Prepping for #NaNoWriMo
Hello lovelies, aka #NaNoWarriors !
So, in line with my Mama’s Writer’s Club, I wanted to share my prep work. Since it is a sequel to a previous story, you would think it was easy right? And you would be wrong... It has taken 2 months. I have dozens of pages of notes!
It is like I am my own Ghostwriter... LOL
Annie’s Five Rules for Ghostwriting
#1 Read everything your writer ever wrote first.
#2 Authenticity comes from doing your own research, know the details.
#3 Think in their voice for the duration of the ‘read’, you are just a magic pencil.
#4 Write everything in their voice as if you are ‘reading’ from one of their works.
#5 Remember : You are not the writer, You are just another reader.
To get back in the mindset, I have been going through and adjusting/editing Ghost with Cats. The main part of this story will happen off Earth, which required building a culture, designing a planet, and even coming up with a “menu” since Eloh is very different from Earth. I have done a 30-day #CharacterChaos Challenge (see below) and a bunch of research (Rule #2). I expanded my who’s who and plot path-ed two entire page in one liners. It is going to be a wild write.
Here are some of my notes:
Tiered class system of the Eloh
All Pets (genetically engineered worker/soldier clones) are 51-99
Tier 1 – king and queen mother or queen
T 2 – five Regents
T 3 - twelve defenders - Admants
T 4 – 30 ‘judges’ - Judex
From below 4th, tier ranks overlap with ‘job’ classifications
T 5 – Burcrat – politician/ businessman of wealth
T 6 – 11 healers/ doctors
T 12 – Cyphers/ archivist / educators
T 18- Farmers/ manufacturers/ researchers
T 22 – Sentinel / Pilots
T 27- food producers/ technicians
T 30 – seneschal/ house manager
T 36- vangard / farmer harvesters
T 40 – shop keepers / clerks
The below are questions I answered for the #CharacterChaos challenge hosted on Twitter. You answer as your character... It is like a character interview and I find this method helps “flesh out” my MC’s and SC’s and gives perspective on how they interact with others.
D1
I’m Annie Winters-Dove, and my writer is prepping for , she wants me to talk to everyone, which isn’t easy because I’m barely recovering from PTSD-induced Agoraphobia I have had to push aside to save the world & fight against a secret alien invasion
D2
Annie - I know this will sound weird but my ‘favorite’ holiday destination is my cabin on Great-grandfather’s land in Cuchara, CO, because it is the place of my favorite memories & my last memory of my late parents
D3
Annie - My hobbies are flying and writing, both turned into jobs. I ghostwrite for Pops and I fly for the Maritime Ocean & Atmosphere Research Assoc. as a hurricane hunter, rescue pilot, and a water bomber pilot Annie: Well, Tobias, I try to sleep as little as possible. Between Chasing storms, fire storms, and illegal use of alien technology powered by the Pandora energy, I only write for one client now. I miss my quiet life as a reclusive ghostwriter when I never had to leave the house. Annie : There’s no time for crazy in my life. I am trying to keep those using Pandora powered tech from blowing up our planet, or causing another disaster like the India and Japan tsunamis.
D4
Annie: I would want to die in my sleep. I have come close a few painful times and if I get to choose then I want to die in my sleep, warm in a soft bed, without pain or fear. I just want to drift away into the light
D5
Annie : My best friend and agent, Sharon. She doesn’t care that I’m a half-crazy geek, she doesn’t care when I freak out, and she makes sure I have happy moments. She made me her twins’ godmother & that’s love.
D6
Annie : Christmas was my and my Mom’s favorite holiday and my birthday. I was due on Dec. 27th but Mom said I was impatient for my Christmas morning presents. Now, my favorite present is giving the perfect gifts
D7
Annie : My favorite place to hang out on Earth is Hidden Spring because hot springs pool in a cave! Nuf said! And on Eloh, the royal library because 10,000 years of books!
D8
Annie : My favorite drink is coffee. There isn’t coffee on Eloh but they have lovely teas with many nutritional qualities. Every food and drink are only for nutrition. They only have chocolate for the antioxidants.
