#atkom — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #atkom, aggregated by home.social.
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Up to chapter 9 in revisions! Looks like I've got my schedule for getting this thing edited, then all the other steps to make it into a book.
Won't be out until next year, but I've got plenty to keep me busy until then!
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First Draft DONE! Hello, Revisions.
I can now happily announce the the first draft of A Third Kind of Madness is finished! *throws confetti*
If you're unfamiliar with the writing process, you may not know what this means.https://www.christianeknight.com/first-draft-done-hello-revisions/
#AThirdKindOfMadness #Events #NovelUpdates #ATKOM #interview #Writing
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#WritingWonders 7/15 - Are there any kissing and/or intimacy scenes in your story?
If you enjoy the occasional awkward and unsure kissing scene mixed in with some pining and uncertainty, this book could be your jam.
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Awww dang I only have the epilogue to write.
And days of revision, yes yes. Let me wallow in my relief at wrapping this up right now, brain.
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#WritingWonders 7/4: Would your MC ever work with one of their enemies?
Considering that when we start #ATKOM Denny lives with and is in an art collective with Joolie... yes. And Joolie tries her best to use that to her advantage, because of course she does.
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#WritingWonders July 2: Do you think readers will find your MC likeable?
Denny's pretty much a cinnamon roll, so probably? Though their constant undercurrent of cutting themself down wears thin sometimes. But I think they are pretty huggable, generally.
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#WritingWonders 7/1: Your MC shows up on your doorstep, what do you say and or do?
Try to figure out why this nervous, slightly scruffy stranger is standing there with a camera in their hand. Then I'd probably invite them in and give them coffee and a snack, because they look hungry, harmless, and in need of someone to care for them.
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#WritingWonders 6/30: Do you have a playlist for your book or MCs that you’d like to share?
My books come with a playlist! I use music to build mood and add to the story. The current WIP's playlist isn't finished/finalized, but you can take a listen here:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0VBkfgew8Gp3VXRVE8NOCd?si=63ba5b36e1e14ece -
#WritingWonders 6/25: are any of your characters over 50?
...some of them are well over 100. But we're talking Fae and other magical beings, so it's to be expected, right?
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#WritingWonders 06/23: Would your MC/hero stand out in our world?
Absolutely not, as they live in a version of this world and they would tell you that they're basically invisible. Some of the other characters have to work a little harder to blend, but not Denny.
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#WritingWonders 6/21: How does your day job or life affect what you write?
My day job is writing and not much else right now, thanks to being ill. But I'm an artist and musician and that has strongly affected what I write - my characters are often also artists, musicians, writers, and other types of creative people who don't fit the norm. Their lifestyles reflect mine and other people like me that I've known.
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#WritingWonders 6/20: Do you have any LGBTQA+ characters in your story?
Yes! Main and supporting characters
Denny and Karsten are both non-binary, although Denny struggles with labels and discusses that briefly in the story. Denny is pansexual and is in a relationship with Peri.Peri is bisexual, as is Joolie and Xan. It's unclear if Elise is lesbian or bi but she definitely has been involved with Joolie at some point.
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#WritingWonders 6/19: Who was your MC's first friend/how did they meet?
Denny has always been an awkward loner and didn't really have anyone that resembled a friend until art school. That's when they fell in with the Ants - Joolie, Xan, Elise, and Pod. Out of that group, Denny feels closest to Pod, and he's really the only one they trust. Joolie's the one who brought them all together, though.
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#WritingWonders 6/5: What is the meaning of your MC's name? Does it fit their personality?
One of the meanings of the name Denny is "follower/devotee of Dionysus" which has some interesting implications for them in their story.
Most people think of wine when they think of Dionysus but he is also the god of fruitfulness and passion - and ritual madness.
And their story *is* called A Third Kind of Madness, so...
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#WritingWonders 6/3: Share art, pics, and/or mood boards of your WIP world.
I put this moodboard together last night - representations of some of the places in A Third Kind of Madness. I included the building I used as a model for The Compound - where Denny's art collective lives, as well as the park where Denny encounters the Nyxen. There's also the pier in Fells Point where a tragedy happens. It's a great tour of where things in the story happen!
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#WritingWonders 6/2: Were any of your fictional settings inspired by real world locations?
The Eleriannan books are set in a more magical version of present-day Baltimore, so YES!
There are a bunch of notable analogues but probably the most important one would be The Maithe, the huge house with a mind of its own. It is modeled after a building in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood that has had many interesting lives, from residential hotel to flophouse apartments, to hotel again.
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#ATKOM -
#WritingWonders 6/1: You’re transported into your WIP world, where is the 1st place you’re going?
If I'm hanging out in the Eleriannan version of Baltimore, I can't think of a better place to go first than The Maithe. Hopefully I'll be there at the right time to catch one of their house parties where The Drawback is playing.
I'll have faerie food and drink some of Sheridan's amazing beer and not even worry about the consequences, because there's no place I'd rather be anyway.
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21% left to write on this first draft.
Why is it that the last chapters always take the longest, and feel the weakest while I'm writing them? It's like that every time.
Which is at least comforting in that I know this is the norm for me. Sure, sure. But right now I see some heavy revising in my future.
Lucky for me, I enjoy the revising process!
