is something he is impractically afraid of?
8) Are they a night owl or morning person?
9) Do they say everything that pops into their head, or leave a lot unsaid?

10) What are their nervous habits?


– Big or small! It’s your choice.
– If you absolutely can’t get the button to link back to my blog, that’s okay! Just make sure somewhere in your post there’s a direct link to my post…that’s so if your bloggly friends want to join in, they know where to go!


– add the url to your specific interview-post (not your whole blog!)
– you can write your name in however you like (we’re flexible) but if you want to you can write it like this: My Name @ Awesome Blog



Let’s do this! Also: if you have any questions or I have been confusing, do mention it. And I’ll be joining in the interview questions later in the month. Just as soon as I figure out which character of mine I want to corner and interrogate interview.



so, writers, will you be joining in the linkup this month? i want to hear about your characters! and who’s doing Camp NaNo? how are you fairing??!

Beautiful People Linkup #1: June Edition

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Today is full of absolute awesome today, peoples! This is our first round of the Beautiful People: Character Interviews linkup! Remember back in May when I told you it was coming? Well, wait no more!

This is going to be awesome, by the way. I’m excited!

Beautiful People is a meme designed to help writers learn more about their characters. The hosts (that’d be Sky @ Further Up and Further In, folks, oh and also me. I’m wonderful) will give you 10 interview questions for you to answer on your own blogs.

You link up. You have mandatory fun. We eat virtual cheesecake together. What’s not to love?!

 The linkup is open all month! It will run on the 5th of every month.

You can check out my announcement post here or jump over to our FAQ here for more details!

Feel free to submit questions for us to use in the future! Here’s Sky’s contact details and here’s mine.

This week we have some questions submitted by Arende and Emily. You obviously rock.

1) What is their full name and is there a story behind why they got it? 
2) How old are they, and when were they born? 
3) Describe their physical appearance. (Bonus questions: 1. What is their race/nationality/ethnicity? 2. Do you have a picture of them? If so, include it!) 
4) Describe your character’s personality first in one word, and then elaborate with a few sentences. 
5) What theme song(s) fit their personality and story arc?
6) Which one of the seven deadly sins describes your character? 
7) If they were an element (fire, water, earth, air), which one would they be? 
8) What is their favourite word? 
9) Who’s one person they really miss? (It could be someone who’s passed away, or someone they’re not close to anymore, or someone who’s moved away.) 
10) What sights, sounds, and smells remind them of that person?

– Big or small! It’s your choice.
– If you absolutely can’t get the button to link back to my blog, that’s okay! Just make sure somewhere in your post there’s a direct link to my post…that’s so if your bloggly friends want to join in, they know where to go!


– add the url to your specific interview-post (not your whole blog!)
– you can write your name in however you like (we’re flexible) but if you want to you can write it like this: My Name @ Awesome Blog


Let’s do this! Also: if you have any questions or I have been confusing, do mention it. And I’ll be joining in the interview questions later in the month. Just as soon as I figure out which character of mine I want to corner and interrogate interview.



so, writers, will you be joining in the linkup this month? i want to hear about your characters! is it a huge toss-up who you’ll interview or do know already?


Cait is mostly editing. It’s like being “mostly dead”. (Points if you get this reference.) Not committed in either direction. Between mostly-ing (that is so a word), she’s reading WONDER by R.J. Palacio and thanking her lucky stars she never went to middle-school in America. Little kids are vicious and scary.

Beautiful People Writers Meme is BACK

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Oh, blogglings, I’m busting with oodles of excitement today! It’s been boiling in the pot for a while, but finally I get to announce the re-launch of the writers meme: Beautiful People. What is this? HUZZAH! I will tell you all.
Several years ago my friend Sky @ Further Up and Further In hosted a writers meme, called (guess?) Beautiful People. It’s involves a monthly set of interview questions to help you (and your blog readers) get to know your characters from your works-in-progress. It’s awesome for writers! So much fun! And it then shut down. Wherein we all wailed. But now Sky’s re-launching it, and because she’s awesome, she asked me if Notebook Sisters wanted to co-host.

Do I? DO I?

After I finished being ecstatic out of my skull, I said, “Heck yeah,” and we began brainstorming.

If you look to our header, there’s a new tag titled “Beautiful People” and you’ll be able to go there for aaaall the info, the buttons, and the dates. Until then, I’ll pop a little FAQ on this post and then leave you with a delicious question. Mwahaha.

You can also read a post, done by the wonderful Sky, to get a feel of the meme!

What is Beautiful People?
Beautiful People is for writers. Every month, we post a list of 10 questions for you to answer about your characters. It’s designed to help you get to know your characters – their quirks, their personality, their flaws, and who they are.

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 Notebook Sisters or Further Up and Further In, or send us emails. Whichever way you choose, we’ll attempt to use your questions!

Why is it called Beautiful People?

Originally, Sky and her previous co-host Georgie coined the term! The general idea is that our characters are beautiful people with their own stories that deserve to be told.

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.

And this is where YOU come in, blogglings. The first BP (yeah, I’m too lazy to type “Beautiful People” PLUS I live in Australia, so naturally it has a nick-name) will launch on the 5th of June, just under 3 weeks away! We have some intro questions for the first round, but we want YOU to submit interview questions too.
You can throw them in the comments below…or, if you want, you can email them to me at notebooksisters@gmail.com!

Ready for some writer meme madness? Huzzah! Woot! WE CAN’T WAIT.

do you have any suggestions of interview questions? and what do you think of the re-launch of the beautiful people writers meme? excited? (will you be linking up?)

Cait isn’t just a ferocious eater of books. She writes too. Always nice fluffy stories, like blood sucking faeries and ancient Greek boxing-to-the-death and apocalyptic robot wars. Fluffy, see? Currently she’s working on plots for a book that was NOT supposed to have a sequel. Between writing, she’s reading The Minnow.