Hello folks! So, I may have made a last-minute decision which I’m hoping is not going to be regretted or totally drive me nuts…wait, I think I’m already nuts for making this decision so maybe we don’t have to worry about that…lol…
So, as everyone but me knew (I kinda was aware but I wasn’t paying too much attention or thought to it for myself) November is the National Month of Writing known as NaNoWriMo. The challenge is to write a 50,000-word book in one month. So, October is known as preptober, but somebody missed the memo and didn’t decide to join or prep till October 30th….so, yeah.
So, I am unofficially taking the challenge! Whoo! Hopefully, I don’t completely lose it…you’re supposed to write almost 2,000 words a day to get it done…. I usually write a max of 1,000, so stretching myself here…but I think it will be fun! So, here’s the cover for my project, thanks to Rissy and Jaidie for surprising me with it! (You guys are the best!!!)
Also, I borrowed some questions from all these, Know the Novel post I see going up…but having no idea what a linkup so I didn’t title my post as Know the Novel (If someone wants to educate me on what a linkup is feel free do so…lol…) Anyway, here are the answers to my stolen questions…Let me know if you guys think I’m crazy. Did I say crazy? I meant, let me know what you think of Rivals of Skyline!
What first sparked the idea for this novel?
Vacation. My family went on vacation to New Mexico and all the western states got me thinking and here we are! I saw a sunset in Oklahoma on the way out and ran with the idea…making notes in my head, on paper, and then transferring them to my laptop when I got home.
I wrote a rough first chapter and now I’m going to rewrite it because right now it reads more like well-written notes than an actual first chapter…lol…
But though vacation sparked this particular story I’ve always wanted to write a western. Having two older brothers I grew up watching a lot of westerns and the first book I ever wrote was actually a western, though I did steal most of my characters from westerns I had watched, and my plot points, and yeah, it was pretty much plagiarized…lol…but I was only seven!
Share a blurb (or just an overall summary)!
I’m never very good at this stuff…lol…but here’s goes something!
Daniel Crenshaw ran away from his faith and the life his father wanted him to live to become a rancher. But ranching ain’t easy and Daniel’s learning that the hard way. Once hired onto Skyline Ranch he’s faced with a deep learning curve and ridicule from his fellow ranch hands.
But the tables really turn when cattle start to go missing from Skyline and Daniel is blamed for it and fired. Knowing he didn’t steal the cattle Daniel sets out to discover what’s happening. But he must be careful, the rustlers are seasoned men of the plains and Daniel is a hotheaded greenhorn.
As gunfights and mystery unfold, Daniel realizes one thing. If he’s going to clear his name, he can’t do this alone.
Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite aspects about the setting?
It takes place on the plains of Oklahoma. I like that it’s western and, Lord willing, I’ll do the beauty of the west justice. I also like that I’m doing gunfights, horse chases, and such because of the time period and setting.
Oklahoma is pretty open…at least, up around Oklahoma City, you get a lot of brush but not too many full-sized trees…so I’m excited to try out this new setting and scenery. Rolling hills, scrub brush, and wide-open plains. It’s something different for me.
Tell us about your protagonist(s).
Well, Daniel Crenshaw is a rebellious 16-year-old who looks younger than he is. He wants to be a man and make his own decisions about his life, but he doesn’t always make the best decisions. He wants to be a rancher so that is what he is going to be, even if it means running from his overbearing father.
He’s also turned his back on God because of his father. I’m hoping to work in his redemption in a nice way. Daniel isn’t a bad person he’s just an angry person. I’m basing him partly off what I went through at his age. (I didn’t run away and my dad’s not overbearing…lol…) when I was fifteen my family had to move and that made me mad because the year before we had been through some rough stuff too. So, I blamed it all on God and turned my back to Him for a while…so those emotions are being funneled into Daniel. (I have since been set straight on the path and see God’s plan for that time in my life) So, hopefully, I can straighten Daniel out…
I’m only doing one POV, which is something I’ve started doing recently…used to I’d spread myself pretty thin with between 3 to 5 POV’s but it’s just not worth it…lol…I get so flustered. Now the most POV’s I do is three, condensed things. But in this book, I wanted to focus on Daniel.
