Um. UM. We are now entering THE FINAL WEEK OF NANOWRIMO 2021!

I don’t know if this NaNo has blazed by or if a time ever existed before NaNo. YA KNOW. NaNo is always timey-wimey like that. But I am definitely stunned we’ve just got one full week left! Like. The final month of 2021 is a mere week away? I can’t even.

For this week’s post, I am diverting from my daily logs to join up with my Know the Novel tag instead. But don’t worry, I shall be sharing quite a bit of what’s been going down this week, so let’s goooo!

THE WRITING OF
NIGHT’S SHATTERED STARS

How’s the writing going overall?

That’s it. That’s my NaNo.

Okay, okay. I’d actually say that was my NaNo for the first two weeks. But THIS WEEK. Oh, this week, the revelations have. poured. in. I have discovered soooo many things, guys. So many exciting things that connects it allll and I could not be more thrilled. I think my story has finally pulled off my blindfold, or, at least, has given me semi-transparent fabric. Things are still a tad fuzzy, but I can see enough to walk and not stub my toe and break the knick-knacks. So we’re making progress!

As far as how I’m doing. Well. I’m tired, and will definitely be ecstatic to make it to the end and catch a breath. But at the same time it rather blows my mind I’ve made it this far and have absolutely loved spending these past three weeks back with my Daystars. I know the second I make it to the end I’m gonna be all sad it’s over, even though this whole time I’ve been racing to finish it. *shakes head at self* Happens every time.

What’s been the most fun aspect about writing this novel so far?

ABSOLUTELY reconnected with my beloved characters.

I’ve honest to goodness wanted to start this story since I wrote the final word of book #1. Literally last December, a mere couple of weeks after writing it, I was tossing around the idea of dabbling with this next one because I’m just?? so obsessed with these characters??? Obviously I somehow went an entire year without doing it (because Life and Other Things), but LET ME TELL YA, they were in my head pretty much nonstop this entire year.

So now at last being back with them properly and continuing their story fills my heart. I was telling a friend the other day that they’ve kind of become comfort characters for me. Everything just feels right and good (not to mention fun) when I’m with this crew. Last year they pulled me out of a serious writing slump and lifted me up after a super, super hard and lonely year, and this year they’re keeping me distracted from some serious life stress. Somehow they’re always there when I need them. And that may sound really strange, but as readers and/or writers I think you all understand.

I just love my Daystars. <3

Though I should probably be nicer to them since they’re always there for me… *cough, cough*

I’m also LOVING getting to see some more reactions from the different sets of characters that we didn’t get a lot of in book #1, as well as just getting to know some people more and discovering what they’re all about. Because despite book #1 being a 109k-word mammoth, there was SO. VERY. MUCH. of the story yet to be explored. Digging deeper and watching things unfold and finding the connections to it all has just been fascinating.

What do you think of your characters at this point? Who’s your favorite to write about?

Oh boy oh boy oh boy.

I could literally write a whole 50k words just answering THIS QUESTION.

Aelin is my disaster child as always, but somehow the chaos has risen by the umpteenths and I can barely keep up with her. She is so DONE with all this nonsense she has ben thrust into and is taking nothing from nobody. None of the baddies are safe from her fists, her swords, random forks she steals, all of it. It’s like having a rambunctious two year old who you love with all your heart and makes you laugh at all their antics buuuut also you want to pull your hair out and go hide in the basement and hope and pray they don’t kill themselves while left to their own devices.

Dayana is…working through some thiiiings and it’s all been very hard but good as well. I think the most interesting bits of this book have involved her, to be honest, and my girl can definitely still bring the fire. Buuuut that’s literally all I’m saying. :)))

Kezrin’s snark has taken dangerous levels and the boy needs to chill because he’s kind of driving me crazy but also I’m loving it so it’s fine. It’s good. Just trying to rein in all these disaster children like a sleepless mother with a roomful of toddlers. It’s fiiiine.

Tala is the glue that holds everything together and THANK GOODNESS for her. I mentioned in another post how thrilled I’ve been over how she has transformed into full Mother Bear Mode and is basically keeping everyone alive and in line. I did not know she had so much fire in her as well but I LOVE IT. Don’t tell the others but…but…she may be my favorite in this one. Every time I get to write her POV I get so excited.

And then there’s RUNE who is ever the dork and brings me so much joy and I should really be nicer to him but eheheheheh….

As mentioned, there have also been OTHER CHARACTERS that I luuurv and/or am fascinated by, but goodness knows I give more than I should away already SO. I shall keep them in my pocket for now. :)) But basically everyone has been SO INTERESTING and keeping me on my toes and it’s been great.

