#reneesbooks

[oh-no-another-idea]

trick or treat? 🎃🧡

💛🍬🎉 A treat for you!! Have a sketch I did of Quintus the Necromancer going through it™️

Knock Knock?

[memento-morri-writes]

trick or treat! 🎃🧡

Hi Renee!! You get a...

TREAT 🍬

Here's a snippet of a nightmare that Rook had the night after he saw Captain Wolf again for the first time. (This was also the first nightmare from his curse, so that was fun. The DM really knocked it out of the park with his ideas, but the prose description is all mine.)

Rook was dragged towards the hatch that led down to the hold. The ladder descended into darkness, preventing him from seeing what lay ahead. But he didn’t need to see to know what was coming. He had spent two years down there, and frequently saw the hold in his dreams. He screamed as Aki and Maka dragged him over the edge. After a moment, the darkness gave way to the familiar, dimly lit hold of the Sea Snake. Ahead of them stood Captain Wolf, grinning viciously. Rook could easily imagine her as a sharp-toothed predator, watching with glee as her prey drew closer. She stepped aside to reveal a door that Rook knew like the back of his hand. The door to his cell. Its reinforced bars swung open, and Rook was thrust inside. He fell to the floor, as the door slammed shut behind him.  Quickly he scrambled to his feet, suddenly able to move again. The walls were shrinking, drawing ever closer to him. Panicked, he threw himself towards the door, but the door was gone. In its place was a small sliding hatch. Rook threw it open, crying out for someone, anyone to help him.  He had barely opened his mouth when a large, pale-skinned hand shot out, clamping around his throat. Rook’s scream turned into a strangled sob as Olvar’s fingers tightened around his windpipe.   Beyond the door, he could see Captain Wolf’s crew all gathered around the door, laughing. Aki and Maka stood at the front, one on either side of the captain. Their laughter was the loudest, and even above the din of the crew, and his own rising panic, he could hear them. “You were a fool. You should never have trusted us. Maybe if you hadn’t, you would be free.” But as the walls of the room crept in, Rook knew that wasn’t true.His last thought as the walls began to crush him, and as Olvar’s fingers squeezed the life from his body, was simple. It was always going to end like this. 

[memento-morri-writes]

4, 17, and 20 for whatever you’d like ❤️

Oh my fucking god. I'm SO SORRY. I SAW THIS THE INSTANT YOU SENT IT BUT I WAS STRESSED (for unrelated reasons) AND CLOSED MY INBOX AND TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THIS ASK UNTIL I GOT AN ASK ON ANOTHER BLOG TODAY. 😭😭😭😭

ask game here. (yes, I'm still accepting them.) (and any other questions, tbh. I just love talking, lmao.)

4. pick an alternate setting you would want to put either the main cast of your work in— zombie apocalypse, medieval fantasy, regency era, office hijinks, etc. describe what it would look like and/or write 100+ words in this universe.

So, I really fucking suck at making AUs, because most of the time I literally cannot separate my OCs from their setting. Like, Rook belongs in a high-fantasy setting, and nothing else works. Cyra needs some tech-y elements in her world or it doesn't work. Fallon only works in a no-magic fantasy world. Etc. Like, in my mind, if I wanted to write those characters in a different setting, I would have put them there in the first place. I know that's not a very satisfying answer though, so I'm gonna give you a sneak peak at the Worst Timeline AU for Rook that lives rent-free in both my head and my google docs.

In this AU Rook ends up becoming the 2nd-to-last boss of the campaign, with a complete set of Gambits (his special combat moves that Sigmar was teaching him, named after chess pieces), instead of the three he has in canon. This is maybe the most evil thing I've ever come up with and it was the result of me and the DM "yes, and"-ing each other for like an hour or more. (this also reminds me that I should share the Liars lore dump on this blog so people actually have some fucking context for this shit, but it's 5k words, so idk that will anyone would read it.)

the rest is going under the cut because I talk too much.

17. do you have a specific structure or method of plotting? what does your drafting process look like?

So, to be perfectly honest, I've never figured out how to plot or draft. I've never finished a draft of any project that was more than 10k words long (and even then the only completed short stories I've finished were for a grade in school), and my plotting and drafting process has changed for every project I've ever started. For my D&D writing, my "plotting" is pretty much just me typing one or several rambling messages in one of the threads in my "dnd idea dump" channel in my private discord server (I'm the only member). In most cases those messages get edited or rewritten completely at least a couple times before I actually get around to writing the thing. Drafting for D&D writing is usually done between 9pm and 3am, with me writing the whole "vignette" in one sitting, regardless of length (usually in the 1.5-3k range). (The sole exceptions to this so far are Snakebite and kind of the Carrion Backstory, which I chipped away at over a few days / weeks.) For ATQH, I had a very detailed plot setup in Milanote that was broken down into Acts > Chapters > Scenes like this:

As for drafting, I did my drafting for ATQH in Scrivener, writing completely out of order whenever inspiration struck. I've tried more "standard" outlining (for Political Fantasy WIP, for example), but I never actually ended up writing much for that WIP. What very, very little I did write was also out of order, though. Here's a pic of my outline doc, though, which lives in Scrivener.

