Actually Finishing Something In July 3.2

Hello! Kendra here. I have not fallen off the face of the earth. I have, however, been contemplating my life and what I want to do with it.

And knitting. Because knitting is good for the nerves. I've been looking at getting my GiraffeCrafts business up and going, and I need an inventory.

To make matters complicated, I've had a ... suitor. Who wasn't chased off by the "you have to ask my dad" requirement. And who my dad said could take me out. Honestly, the gentleman does hit on many of the points that I've been looking for in a man, and I could see myself liking a fellow like him ... if he were at least fifteen years younger. The guy is twenty-five years my elder.

No, I don't mind an older man, but not THAT much older.

DAD!!!!!!!!

In his defense, this was the first gentleman who has come to him asking about me. Hopefully, he'll know better next time.

But, anyways, that's what I've been doing.

And on to the questionnaire for the challenge.

1) Were you able to reach your weekly goal?  

No. Not even close. Can't even fudge and say that I made progress, because I didn't. Write an hour a day? Ha! I was lucky to stare at a screen for three seconds.  I have about three paragraphs added to the story.
2) Is this challenge encouraging you to write more often?

See above.

3) At what time of the day did you accomplish most of your writing? 

I actually do most of my good writing during my break half-hour at work. Which is sad.

4) Which musical tracks do you listen to most while writing? 

Customers ordering food.

5) Share a descriptive snippet or two of your writing.

Because I haven't written anything descriptive ... um ... A picture's worth a thousand words?

Via Pinterest

6) Share three dialogue-based snippets from your week one writing.


Let me share with you everything I have written for this draft, because it is all dialogue.

     “It is a fact universally acknowledged that a short girl, in procession of  something above her head must be in want of some young man to get it down for her,” Clara stated, as she and her two best friends headed to the pool. “And no matter how far from the case it may be, if it just so happens that her mom has told her to get something that just so happens to be on a shelf above her head, and some guy just so happens to be walking by and sees her, he's going to offer his help."
    “Is that so?” Rhoda asked. "You know, you could just let them help you. It would save you a lot of time."
    Clara rolled her eyes. "I had it handled. I didn't even need to be on tiptoe to get it. He only offered to help me so that he could be a dashing hero."
    "Maybe he was just trying to be nice?" Rhoda suggested.
    "You're a pretty girl," Kath added. ''And we know that you're against the thought of boys liking you and all that, but they don't know, so ..."
    Clara tossed Kath a glare. “I’m not against boys liking me, it’s just that …”
    “Was he a redhead?” Kath continued, seemingly oblivious. “Because I do know that you are especially against them if they’re not.”
    “Redheads have nothing to do with it,” Clara insisted, with a roll of her eyes. “I’m only fifteen, and I’m not ready to be thinking about things like that, and he was being an unnecessary dashing hero. That’s what I don’t like.”
    “That and the fact that he probably wasn’t a redhead.”
    Rhoda rolled her eyes, “What is its with you and redheads when it comes to Clara?”
    Kath gave an innocent smile.  "It just seems to me that a redhead would be perfect for Clara.  Hey, aren't one of your cousins a redhead?"
    “Yes,” Rhoda admitted. “Two of them are.”
    Kath nodded. “But Josh is younger than I am, and would certainly not do for Clara.”

7) How are you going to move forward in this challenge? Are you changing your word-count goal or other plans? 

I am changing my goal. Instead of finishing part one of WPFP, I'm going to focus on writing up blog entries for my blog party because (gasp!) I haven't finished any of them. Started a few, but finished, no. And some of them won't be hard - just copy-pasting the first chapter of several of the books.

Actually Finishing Something In July 3.1

It's that time again! It's been two years since a fellow blogger added Sew, It's a Quest to her goodreads page, and I visited her blog, and through her found a whole slew of friends. 

It's also the third Annual Acutally Finishing something [In] July. I'm very excited!

1) What is your writing goal? 

For the first time, my goal is more towards the writing side than the editing. I will be rewriting Water Princess, Fire Prince. I plan to at least finish part 1, "The Water" and get as much done on part 2 "The Fire" as possible.

