Princes, Pirates, and Preptober | It's Almost NaNo Again!

A chilling wind ripples the sails and skims across your arms. You spin in a circle on the deck of a foreign ship. The wood hull creaks beneath your feet and a spray of saltwater spits on your face.

A shuffle from behind you. You whirl. A person stands by the main mast, back towards you. Daggers hang from their waist, and their deep blue coat fans out at their ankles. Dark auburn curls tangle in the wind and blow this way and that. You barely shuffle a step forwards when the form turn around and stared you right in the eye. A gasp catches in your throat and you choke on it.

The person - this pirate - was a woman. A woman, with a pistol in her hands, boots climbing to her knees, and a constellation of freckles across her nose.

"Well, hello." She smiles, blue eyes the color of the tumultuous ocean below sparking.

You lick your lips, eyes wide. A million brilliant replies fly through your mind. But the only words that come out are, "Where am I?"

My dear friend, you were just aboard the setting of my newest novel - the pirate ship named Little Ashes. That's right, people: I am participating in my own (unofficial) National Novel Writing Month!

*cue the dramatic cheering and shouts of triumph*

I thought it might be fun this year, as my third consecutive year of NaNo, to bring y'all along the process and share a little about my project before November officially comes up. So, I decided to kidnap (temporarily) my two MCs from the story for a fun little interview, and them stick in some lovely aesthetics and such at the end! 😊

So, without further adeu, I present, the interview!

🏴‍☠️ MERRISA

1 | Do you believe in true love?

I am really not the right person to be asking this. My mother died when I was really little, and no one I know thinks it's good or bad either way, so I don't really have an opinion as of yet . . .

2 | Who is the person that you respect the most and why?

My father, the leader of our pirate brigade. He is the strongest person I know.

3 | Are you generally a messy or organized person?

Um . . . yeah, this is not a fair question. 😂 With my own stuff, I am horrible at keeping them in order. I can never seem to find my dagger when I need it and my pistol is always, always, always not in the right place. But when it comes to commanding a brigade . . . I run a tight ship, and you'd better believe. (Just ignore my miss-matching stockings . . .)

4 | What is something you want to accomplish in your lifetime?

I want to be known as a fearsome pirate captain who didn't shy away from the storms, and instead faced the head-on.

5 | If you could go back in time to one day, what day would it be and why?

If I could stay the same age I am now, I'd go back to before my mother died. I would've loved to know her better. <3

6 | What is one strong memory that has stuck with you since childhood?

I was complaining to my father about our lack of family - my mother was gone, I didn't have any siblings, and no one on board was related to me. Father reminded me of the fleet and the crew, and I said they weren't real family because they didn't share blood. He turned around in a split-second, face red, and said something I'll never forget: "Family isn't who shares your blood or has your name. They're the people who rise up to stand beside you during the hard times and celebrate with you in the good times. They are the ones who have your back and let you cry and don't protect you from pain but shoulder it with you."

7 | If you died tomorrow, what is something you would regret not doing?

I'd regret not getting to know my enemies, as strange as it sounds.

8 | What is the one thing you’d like to be remembered for after you die?

😏 Does being an epic pirate captain count?

9 | What three words best describes your personality?

Pirate, princess, warrior.

10 | What is your most treasured item?

I . . . don't have one. As strange as it sounds, it's not objects that matter to me (I know, shocker coming from a pirate), but it's more the people and the memories I care about. <3

⚓ KIT

1 | Do you believe in true love?

Well, considering I've had the fact that "pirates don't marry" drilled into my head since I was a wee small thing, I haven't really had much a chance to think about it for myself . . .

2 | Who is the person that you respect the most and why?

Merrisa. She doesn't care what is expected of girls and it doesn't matter to her that she's among the very few women aboard any pirate fleet. And even though she'd my enemy, I can't help but respect her for it.

3 | Are you generally a messy or organized person?

Depends on what I'm doing. When it comes to my possessions, I have so few, it's easy to keep them organized. If I'm talking about my life, then it is one huge hot mess.

4 | What is something you want to accomplish in your lifetime?

Being able to stand up to my step-father.

5 | If you could go back in time to one day, what day would it be and why?

Any day before my first - my real - father died. Maybe back to one of the festivals he took me to.

6 | What is one strong memory that has stuck with you since childhood?

I'd never seen my mother cry before. She was the wife of a pirate, after all. But when my father died . . . it broke her. She cried and cried and cried, and I felt so helpless.

7 | If you died tomorrow, what is something you would regret not doing?

I'd regret not telling a certain someone a certain something that I can't say. 🤐

8 | What is the one thing you’d like to be remembered for after you die?

I'm not remembered for anything now except an object of my step-father's fury, so why should I be remembered for anything after I die?

9 | What three words best describes your personality?

Pirate, lost, broken.

10 | What is your most treasured item?

A jewel. Yes, yes, I am a pirate, and yes, we loot ships and steal jewels and gold all the time, but this one is special. It is the sole thing belonging to my mother that I was able to save before she, too, left me.

THE AESTHETIC . . .

| dark oceans | royalty on the sea | found family | blues, greys, and violets | sibling bonds |

| anchors | bloody daggers | smoking pistols | soft enemies-to-lovers | pirate festivals |

| billowing sails | creaking wood | salt eater | John 15:13 |

HERE'S WHERE YOU COME IN . . .

I've been super pumped up about this story for several months. I'm planning on writing 2,000 words every day during November, with a total of (hopefully!) 30 chapter - one for each day. I'm also planning on starting off every chapter with a pirate/ocean/sea/sailor-ey quote. Which is why I need some help. I need alllll the pirate/ocean/sea/sailor/retelling-core quotes y'all can throw at me, along with who said them.

I'm also in the midst of developing my playlists/soundtrack for the story, so any song recs along the same lines as the vibes would be AMAZING!

Seriously, y'all, lay them on me. I can take it. *nods*

Aaaand as an extra special incentive, I made a fun little aesthetic reel via the lovely Canva that I'd love to share with y'all if you don't mind that reveals the title I am currently calling it!

Are you ready?

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PROJECT: **** *** ***

if the above doesn't work, copy and paste this link into your search engine: https://www.canva.com/design/DAFw4zxRq4w/watch.

Y'all will have to let me know what you think! 😉

ONE LAST THING! . . .

One last thing before y'all leave! At the end of NaNo, probably sometime in early December, I will be sending out my newsletter with a progress report, stats, and story updates. If y'all would like to stay updated on this journey and support me, please sign up for it! I am so close to reaching my one-year mark, as well as my 100-subscriber goal! Feel free to send the link to anyone you think might be interested in it. It would mean the world to me!

DEIGAN'S NEWSLETTER

And that's a wrap! I hope y'all enjoyed this different sort of post. I know I did!

What was your favourite answer? Which character do you like best as of now? Did you sign up for my newsletter? What did you think of the reel? Are you participating in NaNoWriMo this year? If so, what is your story about? I'd really love to know! <3

Cheers!