From Natalie’s #WIP, which has the working title, Princess of Air…
Another fit of giggles totters my shoulders until a shock of cold water hits my face. I gasp and jump to my feet. “Marcus, that was completely unnecessary!”
“Everything you do is unnecessary. Perhaps I’m learning from your example.”
“Of all of us, Arabella is the sibling you want to emulate?” Rylan sinks back onto his chair.
I pull a warm gust to dry my face, and run my hands through my damp locks, blowing heated air through to evaporate the water. “Silly little brother, there is only one among us worth modeling yourself after, and he is your future king.”
Rylan rolls his eyes. “What do you want, Ara?”
“To bring you a gift, of course. It is your birthday, and I am your favorite sister.”
“No you aren’t.”
“Well, at least I’m Nina’s favorite sister.”
“Having no other options will do that.” Nina smooths her yellow dress as she sits by the vacant hearth. A fire springs to life without wood or kindling.
“Nina.” Rylan’s voice takes on an annoyed sense of authority. “It’s too warm for that.”
“Ara?”
The request is understood without her voicing it. I cool the room so we can all be content. As much as my brothers and sister complain of the turmoil I cause, it’s always I who clears the air between us. We fall into a routine without any cues. Marcus fills the kettle with a snap of his fingers, I float it over Nina’s fire, and Rylan pulls some leaves from one of the many plants in his sitting room. They wither and dry in his palm from which I waft them into the cups.
“Aside from a heart attack,” Rylan says, “what is my birthday gift? Shall I don armor before receiving it?”
“Armor would be about as useful against me as your ridiculous wind chimes. Here.” I flick my fingers toward him and feel the airy halo form on his head.
“What is this?” He pats his hands along it gingerly.
“A cushion for your new crown. I wouldn’t want it flattening your lovely curls or straining your princely neck.”
“Despite the irritating way you present it, that is actually a nice gift. The weight of the crown will be less when I have my second favorite sister around.”
Writer’s WIP Questionnaire – 2
- In the past two weeks, I have felt mostly happy about the progress of my WIP.
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Comment: I’m going with an average here, because really I have, “this is the best thing I’ve ever written” moments and “this will never work,” moments back and forth on an hourly basis. I’ve got writer whiplash.
- In the past two weeks, I have mostly managed to balance my writing life with the rest of my life.
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Comment: Sure. My life is balanced. I spend a lot of time writing while feeling guilty about not doing housework, and then think about writing while reading bedtime stories and cooking dinner. That’s balanced, right?!
- In the past two weeks, I have made drastic changes to my WIP.
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Comment: Indeed! I changed the entire trajectory of one section (which I had hypothetically already finished and revised). For a day or so, it sat with “SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAPPENS. SOMEONE DIES.” In it, but I’ve figured out the something terrible. For this version anyway!
- In the past two weeks, I have mostly suffered from ‘writer’s block’.
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Comment: Only a little writer’s block. I had to figure out some things. I start with the why rather than the what, so it took a moment of shifting into my antagonist’s head to figure out what was going to happen. It’s mostly ironed out now.
- In the past two weeks, I have focussed on one project.
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Comment: I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever be able to focus on one project for a week at a time ever again. In the middle of my revision of my WIP, I had to do the final read through of my upcoming release, marketing and PR activities for the one already out. I will forever be a juggler I think.
Thanks for dropping in, Natalie! Can’t wait to find out more about Ara and her siblings. And ‘writer whiplash’? – love it!
Natalie likes to sit near her bookcases so all of her unread books can glare at her. When she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found chasing her children around. She also enjoys making vague, snarky videos for her fans who want to know how her stories end. She’s slightly famous in some circles, and if you’re still reading this, you’re probably either in one of those circles, or related to her.
Find out more about Natalie, here:
https://www.nataliecammarattabooks.com
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21441191.Natalie_Cammaratta
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/natalie-cammaratta
https://www.facebook.com/NatalieCammaratta/
https://www.instagram.com/nataliecammarattawrites/
Morwenna Blackwood, Author 