Beautiful Books: In Greater Hands (Moving On)

Hello again, comrades! I am back once more with that lovely Beautiful Books link-up from Cait and Sky. I thank them again for being such wonderful hosts if such an immensely fun (and helpful!) activity. :) I am back again with In Greater Hands. So, I guess I'll step up and hop to it! ('step up and hop to it'... interesting notion...hmm...)

Overall, how is your mental state, and how is the novel going?

Well, uh.... :P My mental state  is slightly more flustered and ink-centered. Almost every thought train somehow eventually leads to writing (of course, that's not too far from normal for me...). And the novel, well... I am three and a half days behind in my word count, but I am getting back up there slowly. However, I am getting my writing style slowly back. For the first few days I felt like it was so plain, beyond even the very worst of my writing, it had no character of mine, and a completely different person wrote it. But I'm getting my groove back now... I think. :) Also, I have three possible character deaths up my sleeve, so, yay! :) *rubs hands together evilly* I can't wait to see my readers' reactions (particularly that of my dear Lucy Agnes...).

What is your first sentence or paragraph?

Well, if you're talking the actual first, it's this part in the prologue:

Leta stepped out of the plane. She looked around her. Leta was on a landing pad for fliers, on a huge base in the middle of nowhere. Well, okay, perhaps not nowhere, but it definitely looked like it. Really, this place wasn't too far from Bath, but it still was just far enough away to be termed 'the middle of nowhere'.

Yeah... hehehehe.. it's not that great... :P

However, if you're talking first chapter, then....

Leta's pulse raced as she ran through a pathway of buildings. She rolled behind the corner of one of them for cover. She put her hand to the gun holster of her belt and held her breath. Leta peeked ever-so-slightly from the corner of the building. She looked out expectantly. A shadow leapt across the path a little ways back. Leta took out her gun quickly, but not quite quickly enough. A bullet sped right in front of her face and banged back into the building wall.

That one's a little better, I hope... :)

Who is your current favorite character in it?

Well, the only characters that have actually entered yet are Leta, Lord and Lady Lecta, Training-Sergeant Travers, and Maj. Bertie Fleming's team. But my favorite so far has to be Bertie. Poor guy. I have already started picking on him. :) However, once Vance enters, he'll probably take the cake in this bakery. ;)

What do you love about your novel so far?

Well, I do like that it actually has good action, unlike most of my other stories, but I wouldn't call that a love, because I actually like really long beginnings where you get to see the characters eat breakfast and talk and such things. :P But, something I do love is the way I set the stage for character conflict. Poor Bertie already got beat up, and Leta is so doubtful of people, and someone is going to die before the end.... Ah, the life of a writer. :)

Have you made any hilarious typos or other mistakes?

*groans* Oh yes, definitely. You see, I have been listening to music non-stop since this started, and apparently it's beginning to affect me (to quote movie Legolas). I keep writing down things that savor of song lyrics, particularly in dialogue. Like I made Leta say something like "Apparently we've met before" (like Once Upon A Dream of Sleeping Beauty). And then in this, no matter how conflicted this scene was-

Bertie started to put his hand over his face distressedly. "Oh my team... Louis... Kate...Oh, my friends..."

I could not for the life of me stop thinking of Marius's own lament... "Oh, my friends!" :'(

Not my image. Poor guy, he's singing his heart out. :'(

I have done that with various songs and scenes now, mostly unwittingly, and I need to go and root out all of them.


What is your favorite to write - beginning, middle, or end?
Um, probably the middle. It's the easiest. Once I begin, then then it's not so hard or so flat after that point. I've never made it to the end of a story so I can't really give my say on that.


What are your writing habits? Is there a specific snack you eat? Do you listen to music? What time of day do you write best? Feel free to show us a picture of your writing space!
Well, I have a tendency of sucking the end of my pen when I'm writing (if I am writing with a pen. For some odd reason I don't do this with pencils). And I mostly eat chocolate, particularly M&Ms. I don't have a picture of my writing space unfortunately. I write most from any time after dinner to bedtime. And, oh, I have been listening to just about everything! But, above all, the song that's been keeping me going strong and persevering, is Il Divo's amazing song Isabel, sung at Barcelona, I think. And while Isabel isn't exactly my name, it's close enough that I feel like they're cheering me on. :)







Not my image. This is actually them singing in Japan, but who cares. They might still be singing Isabel. :)






How private are you about your writing? Do you need a cheer squad or do you work alone (like Batman)?
Well, who needs a cheer squad when you've got Il Divo?! Not me! *blushes* Okay, that wasn't entirely true (well, the Il Divo part was true, but the part about me not needing a cheer squad wasn't). Yes, I have a loveable group of writer friends who read my work. Among my readers are Lucy Agnes, Anna Deubell, and a few others. So, unfortunately, I am more Robin than Batman. ;)


What keeps you writing when it's hard?
*musing* Well, let's see.. Il Divo... the song Isabel... Okay, okay, I'll be serious! Actually, those things do help, but the big thing keeping me going is the very theme of the story - even the smallest effort counts. No true endeavor is ever wasted. What a very fortunate thing that this is the theme I'm trying to communicate, because I really am living it as I write the story! :)

What three writing tips would you offer?
 Yes, people I know that wasn't the exact wording of this question. I am being lazy. :P But, all the same, my tips would be:
1. Don't let the quality stifle the quantity, of course as NaNo says, but never do vice-versa either. Your writing should be wholesome and given effort. I'm not saying it should be perfect - not at all. Just don't let it get to the point where writing it isn't fun, and the writing has no virtue.
2. Kill off characters! Okay, as a writer I may give this amazing advice, but I will contradict myself there. As a reader, I must beg you not to do this. So there you have an extremely helpful and clear piece of advice. ;)
3. Make time for other things too. You unfortunately cannot just lock yourself in a tower, dungeon, or hobbit-hole writing and forgetting what the rest of the world looks like. Also, as a cheating fourth piece of advice, I suggest a lot of Il Divo (Has this post just become less and introduction of my story and more a praise of my favored singers? How did that happen...?).


Anyways, that's the end of my story rant. :) I hope you liked it


Tell me your thoughts! Would you still read it? Have you guessed who is going to be killed off? Is anyone angry with me for this fact? Do you like Il Divo? (P.S., if you say 'no', then I shall be most highly displeased).