Category Archives: pirate eyes

At the Halfway Mark | August 2017

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Hi friends,

Here’s a new feature I’m hoping to keep up with on my blog moving forward to keep you all updated on how my monthly goals are going and to find out how yours are as well 🙂

So, let’s get to it…

WRITING:

Right now I’m sitting on news for Pirate Eyes. Pitch Wars results come out on the 24th. I haven’t gotten any requests for extra material yet, so I’m not keeping my hopes too high, but this isn’t a down point for me. If something comes of it, great! But if not, I’ll start querying agents again starting on the 25th.

I’m almost done a strong edit of the second draft of Heralding. A lot of things have changed through this edit, which is both exciting and frightening… But it’s all for the best 🙂

I’m planning a fuller post on my editing process, but I’ll just say now that I’ve taken a new approach this time around that’s really helped me nail down my issues.

I’ve also been working on a Christmas musical to put on at my church. I’ve outlined in and made a brief skeleton of songs and I hope to start writing it this week 😉

READING:

As always, I’ve set a monthly goal of five-six books. So far, I’ve read four.

A steampunk from Dana Fraedrich, called Out of the Shadows which was a highly entertaining read. (4/5)

An arc of KJ Chapman’s upcoming novella called Zombie Playlist which was a riotous, hilarious read that I got through in one sitting. Absolutely fantastic! (5/5)

I also binge-read This Savage Song & Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab. This duology was absolutely wonderful. The worldbuilding, the characters, the thematic grappling of survival! So wonderful! Reminds me again why Schwab is one of my top five favourite authors. (5/5 for the duology!)

WATCHING:

I also have a monthly goal of watching four-five movies. So far I’ve watched three.

I watched Pride (2014) on Netflix. I have a fondness for films set in Britain and period pieces. The acting in this movie was wonderful and the directing was brilliant. A very touching and affecting film. (8.5/10)

I also watched Hunt for the Wilderpeople on Netflix. It’s my first Taika Waititi film and I adored it! The balance of humour and drama was fantastic. Sam Neill has been a favourite actor of mine since I saw him in Jurassic Park. He blew me away in this role! And Julian! I really do recommend this offbeat comedy! (10/10)

Last night, my mom, my sister, and I went to the movies to watch North by Northwest as part of our cinema’s classic event series (different one every month). It’s my third Hitchcock and I loved it! Cary Grant is such a suave actor. The storyline was solid too and the scene with the corn duster! Amazing that Hitchcock never won an Oscar for his directing! (9/10)

Alright, that’s all from me. Back to the edits!

Where are you with your goals, friends? How is August treating you?

Take care.

May inspiration flow like ink upon your quill,

Faith quill-ink

 

 

 

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Hello. It’s Me.

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Hi, friends

*waves nervously* 👋🏼

I’ve been MIA lately. 🙄 *thank you captain obvious*

It’s been a lengthier hiatus than I planned – actually I didn’t plan it at all. Things have just been going on in my life lately that have been making it difficult to juggle everything, but I’ve gotten some things under control. I think. I hope.

I don’t want to go into too much detail. But it was a dark period & I want you all to know that I’ve seen your comments and your words of support have meant a lot to me. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart!

Image result for thank you doctor who gif

Most of the last few weeks have been spent preparing to enter Pirate Eyes in #PitchWars. I tried out last year, but didn’t make it. Since then, she’s gone through three more editing phases, plus been read by my sister. I’ve also circulated the first chapter and I’ve gotten really positive feedback, so my ego is stoked and I’m trying my luck a second time before attempting to query her to a few more agents.

My submission went through yesterday and now the wait begins!

Related image

Otherwise, I’ve been editing through Heralding the sequel to my debut urban fantasy novella, Eléonore. At this rate, I’m confident she’ll be publishing fall 2017, so keep an eye out and an ear open.

I’ve also been working on a few side projects side projects. One is an adult fairy tale adaptation, two are secrets 🙊, one is a family drama screenplay, and one is a YA paranormal historical novella. But these are projects that I only work on when I have the extra time.