Who (or what) is the antagonist?
Well, I don’t want to tell because that would ruin the plot…
So, rustlers are the antagonist…and that’s all you’re getting…lol….
What excites you most about this novel?
I think the fact that I came up with the idea on vacation and that I’m trying to write it in a month…(which is most likely not going to happen) I might be stressing myself out with this, but I think it will be fun! I’m a bit of a perfectionist so this is going to be a challenge…I’ll have to put my perfecting side aside for a while if I’m going to complete my goal. I’m going to give it a try.
I’m also late starting prep, like a week ago I decided to do this and then I waited till like the 30th to start making real notes…hahaha…
But the gunfights are exciting me and how Daniel figures things out and his growth in the book!
Is this going to be a series, standalone, or something else?
Well, I was going to do a standalone, then I thought about a trilogy…and now I’m thinking of a series. One where all the books are just loosely to not connected but share something in common…I want to do a ranch book set in each of the western ranching states, and then a farm life book in each of the eastern states…so, we’ll see how far I get… I’ve already got an idea for a ranch book set in New Mexico, and farm book set in North Carolina near my area…so, I’m pretty excited about this!
Are you plotting? pantsing? plansting?
Pantsing for the most part…but I’m trying to plot a little, though it’s a liquid plot if you know what I mean…lol…I’m just letting the liquid settle where it will and if it meanders away, that’s fine too, nothing is set in stone.
Name a few unique elements about this story.
Well, hmmm, I think that Daniel’s story will hopefully be unique. But writing about the 1800’s set in Oklahoma is definitely unique for me! Also, it’s my first try at Historical Fiction so hopefully, I’m able to pull it off and don’t entirely ruin the story…
I also learned that after the civil war the beef industry boomed, so I’m setting this book up after the war…and maybe Daniel’s father fought in the war, I’m not sure….but I’m trying to figure it out…(I did just learn this fun fact like, yesterday…lol)
Share some fun “extras” of the story (a song or full playlist, some aesthetics, a collage, a Pinterest board, a map you’ve made, a special theme you’re going to incorporate, ANYTHING you want to share!).
Okay, let me see what I can put together here…
This song for Daniel…
Broken – Tommy Brandt (just discovered this guy and love it! Country music that’s Christian!)
Now some collages and quotes…
So, that’s a wrap folks…let me know what you think! Am I crazy or what? Lol…
Bless!
Kayti
Sisters Three 
So, last night was the last day of NaNoWriMo and…I failed…lol….but I did have a great time! I really enjoyed pushing myself to write every day, or almost every day, and I had a lot of fun working on ‘Rivals of Skyline’. I am still working on it…just slowing down a little to work on another project, but that’s for another post.
Anyway, I topped out at 21,394 words and I am very happy with that! Because without NaNo I probably would only have about 5,000….maybe…I had gotten into a slump so that definitely pulled me out and has set me on fire!
So one last peek at Daniel’s story for you guys….but if you want another clip or want to know how I’m doing on it at a later date feel free to ask in the comments of one of my post.
“Jesus…has done…nothing…for me…” Daniel rasped as the pain in his shoulder intensified and he fought to keep the black away.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Lou said softly, “Jesus did everything for you, He paid it all. All your sins He washed away. ‘Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by Whose stripes ye were healed.’ Jesus died for you.”
Daniel’s heart lurched at the words. Jesus died for him, for the sins he had committed. “But…I rejected…him.” Words that hurt so much to say.
“He knew you would. ‘He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.’ That’s what the Bible says. Before you were ever born God saw you, the sins you would commit, how you would reject him, despise Him, He saw everything you would ever do and He made you anyway. He made you and He saved you.”
As for why Daniel is in physical pain and who Lou is…well, Lou is a guy just so you don’t get any ideas but he does have a sister…and Daniel seems to have gotten himself in a bit of trouble….but you’ll have to wait till I finish this baby and need Beta readers to find out more…lol…
Have a good day everyone!
