We're now 5 days into Camp! How have you guys been doing??

As mentioned in my monthly wrap-up, this April, in addition to Camp NaNo, I'm participating in Julian Daventry's Shared WIP Tag.

This particular post is also doubling as my traditional Project Reveal that I had planned for the beginning of the month. Since the montly wrap-up got pushed to April 1st this year, I figured it would work much better if I revealed it now. Besides, half of the stuff in here would have been in the reveal anyway....

So without further ado, let's jump in!


What WIP(s) are you working on this Camp NaNo?

The main WIP that I will be working on is Fair Winds. This is a sharp departure from the original plan of working on The White Rose. However, I figured out in February that I was really stuck on the plot so I'm going to let it sit for a while until I figure out what I'm going to do.

Should I get an inspiration, I won't hesitate to write in The White Rose as well this month. Call that an unofficial goal, if you will.


What goal did you set for it, and why did you choose that goal?

I set a goal of 20,000 words for this piece. This goal is about twice the word count of the existing draft. I'm hoping that with the re-plot that occurred in March will help to bolster the existing draft - which is the whole point of this re-write.


Can you give us a short synopsis of the WIP?

The work is divided into two volumes: Sassy Devil and Fallen Angel. The official synopsi are on my WIP page at the top of the blog, but I'll give a quick rundown here too:

Fair Winds is about the adventures of Ciara Arlen, who goes from an ordinary maiden in England to a feared pirate in the Caribbean.

In Sassy Devil, we follow Ciara and her sister Grace as they travel to Portsmouth to meet an uncle, get kidnapped by an unscrupulous pirate captain and are chased by a British lieutenant.

In Fallen Angel, we follow Ciara as she escapes from the British Navy, attempts to put together a crew, and gets captured again by a tribe of natives.

That's the five second version, anyway.

How long have you been working on this WIP?

I began this piece in 2015 and have been working on it off and on ever since. November 2017 and July 2018 were the biggest months that I worked on it since I wrote the first draft in 2015.


Where did the idea come from?

The idea came from my Creative Writing class in college. I want to say that it was a quip comment example that my professor used. All I know, is that she was teaching about some theory of writing and I wasn't paying attention because I developed the story right there in the classroom.


Do you think you’ll be able to meet your goal? Why or why not?

Frankly, I don't have a great track record when it comes to word counts. However, 10k of this goal is technically "written" already, so maybe that will do the trick?

I do know that I can write 10k in a month. So maybe this year will be the year that I beat the losing streak!


Did you make any goals for March (Camp Prep)? Were you able to fulfill those?

I made an official goal of re-plotting Fair Winds. This was because I was going to the beach for vacation at the end of the month, so it was PERFECT for working on it. I mean, I had already found that out last time I was at the beach because a whole scene came from it....

However, the plot is still just as muddled as the last time, however, I do have some new paths to tread with this - so let's see where this bunny trail leads....

I also had a goal of at least partially finishing the Fair Winds section of Project Blueprint. That went really well - I have to upload all the notes I took this week and work a bit on the world-building, but otherwise it's finished!


Are there any aesthetics/music you’d like to share? Any goals regarded to these artistic endeavors?

I've shared various works of music already, so I'll show just my avatars this time. All of my artistic endeavor goals were in March, so there are no current goals right now.

Colin, Ciara and Grace

This first picture is of my MC (Ciara Arlen), her love interest (Colin) and her younger sister (Grace). I chose the Hobbit archtype for the girls because they had similar styles to the 1740s.

I really wish that I was able to pick a little bit of scruff for Colin - he needs it, I think, for a more convincing look. And for that matter, why not create a child avatar so Grace doesn't look like a midget woman???

Mrs. Goodhew, Jacinta Arlen, Leo Arlen, Arthur Livingston

This picture is of the Arlen's neighbor, Mrs. Goodhew, the Arlen parents Jacinta and Leo, and Leo's brother-in-law, Arthur Livingston.