The only other WIP that has my attention is Hollow Vows, the sequel to Pirate Eyes. I participated in CampNaNoWriMo in July and passed my 30k goal (hit 33k).

Image result for celebrate doctor who gif

Aside from writing, I’ve been preparing a few blog series that I really hope to commit to. One focuses on lessons I’ve learned as a writer from books I’ve read. I also intend to dive into the Crafting the Series series. I’m re-imagining my blog a bit, really trying to focus on what it is I want to offer people. Primarily, it’s about one writer helping other writers, but it’s also about sharing my love of books and stories, so I’m really going to center myself that way and try to be more disciplined in how I accomplish it.

Hoping that this month will be a good step forward.

Let me know what you’ve been up to, dearest friends. Share your happiest moments or your troubles. I’m here to talk again. So let’s catch up 😊

 

May inspiration flow like ink upon your quill,

Faith quill-ink

Half Month Report

pirate eyes, Progress Report, Whimsical Musings,

Hi all!

Hope you’re keeping well.

Montreal’s summer is really settling in. We reached 34º celsius with humidity two days ago and this morning woke up to a brisk 12º. Nothing says summer like fluctuating temperature!

extra3 summer winter cold yolo GIF

 

Anyway, I’ve been fairly unreliable on my blog lately and while part of that is because I’m terrible at time management, the other reason is that I’ve been knee deep in edits of Pirate Eyes.

To which you now say… “but Faith, you mentioned that they were done just a few weeks ago. Are you a pathological liar?”

surprised oops nose pinocchio lying GIF

 

In all seriousness, though, I was telling the truth when I said I was done, but since then, my sister started and finished her developmental edit of my story and made a few excellent points so I’m just making the minor changes I need to and doing a final readthrough to reassure myself it’s as good as it can be, and then that’s it.

For real this time.

matt smith the doctor promise cross my heart GIF

 

On top of that, I’ve been dividing my time between work, family and that secret project. Oh, and Social Media. I’ve been most active on Instagram but that’s about to change because I can feel myself reaching the breaking point, which isn’t good… Or so I’ve heard ;P

All that to say, this year has been a challenge for me in terms of learning to balance time. Though I will admit that a good part of my struggle has to do with where I am in my personal life. I won’t burden you with that for now. We all are battling our own inner demons, and all I can say to you, is keep your chin up and put up the good fight friends. Five years down the line, you’ll back on the darker periods of your life and they’ll only be distant memories. Life is so much bigger than right now.

Winding down, I’m making plans, and putting my best foot forward. Scheduling is my best friend right now and I’m creating time blocks for my activities, which means that I’m hoping to post on this blog at least once a week and catch up on your posts and comments twice more.

If everything works out as I hope — edits of Pirate Eyes entirely done by the end of this month — I’ll be starting on Heralding edits next month and coming to you with a special new blog series. Plus that secret project will finally see the light of day!

And keep your eye out for tomorrow’s post, which will be a guest post by the very kind and talented, Sarina Langer!

But enough about me… What have you been up to friends? Anything exciting happening in your life? Do you feel stressed or overwhelmed at the moment? Let me know what’s on your mind and we can support one another as we set forth to create a future for ourselves 🙂

Image result for we are groot gif

all gifs taken from giphy.com

May inspiration flow like ink upon your quill,

Faith quill-ink

Pirate Eyes | Care to be a Beta Reader?

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Hi friends!

Hope you’re having a beautiful Monday so far.

Earlier this month, I finished my last round of edits of Pirate Eyes and I am really happy with where she is now. My sister is currently deep in a read of it of her own, and she’s picked up a few things I missed. This is her first time reading the new draft (for those of you who don’t know the current Pirate Eyes is only half of what she once was. I split the original book in two because there was WAY TOO MUCH happening in it) and I’m glad to have her eyes on it.

But I’d really like to have a few more.

So here’s a call-out for Beta Readers!

Pirate Eyes is a high fantasy coming in at 121,500 words.

