Young Writers Society

Daily Word Count: 1,469/1,667

Total NaNo Word Count: 20,887/50,000

Mood of the Chapter:



Thoughts:

I wrote less today but I'm already ahead and kind of don't care? It went well. I wrote in a euphenism that wasn't intentional but fit in perfectly and worked better than my original joke anyway.

I ended up just finishing Chapter Eight instead of going into Chapter Nine because I'm Lazy, but I think next chapter is gonna be pretty fun? Some magic things happen finally so I'm lOOKING FORWARD TO IT.

also got to write a little, vague magic, that will never be directly addressed and is more of a fun little spice! it's something new in this draft, so we'll see how it works

Favourite Scene (one of them):

“Carter already offered,” Gideon said. “Besides, I was there when you tried to suture Darius’ wounds, and you almost killed him.”

Oh. Oh. Huh. He was going to let Carter do it. He wanted Carter to do it?
Isha tilted her head, finally glancing back at Gideon, and raised an eyebrow. “That wasn’t my fault.”

“He got an infection because you somehow lost the needle in his skin,” Gideon said.

Oh, ew. A sharp ting ran down Carter’s spine and he tried not to think about a needle getting stuck in someone’s flesh. “I, um, will not do that,” he murmured.

Daily Word Count: 2,206/1,667

Total NaNo Word Count: 23,093/50,000

Out of Context Spoiler:



Thoughts:

I actually stopped at 1.3k, but then the NaNo website was like "you need 76 more words!" and I was like uuuGH fine and then I managed to slip into a stream of muse (just like the characters are falling into a river ayy) and got more of it churned out than I intended. but then I had to call someone and the spell broke and I was like "that's enough writing for today" and in other news, I am Tired.

I remember updating my daily word count goal last year depending on what the website gave me as a total for each day but,,, I don't know if that's a thing anymore (unless you haven't written at all, but I didn't write down the number that I needed when I had it up this morning, so... too bad).

someone needs to stop me from writing soft Carter/Gideon scenes it's too much.

on the other hand, supernatural creature tempting Carter and him saying "um, no" to? what a b OY I love him.

Favourite Scene:

“Carter,” the woman said. Her voice was lilting and songlike, as if to draw him in. “I can make you safe. I can give you a home, where you know no pain, no fear.” A pair of small, dainty hands emerged from the water and slid into his, where he had left them hovering above water. She was… not wearing any clothes.

“Oh.” He frowned, and gently extracted his hands. “Sorry, um. I’m not— you’re very nice, but um. No.”

Daily Word Count: 1,776/1,667

Total NaNo Word Count: 24,869/50,000

Character Mood of the Chapter (Isha):



Thoughts:

Today was a relatively smooth day! I was helping with working on a dress my grandma is making me, but then I sat down and got all my writing done with and it went well.

Carter sliced his palm in this chapter and as I was writing it just kind of occurred to me that I was writing something that I had done to myself. Was certainly not as cool, I was not being attacked by a supernatural water creature and I was not in a river, I fell in a forest and caught myself wrong, but semantics.

I had a lot going on that I wanted to describe so it wasn't confusing, but all of it was stuff Carter WOULDN'T be noticing. Ughhhh curses on limited pov. I love it, but sometimes it's hard to stick with what the character knows, rather than describing everything that's going on to clue the reader in.

Favourite Scene:

“Once, when I was like… eleven. I remember thinking it was very grand and very clean. It made me itchy, to see so much white marble.” Isha stood and offered a hand to Carter.

He took it, legs shaky, and she pulled him up before he could even brace himself. Divines, she was strong. She turned to Gideon then, and he considered her hand for a moment before taking it.

objectively, there are better scenes, but I couldn't resist buff isha so. here's carter thinking about it.

Daily Word Count: 1,610/1,396

Total NaNo Word Count: 26,479/50,000

Character Mood of the Chapter:



Thoughts:

Carter finally gets to relax my bOY god he's had a rough time these past few days (lmao it feels like it's been ages but I have to remember this has been spanning less than a week for this poor innocent boy).

