Writing Log 6

Writing Log 6

Been gone for a while, again. I'm halfway-to-almost-done with the second chapter. I was thinking I'd try to finish it before adding another log, but I was losing steam after IRL events and I realized the logs were actually helping to keep me motivated. So here I am.

I'm not actually sure if I'm halfway or almost done; there are a few bullet points I want to reach in this chapter, but I'm not sure how many scenes/pages it would take for me to reach all of them. There's only a few left, which usually means I've only got about one or two scenes, but that depends on how well I can tackle it. This is more of a "laying the groundwork" chapter so the issue is mostly trying to develop it in a way that doesn't come off too obviously as an exposition dump or too awkward.

Hopefully I can manage something passable enough that I can move onto the next chapter without losing sleep over it.

WIP Memes Tag!

Thanks for tagging me @cowboybrunch (here)! I got carried away and made a bunch of memes for Scrapyard Boys so here we go lol!

Memes below the cut!

Tagging (gently): @sleepy-night-child, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @smol-feralgremlin, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab,

@winterandwords, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @illarian-rambling

@agirlandherquill, @anoelleart, @ray-writes-n-shit

@the-golden-comet, @writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers

@i-can-even-burn-salad, @cakeinthevoid

@lassiesandiego, @thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams and OPEN TAG

OC Questionnaire Tag

Thanks for the tag, @mysticstarlightduck! I'll go with Iris and Felix from Traveling Bards!

Rule: Answer the questions as your OCs!

Iris:

How good is your sleep schedule? Abysmal ❤️

Do you have any siblings? If so, how good is your relationship Two sisters, unfortunately. I love them, I do! But I also want to strangle them to death just as much. I know I wouldn't be able to do this without them, though. Just do NOT tell them I said that. We also adopted a brother recently. Honestly, he's more like my son. He's an angel. God's gift to mankind. If anything happens to him, I'll kill everyone in this room and then myself.

What was the toughest time you had to endure while growing up? Middle school. I was kind of a doormat growing up. I got over it eventually, but the less said about that time the better. Mostly because I barely remember it to begin with.

Felix:

How good is your sleep schedule? Decent, I think? I've never really struggled to fall asleep. I sleep when I'm tired, and I wake up when I'm not!

Do you have any siblings? If so, how good is your relationship? ....I have an older brother. And three older sisters! They're very lovely. They can be a bit rowdy sometimes, but they're kind, too. They took me in when I needed support. We quarrel sometimes, but we've never had a serious fight before. They really like patting my head for some reason?

What was the toughest time you had to endure while growing up? ... I don't feel comfortable answering this. I'd like to skip, please.

Thanks again for the tag! Not sure who I'd tag for this, so just let me know if you want to be added (we don't have to be mutuals!), and for now this is an OPEN TAG!

OC Deep Dive Tag

Thanks for the tag, @mysticstarlightduck! I'll be using Hope Blackwood for a change <3

What uncommon/common fear do they have?

Banality. (She is edgy and 13)

Do they have any pet peeves?

Ophelia's existence. But especially when she's loud and complains about or to Hope.

What are 3 items you can find in their bedroom?

Books, a dagger, a magnifying glass.

What do they notice first in a person?

Their gaze.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how high is their pain tolerance?

6, at best 7 (though she swears it's 10)

Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure?

Depends? If there's a clear physical danger, it's flight. If it's a nonviolent confrontation, fight.

Do they come from a big family/are they a family person?

HUGE family. on the younger end of 10 children. Isn't so much of a "family person" as she's a "put up with them because I begrudgingly love them and my world is too small to have any other perspective" person (but she does love them).

What animal represents them best?

A grumpy but lazy cat.

What is a smell that they dislike?

Extremely heavy perfumes. For a specific scent, boiled broccoli.

Have they broken any bones?

An arm, once.

How would a stranger likely describe them?

Odd, quiet, moody.

Are they a night owl or a morning bird?

Honestly I haven't thought about it. Probably a night owl? Just because she likes being a rebel.

What is a flavor they hate and a flavor they love?

Hates oregano. Loves garlic.

Do they have any hobbies?

Reading, mostly. She used to journal, but then one of her sisters got into her diary, and she hasn't used it since. She also likes animal bones.

Boom, surprise birthday party! How do they react to surprises?

Stunned-still, then pretending to be annoyed (but secretly pleased by the attention). She otherwise hates surprises, though.

Do they like to wear jewelry?

Not particularly. It gets in the way of her usual activities. A simple necklace will do, maybe something sentimental.

Do they have neat or messy handwriting?

Neat.

What are the two emotions they feel the most?

Annoyance and boredom.

Do they have a favorite fabric?

Wool, perhaps? or cotton? IDK I'm not a fabric girly. Something suitable for the weather and breathable.

What kind of accent do they have?

I haven't decided where she lives exactly yet, so I don't have a region-specific answer, but an American accent most likely.

That's all! I really haven't spoken about this story much, which I'll have to get around to, but it's a nice change from constantly thinking about my Traveling Bards story, tbh.

For now, let's do an OPEN TAG! I'll retroactively add you if you asked (we don't have to be mutuals!!!)

WIP Questionnaire Tag

Thanks for the tag, @mysticstarlightduck! I'll use Traveling Bards for this, as is the current trend for me.

1. What’s the first part of your WIP that you created?

The outline? That's usually how I start. If you mean of the actual story, then chapter 1. If you mean the concept itself, the characters.

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

Best I can find is Passerine by The Oh Hellos (the artists who made Solider, Poet, King). I'd love to find a more comedic/energetic song, though.

