#WIPJoy September 2019 Recap!

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This is my second year participating in #WIPJoy and this time I did it on Instagram which was fun and challenging trying to figure out themed pics since I’m still trying to get the hang of this Instagram thing. XD Thank you, Bethany Jennings and Kara Swanson for hosting this challenge! I look forward to next time!

Day 1



 

 

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I’m participating in #wipjoy this month! I joined last minute so I’m having to totally reschedule what I was going to do. Oh well. 😂 This is better than my old plans. • • Day 1: Introduce yourself and your creative projects! My name is Victoria and I’m from Atlanta, Ga. I love writing, tea, traveling, and geeky things. My top three favorite fandoms are the Hunger Games, the Lord of the Rings, and Avatar: The Last Airbender! I’ve been to Iceland, France, and Canada, and I plan to go to many more countries! I’m agented for my steampunk fairy tale retelling Red Hood! • • My WIPs: Red Hood: This is a steampunk fairytale retelling of Little Red Riding Hood retelling that includes steampunk werewolves, snowy wildernesses, and government conspiracies. 😁 I’m currently 20K into the sequel of this series! • Starbloods: I’ve had this high renaissance fantasy world in my head for years and I love the characters which include shapeshifting sorcerer and a noblewoman who deals with chronic pain. • Subsapien: This is a sci-fi story which is the story of my heart. It includes rejected experimented kids who fight for the right to exist. • • • #wip #writersofinstagram #writerscommunity #writers #amwriting #writersofinsta #fantasy #ya #steampunk #writerslife #teadrinker #quillpen
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Day 2

 

Day 3

 



 

 

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Day 3 of #wipjoy – Character with a weakness you relate to – Claes is a character very close to my heart. His dream is to be a silversmith in the capital of Ionad. But he is also disabled what with being hard of hearing and he has a stutter that he’s so ashamed of that he’s quiet most of the time. He struggles with shame and self-hatred. Living with depression, I’ve felt much of the same, so I relate to his journey to confidence and self-worth. 💙💙💙 • • Writing Update: It’s honestly been a bit slow the last two days. I got some “advice” from a colleague that sucked a little joy out of my writing journey so I’m trying to rebuild that. Always lift others up no matter how hard life has been on you. It’s always better to lift up than drag down. • • #amwriting #writerslife #fantasy #yafantasy #novel #wip #writersofinstagram #writer #writing #writerscommunity #writersofinsta #steampunk #writingjourney #encouragement
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Day 4

 



 

 

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Day 4 of #wipjoy – A line that describes your protagonist’s life – “That was precisely why she wanted to build up toughness toward death, a callous around her heart so it wouldn’t affect her judgment—even during tragedy.” Mor in Red Hood has undergone a great tragedy in her childhood that’s haunted her for over ten years. Her arc circles around grief and processing negative feelings. It can be hard to let yourself feel an emotion because you want to protect yourself. • • My kitty Lessy has decided to grace us with her presence today. She was such a good model and she’s looking very contemplative about the existential workings of the universe. 😉 • • Writing Update: I got back into the groove last night and wrote 1K! Reveals are about to drop! Hee hee! • • How’s your writing or other projects going? Do you have a pet? • • #amwriting #writersofinsta #writerofinstagram #cats #catsofinstagram #yafantasy #steampunk #writing #writerslife #writercat #wip #wipjoyseptember2019
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Day 5

 



 

 

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Day 5 of #wipjoy – Habit you’d like to change this month – I’m not sure if this is a habit I can change in a month but being really hard on myself is a habit I need to break someday. If I miss a night of writing or don’t write as much as I want to because I’m tired of my mental health is acting up I tend to beat myself up about it. The draft I’ve been writing this year has gone slower than I like and I’m probably going to have to opt out of NaNo this year to finish it. But I have to just keep reminding myself that every little bit of progress is progress and I will reach the finish line even if it’s slower than I originally planned. • • Writing Update: I’m at about 23K words and my characters have been captured mwa ha ha ha. • • What’s a habit you want to break this month? • • #wip #amwriting #writers #writersofinstagram #writer #writerslife #writersofinsta #georgia #wishingforfall #writerscommunity #writerofinstagram
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Day 6

 



 

 

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Day 6 of #wipjoy – Creature comforts (yours and/or your main characters) – This one is a little late because I had a crazy day yesterday but Mor and I have similar creature comforts when it comes to food. Her favorite flavor is black currant. She likes black currant jam on bread and in tarts (I could only get a hold of Meyer Lemon tarts which are some of my personal favorites). She also loves apples and apple cider and tea. I have the Ruby Rose tea from @adagioteas here! One of my ultimate favorites. ^ ^ Also Mor and Ruby have a couple things in common. 😉 Though candles are a necessity for Mor to, well, see at night since she doesn’t have electricity, I love burning candles, especially fall-inspired scents, for a calming atmosphere. I also love petting my white cat Lessy and Mor loves cuddling with her wolfhound Sielgair. ☺️ 🐺 • • What are some of your creature comforts? • • #wip #yafantasy #amwriting #writersofinstagram #writersofinsta #fairytaleretelling #fairytale #steampunk #littleredridinghood #tea #tealover #writing
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Day 7/8

