laylaraptis

[laylaraptis]

Long time, no see

So, I have been defeated by my hubris. I was Icarus flying too close to the sun. I thought I could totally do a whole draft of the first novel by the 10th of January if I just worked hard enough! (Spoiler alert: no. Just... no.)

Okay, we're scrapping the challenge because I held myself to an unrealistic expectation considering it often takes me 12 months to complete a draft of a novel-length work. The new goal is by Christmas of 2024, but I don't have enough material to do weekly updates at the moment, so I'm thinking of doing monthly check-ins instead.

Zena Moralis and Geronimo will return.

#deadline challenge #bones of a god #writing #drafts

[laylaraptis]

70ish days

Going on a bit of a break for the next three weeks. I may write in the meantime, but I will not be posting.

See you all on the other side. In the meantime, have a small snippet of a scene:

'Zena half-expected conveniently lit torches down in these tunnels, but instead she found the light seemed to just be a gas lamp mounted to the wall. They continued down some corridors, but not all. That’s when she noticed the rusting signs too.

“Wait… are we underneath the streets of Taaffeit?” she said suddenly, a little louder than intended.

Geronimo sent a sharp look in her vague direction. “Yes, now keep your voice down. Do you know somewhere we can go?” Zena could not believe her luck. “Follow my lead,” she whispered.'

#deadline challenge #bones of a god #geronimo #geronimo ms #zena moralis #boag quote #drafts

[laylaraptis]

78 days

Finally! An actual progress report. We've reached a little over 7,000 words. It's not a whole lot, but time is freeing up. Once I get a long-time-running side project completed, I'll have a lot more mental space to dedicate to the Moralis series.

No special goodies this time around, unfortunately. I don't want to include anything spoilery.

#bones of a god #deadline challenge #writing #drafts

[laylaraptis]

Less than 83 days or something idk

Update: next to no progress. But things should be picking up soon since my time is freeing up (to a degree and only for specific periods) in preparation for December and the last month or so stretch of my deadline. I know 100% that I cannot write an entire novel in that time, but I think a decent portion of Bones Of A God can be drafted.

Send something motivational this week, I could use it.

#deadline challenge #bones of a god #writing #drafts

[laylaraptis]

The hair colour and waviness, as well as the colour of the eyes, and the freckles in general remind me of very, very early designs of Zena Moralis (yes, she and Geronimo basically swapped quite a few physical traits, which I find both funny and interesting).

brain boyfriend 🥰

#gorgeous art #major props to the artist for their brain boyfriend #sorry I just saw it and had to point out that his physical appearance reminded me so much of how I see #some of my original characters

[laylaraptis]

90(ish?) days

Late once again, but the wordcount has budged by a few hundred. Still have not quite reached anything substantial.

All I have to offer is this fun fact: there is a mafia family of werewolves. I promise it's not as weird as it sounds... I think. Their HQ is in the Raining City, formally known as Taaffeite.

#bones of a god #deadline challenge #moralis series

[laylaraptis]

Sometimes being productive and working on your original series is not writing, but delivering a lecture for several hours about it to an audience that happens to be sitting in the loungeroom with you that is actively participating by asking questions for further information and context, which leads you down deeper rambles to explain the main ramble, and it helps you figure things out that you were previously lost or undecided upon.

That was all one sentence. I apologise. (Not really, I don't care.)

#moralis series #if I get started about this series #it is very difficult to stop #especially when people ask questions #it's been in the works for years ofc I have answers to just about everything

[laylaraptis]

99 days

Still very little progress. I've mostly been outlining in a bit more detail rather than writing because I want to make sure I don't wind up too lost for direction.

Time for colour palette associations!

Zena Moralis: blood red, navy blue, gold, jade green, black (it counts).

Geronimo: dusty orange, verdigris green, bronze, silver, sky blue.

Kamali Wynn: lavender purple, dawn muted blue, yellow, soft pink, deep red.

