1. On a scale of 1 (worst) to 10 (best) how well do you think this book turned out?
I'd say 7 or 7.5. Maybe 8. It still needs a lot of work, but I really like how the plot and characters are coming. I think it's the best first draft I've ever written. I feel like I know what I'm doing, and it's going to take less revisions than it has before with other novels.
2. Have you ever rewritten or edited one of your books before? If so, what do you do to prepare yourself? If not, what’s your plan?
Yes, many, many times. I'm currently rewriting my science-fiction novel Subsapien Biomech while I'm giving Red Hood a six week (at least) rest period. I think finally this will be the reworking that will make SB ready. Like I mentioned before, I like letting my work rest before editing. I just discovered this concept a year or two ago and it works wonders.
I plan on working on the first rewrite of Red Hood next year after I finish the one for Subsapien Biomech. I want to read over the whole book and root out all the weak spots then I'll work on fleshing them out, then work on rewriting it. I actually enjoy rewriting. It's like putting muscles on the skeleton of my book.
3. What’s your final wordcount? Do you plan to lengthen or trim your book?
69,461 words. I wrote 19,433 before NaNoWriMo so I would complete it by the end of NaNo. It will probably lengthen in the rewrite, because the book definitely needs more description, then I'll trim it down to probably around 80K.
4. What’s are you most proud of? Plot, characters, or pacing?
I think my pacing has gotten a lot better in this book, but I think it's plot. It has a lot of twists and turns, and I love it.
5. What’s your favorite bit of prose or line from this novel?
There's so much to pick, but this part I really enjoyed, because Mor hated being in this foreign, snow-covered land of Isriki until this part. I even have a song to go with it. ^ ^
Night painted the entire sky black. A trace of green lit a spot among the stars. Gradually more color bled into the heavens until it grew into a green pulsing wave. Then blues, purples, and pinks added into the mix until the swirl formed a rainbow of light. The ice pillar in the center of the village shot a beam of green of its own skyward. The myriad of lights dyed the snow, making the dark, whitewashed world ablaze with color.
A smile spread on Mor’s face. This must be one of the auroras she’d heard stories about. It was magnificent. This country did have its beauty after all.
6. What aspect of your book needs the most work?
Description and I feel like the characters and world need to be developed more.
7. What aspect of your book is your favorite?
I really like the characters and plot. I'm slowly getting to know the characters, but the plot I pretty much have solid. It gets even better in the next books to come. I'm planning on making Red Hood a trilogy.
8. How are your characters? Well-rounded, or do they still need to be fleshed-out?
I'm still getting to know them, but I feel like I at least have 50% of them down. They still haven't told me all of their deep dark secrets yet, but I'm pretty solid on how they tick at least the main characters. Side characters need work definitely.
9. If you had to do it over again, what would you change about the whole process?
I would do more planning than I did. I didn't even expect to write Red Hood this year so I kind of rushed the world building and character development.
10. Did anything happen in your book that completely surprised you? Have any scenes or characters turned out differently to what you planned? Good or bad?
Oh yeah, a lot things changed, and I got a handful of extra characters, but that's the fun of writing seat-of-the-pants. It came out better than I expected.
11. What was the theme and message? Do you think it came across? If not, is there anything you could do to bring it out more?
I'm still figuring out the exact theme, and there's probably more than one. That's one thing I really let grow organically in my writing. The theme is trusting in God's plans, not your plans, but there are also themes of wisdom and sacrifice. I think they'll come out on their own. When I write I let God tell me what the theme for the book should be.
12. Do you like writing with a deadline (like NaNoWriMo) or do you prefer to write-as-it-comes?
I like writing under a deadline. I think it's important to keep one accountable so the book can be finished or you can get tired of the book. That's one thing I really learned this year. NaNoWriMo is way tight for me, and I'm glad it only occurs once a year. XD I prefer to write drafts within three months.
13. Comparative title time! What published books, movies, or TV shows are like your book? (Ex: Inkheart meets X-Men, etc.)
Red Hood is a mix between the Chronicles of Narnia and the anime Attack on Titan. It has a lot Narnia elements from the fantasy environment, the creatures, the costumes, and the implied English accents, and it has the rough technology, the military organization, and the nearly indestructible enemy like in Attack on Titan.
14. How do you celebrate a finished novel?!
I usually treat myself to something I rarely get like food from my favorite restaurant. I still haven't treated myself, because I got sick a few days before I finished this novel.
15. When people are done reading your book, what feeling do you want them to come away with?
I want them to be encouraged and enlightened, and I want them to have had a journey they won't forget. I want them to feel like they wouldn't be the same without reading my book.
So there you have it, that is a bit more about Red Hood. I've finished the first draft this year, and I'm hoping to work on the macro edit and rewrite next year. ^ ^ If you'd like to see a bit more of Red Hood check out the book's Pinterest board, Mor's character interview and Claes's character interview. Thanks for reading!
Are you working on a novel? What do you think about this one?
If you liked this post, come back every Saturday for more writing advice, character interviews, book reviews and more! On Sundays I have Soundtrack Sundays where I post a new score piece, Tuesdays are Tea Tuesdays with tea reviews, Wednesdays I have Wonderful Word Wednesdays where I post a new vocabulary word, and Fridays are Fan Fridays where I post tags and other goodies. To help support my dream to be an author follow this blog, like me on Facebook, watch me on deviantART, and follow me on Pinterest and Twitter. If you want to know more about my books check out them out here. Thank you! :)
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