The Shared WIP Tag {Week 1: General Questions}

I am so stinkin' excited to do this!! I missed it when they did it in March (?) 'cause I was gone for lent and when Julian said  that she was doing it again I was like

Introduce the story: blurb, maybe a cover or anything else!

This Nano, I'm working on The Scroll of Wisdom. It's the first book in the Kingdoms of Ilia series. Here are the blurb and cover! (taken from my WIP page)

Prince Kile of Ilia Scriptura knows that he will never be king, that boring job is left to his brother. But when a strange turn of events happens and Kile is made the Crown Prince, how will the prince who has lived in frivolity all his life govern the wisest kingdom in Ilia?

Where did you get the idea for your story?  What came to you first: your theme, character, premise, setting, etc?

So the story goes, I originally started The Crown of Light (which I did last year) and I was also working on another book called Courage For Those Who Have None. I decided to link the two books, even though Courage For Those Who Have None came several hundred years before the Crown of Light. I then changed some stuff in the worldbuilding and added a WHOLE buncha things. Turns out, Myragi and Zirrith (the two countries in Courage For Those Who Have None) used to be one country, Ilia Couragis. I didn't give much thought to it but I did keep thinking this: Why? Why did they split? How did other countries influence them? At the same time, I had decided that I wanted to make a series, each book about one country. And then BOOM it all fell into place (sorta)

As too what came first......Setting, because I already had the world, then premise, then theme, and then characters.

What have you done to get experience for your story (like watching knitting YouTube videos)?  What did you put into the book because it’s something you know about (like if you’re a martial artist, and put that in)?

Um....................

I watched a video on how women would dress in the 12th century.......

Besides that.....

I gotta admit that I did nothin'

What made you decide to write this particular book for NaNoWriMo?

I think it was because I knew that this book was gonna be long, and decided to use Nano as a motivator

(I'M SORRY THESE ANSWERS ARE SO BORING)

Do you research before, after, or during your first draft writing process? Have you done any research for this particular book? How do you usually research?

If I'm writing a historical fiction, then I'll usually research before. Going on a complete tangent here, when I was researching for Colm, I had to research what it was like to live in Ireland at that time, how the immigration journey/process was, what the wages were like, and other stuff. All that I researched before. Sometimes though, I'll come across a small detail that I'll need to research for.

Since this book is fantasy, I haven't really researched......But I did look up what different biomes there were (worldbuilding) and what people wore in the 12th century.

And I norrrrmally use Google (but I always try to find more than 2 sites that say the same thing)

Do you plot or plan your book in any way before you start writing? What methods do you usually use and what did you do this time?

I do! Or else I'll end up with a major roadblock in the middle of Nano. And we all know that THAT is lots of fun...

I outline in three steps: General Synopsis, Bare Bones Outline, Outline

So the general synopsis is where I write basically all the major plot twists and some other little things down. If the book is broken up into sections I make sure to do that too here to see which section of the book falls under which section. The bare bones outline is basically how many chapters there gonna be, with around one sentence per chapter. Then the outline is where I go back and fill in all the details in each chapter.

Do you hand write or type your first draft?

It really depends. For the Scroll of Wisdom, I'm typing my first draft. I usually do that for stories I'm "more serious" about and handwrite stories that are not that serious.

Do you have a brainstorming buddy and if you do, who was it this time and how did they help?

Um....sortanotreally. I have this one friend and we just sit and talk about our books. That helps a lot cause she understands when I go off on tangents and confuse myself and honestly nothing is better than going, "SADHAODFHDFDFASD I KNOW WHY THEY DID *blank*"

How did you come up with your characters’ names?

It varies really. None of the characters names really mean anything, and I just picked names that I like. I knew I wanted to use the name Kile, and it's pronounced exactly the same as Kyle, but Kile seems more "magical" than Kyle. And I found Zoe's name first and wanted her twin to have a somewhat similar name so I named her twin Zelia.

OHHH

OH

OH

OH

OKAY SO I DO HAVE SOMETHING COOL TO SHARE.