Mrs. Goodhew is a widow a few years beyond her mourning time, hence she wears gray with a dash of color. I couldn't bear to see Jacinta in any color - besides many women wore white on special occasions. Leo is a fisherman, and so his wardrobe is much more utilitarian. And Livingston is a lieutenant in the Royal Navy - this was as close to a Navy uniform as I could manage (though it's not that bad....)

Dage Morris, Thomas "Barnacle" Sampson, Ernest "Tall Tide" Dacre

And now, we move to the crew!

On the far right of this first picture, we meet with the captain of the crew, Ernest Dacre. Forgive the fact that his dress is 300 years behind the times - the only avatar thing that was even close was the Tudor one. If you switch out that funny Henry VIII hat for a musketeer style hat with white plumes, that will be much more accurate.

On the far left is Dage Morris, the boatswain/first mate to Tall Tide. He's probably the most interesting when it comes to dress, LOL.

In the middle is Barnacle Sampson, the second mate and helmsman. Tends to drink too much and has bloodshot eyes constantly.

Elias "Shiny Buckles" Ripper, Degory "Black Shackles" Creegh, William "Sly Dog" Gunner

This second picture has the crew that is most often above decks.

On the far left is the ship navigator, Elias Ripper. He was captured from a merchant ship. The guy is vain as a peacock.

In the middle is the Barbary native Degory Creegh. He acts as the ship's rigger and he's great at climbing up on the yardarms to let the sails down. He's a pack of trouble though...

And on the end is the main gunner of the ship, which, ironically, is named Billy Gunner. Oh and even more hilarious is the fact that he has a tough time in his job and can't aim very well.

Myles "Silver Tooth" Butcher, Bartholomew "Devil's Grin" Raw, John "Lazyjacks" Hunt

This third picture has the crew which is most often below the decks.

On the far left, we have a crewman by the name of Silver Tooth Butcher. He got this particular nickname from breaking one of his teeth and getting a silver one in it's place. He acts as the ship's cook. He's also the oldest man on the crew. He used to be a gunner on a Royal Navy ship.

In the middle is Devil's Grin Raw, who acts as the ship's carpenter. He makes the ship stay afloat and keeps the leaks from happening...as long as he can keep his balance.

On the right is Lazyjacks Hunt. He is the actual second in command to Tall Tide (rather than Morris, who acts more as an apprentice). He's missing his characteristic red scarf though. 





And I believe that you well know this young lady up here. This is Thieving Magpie, who acts as the sidekick sort of character to Ciara.



Share a snippet from your WIP.

I'll share a snippet from the old draft:

Grace tugged at Ciara’s sleeve. “What is the man saying?”
Ciara shook her head. For once, she couldn’t answer her inquisitive sister. All she knew is that the man was not speaking very clearly.
After several seconds, the captain approached the driver, who had at this time, been helped up by several men from the crowd.
“I offer you, sir, my sincerest apologies for the behavior of my deck-hand. He, uh, hasn’t been on shore in quite some years, and has forgotten how to act in, uh, respectable, society. I hope the young ladies are, uh, not hurt?” He had a foreign accent, and a melodious one at that.
“Not at all, my good sir.” Ciara answered for the driver, who looked rather shocked at her for being so forthright.




What's a Bible verse that sums up the theme in your WIP? or else another quote that helps motivate you as you tackle what projects you've made for your goal?

Unlike many of my stories, I have trouble condensing this story into a definable theme.

I know that Matthew 18:3-4 (DRV) is an excellent summation of Grace's POV. Honestly, that's the first thing that comes to mind when I think "Bible verse" for this story.

As for any other quotes, I have none at the moment.


And so that wraps up my first installment of The Shared WIP Tag 2019! Please check out the other participant's posts:

Julian
Sarah
Faith
Ceci
Nicole
Ariel


How has Camp been going for you guys? Who is your most rebellious character? Has anyone else plotted a story when they're supposed to be paying attention to class? 

Scribblingly yours,

Catherine