20. do you think there's anything about your work which is predictable from your previous works/interests, or to anyone who knows you well enough? if the work was written by someone else, what would a recommendation designed to personally bait you look like?

This is a fucking HILARIOUS question to ask me, ngl. All of my writing is extremely self-indulgent, so yeah, almost all of it is textbook Morri's Interests. Rook is probably the best example of this: "A reckless, self-sacrificial lying bastard of a pirate with self-worth issues who gets the shit beat out of him on a regular basis and is generally miserable most of the time." Like, that's Morri catnip. All of it. Pirates? catnip. Whumpy shit? catnip. Self-loathing character? catnip. (One of my friends (who also happens to be a fellow player in one and the DM of two of my dnd games) knows well enough by now that she can convince me to read/watch ANYTHING as long as there's pirates. And literally just today she told me "you need to make [my woman character] more pathetic. You love your two pathetic men so much." Also, Rook having a Bad Time / almost dying / actually dying is pretty much a "and the sky is blue" situation to my friends atp, lmao.) In general, my Specialty seems to be pathetic men who get injured frequently and not-so-low-key hate themselves. (Rook, Carrion, Kris, just to name a few.) My favorite characters not written by me also tend to fall into this category. (Locke Lamora, my beloved.) I'm also just a sucker for characters who are Massive Fucking Idiots. Extra bonus points if they're Smart But Also Stupid. (ie, competent in one area, but absolutely failures in another. Especially if the thing they're Bad At has something to do with emotions / people skills.) Also, in terms of D&D characters in general, being a rogue, barbarian, or paladin is pretty much my MO at this point. I'm playing two rogues (Rook + Avra), a barbarian (Carrion), a paladin (Odynia), and a college of dance bard (Rune, who was kind of a shocker for everyone, since I usually never play full casters). And my characters from my previous, abandoned campaigns were another paladin (Asola) and another barb (Cyra). And we're stopping Odynia's campaign, and I'm thinking about recycling my other barbarian (Cyra, my beloved) for the next one. Basically, I'm the martial bitch, hahaha. Specifically high-damage martials. (Rogues with sneak attack, paladins with divine smite, barbarians with brutal critical...) Being super tanky (as a barb or paladin) is a huge bonus, but not a must. If we step aside from D&D it's really funny that the WIP that got me back into writing is so Not My Style, lmao. As an aroace person, I'm not a big fan of romance books, and I don't really like writing romance. But ATQH -- the first thing I had done any writing on in YEARS at the time -- is most definitely a romance. However, it came from a place of me wanting to write the kind of romance I wanted to see in the world: one with a lot of depth and characters who had strong identities, personalities, and problems outside of their love interest. Also, NO INSTA-LOVE. My most beloathed of all time. (Looking back, it was also partially a product of my parents collapsing marriage and me coming to terms with / realizing my own aromanticism, so in many ways it was kind of therapeutic to write.)

[writinglyra]

💍, 🎨 , 👽 for the ask game ❤️

Thank you, Renee! I'll answer these about Leyla from TPIWP.

💍 Does your OC have a specific item that is priceless to them but may (or may not) be completely worthless to someone else? Is there a story behind this item or is it just because they like it so much?

Leyla is probably the most sentimental of everyone in ASTER. She holds onto things that she associates with her mother, who died when she was a kid, more than anything. Her mother was an art curator, and one of Leyla's most treasured memories with her is from when she was maybe four or five years old. She took a crayon and scribbled a drawing on the wall of their house, but instead of berating her and cleaning it up, her mom printed out a little plaque, like she would do for the collections she curated, and pinned it up beside the doodle as though it were a piece of art on display. Eventually, it got cleaned up, but Leyla kept the plaque, and she has it in her HQ room right now.

🎨 Is your OC artistic? Can they draw or paint or do they prefer another medium? Are they a writer or musician or do they do something else? Give us a quick run down of what they can get creative with!

The previous answer probably gave this away, lol. Leyla comes from a family of artists (her dad is a conservator and her mom a curator), so she inherited a love of it. Not only does she draw and paint (she especially loves oils), but she also studied piano from a very young age. But more than that, she was/is a very talented ballet dancer. Before she joined ASTER, she competed in ballet at an international level, and even now she tries to dance as often as she can.

👽 Describe your OC as if they were an urban legend or myth!

