Developing Aubrinn

Yay, more writing stuff! Sorry, people...

I believe I told you last time that I'm going to be working on revising/re-writing my first novel. I've been reading this incredible book by Jeff Gerke (a speaker at OYAN Summer Workshop) and I want to try to implement some of what I'm learning.

This is the book:

It's amazing. I've learned much of the basic concepts from his sessions at SW, but he expands on it in the book (and it's just nice to have a paper copy). I shared some of the character stuff with you in this post about a character's inner journey. The plot stuff is about basic three-act structure, but also about using it to amplify the character's inner journey. It's really neat stuff.

But like I said, I want to try incorporating some of what I'm learning into my writing. I feel like there's some things I can put into my sci-fi novel, but it's such a complicated thing and I'm still not super comfortable with it. However, I am slightly more comfortable with the characters and ideas in my first novel. I also have been wanting to work on it again, and the complete failure of my original plot gives me a perfect opportunity to try new things with basic plots and characters I already kind of know.

One of the first things I've been doing is working on identifying Aubrinn's personality. It's a little bit tough, because I feel like she became a bit too much like me in the first draft. Not that it's bad to have a character like myself, but it's not... Aubrinn. It's Aubrinn pretending to be me. Or maybe the other way around (me pretending to be Aubrinn?) Anyway, it's not who I originally imagined her to be, and it's not a unique person. So I've been researching personality types and figuring out which one best fits the real Aubrinn. It's fun :D. So far, I think I've narrowed it down to ESTP or ENFP. Not completely sure yet, but obviously pretty clear on the E and P.

Now that I've told you all that, I'm realizing you might not know much about Aubrinn. I told you about Bryllen and her story last year and a lot about Cambriel and her story this year (go away, SpellCheck). I really can't remember if I've told you anything about Aubrinn, which is sad. She's fun. And her story is... getting there. So, let me introduce you.

Aubrinn is the crown-princess of the kingdom of Alendais. She doesn't want to be. She doesn't feel like she should be, and she certainly doesn't want to be queen. Her sister Beth was supposed to be the heir to the throne, but after the terrible accident, Beth is gone, and Aubrinn is left trying to fill her place. And feeling horribly out of place. Beth was perfect. Aubrinn is hardly queen material, especially in her mother's eyes. Playing tag in the gardens is fun. Diplomacy lessons are boring. But now Aubrinn is practically grown up, and playing with her little sisters (at least, the way Aubrinn likes to play) isn't particularly queenly. Plus, Aubrinn doesn't want to take Beth's place. She doesn't want to deal with the fact that Beth is gone forever.

There you go, some basic set-up. Aubrinn is not happy that I told you that last part, but it's an important part of who she is AND of her inner journey. Sorry, Aubrinn dear.

Oh! I also have these pictures that kind of remind me of Aubrinn. I found this one first and it really seemed to fit her, so I looked for others (of the same person, of course).

I just like her facial expression even though she's in handcuffs. This is another of the ones I found.

Ta-da! Now you hopefully have a better idea of who Aubrinn is. You can expect more updates in the future!

Character (and Writing) Updates

Ok, it's about time for a writing update! (It's been what, a week?) So maybe there's not a whole lot to share, but I'm excited about what's new.

First off, I named a few more characters! Yay! If you know much about my process of character development, you know that my characters often spend their first several months without names. Well, for these two, the wait is over. Allow me to introduce them to you.

This is Malea Scott, my Hero's mother. I feel like I've showed you this picture before, but now she has a name, so you have to have something to associate with it.

She's a very sweet person. I don't know her that well yet, but I think I'll like her. Even if some parts might be challenging to write (for more than one reason!) If I remember correctly, I've told you a little bit about Malea before, especially if I've talked about Cambriel (my Hero). If you look back at this post you'll see a little more about her (as well as links to other previous posts). I haven't worked out a ton of her history, but we'll see how much I actually need… Probably more than I think. ;)

Now this little darling is Laramie Cartland, officially the most adorable baby ever. Ok, not officially. But still adorable! She's the daughter of my Ally/Secondary Hero.

