˒⠀S T I L L . . . 𝙲𝙰𝚁𝙳𝙸𝙸𝙰𝙲

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❛ A 𝑻𝑯𝑶𝑼𝑺𝑨𝑵𝑫 MILES 𝑨𝑾𝑨𝒀 FROM
THE DAY THAT WE 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑫,
BUT I'M STANDING HERE 𝑾𝑰𝑻𝑯 𝒀𝑶𝑼
JUST TRYNA BE 𝙷𝙾𝙽𝙴𝚂𝚃. ❜

question + answer! ━━ no. 009
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     GREETINGS, BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE! Welcome to the final chapter of VOLUME ONE! So great to have you here.

     A couple of weeks ago, on my conversation board, I asked people to comment on questions they'd like me to answer. So, today, I am here to do just that. Below, I have compiled the questions I got and answered them.

QUESTION ONE ▄▄▄▄▄ ❝ HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH LAYOUTS? ❞

ANSWER: This is a question I get quite a bit. In a future chapter, I will be answering this question in a super in-depth fashion. For now, however, I will answer it very briefly.

When it comes to aesthetic symbol layouts, oftentimes, I copy and paste random symbols into a document and move them around to see what combinations I like most. Sometimes, I'll use song lyrics or quotes with said symbols. I try to keep in mind whether I want a simple layout for my chapters or if I want to be extra and go ape shit with symbols and fonts.

If that doesn't work or spark a bit of creativity in me, I'll go onto Pinterest and search "aesthetic graphics" or "graphic design posters." Usually, that helps spark an idea and potential book theme ideas as well. I often do that when it comes to curating a new book cover theme/layout.

QUESTION TWO ▄▄▄▄▄ ❝ HOW DO YOU PLAN YOUR CHAPTERS/DO YOU PLAN YOUR DIALOGUE, OR DO YOU JUST GO WITH WHAT COMES INTO YOUR MIND? ❞

ANSWER: This is a great question! It's truthfully taken me a while to create a formula that works when it comes to planning and writing out my chapters. Before I explain my process, I want to say that this is what I personally do and that just because this works for me, that doesn't mean it will work for you. We are all different and have our own ways of approaching writing or any creative process. This is solely what I do. That does not mean you have to do the same or that it will work for you, and that is perfectly fine.

Over the years, my methods for planning out my chapters have changed a lot. In the past six months, I'd say I've found a relatively good routine that's been working really well for me. (It's the reason why I've been able to update my Criminal Minds book more frequently.)

The current method of my madness isn't too complicated, and I'll do my best to break it down for you.

PART ONE: HOW DO I PLAN MY CHAPTERS?

▃▃ 01. The first thing I do is decide on a chapter name. This may come across as trivial, but I like to start small before getting into the nitty-gritty of it all. For example, the next chapter of my Criminal Minds book is titled "The Year I Disappeared." I came up with the chapter name three years ago (I planned out the entire book back in 2018, hence why it's been such a long time since I titled it). I find that once I have the chapter name picked, it helps me focus more on what the chapter will be about and its contents.

Something I've learned over time and from my own research is that chapter titles can act as a summary of not only where the story has come from but also where it plans to go next. When planning out my books and when drafting, I also use stand-in chapter names as a map for myself and where the story is going.

▃▃ 02. Now, I like to look at my overarching story and the major plot developments and events that have to happen to get the characters from point A to B. Then, I look at a chapter and figure out what needs to happen in order for the characters to get closer to the climax or ending.

▃▃ 03. Once I figure out what needs to happen or what I want to happen in a particular chapter, I then break down a chapter into sections. By this, I mean I write out a pre-conceived flow of events before ever writing out the chapter itself. I like to write a short paragraph before each individual scene that states who is in the scene, where the characters are, and a short sentence about what happens. I tend to write out these mini descriptions in all caps so I don't confuse them with the future written-out scene.

Example: "SETTING: LONG BEACH, CA, POLICE PRECINCT; IN THE SURVEILLANCE ROOM. CHARACTERS: CARA VALENTINE, DEREK MORGAN, AND SPENCER REID. ACTIONS: MORGAN KICKS THE POLICE OFFICERS OUT OF THE SURVEILLANCE ROOM WITH SPENCER (USE DIALOGUE FROM THE EPISODE). AS THE OFFICERS ARE LEAVING, CARA ENTERS THE ROOM AND INTERRUPTS THE CONVERSATION."

