“What’s Your WIP?” Tag!

It’s been a bit since I’ve completed a tag, and this one has to take the cake for one of the most interesting! Thanks so much to my good friend Alyssa over at Seeking the Timeless Anchor for tagging me!

For this tag, I’m going to chat about the project I’m currently editing (the third book in my Grace Sufficient series. I may also complete this tag on my current writing project – book #6 of the series – in my newsletter. So if you want a lot of inside info, subscribe here. 😉)

And without any more jabber, let’s look at the rules (I’m already getting a little bit scared.)

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• Thank the person who tagged you & link to their blog. (Thank you, Alyssa! Be sure to check out her post – she’s writing a WWII novel that sounds absolutely amazing.)
• Link back to the creator, Katja @ Little Blossoms for Jesus, & add the tag graphic. (Thank you, Katja!)
• List the rules. 
• Answer the questions. 
• Feel free to add snippets!
• Tag as many or as few people as you wish & let them know they’re tagged. 
• Add a clean copy of the questions at the end of your post for the “tagged.

Le Questions and Answers

Has your WIP a working title? If so, tell us! If not, have you any idea of what it might be?

Grand drumroll … the title is Untold. (Keeping with the theme here, guys.)

Have you a synopsis for your WIP? If so, give it to us! If not, can you give us a blurb on what your WIP is about?

Give me a few weeks on this one – the upcoming cover reveal will also disclose the horrific thing called a synopsis. (Why are those things so difficult to write?)

Have you a working/mock cover for your WIP? If so, show us! If not, have you an idea in mind?

Yep, once again, give me a few weeks on this one. (But there’s one in the works, and it’s so fitting for the story!)

How did you get the idea for this story?

Ooh, good question. A big part of this story actually came from the second book in the series, Unworthy. I’ve always fooled around with having a spy in this series, but it just never fit with the characters in the first book. So sometime when I was writing or thinking about the first draft of Unworthy, I decided to have a third book. Surprisingly easily, I came up with the idea of Nikolai and his past. Muahahaha, so very fun. 😊

How long do you think it will be? Is it longer or shorter than you thought it would be?

Well, it’s about 25,000 words down from the original draft, so that’s good news, but it’s still a little on the long side. My next round of edits is chopping words out, so I’m hoping for around 90,000. Hopefully.

Who’s your favourite character so far?

That’s a hard one. I have to say I really enjoy writing Nikolai – his past is so intriguing, and I’ve loved digging into that. He also just has such a dry sense of humor that’s come through. But then there’s Gregor Malkov (some of you may remember him from Unknown), and the scenes he’s in are hilarious, even when they’re really not. He’s just so fun to write, and he loves goading all the poor other characters.

What’s your favourite memory related to this WIP?

Favorite memory … hmm … Yikes, does anyone else feel like editing is this giant void of time that just sucks all the memories from you? I feel like whenever I have long periods of editing, I hardly remember anything that happened then.

So I’m not sure … I had a fun time rewriting it recently? 😊 That was a pathetic answer, I know.

Any special person(s) who helped create it?

Aww, yes! My amazing sister, Kristina, actually named Nikolai. (One of his names, at least. 😉)

What’s your favourite scene so far (if you can tell about it without spoilers!)?

I have a lot of scenes that I really like (most of them that are emotionally charged, because that’s the weird person I am). However, I will mention one scene that I think is really cute, and it involves Gabe and Sofia from Unknown. Contrary to popular opinion, I actually love seeing my characters be happy. So yes to a happy scene for Gabe and Sophie. 😊

Can you give us a snippet? 

Um … I think that’s confidential information. 🙂

Is the story still what you thought it would be or has it thrown you a couple curveballs?

Great question. I think in general it’s the same basic idea I imagined many years ago, but things have definitely changed with Nikolai (personality, background, etc.) The plot has just become meatier, I guess, and there have been smaller changes. For example, Molly (my female MC), used to not be related at all to Gabe and Sofia, but now she’s Gabe’s cousin to make things work right.

But in general, no massive curveballs – yet.

Is there a Bible verse, poem, hymn, picture, or quote that helped shape this story?

Oh yes! I love this question. One of the big overarching themes of the books is based around “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.”

When and where have you done most of the writing so far?

At my desk. I don’t move from my spot almost ever!

Where do you get inspiration for this story?

Is inspiration the same as a kick in the pants because a “deadline” is looming? (Deadline as in summer only lasts a few months, and I gotta get this done before school starts again.)

But I guess some of it comes from verses and songs. Also, the whole spy persona thing – I finally had to get that out of my system after a million failed spies in other books. Also, I just love these characters, and watching them go through these trials and lean on the Lord more is just so much fun.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Pantser, I think? I’m not good at these fancy writing terms.

Do you have a little ritual before you start writing?

Not really, no. I try to pray before I start, but I fail at that a lot.

(Time to do better!)

Are you thinking of publishing this story?

Yup, hopefully late summer 2022! Be on the lookout for more developments in the coming months …

What things have you learned while writing this story?

Ooh, there’s a lot, but a big one that comes through in the book is that our struggles and trials serve to push us to the Lord.

You’ll have to read the rest of the book to find out what else I’ve learned. 😉

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Thank you again, Alyssa, for tagging me! This was a lot of fun. Here is a clean copy of the questions for anyone who’d like to do this one! Specifically, I’d love to see Grace A. Johnson, Saraina, and Joelle do this.

1. Has your WIP a working title? If so, tell us! If not, have you any idea of what it might be?
2. Have you a synopsis for your WIP? If so, give it to us! If not, can you give us a blurb on what your WIP is about?
3. Have you a working/mock cover for your WIP? If so, show us! If not, have you an idea in mind?
4. How did you get the idea for this story?
5. How long do you think it will be? Is it longer or shorter than you thought it would be?
6. Who’s your favourite character so far?
7. What’s your favourite memory related to this WIP?
8. Any special person(s) who helped create it?
9. What’s your favourite scene so far (if you can tell about it without spoilers!)?
10. Can you give us a snippet? 
11. Is the story still what you thought it would be or has it thrown you a couple curveballs?
12. Is there a Bible verse, poem, hymn, picture, or quote that helped shape this story?
13. When and where have you done most of the writing so far?
14. Where do you get inspiration for this story?
15. Are you a plotter or a pantser?
16. Do you have a little ritual before you start writing?
17. Are you thinking of publishing this story?
18. What things have you learned while writing this story?