#deadline challenge #bones of a god #geronimo #geronimo ms #kamali wynn #zena moralis #colour association

[laylaraptis]

How do you find juggling multiple projects? Is it helpful to be able to bounce back and forth?

Thank you for the ask <3

Juggling multiple projects is very challenging. At times, I find it quite useful, because the switch up is often what I need to stay productive on both pieces of work, however, it gets more difficult when I have 2+ projects at once (not to mention university studies). Recently, it's been more problem than help, and that's why I started this deadline challenge because it means I have to prioritise Bones Of A God and focus on that more, but the past couple weeks have been full of assignments and what I really needed was a break from one creative project by flexing those muscles on something else/in another way.

It doesn't remove the guilt though that I go through in working on something I feel I should not be working on. Guilt and often the following procrastination tends to throw a spanner in all works. This feels like a learning curve for me, and I think I'll figure it out eventually. I do better focusing on one creative project because it spends longer in my mind and makes it easier to write, but trying to split that between studies makes it difficult and leads to the sort of burn out that requires me to do something low-stakes and low-effort.

So, I would say juggling two projects in particular can be very helpful in some circumstances, but that I also think discipline is required to avoid falling down the rabbit hole of too many shallow ideas forming and focusing on those instead of the main goal.

#bones of a god #writing

[laylaraptis]

106 days

Believe it or not, but I barely added anything substantial to the wordcount. It has been a ride this past week, and I've taken a break to write some lower stakes works.

I have no back up content this week either, so, instead I turn it to you: send in some asks and I'll answer them to the best of my ability! Can be about anything.

#bones of a god #deadline challenge

[laylaraptis]

Oblivious!Zeronimo be like—

Echo: are you two together?

Geronimo & Zena: no.

Echo: then why are you holding hands?

Geronimo: it was an accident.

🥺 They hold hands on accident, it's whatever. Doesn't mean anything.

Also! I want to take this opportunity to mention: Geronimo and Zena definitely have Something Going On, but Zena actually has multiple love interests throughout the series. Guess, if you can, or just ask questions!

#geronimo #geronimo ms #zena moralis #zeronimo #echo (ms)

[laylaraptis]

113 days

This is a day late, I apologise, yesterday was a bit hectic. We left off with 4,700 words and currently the count sits at 6,100. Decent progress was made, not just in the main writing but also to the outline and planning, which I've had to tweak and refer back to so I can continue the story coherently. As usual, here's a snippet to celebrate:

'Geronimo was incredulous—and definitely overcome by strange shivering. “You broke into my house, stabbed me, threw a cushion at me, and clearly, you’ve been stalking me too! Now you’re asking if I’m fine?”

“Technically, I asked if you were okay. You do make a fair point though.”'

#deadline challenge #bones of a god #boag quote #geronimo #geronimo ms #zena moralis #drafts

[laylaraptis]

Small Bones Of A God update

Somehow, I managed to add about 1,000 words to the count today. I am running out of elegant direction and steam though, so after the gusto of an awesome beginning, now begins the real work of muscling through this damn plot and all the character development that's to come (not to mention establishing my own worldbuilding, because there's a hell of a lot of it, and some things have changed as well or evolved). What I tend to do at this point is start doing proper outlining so that I know where I'm going each chapter. Ideally, I would have started with an outline, but I grew impatient since I already knew what the first two chapters were going to look like and so I wrote those out first (still finishing up the end of Chapter Two currently, actually). But if I want to keep momentum going, the outlining must be done.

I spent a good portion of yesterday rambling to my sister about all the characters and plots going on. As usual, this led to me making realisations of directions I can explore and the way I want to organise certain things. If you have someone to talk to aloud about your story, I highly recommend it whenever you're brainstorming or stuck on something.

#bones of a god #writing

[laylaraptis]

@voidlingduck as requested, song explanations for the characters who have their associated songs shared (as well as the series song).

