Young Writers Society

This Camp NaNo, I am going to finally start to get a story idea that's like an old friend off the ground. This story was first conceived several years ago, but the time of letting it rattle around in my head led me to realize that it needed a lot of changes to be a good story and one that I could competently tell. I recently got some new inspiration by listening to a song that I had probably listened to so many times before, but I guess it just hit different then. So now, I present The Heirs of Eleas (working title), a fantasy story about royalty, fighting for freedom, difficult paths, the meaning/weight of responsibility, and the reconciliation and love of sisters torn apart by pain and hatred.

My goal for this Camp is to plan out the entire story and get started on it if I finish with the planning. Things I want to focus on developing are plot, characters (especially side characters), and the world. I will start with working on developing the characters as well as possible and forming a general idea about the world, then I will outline the plot. To give myself something to reach for, I'll say develop at least one character/world aspect/chapter in a day. I'm kind of busy with classes, though, so I may not achieve this every single day, but that's okay as long as I do my best to do it most of the time.

PlanMo challenges coming soon!

Elevator Pitch

Elithia, the eldest princess of Eleas, was forced to flee on the night the kingdom fell to neighboring Lanorus. Under the name of Ilia, she has lived quietly as one of the conquered commoners. The last thing she wants is to face the weight of royal duty, but when she meets a group of revolutionaries, she agrees to become the face of their movement and reclaim the throne. She seeks revenge on Lanorus and to confront her sister, who she deems a traitor.

Annora has lived her entire life with no choice of her own, from staying with her parents awaiting capture to being taken to Lanorus and being betrothed to the regent over Eleas, the uncle of the new king. She has found that the best way to survive is to do anything it takes, even if it means becoming one of the enemy. As she returns to Eleas for her marriage, she meets her sister at the head of the growing rebellion. She knows it’s her last chance to reclaim her freedom and nation, but the only things stopping her are the blame she places upon her people for the death of her parents, and her resentment of Elithia for leaving her family behind.

With war on the horizon, they must mend the wounds of years spend apart and embrace the identities they’ve rejected for so long. Will they give in to their fears and hatred, or will they fight for each other instead?


Kind of long for an "elevator pitch," I know, but that's what I've got.

Character Tweets

If the story had Twitter/social media:

- Annora: Hello everyone, I’m finally on social media! 😊 (She would attach a cute/pretty selfie, obviously looking quite harmless.)
- Elithia, as Ilia: (She would end up never making a 1st post. She would just be a lurker.)
- Elithia: This is Elithia, heir to the throne of Eleas. You may have thought I was dead, but I’m alive and well. I’m not alone, either. Watch out, Lanorus and anyone standing in our way. We’re taking back what is ours. Anyone who wishes to join us is welcome. (She would attach a photo of the rebel symbol.)

Describe a theme of your story

One of the themes at the heart of the story is family. There are Elithia and Annora with their parents, Elithia/Ilia and her adopted father, Annora’s lack of family when she’s among people from Lanorus, and the eventual reunion of the sisters. I want to focus on loving relationships and how they (or the lack thereof) can impact someone. I don’t believe it’s going to be an “in your face” kind of presentation in the novel, but it will be there throughout the novel.

Another big theme is responsibility. Elithia especially struggles with this, as she had been taught from a young age that she would one day be the one to run Eleas, take care of the people, and protect them. Though she always obeyed her parents and followed their training, she always felt burdened by those expectations and doubted herself to the point that she would rather run away from duty. After fleeing and the fall of Eleas, she felt guilty that part of her was relieved that she would no longer have to be queen. Her agreeing to be the figurehead of the rebellion was a reluctant one, giving in to others’ pressure, and, in the end, just to get what she wanted. Through the book, I’m trying to explore how big the responsibility of just one person for an entire nation could be and what it means to uphold a duty that was chosen for you. I think this theme might be a bit more obvious, but also spread throughout the book.

Outline a difficult plot point

I think the biggest plot point that I need to figure out is just how Elithia and Annora will see eye to eye and feel that it is worth it to reconcile with one another. Currently, I think that will have to involve them somehow being in close contact again (like Elithia infiltrating and becoming Annora’s maid), as well as a lot of arguments and seeing the difficulties of each other’s life. I am also unsure yet whether Annora will realize that Elithia is with the rebellion at first—if she doesn’t, it could create more drama if she starts to trust Elithia and then she finds out with everyone else, since she might think Elithia was using her to get to her fiancé (the regent).

Another plot point that I’m thinking about is how Elithia meets the rebels. I have no idea yet how that’s going to happen, because at that point in the story, she likes to keep her head down and stay unnoticed by Lanorusian soldiers and people she doesn’t know.

Tell us about your supporting cast

Casnar Vaughus
- He was appointed regent over Eleas about a year after the end of the war and granted the title of Grand Duke. He is the much younger brother of the king who defeated Eleas, and therefore the uncle of the newly crowned king, though there isn’t an enormous age gap between them. He is engaged to be married to Annora, princess of Eleas.
- He is charming and charismatic, but also has a hidden cunning and calculating nature behind his gentle expressions. It would not be surprising if he has greater ambitions.
- He holds a strict and tight rein over the people of Eleas and he does not often show leniency to commoners.

