Various by prideofprewett

[ineffable_season]

Ok so the plan for this camp is…just write! 

I’m at various stages with two of my current novel length WIPS. And then there’s one just sort of percolating in my brain, begging to be written. So here’s sort of what I’m hoping for this month: 

I’m nearly done with Hardened Hearts, so it would be super rad to finish that prior to NaNo NaNo this year. In my estimation I’m about 3-4 chapters from the end. So the goal is to finish and post ch 24 to the archives this month. 

I’m nearing the end of my Act I of III in A Season for Wallflowers, so my hope is to get ch 10 finished and posted to the archives. It would be rad to also end with a solid draft of ch 11 and 12, so I don’t lose momentum with that story. 

And then, when I just don’t feel like diving into these incredibly meaty stories, I also have an outline of my Made of Honor AU feat. Emmeline Vance and Rose Jorkins for @dreamshadow “friends to lovers,” challenge to work on.

There’s also Her Name Is Britt-Marie, To Know Your Heart, Kissing Every Stone, and Had It Been Another Day hanging out unfinished on my AP that are also options for things to work on if I get stuck with any of the above.

My April starts on a rather busy note, so it will be a challenge to fit in some writing time within the first couple of weeks. But, I am, if nothing else, determined.

I look forward to seeing what you all are working on this month and I can't wait to write alongside you! 

 Courtney

[Aphoride]

courtney!!  ahhh i get the sense of "too many wips" so much haha, so i sympathise!! it's a lot of stuff, but i'm so excited for so much it  

1. which are you most excited to work on?? 

2. which do you think will be the Dark Horse wip that you'll actually work on most?? 

3. made of honour au - tell me about this!!

good luck!!  

[ineffable_season]

Laura, thank you so much for the questions! 

7 hours ago, Aphoride said:

1. which are you most excited to work on?? 

I’m such a mood writer tbh, but I think pacing/plot/emotional appeal wise, Hardened Hearts is reaching a very exciting climax (again lol), and therefore, sounds the most appealing to dive straight into. I’m also looking forward to closing it out and then reworking it/developing its sequel a bit more.

7 hours ago, Aphoride said:

2. which do you think will be the Dark Horse wip that you'll actually work on most?? 

This is really hard to say hah. I could see myself easily getting drawn back into Her Name is Britt-Marie or Kissing Every Stone. My first two works are very detailed and take a lot of mental energy (and lots of extra research/fact checking goes into A Season for Wallflowers !). And those other two stories feel like the least amount of mental gymnastics.

7 hours ago, Aphoride said:

3. made of honour au - tell me about this!!

Ooh ok, so there’s this 2008 romcom titled Made of Honor that stars Patrick Dempsey and Michelle Monaghan who are friends from college who eventually come to the conclusion that they’re meant to be together. Kevin McKidd stars as the Scottish Royalty who is the third point in their love triangle. Basically when he proposes, Michelle M’s character asks Patrick Dempsey’s to be her Maid of Honor. Some jokes in it are definitely dated, but it’s a feel good friends to lovers film that I go back to when I’m feeling particularly low. Basically my intent is to take the premise of that film and make it into a queer romcom with Rose & Emmeline. I’m Americanizing Emmeline and setting it in Pittsburgh versus NYC, where the film is set. But I’m probably going to steal the basic plot formula behind that film.

Thanks again for these lovely questions!

Courtney

Edited April 1, 2023 by prideofprewett

[GotNoJamsss]

Hey Courtney! Here with some questions for you this NaNo! Looks like you have plenty of ways to keep busy Best of luck writing!

1. What part of writing OF are you enjoying the most? 

2. Did I see Hardened Hearts sequel?  Is there anything more about that you can share? 

3. I'm so excited to see you're planning more Emmaline and Rose content  What about that pairing do you vibe most? What makes you keep coming back to them? 

4. Speaking of 'Friends to Lovers' - do you have a favorite trope? Do you have a least favorite? Do you have one that you don't mean to, but constantly find yourself writing? 

[ineffable_season]

Jacque thank you so much for these questions!

1 hour ago, RogueSlytherin said:

1. What part of writing OF are you enjoying the most?

Seeing the bare bones stuff come together. My process begins with dialogue and then branches out into internal thoughts, actions, etc. So seeing that final draft form and it connecting between chapters and other plot points is what excites me the most.

