WIP Questions

@whalekeeper What a fun idea!!! Love it 💖

I’m pretty sure a lot of y’all on here know about my project, but I’ll go on ahead and share anyhow

1. Summarize your project in a paragraph or two! Like on the back of a book

The second world war has finally come to an end, and both Leon Wagner and Riker Schind are living with the aftermaths of war and tragedy.

The struggles of post-war Germany lay heavy on them both,

and hardships still lie before them.

Neither one of them know what to do or where to go next,

and the pain of their pasts is far from faded.

Will Leon heal from his deep pain? Will his faith be restored?

Will he finally forgive those that wronged him?

Will Riker’s guilt consume him? Will he realize that there is no sin

so great that God can’t forgive? Will he learn to forgive himself?

And will both of them finally come to the only One that can break the

shackles that keep them bound?

2. Who is your hero, and why? What is their personality?

idk if I can classify Leon or Riker as a hero 🤷‍♀️😅😂 buuuut we’ll just list them as both protags XD

#1: Leon Jedediah Wagner, a young father and Holocaust survivor, and he’s a protagonist because (*how does one answer this question??*) he is central to the plot/story AND his arc/struggle plays into the main themes of Broken Shackles (and the first book, Freedom’s Fire). Leon’s personality, esp in Broken Shackles, can probably best be summed up in the words: determined, stubborn, and protective.

#2: Riker Franz Schind, a former SS Lieutenant who is haunted by what he’s done, and he’s a protagonist because, like Leon, he is central to the plot/story AND his arc/struggle is soooo important to the plot and I personally think his story can help others going through the same internal struggles. His personality could probably be summed up in the words: caring and compassionate, but full of deep pain, regret, shame, etc.

3.  What is your story’s genre?

YA Historical Fiction, set in Post-WW2 (World War Two) Germany

4. Who is your favorite character to write and why?

Riker. Do I really have to say it?? 😂

I really do love writing Leon (and he’s very special to me), but writing Riker has always been my favorite character to write out of ALL of my projects (and I have too many to count 😅). Why? Probably because he’s so much like me it’s not even funny 🫣 His past, no, I don’t relate to. But his personality…some of the things he loves…his internal struggle, yeah, that’s me more than I sometimes like to admit. Writing Riker (and relying on the Lord, getting help from family, etc.) has helped me work through those struggles, and writing his story has helped me to see that those struggles don’t have to be the end, nor do I have to struggle through them alone💖

5. If your project was a combination of colors, what colors would it be?

This is a fun one 🤩

Colors…let’s see:

Brown, Black, Gray, Silver, Red, Orange, and White, if I had to choose just a few 😛

• This reply was modified 3 months, 2 weeks ago by freedom.

@whalekeeper

Thanks for the teg, this looks like fun!

1. Summarize your project in a paragraph or two! Like on the back of a book.

ATOH

200 years after the great civil war, civilization has made few improvements. Bunkers scattered across the country protect the remaining population underground, safe from the still bubbling conflict of their great great grandparents. The west hills bunkers has remained under lock down the entire time, only opening briefly to trade with other bunker via the rail system. The mining district has slowly been losing money to a unknown source while the professions district seemingly thrives, and those aware of it start to create contentions. Tauren, a 17 year old miner, finds himself caught in the middle of the conflict when his best friend Lesli decides leaving is the only way to handle the declining quality of life and her messy family. In an effort to be a loyal friend and son, Tauren struggles to choose what’s important for him.

2. Who is your hero, and why? What is their personality?

Tauren Faulkner has been raised to believe that when you follow the rules, life turns out well. He’s quiet, and keeps to himself unless around his friend Lesli. Although he loves people, he finds talking to them hard.

Tauren is the hero of the story alongside Lesli. I picked him because I like giving the hero a choice. I read a lot of books with a reluctant hero who is the chosen one, so they technically don’t have a choice to accept it. Tauren isn’t saving the world, he’s determining his own fate. He’s only one of hundreds of others who have left other bunkers, and his decision doesn’t help anyone but himself. He has to decide whether he is going to make choices for himself or his family, who want him to stay.

3  What is your story’s genre?

post dystopian slice of life

Oh and a couple chapters of thriller LOL

4. Who is your favorite character to write and why?

Oh man this ones hard. I’d say Kaine because He doesn’t like to talk to people 😂 all my other characters just go along with conversations and enjoy meeting people but he’d rather lurk in a corner with his cassette player and headphones. So his dialogue is just him listening in the background. He hears more than people think, and everyone in the story who thinks they are close to him actually don’t know him.

5. If your project was a combination of colors, what colors would it be?

Brown, Grey, Yellow, Light Blue, Dark Green, Light Pink.

