InNoWriMo: Change of plans

*International Novel Writing Month. That's what it really should be called.

Hello everyone,

I know I had promised more world building for Verlis, but it turns out I'm not actually going to write A Brigand, No Longer for NaNoWriMo. You see, in that book there will be a war. A war that turns offensive and might involve fully conquering the other country and setting up a new government. And I'm not quite sure of the ethics of that. Something is necessary, but I don't know how it should be carried out.

Between that problem and generally not being very certain where the book should go, I think I need to let it sit. I'm not ready and though I doubt I'll hit 50,000 words even if I know exactly what I am going to write, I don't want this to be a waste. So I'm writing something else.

In fact I'm going rebel and continuing Lady of Courage which I started in April. I'm really looking forward to working on this again. I thought I'd go through some of the Beautiful Books questions again.

What inspired the idea for your novel, and how long have you had the idea?

It was actually inspired by a couple of review of the movie Brave. It's not going to be much like it, but that's were the seed of the idea came from.

Describe what your novel is about!

It's a gearpunkish, political fantasy/alternative history about a girl who inherits the throne and must marry. Only there aren't any eligible and capable men around. Except that guy who trying to take over the whole region and is a just a generally nasty person. Or maybe that person, but the council doesn't like him. Or that guy, wait, why did he just die? And where are all the ships vanishing to?

What is your book’s aesthetic?

Despite my lighthearted description, this book is actually more tragedy than comedy and will make people cry. Maybe even me.

It's very brown,  there's a lot of a light dusty brown and smaller amounts of mahogany. Also deep reds, greens and blues. And touches of black and silver.

Introduce us to each of your characters!

There's a lot, and I did introduce some of them back in this post. So I'll just give a couple.

Natalia Rizzetti is basically a princess. She grew up expecting to rule sometime in the future, and has a keen interest in whats going in politics. She's the center of the social events of the nobility, but feels somewhat alone. These people don't really like her, they're just courtiers and flatterers. I think she's an ESTJ, so very dutiful and good at organizing people.

Rheas Masi is a poor girl who is part of a charity group. Her role is picking up gift and gettinhg the rights to distribute the handouts of the nobles. She has a heart for orphans and tries to get them good jobs as servants. When Natalia sees her being harassed by a man in the market place one day and asks her to become her maid, she's a bit scared, but takes this great opportunity.

Alexso Acqui is Natalia's half brother. He wants to be and inventor and explorer. he also wants to prove that he's not a foolish boy, but can be a bit irresponsible and impulsive.

What are you most looking forward to about this novel?

I love the worldbuilding and the complex political situations. I'm also looking forward to discovering how it all turns out in the end. I didn't start with a particular husband in mind for Natalia, and though I think I know now, it could turn out differently. I might decide to let her be happy.

List 3 things about your novel’s setting.

They have sky rails and factories.

It's inspired by Venice and other Italian, maritime, city-states.

I'm borrowing women's fashion from India. (Maybe men's too. Also kurtas and kirtles aren't all that different, so it's got medieval elements too.)

What’s your character’s goal and who (or what) stands in the way?

She wants to stop too much political power falling into the wrong hands. This means marrying in the next few months. But she also wants to find a truly good man to rule beside her. And there aren't many of those. Also someone is sinking their ships and her suitors are being killed off if she pays them too much attention.

How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?

She must learn to trust and respect men and realize that people can't be perfect. Also that she really does need to let those around her help.

What are your book’s themes? How do you want readers to feel when the story is over?

Men need the respect of women, even when they don't deserve it. We must build one another up and allow opportunities for growth  rather than belittling one another. Neither men nor women can make it alone.

I'm really not sure how I want people to feel. I'm not even sure how I feel about the expected ending. But I do wait to inspire hope, courage, love and grace.