 



 

 

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Day 7/8 of #wipjoy – Coffee shop trip with characters! What do you get? What do they get? – @sweethutbakerycafe is my favorite local cafe and I’m a tea person so I’m going to talk about tea. 😉☕️ My favorite drink there is the Thai milk tea and my favorite pastry is the mango pudding buns though I’m also splurging on mooncakes because the Lunar Festival is coming up! 🥮 Now for my characters … • Mor from Red Hood loves herbal teas and black currant tarts. Though she also likes jam cookies as well. She has a big sweet tooth. 🍪 • Claes from Red Hood would prefer coffee if he could afford it. He’s a workaholic and stays up late and wakes up early. He also loves chocolate cake. 🍰 • Bryce from Subsapien does not like coffee or tea so he’s a hot chocolate with marshmallows man. He also loves cream cheese on cinnamon bagels. No raisins. He hates fruit.🍩 • Harlowe from Starbloods loves a cup of strong black tea and scones with poppy seeds and clotted cream.☕️ He’s a bit posh haha. • What’s your favorite cafe drink and pastry? • • #amwriting #sweethutbakery #writerslife #writersofinsta #writerscommunity #writersofinstagram #yafantasy #bubbletea #mooncake #puddingbun #sweettreats #cafe #favoritecafe
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Day 9

 

Day 10 & 11

 



 

 

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I’m a little behind on #wipjoy so I’m doing two today! • • Day 10 of #wipjoy – Characters who’d die for each other – • • Mor and Claes from Red Hood would certainly die for each other. They’ve known each other since they were young kids and they met when they both had gone through a great lost. They’ve been fast friends since though Claes wants it to be more. 💙 • • Bryce and Matt from Subsapien are just unbelievably devoted brothers. Bryce wouldn’t hesitate to lay down his life for his little bro and would do anything to keep him safe. 🐆 • • Day 11 of #wipjoy – A line about something unexpected – “An ax the size of her littlest finger lay on the cloth—one of her axes, with all of the engraved detail perfectly replicated in miniature.” In this excerpt Claes gave Mor a surprise present just because he wanted to cause he loves her like that and he’s adorable. • • Writing Update: It’s going a little slow. I’ve been stressed this week but hopefully that’s resolved now. 👍🏻 • • #amwriting #writersofinstagram #writing #writerscommunity #wip #ya #fairytaleretellings #yascifi #yafantasy #novels #writersofinsta
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Day 12

 



 

 

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Day 13

 

Day 14/15

 

Day 16

 



 

 

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Day 16 of #wipjoy – Where do you tend to stall out in a book (as a reader or an author)? – As a reader, I’m mostly bothered by gratuitous sexual content, characters with no moral standards, and too much language. Why am I rooting for characters who seem like unsavory people? Though the books I’ve depicted here I actually didn’t like because I couldn’t connect with the main characters. Overall that’s the main reason I have trouble finishing a book. I rarely DNF but I struggled with these three titles. • As an author, I don’t stall out as much as I used to and outlining is what’s nearly cured out. When I stall out it’s usually because of circumstances that aren’t writing related such as stress because of drama or just work situations or mental health. Lately, I’ve been struggling with this with taking up a new writing job. Adding something else to my plate means finding a new balance and the stress of finding that balance threw off my flow but hopefully now that balance has been struck and next week I’ll get into a smooth pattern again. • What makes you stall out in writing or reading? • • Writing Update: I got a little farther in Silver Hood last night. Claes is about to meet some new characters and I’m excited about that. 😁 • • #writersofinstagram #writer #writerscommunity #writers #amwriting #wip #writingupdate #ya #yafantasy #amwritingfantasy
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Day 17

 



 

 

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Day 17 of #wipjoy – Stubborn characters: the good and the bad – Mor from Red Hood (the one in my drawing) is definitely stubborn. She’s very set in her beliefs and it takes her a lot to change them. • Einer from Silver Hood (Red Hood’s sequel) is extremely stubborn. He’s very dogmatic and fiercely loyal to the villain of the series Nzelt. It’s nearly impossible to get him to change his mind about anything. • Bryce from Subsapien is also very stubborn. Once he puts his mind to a goal, he’ll do it or die or get very hurt at least trying. • • Writing Update: Finally got some semblance of flow in Silver Hood last night. I’ve gotten to one of my favorite settings of the book: an invisible train. • • I’ve also got a new blog post about writing pets over on the blog! Link in my bio! • • #wip #writersofinstagram #writer #writers #writersofinsta #yafantasy #littleredridinghood #fairytaleretelling #steampunk #writingupdate #writerslife
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Day 18

 

Day 19

 



 

 

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Day 20

 



 

 