So each person of royalty has a special name. And if they're male, then they are a "Protector" and if they're female, they are a "Jewel". For example, Kile's full title is: "Polaris, Protector of Ilia Scriptura, Prince Royale Kile of Ilia Scriptura", and Zoe's full title is: "Tamara, Jewel of Ilia Couragis, Princess Royale Zoe of Ilia Couragis".

Do you know what your story's theme is? If you do, how did you find it, and if you don't, how do you plan to find it?

I think I do. I'm pretty sure my theme is that you can change for the better. For example, Kile goes through a very low moment where he thinks he can never change, but then he is shown that he can.

I love the novels that show the struggle of a character who wants to be a better person and doesn't believe that he can be but then becomes a better person slowly yet surely.

This ends week 1 of the Shared WIP Tag!! Be sure to join me next week for protagonist questions!!

Also, check out the answers of the other people doing this tag!

Julian @ Saver of Memories

Nicole @ Legend of a Writer

Lisa @ Inkwell

Gray Marie @ Writing Is Life

Julia @ Lit Aflame

Jem @ Jem Jones, Writer

Melissa @ Quill Pen Writer

Brooklyne @ Shower of Blessings

Ariel @ Scribes and Archers

Keturah @ Keturah's Korner

Sarah @ Pen of a Ready Writer

How is your Nano going? Have you fallen behind yet? What are you most excited for this Nano? 

~ October Wrap Up ~

How is it already (almost) November?? WHERE HAS TIME GONE????

Anyways, October was TONS of fun!!

I took the PSAT and ACT within 3 days of each other :))

No, I am not dead (yet)

(literally guys my dance teacher asked me if I had gone crazy when I told her)

ANYWAYS

On more "fun" subjects, I went to Homecoming and that was SOOOOO much fun! I accomplished my mission and got my brother dancing by the end xD

I have a HUGE violin competition this Friday and my dad and I have been working together a lot.

And my wrist has been doing worse so that's not good.

TO A LOT OF TAYLOR SWIFT

IDK WHY

- Enchanted, Taylor Swift -

- Poldark Soundtrack -

- Love Like This, Lauren Daigle -

- Mine, Taylor Swift -

- Speak Now, Taylor Swift -

HAHAHAHA I ACTUALLY READ A LOT THIS MONTH. And finished my Goodreads Reading Challenge of reading 50 books I never had before :D

Shelter of the Most High, Connilyn Cossette;  Hidden Peril, Irene Hannon; The Ranchero's Love, Nancy J. Farrier; Wives and Daughters, Elizabeth Gaskell; Victoria, Daisy Goodwin; An Inconvenient Beauty, Kristi Ann Hunter; A Lady of Esteem, Kristi Ann Hunter; Mark of the Raven, Morgan L. Busse

Loved

Shelter of the Most High: I loved the writing style and the credibility of this book! Plus the roooomance! You can find my review here!

Hidden Peril: Not gonna lie, I have never read a book in this genre (mystery, murder, terrorist). BUT I LOVED THIS BOOK. Review coming sooooon!

An Inconvenient Beauty: The 4th and final (*sniff*) book in the Hawthorns House Series. So I love the first book of this series....and this one is my second favorite xDD I laughed so much and plus - SAVFKASHDJDFUG MIRANDA IS HAVING A BABY??? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH WHY CAN'T WE HAVE ANOTHER BOOK WHERE WE SEE MIRANDA AND RYLAN AS PARENTS????? -  yeah I love this book xD

A Lady of Esteem: The novella prequel to the Hawthorne House Series. Hehe.....I laughed a lot during this one too and yeah xD

Mark of the Raven: OH MY JALAPENO GOODNESS. I WAS SHOOKETH BY THIS BOOK AND NEED THE NEXT ONE NOW WHY IS APRIL 30TH SO FAR AWAY?? (more coherent review coming soon xD)

Liked

The Ranchero's Love: This was a very sweet book that sorta surprised me! I didn't really have any expectations but this was a really nice book! Review coming soon

Wives and Daughters: Yeah, I still want to hit Roger Hamley with a frying pan but I love Gaskell's writing style!

