Beautiful Books #1: Let's Talk Books

Beautiful Books is a new linky hosted by Notebook Sisters and Further up and Further in.

[It is a] three-month-long blog event linkup focused on three different stages of writing: plotting, writing, and editing. It was designed with NaNoWriMo in mind.

They ask questions each month that we answer on our own blogs. This is the kick-off of the linky and they're asking about the novels we plan to write (whether in NaNoWriMo or just on our own)

I AM doing it through NaNoWriMo, so if you want, let's be NaNo friends! You can find me here

1. What came first: characters or plot idea? Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Weirdly, for me the world often comes first. Then character. Then plot. But that's not ALWAYS true. Just often true. And true of this book too.

I've always said I'm a pantser, and not just because I like using this GIF:

2. Do you have a title and/or a “back-cover-blurb”?

I came up with the title before I came up with a lot of the plot. (I know, I don't do things in proper order). It's called "How to Invade Earth in 7 Easy Steps."

A back cover blurb would be (I'm literally writing this right now off the top of my head. Don't judge me! It's a little based on a query that I already pre-wrote so it's not total bs):

When the aliens first came to Earth they were greeted with screams of welcome and exploding tubes of delicious energy-food. At least, that's what they thought. When Lex goes down in a human body as a scout, he learns two things: 1) humans are not happy with their interstellar visitors and 2) his thirteen-year-old body is NOT the height of humanity. With the help of his new friends--the lady-voice that lives in his phone and Lex's UFO-loving neighbor--he learns how to blend in (sort of). Still, Lex makes a lot of mistakes as he tries to carry out his mission of breaking into a secret government lab in order to steal a top secret device that could save his race from extinction.

3. What wordcount are you aiming for when your novel is finished?

50,000. So NaNoWriMo is perfect for me! :)

4. Sum up your novel in 3 sentences.

Alien invasion from alien POV.

Observations on ridiculousness of humanity (why do people say text abbreviations out loud?)

Misunderstandings and hilarity ensues.

5. Sum up your characters in one word each.

Hero: Lex - clueless.

Best Friend: Siri - phone

(Human) Best Friend: Toby - enthusiastic

Friend #2: Divya - Snarky

Father: Dr. Han - warkaholic

Villian: Singer - suspicious

6. Which character are you most excited to write? Tell us about them!

Lex. He is clueless about Earth, but he's also technically a genius by human standards. So he makes a lot of mistakes, but he makes them because humans are a little ridiculous too. Also, he doesn't see things with a lot of the prejudices that pre-exist on Earth, so even though he doesn't know what it means to have a good heart, he has one.

7. What about your villain? Who is he, what is his goal?

The villain is Singer (technically). She works for the D.O.D. and she is kind of a femme fatale kind of lady. She has her eye on Lex's human father, Dr. Han, and Lex becomes very protective of him. She also suspects that Lex isn't exactly who he pretends to be, so she is a danger to Lex and his whole mission.

8. What is your protagonist’s goal? And what stands in the way?

Lex wants to break into the D.O.D. facility and find the device that can save his race. Unfortunately, he is just a boy, he's having trouble fitting in as a human, and the D.O.D. is on high alert because of the aliens.

9. What inciting incident begins your protagonist’s journey?

It technically happened before the book begins, but the aliens' home planet was destroyed by a bad race of alien and they are slowly dying off. They need something that can help them flourish again, and they've found Earth, the perfect planet for them.

10. Where is your novel set?

Earth, current day.

11. What are three big scenes in your novel that change the game completely?

Lex learning that humans don't love the aliens.

Lex learning about human emotions/feelings.

The D.O.D. finding out about Lex.

12. What is the most dynamic relationship your character has? Who else do they come in contact with or become close to during the story?
His father/son relationship with Dr. Han. It's the relationship that really teaches him what being human is all about. Even though Toby is more actively helpful to Lex (seeing as he finds out Lex is an alien pretty early on) he is more of the best friend character. Seeing how families work on Earth really changes how Lex sees things.

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

He learns more what it means to be human and that changes how he sees the universe.

14. Do you have an ending in mind, or do you plan to see what happens?

I have an end-goal, but not sure exactly how I'm going to get there.

15. What are your hopes and dreams for your book? What impressions are you hoping this novel will leave on your readers and yourself?
I want people to have fun and laugh when they read it. But I also want it to have heart. It's a middle grade and I think the best MG's I've read are fun and have adventure, but they have heart and that's what takes them from good to great.

I kind of heart these questions, they've made me even more excited for NaNoWriMo. Hey guys, writing is fun!

If you guys want to participate in beautiful books go to Notebook Sisters and Further up and Further in.