I cut a scene between Carter and Gideon cause I've been putting TOO MANY SCENES with them so. Finn finally gets to TALK for once and be annoying, as per usual. They allow him to come literally because he has a horse which is so on brand for him, honestly.

Speaking of horses, Reese and Villa are gonna be left behind (( I actually planned for Reese, Villa, and Fabella to be left behind, but I couldn't logically make Fabella get left with the others so. We're trying something new? I LOVE the horses don't get me wrong, I'm really sad they're leaving so early, but it's so, so hard to try to include them in the ways they deserve and it gets so chaotic with all the coterie stuff and the scenes in the capital, I just,,, ugh. uGH.

there's a weird conversation about ears though. my mind is a crazy place folks.

Favourite Scene:

It was quiet and still for several moments. When he chanced a glance up, he found Finn smirking and Isha scowling at him. Gideon was watching Carter, though, and he looked thoughtful.

“Shiloh is Carter’s sister,” Gideon said, and then shrugged, eyeing Finn. “I’m not vouching for him though.”

“Aww,” Finn cooed.

Before he could say more, Gideon’s gaze hardened. “I changed my mind, I don’t want him to come.”

“No,” Isha sighed, and scrubbed her face. “This isn’t a monarchy. Carter gets a fair say, and they’re his horses.”

“Well, no, not really,” he said quietly.

“Regardless, having another horse to at least carry out supplies will keep us moving lighter.” Isha rolled her shoulders, muscles flexing with the movement, and then leaned back on the sofa and threw her arms over the back. “The chatter could be halved.”

Finn grinned. “Deal.”

“Divines. I’m already regretting this,” Isha muttered.

Daily Word Count: 2,319/1,384

Total NaNo Word Count: 28,798/50,000

Character Mood of the Chapter:



Thoughts:

nighttime scene w/ two sleepy boys. I have no regrets. they discussed some things I think I glossed over too much last time.

did Carter fall asleep on Gideon's lap? who can say? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

also not to discredit the sweet moment between Isha and Carter at the beginning, where she was comforting him about the horses.

Favourite Scene:

But Gideon was… smiling? “No one has ever called me nice before, either.” Then he grew solemn. “Are you afraid of me?”

Carter blinked. “Um, yes?” Gideon’s shoulders slumped. He shook his head and rubbed at his eyes. “Wait, I mean. No. Ugh. I’m afraid of people, in general, as a concept. Not you, as in personally. I— as in talking to people, and you’re a person, so yes, but also no. As in, I don’t think you’re going to, um, hurt me, but yes as in… not of you.”

“I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying,” Gideon said, but looked a little less trodden upon.

That, if nothing else, gave him a little courage. “No, I’m not afraid of you. At first, yes, but now, no.”

Daily Word Count: 1,502/1,325

Total NaNo Word Count: 30,300/50,000

Character Mood of the Chapter (Finn):



Thoughts:

this was supposed to be open into a time jump, but Carter fell asleep in Gideon's lap and I had to resolve that. so.

everyone was in high spirits after discovering the boys cuddled up together. Carter was m o r t i f i e d. Winnie was pretty unhelpful. but I did get to the timeskip! I think I over-emphasised something, but oh well. on one hand, Finn just made himself super suspicious in a really weird way, on the other hand, that was directly the point, so.

he's such an interesting character to write and I've been sorely neglecting him. sorry Finn.

I felt like it was kind of a slow day today? I was really tired, and writing made me super sleepy, so... I stopped in the middle of a scene, which I will hate myself for tomorrow, but,,, oh well. I got writing done. *confetti*

Favourite Scene:

He pressed his forehead to Fabella’s shoulder for a moment, running his hand along her neck. She dipped her head down, arcing her neck, stretching the muscles underneath his hand. He let out a long sigh.

I’ve got no idea what I’m doing. He would have said that to her, but Whisper was still nearby. He didn’t want to worry them, and furthermore, didn’t want to talk about it anyway.

