Pretty Deadly Words #2 | In Which I Ramble About my WIP

Hey, everyone! I hope you’re all doing well. We are already half way through the month, that is not possible. I refuse to accept the fact.

I am back with another Pretty Deadly Words post! I had a lot of fun writing this and am excited to share it with you all. This month focuses on my current WIP, which I’m honestly just excited to ramble about.

Pretty Deadly Words is a monthly meme for writers, co-hosted by Ash @ Ink Words and Ash and Anoushka @ Dipped in Ink. Each month, they post ten questions for you to answer, which are based on your writing project and your writing in general. It’s designed to help you understand your plot, characters, their personality traits, flaws (etc) and your writing style! 

How did you get your idea for your current WIP?

Believe it or not, I got the idea for my current WIP from a list of prompts I was looking through on some random website. I remember having writer’s block at the time and needing inspiration. So I searched up prompts on Google and came across one that said something along the lines of “after a big war, you’re stranded on an floating island tethered the ground.” I don’t remember exactly what it was–this happened three years ago–but I do remember it had a picture with it of an island in the sky with a giant chain disappearing into the clouds at the bottom of the page.

As for the rest of the story, the actual plot, I don’t remember how I came up with it. Like, I got inspiration for the setting from the prompt, but I don’t know how I got the idea for what happens in the story.

Is this your first WIP?

Far from it. I don’t even know what number I’m on now. I’m definitely somewhere in the double digits. However, this is the first project I have extensively planned. And it’s the only one that I have two, almost three, drafts written for.

Have you ever cowritten before and if yes, would you do it again?

Yes, I did it with a friend. Admittedly, we were nine years old and we didn’t actually finish the story. So, kind of? As for doing it again, it would probably be something I’d be interested in. For a different project, though. My current project is solely mine and always will be. For something else, I think it would be fun to write a book with someone else. You get to bounce ideas off each other and create something together.

Tell us the genre of your WIP!

Fantasy, of course! What else would it be? There’s magic, it’s set in a different world–literally every aspect of the book is fantasy. More specifically, my WIP is a high fantasy novel, set in the world I created, the Floating Islands.

Pitch of current WIP (eg, aces of spades is pitched as ‘get out’ meets ‘gossip girl’ but make it black and queer)

Ooh, I haven’t thought about my book in comparison to others. Oh gosh, I don’t know. I will tell you some tropes I have in it, though: the chosen one (with a twist), the quest, and the mentor (though they aren’t a stereotypical, old wizard).

I spent a long time trying to think of books that were similar in some way to mine, but I kept coming up with nothing. It’s definitely got some common tropes in it, so I’m sure there’s a book out there somewhere, but my brain just couldn’t think of one.

What’s the premise?

Here’s the summary I wrote for it. I’m pretty sure I’ve shared this in a different post, but I’m sharing it again, because it’s the only summary I have and I would probably just ramble on about it in a way that makes no sense otherwise.

The Dark Land is a forbidden island, surrounded by thunder clouds and strange magic. It’s been that way for the last 150 years and terrifying stories about the island keep adventurers away. No one knows exactly what happened. The only knowledge of the island are rumors about dark magic and a fateful decision made all those years ago. However, this streak for the isolated island is about to end. 

Out on another island, Alna, Aria’s mother is stricken with the “Dimming”, a deadly disease that weakens her magic. The one-known cure involves kantar, a small white flower rumored to grow only on the Dark Land. Most people know of it as the moonflower. Aria desperately wants to help her mom and soon connects with Castor, a boy whose own mom has the same illness. She’s now in a coma and no one knows if she’ll wake up.

As they learn more about kantar, Castor makes the crazy decision to go to the Dark Land and retrieve the plant. Even though it seems terrifying and impossible, Aria isn’t about to let Castor go alone. Aria’s best friend, Jasmine, is a botany enthusiast. Aria knows that she would be invaluable on the quest. Though Jasmine is initially reluctant, she decides she can’t pass up the opportunity to explore the plants on the forbidden island. 

With their parents’ lives on the line, the teenagers secretly make the dangerous journey to the Dark Land, in the hope of saving what will be lost if they’re too late.

Do you have an aesthetic?? if yes, do share it!

I do and I am honestly obsessed with it. I made it last year some time and fell in love with it. The layout turned out amazing and I love the pictures that I chose and the cool sparkly things that cover the entire thing. Also, the font I used for the title, I just discovered recently and also became obsessed with that too.

What are you enjoying the most, while writing this?

The worldbuilding, most definitely! The Floating Islands has grown so much since I first started. I’ve been working on developing it more and seeing where my story takes it. In other projects I’ve done, they’ve been set in the real world with fantastical elements. I think I wrote a story when I was really young that was set in a different world but it was very similar to ours. The Floating Islands are quite different from the modern world today and it’s really exciting to be creating this book with my own world. Technology, transportation, and culture are just a few of the things that I’ve developed in this world.

Are you facing any difficulties, if yes do share! people might be able to help you out

One of the things I’m struggling with is writing boys. Boys’ personalities and how they interact. I have friends who are boys and I’ve listened to them talk with each other, but if anyone else has some tips, that would be greatly appreciated.

And finally, summarize your WIP in (only) five words!

1. islands
2. magic
3. flowers
4. forbidden
5. journey

I think that pretty much sums it up. The people live on islands, there’s magic, and the characters have to go on a journey to a forbidden island to find a flower.

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Do you currently have a WIP? What genre is it? What are five words to describe it?