Here’s a small blurb for you:

With purple eyes that can see further than any man’s has ever seen, 18-year old Keira’s gaze is set upon the endless horizons of Quarathar. Raised by pirates, her heart is devoted to the Diamond Heart and the Oceans Six that make her home. It’s a good life, even with Captain Sean obstructing her attempts to prove her mettle.

With a bit of stubbornness, she convinces him to give her a chance to show her strength. And ends up discovering a lot more.

Stashed away on the deck of a sunken ship, Keira uncovers the legendary jewel known as the Cerastone and the role that she has been destined since before her birth.

Evil threatens the freedom of her ocean home, manifested in the form of Captain Armando, and Destiny has chosen her as its sword to wield against his impending domination of the Oceans Six. To choose to accept it would be to embrace the powers of the Cerastone and prove her worth once and for all. But to give in to Fate is to renounce Freedom, to become a pawn. To imperil not only her own life, but that of the crew she calls family.

Keira must make a choice: to serve Destiny or herself. With devastating consequences assured either way, Keira’s decision will set her on a path from the life she has known towards a future beyond the reach of even her far-seeing eyes.

If you’re interested, here are a few other things to consider:

  1. I am looking for beta readers who are familiar with the fantasy genre (especially high fantasies).
  2. I will be sending out beta copies this Friday (June 2nd) with the hope to have feedback within 6 weeks (by July 16th).
  3. I need critical opinions that will help me improve my story. Tough love, friends. That’s what I need 😉

If you would like to be a beta reader, please leave me a comment here with your email address or send me an email at faithrivens(dot)writer(at)gmail(dot)com and we can discuss more about it. When you do, let me know what your favourite high fantasy is and what about it cemented your love for it.

Thank you for all your support and encouragement thus far. I cannot wait to share Pirate Eyes with you all one day. Hope you all have a lovely week ahead! Let me know what you’ve been up to!

May inspiration flow like ink upon your quill,

Faith  quill-ink

This Month in Review | April 2017

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Hi friends,

April hasn’t been an easy month as you all know, but I’ve been managing to get some things done.

Here’s a quick look at what I’ve accomplished (or not) and what my plans are for May.

GOALS OF APRIL

  1. Final Edit of Pirate Eyes
  2. Finish Edit of Heritage
  3. Submit Walking Blind (a thriller script) to competitions
  4. Read 4-5 books:
  5. Watch 4 movies
  6. Outline a few stories – I have five new ones that I’m especially inspired by and want to use this relatively quiet month to tackle them.
  7. Post 2 entries of Crafting the Series
  8. Participate in #WIPjoy on Twitter and #danaf7wordstory & #shayverlee6wordstory on Instagram
  9. Create a month of prompts for May.

ACHIEVED IN APRIL

  1. When it comes to Pirate Eyes, I managed to finish editing a hard copy but I’m still in the middle of typing up those changes. That should be done this week and I’ll be opening a call for beta readers soon.
  2. I did manage to finish editing Heritage and it’s in the hands of my sister. I decided I really want her opinion before I send it out to betas. And I’m not rushing to get her out, either. I have other priorities first.
  3. I did a readthrough of my Walking Blind and while it’s pretty good, I need to add a few scenes to allow for some stronger character development. So I’m putting her on hold for the moment.
  4. I read EIGHT BOOKS this month: Stolen Ink (Holly Evans), Everything Everything (Nicola Yoon), The Drowned Tomb (James Fahy), On Writing (Stephen King), A Shining in the Shadows (Beverley Lee), Shadowy Horses (Susanna Kearsley), The Dark Tower (Stephen King) & The Hate U Give (Angie Thomas). And they were all excellent!
  5. I watched FIVE MOVIES: Managed to watch the remake of The Jungle Book twice and I cannot begin to tell you how amazing the animation was! Also watched the new Beauty and the Beast two more times, and though I enjoyed it more the second time, the third viewing was definitely overkill. It’s okay, though because I made up for it by watching the 1991 version again to remind myself of how beautiful and perfect that version was. Watched Jurassic World just last night and was thoroughly underwhelmed. Too much violence. Too little character development. Annie Hall was my favourite watch this month. Diane and Woody were absolutely brilliant! I also went to see The Book of Mormons with my sister and loved it. Definitely not for the faint of heart, but if you’re willing to accept its satirical nature and crass language it’s brilliant!
  6. I started well with this one, but I got so hooked on one of the new stories – a fairy tale adaptation – and I started to write it by hand. It’s been liberating.
  7. Didn’t have the mindfulness or the passion to pull it off this month, but I’m hoping May will prove more fortuitous.
  8. I started off well with this, but I couldn’t keep it up this month.
  9. It is well done 🙂 More on that below…

