Queen of Wands + Review responses by Flaming Quilltips

[FlamingQuilltips]

SO - Life has been overwhelmingly busy leaving me uninspired most days. But I'm hoping to have Camp NaNo kickstart (or at least aid some word vomit) my writing. 

Since it's been ages I've been active, I figured I'll start with an introduction: My non-fanfiction name is Vaishnavi, I go by Vaish for ease of use. When I started writing FF (c. 2007) I started going by "Ysh" which is an abbreviation of my name but pretty much a homophone. Now I just use Vaish and Ysh interchangeably!

My CampNaNo Goals:

I've not been very successful with NaNos in the past but I'm still going to go ahead and set out the goals: 

• Queen of Wands: 25000 words or 10/20 chapters
• Review responses: I have nearly 100 unanswered reviews and would love to get cracking on them this month!

Queen of Wands

Andromeda Black had always been a curious witch. With her quiet disposition and a large family, it became easy for her to find her own way. When she announced her intent to pursue Healing after Hogwarts, it took the entire Black family by surprise. Nevertheless, love and money being abundant, there was very little to deter her father from supporting her wishes. But as with everything in the Black family, conditions applied. Andromeda was not naive - she knew what had to be done to get what she wanted. She couldn't care less for a wizarding war. She was on a carefully crafted path, her next few years planned out in detail. But even the most carefully laid plans are not impervious to detractions. In her case, she certainly did not account for a rogue wizard with a penchant for being on the receiving end of mysterious curses. 

- Project conception and challenges

For the past decade and a half I have almost exclusively written the Marauders. So much so I have a whole world built in my head, and set all my one-shots in that world. Last year, I envisioned doing NaNo and was attacked by this plunny. I mapped an outline on a 3 hour flight from New Jersey to Minneapolis and it lay forgotten in my notebook for half a year. I just posted 2 chapters to the archives recently, but I've been struggling so much with developing some aspects of Andromeda as well as the dynamics of the Black family, especially how they deal with her career choice. I've also chosen a very atypical motivation for her pursuit of Healing.  Through this story I want to show Andromeda's growth as a person and how Ted Tonks enters her life and gives her a perspective she'd never seen before. I am realizing more and more that it's a lot easier said than done! 

Fluff and drama is what I've typically written, it comes easy to me. With this story, I'm trying to strike a little bit of balance to match the fact that there's a war going on even if it doesn't directly affect the MC (at least not at first). This means my chapters are super inconsistent and end up not having a tone to it because I can't figure out my own style!

As you can also tell, I am also feeling quite insecure about my writing - which has resulting in so much rewriting that had halted progress!!

So for all these reasons, I hope to use Camp Nano and the wonderful FF community to give myself some accountability to finish this story, as well as discover aspects of myself as a writer through this project. If not, at the very least, I reply to all wonderful reviews and cheer on my fellow campers

Vaish 

[grumpy cat]

heyyy vaish, yay for joining us in the nano madness

so a couple of questions i'd been curious about since i started reading queen of wands (which i've been immensely enjoying -- you've created such a fascinating character in andromeda and i've loved the dynamic she has with lissy especially!)

• why doesn't andromeda care about the wizarding war? or (pureblood) politics?
• the title! is there any particular meaning behind queen of wands or is it there for the ~~vibes because honestly it sounds just rly cool, rolling of the tongue and all
• lissy has me intrigued because i feel like you'd dropped some ~~hints about her in the two chapters you've got up but i may be misreading the situation so...anything you'd love to share with us about her character?
• what had to be done...to get what andromeda wanted i suppose this might be a lil spoiler-y so consider this "question" just me going at that
• what's been the most fun thing you've done with this story so far? you mentioned it's been difficult strike a tone/style/balance but as a reader i hadn't even noticed, just been enjoying the story so far. anyhow i'm sure that besides that pesky lil difficulty, there's plenty to enjoy about writing this story so i'd love to hear it

[ineffable_season]

Ooh...this story sounds absolutely fabulous and something I need to check out immediately! Hello! I'm Courtney, btw. I can't recall if we met, but just figured I would do that whole intro thing anyway.  So I do have some questions. My apologies in advance if they can be answered by reading the first two chapters of this story, just yell at me if that's the case

• What do you like best about writing Andromeda?
• What is the most challenging thing about writing her?

17 hours ago, FlamingQuilltips said:

Through this story I want to show Andromeda's growth as a person and how Ted Tonks enters her life and gives her a perspective she'd never seen before.

 Love this concept! So much so that I wrote it into a monster length novel of my own concerning a certain Black daughter and a certain Weasley son.  Do you have any ideas of how Ted and Andromeda will meet that you can share that with us? And if you're able to share, do you envision there being a bit of tension/conflict between them at the start? Or will they connect in another way?

