Sorcera's Sucky First Draft

First drafts suck. And it's okay.
The first draft of Sorcera sucked, and that's okay.
I think it's really important to make things that aren't amazing. Actually, the act of making thing at all, even if it's shit, is pretty amazing. To make something that doesn't suck is even better. But at some point, all of us kind of suck, and for me, that was the first draft of Sorcera (and many other first drafts, but we can get into that later, maybe). So now, I want to share with you the shitshow that was the first draft of Sorcera, and laugh about it together. Just cuz that makes me happy.

1. The coven lived in a giant magical library in NYC, similar to Grimmauld Place.

Okay, Sorcera did start out as a 9th grader's magical fantasy, so it's kind of okay. But it was an obvious ripoff of Harry Potter, and I never even explained how they'd gotten the place. It was huge, but the hugeness was useless, as things only ever really happened in the lobby, kitchen, and bedrooms. Characters could go hide somewhere if they were mad. And the library wasn't even magic itself; it was just a regular, big building with marble walls. Which is pretty. But useless. Especially when a large space like that would be expensive and/or useless in NYC.

2. Nicole was a total asshole.

One of my main characters, Nicole, was meant to be the leader of the group. However, other than her saying she was the leader a lot, she never acted like one. And she yelled at people all the time. Originally she was based off me, so I'm really distressed about how she turned out that way. Check out this quick excerpt:
Nicole stepped backwards at the words, grimacing.
“What do you mean, we’re next? We don’t even know you!” She argued. 
Why so aggressive, Nicole? Why so annoying, all the time? She was constantly defensive, two-dimensional, and just plain boring. Luckily, I managed to fix her up in future drafts.

3. Miles existed.

If you read the first draft of Sorcera, you'd be surprised to meet a character named Miles, an entirely bland shop owner who provided Sorcera with tips and tricks for surviving Storm. Not only was Miles uninteresting, everyone who read the story kind of hated him. He also was a love interest for a character who is about as into men as cats like dogs--their relationship did not work. 

4. The villains were two-dimensional.

I had a big problem in my first draft: the coven Sorcera faces, Storm, was filled with the exact same character. A weird, twisted, but beautiful villainess who liked to tease the heroes. It was excruciating to reread, and just plain confusing when they all talked together. In my second draft, I've worked to make them more like individuals, and they've been much more fun to write. 

I decided to mention all of these because I think it's important to realize what things work and what things don't, and it's also important to be able to laugh at yourself sometimes! It was good work for where I was then, but now I've improved immensely. I like looking back and seeing how far I've come.

So what do you think of your first draft of your current work in progress? What have you changed? 

SORCERA: THE ALTERNATE UNIVERSE

Hello, everyone! I hope you've all had a lovely summer! Today I'd like to share with you something I thought would be fun. When I get writer's block, I often take the characters from my current novel, Sorcera, and rewrite them into a different story. It's very exciting--like I'm writing fanfiction for my own book.
Here is a little Road Trip AU that I wrote for my characters. They are a few short, sweet moments I wanted to capture. Let me know what you think!

[POV: Nicole]

The van is hot, and we are a sweltering mess of sweat and snark. I’m in the driver’s seat, as usual, and Adele is next to me; she has the window rolled down, and one hand hanging out.

“You’re going to get your arm snapped off.” I say. She uses her free hand to tip her sunglasses down her nose and grin, then replies, “Gotta live on the edge, Nicole.”

There are two rows of seats in the back, but Malone and Bambi are both shoved into the one nearest to us; the row furthest back is crowded with sustenance and supplies.

“Are you sure the air conditioner is on?” Bambi is sprawled out, her legs over Malone’s lap; he seems disgruntled but doesn’t move--he has previously stated that movement just makes the heat worse.

“I’m sure, Bambi. You’ve asked me to check about seven times.” I glance at the dial on the dashboard anyway though; wishful thinking. The van’s air conditioning is weak and doing nothing to help with the humidity. “Drink some more water.”

“How far are we from the campground?” Malone groans. I sigh, looking exasperatedly at Adele; Malone and Bambi are the king and queen of ‘Are we there yet?’.

“It can’t be long now.” Adele sighs, looking at the map. “We’ve been driving for hours. I’m guessing another two.”