MAY GOALS

  1. Edit Heralding to second draft.
  2. Finish writing my fairy tale adaptation
  3. Outline Hollow Vows (sequel to Pirate Eyes) – I had most of this done, but after edits of Pirate Eyes, I have a new idea for the rest of the series.
  4. Host #FictMAYhem on Twitter/Instagram.I’m really excited to be hosting this again and helping people develop their characters! You’re more than welcome to join us 🙂
  5. Read 5-6 books. This includes Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman, which I didn’t get to last month, Nevernight by Jay Kristoff because Sarina convinced me to, and Eon by Alison Goodman.
  6. Watch 4-5 movies. There are so many great ones coming out this month: Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 2, Pirates of the Caribbean (Dead Men Tell no Tales), Everything Everything and King Arthur (Legend of the Sword).
  7. Post 2 entries for Crafting the Series.
  8. Special project – I would say more, but it’s a secret for the moment. Just know that something exciting is coming in June and I’m excited to share it with you 🙂
  9. Outline a novella idea. I had started to write out an outline in April and I’m hoping to get more of it worked out this month.

How was your April, friends? What are your plans for May? Let me know about in the comments. Wishing you all the best, always!

May inspiration flow like ink upon your quill,

Faith   quill-ink

AN UPDATE (LATER THAN BETTER BUT AT LEAST NOT NEVER)

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Happy Wednesday friends,

Where have I been?

Not even sure how long it’s been since my last post… I’m a little afraid to look…

*peers over folded hands*

CRIKEY!! Surely not!?

And yet the truth is the truth friends. It’s been 18 days since my last post. In my defense, this has been a really difficult month for me in my own personal life and I’ve just been overwhelmed with work and family issues and trying to balance writing on the side.

The struggles of a writer, am I right?

I don’t want to make any promises and say I’ll be back at more regular intervals moving forward because I know what’s coming up and I know it’s going to be difficult to balance. Some people are really amazing at being able to pull it all off, but my head hasn’t been in the game lately and this blog is what’s taking the beating as they say.

But I’m not going to hold that against myself. I’ve been making some progress in writing and reading despite the turmoil and that’s what I’m coming to share with you today….

MY WRITING LIFE

I finished my edits of Heritage earlier this month and the manuscript is now in my sister’s hands. She’s always my first reader when it comes to my novels. In Stephen King’s On Writing, he mentions how his wife, Tabitha, is his IDEAL READER. Well, that’s my sister to me and what she says is what I always depend on. Can’t wait to get her thoughts before moving forward with it.

My main focus this month, though, is Pirate Eyes and I’m about a third of the way through edits and she is sparkling like a diamond in my eyes. I haven’t touched her since last year and coming back to her is a joy. I’ve cut words like there’s no tomorrow; I’m actually really excited to see how many words the MS will have dropped by the end of this edit. An edit which is bound to be my last before betas. I’ll talk more about that at the end of the month….

In other news, I was struck by the idea bug last month and started to outline a new novel except the bug is really bad and I’ve started to pants it, which is a rare thing for me to do, but inspiration has struck hard and fast and I’m rather in love with where this story is going. All I’ll say for the moment is that it’s a fairy tale adaptation because there obviously aren’t enough of those, but I’m blending in some mythology with it and I actually think it’s kind of beautiful…

My lack of humility today astounds me ;P

 MY READING LIFE

I’m doing fairly well with my reading this month. I haven’t participated in a WWW Wednesday in a long time – maybe next week – so I thought I’d share a quick glimpse at what I’ve been reading…