Now, that is a simplified version, but that description will always vary in length depending on the context of the scene, who is in it, and the length of the dialogue between characters.

▃▃ 04. After everything has been spaced out and I've written a description of each scene, that's when I tend to go in and write out a script with accompanying actions.

Example: "SCENE NUMBER: 3. SETTING: LONG BEACH, CA, POLICE PRECINCT; IN THE SURVEILLANCE ROOM. CHARACTERS: CARA VALENTINE, DEREK MORGAN, AND SPENCER REID. ACTIONS: MORGAN KICKS THE POLICE OFFICERS OUT OF THE SURVEILLANCE ROOM WITH SPENCER (USE DIALOGUE FROM THE EPISODE). AS THE OFFICERS ARE LEAVING, CARA ENTERS THE ROOM AND INTERRUPTS THE CONVERSATION.

"SPENCER: They couldn't identify any of the other custom— [Noticing Cara's presence, Spencer pauses mid-sentence] Cara, hey. [He breathes and smiles at her; Cara waves softly; Morgan gives him a knowing look] Uh, right. So, they couldn't identify any of the other customers as the man they saw at the auto shop or sports bar.

MORGAN: The killer is picking his victims in the moment, right? You, you, you, [pauses for a second, pointing at imaginary people] and you. No advance planning.

SPENCER: [nods] That's how it looks.

MORGAN: Yet he later stalks each one, learning their habits.

SPENCER: [eyes narrow] How does he manage to do that if they all scatter after they get their coffee?

CARA: [speaks with an indifferent tone] Parking lot.

MORGAN AND SPENCER LOOK AT CARA.

CARA: [explains further] He sees them through the windows, waits until they come out one by one, and drive away. He writes down their license plate numbers, then does research at a DMV. Boom."

▃▃ 05. It isn't until everything has been scripted that I go back and write out the whole chapter with descriptions, add extra detail, or change bits of dialogue. Sometimes, I'll write the chapter out of order, but I make sure to stick to the outline that I've crafted for myself unless I decide something no longer works or I don't like a particular scene or moment between characters.

▃▃ 06. When everything is finished, I go back over the chapter and begin to re-read or edit it. As I'm reading, I change some sentences' wording, tone, and punctuation and correct my spelling.

▃▃ 07. After I've done this, I try to always run the chapter through Grammarly, a free browser extension that you can download that will spell-check your writing and all of that stuff. I don't have the premium version of Grammarly anymore, but the free version works just as well! However, if you can afford the premium version, get it! That's the best way to edit your chapters once you're done. Of course, I (and Grammarly) miss things sometimes, but I always make sure to review my work before ever clicking "publish."

EXTRA TIP: If you don't want to have to go through the process of planning out your chapters all on your own, there's an app/website I discovered recently called "Mystory.today." It's software specifically designed for writers. It is very useful for splitting your chapters into scenes. There are places for characters, settings, and a corkboard section where you can lay down any basic notes for your chapters. In each chapter, you can add new scenes and structure everything. It also has a spell-checker that you can use.

PART TWO: DO I PLAN MY DIALOGUE, OR DO I JUST GO WITH WHAT COMES TO MIND?

Most of the time! There are times when I plan what the character says and times when I don't. If the book I'm writing is based on a movie or TV show, I always do. If I'm writing something that isn't based on a pre-existing medium (TV show/movie/book/etc.), then I will free write (write what comes to mind).

QUESTION THREE ▄▄▄▄▄ ❝ DO YOU HAVE A SORT OF DRAFT/PLAN YOU CONSULT BEFORE OFFICIALLY PUBLISHING YOUR CHAPTERS, OR DO YOU JUST SIT IN FRONT OF YOUR LAPTOP & JUST WAIT FOR SOMETHING TO HIT? ❞

ANSWER: See above! This question can be answered almost the same way as the previous one. I do have a draft/plan that I consult before publishing a new chapter for all of my books. Depending on where I'm at in the story, that plan inevitably changes, but there is a draft/plan that I do go by.

Sometimes, I sit in front of my laptop and wait for something to hit. I usually only do this with my social media-based books, such as She, Her, or Adore You. Not every chapter of those books is crucial to the overall plot, so some are pure "filler" chapters that are only there to fill time or build upon existing character relationships or dynamics.