Fabella let out a puff anyway, as if she understood exactly what he was thinking.

Daily Word Count: 1,154/1,313

Total NaNo Word Count: 31,454/50,000

Character Moods (Carter and Isha):



Thoughts:

Even though I didn't write up to my daily like I was supposed to, this writing session actually went really well. I woke up this morning and I was like "UGH I LEFT MYSELF IN THE MIDDLE OF A SCENE RIGHT BEFORE A FIGHT PICKS UP" but it wasn't so bad? Like, I'm pretty sure the actual sequence is tRash because I hate action and there's so much going on, but that's fine. I'll refine it one day.

Isha is the best, as per usual. Finn gets a bit spooky. Whisper tries to control the battle. Gideon is Worried about Carter which is pretty sweet, and Carter is so, so far gone for him by now. We are 12 chapters in folks, and Carter is Gone. (It couldn't come up because limited pov and we're still in act I, which is exclusively carter, but gideon was definitely a lil starstruck by carter's strength as he hauls gideon up onto a horse)

Favourite Scene:

Isha kicked one of her opponents in the stomach, shoving him away, and then did some elaborate twirl with her spear and hit another right over the head. As they dropped, she glanced over her shoulder at Gideon, then turned when he gestured towards the woman. The assailant she’d kicked away launched at her and slammed a mace into her shoulder. Isha cried out, dropping her spear. As if she hadn’t just been clobbered on the shoulder, she reached down and grabbed something. Then, quick as anything, she thrust something into her attacker’s stomach, and shoved him away with her arm that hadn’t just been hit.

Daily Word Count: 2723/1,130 (or smth like that)

Total NaNo Word Count: 34,177/50,000

Mood for Me AND the Characters:



Thoughts:

lol I did Not write yesterday. However, in my defence, I was e x h a u s t e d. the polo game this weekend was a lot more punishing than the one on the first week, and even though it went well and everything, it was so, so much more tiring than the last one, and I Did Not Sleep well at all last week (it's like method acting. gideon sleeps so bad, I'm just understanding how HE feels. that's DEFINITELY it)

I think I kinda made up for it though? oh well I'm ahead IT'S FINE.

there's a scene where carter and gideon are gazing into each other's eyes while isha and winnie sit next to them like "all right", which I love. almost sorry I missed out on more teasing from isha and winnie but also,,, that would have definitely killed the moment, and the moment was already weighted. why do carter and gideon keep bonding over trauma? I'm literally not trying to do that.

also info-dumping, which was actually my favourite part of the chapter. it's not clunky if it's dialogue *finger guns* (inaccurate but let me have this)

Softest Scene:

Gideon’s hand was still shaking badly, but he gave Gideon a squeeze and managed a smile. Divines, look at him! He was holding the hand of a pretty boy! He was smiling at him! Carter from several weeks ago would have died.

“What she believes doesn’t make it true,” he said, soft enough he wasn’t sure that anyone could even hear him. He was breathless, he was trying to be comforting to a nice, beautiful boy for Divines’ sake. He was doing his best. At least he hadn't said um.

Daily Word Count: 3,178/1,319

Total NaNo Word Count: 37,355/50,000

Character Meme:



Thoughts:

I wrote TWO WHOLE chapters today so now I'm ready to PUNCH THE SUN.

just kidding but I actually did get quite a bit done today. I wrote the first sequence of 1k and I was like "ugh I'll write more later" and then I had an EPIPHANY about the plot which kinda solved my whole "the ending is going to be long and ridiculous and dumb" problem. I mean, it's going to be a little easier to resolve, still dumb, but AT LEAST I GET TO KEEP MY ZOMBIES.

me: *complains about got having zombies because I hate the idea of a fantasy zombie apocalypse*
also me: *pulls out zombies in fantasy setting*

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

WE'VE GOTTEN TO ACT II!!! I'm SO PUMPED this is this EXCITING section!! more povs!! everything's going wrong!! I'm so READY (this section is also - hopefully? - more streamlined and will go better than last time, by that I mean the coterie section and all that will go a lot cleaner than last time. by that I mean plot wise not messy wise >:) )

Softest Scene:

“You’re dooming yourself to die! To die a puppet for this, for Vasile and Jemima, for Adrienne, hating what you’re asked to do!” Her voice rose slowly, her fingers tightening more and more until he had to look her in the eyes. She looked like she could set him on fire. “You’re killing yourself, Gideon! Doesn’t that mean anything to you?!”