Kayti
(Oh, also the passages quoted are from the KJV, I usually read the NKJV because it’s what my dad preached from but I knew the KJV would be more relevant to the time period of the book!)
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Again, I was lazy and didn’t sign out of this profile and into mine….lol…this is just easier. So, not as much progress last week, but in my defense, I worked the evening shift on Saturday and Sunday, and then Friday was kind of my birthday…so my total word count is 16,114…I have a lot to do in this last week….eek! But I am almost halfway done with the book…I think. I feel like I’m reaching that middle point.
Anyway, here’s a clip…
Clive’s voice faded from the air and Daniel didn’t look at him. His thoughts felt like a tornado pulled every which way by the emotions that raged inside him. He didn’t know how to separate what he was feeling from what he was thinking.
He knew he didn’t want God, didn’t need Him, and yet his heart stirred at the line of the song: ‘O Lamb of God, I come, I come.’ It wasn’t what he wanted to do yet his heart seemed to be calling out to it. The song struck a chord in him, a chord he had buried deep in hopes of deafening its voice.
Daniel is just so torn…and I feel for him. But he’s also very scared right now….as you will see from this clip.
Daniel felt his breath return and couldn’t wait till he had a six-shooter by his side. He had this feeling that Bentley knew he knew and he didn’t want to find out what would happen if Bentley found out he had told Clive that he suspected him. But he thought it might end with a bullet, a bullet in his heart.
Okay, there we are, folks! Let me know what you think! I must go walk the dog in the frigid morning air….lol…
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Hey Kayti! Happy (late) Birthday! *throws confetti* That’s a perfect excuse for not getting a lot of writing done (I think I’ll use that for my birthday XD) But still, over 16k words is worth celebrating over! That’s exciting that you’re halfway done. Thanks for sharing snippets of your work; I’m definitely intrigued to see what happens with Daniel. Keep up the good work! *passes out cake of your choice*.
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Thank you!!! (Lol…right! I totally could have wrote, I just opted to read instead….hahaha….) Yeah, it’s pretty exciting! The most I’ve ever written in a month! Of course! I love sharing little tidbits…Oh, me too!!! I have a basic idea how his story will end, but like I said it’s a liquid plot…lol….Will do!!!! *Ooo, chocolate cake!*
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OOOOOOO THIS STORY IDEA SOUNDS SO AWESOME!!!!!!
So the Know the Novel linkup is just a set of questions Christine Smith hosts on her blog christinesmithauthor.com. Bloggers take the questions, answer them in their posts, and then she has a linkup thingy on her site and if you do it before the deadline, you can add your link to it and check out other bloggers’ posts done! It’s a way to share your story and help support, encourage, and motivate each other!!!
But back to your awesome story idea!! First, I’ve suddenly had the desire to read Western novels, so this is wonderful!! And that is THE coolest that your vacation helped inspire that! I LOVE IT!!! Daniel sounds like he’s going to be a WONDERFUL character to follow and you’ve already gotten me excited about the idea of his redemption arc!! I JUST LOVE STORIES WITH CHRISTIAN REDEMPTION ARCS!!!!!!!!!!!! And I love how it’s also inspired from your life. I think stories with that close personal connection just mean the most. <333333 AND THOSE GRAPHICS ARE AWESOMEEEE!!!!!!! And pansters for the win!!! I hope that NaNo has been going amazing for you thus far! YOU'VE GOT THIS!!!! *sends motivating chocolate*
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THANK!!!!
Ooo, okay, thanks for that info…lol…totally just stole the questions…hahahaa….
