#cnqotd

[muffinswritingblog]

Camp Nano QotD - 4

Q4: How are you choosing to tell this story, and why? (Think about things like narration style, pov character choice(s), story length, plot structure, genre, etc.)

Winter’s Mourning is an epic fantasy trilogy that’s going to take inspiration from Greek Mythology and their epic tales.

I’ll probably stick to writing it in 3rd person limited as that’s most comfortable for me, although it may change for later drafts.

Khiar will be the main POV and I have a feeling Visadelle will end up being another, because they have the most prominent plots in WM, but depending on how things go there might be other POV’s from the other characters, especially in the first draft while I try to figure out everyone’s voices and the exact direction of the plot.

[muffinswritingblog]

Camp Nano QotD - 3

How does your main character feel about their family and/or the concept of family? What impact has their family had on them? (Include found family if appropriate ^^)

Khiar Khiar has a lot of mixed feelings about his family. As a kid he looked up to and adored both his parents, and they were very doting and affectionate in return. They were good parents, who raised him to believe that his position as a god was important and one to be taken seriously and used to help others.

However, when he came into his powers and started to spend time with other Gods he found he was looked down on. This was because his Father had broken the rules of his Godhood. He’d made a deal with the Moon Goddess to kill a baby for her, so that Khiar could be born and live. Finding this out really messed with Khiar’s sense of identity, and his view of his father. This leads him to breaking all contact with his father and abandon his responsibilities entirely. He still keeps in touch with his mother, but he can tell she’s disappointed with his choices, and he’s bitter about their choice of Godhood (Mourning) for him, as he feels they could have given him something with better powers. It feels to him like they’re making him atone for his father’s choice, by giving him such a lack luster job.

Visadelle Visadelle was raised by her half brother, Qual (God Of Storms) after her mother made a deal with Ereb (God of Death) to exchange her own life for Visadelle’s. Qual is a busy god, so she’s also raised by his closest followers, but they have a strong relationship. He’s protective, but he never shelters here, and is honest with her about what happened to her mother and doesn’t sugar coat the dealings the deities have made and how it affects her life. He teaches her to sail, to fish, to sing the old songs of worship to Tam and even to defend herself as she gets older. She loves him and looks up to him, and he’s probably the only Deity she respects or trusts. She holds very little regard for her father, Myr (God of Oceans), feeling he’s partially responsible for her and her mother’s fate, through negligence. He doesn’t know she’s alive and she tells herself it’s better that way, but a part of her feels bitter that he never bothered to even check for himself.

Nashari Nashari was orphaned at an early age, when her mother died of illness, and lived on the streets until she found work at one of the prominent thieves guilds in her city. It helped keep a roof over her head and food in her belly, but her relationship with the other members is more business related than family. Her father was some unknown man until she suddenly inherited his Godhood (Wild Fire) upon his death, and she doesn’t really have any feelings towards him. She never told anyone at the guild about her new powers, knowing they’d seek to take advantage of the situation. The only people she really trusts are Khiar and Arisu, and even with Khiar she prefers being on even ground or having him in her debt. Arisu Arisu’s a demi goddess, who was raised by her mother. Though her father often visited and looked after the two of them. She’s the only child born to her father that has managed to gather enough of a following to become a Deity, and her mother and half siblings have all passed away. She has a decent relationship with her father, though she’s very independent and self reliant. She has a soft spot for the emotionally lost, and it’s endeared her to Khiar and Nashari, whom she treats like younger siblings.

Talas Most are surprised to find out that Talas has a really good relationship with both of his parents. Especially considering his mother (Goddess of the Moon) has made several attempts at his father’s (God of Oceans) life, in an effort to have Talas inherit his father’s powers and place. 

With his mother it’s relatively easy. He’s her entire world and he’s incredibly affectionate with her and spends a good deal of time with her. The only thing he doesn’t indulge her in is when she plots to murder his father or wants to punish those who don’t support his claim. In fact, the only time he was ever truly angry with her was when she had his younger half sibling killed at birth. (Powers pass to the youngest child of age.) His mother has since learned to keep her plots to herself. As for his father, the fact that Talas has no real interest in his dad’s powers, but instead goes out of his way to help mend the fences with his father’s people (Unlike most of the Deities, Myr has established himself as a ruler to the people who worship him rather than keeping himself at a distance.) has endeared him to his father. They’re very similar, but Talas is a lot more careful with his choice in partners and tends to care very deeply for all of them. He also has a good relationship with most of his half siblings. The only sibling he’s not on good terms with is Qual, but he knows that has more to do with their father, and his mother and the death of their infant step sister than it does himself.

