Adventures in >CO< Authoring // Rebekah and The Traitor in the Pages
just look at the chocolate. just look at it. look at it already, why don't you?
Helyaylo, y'all!
I'm just going to go ahead and say it... a friend half-dared me to start every post with a different greeting, but end it in 'y'all'. Happy, Jaimie?
Today, I'm extremely excited to present something that has been in the works for quite a while now! You do know who Rebekah is, right? She's only the amazing, incredible, procrayaystinating multitayaysker, Bible Bee-er, semi-finalist national contender, blogging buddy, twinzie, and writer!
(and, the author and owner of Tunes of My Heart which just hit 50 followers - actually, 52 - and it'd be awesome if she got to 100 within a month!)
This is a super fun collab post with her - she did hers on all of the extremely nutty inside jokes that we have...
Let's start at the very beginning.
a very good place to start... just ask the Von Trapps.
And the very beginning happens to be a backstory. Commence the backstory!
And I mean the very beginning, thank you very much, Miss Rebekah.
(and I shall elaborate on certain parts that she happened to skip over)
2014. Yes, it was 2014. I have the medal, the certificate, the photos - everything to prove it. We met through Scripture Typer and Quizlet (like she said in her post) and then met each other at Nationals (Bible Bee! Registration opens tomorrow at biblebee.org - you won't regret it!). Sadly, I only recall talking to her like, two times at the most. How could my little self have been so naïve as to all I was missing out on?! We emailed, memorized together, on and on... until she couldn't email anymore.
And she disappeared off the face of the earth.
And I was extremely distraught and searched everywhere. All of her accounts everywhere had vanished! I finally gave up a year later, in 2015, after countless attempts at everything.
And then, hey! She's alive! I watched her on the livestream in 2016, wishing I was there (but still, I didn't think she'd remember me anyways, and she was the amazing champion of 2014, and why would she care about me after all that time?).
A little while later, I was reading through my doll blog comments and found a 'Rebekah'. I smiled wistfully to myself and thought for a moment how cool it would be if it was the Rebekah - but hey, tons of people spell their name like that. I have a distant relative who spells her name like that. I shrugged, replied to the super sweet comment, and moved on. I found her blog a couple months later in 2017 and quickly became a dedicated follower.
And then suddenly, this, in the middle of a photostory.
Man. That looked familiar. Extremely familiar. But I hadn't seen that thing in years! I quickly and frantically searched for proof that she was the Rebekah that I had given that name plaque to three years ago. And of course, late at night (when she wasn't on), I typed a comment.
I’m just really currently in a state of momentary confusion. I think I might have met you once, or maybe you just coincidently spell your name the same way as the other girl I met and have a sister ironically named the same as the other girl. Hehe.
Have you ever done the National Bible Bee?
Have you ever done the National Bible Bee?
And the next day, she replied with this:
Hahaha! I thought you'd never notice! Yup, I have met you through the NBB! You were actually the one who gave me that accessory with my name spelled in Scrabble letters which is shown in one of the pictures!
My reply was too long to share here. If you really want to know the whole conversation, our craziness is on this post. Just read the 99 comments, most of which are ours. :)
But to put that comment briefly, it went something like this:
But you knew this entire time and was so cruel as to not let me know?!!?!?!??!?!
Her cruel little self:
I thought I’d tell you that I was ME but then I was like, nah, and then I thought I’d tell you again, but then I was like, why would she care.
SHE. THOUGHT. I. WOULDN'T. CARE.
She will also never live that down. Moving on!
After several dozen comments, we started word-warring. You know, who could come up with the best word. It was interesting. And then, we thought to have a story contest - a friendly one, of course (we were used to competing against each other - years of Bible Bee, you see). I wrote a story, she wrote a story. Mine was The Friendship and hers was Halfway to Capernaum. (you really need to read hers.)
Like a lightbulb a little while later....
OHMYGOODNESSSSSS! REBEKAH I JUST HAD A BRILLIANT IDEA! (ornotosbrilliant)
We should write a book together. It’s simple, it’s easy, it’s fun and it’s breezy (sorry, random animaniacs reference)!
I’m not joking. You do a chapter from your character’s POV, and then I continue the story with my character’s POV.
We should write a book together. It’s simple, it’s easy, it’s fun and it’s breezy (sorry, random animaniacs reference)!