Nobody is quite sure what happened at the Nine Points Mall that day. The official story--what they want you to think--is that there was a power surge, and a mass panic, and a tragic accident. But everyone who was there will tell you something different. They saw something that day. Something terrifying. Something they can never forget. A horrible apparition, dominating the sky. It came from nowhere, like a blinding murmuration of light, swallowing up the crowd and spitting them out just as carelessly. Just being near it, they say, would make your skin go cold and your heart rate quicken. And the damned few who touched it... they say it felt like pure terror, burrowing down into their bones. Like hovering on the edge of a nightmarish sleep, but unable to move. And when it swallowed those two men, they were never the same again. And most terrifying at all, a rare few will swear that it didn't come from nowhere after all. No. Much worse. It came from a girl. A terrified little girl. But not quite right. Maybe, something that looked like a girl... on the surface.

[writinglyra]

Wing for the snippet ask game!

Wing: share a snippet that you daydreamed about before writing it (or a snippet that you were really looking forward to writing.)

This is one I've been daydreaming about for a couple days now and this ask has finally convinced me to write down.

The guard wasn't expecting her to leave the tent. At the sight of her, he turned abruptly and bowed. "Your Highness?" "I need some air," she said. He swallowed. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I must recommend that you stay--" "I'm angry at my mother, soldier. I need a few minutes before I can be sensible around her." The trees at the edge of the camp were irradiating the sound of frogs and Beatrix felt a sudden need to be near them. "Would you take a walk with me?" The guard looked at her with a hardened face for a beat before he nodded. He was young and reminded Beatrix of her brother. "Of course, my lady."

[reneewatsonauthor]

Writing About Serious Topics in Children’s Books

Stand up if you like to play outside with your friends. Stand up if you’ve ever loss something. Stand up if you’ve ever been to a funeral. Stand up if you like to cook with your mom or dad. Stand up if you have ever moved. Stand up if you like to listen to music. Stand up if you are proud of where you are from.

This is the activity I do when I start off my author visits for A Place Where Hurricanes Happen. Before I share the book, I give an opportunity for students to see how they have something in common with the characters, even if they haven’t personally experienced a natural disaster.

People often describe A Place Where Hurricanes Happen as a book about hurricane Katrina. While the book certainly delves into the tragedy of Katrina, and is first and foremost for New Orleans, it is also about celebrating friendship and community and it shows children ways to cope with change and loss. It is also for children everywhere. Even if children haven’t experienced a natural disaster, many young people have loss a grandparent, had to move and start a new school, or enjoy playing with their friends or cooking with a parent.

It is important to me to create books that touch children on many levels and to have a balance of the good and the bad—because in life things are usually a combination of both at the very same time.

My advice to writers who desire to tackle serious issues in children’s books is to first read everything you can that is similar to what you want to write. Read the book the first time for pleasure, then a second time to study it and analyze what the writer is doing that makes the story work.

Then, I tell writers to practice writing about the characters, not about the incident. In A Place Where Hurricanes Happen, children are drawn to Keesha who can’t wait to eat the home-cooked meal she made with her mother; they can’t believe how many teddy bears she has in her collection. They laugh at Tommy when he complains about his snoring brother. They understand Michael’s pride when he brags about being the oldest and all the things he gets to do that his younger sister can’t. And they relate to Adrienne who is the leader of group, always looking out for her friends.

Writing about serious topics doesn’t change the basic rule—make the characters interesting and believable. When you, as the writer, have developed a strong character with a storyline, the tendency to be too preachy fades because your character takes center stage and the issue becomes secondary.

Following this principal will also deepen your story and help children see that even though horrific things happen, there can still be hope and rebuilding. It shows children that one incident doesn’t have to define them forever.

...

A Place Where Hurricanes will be re-released in paperback on July 22, 2014 Illustrations by Shadra Strickland

This post was originally featured on Cynsations.

There are so many good books that handle serious topics. Here are just a few from my bookshelf.

Knock, Knock by Daniel Beaty Theme: separation from a parent In a rare topic for younger children, Beaty explores the theme of permanent separation from a parent (it could be prison, death, or abandonment). The desire for guidance encountering life’s experiences is told from a small child’s point of view with candor, as well as hope, as he ends quoting papa’s advice to “KNOCK KNOCK down the doors that I could not.” -Booklist

Bird by Zetta Elliott Theme: coping with death, understanding drug addiction As Bird struggles to understand the death of his beloved grandfather and his older brother’s drug addiction, he escapes into his art. Drawing is an outlet for Bird’s emotions and imagination, and provides a path to making sense of his world. In time, with the help of his grandfather’s friend, Bird finds his own special somethin’ and wings to fly.

Sometimes Mommy Gets Angry by BeBe Moore Campbell Theme: mental illness Some mornings, Annie's mother's smiles are as bright as sunshine as she makes pancakes for breakfast and helps Annie get ready for school. But other days, her mother doesn't smile at all and gets very angry. Those days Annie has to be a big girl and make her own breakfast, and even put herself to bed at night. But Annie's grandma helps her remember what to do when her mommy isn't well, and her silly friends are there to cheer her up. And no matter what, Annie knows that even when Mommy is angry on the outside, on the inside she never stops loving her.