1 hour ago, RogueSlytherin said:

2. Did I see Hardened Hearts sequel?  Is there anything more about that you can share? 

Yes! I'm hopeful to rework some things before November and center NaNo NaNo on drafting the sequel. The basic premise is to elaborate on the political plots sprinkled in HH and to have Cedrella finally see all that is happening from the "opposing," POV. There are some other plot lines too like Cedrella's relationship with Charis that will not be resolved in HH and will instead carry over in this second installment.

1 hour ago, RogueSlytherin said:

3. I'm so excited to see you're planning more Emmaline and Rose content  What about that pairing do you vibe most? What makes you keep coming back to them? 

In short, queer love & joy. I uhm...gave them a not so very happy ending the first time I ever wrote them & I guess I want to right that wrong by writing them from a place of eventual and/or continued happiness. I also love that they both have strong convictions about different things. It took me a while to figure that out for myself and I view their characters as my way of celebrating parts of my identity, including my hopes & dreams, that I am now content with.

1 hour ago, RogueSlytherin said:

4. Speaking of 'Friends to Lovers' - do you have a favorite trope? Do you have a least favorite? Do you have one that you don't mean to, but constantly find yourself writing? 

Ooh friends to lovers is so good as is best friends sibling. I seem to also write sweet cinnamon rolls and awkward bbys in love a lot. I guess that last one is similar to "idiots in love," but more awkward/adorkable. I think I do a lot of "forbidden romance," too. I don't like "trauma porn" (i.e. stuff that's like Colleen Hoover & Nic Sparks) or cheating. And I find "enemies to lovers," incredibly hard to write well, so I tend to avoid it unless it checks certain other boxes/comes highly recommended by a friend.

These were great questions! Thank you for asking!

 Courtney

[ineffable_season]

Camp NaNo Week One Update:

• I wrote ~3.4k words

• Completed and posted Ch 24 of Hardened Hearts 

• Had an existential crisis about whether or not I can effectively write a Regency Era novel but a huge thanks to @Pixileanin for helping me shrink all my subplots into something manageable, I now have a rough draft of Ch 10 of A Season For Wallflowers in the works!  

So all in all, a pretty decent week for me.

How are you all doing? Need some cheering words? Reviews? Questions? I will try to spread some additional love in the next week, if I haven’t on your current WIPs/nests already!

Now I’m off to watch the Pirates lose at our home opener (ahh the things I do for love…)

Courtney

[starlitcastles]

Hello Courtney!

First and foremost, the plan sounds great although I know it’s easier said than done at times but do like that plan.  It’s great that you’re almost close to finishing Hardened Hearts and that I hope you’ll be able to get completed before November this year.  You do mean the November Nano right?  I hope that you’re able to accomplish with getting Chapter 24 in the Archive and  the other chapters that you mentioned for Hardened Hearts. I also hope that you’ll be able to write Chapters 10-12 for A Season for Wallflowers and you also make tons of progress with that! Ooh the Made For You AU sounds like it'll be something fun to write and also hope that you'll able to get a lot of it done in time for the challenge's deadline. Definitely sounds like a pretty challenge to also partake in especially for this month! It's great that you also have the three stories that you mentioned that are on your AP to fall back on if you find yourself dealing with complications with your other writing projects that you mentioned earlier.

As for questions, I have only two so far that I would at you so starting with the first one: have you noticed any changes or differences when you started to write Hardened Hearts as to now as a writer and if so, what are those changes? Are there things you still have kept the same despite the changes in writing it? The second and final question that I have for you is actually for writing in general and that question is:  do you have any unconventional writing tips of your own that you felt help you that might help others? If it doesn't help others then how do you feel it helps you uniquely per se? Does that question make sense?

With that being said, I do want to send you many well wishes and that you’re able to keep continuing writing journey throughout this whole month and that you’ll be able to reach some, many, and or all of the writing goals as well!  That, and also send you encouragement and motivation in the form of these words: You can do it! You got it! Oh, and don’t let anybody and or anything hinder you from getting close to progressing to your writing goals either.  Best of luck to you!

-Diana

[ineffable_season]

On 4/7/2023 at 6:08 PM, starlitcastles said:

As for questions, I have only two so far that I would at you so starting with the first one: have you noticed any changes or differences when you started to write Hardened Hearts as to now as a writer and if so, what are those changes? Are there things you still have kept the same despite the changes in writing it? The second and final question that I have for you is actually for writing in general and that question is:  do you have any unconventional writing tips of your own that you felt help you that might help others?

Diana! Always a pleasure to hear from you and thank you so much for the questions! 