[muffinswritingblog]

Camp Nano QotD - 7

Q7: What is the political and social climate like in your story? Where does/do your main character(s) stand within it?

I’m still figuring this out tbh. Since the world is filled with Deities I know they play a large roll in both, but how that manifests really varies from Deity to Deity. There is one original Goddess, Tam, who actually created the world and everything that exists within it. Her powers regenerate over time and can be charged through prayer, but if she uses too much power she becomes sick and weakened. In the beginning she ruled over the people and often walked among them, but as they grew and spread she had to withdraw to her own realm in order to watch over all of them. When this became too much she used her powers to elevate two of her most dedicated followers to deities to assist her. One was Death and the other was Fate/Time and their powers work the way hers do, in that they replenish on their own. All three of them are truly immortal, but creating the two of them drained too much of Tam’s powers, so they are the only deities whose power is completely self sufficient.

Instead the next set of deities she created required prayers to live. She gave them each control over one of the four elements as well as several other minor abilities. These seven are considered the major deities. Life, Death, Fate, Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire.

No other deities were chosen and created in the same manor. Instead children of two deities would inherit a godhood of their parents choice that stemmed from one of their abilities, and children of a deity and a mortal would have a latent ability to become a deity, should they gain enough followers.

The deities were originally lead by Tam, and mortals followed her advice though they tended to find their own ways to govern based on where they lived and what worked best for them. However Tam’s power was eventually drained to the point where she is in an eternal slumber, since the world is maintained by her powers and her three children (with the God of Wind) have taken over The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars as godhoods which pulled followers from her. The less followers she had, the less prayers she could answer, the more her followers strayed to her children. Other Deities have died the same way, as prayers sustain their life force, and most are wary of having children, and covet their powers. With Tam gone the Deities are slowly becoming more and more selfish and divided. The major Deities and Tam’s children hold the most sway and tend to act as police towards the other Deities when things get out of hand, but they all have different agendas. Some have taken to ruling directly over a group of mortals (like Myr the God of water) to ensure they have a large follower base. While others still seek to keep Tam’s old ways alive and strive for balance (like Wind, Death, Fate and Quall; God of Storms who is the first demigod to attain a godhood.)

As for the people, most of them gravitate to one Deity or another, in some cases a whole town will follow one Deity, while in larger cities everyone will have their own faith. However, more and more people are dissatisfied with the deities use of their powers, feeling that more energy goes to squabbling among themselves rather than helping their followers. There have been groups over the years that have sought to mobilize against the deities, or sought to break away from them, but unless it’s been directed specifically at a rogue Deity, it’s never ended well. Now such feelings are kept to the shadows, but with populations growing and prayers going unanswered, more and more people are talking and what was once spoken in whispers is slowly becoming a collective murmur among the crowds.

[muffinswritingblog]

Camp Nano QotD - 6

Q6: Do very close friendships or romance play a large part in your story? What is/are your primary relationship(s)? Why do these characters work well together, and what struggles might they need to overcome in order to grow closer?

Yes, both friendship and romance play a large part in WM.

It’s Khiar’s friendship with Arisu and Nashari that forces him to take action and chase after the talisman he’s lost. Arisu is kidnapped and her life is in danger, and Khiar knows Nashari won’t abandon her, and the truth is he can’t bring himself to do so either, so their bond is really important.

Nashari and Khiar work well together because they need each other, and neither is prone to trusting people. Nashari is a skilled thief with a newly inherited (and not in control) ability to kindle a small fire into something out of control, and Khiar has the ability to identify highly sought after talismans (which are basically a direct line to the deity who created them and work similarly to a genie’s lamp, in that the deity can’t refuse a request so long as it’s possible.) They rely on each other a lot, especially since neither wants to broadcast that they’re Deities to the mortals they live among.