I’m not joking. You do a chapter from your character’s POV, and then I continue the story with my character’s POV.
Rebekah agreed!
Just a little while later, we began the plotting and planning - when, where, why, who, what!
We tossed every continent (and some fantasy/sci-fi options) and time period (that was interesting) into generators.
Not like it helped. We ended up eliminating stuff that the generator picked. We did, however, find our time and place (which then changed halfway through, but hey, who cares)!
We had quite a lot of fun coming up with our characters - which you'll learn about soon enough.
Randomly, we'd add ideas to our 'planning' doc (which, if you've gone and read Rebekah's post, you know all about - you also know what the greeting meant) and brainstormed together through GoogleDocs' chatting.
Before we knew it, a story had been woven!
And then...
last names withheld to protect the innocent. you'll get that inside joke if you've read Rebekah's post. ;)
And now we're co-authors of a fantasy novel that, at the moment of this post being written, is nearing completion of the first draft at precisely 247 pages, 27 chapters, and 122,500 words! You read that right. 122.5k words.
And that's what this post is all about (or, that's what it's supposed to be about!)!
Two entirely different stories that collide and weave into one - the stories of Karah Vedier, the daughter of a peasant farmer, and Lusitania Chessington, the daughter of a duke.
Their friendship is unlikely and unexpected, yet grows to be a bond that ties them together through the ups and downs - and there are plenty of them. It all begins when Lusitania, who prefers the wild nickname Daisy, has her adventurous plans ruined by rain. Karah, as the dreamer and lady’s maid, finds some exploring to entertain her friend.
After encountering numerous locked doors, they finally find something of interest - a diary that holds within its pages a story. A story of a traitor in their very midst - a traitor who is much closer to home than they expected. Justice is due.
But after a series of threats and setbacks, will Daisy and Karah still be able to discover the true traitor and fight for families, friendships, fates, and a God of justice who unites them all?
(photo drawn by me, descriptions below taken from plotting doc!)
Name: Karah Elise Vedier
Age: 12
Birthday: June 15
Fun facts: She has four siblings - two sisters and two brothers, all younger than her. She lives on a small, rural farm in the southern region of our fair and beautiful land.
Personality: very shy, embarrassed of her social standings, insecure, quiet, cautious, self-conscious, responsible, dependable, daydreamer
Physical description: reddish-gold curly (loose curls, like waves) hair, frecl;es. sky-blue eyes, fair skin, average height, slim
Family: Mother works at duke’s mansion, father is a hired hand to other farmers, and she has
four siblings: Jakob (2), Sarah (5), Rebekah (7), Josiah (10)
Character of: Julia
(images via Pinterest)
(image via Pinterest, photo belongs to original owners)
Name: Lusitania “Daisy” Roxana Chessington
Age: 12
Birthday: January 11
Fun facts: She lives in Duke’s Mansion in a land on 20 acres. The land was obtained by her father, who is of the nobility of the king. She has a proper and ladylike older sister whom she constantly quarrels with because of their differing personalities.
Personality: sassy, saucy, sarcastic, just a bit stuck-up, outspoken, adventurous and brave, tomboyish, leaps before she looks
Physical description: Golden hair (always curled in ringlets, which she hates, but she has to sit and let them be curled anyways) and hazel eyes, tanned skin, average height, slim
Family: Father is the duke, pretty-mannered mother is the duchess and constantly holds balls and dinner parties, she has one older sister: Cora (18).
Character of: Rebekah
Creating characters is fun, at least for me! Rebekah, Karah's little sister, is named after the Rebekah (obviouslyyy). Josiah, Karah's younger brother, is named after my youngest brother and modeled after my oldest younger brother. :) Sarah, Karah's other little sister, is named after my amazing friend! Several other minor (and major) characters that make their initial appearances in my chapters are named after YDubbers - friends from the Young Writer's Workshop!
YAY!
Snippet time! I saved the best for last!
You get five - yes, only five - snippets to pique your curiosity and make you want to be a beta reader if we open for betas this summer. :)
I sat cross-legged beneath the light and looked up
through it. A story seemed to weave itself together. Oh, how I missed telling
my siblings the fairy tales and reading to them and crafting stories.
Every star in the
sky tells a story. Every time it twinkles, it adds another chapter to its tale.
