fic talk in the tags 💝

Nanowrimo 2022 Is Looming

Anyone else doing nano this year?

I did nanowrimo last year for the first time and found that, challenging as it was, something about my brain responds really well to the structure and deadline of the event. I drafted my first novel, The Afterlife and Other Problems, during last year's event, hitting 50k by the end of the month and finishing the whole initial draft about two weeks after the event ended at around 74k.

At the time, just getting it done felt like a major miracle -- I was reeling from the loss of a really important friendship, desperately burnt out at work, and literally wrote 15 of the 30 days of it at the hospital bedside of my critically-ill father feeling very dark and lonely and lost. (He survived, thank god.)

But writing it? Writing it saved me, I think, at a very bad time. Writing it was fun and exciting and above all, kind of a great distraction, and I went on to revise it over the next six months and came out with a pretty good book.

So, of course, I'm gonna do it again because I'm a glutton for punishment I'm highly motivated. :)

And I've got an idea I'm really excited about. It's funny and deep and weird and I think it's gonna be great, if I can pull it off.

So I'm doing Preptober, right now, where you outline and plot and do writing prompts and figure out enough of a roadmap to get yourself able to sit down every single day in the month of November and pump out 1667 words, more or less. Even though I tend to be a pantser when I write (meaning someone who just wings it without much planning), you have do at least some kind of minimal planning to write this much in a month.

And it's interesting, because I suddenly am seeing how much I've learned over the last year. My approach this time is very different!

For one thing, I seem to have learned something about how to outline. Last year I had maybe three major plot points and a series of possible funny events that would happen in the first third of the book and that was it. This year, I've got a high level, rough, but much more thorough outline of most of the book. (With some holes, sure, but for me this is a TON of information.)

More importantly, I'm finding myself instinctively starting from a whole different perspective. Last year I had maybe a hook and some events, but knew very little about my characters, and this year I'm starting from a very clear idea of who my main character is and what she wants and fears, which is how the writing books always tell you to do it, but honestly until now I've never begun a project that way.

It remains to be seen if this will turn out to be a viable book or not -- but I *love* seeing progress in myself with respect to the craft of writing. I've learned so, so much, since I started drafting Faeted, three years ago, or since I eeked out my first Doctor Who fanfics in 2017.

SOOOOO anyhow, that's a long-winded way to say this: if you're nano-ing next month and want to be buddies, drop me a note! It was fun to have writing partners on the nano site last year to chat with about the process and cheer each other on as we posted our daily word counts. I'd love to connect!

Things changed after the kidnapping. The students were moved into dorm houses with their own rooms, and security was heightened. For a few days, all their classmates and teachers kept an extra close eye on Tao and Filo. The girl kept up the act of being traumatized, though not to an amount that made it seem like an act. Tao remained closed to himself, he had barely talked to the others before, and it didn't change now. Just that now, everyone assumed it was due to trauma from the experience. They both stuck together still, always hanging out in each other's dorm rooms. Luckily, everyone thought the minimal to non-existent decoration in Tao's room was due to minimalism, like Mezo did. Not because all of his stuff was still with the League. Who were fine, thankfully. Tao had gotten a message from Tomura a few days after everything, informing him about their new hideout. That everyone was safe and fine. He and Filo had cheered over this, already planning to visit once things had quieted down.

Filo herself used the time until then to continue her research about her father. She had asked Principal Nezu about him, who had been able to give her some info. She had a name now, Oboro Shirakumo, as well as the fact he died during a villain attack. And that he was very close with Mr. Aizawa and Present Mic. Which was why she was on her way to the teacher's lounge during her lunch break. Uraraka accompanied her, wanting to ask Miss Midnight something. Some students walked through the halls, to or from their break. She noticed a trio. A blonde boy, telling a story as he smiled brightly, looking like the sun incarnated. A girl with blue, twirly hair, listening in with a kind smile, the moon to the sun. And another boy, with hair as dark as the night sky. Filo turned to look after him once they passed, feeling her heart beat faster. "Filo!", Uraraka cried, before Filo was floating. Confused, she turned her head, only to see she nearly fell down some stairs had it not been for her classmates quick reaction. Uraraka let her down to the ground, asking in concern if everything was alright. Filo turned her head again, starring where the night boy had walked. She was fine, though her heart was beating like crazy.

"Tao! You're eating all alone? Where's Filo?" Midoriya asked as he sat down next to Tao. He looked over at him with a small smile. He wasn't necessarily close with Izuku, but to where he wasn't uncomfortable near him. It was nice. "She said she wanted to go talk to Aizawa and Present Mic, I believe." He said. Izuku nodded and pulled out his bento from his bag, finally able to fill his rumbling stomach. Training lately had caused for more hunger. Tao kept his eyes down on his own bento, trying to make himself speak up. "Izuku..Can I ask a question?" He asked. The freckled boy looked over at him with a wide, happy smile and nodded. Typically, it was Midoriya asking the questions. And many many of them.

"Well I've noticed you keep pages for everyone's quirks. D-do you have one for everyone in the class?" He asked. Izuku excitedly nodded, reaching into his bag to find his notebook. He was, quite literally, buzzing with excitement. "I do! I have a couple pages for everyone, actually..!" An embarrassed blush made its way to his face, "I-I wrote down uses of quirks, strengths and weaknesses, and looking at hero costumes." He opened the book and showed Tao. It was a page about Tao. He felt bad, once seeing the description of his quirk. He had lied, and told everyone he was like everyone else and was born with his mutation quirk. As he got older, he said, his wings slowly sprouted like a plant. His fangs got longer and claws more sharpened. His tail growing longer as well. It was all genetics, he fibbed.

"If it's not too much to ask..could I borrow this for the day? I-I promise I'll give it back tomorrow in home room!!" Tao managed to get himself to ask. Luckily Midoriya happily let him take it. He trusted Tao, he had no reason not to. "This book is for our class, and Sensei Aizawa!" He turned to the first few pages. It was that obnoxious Bakugou. It seemed there were a few more pages about him than everyone else. "You've written a lot about him." Tao muttered out. Izuku blushed again in embarrassment. "W-well I've known Kacchan since we were kids! I've always had alot to say about him and his quirk for years now!" Tao nodded, reading through the many words about the blonde. All were detailed about his quirk and abilities. This was by far excellent to show Tomura. "You said you've known him since you were kids?" Tao asked. More information wouldn't hurt. And we was intrigued about to blonde, even if he scared the shit out of Tao. There was something about him.