3. What are your favorite characters that you made? Why?

Within this story? The MCs, lol. Especially Felix, my beloved son! I'm not gonna lie, the sisters are inspired by some IRL people that I love very much. But even without that, they're just so fun! This is my first "simple"/comedy story, so there's less of a focus on prose or "depth" and more on me just dicking around with these guys, so I'm really having a blast with them. Their characters are the most unhinged I've written so far, though I hope to change that soon.

Felix isn't inspired by an IRL person, but he's kind of shameless wish-fulfillment. Traveling Bards initially began as a parody of a very specific genre of anime, so he's essentially what I wish would happen/what I love to see for characters with his archetype.

For the favorites of all time? Can't choose, honestly. Love all of them!

4. What other pieces of media do you think your fanbase would share?

Memes. Or, I'd hope so. If it ever got adapted, I'd love a compilation video or funny edits. Regardless? Endless shitposts, sprinkled with random and unwarranted brainrot thesis-long thinkpieces on elements of my characters and world-building that I never even considered when writing it that ultimately change the way even I view my characters. I'd love a good Tumblr essay from someone being Totally Normal about one of my funky little guys.

5. What has been your biggest struggle with your WIP?

Actually writing it! Lmao. For the 3 people that have seen my writing logs, you'd know I had to recently overhaul the entire initial arc as well as the 3 chapters I already wrote! Though I guess plot points would also be part of that struggle.

6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

All kinds! Anything from normal animals to classic fantasy ones to ones I personally made up! My favorite out of all of them are the dragons. Because dragons are fucking awesome. My second favorite are the ones I made myself.

One of the first ones I introduce is the "crystal frog" which is this really cute frog that's quite literally translucent- kind of like the glass frog, but even more translucent! And light refracts off of it like a crystal!

7. How do your characters travel/get around?

Carriage/horse most often at first, then eventually via ship, then flying (with magic or on a magic creature). So. Basically anything but a plane or car.

8. What part of your WIP are you working on right now?

Actually writing it! I'm currently only a few chapters in on my first rough draft. My goal is to create the entire rough draft with as few edits as possible and then to go back and revise the whole thing, since that'll be easier for me than trying to make each chapter "perfect" before I move on.

9. What aspects (tropes, maybe?) You think will draw your audience in?

I guess for those that are more familiar with this genre, it'll be that. Isekais/reincarnation/transmigration/portal fantasy/whatever you want to call it. It's also got found family and friendship (kinda spoiler-y, but there's a sibling adoption involved!). Lots of "be gay, do crime" instances too.

It's also primarily an adventure-comedy, with a kinda parody-angle to it. They're intentionally gunning for these classic Hero Adventure experiences, in a bucket-list kind of way. Also, they're bards (for lack of a more accurate and snappy term) in a fantasy setting. So if you like a heavy emphasis on a sibling bond and ridiculous people getting into ridiculous situations of their own making, I'm hoping this will be appealing!

10. What are your hopes for your WIP?

That it gets finished, LMAO. My goal is to complete the rough draft by the end of summer, so that I can spend fall and winter revising, rewriting, editing, etc. I eventually hope (like most writers) to one day publish it. But let's not get ahead of ourselves! I can't get there if I don't even finish it.

Not sure who to tag, so I'll come back to it later.

OC Inspiration Tag

Thanks for the tag, @mysticstarlightduck! I'll be using Traveling Bards. Honestly, I don't think I really have any characters that are directly inspired by other characters? So these are the most similar I know of.

Rule: "Show what characters (from shows, movies, books, music, etc. just any media or concepts) inspired your OC! If your OC wasn’t inspired by a character, show characters that you believe are similar to your OC! (Make sure to credit the source material!🖤)"

DISCLAIMER: Some of these stories I actually don't like, lol. They're just what I thought of! Also, you will likely not recognize any of these if you're not into anime or webtoons since my WIP started as an anime parody.

Luna:

Melissa Podebrat (Beware the Villainess), Yang Xiao Long (RWBY)

Honestly, I'd rather not remember RWBY... but Yang is the closest character I could think of whose personality/vibes matched Luna without being too extreme. Inosuke from Demon Slayer is a little TOO aggressive and socially inept. And we do NOT discuss My Hero Academia in this house. So these two are the closest approximations.

Iris:

Kocho Shinobu (Demon Slayer), Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice)

For those who don't know, Shinobu is a doctor whose usual bright smile hides homicidal rage. She's not smiling here because I couldn't find a decent picture.

Elizabeth is kind of a stretch, honestly. But she's the closest to a "bookworm" character I have on-hand that's not from a novel or obscure franchise, other than perhaps Jo March... but she's not as snarky as Elizabeth imo.

Claire:

Toph Bei Fong (Avatar: The Last Airbender), Mao Mao (Apothecary Diaries)

We DO NOT discuss My Hero Academia here... but I can't find a better embodiment of that Ben Affleck smoking meme than Aizawa at this point. So he gets a dishonorable mention.

Mao Mao being an apothecary would usually make her a better fit for Iris, but she's too much of a gremlin too often to work. It's the INTENSITY of her fixation that fits Claire, not the subject of it (Claire likes dragons).

Felix:

Honey from Ouran High School Host Club, Nie Huaisang from Founder of Diabolism

As he gets older, Felix will shed the Honey vibes and come across more like Howl from Howl's Moving Castle, but he spends a good chunk of the story like this.

Will be going back to tag people later. For now, OPEN TAG (let me know if you want to be added!)