Young Writers Society

you can always find me on the official NaNoWriMo website as mellifera!

Like Rival Bards last year, this novel really has no working title. I made a mock-up cover and used "The Necromancer's Guide to Saving the World" but I'm not invested in it.


ANYWAY




funnily enough, originally I was going to write THIS novel for NaNo last year, but I worked on some details a little early on in September and then kinda put it to the side and didn't really have the motivation to come back to it. which is great because there's actually a plot and everything has come to me now.

WE'VE HAD SOME COMPLICATIONS THOUGH mainly I accidentally fell in love with one of my villains and now he has major plot points and relevance and also he's baby. he was. supposed to be just Evil. Only Evil. then my hand slipped.

Oleander "Olly": One of two three POV characters. A necromancer. They own a very small dragon named Asmodeus (or Asmo). Partially human. Just here to have a good time and see the world. They will immediately get themselves in trouble regardless of the situation.



Sorin: One of the POV characters. He's the leader of a monster hunting/mercenary group known as the Lanterns. Harlow's older brother. Just a human guy but also kinda magical. The "Dealing with you is like herding cats" troubled bird.



Harlow: A member of the Lanterns. Also Sorin's younger sibling and also just a human. Also one of the coolest people around. They're the sunglasses emoji and also will adopt you if your family sucks (or they like you). Stole all of Sorin's energy and excitement.



Jyno: A goblin. Also a wizard. He meets Olly and it's all downhill from there. "you ruined a perfectly good little goblin. look at him. he's got anxiety." He's trying his best. Wants to know things but also doesn't want to be perceived. Holds the brain cells.



Neptune: A member of the Lanterns. A sniper. But also she has an axe and she will use it. Small but buff. Will threaten you because she can and for fun. One of the eventide (in fantasy terms it's like an elf lmao). Is the "are you engaged? engaged in COMBAT" meme (but is also totally dating Crow).



Crow: A member of the Lanterns. The researcher. Also possesses brain cells. One of the perennials (also basically kinda like an elf but not). Knows magic, but has little of her own except telepathy for Reasons. Haunted.



Link: A member of the Lanterns. The healer, because every party has to have one. Very soft. A faun. He's got some antlers. Also there's a flower growing out of his head, but that's unrelated. The only member of the novel who uses legal magic.



Alistair: The crown prince of the generic fantasy kingdom the novel is set in. Just wants to do right by everyone. Honourable and kind. Does he need to spend as much time as he does with the new investigators helping his kingdom? obviously why else would he be doing that.



Calanthe "Calla": The princette of the generic fantasy kingdom. Alistair's younger sibling. Feels a little bit inadequate next to their Cool Successful brother. They're having a Time in this novel. It's fine.




bonus!

Mercury: Forcibly made his way to being one of the POV characters, sort of. One of the eventide. Much magic, very power. Very unhappy with his situation. Mostly naps over the course of the novel. He has horns because I think they're neat. also he's a sparkly boy.




Also, for the THREE pov characters, I made some "Get to know me" slides, for those who are interested (in having their eyes assaulted by Mercury's specifically):

now that I'm not spending literally all my time doing homework, I can finally do some PlanMo! I can't wait to see how actually writing the novel goes if I couldn't even take the time to work on planning it this past week lmao



Think classic fantasy: you have your magic, you have your generic human kingdom, your diverse fantasy races, you have your villain trying to take over the kingdom because they have to show everyone how powerful they are, even the good old chosen one!

Now, add scary necromancer but one of the good guys (and smol and baby), chosen one who ran from his destiny who may or may not have his own prince charming, and spoopy monsters being hunted by a group of monster hunters! Sprinkle in an angst magic baby who naps a lot, an exile goblin wizard with severe anxiety, and found family, and you have yourself the recipe to Necromancer Novel!

it's been so long since I actually made any social media accounts that I literally do not remember how to write an introduction post.

Olly is too pure for twitter probably, and Mercury is taking a nap, but the Lanterns would probably have one.

The Lanterns.
"Welcome to the official public account for the Lanterns in the Dark. Have an infestation of malevolent pixies? Did a basilisk move in nearby? No problem! Contact the Lanterns for all your monster hunting needs!

Tweets are by Harlow unless otherwise signed by another member."

Every graph I have ever made is against my will and I will not make another one, and a list would be ridiculously long to put here because I'm an insufferably long-winded writer (both drafting AND outlining. also my outlines are CHAOTIC and I can't stress that enough), but I will say that this novel all happens in chronological order. I'm not planning on having any flashbacks or flashforwards (though there are timeskips for conveniences sake lol).

I plot by opening a starter document where I basically throw spaghetti at a wall and see what sticks, or in other words, I write down a lot of ideas that often have little connection but are just things I want to write after I come up with the basic premise. After I have enough jumbled together in that document, I make another one to outline the actual novel, and write (usually one or paragraph) general descriptions of each chapter, some snippets of dialogue if I think of any at the time, and sometimes will include important details I need to happen in each chapter (mainly I'll write down information that needs to be found, a detail that someone needs to mention, etc).

