Know the Novel – Part One: Introduction to my WIP (2022 edition)!

You read that title right! I’m doing Christine Smith‘s Know the Novel: Pt One Linkup and I’m SO excited to share more about my historical romantic suspense WIP!!! And before you think, “oh, I’ve already know about Gillory”… ah, ah, ah. I’m sharing things I’ve never shared before in this post, so buckle your seats and hold on to your hats!

*coughs*

If you’re wearing a hat.

In which case…you may as well just take it off.

1. What first sparked the idea for this novel?

*warning: long answer ahead* Well, it was October of 2021 and I was trying to think of a new story idea for the first time in actual YEARS, because previously I’d just been working on books I’d began long ago. But I wanted to begin something new. Deciding on a new novel idea was really intimidating. But I knew I wanted a moody atmosphere with London during the 1940s, and I wanted a pianist character. Because shockingly enough, as much as I love piano, I’d never actually written a story including that. So I came up with this first idea… lemme share it with you… *goes off to find one of my hundreds of Google docs*

Secret Pianist: 18-year-old seamstress who dropped out of school to help support her family, giving up her dream of being a pianist. She meets a poor gentleman pianist who offers to teach her and who she falls in love with.

That’s one of the first premise ideas I had. It has some potential, and I might even go back one day and turn that into something epic, but I’m glad I didn’t choose exactly that. Instead, I kept brainstorming ideas, and over the course of a few days, I’d settled on the heroine who most intrigued me, who really STUCK with me. This was the first image that popped into my mind which I scribbled down one night:

Gillory. 1940s London. Black curls wrapped under a red beret, her gray trenchcoat thick in the crisp autumn air, wet with fog. She chafes her fingers from the cold, keeping them warm because of a piano performance in one hour. Edmund, the former WWII soldier still plagued with PTSD (but it can’t be called that – it was called that after Vietman), is still missing. His warm chocolate-dark eyes sear her memory, and she blinks to hold back tears. She knows she loves him, and her sister…Her sister. Gillory crumbles a brown leaf in her glove and inhales to push down the grief.

Lol, that’s very scattered and doesn’t make sense, but from there, everything branched off and began to make a real story worth writing. It’s funny, I immediately knew I wanted the heroine to have a “G” name and the hero to have an “E” name. But Edmund… meh. I really like the name but it just didn’t fit, so that’s why it changed to Ean. In the future, I’ll do a post about their names, why I chose them, and what they mean. 😉

2. Share a blurb (or just an overall summary)!

It’s a historical romantic suspense set in 1947 London about a young seamstress who is given the keys to her dream of becoming a pianist, and over the course of events, she discovers that no amount of success can earn the love she’s seeking.

I’m calling it “Gillory” for now!

3. Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite aspects of the setting?

London, England, because of course. Lol, I’ve always loved old cobblestone streets, vintage streetlamps, and cute shops. All that goes best with the season of autumn, so I decided on that. I just am in love with that romanticized image of England. And I know it’s not all like that, but I wanted to incorporate some of that into the story to make it a setting I’d LOVE writing about.

I didn’t realize how hard it would be.

REALLY.

I just wish I could time travel so I could know all the specific street names, and what it looked like in 1947, and how this and that worked, and how far away this imaginary place is from that imaginary place… ugh. It’s rather stressful. But still so fun.

(Oh – it’s funny, I also didn’t foresee how hard it would be to lock into their British accents. I keep finding them saying something in a very American way lol. What’s helped is imagining a similar character from a movie or an actor/actress with a British accent that I can match with my charries.)

4. Tell us about your protagonist(s).

Gladly. You do not realize how dangerous of a request this is. I’m an introvert but I will talk your EAR off about my two main characters! 😂 It’s one of my favorite things to do. Just ramble on and on about them and discover new things about them in the process. *beams* But for your and my sake (cause I don’t want to share too much *winks*), I’ll keep it short and sweet.

Gillory Durand is the main protagonist. She’s an ISFP, Enneagram 3. The eldest of her five siblings, she’s ambitious, always up for competition, and image-conscious. If you want to get on her nerves (driving her even to the point of tears), PITY HER. Yet she also hides a hopeless romantic side and a deep love for the simple pleasures of life. As a seamstress, she owns a shop and likes taking on more orders than she can manage. 😀

Ean West is the second main character. He’s an ESTJ, Eneagram 8. This guy has an assertive, take-charge personality and doesn’t like to be seen as weak, and, although not suave, has a charming side he knows how to turn on. The desire to be in control drives a lot of what he does, unbeknownst to him. But despite his logical nature that likes looking for solutions to problems, he’s very thoughtful, can be cinnamon-roll sweet, believe it or not, and has a soft spot for those who need help.