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Getting Close Now: progress check-in
It's time for an update on my writing progress, and it's great news - I am SO CLOSE to getting the first draft of this book finished!
As of this blog post, I've got about 21,000 words to hit my word goal!
That's about five chapters, to put it into perspective. I know, right?https://www.christianeknight.com/getting-close-now/
#AThirdKindOfMadness #NovelUpdates #OnCreating #ATKOM #WritingCommunity
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Today's awesome things:
More gochujang mayo. Yum.
I'm at 81% of my word goal for the first draft #ATKOM - or about 22,300 words to go. I know I post updates a lot, but that's both to keep myself encouraged as well as encouraging any other writer that needs it. Slow and steady wins the race, except this isn't really a race but more of an adventure stroll.
I'm done with all my prep for tomorrow's procedure except for the lovely Hibiclens shower. Looking forward to obliterating my skin's biome!
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I have seven more chapters [approx] to write before I'm finished with my first draft of #ATKOM.
Holy crap.
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2031 words today, which is a relief after yesterday's slog through a quarter of that. Though to be fair, I did write a long and emotional blog post.
Today's writing was easy because horrible things happened in the story. Isn't that terrible? But when it's a dramatic moment everything just flows. It's also a moment I've been working towards in the story, so it was extremely satisfying. Getting closer to the end!
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#WritingWonders 4/1: Intro Day. Tell 2 truths and 1 lie about your WIP.
Still working on A Third Kind of Madness aka #ATKOM so get ready to learn more about Denny and maybe I'll drop some bits about the Eleriannan of Baltimore, too.
* Denny is the most confident MC I've ever written.
* This story got a spark of inspiration from a quote by Plato.
* One of my current favorite supporting characters is neither Fae nor mortal. [and has quite the personality, especially for a big brick building] -
#WritingWonders 3/26: If your characters were on a deserted island, which one would resort to cannibalism first?
It's not even a debate. It would be Joolie, hands down. She would have all the justifications in the world when it came time to defend it, but really the only one she needs for herself is that she's the most important person in any group. Obviously.
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#WritingWonders 3/25: If your MC was on social media, what would be their favorite platform and why?
Denny doesn't really like any of them, but runs the Insta for the Ants, because they're the one who takes all the photos...and they can't count on Joolie to not just fill it up with reels from parties at the Compound.
Peri is completely addicted to TikTok. She's that friend who will forward a million clips to you, especially funny ones that feature cats.
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#WritingWonders 3/24: If your book was a fable, what would the moral be?
If you treat people as things or commodities, bad things will happen. Eventually they'll happen to you.
Don't steal powers that you don't understand.
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#WritingWonders 3/23: How would you feel if readers wrote fanfiction of your book?
Complimented. Excited! Touched.
Isn't it the greatest compliment to have someone love your story and characters so much that they don't want the story to end, or they want to explore other possibilities for them?
Please let me be the kind of author that moves their readers to feel this way about the work and world I've created.
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#WritingWonders 3/22: What's your favorite setting in your story?
Hands down, it's The Maithe.
We get introduced to The Maithe [aka Maithe House] in In Sleep You Know. It's a big red brick building, six stories tall, unusually shaped in a triangle. It dates from the late 1800s, has two towers, and seems to be abandoned.
It turns out to not only be occupied but full of secrets.
By the third book, many things have changed.
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#WritingWonders 3/19: Who or what does your MC hate the most?
Denny will tell you that they don't really hate anyone, and that's true. Even John, their dad who basically tried to force them to be someone they're not. Even Joolie. Denny blames themself for the situation with Joolie, anyway.
What Denny does hate are mostly things about themself - the passiveness that's stifled their growth, how worthless they feel, how uncomfortable they are in their body.
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#WritingWonders 3/18 - Is your MC more of a rebel or rule follower?
On the surface Denny looks like 100% rule follower, and for the most part, that's true.
But there's this secret underside to Denny that yearns to be a rebel, and they often quietly will do small things that go against the rules. [see yesterday's mention of trespassing to take photos] Their ideas for being a rebel [that won't give them a panic attack] are very mild.
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Growing a Plot From a Stem
I come up with characters, or more properly - they show up, and I put them in a scene and see how they work and what happens. When it gels and feels exciting, I keep going. At this point, I generally have no idea where the story is going. I just let the scenes unroll naturally and explore from ther
https://www.christianeknight.com/growing-a-plot-from-a-stem/
#AThirdKindofMadness #InSleepYouKnow #OnCreating #Writing #ATKOM #ISYK #Plotting #WritingCommunity
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#WritingWonders 2/12: Are there any themes that pop up a lot in your writing?
This is one of my favorite things to talk about! Some themes:
*community building
*found family
*the insidiousness of prejudice
*family trauma
*impostor syndrome
*forgiveness
*the power of hope/belief
*tunnel vision and it's destructive power
*obsessionsThere's more but that's some of the major themes!
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#WritingWonders 2/10: How are mental health issues handled in your world?
As my world is basically the fae-ified version of this one, about the same. Some people get help, others lean on friends, and some slip through the cracks like Vali's unhoused friend Jimmy in Cast a Shadow of Doubt. Just like this world, not enough people get the care that they need.