• What is your favorite writing ritual? (i.e. coffee/tea, music, a specific location you write in, etc.)
• Andromeda aside, who is your favorite Marauder to write and why? 

Anyway, I will most definitely be checking out your story this month. Best of luck to you while writing!

Courtney

[FlamingQuilltips]

23 hours ago, grumpy cat said:

heyyy vaish, yay for joining us in the nano madness

so a couple of questions i'd been curious about since i started reading queen of wands (which i've been immensely enjoying -- you've created such a fascinating character in andromeda and i've loved the dynamic she has with lissy especially!)

Hiii Kris!! Thank you for stopping at my novel nest - yayy! So glad you're enjoying Queen of Wands so far  I love questions, they make me think more about my characters! Thank you so much for the insightful questions

 

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• why doesn't andromeda care about the wizarding war? or (pureblood) politics

I envision Andromeda as a bit self-centered. Being pureblood, she's sufficiently shielded from the politics and the war of it all. She's in a way privileged and free to pursue what interests her without worrying about persecution or prejudice. For her, that's just the way of life - she hasn't known any different, and she hasn't had any reason to check her privilege (yet ). In a way she's blissfully oblivious and prefers it that way.

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• the title! is there any particular meaning behind queen of wands or is it there for the ~~vibes because honestly it sounds just rly cool, rolling of the tongue and all

 Yessss! So funny story: Way before I was attacked by this plunny, I took part in a DnD campaign where the dungeon master included tarot card readings on a quest (SO MUCH FUN!). They knew quite a bit about it which intrigued me, and I went to read up on it. That's when I came across this description compiled from multiple websites which actually inspired me to write Andromeda:

"The Queen of Wands sits upon a throne decorated with lions facing opposing directions, a symbol of fire and strength. In her left hand, on her crown and behind her are sunflowers, symbolizing life, fertility, joy and satisfaction, and her right hand holds a wand with one small sprout springing to life. A black cat sits at her feet, a sign that while this Queen is bold and outgoing, she is also in touch with her shadow self – the darker, lesser-known side of her being. 

This suit, most often called "Wands" represents initiative, ambition, drive and desire. She is not, however, sentimental. Like a good farmer, she views her crops, her animals, even the people who work for her, as necessary resources for the achievement of the higher goal. If any aspect is no longer productive or cost-effective, she can let them go without a second thought. Do not look to her for sympathy."

 

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• lissy has me intrigued because i feel like you'd dropped some ~~hints about her in the two chapters you've got up but i may be misreading the situation so...anything you'd love to share with us about her character?

Ahh Lissy!! So glad you brought her up. She was initially intended to be a background character since I didn't envision Andromeda letting anyone in, however much she loved them. But Lissy's muse decided that wasn't going to be the case.

Lissy's mother wanted to escape the confines of the pureblood society, and the stigma that was associated with being the wife of a squander/absconding husband. As a result, Lissy and her mother travelled a lot and lived in so many situations. This really helped Lissy embrace the pureblood life a lot differently than Andromeda, given she didn't grow up with it. She simply saw it as another situation to adapt to. Lissy, like Andromeda, doesn't care much for the wizarding war simply because she'd lived in parts of the world untouched by it.

The motivation for Lissy to become a Healer is quite unique - she came across a travelling Mediwitch from Thailand who was learning Healing practices of indigenous magical communities that hadn't integrated with mainstream magical medicine. Lissy was fascinated by something the witch said: "To preserve the knowledge of the past and enable the progress of the present, we must learn, listen, and never stop looking." For her, becoming a Mediwitch was her ticket to travel the world and learn new things.

Ooh also she's quite proudly bi   

 

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• what had to be done...to get what andromeda wanted i suppose this might be a lil spoiler-y so consider this "question" just me going at that

Yesss - it is a teensy bit spoiler-y but I'll leave you with this: Adromeda has a lot of ambition, and ambitions don't fit within the Black family's carefully crafted life plans. What compromises does Andromeda have to make for her ambition? 

 

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what's been the most fun thing you've done with this story so far? you mentioned it's been difficult strike a tone/style/balance but as a reader i hadn't even noticed, just been enjoying the story so far. anyhow i'm sure that besides that pesky lil difficulty, there's plenty to enjoy about writing this story so i'd love to hear it

Aww - thank you so much for the kind words   It IS nice to think about what I've been enjoying - and for me Lissy has turned out to be the most fun! I've been discovering things about her as I write, and she's the first LGBTQ+ character I've written making her so so special to me. As a cis-het-female I've been afraid of misrepresenting, but Lissy is so so stubbornly and chaotically bi (and may even be pan) that I'm casting my inhibitions aside and letting her tell me who she is. I've already decided she needs to star in her own story (which may or may not be distracting me this NaNo )

 

Thank you so much for stopping by the Novel nest and giving me a chance to ramble on about my story. I realize I have very long answers - hopefully they didn't scare you away  

[FlamingQuilltips]

On 7/3/2022 at 4:46 AM, prideofprewett said:

Ooh...this story sounds absolutely fabulous and something I need to check out immediately! Hello! I'm Courtney, btw. I can't recall if we met, but just figured I would do that whole intro thing anyway.  So I do have some questions. My apologies in advance if they can be answered by reading the first two chapters of this story, just yell at me if that's the case

Hii Courtney! It's nice to officially e-meet you  I love talking about this story so happy to answer all the Qs you have!