2) Give us a short synopsis of your project. 

When the Lady Dragon shall come,

Hold fast. Do not fear. Do not Run.

Your Water Princess shall fight.

Fire Prince shall set all to right.

Each shall come from a Fall.

Their Union shall save you all.

Clara is 

3) How long have you been working on this project? 

At least five years. I started it the year before my Grammy died that I started working on it, if I remember right. (That would work 

4)  How often do you intend to write in order to reach your goal by August 1st? 

At least an hour every day. However, since I've failed yesterday, and didn't make very much progress the day before that, we'll see how this goes.

5) Introduce us to three of your favorite characters in this project.

Um ... there are so many characters in this book. How about I introduce you to my three favorite characters that I haven't talked about before? Here are three that weren't there when I started writing, but I now can't imagine the book without.

Lor'Son Karlos. (Lor'Son is the title I made up for the sons of the four Lords of Klarand. Girls are Li'Daughters) His father is the Lord of Lower Klarand, he's ten years old, and plays a huge roll in Andrew's character development. He was created so that my youngr cousin could roleplay the story with me and not be Andrew (because he was having far too much fun with the fire thing, and it was just ... weird). 

Queen Kiona. She's the youngest Queen on the mainland of Rizkaland, and is of the line of Violet. She's very impulsive and talkative, and her gift is perfect marksmanship. I knew that I needed some queens and kings when I got to the mainland, and then she was there. It was ... interesting.

King Stephan (Pronounced Step-han). Kiona's husband. He's a quiet, solemn young man, and his gift is commanding speech. Whatever he tells you, you must believe. Whatever he commands, you must believe. Whatever he asks, you must answer. They're quite an interesting pair.

6)  Go to page 16 (or 6, 26, or 66) of your writing project. Share your favorite line or snippet on the page.

From Page 66 of the Notebook Version

“In Upper Klarand?” said the lad, skepticism clear in his voice. “Honestly, what will you have me believe next? That you're the Fire Prince?”

“Well, I am,” said Andrew. Would this lad believe him? Probably not.

“But if you do see the Fire Prince, you can let him know that the Water Princess is looking for him, and she's getting tired of waiting for him to show up.”

“What do you know about the Water Princess?” Andrew demanded.

“More than you.”

“What makes you so sure about that?”

“I don't feel like answering that question right now,” said the lad. At this moment, Abraham finally got his sword out of the tree, and the fight resumed.

“Who are you?” Abraham asked the lad.

“I don't feel like answering that question.”

“There seem to be a lot of questions you don't feel like answering,” said Andrew.

7) Tea or coffee? 

Tea. And those of you who have followed me the last two years may laugh. But I have come around to the point where I actually like tea if it's hot and has enough stevia in it. 

Actually Finishing Something in July 2.5

I know this over a week late, but I've been busy with my worldbuilding posts and making myself a sword. Excuses aside, here is my last post for the Actually Finishing Something in July Challenge.

Did you reach your goal?

Well, I did get quite a bit of editing done on The Ankulen, but I didn't have a cover art until a few days ago, and I'm working on the back right now. I don't know when I'll be able to convince my dad to let me order a proof copy though .

On the other projects ... well ... for the most part, they're all still right where they were the last time I did one of these posts. *ducks head in shame* no, I haven't been having a good writing week, why do you ask?

If you didn't fully complete your goal, were you able to make a good amount of progress in your project? 

See above.

What was the most difficult part of finishing something this July?

Gumption. It's hard to write when it's 101 degrees outside. 

Did you maintain a writing schedule? How often did you write to meet your goal?

Me? Writing schedules? Ehh ... I wrote whenever I pulled up the document. 

List some of the musical tracks/artists you listened to most frequently this July. Tell us why they inspired you and how they fit with your story.

As I've said before, I don't really listen to music. However, Jenny Freitag posted some of the songs that she has been listening to for her latest novel ... and one of them, King and Lionheart, is almost perfect for Clara and Andrew of Water Princess, Fire Prince, especially for the scene I wrote this week. I don't care much for the lead girl's voice, truthfully, but most of the lyrics fit Clara and Andrew.