“Let me go,” he tried to say, but it came out as a hoarse whisper.

Shiloh let go, and when she pulled away, he realised her eyes were glistening. He’d never seen someone so mad they’d cried.

bonus carter/gideon moment because we finally get to see the switched pov and what gideon's feeling:

Daily Word Count: 1,860/1,150

Total NaNo Word Count: 39,215/50,000

Chapter Mood:



Thoughts:

IT'S ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE FOLKS *rubs hands together*

it's That Chapter except instead of scared and panicking in a dark cave Carter is angry and panicking in a huge jungle. There was supposed to be a chase, but eh? I didn't feel like writing that. I think what happened worked better?

someone got stabbed though. I'll have to figure that out. really, really wasn't expecting that to happen, but it felt right, and it just kinda... happened. so.

then again, I didn't know Gideon was going to give Carter a knife in the last chapter until it happened. Carter was like "rule of chekhov's gun! yeet!" I guess.

Maybe-Rémi evolved to Probably-Rémi? that's his evolved form I guess?

Favourite Scene:

Normal meant getting Shiloh back, the Shiloh he knew, and the same mundane routine of working with horses he knew. Horses he hadn’t sold to a kindly horse master in a village he’d never been to.

But it also meant no Gideon or Isha or Finn. It meant Bazzoli and never knowing when he was going to combust and catch Carter in the fire.

He rubbed his eyes and let out a long and drawn breath. Right now, in this moment, he was fine, and nothing was wrong. He was in a quiet jungle with annoying bugs and a squishy ground.

A… quiet jungle.

Daily Word Count: 1,598/0

Total NaNo Word Count: 40,813/50,000

Character Meme (Isha):



Thoughts:

me? posting in my nano thread twice? it just be like that.

aka I thought about how I could work on even more stories after I finished and got a surge of adrenaline (adrenaline? not really) and wrote another whole chapter. because I could.

Isha's first chapter! little afraid I did not nail her characterisation that great but oops. It's enough distinction, hopefully, from Carter and Gideon's.

also a bit more of a sad chapter? sad family reunion. delightful for the angst, but probably doesn't have much of an emotional impact? it kinda introduces a character that hasn't been mentioned before, but oh well.

Muffin caught a mouse while I was writing this? which Pippin stole after she dropped and abandoned. instead of eating it, like the carnivorous oriented animal he is, he decided to throw it around the room and play with it (threw it at me too? rude).

oof next chapter is gonna be A LOT

Favourite Scene:

Before she left, she hesitated. He watched her with a downturned mouth.

If they were a normal family, she might have told him she loved him, because she did. Maybe he would say it back, because she was sure that he felt the same. Or maybe it would hurt too much for him to say.

It didn’t matter, because they weren’t a normal family. She wondered which of them was really letting the other go.

Daily Word Count: 2,017/???

Total NaNo Word Count: 42,830/50,000

Chapter Meme:



Thoughts:

this chapter was,,, not as great as I expected it to be. oh well? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I don't really have a lot to say about this one actually? I got through most of it ok, but I wasn't really into it today. idk, it wasn't hard to write, it just felt kind of bland I guess.

Gideon gets lost, like the chaotic dummy he is, and then makes a kind of stupid decision but it's ok because it pays off later.

Favourite Paragraph:

If Alban was concerned about hearing that his older brother had been stabbed, he certainly didn’t show it. He gave Rémi a cursory once over, as if looking for aforementioned stab wound, before turning away.