Aww! Yes, I do love this picture… Once again, I haven't developed Laramie very much, since she's kind of a secondary character. She's still important to the story, though, so she'll need some development! Which might be kind of hard, since she's not quite two… Yeah, we'll see. But I think it'll be fun :).

So there are my newly named characters! The other thing I've been working on lately is getting information from my Mentor. I'm taking a different approach than I did with Cambriel and Ainsley in that instead of just asking him questions, like an interview, it's more of an interrogation. I'm also writing it as a little scene instead of just his answers. So it's kind of a little short scene thing of his dialogue and actions as well as mine. Like we're acting together in an imaginary interrogation room. Which I know sounds really weird. Asking imaginary people questions is bad enough, but interacting with them…? Well, sorry. I'm a writer. And I'm getting useful information. Not quickly, mind you, it's hard to get him to talk. But even though I'm mainly asking about something specific he does, I'm also getting insight into his character and seeing him a little differently. He's not exactly the person I originally thought, and he's a lot more complex. Like everything else in this novel….

Ok, enough weird stuff. I'm also getting ready to start rewriting my first novel. It doesn't have a title (imagine that!) but in case you don't already know, it's the one about Aubrinn. Not that that helps a whole lot. Anyway, I've been thinking about ways I might change things a little bit and brainstorming plot twists *evil grin*. If I do actually get started on this, I think it could turn out to be pretty good. And a lot better than the original draft/idea/mess. Maybe. I'm hoping. But I think it will be really fun to work on it and get to work with my other characters again. I don't plan to drop the sic-fi one, by the way. It'll still be my priority (I think) but I definitely can't finish it in time for the OYAN contest this fall, so I want to revise Aubrinn's story for that. We'll see how it goes, but I'm excited to work on it, so that must be a good sign, right?

Well, that's what I've been working on recently. There are still a ton of names to come up with, and Katrel needs to tell me a lot more before I know what I need to know, but it's coming. Slowly but surely.

The Warden and the Wolf King

Found this cover picture… I AM SO EXCITED!!! I cannot wait for this book! Shouldn't be too long now :D!