“Nicole…” Bambi pulls her hair into a knot on top of her head and pauses to chug from a plastic water bottle. “Can’t you drive any faster?”

“Any faster and I’ll be breaking the law.”

“Maybe Adele should drive.”

“Maybe I should,” Adele chuckles. “I’d break the law for you, Bambi dearest. I swear on my driver’s license.”

“Don’t go ganging up on Nicole now, she’s doing her best.” Malone muttered. “I don’t trust Adele behind the wheel.”

“Hey, fuck you!” Adele turns and points accusingly at Malone. “Not like you’re doing anything useful!”

“I organized the supplies and stuff, remember?” Malone gestures to the incredibly messy pile of shit in the seat behind him. There’s a pause before we all start to laugh.

“Okay but seriously Nicole, pull over. You drive like a grandma.” Adele grins at me, and I groan but comply.

“Don’t blame me when you get us all killed.”

“I’ll be sure to apologize when I see you at the pearly gates.”

The cloudless blue sky has changed to a dark night, stars twinkling above the open desert road; it is cooler now, and they’re the only ones on the road. There are mountains in the distance, and there should be a town coming up, but now they’re just happy to be driving.

Adele is in the driver’s seat; she likes to drive at night, because she can go at whatever speed she wants. Bambi is next to her, curled up in a ball and listening to music; it’s something uplifting and hopeful, Bastille or Edward Sharpe or The Wombats. It’s a miracle she has yet to fall asleep, but Adele is sure it will happen within the hour.

In the backseat, Malone and Nicole are curled up together. It’s obvious that Nicole had pretended not to want to cuddle with her boyfriend, but gave in to the impulse when she was too tired to continue to be stubborn. She is now leaning against his chest, and his arms are around her. Malone’s oversized jacket is being used as a blanket, not that they really need it; the temperature is perfect for sleep.

Adele keeps driving, but knows she’ll probably pull over soon and get her own rest. They have another day of adventure ahead, and it could bring anything.

There it is! Just a couple small, unfiltered things that I wanted to share. See you all next week!

-Tasman

Origin Story: How Sorcera was Conceived

I've been writing for a long time, and when I first began writing, my stories were always based off me and my friends--cliche and silly, I know, but it was an easy way for an elementary-school student to create characters, and even now I wish me and my friends could kick ass off in some far-away galaxy or alternate universe. As I began to get more serious about my writing, I drifted away from that, but returned to it in my first draft of Sorcera. So yes, folks, originally, the four main characters were based off of me and three of my best friends.
Now, of course, these characters are more "dedicated" to my friends--they react to situations differently and are definitely their own people in their world. Nonetheless, Sorcera originated as a way for me to write about my friends having fun.
The first draft of Sorcera actually had very little plot at all. My idea had been to write about a group of quirky witches who lived in a gigantic, magical library, and got into all sorts of shenanigans in New York City together--there were no villains and no true underlying story at all. Just cute, fun witches. Indeed, I have written short stories all about them just having fun! When I decided to start writing it, I realized I needed more plot than singular chapters about them messing around, so I created Storm and the prophecy of the Complete.
So there you have it, folks. Before there was Sorcera, there was shameless self-insert fanfiction written by yours truly. And then there was cute witches who didn't have any cares in the world. Hope this was at least mildly interesting--I think it just goes to show that ideas can really come from anywhere, you just have to start writing.
Where did you get the inspiration for your current work-in-progress?

Kekai

The Cast of Sorcera: Part I (+ Their Hogwarts Houses!)

Welcome! I was thinking that this might be a good time to introduce you all to some of my characters from my currently-being-rewritten (on my second draft) novel, Sorcera, which I have previously mentioned in this blog post.

For those of you who may not know, Sorcera is a young adult/urban fantasy novel about a coven of witches named Sorcera (what a surprise!). This coven is made up of 3 young adults living in New York--however, their world is turned upside down when their coven is made "Complete" by a fourth fire witch, and they're thrown into a highly-public battle against another coven, prompted by an archaic prophecy.

As you might expect, I have 4 main characters. If you would like me to tell you about my four antagonists, or any of my other characters, I would be happy to--just let me know!