Other than that ... well, I ran across the soundtrack for The Hobbit on YouTube, so I've been listening to that, too.

Snippets! Share as much, or as little, as you choose.

Since I didn't write very much during the last few weeks, and I don't want to share anymore of The Ankulen, (It'll be out in less than a month. Be patient and soon you'll have the whole thing!) I'm going to share a few snippets from a project I attempted to start at the beginning of the month, namely 300 Dragons. I let it fall to wayside because I realized that I needed to divert more attention to The Ankulen and Bookania, and I discovered that I began in the wrong place, but that can be fixed. Later. Anyways, I did write some good stuff there.

 “Do you think King Hubert is going to prefer you or me me?” Samul asked, flashing Jyson a grin over the stable partition as they saddled their horses. “Because frankly, I don't see how he's going to resist my charming manners.”

Jyson shook his head as he tightened the girth. “If he can get past your pretentious attitude, I think you'll do just fine.”

“It's part of my charm, Jy,” said Samul. “Now you, I really don't know what you have to recommend yourself – unless he's interested in broody young knights given to violent bursts and obsessed with keeping their hands smooth.”

“You never know,” said Jyson, frowning momentarily at his gloved hands. “I've heard that King Hubert can be quite the broody man himself. We might find that we have much in common.”

Stardrana slid out of her dress and laid the bulky thing on the bed, then turned to the trunk that lay at the foot. Drawing a key from around her neck, she opened it and pulled out a tunic and a pair of trousers. “Yes, but according to my father's people, this is men's clothing.”

“Among the royalty, yes,” agreed her mother. “But you yourself tell me that plenty of the common folk dress practically when the need arises.”

“Aye, but they don't hunt,” she said, as she slid into the clothing and pulled out her leather armor. “And they especially don't hunt what I hunt.”

“They do not need to,” said her mother. “Their curse is different than ours.”

Then the wyrm's eyes went glassy and it stopped moving.

“Fun!” exclaimed Bark.

“Not fun. Dead. Duh – EH – duh. Dead.”

Bark just hissed before she ran over and tackled Aoril. “Fun!”

Pick a character from your July writing project and describe his or her daily wardrobe. Imagine how this character would dress is he or she were living in the year 2013. 

I believe I shall pick a character from 300 Dragons, since I am already talking about it, namely the lead lady, Stardrana. She leads two lives, that of her father's people and that of her mother's, and dresses appropriately for each.

As you may have gathered from the snippet, when among her mother's people, she wears trousers and a simple tunic, over which she places her leather armor. She wears sturdy boots, and her hair is done sensibly in a braid down her back. Her people hunt the Wyrmen, the fallen dragons, so this is quite a necessary thing. Often, but not always, she will wear sturdy leather gloves.

Via Pinterest

However, among her father's people she plays the part of a noblelady, and dresses appropriately. She wears long dresses made of sumptuous silks and satins, often gold or blue because those colors best set off her eye and hair color. Her boots are exchanged for dainty slippers, and she wears her hair down or elaborately done by a maid. She'll still wear gloves often enough, but dainty silk ones.

Via Pinterest

If she lived in modern day, she'd probably be the girl who wears a leather biker's jacket over a fancy dress. She's comfortable in both lives (the only reason that she resents her father's is that no one there knows that she sneaks out to hunt Wyrmen), and her clothing reflects that.

Bonus Question (skip if so desired--I shan't be offended)! What was your favorite part of Actually Finishing Something [in] July? What could be done next year to improve the challenge?

I enjoyed reading everyone else's, and answering the questions. I love answering questions.

Actually Finishing Something in July 2.4

And it is time for Actually Finishing Something in July once again. 

How goes progress?

Ehhh ... Not so good. I've been working on a lot of non-writing related projects this week and when I do pull up a word document, I spend way too much time just staring at it blankly. Haven't found notebooks terribly inspiring either. I did get my friend's book edited finally, and sent to her, though. Oh, and Gma gave me some more edits on Sunday and I've added them in. 
And I did finish and send chapter three of Worth of a King to Jack.