I'd say more than half of the chapters of Adore You are filler chapters or chapters that only exist because I sit in front of my laptop and wait for something to come to mind. That doesn't make them bad chapters. It just means that there wasn't much thought behind them, and they weren't chapters that took a long time to craft.

QUESTION FOUR ▄▄▄▄▄ ❝ DO YOU BASE YOUR OCS (ORIGINAL CHARACTERS) OFF OF PEOPLE YOU KNOW IRL (IN REAL LIFE)? ❞

ANSWER: I used to! When I first started writing on Wattpad (throwback to eleven-year-old me), I didn't know how to create fictional characters that weren't carbon copies of people in my life. So, yes, I used to base my characters on people I knew in my physical life. However, embarrassingly enough, someone in my life read one of my books and figured out that one of my unlikeable characters was a fictional manifestation of them, and it did not bode well. Go figure. Ever since then, I have made it a personal rule of mine not to base my original characters on people actively in my life. (Mind you, this happened when I was twelve, so I've gone over a decade now not basing characters on people I know.)

Yes, I take particular characteristics or mannerisms from friends or acquaintances and apply them to certain characters, but I no longer base an entire character on someone I know IRL. If anything, I base characters on myself. The best example I have of this is my OC Keilah Winters from my ❛ 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ❜ series. I'm inclined to say that Keilah is the only character of mine that is quite literally me, but in a fictional form. Meaning, her life, backstory, and experiences aren't similar to my own, but her personality/sense of humor/fashion sense/preferences are an exact copy of mine.

When it comes to my characters, I try to base them on personality types I've encountered or on an image I've created in my head. I go out of my way to ensure they don't replicate the present people in my life. I sometimes use people from my past as a base or source of inspiration, but I never get too specific. I never want someone I know to stumble upon my work and feel like a deer-in-headlights when they read about a particular character that seems to hit too close to home. That's not fair nor something I would want to experience myself, so I go out of my way to make sure no one I know will have to go through that with my work.

QUESTION FIVE ▄▄▄▄▄ ❝ HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH SUCH ELABORATE PLOTS? ❞

ANSWER: This is a really good question and one that my closest friends who know that I write on Wattpad have asked me. I come up with elaborate plots in a handful of ways! I don't know which of my works people have read specifically, so if anyone has a particular story in mind that you're curious about, I'd be happy to talk more in-depth about it.

Something I've noticed about myself is that I have this innate inability to keep things simple. I like to make things needlessly complicated for myself in every facet of life, including my books. I always want to do things bigger and better, and I am a very detail-oriented person. That being said, it's not hard to notice how that applies to my books.

I always ensure that each of my books has multiple layers to them, such as multiple storylines and character arcs happening at the same time; I strive to make my plots unique and different from ideas and books I've seen before; I like drama, and I like to portray how complex people can be, as well as their backstories and emotions. Life is never simple, and human beings aren't either, so I like my books and their plots to represent that. I believe that's why my plots are so elaborate. There are layers to everything in life, so why shouldn't that be reflected in storytelling?

I also write fanfiction, so oftentimes, the fandoms I'm writing for are relished in complicated and layered storylines that take a while to unpack and digest. So when you take that and combine it with your own plot and original characters, you naturally get a heavy plot that becomes elaborate if you take the proper time to develop it.

This is random, but I've always described my fanfictions to my friends as books that are about my original character(s), while the fandom the book takes place in is simply a side story/side plot. For example, I like to describe Expedite (my Barry Allen fanfiction that is based on Seasons Two and Three of the CW TV show, The Flash) as a story about Earth-Four speedster Piper Lita and her journey of unmasking her parents' murderer featuring Team Flash and the love story between her and Barry Allen.

     Hopefully, my answers to these questions are interesting. If anyone has any other questions, comment them below and I'll be happy to answer!

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❛ IF 𝑯𝑶𝑵𝑬𝑺𝑻𝒀 MEANS TELLING
𝒀𝑶𝑼 THE 𝑻𝑹𝑼𝑻𝑯, WELL, I'M 𝑺𝑻𝑰𝑳𝑳
𝙸𝙽 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴 WITH 𝚈𝙾𝚄. ❜
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