ALSO. I have, indeed, at last met a certain villain and… *wriggles eyebrows* They are intriguiiiing. I went like a year and half of having this story idea and not knowing them and wishing they would just talk to me already and then BOOM! the second they’re on the screen they burst in with a full personality that has taken zero effort to develop. Just like villains to sweep out from the darkness and make a grand entrance at the very last moment. >.>

Has your novel surprised you in any way?

You mean by like literally DAY #2 when my novel hurled a HUMONGOUS new plot line out of the dark to smack me in the face? That kind of surprise???

Then yes. Yes it has.

The real question we must ask ourselves is: Has this novel not surprised me in any way? Because like…no??? I feel like every. single. day. I’ve sat down to write, I’ve ended the day with a new revelation and stunned at the direction this crazy novel veered off on. I seem to not just be pantsing, but hurtling down a mountain in the pitch dark and randomly grasping on to things, and instead of helping me stop, these random items are plummeting down with me and who even knows what sort of nonsensical pile we’re gonna be when we reach the end.

I declare my analogies get weirder with each NaNo wut is this??

BASICALLY. I have no idea what’s going on but it’s a ridiculously fun and wild ride and though it’s headache inducing sometimes (read: a lot of the time), I am LOVING seeing all the many, many surprises this story has for me every single day.

It hasn’t been boring. I’ll tell you that.

Have you come across any problem areas?

Firstly, I’m kind of worried this thing is TOO complicated? Like. The other day I was thinking about making different charts of how all the many aspects of certain things work and how they connect because IT’S SO RIDICULOUS. And if I, the author, need charts, will my readers understand anything???

Like I said, this is the weirdest, most convoluted thing I have ever written.

But at the same time, I’m still figuring it out one page at a time. I have to remind myself that this draft is me telling myself the story. Right now, I’m just gathering all the puzzle pieces. Errrrything can be more carefully constructed and properly put together come revision time, and I can even cut elements if need be. Right now I’m simply discovering the story and playing around with all the many things and seeing where it goes!

The second struggle is that the scenes keep being waaaay longer than I think they’ll be. For my book last year, I was actually shocked at how the pace just moved right along and all the chapters were reasonably sized (for the most part). Pacing has aaalways been a weakness of mine, and I thought maybe I’d finally conquered it? But this year I’m back to writing scenes that just. won’t. end. Something I think will only take a little bit to write ends up being a WHOLE day’s writing session and like two chapters long. It’s immensely frustrating. I just feel like…this is never going to end at this rate?? I thought I’d be close to the end at this point but I still have SO much to cover. *collapses*

I think the problem here is that not only are there more characters and POVs, there’s also a LOT more to try to explain and work through. With book #1 so very many threads could be left dangling. But with THIS one I’m having to actually, ya know, pick up those billions of threads I left lying around (thaaanks, past Christine) and actually tie them together. Plus my characters are worse disasters than they were before… So it’s taking a whole lotta words to sort it all out.

BUT. I still have a whooole week ahead of me, and if I have to wrap it up in December the world won’t end. Not to mention taking time to sort through these threads means I’m actually learning what’s going on?? And, ya know, it’s nice to to know what’s happening in your own book now and again. CRAZY THOUGHT I KNOW.

Finally, I’ve been struggling with figuring out who’s POV to use for certain scenes when I have multiple choices and sooo many different directions I can go. Which is honestly a new one for me! Despite pretty much every book I’ve ever written having multiple POVs, somehow I always just kind of…know, without even thinking about it whose POV I want for each scene? It’s been weird how much I’ve struggled with it in this book. I just have sooo much going and too many characters who need to work through character growth and I don’t know how to balance it allll. *collapses* But we’re gettin’ through it! I’ve basically just been spur of the moment latching on to a character when changing scenes and like…it’s always worked out? Although I have been also attempting to keep a fairly equal number of POVs for the main crew. So if one has had a couple of POVs recently, I go to one who hasn’t had one in a while.

And again. FIRST DRAFT HERE. Revisions can fix alllll these problems. For now…

Ride or die, baby!

What’s been your biggest victory with writing this novel at this point?

Getting as far as I have for one! I’m running on coffee and sheer stubbornness at this point, but the story keeps moving along and we’re getting there. One word at a time…

But I think one of my most exciting moments happened this week, actually. As I mentioned, I had so. very. many. revelations this week. But TUESDAY. The floodgates opened. That morning I was struck with a barrage of ideas regarding a certain character who has been a huge confusing mystery to me since before I even started the FIRST BOOK. And yes, they were in the first book. A big part of it actually. And here I am, past halfway of book 2 and JUST NOW know what they’re all about. But oooooooh boy. It’s got me excited.

