Scribes & Archers

The 4-Part WIP Special has begun! For those of you who don’t know, it’s a collaborative, almost tag-like series that goes through the month of April (Camp NaNoWriMo) where the participants discuss their writing. This month’s theme is writing goals. Let’s jump in!

What WIP(s) are you working on this Camp NaNo?

I’m working on The Masked Captain. It’s a fantasy novel that I started years ago and never got around to finishing, so now I’m starting from the beginning and hoping to get it written and edited in time to pitch it at RealmMakers next year (assuming those plans work out).

What goal did you set for it, and why did you set that goal?

My aim is to write 65k, approximately 5k per chapter. It’ll be kind of short for a novel (especially a fantasy novel), but it’ll at the very least be a start. :)

Can you give us a short synopsis of the WIP?

Princess Rynn is tired of her father’s inaction. The kingdom’s military has fallen into disrepair after years of peace, but now wolf-men ravage the countryside at Scythia’s border, and the king is deaf to Rynn’s protests that he revitalize the army.

With no one else willing to rock the boat, Rynn leaves the castle under cover of darkness and dons a new identity–Aelgan Revine, military captain–and takes charge of the local military company. But will she be able to keep her true identity hidden under a mask, safe from both her men and her father, long enough to eradicate the lupine threat?

How long have you been working on this WIP?

I think I started it in February 2017 (from what records I can find), but I didn’t work on it very long before some other story caught my attention (probably Slander & Steel). This time around, I’ve been working on it since sometime in January 2019 when I started on my Scythian World Anvil articles.

Where did the idea come from?

One line of dialogue: “Clandestine meeting? I think you mean clandestine reading.” Which I think was probably based on my own habit of reading in the middle of the night when I wasn’t supposed to…

Do you think you’ll be able to meet your goal? Why or why not?

I think so. When I sit down and write, I can write a lot. I’m blessed with a lot of free time, and once I get started on something I can usually focus pretty well. It’s the getting started that might be a challenge, along with my focusing on publishing and promoting The Mirror-Hunter Chronicles. But I don’t think those will have too large of a negative impact on my ability to write The Masked Captain.

Did you make any goals for March (Camp prep)? Were you able to fulfill those?

My main Camp prep goal was to outline The Masked Captain, which I did, and I had a lot of fun with it. (Apparently my outlining style is very snarky.) The main character arc came later in March and I didn’t actually weave it into my official outline, but I’ve mentally noted where I can work it into the story.

Are there any aesthetics/music you’d like to share? Any goals regarded to these artistic endeavors?

Not really… My Pinterest board is pretty boring (except for the sequel section, which contains spoilers), and my playlist isn’t expanded enough to share.

Share a snippet from your WIP

Here, have the opening scene:

Rynn’s eyes flashed open and she threw off the covers as quietly as possible. Grabbing her dagger sheath and book from the bedside table on her way, she tiptoed to the door and leaned close enough to hear Kallum’s steady breathing on the other side. Not steady enough to indicate sleep, of course. Kallum took his job far too seriously for that.

Cold radiated through her feet and she stepped back onto the rug as she strapped her dagger on over her nightgown. She crossed the room to the window, left open before she went to bed. She swung herself over the sill, letting out a low hiss as she banged her knee on the stone. The vine that grew oh-so-conveniently all the way from the ground to her solar window provided an excellent ladder—as it had many nights previous. Upon reaching the ground, Rynn took a deep breath of crisp night air and smiled, twirling once between lying down several feed from the keep window and cracking open her book to read by moonlight. She sniffed the pages and momentarily enjoyed the aroma before settling in completely, trying to ignore the howls from the northern forest but unable to fully banish her annoyance

Halfway through the night, she fell asleep to the sound of cicadas.

What’s a Bible verse that sums up the theme in your WIP? Or else helps you focus as you tackle what projects you’ve made for your goal?

One that helps me keep my focus where it should be is 2 Timothy 2:15-17a.

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like cancer.

It’s kind of nervewracking, but also helpful to remember that our words should have purpose and shouldn’t just be “idle babblings.”

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Be sure to check out the posts of the other participants!