Beautiful Books 2: Writing Process

So Paper Fury and Further up and Further in. is hosting Beautiful Books for NaNo again this year. It was great to participate last year (my past posts are here and here). I completely dropped the ball this year and didn't write my first post until RIGHT NOW, so I couldn't put it in the linky, but you can find it here. 

Now for the part 2 questions:

Is the book turning out how you thought it would be, or is it defying your expectations?

It's a turning out mostly how I thought it would. I had an outline of how it should go already. So I'm mostly sticking to that.

To be honest this is me when I write in general:

What’s your first sentence (or paragraph)?

Miyoung knew well how cruel laughter could be; she sat with her head hanging low as it rang around her. 

Soy sauce and fish oil dripped out of her long black locks, soaking the blazer of her school uniform. The sticky drops against her name tag echoed in her ears, soaking each character of her name. Gu. Mi. Young.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Have you ever tried both methods and how did it turn out?

I'm more of a pantser. But I have shifted to become a hybrid. a Plantser if you will.

I will always share this GIF when I talk about being a pantser #sorrynotsorry:

What do you reward yourself with after meeting a goal?

A new car! Hahah, I wish. I do get myself something nice, like a new book. To be honest, I read a lot when I'm on a writing roll. It's like a positive feedback loop for me.

What do you look for in a name? Do you have themes and where do you find your names?

They do have to kind of mean something. They speak to the character or the character's journey. So Miyoung means eternally beautiful, which speaks to a gumiho's beauty and her ability to live for a long time.

Yena means beautiful and talented. Which is fitting because Yena is gorgeous and manipulative.

I picked Jihoon because it is a popular boy's name. I wanted Jihoon to feel more normal than the paranormal characters. Also, Jihoon is easy to pronounce for non-Korean speakers.

What is your favourite to write: beginning, middle, or end — and why?

 Middle all day long! I hate beginnings and endings! There is so much pressure on both!

Who’s your current favourite character in your novel?

Currently I like Miyoung. I made her much more flawed than I thought I would, so she's turning out quite quirky.

What kind of things have you researched for this project, and how do you go about researching? (What’s the weirdest thing you’ve researched?!)

I researched Korean mythology, shamanism, and just random street names. I stuck to the neighborhoods I know and have been to myself in Seoul.

Like the Tiny City I found behind this Tiny Door!

Do you write better alone or with others? Do you share your work or prefer to keep it to yourself?

I probably write better alone, but I enjoy writing more with others. And I share my work AS SOON as I've written it. I have some CPs who are all down for that and some I have to hold back from contacting as soon as I write the scene because I know they're busy.

What are your writing habits? Is there a specific snack you eat? Do you listen to music? What time of day do you write best? Feel free to show us a picture of your writing space! 

Must listen to something. Sometimes I even have the TV on, which many people find weird. I write really well in mid-afternoon and night time. I am not a morning person at all.

You can join the Beautiful Books Part 2 fun HERE