Beautiful Books 2016: How's It Going?

Hi guys! I'm back this month with another link-up. I know, I know, I swear I'll start writing proper blogposts again in December/January. Promise!

This one's kind of a sequel to last month's link-up. It's supposed to see how you're going with NaNoWriMo. So that's what I'm doing now. It was made by Further Up and Further In and Paper Fury. So head over there to grab the questions and so on. 

One thing I should mention is that I ended up changing the novel that I was writing for NaNoWriMo. I might write a second version of the last link-up answering the questions for this novel. Maybe. 

This novel is a sci-fi-ish story about teenagers in space. It's tons of fun. 

Anyways, here we go!

• Overall, how is your mental state, and how is your novel going?: 

I'm not doing too badly. I'm ahead by a bit, so that's good. I like to try to stay at least one day ahead in NaNoWriMo, so I can conceivably skip a day without worrying. I'm up to 7584 words that I can count for NaNoWriMo, hoping to write more before I go to sleep. I actually have over 10000 words on the novel, but I started it before NaNo, so I can't count those yet. 

• What’s your first sentence (or paragraph)?

The first sentence of the whole novel is 'The ship was crashing. ' The first that I wrote for NaNoWriMo is 'The shuttle was big, big enough to fill the hanger.'

• Who’s your current favourite character in your novel?

I don't even know. I love them all. But probably Jeffrey Waldorf, my rich, pun-obsessed pilot. He's so much fun to write. 

Here's an example of him being fun.

“Okay!” said Jeffrey, far too chipper for someone who’d been up since five in the morning (as he’d revealed to them on the journey here, not saying why). “Let’s go find our coordinator.”

Liam frowned at him. “Do you even know where we’re supposed to go?”

“Nope! Let’s go!”

He ran off, dragging Aron with him. Simon and Liam exchanged glances, following after at a more sedate pace. Once they reached the edge of the room, Liam stepped around him, letting Simon go against the wall. 

Jeffrey and Aron were way ahead, Aron scowling and snapping something at Jeffrey and Jeffrey clearly not listening. They made a sharp turn into one of the rooms. Simon and Liam hurried up, coming to a stop outside it as Jeffrey and Aron came back outside. 

“This way,” said Jeffrey. “We asked a guy.”

He headed off again, this time dragging Liam with him. Simon wondered if he’d been aiming for Aron, or if he wanted a change. 

“He asked the janitor,” said Aron dryly as they started after the two. 

“How does the janitor know?” asked Simon, frowning.

Aron just shrugged. “All-knowing janitor, apparently,” he said, clearly not actually caring about the janitor’s knowledge.

He's so much fun. 

• What do you love about your novel so far?: 

The humour. I haven't really written a genuinely light-hearted and somewhat comedic story before and I'm having so much fun with it. 

• Have you made any hilarious typos or other mistakes?: 

Not that I can find right now. I tend to edit a bit as I go along, so any typos are normally corrected pretty quickly.

• What is your favourite to write: beginning, middle, or end — and why?: 

I'm not sure. I like writing the end, I guess, because that's where the climax is. So it's very exciting.

• What are your writing habits? Is there a specific snack you eat? Do you listen to music? What time of day do you write best? Feel free to show us a picture of your writing space!:

I have a playlist of music on YouTube (unlisted) specifically for this novel that I listen to as I write. I also tend to have a cup of tea, but that's pretty much it. I normally write in the late afternoon/early evening.

• How private are you about your novel while you’re writing? Do you need a cheer squad or do you work alone (like, ahem, Batman)?

Bit of both. With this story, I've shown what I've written so far to my little sister, but that's as far as I've shared it. Except, of course, for the example above.

• What keeps you writing even when it’s hard?: 

I find word-wars extremely useful. They get me writing and thinking about the story, even when I'm stuck. So yeah, that's helpful.

• What are your top 3 pieces of writing advice?: 

Well first, I like the advice about just sitting down and writing. Don't necessarily worry about all the plot details and stuff like that, just write. Sorting out that stuff is what editing is for. Give yourself permission to suck, as a lot of people like to say. 

Second, I cannot stress enough how helpful I find music when it comes to writing. Seriously. Stick some music on and I immediately find it easier to write. Give it a go. 

Third, don't worry about failing NaNoWriMo. You might not win this year, but even if you manage five thousand words in the month, that's still more words than you would've written otherwise. So don't stress. (She says, even though NaNoWriMo is the most stressful thing on the planet. Kinda.)