Since the “novel” I’m writing now has turned into a series of short stories, I’m going to work on Anni as my NOVEL PROJECT. *shudders in horror* And since I have so much trouble with this story, I’m going with my original goal of Dec 31st as my writing deadline.
I’m going to keep working on the short stories whenever I need a break from Anni, and have their new and improved deadline be Feb 28th.
I WILL FINISH A THING. I WILL. IT WILL HAPPEN.
604 - Jalstan Marks is born.
608 - Arif Tanner is born.
610 - The current book I’m writing begins.
611 - Anita Marks is born.
628 - Anni Marks is born.
632 - Melody Rychland is born.
645 - Anni’s book begins.
This means that Arif is 3 years older than Anita, and Jalstan is 7 years older than Anita.
Anita flees her home when she is 17, and her daughter also has to flee her home when she is 17.
After Anita leaves Artasilya at 17, she doesn’t see Arif again until 17 years later, when she is 34 and he is 37.
This is one of my favorite parts of the story so far (from my outline).
Anni is relieved that her mother is safe, and happy to see her, but immediately it is obvious to everyone that the sweet little Anni who sat in her basement and sewed dresses with a docile smile on her face is not the same Anni standing in her father’s house, controlling a magic so powerful her mind had to shut off its connection to the world’s life force so it wouldn’t break her. Anita tries to use her manipulative way of explaining the situation, and Anni is having none of that shit. Anita loses control of Anni, (like she loses control of everything). Anni brings up all the lies that Anita has been telling her over the years and she has no good answers in response. In a rage, Anni storms out of the house. Rebecca chases her, begging her to understand, to hear her mother out. She spits back the perfect venomous response, something about how all of this was their fault, that they’ve been shoving her around since she was a child, that nobody trusts her with information or with her own wellbeing. She says she’s going to go confront Marks, and just talk to him instead of letting this drag on and on. That people have died over this, over HER, and she is sick of it.
Somehow this story became about making your life for yourself, and standing up to people who try to control you. Sort of. Both Anita and Anni (whose names need to be changed bweh someday) have been pushed around by the decisions of others and the situations of their lives, and have just barely been able to hang on. And by the end of the book they’ve decided not to ever be there again.
Whenever I think this plot is complete shit, I remember that at its initial conception, it went like this:
Anni, a 13-year-old mary sue princess who is good at magic and archery and being a smartass and all athletic things and also music, is spunky and rebellious and awesome. The only bad thing in her life is her dad hates her “for no reason” and her little sister is jealous. Then this bad guy attacks the castle but with her quick thinking, magic, and archery abilities she manages to seriously wound him. But I’m REALISTIC so I know she couldn’t win single handedly. She escapes and ends up with this super hot guy and his sister who instantly loves her. They are in awe of her because they are MAJOR FANS of her country and want their country to be just like her country because it’s THE BEST, and the boy thinks he omg likes her. She “accidentally” displays this super magic ability while looking at a map and their wizard neighbor materializes inside the house and is like “HEY EXCUSE ME WHY IS THERE MAGIC HERE.” They figure out what happened and the wizard gives her a tiny adorable pink dragon pet named Wingie and says he is destined to be her guide for she is the Chosen One and must save them. While learning about her abilities she finds out Hot Guy likes her and she likes him and they are IN LOVE. She also founds out the bad guy is her dad and also her uncle and omg the lies! omg the scandal! Soooo PLOT HAPPENS or something idk I never worked it out, and then they invade the castle and she kills the bad guy. With his dying breath he curses her, saying that he made a DEAL with some evil force so now his soul and her soul are doomed to wander the earth, possessing their descendants to fight out an eternal war over and over again until ANOTHER Chosen One with purple eyes that can sear your soul appears, and that person will finally end it all for good. Then he dies. The end.
I’ve been reading a lot of articles about how to outline your novel.
oh fuck no that last post was like the worst writing ever omfg here’s a better example I’M SORRYYYY.
It’s unedited which honestly I think my writing is better before I try and edit it. Maybe. Or that prologue was just impossible to fix.
THIS ONE IS SHORTER TOO omfg
(my full name is Jessica and the way this woman spells her name makes me very angry but regardless) … (Anni)
Held all within these flesh walls
Pair of dice and domino
Seven fingers and thirteen toes
Wind her up and watch her go
Spin her out of dust into rock and fire
Oh holy water
Throw her to the earth through the burning air
Oh bang survivor
And now you’ve gotta get it with what you’ve got
With what you’ve been given or not
Now you’ve gotta get it with what you’ve got
With what you’ve been given or not
I was born to
Held all within these flesh walls
Envelopes and time capsules
Mark her fingers and mark her throat
Spin her round and let her go
Send her like a cup to her mothers table
Swallow, drink the water
Watch her play her part in a long fixed fable
Oh as her father’s daughter
And now you’ve gotta get it with what you’ve got
With what you’ve been given or not
Now you’ve gotta get it with what you’ve got
With what you’ve been given or not
I was born to, I was born to
I was born to, I was born to
Through the burning air
Through the burning air
And now you’ve gotta get it with what you’ve got
With what you’ve been given or not
Now you’ve gotta get it with what you’ve got
With what you’ve been given or not
I was born to, I was born to
I was born to, I was born to
I was born
I seriously just realized that my character would be holding her backpack in her hand because she’s never seen a backpack before. She’s never had pockets before. She’s never had any reason to carry any amount of anything between two places.
Imagining her carrying it around in her hand while the other hand holds a torch she doesn’t know how to turn off made me get really teary-eyed. Like she’s so pathetic, like a little fawn on scrawny little legs and I just want to throw her back into her tower and not let her get hurt but at the same time I’m super excited to see her at the end.
Is this what being a parent is like
Characters - Anni - Anita Rychland II
Okay okay okay like. Example. There’s these two girls who are half-sisters, and have never met, but they have both been told by their mother that they are … whole-sisters.
I had originally planned on them meeting, and one sister hates the other because she’s grown up feeling slighted in some way, but actually talking to this person she’s villainized her whole life makes her see that maybe she’s not all that bad. It’s a bit touching I guess. The whole meeting exists so that a third person, present at the meeting, can betray a secret to someone else.
But HA. HAHA. You know what I realized this month!?!?!
ONE SISTER IS WHITE. THE OTHER IS BLACK.
HOW THE FUCK DID I THINK THEY WEREN’T GOING TO REALIZE SOMETHING WAS UP!?!?
This never. crossed. my. mind. Not even once. <__<
