Know the Novel Linkup: Writing and Beyond

AHHH!! I'm so excited to finally be able to participate in this thing. I was still in hush-hush mode for the first one, then I had the 5-Part Writing Special in November, and now I finally get the chance to do this.

Thanks to Christine over at Musings of an Elf for putting this together. You're totally awesome (and I must read your book ASAP!!).

Let's delve into the questions!!

~1. Firstly, how did writing this novel go all around?~

It was an excellent experience. I enjoyed both the writing aspect, as well as the community that I had throughout the event. 

Simon Says really was a delight to write (though you'll see later that I definitely had some struggles with various aspects of it). I was so excited each time I got to write more of it. Beautiful!!

~2. Did it turn out like you expected or completely different? And how do you feel about the outcome?~

Both exactly like I expected and very different. I wanted more out of it, but seeing as it was NaNo, a lot of the details were left out or forgotten while I was writing it. I wanted to highlight Ive's writing talents a bit more. I wanted to draw out more of Simon's character. There were a lot of other things that I wanted to do, but I just forgot to mess with it. But I'll be sure to add them in when I go back through it. 

~3. What aspect of the story did you love writing about the most? (Characters, plot, setting, prose, etc.)~

Characters. For sure. I just loved getting to know my cinnamon roll, Simon, my angsty Ive, my hilarious Vic, and gentle Carl. They were all so much fun to write. 

~4. How about your least favorite part?~

I didn't really enjoy a few of the scenes, but I won't tell you which. 

~5. What do you feel like needs the most work?~

The description, for sure. I didn't really know much about the location, so I basically didn't describe anything. I'm hoping to actually go to the locations some time in the future in order to get a better idea of how to describe the places. 

And the whole government, seeing as it's one of the most important parts of the story. Like, I understood how Simon worked, but I kind of forgot to figure out how the rest of the government officials fit into the picture. Like, a government isn't made up of one person, Sarah. 

~6. How do you feel about your characters now that the novel is done? Who’s your favorite? Least favorite? Anyone surprise you? Give us all the details!~

I love them so much. I think Carl or Simon are my favorites, with Vic a close second. 

Vee is okay, but definitely not my favorite. And Ive's dad really ticked me off. 

Crissa surprised me with how snarky she is. Like, man, girl, you really have no filter on your tongue, do you?

~7. What’s your next plan of action with this novel?~

I have a bunch of scenes that need to be added. I took a detour from my outline, which was a great decision, but I ended up skipping over ten or so important chapters. I'll have to add those back in and add a lot of details before I really have a working draft. And I also want to have some chapters from Simon's POV, so I'll add those as well. So that's all what will happen next. 

~8. If you could have your greatest dream realized for this novel, what would it be?~

I would really love to make someone cry, if I'm being honest. Like, if I made someone cry healing tears while reading my book, that would rock my world. Yes, I know I'm a horrible human being.

~9. Share a snippet of one of your most favorite scenes!~

Her (Vee's) gaze fell to the flowers and she frowned. “Who gave you those?”

“They’re from Simon,” I answered as I set the vase down.

Her frown deepened. “They’re dead.”

“They’re from Simon,” I repeated. 

She grunted and returned to her work. 

~10. Did you glean any new writing and/or life lessons from writing this novel?~

I learned a lot about what sort of stories I write. I want to write hopeful stories that will help people heal from past hurts and move on to a better future. Simon Says definitely was one of those stories for me, and I hope it will be for others as well once it's cleaned up. 

That's all for this post!! I hope y'all enjoyed a small peek at how it went writing this precious story of mine. 

Onto y'all! What are you hoping to do next with your WIP (it doesn't have to be a NaNo novel)? What dreams do you have for your novel(s)?