Camp Nano July '24: Sips of Serendipity

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Sips of Serendipity


Goal:
    Finish character profiles
    Create 3-act structure
    Start drafting
About the Story

25 year old Aisha Emani struggles to balance two jobs and grad school while saving up money for her own house. While stressing about the upcoming deadline of her assigned reading at the cafe, she accidentally gives the wrong order to newcomer to town Idris and becomes entranced by his good looks and charm. Passionate for a family, Aisha pursues Idris while trying to uphold her religion's customs and keeping herself out of a mental breakdown from everything else.
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I've been passionate about this idea for a while, and I'm excited to have a place that will actually motivate me to work on it. This is my first Camp NaNo ever, but I'm a little nervous that I won't be able to finish my goal or even progress further once the month is over. Still, I made this post, so I'm going to do my best!
Last edited by Valkyria on Sun Oct 06, 2024 5:11 pm, edited 4 times in total.
There is always something left to love.
- One Hundred Years of Solitude




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Woot woot!! Welcome, Valkyria! You can do this >:] 100% agreed with doing your best, and honestly, I feel like what's most helpful about Camp NaNo to me is just being motivated to think about my project, even if I don't reach my word count goal. I wish you all the best this month!! ^-^
mint, she/her


.--. / ... ...- -.-. .-.. / - .--. ..- .- / .--- --- ...- .--- / .--- --- .--. .-- / .--. .--- .-.. / .--- -.-- .-.. .... -
=D




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WHENEVER YOU FINISH IF YOU NEED/WANT A BETA READER LET ME KNOW!! I love romance novels!!

Welcome to Camp NaNo!! Literally anything goes and you win if you write even one word. You got this!! :) :)
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.

Ask a Therapist!
I want to beta read your novel!


Ask me anything. Talk to me about anything. Seriously. My PM box is always open <3




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Oooh excited for your first camp! It's such a good one to do because there's literally 0 pressure but sometimes you end up writing some of your best scenes.




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Is this a Muslim romance!?? I love it already!!!




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Thanks for all the kind words, everyone! And yes, @Isbah, it is! I'm basing this story off of my personal feelings about finding romance one day while being Muslim. Aisha is a little like me despite our different experiences haha.
There is always something left to love.
- One Hundred Years of Solitude




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Awesome to have you with us for CampNaNo :D You seem to have quite an amazing plot in mind already and some clear goals, too! It's okay if you don't hit your goal exactly, the journey is important too :] Have fun and good luck with your writing!
“It is always sad when someone leaves home, unless they are simply going around the corner and will return in a few minutes with ice cream sandwiches.”
- Lemony Snicket




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Main Character

Aisha Emani
Spoiler
-Protagonist
-25 years old
-INFJ-T
-Moroccan American
-Barista/Janitor/Grad student

Aisha has dark hair and black eyes. She is tall and has olive skin, slight build. Narrow face. She has a small scar under her chin from a childhood accident. 20/20 vision, but she wears blue light glasses. Wears a hijab and enjoys wearing light academia, skirts, vintage inspired looks. Light makeup, styles her hair that she always puts up in a ponytail. Has insomnia due to work and school.
She is very reserved. Quiet and shy. When she gets stressed or overwhelmed, her hair gets messed up. Becomes very focused on the task at hand and blocks everything else out. Tends to slouch a lot. Head down when she’s nervous or upset.
There is always something left to love.
- One Hundred Years of Solitude




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Day 1


I started creating two more important character profiles, but I spent a long time figuring out their personalities. I managed to make their personality types, so they're both extroverts.
There is always something left to love.
- One Hundred Years of Solitude




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Day 2


Love Interest

Idris Hayek
Spoiler

27 years old
ENFP-A Personality
Moroccan (applied for U.S. citizenship)
Middle school gym teacher

Idris is tall, dark, and handsome. He is 5’11 and has broad shoulders. Olive skin. Muscles on his arms. 6 pack abs. He has black, coarse hair that is very short. Dark eyebrows and brown eyes. He has the beginnings of a mustache that wraps around the sides and over his lips. A beard is also growing up the jaws and on and under the chin, slightly creeping down the neck. He wears contacts because he is nearsighted. There is a birthmark on his upper arm. Doesn’t put a lot of thought into his outfits. Usually just throws on short-sleeved shirts and shorts, sometimes sweats.