Trusting, Waiting, and Hoping

Those three things were the focus of my quiet time this morning. They really stood out to me and I want to talk bout them, but also about some other things, so bear with me as I gradually get to the point :).

~~~

A couple weeks ago, I posted my third (?) post of Pinterest inspiration. I like doing that kind of thing, because pictures are way more interesting to look at and because Pinterest is a great source for story inspiration. But I'm not doing that again today, because I don't really have anything new. Or I don't know what more to show you.

Part of that is because I haven't been on Pinterest for about a week. My friends and I were talking a little bit last Wednesday about what we were giving up for Lent. I hadn't decided on anything yet (plus, it was only the first day of Lent and I actually kind of forgot about it...) but I knew that Pinterest was taking up more of my time than it should have. I didn't want to give it up, because it's a good thing and it's useful and... of course, there's not really a good excuse. I knew God was leading me to give it up for the weeks until Easter. So I did (with the disclaimer that using it for specific story research/inspiration or for showing someone something was permissible. Just no mindless browsing.) And so I have some extra time that needs to be put to use.

It wasn't an easy decision to give up Pinterest, but it hasn't been too hard since I made it. I still have to resist the urge to get on when I have a few spare minutes, but I'm determined to stick with it. I want to direct my thoughts back toward God and spend the extra time talking to him, learning from him, and doing what he wants me to do (stuff like writing or spending time with my siblings.) That's really the purpose of fasting during Lent, to bring my mind back to God.

Fasting and Lent aren't just about depravation. Lent is a time of waiting. Going without, but looking forward to the joy of Easter. I've been thinking a lot about waiting recently. And about looking forward to joy. I think they both can relate to many things, but especially to the plans God has for my future. I'm waiting for and looking forward to graduation (which is 2 months away! O_O), summer, college, and whatever else God brings as I follow his path. Of course there are still unknowns, because God's plan is so much bigger than mine. Unknowns are hard, but that's why I need to trust God!

Some of you read the testimony I wrote for English class a few weeks ago (if you didn't and you want to, let me know.) It was all about trusting God and how he has taught me to trust him through the various experiences he's given me the past few years. There are new experiences now, and many more coming up, that I'll need to continue to trust him through. Part of that trust is waiting (see a theme?)

I read this in my quiet time this morning. It's from Jesus Calling for Kids, by Sarah Young. (It's written as if Jesus is speaking to you.)

"Your faith begins with trust. Each day, choose to trust Me and My way more than you trust yourself. Trust Me to be there for you, to care for you, and to keep My promises.

"Then, wait on Me. I will answer your prayers, but it will be in My own perfect time. If you say, 'I trust you,' but you keep trying to make things happen right away, then you are not really trusting Me. Real trust means waiting for My answer.

"But wait with hope. Don't just wish for My answer; expect it! Expect to live a life full of meaning and purpose. Expect your heavenly reward."

I love the connection made between trusting and waiting. It makes so much sense! Part of waiting is being content with where God has placed me and what he's doing through me right now. Not just looking for whatever comes next, but making the most of the moment. Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." Delighting in God means finding my joy in him. Not looking to other things for satisfaction, but being content with him and his timing. When I do that, the desires of my heart will begin to line up with his will, and he will bless me.

Another of my favorite verses related to waiting is Exodus 14:14-- "the LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." I don't have to worry about making things work out, because that's God's job. My job is to trust in him, wait on him, and hope in him.

My Character Names

I've been thinking a lot about character names recently (can you guess why?) so I thought I would find a way to incorporate that into a blog post. When I came up with this idea to list all the characters I've ever named, I was thinking just within my novels. But then I realized I've named characters in other stories too. So for the sake of sticking with the original I idea, here are all the characters I've ever named.

(Clarification: These are the ones that I remember. I wrote a few stories before I really started writing seriously, but no, I don't remember what I named characters when I was five. They were probably all named after myself, my sister(s), or any other name I liked at the time.)

Oh, wait, another thing before we begin--I'm just going to list these by story so it's slightly organized and so I have a systematic way to remember all of these. Also, I'll try to go in chronological order of when the stories were written.

A Bee's New Job
(I wrote this "book" when I was probably around nine or ten. It's an alternate perspective of The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco. It is "finished" and illustrated.)
-Susan
-Lilli
-Daisy
-Queen Chrysanthemum