1. In terms of what has changed or is different from when I started writing HH to now, I like to think I have improved as a writer. I used to include all kinds of details to set the present mood/setting, without much thought for how certain details might impact the future. I also used to use a million details in dialogue tags. I've gotten more comfortable eliminating both. Also, in terms of the world building and plot building, I want to do different things with these characters once I conclude HH. Yes, they'll have always gotten their start as the parents of Arthur Weasley, but I think they can be so much more than that. And I think my story can be more than what it currently is too. So I'd have to say that my writing has hopefully improved as has my outlook of what I want to do with this story in the future has changed a great deal as well. Because the idea of flipping a long haul fanfic into original fiction while finishing it, is daunting, I've not really changed much to do with the original. I deleted the prologue of the story (though now I could probably bring it back ) because I didn't feel like I could get to that point in the story, in a way that made sense. But that's about it.
2. As for unconventional writer tips...I think this would differ for everyone since we all probably have different ideas of what is "unconventional." I think one tip I don't often see is to follow other writers who are writing in your genre on social media. Seeing them go through the process ahead of you can be very helpful, especially if you've never worked in publishing/have limited knowledge of the industry. I've also met some first time authors and unpublished authors this way who are absolute gems. Another thing I am a big believer in, is not to write everyday, but to at least think about your WIP everyday. And on days when you don't write, try to engage with other work that will restore the fatigue inside your brain. You might not be the fastest to finish your WIP this way, but sometimes slow and steady wins the race, right?

Again, thank you for these wonderful questions! 

 Courtney

 

[ineffable_season]

Random writing side note: Remember that time I wrote a blog post about a podcast that talked about how feminine umbrellas were in Regency Era and how sexy it is that Captain Wentworth a la Persuasion is carrying one? Well, in case you forgot, here is your reminder. But also, I am totally channeling that energy with Arthur having a handkerchief at his disposal for any sobbing women Maria. Sure, men had them at this time, but they were considered more feminine objects, like the umbrella.

The best part though? Our sweet boi doesn't know that he's being so swoon-worthy about it all. Oh, I am so disproportionately excited to write more things about this stupid little handkerchief.  

Quote

She was so grateful for the piece of fabric that she barely had time to question why he’d have such a thing so readily at his disposal.

“What you must think of me,” she murmured while dabbing at her face.

“It’s nothing bad,” he assured with a small smile, “I can promise you that.”

“You’re too kind.” She glanced down at her lap, sniffling. “Truly you are.”

After a beat of silence, he quietly informed her, “I’m merely accustomed to emotional outpourings of this nature, on account of my previous profession. Hence why I always carry a handkerchief.”

Another breathless sound of relief escaped her. She blotted the remnants of her tears away and then turned in her chair to hand it back to him.

With a lift to his hand, Arthur encouraged, “Please keep it. I have plenty.”

 Anyway, I expect this chapter to be posted soon.  And then I hope to carry on with Ch 25 of HH.

Courtney

Edited April 10, 2023 by prideofprewett

[ineffable_season]

Camp NaNo Week Two Update:

• Another 3k words complete! 
• Completed and posted Ch 10 of A Season for Wallflowers and I am relatively happy with the direction the story is taken. 
• I started Ch 25 of Hardened Hearts, which will have a lot of "how did we get here?" dialogue. So I'm working my way through that, which will take a lot of balancing between that and the emotional stuff that Cedrella's now experiencing. I did take it upon myself include a certain canon character, who is very likely around the same age as Cedrella and Septimus 
• I also began Ch 11 of A Season for Wallflowers, where Maria has some "revelations," and begins to take her life in her own hands. I'm honestly wondering if I could axe the first two chapters during the "rewrite," phase and begin the story around Ch 3, if I infuse more about Maria's character in that section. I'm going to leave them there for now, but it's something that recently popped into my head. I sort of did a "soft ask," for alpha readers I think once I finish things as they are posted here, I might ask for real and consider doing something more with this story. I can also see several other stories spinning off of this one. Am I overly optimistic about this/my abilities writing Regency Era Romance? Probably. But you only live once. And I would rather try and fail then not try and have nothing but regrets.

I hope everyone else is enjoying themselves this Camp NaNo!

 Courtney

[Felpata_Lupin]

1 hour ago, prideofprewett said:

I did take it upon myself include a certain canon character, who is very likely around the same age as Cedrella and Septimus 

Oh, wait... who are we talking about? I'm curious...

