Thread by @bianca_breen, In July I’ll be working on a new YA fantasy • banished [...]

In July I’ll be working on a new YA fantasy

• banished fairies

• a train station

• a family feud

• a selfish boy with a lot to learn

I’m only aiming for 15k and will share (probably slow) progress in this thread

Day 1: Focused on little things today. Created a cat who lives at the station, rewrote the opening scene, wrote a vignette on Jack, decided on each character’s coffee order.

Is that last one helpful? No, but it’s been nice getting to know the characters

1108/15000

Day 2: Wrote another scene, but I’m not sure what I have is the right way to open this story - that’s future Bianca’s problem

Also wrote another vignette, in Clementine’s perspective this time

1942/15000

Day 3: Wrote the beginning of Easton’s arrival at the station, and plotted the next few scenes

I’m still not sure if this idea is any good or not, but it’s the first urban fantasy I’ve written and I’m really enjoying it

2728/15000

Day 4: 500 words a day doesn’t leave me with a lot of interesting snippets, I’m sorry

But, for the first time in my entire life, this story is being written in order

no jigsaw piece scenes to be found!

3327/15000

Day 5: ‘I’m so sorry for your loss,’ he said. ‘Westley was… an amazing soul. Not a person in this town who hasn’t felt the hole his absence left behind.’
Easton signed his name. ‘Uh huh.’

Nearly everyone in the town knows Easton, but he hasn’t got a clue...

3829/15000

Day 6: Wrote a little more on Easton’s arrival into the town, as well as a vignette on Clementine.

I’m loving these vignettes! They let me explore character and story in a natural, helpful way instead of staring at page of notes

4867/15000

Day 6: Easton has met Jack and Clementine, two ex-fairies, but it didn’t go well. Where would be the fun in that?

5700/15000

Day 8: “You would never guess they were related: Westley, round-faced and blond-haired, smiling like sunshine lived inside him; Easton, his pointed face topped with black hair, small mouth touched with just the hint of a smile. They were as opposite as their names.”

6144/15000

Day 9: “The scars on his back had grown with him, always in proportion. He’d found it strange, but he was no scar expert. Maybe they all did that.”

... or maybe something magical was there once

6855/15000

Day 10: Easton has been told the truth about the station but he doesn’t believe it.

Until he’s attacked by one of the ex-fairies

7399/15000

Day 11: Wrote a bit more on Easton’s first confrontation with the villain. I can’t wait to explore the bad guy further

8153/15000

Day 12: Broke my laptop

until I can get it fixed/get a new one, I’m writing on my phone, which isn’t ideal.

But I wrote a little scene with Easton and Clementine, and included the station cat, who I’m basing on my own cat

8494/15000

Day 13: No new words today. Partly because my laptop can’t be saved and the new one won’t be here until the end of the week, partly because I just didn’t feel like it

8494/15000

Day 14: Added a few words to some old scenes

Even though the writing isn’t going well at the moment, this project is always on my mind

Getting so excited for my new laptop to arrive that I dreamed about it last night

8655/15000

Day 15: Writing a story in the present day is actually a lot of fun! Plus, I think this will be a cathartic opportunity to express my growing-up-in-a-small-town blues

There is a ridiculous amount of coffee in this novel already

( @SarahRHatch are you proud?)

8950/15000

Day 16: “The cat hopped off Easton’s lap and trotted through the cafe, leaving a dozen cooing customers in his wake. Easton watched him disappear through the cafe door, which a leaving customer held open for him as if he were an elderly lady.”

9257/15000

Day 17: No words today, here’s a visual update instead

Story picspam by the lovely @_doreneemi, Easton one by me

9257/15000

Day 18: Barely any words today, it’s just not the same to write on my phone. I can feel myself losing steam for this project

9408/15000

Day 19: No words today. Here’s instead a list of songs that I associate with this project

• Arcade - Duncan Laurence
• Come Around - Parkville
• The Evening - Kodaline
• I Was the Sun - Curtis Schweitzer
• Rainbow Connection - Sleeping At Last

9408/15000

Day 20-21: My new laptop finally came today!

It’s so sleek and fast and now has a perfect HTTYD wallpaper displayed

I managed a few words, but ultimately classes got in the way. I’m excited to get back into writing, though!

9625/15000

Day 22: Feels so good to be writing again!

Easton’s coming to terms with what he’s been told, and learned of a bet running over whether or not he’d help with the station. It’s suddenly occurred to him... is he not a likeable person?

10331/15000

Day 23: Basing this fictional town on my home town has been helpful, but adding magical details has been really fun

I actually started a similar story when I was 16, so I’m stealing those vibes from past me

10857/15000

Day 24: Jack introduced Easton to some of the other banished fairies, and it was nice for me to also meet some new characters

Getting to know a new cast is one of my favourite parts of writing!

11258/15000

Day 25: No words! Had a family day of bowling and burgers and spent the afternoon watching a handful of #SDCCAtHome2020 panels

My brain is too sleepy to write, so I’m settling in with How to Train Your Dragon instead

11258/15000

Day 26-27: Spent some time today figuring out what the magic system looks like

The station is now kind of sentient, too, which I think is going to be really fun

12241/15000

Day 28: Writing felt really hard again today

12728/15000

Days 29-31: I never finished this thread because I fell into a little sad slump. But I’m fine now!

I got my second wind with this story and am going to continue with 500 words a day to finish the first draft by October 31, ready for a new November #NaNoWriMo project

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