-Geranium

Some where in here there was a... something (ok, I guess you could call it a story)... that I started and named people, but it didn't go anywhere and I've started using the names for other things, so I'm not going to include it. So I guess it's not all the characters I've ever named as much as all the ones that went somewhere. There were two of those stories in here, actually.

The Feast and the Falcon
(This was the first of my short stories/picture books we wrote and illustrated for Writing Class. I was probably around twelve.)
-Rana
-Kitcha
-Kadar
-Sarsoureh
-Yasmin
-Omar
-Rakin
-Mustafa
-Amir

Saved By Rubber Bands
(This is my second of the Writing Class picture books. Maybe age thirteen?)
-Jacob Westwall
-Jeremy Westwall
-Ethan
-Anna

Blue and Butternut
(This was a short story for Writing Class that I forgot about until I started doing this. I don't remember how old I was, but we can guess around fourteen.)
-Jack
-Blue

Andreana's Courage
(Here's another one I forgot about. It's a short story I wrote for a contest.)
-Andreana
-Zaith
-Miedor
-Cyrus of Marwood

Untitled, Unfinished retelling of Beauty and the Beast
(Another I forgot about. It didn't get very far, but I'm listing all the characters I've named, so...)
-Elaina
-Gwendolyn
-Everett

Carrie Ann and Rachel Tess
(These were both part of a "series" I started planning but never got very far with. I named a lot of characters, though... Technically I should list them in age order, but... eh.)
-Carrie Ann
-Bennan
-Lynna Kate
-Emma Lee
-Connor
-Miranda
-Rachel Tess
-Elliot
-Leon
-Aidan
-Brenna Grace
-Kayla Beth

My First Novel (which doesn't have a title)
(Yay, the stuff I remember! I would have been fifteen/sixteen when I started working on this one. Some of the names have undergone revision, so I'll list the final (so far) names.)
-Aubrinn
-Captain Zavier (affectionately referred to as "CZ" in much of my brainstorming)
-Drey (who spent the majority of his first months of existence as "U.G."--short for Unnamed Guy)
-Beth
-Dacia
-Corianne
-Francesca
-Elinore (I just decided this one recently. The poor thing has gone through a lot of changes...)
-the Earl Remington
-Edrick Remington
-Edaline Remington
-Britta
-Elliot (who I believe I cut out...)
-Jaina
-Aaron
-Emory
-Eireen

Measure the Horizon (working title for my second novel)
(I didn't get as far with this one, but I do have some names!)
-Bryllen Tate
-Edmin Tate
-Ferris
-Kendric Banner (last name subject to change)

(No, spellcheck, these names are not spelled wrong. They are perfectly fine, so you can just remove your little accusatory red underline, thank you very much. *scowl* #creativenameproblems)

Scarlett and the Woodcutter
(This one was a short story for English Class last year. It has a few names, so yes, it counts. Actually, interesting tidbit, I pulled the idea for what characters to have from Little Red Riding Hood.)
-Scarlett
-Nicholas Turner
-Sterling (a dog)
-Earl (a horse)

The novel I'm working on now (guess what--no title!)
(I definitely remember these! Then again, there aren't that many to remember...)
-Cambriel Scott
-Ainsley Cartland
-Katrel Valerian
Oh, guess what, that's it! Only three... Well, I've been working on more, so I think there should be a few to add to this list in the near future! (I'm really hoping...) If you want to help me out, could you tell me how you would pronounce the name "Melia"? Thanks!

I hope you enjoyed reading through all these names! I had fun listing all of them, and it helped me remember that I have been successful in naming people in the past!

Character and Concept Inspirations

Ok, I need to post about something. What that something is might be harder to come by...

It's been a while since I did a post with stuff from Pinterest! Maybe I'll start with that and see if it goes anywhere...

Isn't this guy just adorable?! I love the concept of an owl griffin. Griffins are cool enough as it is, but then combine them with an owl... Sweet! Typically, a griffin is a cross between a large cat (like a lion) and a hawk or an eagle. I've also thought of griffins that have black panther instead of lion. I mean, how cool would black griffins be? And a bit scary... But the owl griffin looks like it's a mix of an owl and a persian cat (look at the tail!). Personally, I think it would be an awesome pet. If only...

Ok, this guy. He just looks so fun. And absent-minded. I think he would be a really fun character to write about. He's in a suit and tie, so he's got at least a nice job if not important (it's certainly somewhat dignified). But he's young, so he must be smart to get such a good job. And then he's SITTING ON THE FLOOR MAKING PAPER AIRPLANES! The whole situation is just intriguing.

Heehee. For one thing, I love opals. They're probably my favorite gemstone. But I just love the idea of, say, an archaeologist (or someone) digging up an ancient dragon scale. Ok, yes, I do mean in a story (although I wouldn't object to real-life...). Can you imagine? What else would be discovered in the same place? What kind of adventures would it lead to? It just makes my story-imaginer-brain happy :).

For a long time, I've liked the idea of fairies with butterfly wings. It's just different, but still really interesting. I'm not really sure why I like it so much... I suppose with this you could also imagine super-tiny fairies with butterfly wings--so small that you couldn't tell them from a butterfly unless you looked closely! That would be a fun concept...