Moralis series

Hourglass: to begin with, this is the song that helped inspire the current series and the direction it has been going for the last few years. When I began (keep in mind I was, like, twelve), it was very vague and, despite dark topics, didn't quite have the right feel or mood. It was hearing this song that helped consolidate the key element of time travel this series is going to revolve around, in addition to time and mortality (and immortality) as it runs. The lyrics themselves remind me of many moments I have had planned even before I listened to the song, but it was the sound, the ticking and heavy yet strangely... the only way I can think of to describe it is adventure/jungle sound to it that I found helped guide me toward the mood I wanted to evoke in almost every aspect of this series. It makes me think of nighttime, of deep forests, clocks, moonlight, and sand. And I will also hint that the song also manages to perfectly capture both the mentality of Zena and Geronimo throughout the series as well as their relationship. And that's all I will say on that.

Zena Moralis

Lion: 'empress' is a clue to Zena's arc (some who have read earlier drafts of my work will know why, but I ask you to please not spoil it in the comments). 'Lion' itself is a nod to Zena's previous association with lions before I settled on bears (specifically the Atlas Bear). And the whole 'bring the lion out' kind of refers to this restless, dangerous power in Zena that's kept carefully locked away except for brief glimpses that get worse as time goes on. (This is my forewarning that almost none of my characters are meant to be wholly good because this is not a story where your main characters have to be symbols of pure good.)

I'm Born To Run: interestingly, this is another aspect of Zena's restlessness. She seeks adventure and exploration. This song is a sort of nod to that. I always associate it with when I listen to it. The more wholesome side of her.

Whatever It Takes: there is a lot behind this one. Much of it is considered spoilers because I'd have to discuss and give background on a lot of things that I prefer readers to find out while reading Bones Of A God. But I also consider it basically a song that sums up a decent amount of Zena's personality (including being built up to be something, her own self-destructive tendencies, yet her relentless and stubborn nature. She's kind of someone I consider to get knocked down and not just get back up but keep getting up or fighting some other way even at her own detriment.)

Bones: this one really is not that subtle. I just think of Zena unlocking the 'magic' portion of her power.

Blood // Water: also spoilery. It refers to her family situation a bit.

Centuries: one of the earliest songs to be associated with this series (along with Immortals), this one I associate with Zena's desire to be remembered, her self-destructive fighting spirit, and her relationship with Geronimo.

Just a Man: odd considering it's about Odysseus and refers to a man, but the lines when does a comet become a meteor / when does a candle become a blaze / when does a man become a monster is so fitting in my mind with Zena's arc over the series and her own questions she poses to the world around her.

Geronimo

Geronimo (Sh.): the first song that inspired Geronimo and his name. He was a blank slate until the moment I listened to this song again randomly one day years ago and I realised so much more about him and who I wanted him to be. Before then, he went by many names and appearances. It was this song that helped inspire him and the seaside cliffs sort of mental image I have of him. Clay oranges and brown, and sea greens and blues.

Geronimo (Au.): reminds me of his name, obviously, but it also makes me think of Geronimo and Zena's dynamic.

Immortals: spoiler stuff. What I can tell you is the obvious: Geronimo is immortal and this song makes me think of him.

Liar: even more spoilers! But what I'll say is that Geronimo finds himself forced to lie several times over for the good of either himself or other people, but it has consequences.

Dancing in a Daydream: Zeronimo. That's just... what it is. Basically.

Kamali Wynn

WONDERLAND: theme park/circus sort of madness and horror, which I associate with Kamali. She goes through some truly awful things.

Teddy Bear's Picnic: similarly, the odd eeriness of this song makes me think of Kamali and the deep forest.

Hit and Run: spoilers but it makes me think of Kamali's eventual character development.

Reaper: character development and arc.

