In preparation for NaNoWriMo in November, I’ve been organizing my notes and writing backstory for two the four projects I will be working on (one story is nearly done and didn’t need backstory, and another is already in progress, so backstory was done awhile ago). I’m largely a Pantser (ie, writing by “the seat of my pants”, and not plotting/planning much in advance, although I plan enough to technically be a hybrid “Plantser”), and as my strength is character, I have found that writing short scenes or stories about my characters really helps me flesh them out while at the same time leaving the actual plot very open-ended.
Although I won’t be posting any of that backstory here (it’s reserved for my Patrons–but please consider sponsoring my Patreon to get access!), but just for fun, I will share some info about my four projects.
- Bud Mushroom and the Missing Buttermilk (light humorous fantasy). The next in my established Twinkle Dingle series, the story follows Bud Mushroom, Useful Fairy, as he receives–and then loses–a Ginormous Hole Full of Delicious Buttermilk. Will he Discover where his Buttermilk went, or just have to Distract Himself from his Tragic Loss by doing Strange and Bizarre tasks for the other residents of Twinkle Dingle? (This is about 3/4 finished, then needs some light editing–I already have the cover, so it won’t be long before this one is published!)
- Journey: The Incredible (Mis)Adventures of a Reluctant Fairy Godparent (humorous fairy-tale re-tellings). Journey–along with a magic horse, enchanted wagon, and talking grasshopper–visits various fairy-tale characters and tries to solve their problems, with generally unexpected outcomes. (This started as my July Camp NaNo project, and is about halfway finished.)
- The Golden Sunbird (working title–fantasy). The story of three sisters, a magic book, and a mysterious golden bird. Wren and her sisters have a pleasant life with their woodsman father in their little cottage in the woods. Then one day, a young huntsman tells them a magnificent tale, and changes their lives forever. This story is based on a dream I once had. (Backstory mostly done).
- Daughter of the Lake (working title–Arthurian fantasy). Arianwen is the daughter of Ninienne, the Lady of the Lake, and the wizard Myrddin. Born to protect Artúr as he sleeps in Ynys Afallach (Avalon), she accidentally kills him when she tries to wake him prematurely. I’ve been a huge Arthurian legend fan for 40+ years, and am drawing on pretty much every version of the legend I have read, but mostly using the Welsh versions (and some Welsh mythology) as my foundation. Expect Plentyn Newid, Ceffyl Dŵr, and Tylwyth Teg, along with Arthurian standards such as Morgant and Bedwyr. (Backstory mostly done, and I also re-wrote the original legend to codify which versions of people/names and events I am using).
As a reminder, I will be tweeting snippets of my writing (hopefully daily) during November, using writing hashtag games as inspiration. Follow me for the fun!
C. C. Naughton 