Victoria: I enjoyed this one but sadjksfahd fsdcdsc no. Victoria and Lord Melbourne. Just no. Thank you. Victoria and Albert. *dies*

Disliked

I didn't dislike any books this month so that's good xD

Books I Hope To Read This Month:

This Big House On Adam's Street, Alberta Sparks; Amish Celebrations, Beth Wiseman; The Centurions Wife, Janette Oke & Davis Bunn; A Murder is Announced, Agatha Christie; 'Tis, Frank McCourt; Teacher Man, Frank McCourt; Junia, Michael E. Giesler; Grain of Wheat, Michael E. Giesler

Poldark



Finished season 3 of this! I procrastinated on season 2 cause I knew what happened at the end....

Sherlock



Yep, I started watching this and O_O DANG IS IT GOOD

Victoria



I just like watching random episodes of this show xD

The Crown



Still haven't finished season 2 of this

Alexa & Katie



YES I KNOW THAT IT'S BASICALLY LIKE A DISNEY SHOW BUT I NEED SOMETHING LIGHTHEARTED AND FLUFFY

Nano is soon and I'm almost done plotting xD I'll have to finish worldbuilding and character sheets later cause soon it's gonna be time to WRITE WRITE WRITE

Stats

Pageviews this Month: 417

Followers: 39 (welcome!)

Posts this Month:

~ September Wrap Up ~

Let's Meet Some Peoples! {The Language of Worlds Link-Up}

100th Blog Post + Some Inspiration

Know the Novel {Part One: Introductory}

Shelter of the Most High {Book Review}

~ How Do I Love You? ~

Most Popular Post: 

Let's Meet Some Peoples! {The Language of Worlds Link-Up}

How was your October? Are you doing Nano? Are you ready for Nano? (the answer is no...) What are you most looking forward to this month? 

~ How Do I Love You? ~

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of being and ideal grace.

I love thee to the level of every day’s

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for right.

I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.

~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning ~

(just a quick fyi, that poem was used in a platonic way xD)

How can I properly say how much this girl means to me? I can't. And what I'm going to say is what all of her friends feel. She is such a blessing to us (and I am deliberately not using her name).

Rewind to about a year ago. I barely knew this amazing person. I remember popping into my latin class for orientation and recognizing her name and being, "I kinda know her".

A year later, this beautiful person is one of my closest friends in the world. And it did begin with a little conversation here and there. Which became even longer conversations (followed by a geometry-book-burning-ceremony *coughs*). And I care about her soooo much. Everyone who knows her does. 

At the beginning of this year (and still a bit now), I've been having some emotional issues. I remember just posting something asking for some prayers because I was going through some things and she private chatted me in less than 10 minutes asking if I was okay. 

And she wouldn't let me take the blame. She told me that what I was feeling was okay and just listened to me rant. And if I ever said something that even hinted slightly that I was feeling down she asked me if I was okay.

I. . .

You guys don't know how much that means to me.

Not to detract from the main purpose of this post, but for you to somewhat know how much this small act means to me you have to know that I'm the type of person who would rather say she was okay than go into detail. 

This beautiful, beautiful person wouldn't lay off until I told her what I was feeling, and I've needed this person in my life for such a long time. She came into my life at the perfect moment, when I began struggling emotionally with some things. 

My heart also went through a little stint a while ago, and you probably saw this coming, but this amazing girl also helped me. I had been cooping up my emotions and was getting really upset until I offhand asked for prayers. I didn't expect anyone to say anything to me privately but she did. And she helped me talk through my emotions. 

You guys don't even know what an amazing person she is. 

She's so beautiful.

And not just on the outside

But especially on the inside.  

The only downside to our friendship is that we are separated by many, many miles. I feel like people don't talk about the heartache between long-distance friendships. And I know many people who know what I'm talking.

So this was an appreciation post to one of my very best friends. All her friends know why I'm posting this today, and she will remain anonymous unless she wants to comment. 