I don't know exactly what to tell you about this one. I like her, and I think she'd make a great character, but I actually pinned this picture because I felt like she had (or might have) something to do with my novel. Not sure exactly why. Maybe because she has the same color hair as my hero? She definitely fits in with the overall look of the race... I just don't know who she is! (or who I would want her to be...) But seeing how my original ideas for the story have morphed into something completely new (and better), I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up somewhere in there. I guess we'll find out!

Also in relation to my novel, while I'm thinking about it, I need some names for some people. Actually a lot more than just people, there's also planets, races, cities, technology, animals, plants, food, and all that kind of stuff. But people are easier, so I'm starting with those. I've named my hero, mentor, and ally, but I still have quite a few people who are rather important to the story. The villain (who actually needs two names... one his real name and the other the name of the person he's pretending to be), the hero's mom, the ally's daughter, the ally's parent's, the ally's brother and sister, and the queen, just to list some off the top of my head. And a few more councillor names would be good too. Suggestions would be wonderful.

Well, that's it for today! Pinterest is such an amazing source of inspiration...

A Character's Inner Journey

The biggest thing I've been working on for my novel recently is getting to know my characters and their struggles. But even more than that, I've been trying to figure out the main character's inner journey. What does she learn through the outside plot and conflict of the novel? What internal problem does she have that needs to be worked out over the course of the story?

I first really learned about the Hero's Inner Journey at OYAN Summer Workshop last summer. Jeff Gerke, one of the speakers, talked about the inner journey and explained it really well. He said the entire thing can be summed up with this simple timeline:

The Knot is the inner problem the hero has at the beginning, the thing that has to be unraveled by the end of the story. The character starts out in an Initial Condition that, if he doesn't change something, will lead to a not-so-great end for him. And not just an unhappy ending to the story, but a bad place for the character.

So, you start out with the Knot. The goal of the inner journey is to take the character from the Initial Condition to what's called the Moment of Truth. This is the moment where he decides either to act on what he's learned through the story or to forget all that and return to the Initial Condition.

Yup, that's the whole Inner Journey! Of course, there are a few other things along the way. Something has to happen to start the hero on the his way from the Knot to the Moment of Truth. That something is the Inciting Event. This event must be something too big for the hero to ignore. As much as they might want to go back to their old life, they can't, because you don't let them. From here, everything is rising action through the middle section of the story. It's kind of like a constant battle between the old way of life and the new, better things that the hero is learning.

The inner journey fits in with the external plot like this:

The Knot comes in with the main character. The Inciting Event kicks both the inner journey and the external plot into gear. The rising action for each side happens simultaneously. Then, the Moment of Truth comes along. The hero has to decide between acting on what he's learned or continuing with the Initial Condition. Whichever side he chooses carries over into the climax of the story and impacts the outcome of the climax. If he chooses to ignore what he's learned and return to the Initial Condition, he gets the result of the Initial Condition that he would have had anyway, but exponentially worse. However, if he chooses to act on what he's learned, the end result is the opposite of the result of the Initial Condition (which is typically good!). Or if the end isn't exactly that, the hero at least has experienced a full turn-around.

The hero making "the right choice", the second one, doesn't always lead to a happy ending, but I would say that it does lead to a more fulfilling ending. Think of Theoden, from LotR. He chooses to act on what he's learned, but that doesn't mean everything goes perfectly for him. We can still see that he's a changed man, though, and that's fulfilling. Sometimes, the hero does eventually make the right choice, but it's too late for them to escape the consequences of their earlier actions. I'm not saying it's too late for them to change; sometimes a person can have a complete turn-around in heart but still have to experience the consequences for what they did before. The example I'm thinking of hasn't actually been finished yet, so... yeah. Avery's novel that she's working on kind of illustrates this point, I think. The hero realizes what she was doing that was wrong and does her best to make a change, but it's too late for her to escape the consequences. (I don't want to spoil too much... Avery's come up with a great story, though, so go ask her about it!)

So, that's the inner journey. Well, there's probably more to it than that (seeing as I took at least four pages of notes at SW), but I just wanted to give you a basic idea of what the inner journey even is. I'm still learning about it too, and learning how to incorporate it into my story, but I'd love to discuss it more if anyone would like!