Annie : Oh Tobias, you have no idea. When I helped 3 Eloh escape confinement, while we waited for their rescue ship, one almost died from eating Peanut Butter. He did not realize that he couldn’t put a giant spoonful in his mouth without risking choking, but he loved the flavor.
To eat for just the pleasure of the taste was as foreign to them as the idea of sex for more than procreation, equal rights among the caste, and motherhood.
D9
Annie: My best friend is Sharon. We shared our grief ( me for my parents, her for her Shmael). She got me my first ghostwriting job. She puts up with my crazy and made me the godmother of her twins, now that’s love
D10
Annie : I like to read, a real book with paper pages and the smell of ink. Books on my are fine when I am traveling but there is something about the feel of , a soft throw, and a warm cuppa.
D11
Annie : “How long have you worked for the Eloh or used illegal alien technology to commit a crime?” Oh wait, my favorite question to ask people, not the one I asked most often. “Where’s the coffee? Where’s my cat?”
Here’s pictures of Bear, don’t let him fool you. He is mischief incarnate and thinks he is a parrot, always wanting to be on someone’s shoulder but at least he is the color of my favorite drink.
Annie : That is so sad that he was all alone. Bries found Bear in a ditch, then it followed me to a rental. Cats always follow me around or show up wherever I am. My dad used to call me the Cat Whisperer. On Eloh, the felines are all feral but they love me, who don’t know why... I love cats but I never had any of my own until Bries got two, then he had to go home so I inherited them. Don’t have any picts but Pandie is a tuxedo shorthair, he is very old, and Bear was a stray kitten, he is a chocolate brown persian?
D12
Annie: Science and all the Maths! I also liked the A’s : Astronomy, Archeology, Anthropology, Astrophysics. Math always makes sense! I loved and hated college because of the bullies. I was 4 years younger with eidetic memory so I graduated early
D13
Annie: My favorite is Tortilla soup, Chili rellenos, and salsa rice I am mostly vegetarian. My standby is Rice & Vegetables but I do eat eggs & cheese,also rarely poached fish and grilled chicken breast
D14
MY FAV POSSESSION
Annie: My Bastet neclace. My mother bought me the lapis carved cat charm when we visited Egypt before I started college. I was 15.
D16
Annie: Cats. I love them,they love me.Until 2 years ago, I never owned a cat, they just visited me.The Eloh Felines live like feral cats but they love me too,it freaks the Eloh that I can pet them. LOL.
D17
Annie: My favorite color is a rich red maroon and no, I have very dark brown hair and coloring doesn’t work unless I decolorize it which I will never ever attempt to do again.
D18
Annie: That’s easy, violin or cello and I would play Vivaldi and Pachelbel until my arms fell off.
D19
Annie: Time to kill? Is this a myth thing like naps and unicorns? Just kidding, I love to read. I was seriously pissed when I ended up on Eloh without my Kindle. But the King has a nice library so...
D20
Annie: Hot, sunny Matagorda or Haifa beach weather. I hate being cold. I know I have a cabin in the Colorado & visit every Christmas, plus one in Alaska, but seriously, I do not like cold, icy weather.
D21
Annie: Yes, tall, dark, & to die for. Both times I’ve let myself fall for my type, it’s almost gotten me killed. One was a terrorist. The other was Prime Adamant Vanth of the Eloh First Fleet. Shoot me!
D22
Annie: Uhhh, all my favorite celebrities/most respected are all writers. Because I was a ghostwriter, I’d rather not type their names least someone assumes I wrote for them and tries to disparage them.
D23
Annie: My favorite sport is race flying, as in souped up single engine planes, usually involves a set course cross country but I also love the air tanker bomber games. I haven’t won one yet but someday
D24
Annie : I like loose, comfortable, and covered. My bestie Sharon loves high end fashion and $$$ shoes. She is always trying to dress me up. On Eloh, I hate the gowns females are expected to wear.
D25
Annie: A good book, a long bubble bath, and a rich mocha latte. If I switched with Sharon... Hmmm... I did one New Year’s Eve and woke up three days later with a tattoo and a stalker I didn’t remember.