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• What do you like best about writing Andromeda?

Ahhh I spend so much time thinking about the challenges of writing Andromeda that I had to pause to answer this question. I think I like discovering her as I go. She's someone so very unlike me, I let the muse guide me. I like that

 

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• What is the most challenging thing about writing her?

Ack - where do I begin? The fact that she's so unlike me is the hardest part. I still don't feel like I have a foothold of what it is to BE Andromeda - which makes me very insecure about writing her. 

 

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Love this concept! So much so that I wrote it into a monster length novel of my own concerning a certain Black daughter and a certain Weasley son.  Do you have any ideas of how Ted and Andromeda will meet that you can share that with us? And if you're able to share, do you envision there being a bit of tension/conflict between them at the start? Or will they connect in another way?

Ooh YAY I am so intrigued by the Black/Weasley idea I might just check it out soon  YES - Andromeda and Ted meet at St. Mungos where she does her training. They're on such different paths that they have nothing to talk about initially. I envision a friendship growing between them, with Ted's personality and perspective surprising her every step of the way!

 

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• What is your favorite writing ritual? (i.e. coffee/tea, music, a specific location you write in, etc.

Yess - I love Coffee or wine (depending on what time of the day I'm writing). I usually write in silence, but plot with a playlist  My favorite time to write is with a glass of wine at Friday night 9pm!

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Andromeda aside, who is your favorite Marauder to write and why? 

ACK this question makes me so so happy! Lily is the easiest to write (though technically not a marauder), but I absolutely enjoy writing Sirius. In my marauder-verse, Sirius has so many dimensions to him from being a comic relief to angsty sulky guy to the surprisingly perceptive friend with sage advice to give (when he can be bothered to do so).

 

Thank you so much for stopping by  

[FlamingQuilltips]

Update July 6:

I still got nothing more than the 700 words from a few days back, but I’ve been successfully distracted by developing Lissy aka Felicity Fawley’s backstory in more detail than required for this story

[quill2parchment]

1 hour ago, FlamingQuilltips said:

I still got nothing more than the 700 words from a few days back, but I’ve been successfully distracted by developing Lissy aka Felicity Fawley’s backstory in more detail than required for this story

Developing unnecessary side characters backstories is so relatable. 

I've been loving Queen of Wands! 

1.) What can you tell us about your vision of Ted for this story? What are some words you might use to describe him?

2.) What is about being a Healer that Andromeda loves so much?

3.) You mentioned you started writing FF some time ago. What are some changes you feel you've made in your writing? Style or otherwise. 

 Quilly 

[FlamingQuilltips]

On 7/6/2022 at 9:30 AM, quill2parchment said:

Developing unnecessary side characters backstories is so relatable. 

I've been loving Queen of Wands!

Hii Quilly!! Thankoo so much for that  I definitely feel like that's a major procrastination point LOL

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1.) What can you tell us about your vision of Ted for this story? What are some words you might use to describe him?

Yess! Ted in this story is loyal with a passion for what he believes in. He's driven to uncover truth and tends to take risks. He's not afraid to speak his mind and stand up against authority if needed. He's curious, empathetic, and honest, but he can also be reckless and stubborn to a fault. He challenges Andromeda's evasiveness, her perspective of the world and her place of privilege that allows her to not take a stand. 

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2.) What is about being a Healer that Andromeda loves so much?

Ahh - solving puzzles. Andromeda isn't much of a people person, but she loves solving puzzles and loves the diagnostic aspect of Healing. She doesn't quite care about the nurturing part of it.

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3.) You mentioned you started writing FF some time ago. What are some changes you feel you've made in your writing? Style or otherwise. 

Ooh I love this queestion - I hadn't really thought of my journey as a writer - I started writing as a teenager so there's definitely a maturity that has grown in my writing in terms of character development and setting a tone to my story. I have pushed myself into a comfort zone with the Marauders!Drama/Fluff though, which I'm trying to get out of. 
As far as style goes - I feel like I've gotten better at 'killing my darlings' and 'showing instead of telling', and balancing dialogues with actions/descriptions (since my stories are very dialogue heavy!).  I still don't feel like I have developed a unique writing-voice yet, but I feel like that's the goal

 

Yay thank you for stopping by Quilly  glad you're doing Nano as well!