1 hour ago, prideofprewett said:

I sort of did a "soft ask," for alpha readers I think once I finish things as they are posted here, I might ask for real and consider doing something more with this story. I can also see several other stories spinning off of this one. Am I overly optimistic about this/my abilities writing Regency Era Romance? Probably. But you only live once. And I would rather try and fail then not try and have nothing but regrets.

Oooooh! Wow! That's great! Sending you all well wishes and good luck for this! Definitely worth trying! This story/your writing in general has a lot of potential and I admire you for wanting to try and put your work out there a bit more! I think it's a dream we all share around here, and I'm so proud of you for taking these first steps!!!

I'm unfortunately way behind on A Season for Wallflowers, but I'm totally planning on doing some catching up soon...  I don't really have questions for now, just wanted to say that I'm rooting for you and that I admire your work and dedication and everything you've already achieved during this Camp NaNo so far!  

Good luck again and big  

Chiara

[quill2parchment]

On 3/29/2023 at 8:36 PM, prideofprewett said:

And then, when I just don’t feel like diving into these incredibly meaty stories, I also have an outline of my Made of Honor AU feat. Emmeline Vance and Rose Jorkins for @dreamshadow “friends to lovers,” challenge to work on.

 

Can I just share how excited I am about this fic. I(faintly) remember the movie. I think I remember it as having my best friend's wedding vibes? or maybe I'm confusing it with another movie. Either way, I'm so excited that we might be soon getting this fun romance-y plotline for Emmeline and Rose. I've definitely missed them and the way you write them. Is there anything new you can share about this story? Like, is it going to be novel length? I know you're updates with on HH and a Season for Wallflowers so I'm sure much of your writing time has gone into those but I just thought I'd checked in and see if there were any news regarding this other one

 

On 3/29/2023 at 8:36 PM, prideofprewett said:

I’m nearly done with Hardened Hearts, so it would be super rad to finish that prior to NaNo NaNo this year. In my estimation I’m about 3-4 chapters from the end. So the goal is to finish and post ch 24 to the archives this month. 

 

You're so close to completing it! That's so exciting! And I'm also really excited for the sequel (even though I still have ways to go before catching up.) I love the way you've built this entire world for us. Your setting descriptions always make feel like I'm there - or watching it on the screen. I feel like that's so hard to do in writing in general but especially in a time piece so just wanted to give you major props on that. It's really inspiring. 

Hope nano is going great for you (it sounds like it is! :)) 

Quilly

[ineffable_season]

On 4/15/2023 at 11:00 AM, Felpata_Lupin said:

Oh, wait... who are we talking about? I'm curious...

I think you know, since you made a guess about it, in your review  *coughs*HoraceSlughorn*coughs*

Also, thank you so much for the general encouragement in pursuing these writer goals of mine, Chiara! You're such a gem of a human being and I feel so fortunate to have met you! 

 

On 4/15/2023 at 11:37 AM, quill2parchment said:

Can I just share how excited I am about this fic. I(faintly) remember the movie. I think I remember it as having my best friend's wedding vibes?

Ooh yes, I forgot about this film! Yes, it is sort of like that! 

 

On 4/15/2023 at 11:37 AM, quill2parchment said:

Is there anything new you can share about this story? Like, is it going to be novel length?

Yes, knowing me, this is another novel length story (because clearly, I do not have enough of them lol). And while I've not really worked on it yet this month, I hope to get back to it once the other two stories thoroughly exhaust me hah! I did start outlining it and even wrote parts of Ch 1. One of the things I am most excited about is that it's going to be set in the city of Pittsburgh (my hometown), so I'm having so much fun planning out certain landmarks and locally relevant things and sharing them with you all! Also, it's been a lot of fun to think of this dynamic a bit differently. Emmaline's more indifferent to romance in What Others Dream Of...until she meets Rose, of course.  But in this story, she's more of a romantic. And Rose is still just a cynic when it comes to matters of the heart. Either way, I'm excited about writing them in a new setting and in a friends to lovers way

Thank you so much for your encouragement and your questions Quilly! 

Hope you both are having a lovely day!

 Courtney

[ineffable_season]

Did I just roughly plot out the next four chapters of HH? Yes. 

Did I just sketch a rough idea for the end line of the story? Yes. 

Do I have a smutty one shot of the wedding night in my back pocket? Of course I do!  

How do I feel? Mostly content. Also a bit anxious about whether or not you all will think I totally jumped the shark (if you don't already lol) with this story I started solely based on vibes almost three years ago. But. In spite of those doubts. I wrote a novel about Arthur Weasley's parents. I don't totally hate it (though some parts are very cringe on the reread). So that should count for something, yeah?!