  • Stolen Ink by Holly Evans – 4 stars – the first in a new series, I love how the magical system is based in tattoos and ink.
  • Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon – 4 stars – I very rarely read anything contemporary and even more rare is my choice to read a YA one, but with the movie coming out and it being directed by a Canadian woman (NATIONAL PRIDE) I figured I should read the book. Really glad I did!
  • The Drowned Tomb by James Fahy – 5 stars – the second in the Changeling Series, these books remind me of The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings with a beautifully realized mythology, resonating characters, and stellar worldbuilding!
  • On Writing by Stephen King – 5 stars – people have always said and now I understand it: All writers must read this book! It is gloriously inspirational and relatable and focuses less on structure and more on craft! Plus it’s a brilliant memoir.
  • A Shining in the Shadows by Beverley Lee – 5 stars – the second in the Gabriel Davenport series, Beverley is a master storyteller and this is a gem of dark fantasy with memorable characters and a gripping plot
  • The Shadowy Horses – 4 stars – by Susanna Kearsley – the third of Kearsley’s books that I’ve read this year in my goal to read through her entire works and I loved the setting and the romance in this one. A bit of a slower plot, but the historical time that our protagonist is exploring is one that highly intrigues me. The Ninth Roman Legion is one of those mysteries…

At the moment I’m currently reading a chapter of Women Who Run with Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés, which is going to be a book I will return to time and time again, I can tell because it resonates with me on so many levels and it delves into myths and fairy tales in a new light.

I’m also reading The Dark Tower by Stephen King, the last book in the series, and I don’t really think I’m ready for it to end. My nails are not handling it well at all…

That’s about all I wanted to share with you today, friends. I hope that you’re all doing well. My plan this weekend (on top of reading and writing) is to catch up on your posts. I hate falling behind on your blogs. I apologize for any spamming that might occur because of it.

Stay well ❤

And let me know in the comments how your month has been going and what your plans for the weekend are! Let’s catch up because I’m tired of falling behind ❤

May inspiration flow like ink upon your quill,

Faith   quill-ink

This Week in Review | The Twenty-Ninth

A Dabble of Fiction, Eléanor, pirate eyes, Progress Report, , , , ,

Happy Monday Friends!

The last week has been a busy one. Here are some highlights for you 🙂

IN MY LIFE

Last week was fairly quiet, but this past weekend was busy with our annual barbeque at my parish. My mom is basically in charge of planning and preparing the whole thing so my sister and I were helping her on Saturday to get things ready and then Sunday we worked behind the scenes to make it a success. I think success would be a good word for it! There really is nothing like getting together with a community of friends. They feel more like family.

In other news, my sister and I have started pre-production on a short film that we’re hoping to shoot in late October, early November! It’s pretty exciting 🙂

ON MY BLOG

In anticipation of my first year on aliasfaithrivens and Twitter, I’m hosting a giveaway. Want to win one of two prizes of my favourite reads this year? Enter here: GIVEAWAY!

#WIPjoy

I’m participating in the Twitter hashtag for two WIPs this month! Here are some of my favourite tweets for each:

PIRATE EYES

ELÉONORE

In Writing

Of course, my most exciting news is linked to my Urban Fantasy novella: Eléonore! As of this moment my word count stands at 15,021. My best day of writing was on Friday when I hit 2,324 words. I hope to hit 25k by Wednesday, but that’s a pretty BIG order, so who knows whether that will happen.

What I can say is that with the progress I’ve been making and with my overall satisfaction with the plot ‘s unfolding and character development, I think this little story might just be my debut novel(la). 😉 But we’ll see where things go from here before any promises are made!

And how was your past week, my friends? Where are you at with your projects? Anything special to share! Leave a comment and let’s talk! 

May inspiration flow like ink upon your quill,

Faith  quill-ink

This Week in Review | The Twenty-Eighth

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Another Tuesday edition because I sort of got carried away yesterday writing Eléonore (a very good thing)!