Ooo, westerns are fun! Though I’ve watched way more westerns than I’ve read…lol…two older brothers so, yeah. Yeah, it was a pretty epic vaca! Aww, thank you! I hope so!!!! Really? Me too!!! Redemption arcs are just the best!!!! Oo, if you like westerns and redemptions arcs you should watch The Redemption of Henry Myers, really good western, Christian redemption movie!!! Thank you! Aww, thanks! I tried my best with the graphics….lol…yeah! I had to take the story by the horns last night and turn it around because my panster side was grinning a little wild…hahahaha….It’s been going…totally behind but my goal is to finish Rivals of Skyline….so hopefully I can at least do that!!!! Thank you!!!! *gobbles chocolate because I desperately needed it*
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Ooooo I’ll have to DEFINITELY check into that movie. It sounds awesome!!!!! THANK YOU for the recommendation!!! Oooof I feel you. I had planned to finish the novel but life circumstances got into the way of that, so I’m still trying to at least hit 50K. Buuuut I’m a teensy bit behind schedule. *hides* Lol, YES!!! Don’t we all need a li’l chocolate!! 😉
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Of course!!! I feel you….I’m behind schedule as well…life, work, reading all get in the way and distract me…lol…I think you’d need to put me in a dark room alone with my laptop and no internet access to get me to finish this….but maybe I can do it…Lol…Yes!!! *Sends you encouragement chocolate, special dark!*
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YES YOU CAN DO IT!!!!! Wellll that might be a bit of an extreme, but if it works for you, go for it. 😉 *happily accepts and munches on the chocolate* YUM!
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I think I can…lol….Right! I’ve been closing myself up in my bedroom at night, turning off the light, and putting Word on Focus mode and it seems to be helping….just too many distractions otherwise….hahaha…. 🙂
You can do this too!!!!!
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Okay, it’s early….I need to write and thus I haven’t taken the time to sign into my profile instead of the group profile (btw this is Kayti). So, my progress has slowed….I’m at a little over 12,000 words…I had to grab the story by the horns yesterday and turn it around because my liquid plot was running away from…lol…I’ve also been trying to do some research and learned that Oklahoma City, where Daniel is originally from wasn’t founded till 1889, which is later than I wanted, but I’m working with it…
I’d have to say that my mentor character Clive is one of my favorite characters right now, outside of Daniel of course….so here’s a clip of one of their conversations.
“I don’t need God, God doesn’t need me. I can do this on my own,” Daniel knew even as he said them that his words seemed hollow.
“Trust me, kid, you can’t do this alone. But you’re right on one thing, God doesn’t need you, He wants you!” Clive looked at him and Daniel met his eye and then shook his head as he left the barn.
I really feel bad for Daniel, I guess because I can relate to him pretty well, but anyway…I’m one chapter 9 and my goal is to finish the book by the end of the month, not get to a word count….so maybe I can finish the book! Or at least reach 30,000 words!
See you guys soon!
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Wow!!!! Amazing!
“I’m never very good at this stuff…lol…but here’s goes something!”
As she proceeds to write an epic blurb. XD
That was great! I can’t wait to hear more about it! I love the setting! (I used to live in the high desert, and it’s BEAUTIFUL!)
Keep going! You can do this!
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Aww, thank you!
Aww, really? I didn’t feel like it was that great, but then again I’m never very happy with what I write…lol…(Oh, so awesome!!! I’ve only passed through….stayed the night on our way further west, it is so pretty!!! Me loves!!!)
D’aww, thank you!!! I am trying!!! About to go write some more! Then reward myself with some much-needed reading time…lol…
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Okay, update on almost week one…(I have to work Monday so this is early)
I’ve got almost 7,000 words or will have hopefully by this evening. I missed yesterday because it was crazy busy here and I went to an Andrew Peterson concert that evening…soo, yay me!
Um, I’m enjoying the challenge and it’s actually making me write…I was slacking a little, skimping by on very little words counts. But anyway, I haven’t lost my mind yet or had a breakdown so we’re doing good! Hahaha…
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Hey Kayti! That’s so exciting! Congrats on already reaching 7000 words! *throws confetti and streamers*
I’m glad you’re enjoying the challenge.
How was the Andrew Peterson concert?
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Yeah, it is!!! Well, almost…I gotta write a few hundred more to get there tonight….*Dances in confetti!*
Me too! Because I thought I was going to be super stressed out…I did stress a little yesterday but Jaidie was like, you wrote over your word count three times already, chill. So I did and it was fine….
