Beautiful Books || Bethany's Plot

 The hosts of the Beautiful People link-up are doing something different for the next three months. With NaNoWriMo approaching (a rather crazy event, if I do say so), the theme for this month and next consecutive two will be about plotting, writing, and editing. 

I have no plans to participate in NaNo, but I do have another story to explore for GTW's 100 for 100.
I haven't ever shared how I write before so this should be fun! (And maybe a little difficult.)

1. What came first: characters or plot idea? Are you a plotter or a pantster?
     Well, as I said in last month's Beautiful people post, this story's title actually came first, but characters were a close second.  Usually characters proceed plot for me, but occasionally it's the other way around.  As for the second part of this question, I would say I can be both.  If I don't have a plot planned out though, my stories tend to take a nose dive.

2. Do you have a title and/or a back-cover blurb?
    A title, I have: Regrettably, a Gentleman. I do not, however, have a back-cover blurb.  I always find it hard to sum up stories, but it looks like I'm going to have to do it for one of the next questions.

3. What word count are you aiming for when your novel is finished?
    I really don't know; maybe 60,000 or 70,000? I'll just have to see how far it takes me.

4. Sum up your novel in 3 sentences.
   Oh dear, here goes nothing...
   Emmeline Albridge realizes that she has been living in her own, self-obsessed little world when a broken engagement forces her to look at her life in a different light. Even though her aunt wants her to get back in the social circle of parties and balls afterward, Emmeline feels she should do something more meaningful with her future, and is drawn into helping a friend start a school in the industrial slums of Manchester. Her life becomes intertwined with many interesting people there, both friend and foe, and she will never be the same again.
  Phew, I did it! And it doesn't seem too bad either. :)

 5. Sum up your characters in one word each.
    Everyone? That would be a lot. How about my top five six favorites.
Emmeline Albridge: passionate.
Tristan Albridge: apathetic.
Meridith Thorndike: risk-taker.
Nora Harrington: kind.
Octavius "Tavy" Briggs: mad (as a hatter).
Jacob Drury: determined.

6. Which character are you most excited to write about? Tell us about them!
   I do love my main characters, but I am almost more excited to write about the Briggs family, of which Tavy it the oldest. There are five siblings; Octavius, Sapphire, Ophelia, Horatio, and Paris. Their parents died, leaving Tavy and Sapphire to be the bread winners in the family, even though they are only 16 and 14.  Their mother had a fondness for fancy things, hence the children's names.  Her greatest wish was to see the city of Paris one day, but knew that would be impossible.  So instead, as she was dying, shortly after the birth of her youngest daughter, she named her Paris so she could say that wish was fulfilled.

7. What about your villain? Who is he, and what is his goal?
  You can meet my villain, Jacob Drury in my last beautiful people post.

8.What is your protagonist's goal? And what stands in the way?
   Her goal is to help her friend, Nora Harrington, start a school for the children of the poor factory workers. Jacob Drury wants to stop her, but also her aunt doesn't approve of what she's doing, and gaining the trust of the factory workers is a rather difficult task.

9. What inciting incident begins your protagonist's journey?
   When Emmeline's fiance, Fredrick Farnsby, breaks off their engagement.

10. Where is your novel set?
   Manchester, England, in the 1860's.

11. What are the three big scenes in your novel that change the game completely?
   I can't give those away! Sorry, spoilers!

12. What is the most dynamic relationship your character has? Who else do they come in contact with or become close to during the story?
   Emmeline has a lot of different relationships in this story; with her siblings, and with her aunt, her friends (and enemies) she makes while establishing the school...but the most dynamic and surprising relationship that forms during the story is with the mysterious Mr. James Emberly. Yup, that's all I'm going to say for now.

13. How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?
  She learns that others are much more important then herself, and...

14. Do you have an ending in mind, or do you plan to see what happens?
   Yes, I have a vague ending, but some things still need to be figured out.

15. What are your hopes and dreams for your book? What impressions are you hoping this novel will leave on your readers and yourself? (This is your mission statement, one you can look back on when the road gets tough.)
   My hopes and dreams for this book are to finish it!  Yes, maybe not a very grand dream, but to finish a full length novel would be fantastic.  I want this story to have the feel of a classic, yet have a sound Christian worldview that is naturally portrayed through the character's everyday lives. When people read it, I want them to think about how they can be serving others, and I know I could be better at that myself.