Hazen
- He is a blacksmith and Elithia’s adopted father. He lost his wife and young daughter in the war, but when he met Elithia a couple of years later, he took her in and took care of her as his own. (I’m not sure yet if he knows all along about her true identity.) He gets involved in the rebellion because of Elithia.
- He is calm and level-headed, and he has a kind and generous heart, often doing his best to provide support to neighbors in need. This has won him a lot of respect and prestige from his community, though he is often soft-spoken. He is fiercely protective of “his people,” but he dislikes violence.

Tor Servas
- He is a fallen Eleasan noble who once served as a commander in the army. He fought in the war against Lanorus but managed to escape from execution/punishment. He lives among the commoners and is one of the key members of the rebellion.
- He has a hot temper (that he has had to learn how to let out in other ways), is highly intelligent, and skilled in strategy. He respects those who strive to be the best in their craft and are dedicated to Eleas, but he despises those he views as lazy or indifferent.
- It is almost as though he lives and breathes Eleas and his blood would be the colors of the Eleasan flag. He hates Lanorus with a burning passion and he also hates Annora since he believes she abandoned her people. His highest goal is to drive out all the Lanorusians and restore the throne of Eleas to the rightful heir—and he wouldn’t mind killing many to achieve that.


Those are probably the most important side characters to the story, though I definitely feel that I need to probably make more female characters (as well as male). I've been thinking the real "leader" of the rebellion will be a woman. The most pressing characters to create next are other important rebellion members. There is also a certain young man who is dear to Annora's previous version, and I am still debating whether he is necessary to the story (I've already thrown out Elithia's previous version's young man since he really isn't needed, but perhaps he will appear in a potential sequel.)

Your most challenging character

I believe that Tor is going to be the most challenging character for me. It’s not that I don’t understand his motives—I do, but I think that the hard part will be balancing his fiery, overly passionate side with the more rational or plotting side of him, because both will come together in play near the end of the story, if the plot goes where I’m seeing it will.

Some other character points that I would like to make sure to work on are not making Hazen seem like an absolutely perfect person/parent and finding a way to portray that both Elithia and Annora have immature/spiteful/generally negative sides (like anyone could) without annoying the readers. So I guess it means just being aware as an author.

Here are some of the songs that give me inspiration and set the vibes for my planning/writing. Of course, there are more than just these, but these were the ones that mostly closely fit the themes for the story and the MCs.

Main Theme:
"Lover. Fighter" by SVRCINA (this is the song that gave me the fresh ideas)


Elithia's Theme:
"Bridges" by Generdyn, FJØRA


Annora's Theme:
"All the King's Horses" by Karmina

Character & location list

Characters:
- Elithia Vel / Ilia: princess of Eleas, rebel
- Annora Vel: princess of Eleas, former prisoner of Lanorus and companion to the princess of Lanorus
- Casnar Vaughus: grand duke, regent over Eleas, prince of Lanorus
- Hazen: blacksmith, rebel
- Tor Servas: former Eleasan army commander, nobleman, rebel
- Leader of the rebellion: female warrior of some sort
- Healer: rebel
- Casnar’s right hand man

Character Maybes:
- Ardin Vel: king of Eleas, deceased (execution)
- Dessa Vel: queen of Eleas, deceased (illness)
- Another important rebel
- Andras: now a commander in Lanorusian army, Annora’s potential love interest
- Princess of Lanorus: sister of the new king, daughter of the old king
- King of Lanorus: the new, young king
- Annora’s close maid/lady-in-waiting

Locations:
- Eleas Castle
- The village where Hazen and Ilia live
- The rebel hideout
- Landscapes of Eleas
- The shady, run-down parts of an Eleasan city: Elithia lives on the streets for a couple of years after fleeing

Location Maybes:
- Eleas royal hunting grounds
- Lanorus Castle / Lanorus
- Pelanea: a nearby country, very large like an empire; it is usually unconcerned with outside affairs that don't concern it; not actually going to appear as a location but probably mentioned because it is likely that the rebels will have to ally with them to get rid of the Lanorusians
- The Winterlands: a land that is perpetually covered in snow, neighboring Eleas and Lanorus; its border is lined with a thick forest of evergreen trees; not much is known about it but no one dares to go in because the stories say no one has ever come out alive; not actually going to appear as a location but probably mentioned—I’m not sure if this will actually be a thing, but I’d like it to be part of the world for future ideas

Good luck with your planning! You seem to have a clear grasp of your end goal here and you have been doing great so far! All the best for Camp NaNo!

WHOO for getting old story ideas off the ground and using this Camp to plan!!
(I'm in the same boat)
You got this!! <3

Day 3

I did not do Day 1 or Day 2 because I was busy with other things. (Also, sorry for not replying back to anyone or posting in other threads--you can do it everyone! I've read through the threads, and they seem very exciting. )


Today, I planned out about half of Elithia's character profile.
Character Profiles Completed: 0.5

Day 4

I worked a little bit more on Elithia's profile but not much.
Character Profiles Completed: 0.5

Love the concept of using camp to plan! Also your character names are so pretty, I'm excited to see where you get to this month.

@IcyFlame thanks!! I appreciate it