5. Who (or what) is the antagonist?

I can’t really go into that. *smirks like Picket from The Green Ember* You’ll see.

6. What excites you the most about this novel?

THE FEELS. THE VINTAGE, AUTUMN AESTHETIC. THE POOR BROKEN LOVABLE CHARRIES. THE FAMILY ASPECT. THE SWEET ROMANCE. THE STRONG FAITH CONTENT.

If you couldn’t tell, I chose this story to write because it’s one of my favorite kinds of story.

7. Is this going to be a series? standalone? something else?

Heh. I kind of don’t want to, but I know I’ll need to tell Gillory’s sister’s story sometime. So there will likely be a sequel, but I don’t imagine it being turned into a series of more than three books. However, I’m not currently expecting a series, only the sequel.

But who knows what might happen? 😉

8. Are you plotting? pantsing? plansting?

Plantsting. I outlined the major plot points and characters’ internal journey/character arcs but am discovering a LOT as I’m writing, so it can safely be called plantsing.

9. Name a few unique elements in this story.

Well… here’s a random list:

• the issue of mental illness explored through a Christ-focused perspective (I realized after beginning the story that a lot of books have characters with PTSD because it immediately provides ready-made internal conflict and drama, but I really want to portray it honestly and realistically. I’m not just throwing it in there for mental health rep or because it would be cool. I will definitely be doing a post or two in the future about how to go about writing this because I’ve learned a lot! And I have read several books that do an amazing job of this, including Untold by Vanessa Hall!)
• close sister relationship
• the heroine owns a shop and is very independent but there’s no annoying feminism vibes
• I love delicious, mouth-watering food descriptions and so there’s a good amount of that
• It’s set two years after World War II ends, instead of during it
• It’s a full-length novel but is primarily set during the autumn (I don’t know, is that unique?)

10. Share some fun “extras” of the story (a song or full playlist, some aesthetics, a collage, a Pinterest board, a map you’ve made, a special theme you’re going to incorporate, ANYTHING you want to share!)

YAY TIME FOR FUN!!! Okay, here are some faceclaims I found on Pinterest for three of my charries. They P E R F E C T L Y capture the overall essence and look of the characters.

Going left to right: Gillory Durand, Ean West, and Laura Durand. (And no, Gillory doesn’t have that much makeup on all the time. 😂) I love how Gillory’s faceclaim has a bit moody, pensive, daydreamy look. Although, Gillory does have a slightly different hairstyle with longer hair. Ean’s looks worried, alert, protective, and that is literally an expression he would do. (By the way, he does have very happy moments, so that’s now how he looks all the time lol.) Anyway, I love how Laura’s captures her bright, optimistic personality, always with a slight smile on her face, yet with a weird mixture of naivety and perceptiveness.

You can find my moodboard here: https://www.pinterest.com/saraina05/wip-gillory-a-novel/

And a “Music Gillory would Listen to” playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2mcIE8fGoQSGysTm7VrqGJ

If you want to learn even more about my WIP “Gillory”, including songs that inspire it, my process for writing it, AND some snippets, visit my “What’s Your WIP?” Tag” post!

I know it seems like I’ve shared a lot about this WIP, and I have, but I’ve really just scratched the surface, so I’m looking forward to doing more posts about it when the time comes!

---

Before we go, I want to share about an awesome virtual writers’ event that’s happening right now! Teen Writers’ Nook is hosting Teen Writers’ Rally to encourage writers and prepare them for NaNoWriMo, the national writing challenge in November!

“TWN is kicking-off National Novel Writing Month with back-to-back posts featuring authors, bloggers, and more! And we’re inviting YOU to join us. Tune in every day for the next two weeks with new posts full of writing tips, advice, and encouragement. Posts go live at 6:00 EST, and if you’re not already, make sure to subscribe to Teen Writers’ Nook via email to receive a notification when the next post goes live.”

Not to mention there’s an epic giveaway! Three winners will be randomly chosen and they’ll get their choice of the books featured below! (Imagine anthology is included in this, though not pictured below!)

Check this out if you’re in the process of writing a book, or if you’re getting ready for NaNo! And if you’re doing King’s Daughter’s Writing Camp or something like that instead, Teen Writers’ Rally will be just as relevant and helpful, trust me! So think about tuning in either way whether you’re doing NaNoWriMo or not, as long as you’re looking for advice, encouragement, and motivation to push through! 😉 Here are the writers and bloggers who will be featured!

---

What personality type are you? Any ISFPs or ESTJs? (I’m an INFP!) Are you a pianist, and if so, what piece are you currently learning? Are you the oldest sibling, like Gillory is? What’s your favorite historical romance? What is the main season, if any, your WIP is set during? Have you ever written a story set in London?