Snippet-time! Share a snip or two from your weekly writing.

Due to the fact that I wrote very little in the last week, this is very hard. But let's see what I can do ... 

 Doranna soon found herself in the garden, book in hand, as she watched for any prince to come and try his luck at rescuing her from her enchantment. One was making the attempt. He still at the gate, but hadn't given up yet … so she supposed there was hope.

Boredly, she allowed herself to examine the prince between fleeting glances from her book, knowing that he was doing the same to her. Being a magic mountain, she could see anything at the bottom just as clearly as the book in her hands. He could do the same for her.

He was a handsome young man, she had to admit, as far as princes went. His brown hair was almost black with sweat, and his muscles bulged as he attempted to lift the gate. When their eyes met for a moment, she noticed that his were a rich chocolate brown. She didn't recognize the colors he wore as belonging to any country she knew, but … he had been so long, it could be a completely new country.

But it really didn't matter what he looked like. What mattered was whether or not he could get past the three challenges that Malina had set in the path. For the three thousand five hundred and forty-seventh time, she wished that the challenges weren't nearly so impossible, but she quickly reminded herself to be thankful that they were there at all.

- Woodcutter Quince.

 "I don't think that Delaney will be a bad husband," said Obsidia, slowly. "He is King Ossian's heir, and I am my father's only child. We will keep the royal line intact this way."

"But not through the line of a son," said Queen Adelaide. "It will be considered Ossian's line from now on, even though your blood attempts to purify it."

"It is not my fault that I was born a daughter," Obsidia pointed out.

Queen Adelaide turned her daughter a long, hard stare. "Had you been born a son, King Ossian would have had you killed. It did not surprise me that he chose his son to marry you. I suspected it from the day you were born."

Obsidia tensed for a moment, then shook it off. "But that is how things are done in Dialcia. We shouldn't question them."

- Worth of a King

Instead my thoughts returned to the two friends I had left onshore. It didn’t feel right to run off and have an adventure without them. I should have had them by my side, Chris to protect us, Tisha to …

Tisha to laugh with, talk with, share all my darkest secrets and deepest fears with.

I almost let go of Mynna’s hand at that thought. Was I really thinking of Tisha as my friend? Tisha? My bitter rival and unwanted sister?

I forced the questioning thoughts aside. Tisha was my friend. My imaginary friend, strange though that idea was. It wasn’t her fault that she was more beautiful than I … it was mine.

I was the one who had come up with her. I was the one who had made her beautiful. Long blond hair, blue eyes, and a perfect singing voice were all my idea. I had been jealous of my own imaginary friend. It was ridiculous.

- The Ankulen

Do you have a Pinterest inspiration board, or other

collection of images, that inspire your story? If so, share one or two of them with us.

I love my pinterest board, and of course I'll share a few pictures!

Via Pinterest
For The Ankulen. Reminds me of the Polystoikhedron.

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For Worth of a King, The twins' royal parents before they were born and the father assassinated.
For some odd reason, this picture makes me teary. Those two are so obviously in love and yet I know ... he's going to DIE!!!! And you can tell from the snippet what it's done to her. She's such a bitter character to work with.

Via Pinterest.
For "Woodcutter Quince." No explanation necessary.

How would the main character of your story react if he or she were introduced to you?

Well, Jen, the main character of The Ankulen, has already met me. Frequently - we go to church together and I give her writing tips and am getting the book published for her. She has no idea that she's actually a figment of my imagination, though.

If Obsidia, my MC of Worth of a King, were to be introduced to me, I think she would be a bit condescending. She's a princess, after all. She has better things to do than associate with peasants ... such as read. Wait, Kendra - you write books? May I read them?

And if Casperl were to meet me, he would act all shy and gentleman-like, and we'd part with barely ten words said between them, since I can't talk to anyone until the conversation is started.

Introduce us to one or two of the secondary characters in your story. 

