The Merry Writer Writing Challenge March 2019

#TheMerryWriter IG Challenge of March 2019 was hosted by Rachel Poli and Ari Meghlen. You can find them on either Twitter or IG by clicking their names. On Twitter: @RPoli3 and @AriMeghlen; On IG: @rachelp_reads and @AriMeghlen One of the things I really like about this challenge are the Sat/Sun breaks. I love posting photos but it is somewhat time consuming. The rest over the weekends will be really nice.

The Merry Writer

Week 1:

• Day 1 - Introduce yourself as if you were the protagonist in a story. This was a super fun prompt! The first sentence is so terrible...and so perfect! LOL
• Day 2 - What made you decide to start writing? - Probably working in a seamstress shop and participating in Nanowrimo contributed to my desire to start writing when I did.
  
• Day 3 - How long have you been writing? - I started writing stories one summer when I was still in elementary school, probably around 3rd or 4th grade. I wrote songs starting in high school and I still dabble in that periodically. But I've been writing seriously since 2016 when I participated in my first Nanowrimo event.
  
• Day 4 - What came first in your current WIP?  (characters, plot, setting, etc.) - Characters almost always come first for me. I see them in my head, hear them talking to each other. Their actions and dialog usually help me form the plot.
  
• Day 5 - Do you have a particular way of crafting characters? - I like to fill out character profiles and questionnaires. Also, naming characters is one of the highlights of writing fantasy novels. The rhythm of the name is sometimes more important to me than the meaning.
  
• Day 6 - Do you read writing craft books? If so, do you have recommendations to share? - I want to share my recommendations on writing craft books with you. I don't get to buy as many as I'd like, but here are some I've gotten a lot of good from. I borrowed "Write to Discover Yourself" by Ruth Vaughn and "On Writing Well" by William Zinsser from the library. I learned so much from both of them! Both are writing teachers and the books are super easy to understand. I own both "A Writer's Character Development Workbook: Triseries" by C. H. Knyght and "The Little Red Writing Book" by Brandon Royal. Filling in blanks is a great joy for me so the workbook for fleshing out my characters has come in handy and also made me happy. The other book has been useful for me /and/ for my youngest daughter who struggles a little in English. There are short exercises for most of the chapters and even if you're no novice, it's great for a refresher.
• Day 7 - Do you typically have a set time to write each day? - Not really. I do find I get the most work done if I can get to it early in the day. But I'll write any time I get a chance when the words are flowing like an avalanche.
  

Week 2:

• Day 8 - Share a photo of your notebook and/or pen collection. - I shared a photo of my collection of binders and my favorite pen cup. I use the binders to keep information pertinent to each book, as well as one dedicated to my book world, sorted and easy to access and search.
  
• Day 9 & 10 - Break.
• Day 11 - Would you and your MC(s) be best friends IRL? I think it would depend on the circumstances of our meeting. If we met as kids or if I was an older adult meeting a younger adult, then possibly. I don't get along with too many people my own age for some reason. Even still, I'm not certain I'd be able to be best friends with either Zec or Liha.
• Day 12 - Have you met any of your favorite authors IRL? - No. Several of my favorite authors have sadly passed on. Since I believe in an afterlife and I believe a few of those had similar beliefs, I hope to meet them when I die. :) But as for those still living, I hope to meet at least a couple of them some day.
• Day 13 - Have you ever done a reading of your work? - Not publicly, no. I might, if I can get past the weird feeling I get when I read my own work aloud, especially the super tender or sorrowful spots.
• Day 14 - Do you submit your work to contests and/or magazines? - Not yet. But I did donate copies of my book to the local libraries. I'm super excited about that! I know a lot of my friends can't justify the cost of purchasing my book right now. This way, they can read it for free. :)
  I hope to submit work to magazines and/or contests someday but my current series takes up all the alotted time for writing. Most magazines and contests want work that they can put their stamp on. I can't submit my current series work with those kinds of restrictions. I have actually been studying up on writing short stories and flash fiction.