He is very confident and extroverted. Loves making new friends and acquaintances. Doesn’t have many cares in the world because he has very low stress. Walks with his head on his shoulders. Has an open face. Is kind and positive.
There is always something left to love.
- One Hundred Years of Solitude




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Spoiler
Aaaaahhhhhhhh, I love Idris!!
Okay okay I need to breathe.




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Day 3


Supporting Characters

Noor Emani
Spoiler
Aisha's younger sister
18 years old
ENFP-A (Campaigner)
High school senior

She is the same height as Aisha, but she is slightly more muscular because she is much more physically active than her sister. She plays field hockey, so she’s always covered in bruises. Black, curly hair and arched eyebrows. Slightly lighter skin tone and black eyes.
Very confident in herself, so she wears a lot of yellow. Takes a lot of care for her hair to maintain its health. Puts it up in a messy ponytail when she’s running late.

She is very mischievous. The most extroverted member of her family. Puts light makeup on. A huge romantic like her sister. Chronically late in getting ready, even when she starts early. More prone to cursing, but never in front of her family or other adults. Her mother would kill her.

Her parents promised her that once she graduates, she can dye part of her hair any color she wants.


Britney Klum
Spoiler
27 years old
ISTJ-T (Logistician)
German-American
Barista

Britney has dirty blonde hair and green eyes. A square chin and face and arched eyebrows. She is average height and build, freckles on her cheeks.
Britney wears contacts. But sometimes she wears green oversized glasses. Baggy clothes. Sometimes, she wears dark sweaters and skirts and leggings. Wears a dark choker and chews gum. Natural hair, only basic hair care. Rarely puts her hair up. Doesn’t wear any other shoes besides sneakers. Quiet, isn’t energetic at all.

Britney has a very monotone voice. She is like this for a majority of the novel. Does not show her emotions to other people. She is very matter of fact. Doesn’t understand sarcasm unless otherwise stated. Makes eye contact even if other person doesn’t have anything to say. The first time she smiles creeps the other characters out. She always has an expressionless look on her face.


Mr. and Mrs. Emani
Spoiler
Aisha and Noor's parents
mid 40s and mid 50s
Immigrated from Morocco 2 years before Aisha was born

Mrs. Emani is more anxious than her husband about their daughters' activities, but she loves and supports them both. Mr. Emani is sort of clueless about lots of things, but he adores his kids.
There is always something left to love.
- One Hundred Years of Solitude




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These are the characters that I have created so far, and I'm pretty happy with them so far. Obviously, I only posted snippets of them on here, but they have their own character profiles that expands on them. Except the parents, they were created on the fly in that post.

I'm going to move on to my next goal-- creating the 3-act structure. I'm confident that once i start drafting the novel, new characters will pop up.
There is always something left to love.
- One Hundred Years of Solitude




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I've been dealing with a lot of self-doubt lately, so I'm switching up my goals. I'm cutting the 3-act structure because it's too much pressure on me and it was affecting my morale.
So, from this moment on, I have no idea what's going to happen in my story :D. I have six characters and a premise. I'm just going to write.

My writing goal is 5,000 words this month, which I think is doable. I feel a lot better about this now that I don't have this idea that I have to outline everything before I start drafting.

So, I'll be posting excerpts in this thread, new characters, expansions of existing characters or whatever else strikes my fancy.
There is always something left to love.
- One Hundred Years of Solitude




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I can't believe it took me this long, but I also need to come up with a title. That is one of my other goals.
There is always something left to love.
- One Hundred Years of Solitude



You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...
— Dr. Seuss