And THEN. Whilst writing that afternoon, one of the characters were explaining things and IT ALL CAME TOGETHER. Basically the whole point of this series, the world building, all this super weird stuff I’ve just tossed in with no real explanation, even the way I can use it to tie in the themes—IT WAS THERE. All connecting into an exciting game of connect the dots. And all just from like TWO sentences a character said. Don’t ask me how that works but here we are.

I don’t know what Tuesday fairy I found favor in but it was spectacular and I finally (sorta) know what’s going on, and I am most pleased.

And to add to that, Friday night (when I should have been sleeping but my brain was like naaah) I kind of…figured out the whole rest of the book? Well, loosely, but I at least have a vague roadmap instead of just careening through the dark with no GPS.

Again, I have a looot to cover, more than I wish I did. Eheh. But at least I do know where this thing is going!

If you were transported into your novel and became any one of the characters, which one do you think you’d be? Would you take any different actions than they have?

Last year I said Tala, and I still 100% stand by that. Aggressively taking care of everything and everyone? MHMMMM. That would be me. We may get snippy but IT’S ALL OUT OF LOVE. It’s not our fault if people won’t just use their brains and have to be told how to.

I would say I’d probably be crying and freaking out a lot more than Tala though if I were in her situation.

I MEAN.

She’s fine. Everyone’s fine. It’s glitter and rainbows over here all day errryday.

Give us the first sentence or paragraph then 2 (or 3!) more favorite snippets!

OPENING:

Kezrin’s fingers ached from clutching the charger blade, but he didn’t dare let go, didn’t dare close his eyes. He paced the patch of forest on silent feet, watching every shadow.

SNIPPET #1:

Oomph. Aelin bumped straight into Kez’s back, completely blinded in this pitch black tunnel.

“Sheesh, Kez, get a move on.” She wiped at the blood still tickling her sore nose. “Tak could notice we’re gone any second and start investigating.”

He snorted. “That idiot was well on his way to a long shuteye. I suspect we have hours before he has any clue what’s happened.”

“Still!”

“Keep your voices down,” Tala hissed from behind. “He may be able to hear us through the walls.”

“The problem is I can’t see,” Kez groaned, only lowering his voice a margin. “Hey, Calder, does this lead somewhere?”

“Straight ahead,” came the small voice from behind. “Then a right.”

“How far straight ahead?”

“Uh. Not far. A few minutes.”

“All right. I’d prefer my face not to smack into a wall.” By all the shuffling and grunting, he seemed to move forward.

Aelin crawled after him, nearly commenting that it would be a mercy to have his stupidly handsome face a little beat up so girls would stop gawking at him.

SNIPPET #2:

“Dance, Dayana Zahar. You must dance.” The final word echoed in the shadows. Dance…dance…dance…

Others took up the call, cries piercing the abyss, shoving more breath into her lungs.

“Dance away the shadows.”

“Open your eyes.”

“Let the light guide you.”

Dance…dance…dance.

The dark hand in the shard above her snatched back and the shadows receded from the reflection of her eye. A ring of light circled her irises, pulsing. Pulsing with the rhythm of her heart.

“Dance!”

Dayana snagged the shard. Its razor edges bit into her palm and gloriously real, warm blood flowed down her skin. She tossed the shard below into the blackness and it burst into sparks of light and blossomed out, creating a circular golden platform. She flipped her falling body upright, touched the tips of her toes onto the tile, bending her leg, and leaped. She sailed upward. Arms spread wide, she twirled through the air. Light burst from her body and scattered into the reflective shards. Another bloomed into a small, gleaming platform for her to push off of. More and more appeared, rising up and up like stairs. As weightless as a feather, she glided from one to the next, sparks of light bursting across each one she touched.

That invisible thread tugged at her beating heart. She soared off another platform, reaching for it, following its pull.

(Yeah, I don’t know what that was either. This book has a lot of trippy scenes. I kind of love it.)

SNIPPET #3:

“So, uh—” He cleared his throat. “So your entrance is somewhere different?”

“Yeah.” Brex rolled his neck, gesturing a lazy hand to the distance. “We’ve got entrances in the barracks on the other side of the Maze.”

Rune did his utmost best to keep a neutral expression, even though in his mind he was raising his fist in triumph. He had gotten pretty good at cunningly receiving information without ever indicating that was what he was actually doing. He felt he had to thank a near lifetime of exposure to Day for that. She was always the master at such manipulative schemes. She’d be so proud of him.

I tried my hardest to cover all the Daystars but my WORD it was a challenge finding anything not super, super spoiler-y.

