NaNoWriMo Begins

So, on day three, and I’m on track. Well, by my personal plans I’m way behind, but for the daily ‘write this many or you will fail’ tracker, I’m going strong.

Just a brief synopsis of my plot for now, and then I have 7,000 words to somehow pluck from my brain this afternoon!

It’s essentially the story of Cinderella, except told from the point of view of the Prince. He’s under a lot of pressure from his parents- the King and Queen- to marry a suitable girl, but he’s far too naive, and, just to add another twist, far too gay (yes, I am making this a novel with LGBT*QA characters, bite me) .  He sees this boy at a ball and instantly ‘falls in love’ (I don’t believe in love at first sight- attraction at first sight however is totally possible), but he leaves, and being Cinderella, drops his handkerchief with his initials sewn into it.  Prince Edward is heartbroken, however his sassy sister Elizabeth (named for the Bennett), and young Lady Anne, begin a quest to find the mysterious and very cute boy.  Edward’s parents persevere in getting him married off to Princess Katerina of Andalusia, and she isn’t too happy about her fiancee gallivanting  about Greenwich Palace.  Will young love triumph, or is Katerina going to ruin everything?

Also, it’s set around 1650-1680, so I’m channeling my inner Phillipa Gregory and trying to be historically accurate, but it’s difficult to write when your characters can’t even say ‘shut up’ to each other. Damnit why do I make everything twice as hard as it needs to be.

OK, so that’s what I’ll be tearing my hair out over for the next month, and I’ll keep the blog updated every 10,000 words or so! Wish me luck, and don’t be afraid to send me angry messages if I fall behind! Let the battle of literature v common sense commence.

A journey of self-appreciation and being ‘out’

I know this is a ‘day in the life’ and I’m kinda ranting, but I think I’ll use the DITL as my page of ‘personal’ issues.

Hi, so, new school, new people, new environment. As briefly touched on in my school post, I’ve never had a particularly high opinion of myself, which is obviously stupid because, in retrospect, I’m essentially perfect. I got a lot of shit for being offensive and defensive at Nishimiya, but, statistically speaking, we’re all very different people, and the chances of getting along with everybody are pretty much 0. I like to think I surround myself with the right people, people who’s personalities work with mine, instead of forcing friendship, just because we both like make up or a certain shitty band. Also, I’m honest. And a lot of people can’t take that. I don’t want to be seen as a ‘fake’ person, that’s the last thing I want. However I’m mostly honest because it’s so much easier than skirting around issues, or telling white lies just to keep people happy. Lastly, being honest means that when you say something positive, people know you genuinely mean it, and that it comes from a place of true caring.

I like to think that I’m becoming a better person, or maybe that I’m just starting to appreciate that I have my own brand of awesome, and it’s totally OK to be who I am.

My second point today, is about being ‘out’ as (like 95%) gay. At Nishimiya, I was very obviously out, because of my relationship with Drew (as in Nancy Drew, that’s her code name now), and it made me feel really uncomfortable at school. Everywhere I went I was whispered about, pointed at, and occasionally asked intrusive and icky questions. Worst of all, my sister was bullied, physically and verbally, for me being openly gay. Now that I’m in a safer environment (there’s posters on bisexuality up in the bathrooms which is awesomesauce), and I don’t have to fear for the safety of my sister, I don’t think it’ll be too scary to be out at New School. Having said that, I’ve got to make friends to be out to first, so I guess I’ve got a few more weeks wearing the mask of heterosexuality before I can let my true colors shine. Agent Z is in the same boat as me, which is comforting in a weird way, and she had a horrible experience being outed at Nishimaya, if you remember? So, we’re treading carefully. I think it’s best to just not actively tell anybody, but if they ask, I’m not going to lie.

~Lady Rainicorn