What’s Your WIP? Blog Tag

It’s almost November, y’all, and that calls for WRITING PREP! I don’t do NaNoWriMo anymore, but I do try to write a book in November every year, and I’m excited to dive back in after a year of little writing 🙂 So I’m going to be doing my old WHAT’S YOUR WIP? tag with my friend Ryana Lynn @ Life of Heritage so you all can get to know all about our upcoming books (and so I can too, cough cough, because I haven’t a clue what I’m doing here).

First off we’ll pause real quick to share—

THE RULES:

• Thank the person who tagged you & link to their blog.
• Link back to the creator, Katja @ Little Blossoms for Jesus, & add the tag graphic. 
• List the rules. 
• Answer the questions. 
• Feel free to add snippets!
• Tag as many or as few people as you wish & let them know they’re tagged. 
• Add a clean copy of the questions at the end of your post for the “tagged.”

And now that’s over, let’s go over …

THE QUESTIONS:

Has your WIP a working title? If so, tell us! If not, have you any idea of what it might be?

You betcha! This baby is called The Colour Blue and it’s the very little brother sequel to that little monster The Colour Red.

Have you a synopsis for your WIP? If so, give it to us! If not, can you give us a blurb on what your WIP is about?

I only have a bad working blurb, which will be fixed/updated, but here it is so far:

“Blue would become again the colour of happiness and calm. It would be the colour of peace.”
It has been ten months since Jay came to live with the Randalls. The frightening colour red has disappeared from his life, and the peaceful colour blue is everywhere he looks.
Then his birthday party is crashed by the unexpected return of his unknown foster brother, Geraldo. And as Jay struggles to grow accustomed to him and the changes his return brings, The Brothers strike massively at Kalsyia, defying the authority of the government.
As the situation gets worse and everyone becomes more and more distraught, Jay finds himself challenged harder than he ever expected to be. When he is beaten to his knees and brought face to face with his limitations, he begins to wonder… what is his trust in? Where is God when things are hard? Can he ever find true peace in the midst of all this chaos and terror?

Things will be changed, but the basic premise is the same, soooo… yeah.

Have you a working/mock cover for your WIP? If so, show us! If not, have you an idea in mind?

I am hoping this is the final cover, lol. I LOVE IT.

How did you get the idea for this story?

Wellllll.

*goes check CB’s author note because I have no clue*

*discovers it’s not a help*

*goes check my letter to CB after competition*

“I had no plot, just a list of between 5-10 random happenings and a long list of messages/themes to work in… and a Pinterest mood board. I didn’t even know what the climax would be, let alone the plot points. All I knew was the theme: learning to trust God. And I knew that you would deal with the events of summer 2020.”

*squints*

I think it basically grew out of ideas that didn’t get into CR, a desire to continue the series, lots of emotions + the desire to write them out, and a lot of encouragement from Kassie & Akira & Ryana Lynn, among others. ❤ *shrugs*

How long do you think it will be? Is it longer or shorter than you thought it would be?

At the current moment (Oct. 3, 2022) it sits at 78,023 words. CR is 120,030 words so CB has about 42,007 words to go. So it’s quite shorter than I thought it was, although back then, CR was quite a bit shorter itself, so there’s that.

Who’s your favourite character so far?

Orlandooooo. I used to say I couldn’t pick between Jay and Matt and Orlando, and specifically M & O, but y’all, I adore my Orlando baby. It makes me smile so big just to think of him, I am always imagining new stories for him, see him everywhere, and grin like a Cheshire Cat every time I hear the word Orlando. (Thank goodness I don’t know anyone with that name.) I can’t wait to rediscover my sweet boy!

(and yeah he’s like 23 and who cares I’m his mother ok?)

((YIKES Y’ALL I AM GETTING OLD I AM ALMOST AS OLD AS ORLANDO!!!!))

What’s your favourite memory related to this WIP?

Ah… I honestly do not remember much about writing this and I am not a fan of the memories I do have, which are exclusively bad, lol. So hopefully I will make some good new ones 🙂 But I do remember a lot of sweet help from KDWC and some fun convos as I strove to add some Spanish!