120 days

It's been a week already? Full clarity: I only added 200 words to the count, so we sit at around 4,700. Progress is progress, blah blah blah, and so on. Had a lot going on. Really looking forward to when I'll have more time and mental space to dedicate to my novel. In the meantime, here's some song associations I have with my characters (and the series).

Moralis series - Hourglass by Set It Off (if it had a theme song, this would be it).

Zena Moralis - Lion by Saint Mesa, I'm Born To Run by American Authors, Whatever It Takes and Bones by Imagine Dragons, Blood // Water by grandson, Centuries by Fall Out Boy, Just a Man by Jorge Rivera-Herrans.

Geronimo - Geronimo by Sheppard, Geronimo by Aura Dione, Immortals by Fall Out Boy, Liar by The Arcadian Wild, Dancing in a Daydream by Roses & Revolutions and Weathers.

Comment any characters you're curious about or if you'd like further explanation on any of the songs! Until then, I'll hopefully be writing more.

[laylaraptis]

@manawari as requested: Kamali Wynn.

Kamali - WONDERLAND by Neoni, Teddy Bear's Picnic by Henry Hall, Hit and Run by LOLO, Reaper by Silverberg.

120 days

It's been a week already? Full clarity: I only added 200 words to the count, so we sit at around 4,700. Progress is progress, blah blah blah, and so on. Had a lot going on. Really looking forward to when I'll have more time and mental space to dedicate to my novel. In the meantime, here's some song associations I have with my characters (and the series).

Moralis series - Hourglass by Set It Off (if it had a theme song, this would be it).

Zena Moralis - Lion by Saint Mesa, I'm Born To Run by American Authors, Whatever It Takes and Bones by Imagine Dragons, Blood // Water by grandson, Centuries by Fall Out Boy, Just a Man by Jorge Rivera-Herrans.

Geronimo - Geronimo by Sheppard, Geronimo by Aura Dione, Immortals by Fall Out Boy, Liar by The Arcadian Wild, Dancing in a Daydream by Roses & Revolutions and Weathers.

Comment any characters you're curious about or if you'd like further explanation on any of the songs! Until then, I'll hopefully be writing more.

#moralis series #moralis series music #kamali wynn

[laylaraptis]

120 days

It's been a week already? Full clarity: I only added 200 words to the count, so we sit at around 4,700. Progress is progress, blah blah blah, and so on. Had a lot going on. Really looking forward to when I'll have more time and mental space to dedicate to my novel. In the meantime, here's some song associations I have with my characters (and the series).

Moralis series - Hourglass by Set It Off (if it had a theme song, this would be it).

Zena Moralis - Lion by Saint Mesa, I'm Born To Run by American Authors, Whatever It Takes and Bones by Imagine Dragons, Blood // Water by grandson, Centuries by Fall Out Boy, Just a Man by Jorge Rivera-Herrans.

Geronimo - Geronimo by Sheppard, Geronimo by Aura Dione, Immortals by Fall Out Boy, Liar by The Arcadian Wild, Dancing in a Daydream by Roses & Revolutions and Weathers.

Comment any characters you're curious about or if you'd like further explanation on any of the songs! Until then, I'll hopefully be writing more.

#deadline challenge #moralis series #bones of a god #geronimo ms #geronimo #zena moralis #moralis series music

[laylaraptis]

127 days

Hello again! It's that time of the week. I honestly thought I did not make any progress since last week considering how busy things have been and the other tasks I've been focusing on, and I was prepared to report that with something slightly different to make up for it -- but the word count says otherwise. Last week I was a little over 4,000 and today we stand somewhere over 4,500. Progress is progress. As usual, here's a short snippet:

'“Geronimo.” She tried to hide the tremor in her voice. Zena could see red glistening on the man’s fingers. “I need your help.”

“You’re mad,” he said. “You stabbed me.”'

#zena moralis #geronimo #geronimo ms #deadline challenge #bones of a god #moralis #moralis series #boag quote #the dynamic between zena and geronimo is... an interesting one to say the least