I just want to tell you that I love you so very much, and honestly, my life would be so much darker without you and all of our ridiculous antics. 

Dove you <333

Ceci 

Shelter of the Most High {Book Review}

The daughter of a pagan high priest, Sofea finds solace from her troubles in the freedom of the ocean. But when marauders attack her village on the island of Sicily, she and her cousin are taken across the sea to the shores of Canaan.

Eitan has lived in Kedesh, a city of refuge, for the last eleven years, haunted by a tragedy in his childhood, yet chafing at the boundaries placed on him. He is immediately captivated by Sofea, but revealing his most guarded secret could mean drawing her into the danger of his past.

As threats from outside the walls loom and traitors are uncovered within, Sofea and Eitan are plunged into the midst of a murder plot. Can they uncover the betrayal in time to save their lives and the lives of those they love? 

My second dip into Biblical fiction and I am pleased to say that this time went WAAAAY better than the last one.

The characters were very well done. The story switches POV's between Eitan and Sofea, and they both had very good character arcs. No secondary characters acted like secondary characters so that was very good. Each character had their flaws and seemed so real.

Something kinda funny is that I was reading the Book of Joshua and there is a mention of the Cities of Refuge. So I found it really cool that this book was based in one of the Cities of Refuge. Everything was very believable and I love the little descriptions Cossette gave. Whether it was just describing how good Moriyah's bread was, or how what chores Sofea and Prezi did. I loved it.

The plot was very intriguing! There was nothing that sort of "gave it away" and the plot twist really surprised me (actually not really but that's because I flip through a book before reading so I saw that. If you don't do what I do, then it will surprise you. It actually still surprised me xD)

So there is a bit of insta-love, but not really since Eitan and Sofea can't really talk to each other till about halfway through the book? Anyways, the romance was really well done and very swoon-worthy.

I absolutely loved the message of this book. I don't really want to give it away, but the message was so inspiring. The message of the book has been something I've struggled with, and I just loved this reminder.

The only tiny problem I have with this book is that it did drag a bit in the middle before the action starts. Like, you had a bunch of action in the beginning, and then you just have this middle section where nothing really happens except Eitan and Sofea's relationship is established, and then you have the closing action that brings the story around.

Eitan and Sofea kiss a few times and Moriyah and Darek kiss. They don't get overboard.

The phrase "temple whore" is used as an insult a few times I think? But it's clearly an insult.

The way Raviv's sons died is explained quite vividly.

Sofea and Prezi are beaten at one point in the beginning.

Sofea has some flashbacks to what her father used to do as a pagan high priest, and it's honestly disgusting. So I just wanted to throw that out there.

I really enjoyed this book, so I'm rating it. . .

5 stars!

A quick note, this is actually the second book of the Cities of Refuge series, and while it probably would have been helpful if I had read the first book, it wasn't exactly necessary.

Have you read Shelter of the Most High? Do you want to? What is your favorite Biblical fiction book? 

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest opinion. 

Know the Novel {Part One: Introductory}

The amazing Christine @ Musings of an Elf has created a new link-up called Know the Novel! It's going to have three parts and this is the first!

I really like these questions so I can properly introduce The Scroll of Wisdom! Let's get to it!


1. What first sparked the idea for this novel?

As some of you may recall, last Nano I worked on a novel called the Crown of Light. This is the first book in that series. What really sparked the idea for this is when I decided to link The Crown of Light and Courage For Those Who Have None. Then I changed the worldbuilding a bit. I added in the Magical objects for each country and decided that Myragi and Zirrith (the two countries in Courage For Those Who Have None) used to be one country. I originally hadn't intended to pursue it further but I kept thinking "Why did Myragi and Zirrith go their separate ways?" And The Scroll of Wisdom was born. It's kinda funny (if you think about it) that this book is about the separating of Myragi and Zirrith (previously known as Ilia Couragis) when the MC is a prince from Ilia Scriptura.