1. Summarize your project in a paragraph or two! Like on the back of a book.

The Narrow Path Trilogy – Book 1: The Cost

“Alan Wherl has made the grave mistake of using the twisted magic of his world, which has left him forever scarred. He is no longer entirely human and is viewed as a monster by society. Worse, his parent were both consumed by it, and Alan believes it is all his fault. But the Wizard is not ready to give up yet and is determined to redeem himself and his family’s name. He plans to join his country’s army and become a hero. Will he overcome his guilt this way, or does Alan need something greater? Something that demands a cost even greater than magic itself…”

2. Who is your hero, and why? What is their personality?

My protagonist is Alan Wherl, a wizard looking to become a hero. He is an outcast of outcasts. People view him as a loose cannon, for even if he uses only one magic spell, he could be fully corrupted by magic and fully transform into a crow-like monster, mindlessly seeking for magical objects and destroying anything that gets in its way. Even though his memory was wiped of any magic spells he knew, Alan fears that one day he will end up using a spell and fall to this fate. He regrets the fact that he ever connected himself to magic in the first place.

But despite being a worrier and his guilt, Alan has a fierce sense of determination. He has set his mind on joining the lyen army of Klaw, and he is determined to prove both to himself and society that he does not have to become a monster. He has dedicated himself to learning sword fighting and has become quite good with his blade. While there are times he will doubt that becoming a hero will help him overcome his guilt, but his determination always comes back (even if he needs some encouragement first).

Alan does have a heroic ego he likes to slip into sometimes (hoping that his heroic side will distract others from his monster side). When in this mood, he talks in overdone old Rorian (the language he speaks) giving valiant one-liners and epic victory poses. (However, these things are less heroic, valiant, and epic if you ask his friend Tyn. She thinks they all make him look rather stupid.)

Alan also is often off in his thoughts. It also results in him being unintentionally self-centred and oblivious to the needs of others. The number of times he has accidentally closed the door in Tyn’s face is off the charts. However, if he is aware of what someone else needs, he is willing to help.

In addition to his desire to become a hero, Alan also hopes that he will be united with his parents again, but knows that this is not likely to happen again. His father, having been completely corrupted by magic, would probably not even recognize him and his mother has likely fallen to the same fate. This is why he focuses on becoming a hero because he feels that his parents would be proud of him for doing this.

Why is he the protagonist? Well, I can’t quite say why right now, since it has to do with the climax, but a lot of the story and the events in it center on Alan being a wizard seeking to be free of magic. The character is a good fit for my arc of redemption, humility, and the cost of faith. Another reason he is the protagonist is because of how he was inspired. The idea for this character came from illustrations for Mr. Tummnus, in which I noticed Mr. Tummnus had a different tail from the other fauns. I realized this was probably to distinguish him from other fauns, but I could not help noticing that his tail matched that of a minotaur. This led to the idea of a boy who had a monster for a father and somehow became part monster himself, and I wanted to write a story for him.

3.  What is your story’s genre?

TNPT is Fantasy, but a little different than traditional fantasy. Instead of using medical England for inspiration, I turned to the mid-nineteenth century. A little touch of Canadian is added as well. They have trains, plumbing, and cameras, but have not quite got electricity figured out. Also, they don’t have gunpowder, so still use swords and crossbows as weapons. I would not call this Steampunk, however. Think of it more like Little House on the Prarie but with a couple of cities, magic, and human-animal hybrids.

4. Who is your favorite character to write and why?

I would have to go with a wolf-like character called Stripe. He is my oldest character, older than The Narrow Path Trilogy itself, although originally he was part shark instead of part wolf. Stripe is the self-proclaimed guardian of The Faithful, and he is a nuisance to get rid of. Whenever you try to hide from him, he uses his sense of smell to catch up again. He would be more welcome if he did not try to convince The Faithful to give up their ‘foolish’ beliefs. Even though he is told that The Faithful do not need his protection, he sticks around saying ‘Someone has got to defend you fools’, and he feels guilty to leave them. At least The Faithful have convinced him to not be more violent than necessary towards their attackers. Oh yes, I should also mention that ‘fool’ is his favourite word.

This character is wild in appearance, dress, and behaviour. However, this wolf-like creature also has a love of books. His race is not known to read, and he finds it amusing when people are shocked that he likes all sorts of books. I often use this for humour, having him show off books to annoy his enemies and complain when he ‘has’ to put his book down to go and protect something. Yup, this character is a nuance, but that is what makes him fun to write.

5. If your project was a combination of colors, what colors would it be?

Natural shades of green, brown, and grey with sky blue. Throw in some snowy white, and leafy orange (though this is more the second and third book). Then add some black with a bright glowing and purple colour.

@linus-smallprint

Yeah… 😅 More on the five side, but twelve because a few of them have siblings who are main.

@freed_and_redeemed

Thanks! XD