Share an interesting tidbit about the writing process so far! (For example: Have you made any hilarious typos? Derailed from your outline? Killed off a character? Changed projects entirely? Anything you want to share!)

OKAY OKAY. So I’ve actually saved a few typos because when I spotted them they KILLED ME and how selfish would I be to keep the sheer amount of brilliance that is my brain to myself hmmm???

TYPO #1:

He sprung to a stand, wheezing rapid breaths and watching them like a trapped door.

Do you see it, guys. DO YOU? I literally left this poor boy standing there watching people like a trapped DOOR for days. I did not even spot this typo until reading back over this scene to reference something. And there it was. Forget trapped deer, trapped doors are the real faces of horror.

TYPO #2:

…the blade part of the blade.

Genius. A description worthy of the Great American Novel right there.

(It was supposed to be flat part of the blade. I just…can’t even with myself.)

TYPO #3: (This one’s a doozy.)

He gasped a strangled breath, not enough lungs feeling his air.

I typed this. Glanced back at it. Did a double take. Stared in pure astonishment. And then LOST IT.

I mean.

There are so many things wrong with that entire sentence. It was SUPPOSED to be: not enough air filling his lungs. Obviously. BUT. That’s not what happened. Maybe, juuuust maybe, I’m not getting enough sleep…

Take us on a tour of what a normal writing day for this novel looks like. Where do you write? What time of day? Alone or with others? Is a lot of coffee (or some other drink) consumed? Do you light candles? Play music? Get distracted by social media (*cough, cough*)? Tell all!

A normal writing day, eh? I get up, sit down to write for the next bajillion hours, slam on my keyboard like it’s an organ and I’m playing the Phantom of the Opera overture, coffee is involved in there somewhere, and then I collapse into bed way, way too late.

I kid, I kid. (Sorta.)

Surprising fact, I actually never start writing until after lunch. I’m nooot much of a morning person, plus like to use the mornings to try to catch up on at least a few other little things, because I know once I open my novel’s document I will literally ignore all of existence for the rest of the day. SO. I usually get started around 12:30 – 1:00ish, with my first cup of coffee at hand (and water, I keep water with me 24/7 ANY day, no matter what I’m doing), start my playlist (because I’ve GOT to have my playlist going to get in the mood), and write for a couple of hours or so. Life, ya know, tends to happen a lot during afternoons, so there are always distraction and things to tend to, but I can uuusually get the first 2k in during the afternoon if I focus and keep going back to it.

But the EVENINGS are where the real magic happens. I always struggle with the first bit of writing each day. It takes me way longer than I’d like to get into the groove, AND as a pantser I’m usually trying to sort out things. But by evening I’ve usually finally hit my stride, actually know what happens for the next bit of the book, and start having fun. After supper, if it’s not too, too late, I’ll get a second cup of coffee, write another 1kish, then take a break to get in my PJs and all comfy and settled, get a cup of tea (non-caffeinated tho, I’m not THAT crazy), and have some good uninterrupted writing time until…erm, midnight usually. I have a strict rule of not writing past midnight though because 1) it would count as the next day’s words and that drives my perfectionist self crazy, 2) I need to have some form of cutoff time because otherwise I’d just keep writing all night and never go to bed… So midnight it is!

Except then I just keep staying up because I’m usually working on my blog post (I add to all these blog posts every night after I’ve finished writing so I don’t have to write one big ol’ blog post all at once), and maybe catch up on Instagram and some things. So, like, I’m not getting to bed until past 1…

I’m not saying I have the healthiest approach to NaNo. But it’s just for ONE month, yeah? I promise I have a much healthier schedule all the rest of the year.

BUT YEP. That’s been my NaNo ’21 so far! It hasn’t been without its headaches and stresses and exhausting days, but it has also had some really, really good ones and I’m just so very happy to at last be writing this book.

WEEK THREE WORDCOUNT: 29,494

The summit of this long climb is in sight, my friends. One last sprint and we can all collapse together in glorious relief over everything that has been accomplished.

I do hope the final stretch of this penultimate month is the best one yet. But whatever November has looked like for you and whatever this final week brings, let’s take the time to look back and appreciate the progress that has been achieved. Because every bit of it deserves to be celebrated.

One more week. One more wild charge. WE GOT THIS!!!

WELL. That was a monstrous ramble of a post! (You guys see why my novels end up so long eheheheh…) Now it’s your turn to tell ME all the things! How was your third week of November? Who is in utter shock December is almost here? And happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends! I hope you have a blessed one and that this is a fabulous week for ALL. We’re almost there!

Don’t forget you can join this linkup yourself HERE!