So it’s been a while since I’ve updated my blog, and a long while since I’ve done any writing on my novel.
Whoops.
I have a good excuse though, I was trying to get into college and survive finals. And yay! I did get into college and I have two finals left and AP testing season is almost over. I can see the finish line, it’s so close. Now that things are starting to calm down though, it time to dedicate some time to my novel and my blog. I’ve got a big ol stack of ARCs sitting on my nightstand courtesy of Y’all West (Yay free stuff!) and I’m hoping to have a new blog post at least every other day.
As for my novel… I’m not going to lie, I’m struggling a bit. Everytime I sit down to write I feel like it’s a struggle to get the words out. Almost like pulling teeth. I think it’s because I need to get to know my characters better. Solace of Shadows is a very character driven novel, it’s about Persephone’s journey from a mortal girl to the queen of underworld so character development is intrinsic to the novel. Hannah from @booklattes had the brilliant idea of taking a personality test for each of the characters and it’s helped a lot, but some things still feel like they’re missing and I just don’t know how to fix it. My intuition is telling me that the connection to my characters is something that develops over time, just like any relationship. But I’m just so impatient, hahaha, and I wish that I could get the words to flow quicker and understand my characters with a snap of my fingers!
Anyways, I think a good step is to put metaphorical pen to paper and just write, (go figure). I can make all the spreadsheets and character cards I want, but at the end of the day I think simply writing and seeing what comes out is going to be the best way to find out who my characters are. So starting next month I’m going to try to develop a routine, where I get up every morning and write for an hour. I also bought the scrivener writing program so I’m hoping that will help me make some good progress, (Ah, nothing like new writing tools to sustain the illusion of productivity lol) It was very reasonable priced, a lot cheaper than I expected!
If you’d like to find out more about my Work In Progress, follow my story insta account @blossom.of.ash and check out my Pinterest Board: Solace of Shadows. :)
- Kennedy