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d and Bone. Here’s my Pretober Journey so far, weighing each of the stories but never making a decision.</p><div id="c102" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/kai-preptober-challenge-f89bfba68e8"> <div> <div> <h2>Kai — Preptober Challenge</h2> <div><h3>All the prepping preppiness</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*pSPZkJgftjGyCq6q)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="b028"><a href="undefined">Kristy Westaway</a> and I recorded an episode of <a href="https://anchor.fm/charactercollective">The Character Collective Podcast where we shared the overviews of our projects for NaNo </a>— it pretty much just became an episode about me working out which damn project I was going to work on, but we got there. It was an interesting journey so I’ll probably share that in another post.</p><p id="6c34">So, enough messing around. My NaNo project will be…. drumroll please…</p><h1 id="0501">Wait. Can you guess?</h1><figure id="5b5c"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*1s04IUAs6-zOAuG3"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@etiennegirardet?utm_source=medium&amp;utm_medium=referral">Etienne Girardet</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&amp;utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><p id="2d8d" type="7">RAINBOW CIRCUS!</p><p id="0bc5">Woo hoo! I’m super excited and the extra exciting thing is I’ll be sharing the project on here as we go, because why not go nuts?</p><div id="6f5f" class="link-block"> <a href="https://medium.com/rainbow-circus"> <div> <div> <h2>Rainbow Circus</h2> <div><h3>LGBTQIA+ MM Romance Series. Rainbow Circus is just as it sounds, but there is more to it than lions and clowns. You’ll…</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*u4sRa_xhJ1cmOBDo-tWwWA.png)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="cd2b">Rainbow circus is an LGBTQIA+ Circus. You’ll find no animals here. But wait, isn’t that a tiger? Or is it? And what’s that hanging from the big top? Is that, an octopus? Look more closely. Come on a journey that will captivate and entrance. Bring the family, for now. But when the sun goes down, so do all inhibitions. Come back for the adult’s only circus — join the sensory playground.</p><p id="bacc">And what better way to introduce today’s Preptober challenge? I LOVE this challenge. It’s such a great way to dig deeper into all aspects and not just the setting. The details in the sensory explanations can give you so much insight into your characters and reveal hidden traits, backstories, and intentions. Let’s play.</p><h1 id="7bde">Location:</h1><p id="4e74">Since the first book is the story of Jack and Mario, let’s use Mario’s circus trailer.</p><h1 id="821c">Sight:</h1><p id="ffc7">Mario’s trailer is in constant flux between absolute chaos and fresh, sparkling new. He’ll do a power clean when needed rather than keep it tidy. It’s a

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standard trailer but he’s decked it out to make it home. The window over his bed has no curtain and it is covered with photos of his family to block out the light. Fairy lights drape back and forth across the roof so that he can ‘watch the stars’ at night. There is a bright yellow dream catcher hanging in the bathroom door frame with several small beads added on (I’m not sure what these represent yet).</p><h1 id="0976">Sound:</h1><p id="11b7">Mario is used to the sounds of the circus and the trailers do not stop a lot of the noise going in or out. He always tries to set his trailer as far away as he can from the others but it’s never far enough. The days are filled with voices and commands, the nights (after an adult's only show) are filled with laughter, music, drunkenness, and sex. You won’t hear much of any of that in Mario’s cart (yeah, I just did that, haha), not because he doesn’t do those things but because he does them in every trailer except his own.</p><h1 id="3d79">Smell:</h1><p id="6a4c">Mario says his trailer smells like his natural rose scent but everyone else will tell you it smells of acrid charcoal and rancid beans. They’re exaggerating, but only mildly. Once you get used to the first aromatic punch (give it a minute), the rose scent starts to come through.</p><h1 id="72d7">Taste:</h1><p id="ce9f">You know how sometimes you can taste smells? Well, luckily, the above does not bring with it a flavor. In fact, strangely, there’s a citrusy tang in the air. Don’t tell anyone it’s only because he just had one of his cleaning sprees.</p><h1 id="752a">Touch:</h1><p id="5868">Mario has burnt his fingers so many times he barely has any feeling left in his fingertips — a hazard of the job and of being a bit of a crazy mo-fo that will try anything at least six times. But if we go with the general feel of the location, there is a homeliness to the trailer. There is a welcoming feel and even the smoky beans smell becomes like a warm hug to anyone with who Mario becomes close. Everyone knows how important his family is and if they are invited into his tailor, they enter with the utmost respect. Mario and his tailor give off very similar vibes — after all, it’s soaked with his energy.</p><p id="dffe">Your turn!</p><div id="f88d" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/nanowrimo-season-looms-66d4341dcab1"> <div> <div> <h2>NaNoWriMo Season Looms</h2> <div><h3>Getting ready to get ready to write a novel in a month</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*chOrXd6NJUmnvCLl)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="03b5" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/about-me-kp-the-writer-f56a5e65ea7e"> <div> <div> <h2>About Me — KP-the-Writer</h2> <div><h3>Podcaster, writer, and queer, oh my</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*7yTzy4Uqux13evoV0WoMpw.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

WRITING

ALL the Feels

Day 6: Preptober writing prompt challenge

Photo by Radu Florin on Unsplash

Day 6: Describe one of the locations in your book using the 5 senses

Before I dive into today’s NaNoWriMo Preptober Challenge, I have an exciting announcement! I made a decision! Yes, indeed. If you’ve been following along, I was stuck trying to decide which book to write for NaNoWriMo this year.