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Day 20 of #wipjoy – Advice that’s helped you persevere – All of these quotes have definitely inspired me to keep moving forward but the most comes from a quote by Jim Henson (creator of the Muppets). It’s the quote they really made me decide that I wanted to be a writer for my career: “Most people, and particularly kids, don’t realize they are in control of their lives … and they’re the ones that are going to make the decisions and they’re the ones that are going to make it one way or the other. Usually adolescence is a time when kids feel that the world is doing it to them or their teachers doing it to them or their friends doing it to them and that they are the victim in all of this. But instead you’re the one who’s doing it. That moment is sometimes a long slow realization or sometimes it’s turning on a light switch. All of a sudden you realize that you are the person in control of your life.” No matter what anyone says I want to pursue the dream of being a full time novelist. This is my life and no matter how much it may not be a popular idea to work multiple jobs to support my dream. This is what I believe is what I’m meant to do to make my dream come true. 💙💙💙 • • New blog post is up on the blog with an interview with two of my characters from Red Hood! Link in my bio! • • I’m attending the Project Magic Kingdom Hearts event at Disney this afternoon and tonight so prepare for pics! • • #writersofinstagram #writer #writerscommunity #writerslife #writerinspiration #encouragement #quotes
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Day 21-25

 



 

 

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I’m semi recovered from my trip down to Florida so now it’s finally time to catch up on #wipjoy posts! Here we go! • Day 21/22 – You’re in danger! What characters would you want to protect you? – My characters or other people’s characters lol. Other people’s characters are shown here in this POP figure standoff of epic proportions. 😉 But out of my own characters, all of my MCs are pretty kick butt so I’m very well protected. 😀 • Day 23 – Something an antagonist wants to change that you empathize with – I actually get part of Nzelt’s goal from Red Hood about how he wants to help make a better life for his country. It can be hard to see people around you suffering and feel helpless but to have the chance to make real change is a tempting thing. • Day 24 – A character’s journey that has created change in your own life – Katniss Everdeen to this day has been one of the most influential characters I’ve ever read about. Her mental health journey really helped me recognize and get to a better place in my mental health. • Day 25 – A line about power or healing – “Mor released all of the feelings she had bottled up, all of the great ones that weighed her down more and more day after day with each tear.” – Mor in Red Hood goes through a big journey through grief and coming to terms with feelings of hatred. • Writing Update: I did not write while on my trip but I did do a little last night. I got my first rejection from a publisher my agent sent my manuscript out to but I’m still amazed that a big five publisher took the time to send back personal feedback. So close! Next time could be the charm! • • #disney #disneyworld #disneyanimalkingdom #wip #writingupdate #writersofinstagram #writerscommunity #writer #travels #writerslife #writersofinsta #popfigurine
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Day 26 & 27

 



 

 

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After months of experimentation I think I’ve finally figured out my Instagram aesthetic! Expect more pics with this background (soon to be enhanced with stencils!), beautiful scenery, and video game settings! Now on to #wipjoy ! • • Day 26 – Characters who don’t change but transform the world around them – Faol (Red Hood) is a giant blue steampunk werewolf and one of my most special characters. He has a meekness, kindness, and nobility few of my characters have. This quote is from him when he observes the turmoil inside Mor. • • Day 27 – An accomplishment you’re proud of this month (writing or otherwise) – I haven’t reached my goal of doing 10K a month but I’ve written around 7K and that’s still an encouraging number because I’ve had a lot to tackle this month. • • #wip #steampunk #writing #writersofinstagram #writersofinsta #writerscommunity #ya #quotes #writerslife
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Day 28/29

 

Day 30

 



 

 

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Day 30 of #wipjoy – Shout out to the people who stand by you always! – It’s the last day! Wow it’s been a fun month for this challenge. And I think I found a better lighting system for my pics after yesterday’s fail. Whoops. 😂 Here we go with shout outs! @cutsceneaddict – You’ve given me such an encouragement with my main goal as a novelist but you helped open so many doors for me into other forms of writing too. 📝 • @annechambo – We share a very similar journey as artists pursuing our dreams and having someone who really understands the ups and downs is such a blessing. 📞 • @cassia_schaar – You’ve helped me expand so many of my characters through character chatting. My characters who not be as deep and fleshed out without you. 📝 • @thebookishchristine – You’re so encouraging on my blog and you constantly make me smile and want to move forward when you comment about how excited about my books you are. ☺️ • @cadi_murphy – You’re critique was crucial for me getting my agent. You’re one of the best critique partners I’ve ever had. 😁 • @lady_alyssa_stephens – You were my first fan when you read my book when I was twelve years old and you’ll be the first one I call when I sign a book contract. You’ve encouraged me longer than anyone else. Love you, girl. 💙 • • Writing Update: I got a decent flow last night and write 750 words! • • What people have stood with you always? • • #writersofinstagram #writing #writer #writersofinsta #encouragement #support #friends #collage
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Conclusion

This was such a fun challenge and I felt like I learned about my characters more! It was also great connecting to other members of the Instagram writing community!

Did you participate in this challenge? What did you learn? What’s your Instagram so we can follow each other?

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