Daily Word Count: 2,136/797

Total NaNo Word Count: 44,966/50,000

Out of Context Character/Chapter Meme:



Thoughts:

I worried a lot about word count at the beginning because I was worried this draft would be as long as the first draft (147k jESUS), but I cHECKED the other day and I have less words than I did at the beginning of chapter twelve (69k), and I've just finished nineteen, so obviously I'm doing SOMETHING right. we'll see how it turns out because I've still got a stretch to go, but I'm feeling a little better :')

also, did not consider that with the changes I made and having Isha use, well, Isha as a cover name only when she first met Carter, thus having her and Gideon both using Valérie while Carter uses Isha? uhHOH oh well. it's fine. it's fINE.

Shiloh's back though! less aggro than last time! but also Gideon is not actually,,, there with her. she cannot be aggro at him as he is simply not there. also, revEALS???
also shiloh just casually says she cracked the code of something, unintentionally, that people have been trying to crack for ages, but she won't give anyone answers cause she's too distressed about carter l m a o. chaotic good.

finn is suspicious, but when is he not

Favourite Exchange:

“Carter loved Reese,” Shiloh murmured, her shoulder slumping. “He helped when she was born. Was she ok?”

“Lame, but with rest, she should be fine,” Whisper said.

Shiloh tilted her head. “And Bazzoli let you borrow them?”

There was a silence. Valérie glanced over and exchanged a look with Whisper. Finn was still sitting down behind them and watching curiously.

Daily Word Count: 2,603/797

Total NaNo Word Count: 47,569/50,000

Out of Context Character/Chapter Meme:



Thoughts:

I didn't finish the chapter today because I procrastinated too long to start with after I came back from working on my dress with my grandma, and then ran into having to leave for polo practise. rip.

Gideon brings out the overwriter in me. he just decided he was gonna have all this exposition in the chapter. two characters who were not in my outline or notes or anywhere else materialised and I had to stop for an unplanned scene with them. came up with some crazy mapping thing on the spot. a lot of stuff happened that wasn't intended? idk maybe it's something in the water.

Gideon hates patience! at least he's smart boy and knows he must utilise it or he and Carter would have died and then I would have a completely different novel on my hands :')

At least he doesn't ninja his way past the coterie in a limited cave space this time, cause that was weird in the last draft. diplomatic!Gideon emerge cause I need him to bluff this time.

Gideon, about Adrienne: what's she gonna do? hurt me? AND?
me:

Favourite Moment (of Angst):

For the first time in months, Gideon felt utterly and completely useless.

Despair gnawed at his veins and his temple throbbed as if warning of an oncoming headache. He let his knees fall into the peaty earth, cold mud staining his trousers and soaking his skin. He dug both hands through his hair hard enough to hurt, and then tucked it all behind his ears.

Daily Word Count: 2,972/0

Total NaNo Word Count: 50,541/50,000

Character MeMe:



Thoughts:

BABY BOY IS HURTING unnngHHH I actually do kinda hate this chapter (for the wrong reasons whoOps torture scenes are just?? ugh).

oh also YA GIRL GOT 50K TODAY. I was like "imma do it!" and then I literally just finished and it's half an hour to midnight so. *finger guns* (I even did it two days earlier than last year!)

I dunno, I might continue the updates until the end of november?? I'm gonna keep trying to do like, 1k a day until the novel is done, but that'll probably get kinda hazy for some of the polo games I have coming up. we'll see. I want this draft done though!! I REALLY WANT TO WORK ON COLONIA HEIGHTS UGH

last time I was writing this, it was Carter being optimistic about someone coming after him, but this time, since it was such a different environment, he feels completely cut off. this is what I was aiming for last time, but there was no way to spin it without making it sound like Carter thought the others really disliked him enough to leave him. This time, it's nobody knows what happened to me.
(except, you know, someone does know what happened to him, and he's going crazy about it)

no moment this time because there's really no good chunk. carter's really just getting beat up on, and the other bit is the tail end of a conversation Gideon was having. wasn't any good moments lol