What’s Their Name? - Writer's Tag

It’s been forever since I’ve done a tag. Miley Simmonds made this one, and I’m already excited!! It looks super fun. ^_^

For those of you who haven’t done a tag before, it’s pretty simple. I’ll answer the questions asked while following the rules specified, then at the end of this post I’ll “tag” a number of other bloggers, who will then take the questions and make similar posts on their blogs. Sounds pretty fun, no?

So! Without further ado, let’s get into this. *rubs hands together*

The Rules:

1. Don't take other people's words or ideas

2. Make sure the story is kid-friendly

3. Don't be mean or bully others with your post

4. Fill out the questions as the characters were at the beginning of the book

5. You can tag up to seven bloggers

6. Make sure to email faithandwriting@gmail.com when you complete the tag

The Questions:

1. What's their name?

Lyria, although that is subject to change. I really love having characters whose names mean something and could possibly predict the plot without ever letting my readers know what I did. :P Lyria is a name that sounds cool but has really nothing to do with the character, so it’s highly likely I’ll change it at some point. We’ll see. XD

My other MC is Alek, but I’m going to leave him mostly out of this tag just so that I have some stuff to share when I do Know the Novel next week. ;)

2. What's their role? (Sidekick, Main Character, Villain, etc)

She’s the main character, along with said Russian assassin named Alek.

3. Do they love anyone?

…ouch this question hurts. XD Yes, she does. She loves her best friend, Joram, who she helps in their sabotage missions. She loves her father and mother and younger sister as well. She doesn’t really hate anyone, but she doesn’t love a lot of people either. Most just fall into the “Oh look it’s another person I know” category.

4. Do they have any relatives?

Yep! Both her parents are still alive, and her younger sister. I need names for all of them. :P

5. Inspiration for character?

Long, long ago, in a mostly-forgotten period of Joelle’s Writing Journey, she had a story called Keepers of the Nine. And in that story, there was a character named Lytt. Lytt was an Ave - meaning, she was half bird and half human. Joelle loved Lytt, especially when Lytt started to grow and develop as a character. Unfortunately, Joelle had to stop writing Keepers of the Nine so that she could grow in her writing. So Lytt disappeared from most everyone’s memory.

But one day, one of Joelle’s friends who had read KOTN gave Joelle a story idea about a bunch of different Avian cultures and Joelle decided to take some ideas from that and come up with a new story. And Joelle needed a main character. So she made up this girl who struggles with masks and hiding and the desire to be understood. And who has wings.

Thus, Lyria was born.

6. Backstory?

…I’m still working on this one… XD

7. Dream?Fears?

She’s very much a dreamer, but she doesn’t have a lot of practical ambition. Right now she’s just kinda focused on serving her Flock to the best of her ability, and that means sabotaging other Flocks with Joram. She’s very poetic and philosophical in her head, but in-the-moment and practical when she opens her mouth, which is kind of rare. She fears rejection, being understood, and small spaces. Yes, the last one is random. No, it hasn’t come into the story much yet. Yes, it will probably be useful at some point. No, I have no idea how. Thanks for asking. XD

8. Friends?

She’s very much not a people person, so her only true friend is Joram. He’s snarky, caring, and a bit selfish at times. But I love him. XD

9. What is the story's name?

I’m calling it Project Avian for now. >:)

10. Blurb of the story?

This is a very very rough blurb, but it’s what I’ve got, so… here you go. XP

Anything can happen on a mission. Lyria has seen this countless times in her sabotage outings with her partner in crime, Joram. But what she never expected was to stumble upon the trail of a mythical creature wandering around in the middle of the very land that started her people’s civil war.

Humans don’t exist.

Do they?

— ~ —

Anything can happen on a mission. Alek Antonov, a Russian assassin, knows this better than anyone. But what he never expected was to be shot by the person he trusts most, and wind up in a peaceful forest in the blink of an eye. Disoriented, wounded, and in fear for his life, he does the only thing he knows how to do: run and hide.

Being hunted is something he’s gotten used to.

But even the most elusive prey can’t evade Arrel’s best hunters forever.

11. What are her habits?

Getting lost in her head. Thinking about abstract, poetic things (like whether or not stars can be lonely). Changing the way she acts according to others’ criticism/comments.

12. Random fact about her?

Her wings look like a barn owl’s, but she’s much more of a morning person. XP

13. Personality?

Ooh I get to nerd out now. ;P She’s INFJ, which you can read more about here. For those of you who don’t want a whole other article to go read, I’ll just say that she’s quiet, thoughtful, cares about others (maybe too much), and tends to be cautious, although she has a reckless side. Her friend circle is small but close. She tends to overthink things and second-guess her choices, which makes her and Joram (ESTP) a very balanced pair, as he’s much more impulsive and decisive. She’s not very friendly right off the bat, but is surprisingly good with social situations when she needs to be.

14. Hobbies?

Racing Joram from time to time, thinking about things on her own, flying under the stars, playing her lyre (though she doesn’t get to do that much).

15. Inspiration for the story?

Keepers of the Nine, originally. But also aforementioned friend who sent me a story idea that I gleaned stuff from and turned into this. (:

16. Anything else?

I’ll go into more detail about Project Avian next week during Know the Novel, so keep your eyes peeled for that!! I’ll have Pinterest boards, a playlist, a mock cover, all the fun things. *waggles eyebrows*

The Tags

Alrighty, now for the even more fun part! The bloggers I tag are required to let me know if you do this because I want to read it. *more eyebrow waggles*

- Grace Johnson

- Ava Hope

- Saraina Whitney

- Kayti Phillips

- Jaidie Phillips

- Rissy Phillips

- Allyson Jamison

- Emily Waldorf

(Yes, I did 8. No, I don't care. :P)

---

Whew, that was fun. It's been forever since I've done one of those. What are your thoughts on Project Avian? Does Lyria sounds like an MC you'd enjoy or should I work on her some more? Are you doing Know the Novel and/or NaNoWriMo? Should I do more tags?

Until next time,

Take courage, pursue God, and smile while you still have teeth!! ;P

-Joelle