2. Share a blurb!

Prince Kile of Ilia Scriptura knows that he will never be king, that boring job is left to his brother. But when a strange turn of events happens and Kile is made the Crown Prince, how will the prince who has lived in frivolity all his life govern the wisest kingdom in Ilia?

3. Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite aspects about the setting?

The first half of the story is set in Ilia Scriptura and the second half is set in Ilia Couragis. My favorite thing about Ilia Scriptura (and we really only see the city of Scriptura) is that it's so secure. There has never been a murmur of dissent against the monarch because they can never doubt that whoever is ruling is the rightful ruler. It's so organized and peaceful. My favorite thing about Ilia Couragis is that it's so wild. Only one-fourth of the country is populated and it gives Ilia Couragis a wild feeling. The people are so passionate and fiery, the Northerners even more than the Southerners.

4. Tell us about your protagonist.

I did this post last week so there's a lot of info about Kile there. But I'll just say some things for the sake of answering this question. Kile is the Prince Royale (which essentially means that he is second-in-line to the throne) of Ilia Scriptura. Stuff happens and he becomes the Crown Prince. Read that post I linked to learn more about him!

5. Who (or what) is the antagonist?

*cough* Well, there isn't a really clear-cut antagonist. I mean like it kinda switches and I can't explain more because #spoilerschildrens.

6. What excites you the most about this novel?

Besides the plot, I'm really excited about the characters and the world. I've done a lot of worldbuilding (still need to do more) and I'm super excited about the world.

7. Is this going to be a series? Standalone? Something else?

This is book one in a 5 book series. As you know I started writing book 3 before book 1 even crossed my mind.

Ehehe

8. Are you plotting? Pantsing? Plansting?

Plotting. I find that I'm more creative and don't get writers' block the more detailed I am.

9. Name a few things that makes this story unique.

I....don't know.....I haven't written this yet and yeah...But something I hope that makes it unique is the story world.

Yeah

10. Share a fun “extra” of the story (a song or full playlist, some aesthetics, a collage, a Pinterest board, a map you’ve made, a special theme you’re going to incorporate, ANYTHING you want to share!)

I'm going to share a screenshot from my Pinterest board (which you can find if you follow me on Pinterest) and my Spotify playlist :)

How's your Nano planning going? What are you most excited for in your novel? What are you writing for Nano? Tell me everything! 

100th Blog Post + Some Inspiration

Can you believe it??

This is my 100th BLOG POST??

Woah

#mindblown

I mean, it seemed like forever ago that I posted this mess of a post, and now I'm on post 100

Jeez

How time flies

Anyways, 100 posts seems somewhat monumental so I just wanted to say that this was post 100 and to thank all of you for reading and commenting on my blog posts. All of you know how nice it is to see that someone either commented or followed.

So yeah, thank you my lovelies <33

If you have taken/or are taking Mother of Divine Grace's Medieval European History & Lit. you'll remember reading (or you may be reading it now) Chesterton's The Ballad of the White Horse.

(for those of you who haven't read or heard of The Ballad of the White Horse, it's about how King Alfred of England drove the Danes out of England after a devastating loss)

Anyways, I haven't finished it yet, but I'm enjoying my first read with Chesterton. This isn't a review, so let me give you that bit of inspiration that I promised.

At the beginning of the epic, Alfred is desperate and has no hope. Like I mentioned earlier, he has just suffered a devastating loss (on Christmas no less). He is moaning and groaning and then Our Lady appears to him.

She gives him a comforting speech that says that he might not win in this world, but he will win in the next.

The whole passage is really beautiful, but there is one line that just gives you chills (and if you've read Regina Doman's The Shadow of the Bear, you'll recognize this)

She says:

"But the men signed of the cross of Christ

Go gaily in the dark"

Wow. Just think about that for a second and read it again.

"But the men signed of the cross of Christ

Go gaily in the dark"

I'm getting chills right now.

We, as Christian's, are the men signed of the cross of Christ. The world is dark and scary, but we must go gaily in the dark.

Sorry that this was a bit short and random, but I hope you enjoyed it! Have you read The Ballad of the White Horse? Did you like it? If not, you should read it!