It’s been a good week for writing, but I’m still grappling with some life choices as I try to find a way to break out of my rut of routine and make writing my career. That’s the dream, right? 😉

IN WRITING…

As I’ve already mentioned, I’ve been focusing most of my energy on Eléonore lately, trying to hit my goal of 45k for the first draft. I’ve set myself weekly goals and right now I’m trying to hit 10k by tomorrow (Sept. 7th). As it stands, I’m sitting in middle of 7k after yesterday’s 2,374 word count 🙂 Couldn’t be happier with the progress I’m making and the way the story is going. If it continues this way, well… let’s not catch chickens when eggs are still whole.

Here’s a little snippet, just to give you a taste.

The small condo that I called home was on the third floor of a complex. It wasn’t the cheapest thing in Montreal, but it wasn’t exactly the cream of the crop either. It made do for the purposes it had to serve—not that there were many.

Provide shelter: Check.

Close to work: Check for day. Check for night.

Remain outside the radar of possible demonic enemies…

#WIPJOY

I’m also partaking in the monthly hashtag created by Bethany that offers authors a chance to share their works in progress. It’s such an amazing community and I love to discover all the talent and stories that my fellow writers possess. I’m sharing both Pirate Eyes and Eléonore this month. Here are just some of them…

What I’ve Been Watching

This… Unapologetically…

March 2017 cannot come soon enough!

One of my childhood favourites–if not the top–I’ve been worried about the live-action not doing the animated feature justice. But Dan and Emma seem to have good chemistry already and my hopes are lifting 🙂

Also, for people like me who still delight in animated movies and watch them for the joy of it, there’s this little tidbit of news that might excite you…

Image result for anastasia broadway

Yep! Anastasia‘s coming to broadway! It showed on a smaller level already in Connecticut, but previews in New York begin March 23rd 2017 with an opening marked for April 24th! Tickets please 🙂

How has your week been? Anything exciting to share? Let me know 🙂

Take care friends!

May inspiration flow like ink upon your quill,

Faith quill-ink

September Foresight | The Month Ahead

A Dabble of Fiction, Eléanor, pirate eyes, Progress Report, , , ,

Happy Thursday friends!

And happy September 1st! Anyone else catch the Hogwarts Express this morning?

harry potter hermione hogwarts crucio express hogwart

No, wait, that was just a dream! 😜

In all seriousness, this September is one that I intend to take charge of! I have lots of milestones & aspirations for it! Let me share a few with you….

Milestones….

I have two coming up this month.

The first is September 10th. It marks the day I joined Twitter in 2015.

The second is September 16th which marks the first anniversary of my first blog post here!

I can hardly believe that a whole year has passed since both of these occasions. Time is rather speedy, isn’t it?

CreativeMornings time sand hourglass kim weiner

They hold a lot of importance to me, not only because they introduced me to so many amazing wonderful, people, to you, dear friends, but it also marked the moment in time when I decided to put myself and my stories out there for others to see. The warm response I got in return was (and still is) a true blessing!

All that to say that, from September 10th – 16th, I’ll be hosting a giveaway to celebrate my first anniversary on social media! Keep an eye open.

Aspirations….

Pirate Eyes is still up there on my list of goals. I didn’t quite finish editing my draft as I had hoped to in August, but I think I can wrap them up by Sunday. Meanwhile, my sister is working through the changes I’ve already made. Once hers are in, I’m sending my MS out to a critique partner and maybe one other beta reader (anyone still interested? I’d probably be looking in October, so there’s plenty of time to consider). And then querying begins in earnest!

I’ve been hinting at something else for the past few days, and I’m excited to finally share my new project with you! It’s one I’ve kept hush hush, only because I didn’t want to share something that I wasn’t going to follow through with, but I am ready for it! And follow-through will be my middle name this month. Yep! Just call me Faith Follow-Through Rivens!

First, an introduction on inspiration. In the past year I’ve met so many amazing people who’ve inspired me so many times over with their beautiful words & heartfelt stories. I’ve watched as they’ve published their novels, reaching others through the written word. That has been my greatest aspiration in life and seeing friends persevere in their goals has compelled me to strive harder to accomplish mine.

In particular, I have been inspired by Holly, the author of the gripping urban fantasy series Infernal Hunt. Her blog and her novels have really impacted me and inspired me to write my own urban fantasy. By the way, if you haven’t checked out her series yet, you really should. Right here!