Character 1: Rebellious Hot (:P) Fire Witch: Adele Esperanza!

First up is Adele, the fire witch who turns the rest of the coven's world upside down by showing up in New York City at the worst possible time. I loved Adele from first write because she manages to have attitude without being a total dick to people. She likes to pretend she's aloof and dangerous, but deep down she's just a sweetheart looking for a girlfriend. Definitely a Gryffindor!

Character 2: Mama Spock: Nicole Kwon!

Next is Nicole--initially seeming cold and rational, Nicole has strong motherly instincts and is incredibly loyal. She loves learning, and the other witches most often find her with her nose in a book. Nicole sometimes has trouble admitting she's wrong, and hates messing up in any way. She is through and through a Ravenclaw.

Character 3: Down-to-Earth Mediator: Malone Vaccaro!

Malone is the moral heart of the group, always working for everyone else's well-being and trying to steer the coven in the right direction. He's definitely a people person, and inherently cares about everyone--however, his trust sometimes leads him in the wrong directions. Obviously, Hufflepuff!

Character 4: Shy Ditzy Air Witch: Bambi Lachapelle! 

Bambi is the baby of the group; not only is she the youngest, but she's also incredibly introverted and deals with anxiety. Bambi is scared of her powers, and tends not to use them unless she absolutely has to. She loves video games, TV shows, animals, and generally anything but magic. Despite her shyness, everyone loves Bambi--she has an inherent goodness rarely found in the witch community. Once again, she's a Hufflepuff!

I've been working with these characters for about two years ago, and my love for them grows every time I sit down to write--I feel like they're my family! By far, my favorite part of Sorcera, a character-driven story from the get-go, is writing these four characters and their interactions with each other. How many of you also love writing character interactions?

There's my little post for the day, I hope it entertained you a little bit! Let me know which character seems most interesting to you. Maybe I'll do little focus pieces on each of them in the future!

Kekai

Potato Chip Sorcery (or, My Current Writing Project)

When I first came up with the idea for Sorcera, it probably would have been a better sitcom than a novel. The concept was this: a coven of young witches living in an old, abandoned library, trying to support themselves on minimum wage jobs, but mostly just messing around with their powers. The first time I put my pen to paper about this concept, I wrote a short work called "Potato Chip Sorcery", where two of my characters threw potato chips at each other using telekinesis.

Needless to say, the story has changed in tone and style quite a bit since than. I am currently in my first revision of the novel--my first draft was so bad that I was already planning the revision as I was finishing it up! Since the crappy storylines and flat characters of the first draft don't really matter anymore, for now I'll be gushing about how excited I am for my second draft--I'm currently about 13,500 words in.

In the world I've created, witches exist alongside people--some humans know about them, some don't, it's all pretty chill in that department (the president probably knows, for public safety and all). There are four elements, and each witch is tied to one of them. Each element has powers that correspond to it, and if witches combine their powers, they can often get some pretty interesting results.

The witch world is governed by various councils in various countries, but all witches bow to the Complete, a coven that has one air witch, one water witch, one earth witch, and one fire witch. It is impossible for you to cultivate a coven with this combination unless it is fated, at which point, you rise to power in the witch community. However, there's a catch. In order to remain dominant in this world, you have to kill the other Complete--otherwise, they'll kill you. And probably a lot of other people on their way to you. This is based off the idea of the dynastic cycle; power corrupts, and by the time one of the Complete is corrupt, a new one rises to take its place.

My four main characters are who really propel the story--originally based off me and three of my friends (cliche and awful, I know), they've developed into fully-fleshed characters of their own. Nicole, Malone, Adele, and Bambi are all witches, and each corresponds to one of the four elements.I'm a huge fan of character-driven novels, and so it only makes sense that these four are my favorite parts of writing Sorcera. I enjoy seeing how they interact together, learning to work as a team as they become the next Complete, forced to stand against Storm, a group of veteran witches known for their ruthlessness and power.

I could go on for ages about Sorcera, but there's plenty of time for that! You'll no doubt be hearing more about it from me soon. For now, feel free to tell me what you think of the story based on the plot summary! Thank you!

Talk to you soon,
Kekai