It's a very chaotic way to write but it makes the most sense for my brain and takes the least amount of effort for me (one day I WILL try new methods. For starry veins, I wrote description AND bullet points for why each chapter was important and necessary and that made me THINK A LOT but it was also more energy than just a straightforward outline. and by straightforward I mean chaos)

Skipped a question and might return to it but I currently haven't reached a part that I feel like is difficult for me yet, so I don't have an answer right now.



Olly's initial goal is not their own, but what their mother wants for them: to find their own [necromancer] Lair where they can practise dark magic in peace until a band of adventurers inevitably comes along for them to defeat. But after they meet Jyno, their goal becomes helping him get to one of the most famous libraries that is in the Generic Kingdom I Haven't Named Yet. Their goals continue to the evolve as they meet each new character, but ultimately, all they want to do is help people (and maybe find their Lair eventually).

What they need is to learn how to do literally anything lol they were raised by and almost exclusively interacted with their mum, so they know basically nothing except how to Magic Good and Take Care of Little Dragon and be the sweetest person in the room. So, their goal and their need are kinda opposite: Olly wants to help and needs help in return.

Sorin just wants to find and defeat the monster that is hunting and killing or incapacitating people, but this obviously leads to eventually figuring out some ~story details~ and that maybe the monster didn't get to Kingdom on its own. Basically he wants to do his job and protect his squad.

He needs to release some of his tension because this man is just at a 15/10 all the time. Take a break, Sorin. He is a workaholic but maybe,, a little too much. He just needs to believe in himself lol. these two things can be copacetic but he makes them mutually exclusive because he's an idiot.

Mercury's goal AND need are both spoilers, but I will say that they are the same

like all my novels, one of the main villains is not revealed until later (??? why do I do this), but I've already disclosed Mercury is one of the them lol and I am very excited to write Olly and Mercury's dynamic so.

Olly and Mercury are going to act as each other's foil. They were both raised in similar environments: isolated, save for one important person guiding them how to do magic. They are both very powerful. Olly was taught to instil fear, and Mercury was taught to fear, but they swapped roles as far as actual execution. Olly ends up being surrounded by friends who care about their well being, whereas Mercury only has One (1) influence and it's not someone who cares at all about Mercury's well being (only for his magic). Olly's signature (a mage mark, basically) is subtle and hard to spot (meaning it's harder to tell that they're a mage), whereas Mercury's is very overt.

I could go on, but I think I've rested my case. Olly and Mercury are very similar characters with very similar pasts who just have reacted to their circumstances very differently and adapted different traits based on their situation and how they are treated.

Daily Word Count: 2,835/1,667

Total Word Count: 2,835/50,000

Thoughts:

I was way more motivated than I thought I would be today! I feel neutral about the writing, which honestly? I'll take, it's 100% better than feeling bad about it. also there's some kind of just, relief in my chest that I looked at this today and said "this is a first draft, and it can be as bad as it needs to be, as long as it functions for me and I get what I need to out" and I've KNOWN this for other projects, but something about it hit a little harder this time. could be that I haven't worked on a first draft since LAST NANO lmao

I actually wrote the first chunk of it before sleeping, then the rest of the chunk I needed for my daily word count goal in the morning, and then added on the next 1k+ later (while I was procrastinating on homework lolol) because I was just like,,, man !!! I want to write this!!! and so I did. did it get all the schoolwork I've been stressing about accomplished and out of the way? no! but I felt good about novelling today (and tbf I DID finish the completed first draft of my last big math project, which was A Big Thing) and that's what's important to me. I hecking miss being creative like this :') (I say like I haven't done anything creative lately haha completely untrue but it just feels like it constantly)

anyway! first chapter down! Olly is kinda sad because they got kicked out of their home :( also discovered that Asmodeus, Olly's dragon, is almost literally just my cat in disguise as a dragon (melodramatic, capable of having almost full conversations with, etc). also!!! I did some unexpected worldbuilding!! this one is really just gonna be on the fly since I've done basically NO worldbuilding beforehand (also haven't named,,, the most important location that is 100% central to the story but,,, we don't have to worry about that until *checks watch* later today! lolsob).

now we have soulfire, which is spooky, ghostly flame summoned from the energy of the dead. it does not really function for warmth, but it provides light and has a cool aesthetic.

ALSO INTENTIONALLY WRITING HUMOUR IS HARD I can only be funny on accident, trying to steep it into the tone,,, nightmare (it is FUN to be Extra about all the necromancy stuff though and just mocking the usual Bits done for necromancers)

anyway, long update. I need rest because I haven't been sleeping :')

Daily Word Count: 1,185/1,626 (I think lol)

Total Word Count: 4,020/50,000

Thoughts:

thank @ past mel for stopping on a line of dialogue because I had to come back to it this morning and stare at it for like, ten minutes to figure out what the character was about to say when I left off

that's irrelevant to yesterday's progress lol

yesterday was, as many days during my week are, a rollercoaster. I feel like I experience the spectrum of human emotions at least three days a week. but!! I get half of my NaNo done in the morning and the rest later on in the evening (thanks to Emotional Distress for not letting me get more done yesterday lmao).

the problem I thought I was going to have was balancing the team out in scenes (because there are FIVE members of the monster hunting group I'm trying to give equitable attention to), but as it turns out, this is the only thing I am not having a problem with! I forgot how to write but at least I remember how to do characters.

mel, very early in the day on nov. 2: [about naming the main kingdom] this is a problem for me of Later Today to figure out!
narrator: and then they didn't.

anyway brackets and placeholders are sponsoring me this nano and I would personally like to thank them for taking some of the weight of creation off my brain cells and allowing me to keep going and stop obsessing over details I can fill in later.