Oh, it was great! It was really fun and we enjoyed it a lot! I love the lyrics to his music!!! It was a pretty awesome experience…
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Hi, Kayti! This sounds so exciting! How was your first day doing NaNo?
Wow, 2,000 words is quite the goal! I’m not doing it this year (too busy) BUT I wish you the best of luck this year *cheers you on*
Hey, have you ever read the Andrea Carter series by Susan K. Marlow? It’s about a girl who grows up on a ranch in the late 1800’s in California.
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It is!!! It’s going pretty good…I got up early and wrote the first 1,200 words and I’m about to go finish up the count for today….Yay!!!
Yeah, it is…I’m hoping to write 2,000 a day on my days off so that when I’m working if I am under the goal it won’t be too bad… I totally understand that…and hoping that for me this isn’t a decision I’m going to regret halfway through…lol…Thank you!!!!
No, but it sounds like it would be good….*makes mental note to look it up on GR and hopes she doesn’t forget….lol….*
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Yay! That’s awesome! I usually get in around 1200 words on my good days.
Ooo, that sounds like a good way to stay on top of your writing.
Yes, and the best part is that Susan K. Marlow is a Christian. Haha, I tend to forget to update stuff on GR too XD
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Thanks! That’s good….so far I’ve been getting around 1800….so, I’m happy!
I’m trying…
Okay, that sounds great! Thank you! Lol…yes, queue the forgetful procrasinator…I still haven’t done that…hahaha….
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This sounds like such a cool book! I love westerns!
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Why thank you!!! Me too!!! Grew up watching them and just…ahhh, love them!!!
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That’s SO exciting!!!!!!!!!!! Haha you are not crazy!!!! (Well, if you are, you’re only as crazy as every other writer – wait, but crazy people don’t know they’re crazy, so you must not be crazy! Lol, sorry, I just had to use that quote 😉 ) I know there are people who decide to start it super late so you’re definitely not alone!!! 😀 (By the way, I love the phrase “liquid plot”! Lol!) Ooo, that collage is really cool!!! I love that you’re partly basing his struggles off what you went through at 15. When I do that in stories, that’s so satisfying because, through the book, you can spread the message of the truth you learned. Ah, I love it!!! Congratulations on this!! (Lol, I’m also glad you’re doing it because now I’m not alone *puppy dog eyes* 😀 ) You go!!!!!!!!!!
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Thank you! (Hahaha, right…..that quote is my life….lol….) Whew, okay….(Hahaha, thank you) Aww, glad you think so! Yeah, it was tough, but I’m hoping to be able to work it into Daniel’s story and make it relatable and interesting….Yes! So true!!!! Thank you!!!! (Lol…yes, we’re in it together!) You go too!!!! We got this!!!!
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First thought: “‘Ranching ain’t easy’. EXACTAMUNDO!!!”
Second thought: “Ooh, yeah, the west really is beautiful…”
Third thought: “HOLY SMOKES, THAT IS A SHORT HORSE!!”
*coughs* Great post, Kayti!! Yeah, I do kinda think you’re nuts, but in a good “I’m-different-from-the-world” kind of way. 😉
Also, my family dabbles in the beef industry, so if you ever need to ask questions go ahead! *winkety wink*
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Thank you!
Yeah, it is….we didn’t want to come home…lol…
Hahaha…
Lol…why thank you, Joelle, I did write an entire post on being different and just rolling with it…my quick decisions can get to me sometimes…
Yes! Thank you so much! I may have to come crawling to you for info at some point or another….lol….
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This looks so cool, Kayti! Westerns are so much fun. Can’t wait to hear the updates! 🙂
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Awww, thank you! I’ll try to keep it updated-ish….I think my turn for a post happens at the end of the month…but, I also might leave updates in the comments of this post….I think I’m crazy….lol…but, I’ve almost reached my word count for today, so I’m a doing this!
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Yay!!! You go for it!
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I will!!!
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