Oh, and before I make that announcement, I have another one. Yes, it is the day of announcements. My Personal Best Series has been renamed Streamline. Streamline is a three-book MM sports romance series about Ash, a trans-masc youth working his way through the struggles of starting college while discovering himself and love.

Image created by author using Daz 3D

Book 1: Treading Water

The yeet draft (aka the dumbest version, aka the vomit copy, aka the first draft) is done and waiting for me to get my crap together and edit it. In book 1, Ash discovers that family is about so much more than blood and begins his medical transition journey.

I adapted the prologue and first two chapters into a podcast pilot episode for a uni project. Check it out HERE, it’s pretty awesome!

Book 2: Negative Split

I’m about 40k words into the yeet draft with 50k to go which I’ll finish this month before NaNo kicks off. In book 2, Ash is faced with the reality that his parents will never accept him but with Baz, Bree, and of course, C, he knows he’ll be ok.

Book 3: Personal Best

Right, so the series title and Book 3 title did a little switcheroo. Too many spoilers to share too much here but let’s just say that the delicious romance slow-burn hits its peak. Oh and, there’s swimming — that’s the sports part, haha.

Back to the First Announcement

Ok, so for NaNo I was tossing up between writing Personal Best, Book One in Rainbow Circus, or Book One in Blood and Bone. Here’s my Pretober Journey so far, weighing each of the stories but never making a decision.

Kristy Westaway and I recorded an episode of The Character Collective Podcast where we shared the overviews of our projects for NaNo — it pretty much just became an episode about me working out which damn project I was going to work on, but we got there. It was an interesting journey so I’ll probably share that in another post.

So, enough messing around. My NaNo project will be…. drumroll please…

Wait. Can you guess?

Photo by Etienne Girardet on Unsplash

RAINBOW CIRCUS!

Woo hoo! I’m super excited and the extra exciting thing is I’ll be sharing the project on here as we go, because why not go nuts?

Rainbow circus is an LGBTQIA+ Circus. You’ll find no animals here. But wait, isn’t that a tiger? Or is it? And what’s that hanging from the big top? Is that, an octopus? Look more closely. Come on a journey that will captivate and entrance. Bring the family, for now. But when the sun goes down, so do all inhibitions. Come back for the adult’s only circus — join the sensory playground.

And what better way to introduce today’s Preptober challenge? I LOVE this challenge. It’s such a great way to dig deeper into all aspects and not just the setting. The details in the sensory explanations can give you so much insight into your characters and reveal hidden traits, backstories, and intentions. Let’s play.

Location:

Since the first book is the story of Jack and Mario, let’s use Mario’s circus trailer.

Sight:

Mario’s trailer is in constant flux between absolute chaos and fresh, sparkling new. He’ll do a power clean when needed rather than keep it tidy. It’s a standard trailer but he’s decked it out to make it home. The window over his bed has no curtain and it is covered with photos of his family to block out the light. Fairy lights drape back and forth across the roof so that he can ‘watch the stars’ at night. There is a bright yellow dream catcher hanging in the bathroom door frame with several small beads added on (I’m not sure what these represent yet).

Sound:

Mario is used to the sounds of the circus and the trailers do not stop a lot of the noise going in or out. He always tries to set his trailer as far away as he can from the others but it’s never far enough. The days are filled with voices and commands, the nights (after an adult's only show) are filled with laughter, music, drunkenness, and sex. You won’t hear much of any of that in Mario’s cart (yeah, I just did that, haha), not because he doesn’t do those things but because he does them in every trailer except his own.

Smell:

Mario says his trailer smells like his natural rose scent but everyone else will tell you it smells of acrid charcoal and rancid beans. They’re exaggerating, but only mildly. Once you get used to the first aromatic punch (give it a minute), the rose scent starts to come through.

Taste:

You know how sometimes you can taste smells? Well, luckily, the above does not bring with it a flavor. In fact, strangely, there’s a citrusy tang in the air. Don’t tell anyone it’s only because he just had one of his cleaning sprees.

Touch:

Mario has burnt his fingers so many times he barely has any feeling left in his fingertips — a hazard of the job and of being a bit of a crazy mo-fo that will try anything at least six times. But if we go with the general feel of the location, there is a homeliness to the trailer. There is a welcoming feel and even the smoky beans smell becomes like a warm hug to anyone with who Mario becomes close. Everyone knows how important his family is and if they are invited into his tailor, they enter with the utmost respect. Mario and his tailor give off very similar vibes — after all, it’s soaked with his energy.

Your turn!

Writing
NaNoWriMo
Books
LGBTQ
Lgbtqia
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