Daily Word Count: 2,433/1,642

Total Word Count: 6,453/50,000

Thoughts:

my initial thought about what the problem with me doing NaNo was going to be was that I would have no motivation, based on the facts I 1) have not had any motivation this year except while I was camping and 2) SCHOOL. HOWEVER the real culprit is WANTING TO KEEP WORKING ON THIS NOVEL CONSTANTLY but having piles of schoolwork I have to do instead. I have,, too much motivation, which is a wild problem to have (I'm sure it won't last :') ). I'm hoping that by posting an update about the progress I've made today it'll trick my brain into going "oh we already did that today, now we can focus on schoolwork!" but we'll see I guess.

I accidentally created a new conflict in the form of corporate encroachment into independent work ventures and I,,, did not mean for this to be a thing. The Hunter's Guild didn't exist 8 hours ago, and there was no threat of the Lanterns being absorbed into a growing franchise of monster hunters but then it,,, happened lmao.

Sorin already hates Alistair and he hasn't met him yet, which means I guess the key to me actually writing enemies-to-lovers is for that to not be what my intent when I'm writing them and for my hands to slip and make this happen.

also the Lanterns are not subtle at all and I completely ruined my attempt for there to be only mild discomfort about a certain reveal and instead all of them basically go :O !

also Link is a precious little man and I love him. that is all.

Daily Word Count: 1,265/1,613

Total Word Count: 7,718/50,000

Thoughts:

I fell into a small slump this day because I got a little crushed by the weight of all that I have to do during the weekend and I hit a bit of a rough patch as far as not really knowing what to write, BUT I got to write one of the first scenes I planned out for this novel and it was a DELIGHT

discovering the lengths to which Olly doesn't understand certain things is a very, very fun experience. they're,,, such a fun character and I can tell it's going to be a really fun dynamic once the whole group gets thrown together in the good out adventuring party soup.

anyway, didn't get as much done as I wanted to or should have, but I'm ok with it since I've been kinda hauling on the other days. I'm not worried about it yet.

Daily Word Count: 3,277/1,626

Total Word Count: 10,995/50,000

Thoughts:

the other reason that I'm not worried about word count is because I'd already written day five's progress and kinda crushed it lmao

I finished Olly's chapter (sorta, there's a scene I have to finish but I'm not quite sure how yet and didn't want to stall on it so it's just brackets right now lol), and got to about 9,700 words overall and went,,, might as well just go for 10k tonight. so I did.

Olly has never seen real fire before! they're basically just doing the Jack Skellington "what's this? WHAT'S THIS?" for everything fire related.

ALSO THEY MET JYNO *confetti* Olly, Jyno, and Asmo have officially partied up! Jyno is suspicious and frightened by Olly and Olly is just here to have a good time. Jyno is wildly bewildered by everything this strange, mud-covered bog person has said since he's met them. I love them both already, and their dynamic is great.

and speaking of meetings, Sorin has met Alistair! And Calanthe but they're not nearly as suspicious as their brother. Sorin still dislikes Alistair and Alistair is just like,, trying his very hardest to make a good impression lmao

also Sorin got a bit naughty because him and Harlow are still siblings so if one of them is gonna be tricksy than so is the other

ugh remember when I wrote shorter chapters though

Daily Word Count: 1,636/1,560

Total Word Count: 12,631/50,000

Thoughts:

okay Sorin is honestly equally as fun to write as Olly, he's got such "I'm tired and grouchy" energy, I love it.

He continues to push Alistair's buttons because he can and he's a little petty but tbf he does have good reason to be suspicious. but!! now we know about the case and the monster!! I got to talk about it organically!! I didn't feel like I was floundering!! I'm having a good time

anyway, those are all my thoughts right now because No Thoughts, Head Empty, I've had a DAY (in a good way!!), so now I'm gonna go Chill and bask in the ~good vibes~ because I can

anyway brackets and placeholders are sponsoring me this nano and I would personally like to thank them for taking some of the weight of creation off my brain cells and allowing me to keep going and stop obsessing over details I can fill in later.

this is the move when drafting, especially during nano.
peace and blessings to brackets and placeholders <3 <3

@Carlito they really as my best friend <3 I've always been too stubborn to just move past something I had difficulty with and it always makes me stall over scenes way more than I need to (especially because I have a proclivity for coming up with new characters on the spot and need names all the time!), so I finally gave in and it's honestly amazing