Since I've introduced you to most of my Ankulen cast already, and I don't have authorization from Jack to do a character reveal for Worth of a King, I shall have to do one from "Woodcutter Quince"

Ehh ... let's see. Oh! How about Casperl's mother?

Casperl's mother (who is unnamed, though I know the names of both of her siblings ...) lives in the middle of Black Forest with her husband, a woodcutter. And, while Black Forest is a spooky place and not many people live there willingly, it's not her location that grieves her - she loves her husband enough to live anywhere he does - it's the fact that she and her husband have no children. So, when her brother shows up on her doorstep with a child for her to raise ... well, it's an answer to her prayers!

If one of your characters (you choose who) were allowed to choose a super-power, which power would he or she most desire? 

I just asked Derek from The Ankulen, and he says he wants the power of reading. I'm not sure what he means by that.

We're nearing the end of this summer challenge! Is the completion of your goal in sight?

Well, The Ankulen is shaping up nicely, and I now have everything I need for the cover (I just need to build it) so it's on schedule for its release. Other stuff ... well, I don't think "Woodcutter Quince" will be done, Casperl's only three at the moment. He won't rescue Doranna until he's twenty-four! (And I have just revealed his age during the events of Sew, Take, and Kingdom.)

Actually Finishing Something in July 2.3

And Katie has once again posted her questions for Actually Finishing Something in July. 

Were you able to meet (or exceed!) your goal this week?

Eh, I dunno. I did get The Ankulen to my Gma on Wednesday, and yesterday she handed me the the first half with her corrections, which I typed up this morning. I have not yet found a freckled-armed girl. However, I am working on putting together an Ankulen-themed vlog, and I'm looking for some questions to answer.

Unfortunately, I did not get as much done as I would have liked on "Woodcutter Quince."

On a completely unrelated front, I pulled up The New Division the other night and wrote about 1,800 words without breaking a sweat. That's saying something when you take into consideration the fact that I was lucky to get 250 words out of it during the 100 for 100 challenge. I think I have the characters out of the lull. Poor Melisza, Tabetha and Jaqob, though. (But not poor Alistaar. At the moment, I really would like to give that guy a whack upside the head. Unfortunately, I can't do that for several more chapters, at least)

And I finished chapter 29 on the notebook version of Water Princess, Fire Prince, while babysitting my cousins the other day. Poor Andrew. Right now, he's injured.

Where did you get the bulk of your writing accomplished? In the quiet of your room, outside on the patio, on the bus?

Well, if I'm on my computer, I sit at my school desk. Otherwise, I scribble wherever I chance to be sitting, whether it be in the car, sitting on the couch ... in a kid's car seat.
Share a couple of your favorite snippets!

 “Ah, there you are, Harshan,” said Alistaar, barely glancing up from the book he was reading. Jaqob winced inwardly at the degrading term and careless way that his former friend used with it, but he allowed no outward show of hurt feelings. “I suppose that this means that reading time is over?”

“I have been sent to prepare you for tonight's ceremony,” said Jaqob, simply.

Alistaar shut his book and carefully laid it on the table as he stood up with a self-satisfied smile. “Yes, the ceremony. Well, my garments are laid out on the bed. Fetch them here.”

But it was oh, so hard to hide the hurt.

- The New Division. 

 “Any other princess,” said Maria, as their mirth died down, “wouldst be in tears after spending … how long has it been? Fifty? Sixty? Seventy years trapped in a castle caught in time. But thou, Princess Doranna, thou art a wonder.”

“Seventy-seven years and three hundred and three days,” said Doranna, automatically. She sighed. “Verily, it hast been far too long. I tire of my confidence, yet my only other option is unthinkable.”

“Well, thou never knowest. Today just might be the day that thy true prince gets past the challenges frees thee,” said Maria, encouragingly.

- "Woodcutter Quince"

Andrew's reflection were cut short when a large snake slithered onto their path. Its eyes glowed red, its fangs dripped with venom ... and it was headed straight for them.

He froze. Sure, escaping was a good idea ... but sliding down the snake's throat was not.

The Water Princess's sword cut short his thoughts. It also cut the snake short, effectively depriving the monster of its head.