Arisu tends to be the voice of reason among the three of them, and the main source of trust. She’s also got an ability to sense the direction of an item or person and this is handy for finding things that are hidden away. For Nashari, there’s just something about Arisu that fills a void of loneliness and a need for affection and kindness. She’s been falling for a while now and couldn’t stop even if she wanted to. For Khiar, well, he believes that Arisu is looking out for him on behalf of his mother, and it actually gives him a sense of security knowing that he’s not truly alone or cut off from his family. Unfortunately for both of them Arisu isn’t as open about her motives and feelings as they believe and she’ll have to come clean at some point and hope that their trust issues don’t trump the bond she’s formed with them. The main romance is set up between Khiar and Visadelle, and is beyond rocky in the beginning. Visadelle has so many reasons to hate Khiar, he’s the main reason she was supposed to die as an infant, and by extension the reason her mother is dead now. Also her fate has been tied to his, so she’s supposed to die in his stead. To top it off, when they meet he’s abandoned his family and godhood, and is flat out avoiding any and all responsibility, which pisses her off to no end. It’s not until much later and a one major incident that rocks Khiar’s entire world that she starts to try and understand him, and let go of her resentment, realizing that what happened to her wasn’t something he had any more control over than she did, but that he’s shouldering all the blame for it. Khiar, in turn, has a begrudging respect for her independence from day one, though he’d never admit it. He hates her preachy attitude and the way she looks down on him for all his choices, believing she’s just like everyone else, but the more time he spends with her the more he genuinely feels guilt over abandoning his godhood. She’s always trying to help people, with no thought of gain and he sees the way they respond to her. When his world comes crashing down around him and he finds himself on the receiving end of the very same kindness and care, and it humbles him, and he finds himself trying to live up to her expectations.

The secondary romances are less prominent but tend to play a roll in moving the plot along. Nashari’s feelings for Arisu drive her and Khiar to insist on helping Visadelle recover the talisman and Talas is actually an old lover of Arisu’s (Arisu is bisexual), and Talas is also interested in Visadelle when they first meet (having no idea that they’re half siblings). Both of those things draw him into the adventure as well. I do think at some point I’m going to try and work in a romance between Nashari and Satu (Arisu’s first dedicated worshiper) but Satu is young in the first book and I’m not sure of the timeline yet so I’m kinda gonna see how that one develops and how long the timeline stretches before committing to it.

[muffinswritingblog]

Camp Nano QotD - 5

Q5: Character development time! What is/are your main character(s) primary goal(s)? Which traits, beliefs, etc, will they need to change in order to reach these goals?

Khiar’s greatest desire is to be respected and welcomed as a God, but he doesn’t believe it’s possible given the low power of his godhood and also how the other deities treat him for what his father did so he can live. Instead he’s driven by bitterness and has dedicated his time to distancing himself from them and also to creating havoc for them.

He’s going to need to let go of his arrogance and the belief that he’s owed something if he really wants anyone’s respect, but it’s going to take a really humbling experience for him to realize that’s still what he wants deep down.

Visadelle just wants to live past her youth. With a goddess who wants her dead so that she can’t inherit her father’s power, and her fate being tied to Khiar’s death, she knows the odds are stacked against her. More than anything she wants to make a difference in the world, to help others like her who feel hopeless and like they no longer have a deity to believe in, but in order to do this she’s going to have to come out of hiding and face the risks that come with it, knowing that she’ll likely die before she can really do anything.

Nashari wants to be adored and worshipped and to live a life of comfort as a goddess. Unfortunately her godhood is Wildfire and is volatile and destructive, and all the previous gods have been short lived and feared. In order to attain what she wants she’ll have to drop her guard and need for self sufficiency.

Arisu - I actually have no idea what she wants yet. She’s almost 500 years old and has a strong following. She even has her first dedicated follower, though Satu is still just a teen and doesn’t leave her side. She’s pretty much the only deity who tries not to use her powers to answer her followers prayers, instead using her skills and knowledge to direct them or her connections to other gods to navigate danger safely. She’s mostly just eager to help others and wants to continue to be a reliable goddess, something she’s already doing. I think her main “goal” is to get Khiar to return to his family and to see him succeed as a god but that’s not something she really has any control over.

Talas is a lot like Arisu. He’s pretty content with his life and the only thing he really wants is for his mom to stop scheming to make him more powerful. He just doesn’t have the heart to tell her that he doesn’t want more, afraid that it would change their relationship for the worse and she might feel he’s taking his father’s side over her own.

(Bonus question: Are you a planner who wants to know their final climactic decision ahead of time, or are you going with the flow and waiting to be surprised?)

I’m definitely a planner. I know how Visadelle, Khiar and Talas’ goals will play out or change over the course of the story but there’s still a chance things will change.