D26
Annie: I hate cities, I tolerated NYC & Haifa for Sharon’s sake. On Eloh, the whole equatorial region is one giant city, even over the oceans. Aequari is the only city on the planet. It’s my nightmare.
D27
Annie: Oh my, there’s too many, I love books. Sharon was a publishing agent so she was always sending me new favs and hates. On Eloh, they don’t have fiction media beyond historical myths. NONE!
D28
Annie: Plummegranates; they are AMAZING!!! And watermelon plums, so succulent. Ben Dor Fruits in Galilee has the most amazing selection and ever since Sharon sent me a basket for Hanukkah,I was hooked
D29
Annie: I dream of being like Mom, career, charity, loving husband & daughter. Of being a loving parent like she was. I would still be a ghostwriter and teach my daughter to fly. But I’m with MOARA now.
D30 GUILTY PLEASURE
Annie: Oh that’s easy. Coffee and warm chocolate cake for breakfast. But I am stuck Eloh were food is for nutritional value only. It has taken me months to figure out cake and they don’t have coffee.
Here is the Plot Path - so many stepping stones but we will see how many my characters follow and how many are hopped over or if they just run off into my mind meadow after my hummingbird muse...
Plot Path
Pandora used for piracy – Annie uses siren device she and DJ shot
Winning and deceiving – Annie and DJ win pool and lie about relationships
Building southern array -mining disaster caused by Eloh raiders
Fire Pixie- - Annie and Derick fly air tanker runs while DJ ferries supplies and spoke jumpers
Reverse Engineering – Jenna and Jared Marshton make strides in reverse engineering captures Eloh Teck
LA destroyed – oceanic methane cloud – dale bents dies
Thief of children (4 mo later) Portos de Santos Brazil- Brak exporting human females
----- Annie kills him by shooting him after knocking away resurrection crystal he tries to use, then has breakdown
Eloh tech caused wildfire in amazon rain forest(3 mo after Brazil)
Annie kidnapped when her plane crashed
DJ calls Eloh from new secret Peru array, confronts Tal
Annie meets Sentinel Larro and Garro
Hounds to Hunters evasion - the house of Astarte tries to stop Annie from reaching Eloh
Fleeing Serpus Assassins through the One City
King and companions - Reunited with Tal and Vorn
Traitors to the crown – Annie volunteers as to help discover traitors
Being bait for the enemy – Annie challenges Kahli’s sister Baali
Royal family secrets - Queen mother and hidden son Azazel
Royal decree – females no longer allowed to kill males and must mate with them.
- some females protest but Annie threatens them with bring in vitro doctors from Earth to force pregnancies. “You are just incubators, no more than an oven to bake bread. If you were mothers, you would care for your children instead of murdering them. Your species will be extinct in two generations. My species has 8 Billion overcrowded on my world who will happily take over your planets and care for your pets.”
- Edict of impregnation - Chloetho and Larro, she offers to get preg w/ dtr making him safe from future lotteries
A single city – city around equator Echadel, the One City – temperate zones are farms- arctic mines
Joined – queen mother announces Annie is honorary citizen and joined to Tal as his INKED ONE
The Sword of the first fleet – Tal takes Annie to space to keep her safe
Groomed worlds – colonies: whole planets groomed – nothing that serves no specific purpose life on Ehdehn with Tovi
Lady of Vanth –Annie plays the role of liaison but Tal is so jealous - gets New Pets - She and Tal are at war over Pets after she returns to Eloh without his permission - he thinks she is a spy.
Bries and pets die to save Annie from vipers, Annie’s cat Bear and feral feline kills them - Annie miscarries after having venom spit on her
Annie breaks but gets back up. Tal realizes he needs to love her while he has her.
(UPDATE ENDED Ghost with Ink HERE - 75K FOR NaNoWriMo and 90K total)
Thanks for strolling along through my mind meadow, let the writing begin!
Happy #NaNoWriMo 2019 Everyone #NaNoWarriors
ps please check out my Writer’s Club on Wattpad for more tips and trick, prompts and helpful ideas.