And every star has a day to shine, every one has a time to sparkle.
sky tells a story. Every time it twinkles, it adds another chapter to its tale.
And every star has a day to shine, every one has a time to sparkle.
A hand on my shoulder startled me. I looked up and saw Josiah’s face – but it wasn’t as I remembered.
It was older, more mature, more experienced. He silently sat down beside me.
It was older, more mature, more experienced. He silently sat down beside me.
“Are you coming up with another story?” he whispered. I smiled briefly and nodded. “I miss being here.” I confided. He scooted closer to me.
“I miss you being here too.” He murmured. “But now I know why you weren’t so carefree and childish like all the other girls your age. You hold so much responsibility.” My heart shattered. I had left Josiah with all of the work and challenges of life. I had
taken away his childhood.
taken away his childhood.
“I’m so sorry, Josiah,” I choked out. “I should’ve never made you experience that.” I had
failed. Utterly failed in giving my siblings the lives I dreamed for them.
failed. Utterly failed in giving my siblings the lives I dreamed for them.
“But it’s built me stronger, I think,” Josiah mused quietly. “I’ve learned a lot. This has given us both experiences that make us more… better…”
“But you shouldn’t-” I began, and then I realized I sounded like Papa.
“I don’t mind. You’ve given me a lot, more than you know.” He leaned closer to me and I wrapped my arm around his shoulder. In those moments, I knew something.
Something had changed in our lives. And it would never return to the way it used to be.
I didn’t switch back to sidesaddle. Why do so? It was so much less comfortable, and there was absolutely no one to point out that I was riding like a man.
No one, that is, before I saw a figure stride into the courtyard. As we came closer, I could make out a young lady no older than eighteen, staring as if she couldn’t take my eyes off me. She had brunette hair, she had blue eyes...it was my older sister Cora.
Before I had time to gather my wits and switch back to sidesaddle, she had already let out a dramatic gasp.
“Lusitania Chessington!” She cried.
I pulled up right in front of her and rolled my eyes in exasperation. “How many times have I told you to just call me Daisy?”
“What - how - you’re riding like a man!”
“I am completely aware.”
“And why don’t you have a saddle?”
“Why should I?”
“You know it’s not ladylike to ride bareback -”
“I do know.”
“Lusitania…”
“It’s Daisy.”
I drowsily opened my eyes at a low voice, and then snapped to attention. Robert was holding onto Daisy’s arm with a vise-like grip. My gaze traveled from his burning eyes to his bulging muscles to Daisy’s arm to the book she was holding. Why did she have her journal…. I reached into my pocket and felt the leather binding of Daisy’s journal. I had grabbed Alfred’s, or so I thought, so we could read it but then we went on the hunt and I had forgotten about it. In that moment, I surmised that Daisy had planned on bringing her journal - she wrote in it every day about everything. The scene sent chills down my spine, and in a split second, I leapt from the chair, grabbed Robert’s elbow, and twisted - hard. I heard a pop and I kicked his shin as he went down. This next move would take some skillful handiwork.
“No one… I repeat, no one, messes with my friends or my family.” I growled angrily, holding Robert’s gaze in a fiery stare of my own. I slipped the book out of my pocket and pressed it into Daisy’s hand, switching the books while Robert was staring at me. Rarely did this side of myself come out - only when someone I loved was being tormented or hurt. I pressed one boot on his finely starched shirt shoulder and pressed my weight into it. “You have been warned.”
I licked my dry chapped, lips. The rugged rock was scraping my bare arms and legs, but I didn’t dare move an inch. My heart pounded heavily as I dared to ease my elbow into a more comfortable position, the sound of Robert’s angry shouts ringing in my ears until my ears were pounding, too.
“I could lose everything! I repeat, everything!” The pacing grew more furious, and as I strained my eyes, I thought I could see Robert punching the air with a tightly balled fist. “My lands, my manor, my rights, my betrothed wife, and my life!”
“We need to get out of this place.” I walked over to the window and drew back the curtains.
“It’s still drizzling a little,” Daisy observed. I nodded. The door opened, and we whirled around so fast that the figure in the doorway laughed.
“This storm has made you two about as calm as a cat in water, eh?” it was the young betting archer. We both stood there, speechless. His grin diminished as he surveyed us. “Then again, you do look like a cat just out of water.” Daisy and I both immediately looked down at our drippy, muddy selves.