And so this September I am writing Eléonore (working title), an urban fantasy set in my home province of Quebec. I plan on it being a novella length, just a little something to try. My plan is to do NaNoWriMo a little early this year (don’t worry, I’ll still be doing NaNo in November too)! I’m aiming for a length of 45k-50k. So this September is going to be MyWriMo! And I’m really excited about it 🙂

I don’t have a blurb to share yet, but I can tell you this much so far (I mispelled her name ;P: the right spelling is above)

If you want to know more about it, I’ll be tweeting all month about it & Pirate Eyes under the hashtag #WIPjoy.

What are your big plans/aspirations/expectations for September? Is anyone else participating in #WIPjoy? Share in the comments!

May inspiration flow like ink upon your quill,

Faith quill-ink

Beautiful People // Appearance Edition | Keira #2

A Dabble of Fiction, pirate eyes, Progress Report, Whimsical Musings, , , , ,

Happy Tuesday Friends,

We’re nearing the end of August and once again I’m cutting it close for Beautiful People! But at least it’s going to be up!

The Beautiful People monthly blog meme is hosted by Cait @ Paper Fury and Sky @ Further Up and Further In! Each month, these lovely ladies post ten questions designed to help writers tap into the quirks and qualities of their characters. Then writers link up their posts and jump around the blogosphere discovering the ‘Beautiful People’ that have been created

I was going to give a different character a chance to shine, but I decided to stick with Keira for another round. If you missed my first Beautiful People post, check it out HERE!

And now, here’s a closer look into Keira’s appearance!

Give a brief overview of their looks. (Include a photo if you want!)

Keira stands tall at about 5’5 with long chestnut locks that she likes to braid on one side. Her most distinguishing feature is her purple eyes — a descriptive feature that is also essential to the story’s premise.

Here’s a recent drawing that my amateur hand composed:

IMG_0628.JPG

Share a snippet that involves description of their appearance.

In the reflection of the waters, she caught a glimpse of her purple pirate eyes.  A cool breeze blew through her tangled brown locks, the salty water dousing her, refreshing her.

What is the first thing people might notice about them?

Definitely going to say the purple eyes. Some of them know what it might symbolize, others are just amazed by the sight of them.

What are their unique features? (Ex: freckles, big ears, birthmark, scars, etc.)

As mentioned, Keira’s unique feature is her purple eyes.

How tall are they? What is their build (Ex: stocky, slender, petite, etc.)

Keira’s an average sized girl, about 5’5 in height and slender, but muscular. She’s been raised on a pirate ship, so she’s done a lot of strength building.

What is their posture like? How do they usually carry themselves?

Keira’s stubborn and walks with her head high to convince others that she is brave and strong and unaffected by the hardships of the past. Head high. Eyes forward. Chin up.

Your character has been seen on a “lazy day” (free from usual routine/expectations): what are they wearing and how do they look?

Keira’s life is often full of lazy days. Travelling the oceans allows for many moments of relaxation. She often wears the same loose white blouse and navy trousers. When it’s really warm, she opts for a sleeveless top.

Do they wear glasses, accessories, or jewelry on a regular basis? Do they have any article of clothing or accessory that could be considered their trademark?

She doesn’t wear many accessories before the start of Pirate Eyes. I can’t say that stays true true throughout the entirety of the novel, but to say more would be to spoil. And River Song really doesn’t like that ;P

Have they ever been bullied or shamed because of their looks? Explain!

Both, but only during Pirate Eyes and I really can’t say more than that 😉 Darn these spoilers!

Are they happy with how they look? If they could change anything about their appearance, what would it be?

Keira is content with how she looks, there really isn’t much she would change if she could, though she does regret what her purple eyes seem to point towards…

Well, that’s it for this month’s Beautiful People! Any thoughts on Keira? Feel free to express them in the comments! And if you have your own Beautiful People link, feel free to share that too so that I can check out your beautiful characters 🙂

May inspiration flow like ink upon your quill,

Faith quill-ink