5-Part WIP Special// Part One: Meet the WIP

Welcome to week one of the 5-Part Writing Special hosted by the fabulous Julian Daventry! This is the second time she's hosted this special. Each time, a group of bloggers get together and brainstorm questions for each of the posts. We then set the dates to post so that everyone's posts come out on the same days! It's pretty awesome! Be sure to keep an eye out on her blog for the next time this comes around (I hope she does one in October so I can showcase my NaNo novel).

This week is all about the WIP itself. I'll be introducing The Herbalist's War because I haven't really talked about it much on the blog, though I did use it as an example during my Writing Process series. Now I get the opportunity to brag about my sweet, little child while my unruly teenagers gripe in the corner. Hush, Laylah. You had your opportunity. I brag about you all of the time.

*Cough* Sorry about that. Onto the questions!

~A 1-3 Paragraph Blurb of Your WIP~

This is the rough blurb I wrote before I started writing the book. 

Dr. Annie Jones knows what it’s like to be wanted. As one of the few Herbalist Doctors left in the world, countries around the world, ravaged by the drug dynasty, demand her attention. Any given day, she might be in the hands of a different people, some friendly, some not. When she is rescued by the US, her home country, she goes about her life as always: hoping to help others in any way she can. But when her world is flipped upside down and she is wanted dead, she has to decide whether her willingness to help will be stronger than her desire for self-preservation. What can an herbalist do anyway? They don’t fight wars, right?

~Describe Your Story in Ten Short Phrases~

1. Drug companies are no more. 

2. Biltmore as a military base. 

3. Herbalists!!!

4. Dystopian. 

5. Twisted villain.

6. Mountains.

7. "There should be a 'doctor' in there somewhere."

8. Par-tay!!!!!!

9. Only the coolest agents ever!

10. "Give it to Michael Bay!"

~How Did You Come Up With the Idea of Your Story~

I came up with the idea a while back when I was researching further education in medicinal herbalism. It's something I'm pretty passionate about. The idea hit me like a train and I wrote the basic concept down instantly. I then sent it along to Jule's, who quickly replied saying "that's a 100% Sarah Rodecker story!" And that, dear friends, is how the story came to be!

~Why did you choose to write this WIP? What gave it priority over all the other plot bunnies?~

I chose this story because it was practically screaming at me to write it. It was the story of my heart and I couldn't set it aside forever. Plus, I needed something to write during NaNo. I'm also not one of those writers who have an overabundance of plot bunnies lying around. I usually have a good instinct on when something is capable of becoming a story or not. This one definitely was.

~How Did You Go About Preparing to Write It~

I added details to it for a year. I did some research. I fangirled until I couldn't control myself any longer. When my brain would shut up, I wrote down little snippets here and there.

I was rather concerned that I wouldn't be able to write it because the last attempt I made at writing something other than fantasy didn't go over so well. I was worried that the technology would be too much for me to write. but everything went so smoothly and I just loved writing that story so much. It was just amazing.

~Did you have to do any research for this story?  What was the most interesting/funny story connected with your research?~

I did some basic research for this story. This was the first story I'd ever written that was based in the 'real world' so I needed to know a little bit about where my setting was. I researched New Zealand and Biltmore. 

You wouldn't believe how hard it was to find floorplans of Biltmore, but I finally gathered enough details to convert it to a military base. I printed out the maps they have on their website and changed the layouts to turn it into a functional base.  That was super fun.

One of the funniest things I researched was sneezewort. I had this scene in mind where one of my characters sniffs a plant and starts sneezing uncontrollably, but I didn't know if there was a plant capable of causing that reaction. So I set about researching and that's what I came up with. I think the scene does it justice. 

Also, an annoying side effect of researching herbalism for this story and The Reylance Trilogy is the fact that Pinterest now thinks I'm a witch. Apparently, when you utilize herbs for their medicinal qualities, you're automatically a witch. #pinterestlogic 

~Was this story easy or hard to write?  Why?~

It was actually super easy to write. I flew through most of the scenes with relative ease. Likely it was because I loved every detail of the story and my mind was in a good place. 

~Where was your favorite place to write this story?~

I'm assuming this means where I liked to write? That's kind of hard for me to answer. I'm not overly creative when it comes to unique writing locations, though I spent most of NaNo 2017 writing at a hospital. I spend most of my writing time in my office.

But if I had to choose, I guess it would probably be in my bedroom, where I go if I'm having a serious creative blockage. The change in scenery helps jumpstart my creative juices. 

~What Makes Your Story Unique~

I think the basic premise of it makes it unique. There's not a lot of stories out there about herbalists. I think drugs are something we often take for granted in the world. Most people don't think about what would happen if we continually relied more and more on them, only to wake up one day to find them obsolete. 

~What Do You Love Most About Your Story~

Everything. I honestly can't decide. I love the characters. I love the plot. I love the locations. I can't pinpoint one thing I love the most.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my little heart-story. Make sure you check out the rest of the amazing participants in this Special! I'll change their names to links once their posts go live.

Jules
Gray
Faith
Keturah
Evangeline
Lila
Danielle
Jem
Catherine

How would you feel living in a world where drugs were obsolete? Did you enjoy learning the BTS about THW? Did you make sure you checked out the rest of the participants?