• Day 15 - Create a book aesthetic about your current WIP. - Creating book aesthetics is a skill I'm working on. I tried to choose books that contained some similar events, study topics, and actual connection to the current WIP. Tea, stone beads, glass crystals, the sun & moon, plants, flame, and tea all make an appearance in 'Over Land & Under Stone' in some form or other. (At least for now...) I couldn't not use my prettiest tea mug and the new beads I acquired during a recent trip. Even the fabric I covered my small table with has a connection.
• Day 16 & 17 - Break
  
• Day 18 - Share just one song you have listened to today - I listened to the Lazy Monday Chill Mix posted by Blume on YouTube.
  
  
• Day 19 - Share your current mood with us using a gif or meme. - "Reading in progress. Do not disturb." XD
  
• Day 20 - What is the title of your current WIP? - I'm currently working on Over Land & Under Stone which will be the second (third) book in my Children of Y'Dahnndrya series.
  
• Day 21 - Is there anything your WIP that needs a 'spring clean'? - Definitely. There is so much I still need to work on for this novel to be publish-ready.
  

• Day 22 - Your Favorite Season & Why - I love autumn. It used to be because everyone else's kids were back in school. Now, it's just so refreshing to feel the cooler breezes after the hot, humid summer months.
  
• Days 23 & 24 were break days.
  
• Day 25 - Your MC's Favorite Season - I explained a little about their favorite seasons on their photos but the cooler seasons of the Y'Dahnndryan year are Dishi (cooling dry winds and the second-to-last season of their year), Nishi (last season of the year having cold, snowy, & icy weather leading into really strong storms of...), Ikishi (the first season of the year being cold but starting to warm). And thanks to this post, I've finally worked out what to really call my months and seasons...which means a slight alteration in book one. Thank goodness I self-publish and don't order in bulk! Yikes!
  
• Day 26 - Do you publish traditionally or do you self-publish? - I am a self-publisher. I have more say over many of the things which I feel are too important to just pass over to someone else. Plus, Ive lived half my life already, or close to it. I didn't feel like I had time to waste with rejection letters. I still practice writing summaries of my works, as if I was prepping to submit them to publishers, though. It's a good practice, I think.
  
• Day 27 - Do you write in a single or in multiple genre(s)? - I am writing in a single genre but my books covers a wide range of topics from fantasy, to romance, to questing/epic journeys, you name it. Whatever genre you can think of, I can and probably will include a smidgen of it in my current series. (For non-native speakers, a "smidgen" is a tiny bit.)
  
• Day 28 - When is the last time you tried something new? - Yesterday. I love cottage cheese. I know! Most people hate it but I absolutely love the texture...the reason most haters hate it. Anyway, I have such a restricted diet and it happens to be one of the things I can eat. So I've started experimenting with using it in some of my snacks. I can't wait to see what else I can use it in.

• Day 29 - What is the one luxury item your MC can't live without? - Zek would never want to be without his letters from Liha, though that probably isn't considered a 'luxury'. He also has an antique brooch which belonged to one of his more feisty ancestors. It means a lot since most of his family's possessions were taken away. Minluri oil, made from the crystals bearing that name, is also something Zek can't be without if he wishes to walk among other Genzetti without fear.
  Liha treasures the ribbons which tie each letter Zek sends to her. 
  
• Day 30 - Does your MC believe in true love? - Yes, they do.
• Day 31 - When do you think you will complete (to published level) your current WIP? - (8/4/2020) I don't know why there was nothing written for this prompt. I'm sure I had something on IG, but I can tell you at the time I was expecting to have this book published between October and November. It didn't happen, but that's because I made the decision later on to switch books 2 and 3 around in the series. It was a better fit on the timeline. So now, the projected publishing date, if I can manage to get Surge completed by autumn 2020, will be autumn of 2021.
  

What I Learn Through Writing Challenges:

1. I still have so much to learn about writing novels.
   
2. I need to study villains a little more.
   
3. Sometimes, you have to write contrary to your heart's longing.
   
4. Really. Just keep writing.
   
5. I still have a /lot/ of work to do on OLUS if it's going to be ready to publish in November. (Yikes!)

And now for the slideshow!