Know the Novel Part 3

Today I’ve got the last set of questions from Know the Novel. Writing When the Stars Shine Again has been a wild adventure, and I’m so thankful the Lord has helped me see it through to the end.

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1. How did writing this novel go all around?

Aside from some moments of bad writer’s block, I think it went quite well! I’m very thankful to have some good writing friends that helped me push through to the end.

2. Did it turn out as you expected or completely different? How do you feel about the outcome?

In some ways, it ended up following its original plot pretty closely. In others… I’m so glad it has changed. 😂 It’s so much better than what it originally was going to be.

3. What aspect of the story did you love writing about the most? (Characters, plot, setting, prose, etc.)

I loved writing the characters. While they were sometimes a touch annoying and stubborn, they are a group that will forever have a place in my heart.
And the emotional scenes were probably my favorite out of everything to write. They came so easily compared to the rest, and were so fun to work on.

4. What was your least favorite part?

The random scenes that are essential to bridge the story together, but have no dramatic parts, so they are so boring to write.

5. What do you feel needs the most work?

The middle, which happens to include most of those random bridging scenes. But I’m in the midst of editing those chapters as you read this.

6. How do you feel about your characters now? Who’s your favorite? Least favorite? Anyone surprise you? Give us all the details!

I love most of them, and hate a few. Once again, Ronan will probably have to take favorite, with Zandier in close second. My least favorite is the villain. I can’t spell his name off the top of my head, so you’ll have to find WtSSA and read it to learn who he is.

Zandier actually surprised me a ton. He was originally a side character that was only going to appear in one or two scenes, then he suddenly started stealing them all. And along the way, he started acting more and more like an allegorical version of a someone from the Bible that I hadn’t even planned to include. (If you ever end up reading WtSSA, see if you can figure out which Biblical character he’s now allegorical of. 😜)

7. What’s your next plan of action with this novel?

First, edits.

Second, publication. (The current date for that is January 10th.)

8. If you could have your greatest dream realized for this novel, what would it be?

For it to have many readers who will love it. 😂

9. Share some of your favorite snippets!

Agh! Once again my favorite snippets are stuffed with spoilers. I suppose I’ll have to look deep to find one spoiler-free one…

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The second level of Ailnirha.

The market level. The home of wonders and beauty, the only place in the entire elvish country that things from the outside were welcomed.

Wren glanced around, slowly edging towards Zandier as she took in the kaleidoscope of sights with wide eyes. 

Only in these streets could you find the exotic scents and cuisine of the eftirl. Only along these paths would the foreign colors of the humans be welcomed. Only in these market stalls could scarves from Fellnor mingle with Castohthin spices, and all be bought by Ailnirhian elves.

Faint music filled the air, the soft strains of the elvish linur mixing with loud thumps of eftirl drums and the bright notes of a human instrument Wren could no longer remember the name of. 

It all swelled into an awe-inspiring cacophony that slowly dragged a breathless smile to her face. Not even the hundreds of elves crowding in on all sides, their voices blending into a echoing hum, could ruin the excitement that sparked inside of her. 

Sharp spices drifted around Wren, their ticklish scent nearly making her sneeze. Brilliant scarlet banners floated in the faint breeze, their dancing patterns drawing her eyes back and forth across the streets. Ornate signs lined with delicate silver scrolls proclaimed wares, anything from exotic-smelling dishes she hadn’t known existed, to finely-crafted jewelry and rich clothes. 

Wren slowed, her eyes widening. Even in her dim memories, Ailnirha hadn’t been full of such wonders. Hadn’t been this…

Beautiful. 

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Fun fact, I wrote that snippet only a little over twenty minutes ago. (At the time of writing this post.)

10. Did you glean any new writing and/or life lessons from writing this novel?

I definitely learned to take it easy when my brain gets tired. A lot of scenes in this novella were very emotionally draining, and I had to learn how to make myself take breaks so I wouldn’t burn out. (I… ended up burning out last week… but we’ll just ignore that. 🤭 I put taking breaks into practice these past few days.)