“It’s still drizzling a little,” Daisy observed. I nodded. The door opened, and we whirled around so fast that the figure in the doorway laughed.
“This storm has made you two about as calm as a cat in water, eh?” it was the young betting archer. We both stood there, speechless. His grin diminished as he surveyed us. “Then again, you do look like a cat just out of water.” Daisy and I both immediately looked down at our drippy, muddy selves.
I hope you enjoyed those snippets - I'm going to warn you though, that they definitely weren't in order. *evil grin*
this is the part of the show where the coauthors come out and sing a silly song.
no wait. this isn't veggie tales. nevermind.
Julia: I. love. coauthoring. Y'all, it's so fun... and it's great when you're stuck, 'cause then you just give the chapter to the other person. XD I'm also slightly known for my 'get-off-the-cliffhanger-hook'. ;)
I’m DONEEEEE!!!!!!! Did you like the surprise? :D :D MWHAHAHAHAHA. Don’t you DARE use my ‘get-off-the-cliffhanger-hook’ or I will delete it and make you rewrite it.
*gasp*
*another gasp*
*more dramatic gasping*
THAT CHAPTER WAS SO GOOD THAT THE READERS WILL DEFINITELY NOTICE THAT THE NEXT ONE IS BAD BECAUSE I’M WRITING IT. :’( What get-off-the-cliffhanger-hook?? Oh wait, I get it. Okay.
It's also known as the way you start your chapter as 'two weeks later...' to get rid of the impeding predicament you've been left in. *rubs hands together mischievously*
Plus, you can laugh over typos together:
"I gritted my teach." was supposed to be "I gritted my teeth."
even better...
(of course, you're seeing the edited version)
And, you can cheer each other on during those late night sprints - I barely beat Rebekah's record with 8 pages in 2 1/2 hours. :) We were really on a roll there. So much so that...
(you just got another free snippet... mwhahaha)
Rebekah:
Co-authoring literally saved my writing life, no kidding! Before TTITP, I had started several stories but never had the patience to finish them (because I thought they were “awful.”) But then my twin came along and solved all my problems: 1) if you have no idea what’s going to happen next, you just end the chapter and hand it over to her (*smirks* I’ve done this too many times to count), 2) what you think is “awfulness” in your chapter is balanced out by the fun of reading the other person’s amazing one, 3) you have someone to give you ideas without having to think of everything yourself, 4) it’s just plain fun!
My favorite part, however, has to be the late night writing sprints. It all started one evening when I kept coming up with ideas for my chapter and just kept on writing, and writing, and writing...I COULDN’T STOP. XD And the best part was, Julia was there the whole time to cheer me on, and I had SO much fun chatting with her and writing at the same time! When I *finally* stopped at 11:20 PM (after starting around 7:20 PM), it was only because my chapter was finished. Anyways, the next evening, she wanted to beat my record, and she did so (shaving my speed by almost two hours), and this time, I was the one staying up with her to cheer her on! :) It’s literally the best feeling in the world - just writing, and writing, and writing - and the thrilling feeling you get when you finally finish your chapter after four hours straight makes you want to do cartwheels around the house! (which, I admit, I did).
Did you enjoy reading this post? I commend you for surviving (even if you did skim!)! Have you ever written anything with someone?
If so, what was it, and with who? Would you want to read The Traitor in the Pages sometime?
Let me know in the comments below!
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." - Eleanor Roosevelt
6 comments
Thanks for the post, Julia! It was so fun reading! Is this the novel that you told me about at BB? I can't wait for more posts about TTITP!
ReplyDelete~Grace
Thank you for reading!! :) I think it just might be! I enjoyed chatting with you then! Look for them soon!!
DeleteMe too! Yay! :)
DeleteAhh this story sounds so amazing! My BFF and I write stories together sometimes, this really inspired me to maybe work on our collabs! Traitor in the pages sounds awesome.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Definitely do it - coauthoring is so much fun and totally worth it! I'm glad you think so, thanks!
DeleteThank you so much! It's so, so fun to write with Rebekah!
ReplyDeleteAha! I, for one, am hoping to open for betas sometime this summer!
Start coauthoring right now! I started coauthoring when I was 8, so it's never too early to start! (and Rebekah, hopefully, will also join YDubs this summer!!)
Thank you again!