Also, I remember this:

One day, very discouraged, I shared with my writing group about how difficult the writing was, and how I hated you, and how I loved CR so much. One wise friend asked, “Why do you love CR so much?” I answered, “Because of all the love!” She replied, “Then add love to CB!”

Any special person(s) who helped create it?

Akira <33 she’s been there since the beginning, y’all, and never gave up on me! Also Ry, and Chels, and Erika… ❤

What’s your favourite scene so far (if you can tell about it without spoilers!)?

I have no recollection, so I went spelunking through the book and found this gem.

Orlando and Geraldo arrived soon after, with Feroz.
Even Orlando was tired. He smiled for Jay when he came it, but it was a wan smile, and after that he did not smile again. His eyes had lost their sparkle, and he was very quiet and abstracted. Geraldo was glum and silent. Feroz seemed worried about him.
After eating their supper, the boys went straight to their rooms. Daddy was still in the kitchen with Mama. Peeking into the room, Jay saw that Daddy had his head in his hands, and Mama was rubbing his back. He stole back to his seat and curled himself up in his chair, staring unseeingly out at the dark night. What was happening?
For a long time he sat there, wondering and worrying. Suddenly the clock struck. Then Mama called in a subdued voice, “It’s bedtime, Jay.”
Jay nodded and unfolded himself. Daddy seemed to be trying hard to hide his weariness from Jay. He’d probably remained downstairs and stayed up until Jay’s bedtime to keep up that idea, and he’d expect Jay to come say goodnight to them. Jay went to the kitchen door. As he’d expected, Daddy was sitting straight now, waiting quietly for his hug.
Jay went to Mama and hugged her warmly. “Goodnight, Mama.” “Goodnight, baby,” she murmured in reply, hugging him back.
Daddy held out his arms, and Jay hugged him as tightly as he could.
“Goodnight, Daddy.”
“Goodnight, Jay,” Daddy said quietly.
Jay stepped back, looking at him silently for a minute. Daddy looked back at him.
“Daddy,” Jay said abruptly, “what is going on?”
Daddy put his head down into his hand again. He was silent for a few minutes. Then he said very quietly, “Can I tell you tomorrow, Jay?”
“Yes,” Jay said unsteadily.
What if tomorrow never comes?
He turned and ran from the room.

Can you give us a snippet?

Welp, looks like I ran ahead of myself. See above. XD

I will now answer the last question the way I should have. I specifically remember a super fun scene of Orlando & Geraldo debating that was a blast to write. 😛

Is the story still what you thought it would be or has it thrown you a couple curveballs?

I remember it definitely threw me some curveballs. Right now, I am trying to figure out how to rewrite it, because I’ve grown and changed since I wrote these…

I’m afraid I’ve outgrown these books… they seem so silly and juvenile and over romantic now.
Or maybe I’ve just immersed myself too much in what’s not like me and I’ve grown ashamed of who I am and what I like 🤷🏻‍♀️
I was ashamed of loving Montgomery lately and I hate it because I LOVE MONTGOMERY, even if it’s over romantic, because I love that part!

~me thinking about why I am not liking my own books

I’ve been feeling a lot lately like I don’t fit in and my tastes are too silly.
I think I should really put aside pressure and expectations right now and just fall in love again.
I’m so scared of publishing these and I’m trying to fit in… And it’s smothering and crippling me. I can’t be ME because I am trying so hard to be what everyone else is… but writing is one place where I cannot fake it. I am ME there.
I’m also just in a very confused state of mind right now lol.

~also me

Is there a Bible verse, poem, hymn, picture, or quote that helped shape this story?

“He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.”

I specifically think of this book every time I read that verse.

Also, this Pinterest board…

When and where have you done most of the writing so far?

At my desk, in the evening… per the usual. ;P

Where do you get inspiration for this story?

Literally everywhere?? I am always putting stuff that happened that day/week/month/year/decade/within my lifetime in my books. Books, songs, conversations, you name it, it all brings inspiration in some way.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Hands down a plantser, e.i., a bit of both. I have to have some sort of plot idea of where I am going, otherwise I cannot write. But I don’t have the creativity to think up an outline and if I did, I always end up diverting from it.