"I think," said she, wiping the blade clean on the snake's back, "we should stay on our guard."

"Yeah," said Andrew, swallowing and tightening his grip on his own sword. "I guess that's a good idea."

- Water Princess, Fire Prince.

 “But …” Apple began.

“Jenny?” said Pecan, “is that you?”

I laughed. “Of course it's me. You two get down here and give me a hug. I haven't seen you in eight years!”

Instantly, they were on the ground, arms around my waist. Walnut, not to be outdone, joined the group hug.

Apple was the first to draw back and look up at me. “You're back, Jenny. It really is you.”

I rumpled her curls. “Of course it's me, sapling. Walnut did tell you I had returned, did he not?”

She hung her head, and Pecan drew back awkwardly. “Yes … yes he did,” she admitted.

“It has been so long since you were last here – we wanted to believe, we really did …” Pecan trailed off.

“But it seemed too impossible,” finished Apple.

I placed a hand on each of their shoulders, lowering myself so that I was at their eye level. “I understand why you refused to believe – but you had Walnut's word, he had seen me with his own eyes.” I bit my lip, then added, “You believe because you see, but blessed are those that believe who have not seen.”

- The Ankulen

 “He [Alistaar] thinks you're better off here as servants, but I …” began Melisza.

“We are,” said Tabetha, suddenly, though in elvish. “Don't fret for us. We have friends among the Harshia now, and our work isn't too hard.”

Melisza turned to face her friend, blinking in surprise. “But …”

“Do not let your thoughts dwell on my brother and me,” said Tabetha, shaking her head. “We are cursed Harshia, and not worth your notice. You are the Dizalay, and your thoughts must be for the bettering of the Lilnia.”

- The New Division

 “Nay, I shalt not bury thee nor shall I ever!” declared Doranna, staring up at the painting that sat opposite her bed. A painting of Grumadam, the Evil Enchanter, the ugliest man she had ever laid eyes on, and the worst mannered.

With a sigh, she hopped out of bed and marched over to the painting. She stuck out her tongue at the hideous man, then pulled her chalkboard over to cover him. She knew that it would only last a few hours before it rolled back again, it always did, but she hated having that man's eyes on hers … even if they were only paint.

- "Woodcutter Quince"

Have you introduced a new character into your story? Tell us about his/her personality. 

No new characters in The Ankulen, as auditions for that book have closed.

In "Woodcutter Quince" I discovered that Doranna's maid is named Maria, and that she has a sense of humor and is not at all in awe of her princess mistress.

No new characters in Water Princess, Fire Prince, unless you count Amber's mindless minions that Clara and Andrew were fighting.

I met four new people in The New Division. First, Rochelle and Markus, Melisza and Alistaar's cousins, and then Padriac, the Lilnia overseer, and Poll, the self-proclaimed leader of the Harshia servants. The first three haven't presented clear-cut personalities yet, but Poll (pronounced "Paul") is a show-off and a flirt.
List the favorite foods of your main characters.

Jen likes frog leg soup ... well, her imaginary frog leg soup. Otherwise, she likes spaghetti. I really don't know when it comes to the rest of The Ankulen's cast.

Clara likes anything healthy.

Doranna must have been reading The Phantom Tollbooth, since she just informed me that she would like to try some Division Dumplings.

Introduce us to the antagonist in your story. Does he/she prefer crunchy or creamy peanut butter?

There is no clear-cut villain in The New Divison, and even if there were, they don't have peanut butter in Coluna.

Amber, of Water Princess, Fire Prince, is a several thousand year-old woman whose human form is stuck at the age of sixteen. She is capable of turning into a fire breathing dragon. As Amber, she never comes into contact with peanut butter, but as Xspoiler, sorryX she prefers crunchy. Yes, she has another name.

The Polystoikhedron is the villain in The Ankulen. It doesn't eat peanut butter. It eats imagination.

And finally Grumadam, is the mostly-absent antagonist of "Woodcutter Quince." You can read about his nefarious deeds in this fairy tale. I think he would prefer creamy. Easier on the teeth.