Also, I recently learned about another subgenre among writers: the Worldbuilders. There’s 3 types—planners, storytellers, and creators. You can click here for more info, but I have discovered I am totally a storyteller—I focus on plot, characters, & themes rather than worldbuilding. More specifically, I am a Type C Storyteller: my ideas come from characters and I make up plots to fit that character and a world to fit that plot.

Do you have a little ritual before you start writing?

Turn on music (from my CB playlist or my Favs playlist). (Try to) remember to pray. Maybe ask if a friend wants to sprint…

Are you thinking of publishing this story?

I hope so, Lord willing… But maybe I need to surrender my writing again and be willing NOT to publish and NOT make this about me (again)… ❤

What things have you learned while writing this story?

“I began this story in October 2020, a month after finishing The Colour Red. I think this book was the hardest thing I ever had to write. When I began it, I was intensely discouraged by the critique I was receiving for the first book in the series. I had no plot, not even a climax. All I knew was the theme: learning to trust God. And I knew that this book would deal with the events of summer 2020. The writing journey was a constant battle with discouragement and fear. It took much more of my time, for the words and ideas came very slowly.
But overall, looking back, I see joy and beauty in this journey. I see how God showed me how much I’d learned and grown this year. I see how much I memorized verses and discovered truths. I see so many loving, supportive friends. I see the hand of God.
The message of this story changed radically after I began it. I planned for it only to be learning to trust God, and book 3 would be about God’s plans being for our best. But I learned those two messages had to come together. And soon, another was added: surrender.
This book lays out the lessons I learned in 2020. A lot of Jay’s thoughts and lessons were adapted from things I had already written about myself throughout the year. As I wrote, I realized God was teaching me all over again what He’d taught me earlier in 2020. Because I needed to hear it all over again.
The message of trust is one I will always need, but one I particularly needed this year. There were a thousand and one reasons for me to go absolutely wild with anxiety. There were a thousand and one times I gave in to the fear instead of seeking God. There were a thousand and one times when He picked me up, forgave me, and helped me try again. The message of surrender was another huge and unexpected topic. I have to surrender my life, my family, my friends, my country, my world to Him. Because He is the only One who can handle it, and me trying to take on His job is both foolish, wrong, and harmful.
I poured a good deal of myself into this story. I cried. I laughed. I worked. I gave up things. I studied my Bible. I sought advice. I prayed. I lived the lessons. I don’t know what is planned for this story. But oh, how I hope it can be used to help someone. There is more than a lot of me in Jay. The better you know me, the more of me you’ll see in him. Perhaps no one besides me will ever really see how much he is me. No one will really know how much his journey is my journey. No one will ever really know how many little lessons I was taught while writing this. But I hope that someone, somewhere, can find as much help in this journey as I did.”

Looks like God saw I needed to learn this all over again.

THE TAGGED:

Not tagging anyone specific, but please feel free to steal!!

THE CLEAN COPY: 

1. Has your WIP a working title? If so, tell us! If not, have you any idea of what it might be?
2. Have you a synopsis for your WIP? If so, give it to us! If not, can you give us a blurb on what your WIP is about?
3. Have you a working/mock cover for your WIP? If so, show us! If not, have you an idea in mind?
4. How did you get the idea for this story?
5. How long do you think it will be? Is it longer or shorter than you thought it would be?
6. Who’s your favourite character so far?
7. What’s your favourite memory related to this WIP?
8. Any special person(s) who helped create it?
9. What’s your favourite scene so far (if you can tell about it without spoilers!)?
10. Can you give us a snippet? 
11. Is the story still what you thought it would be or has it thrown you a couple curveballs?
12. Is there a Bible verse, poem, hymn, picture, or quote that helped shape this story?
13. When and where have you done most of the writing so far?
14. Where do you get inspiration for this story?
15. Are you a plotter or a pantser?
16. Do you have a little ritual before you start writing?
17. Are you thinking of publishing this story?
18. What things have you learned while writing this story?

Don’t forget to head over to Ry’s to see her answers!

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