Off the Page Project #1: Stories new and old

#1: Stories new and old

This post contains information about my... reaaalllyyyy horrifying past stories. Ye have been warned.

I have been writing for as long as I can remember. From downright cringe Supernatural fanfiction when I was 13 to when I wrote my first "proper," long-ass novel at 15 (a whopping 10k. Huge, right? And it was basically a Twilight ripoff with angels...) I have always been writing. Always gripped with the need to share the stories inside of my head. And there are a lot of stories knocking around in there. 

The first true novel I can remember writing (about 2009) was a YA dystopian story called PRIMALS. Basically, in the far future, nuclear fallout has caused some people to be born with the ability to turn into an animal that reflects their nature. They're hunted down and constantly on the run, searching for their "promised land" where they are safe from the evil King who wants to eradicate the dangerous hybrids. 

It doesn't SOUND too bad, right? But dear God, just looking back at my atrocious spelling, plot, etc... 

Basically. But here is a section that I've found. Knock yourselves out laughing:

After PRIMALS came DIAMOND WAVES in early 2010. And the beginning of my fascination with writing murderous mermaids. After a trip to the Isle of Wight, I returned with so much inspiration that I couldn't help but write about that magical place. It still remains my favourite place in the world. 

This was also my first NaNoWriMo project. Wanna read the summary I posted for it? You know you want to: 

These days it's called THE GIRL OF WIND AND TIDE. I hope one day to rewrite it. 

But DIAMOND WAVES gave birth to the story that has never left my mind, even after all these years. The characters that stayed in my head, developing constantly and the world in which they live in expanding regularly. 

OCEAN OF INK AND TEETH. 

I spent a long time writing this and only this. From the middle of 2010 to the end of 2012. Unheard of from me. The first draft remains on my computer still, edited only a little since then. Incompleted. I realised in early 2013 that, while I adored the world and its characters, it wasn't the right story. Wasn't the story I wanted to tell. So I stopped writing and started searching for the story that Cascadia, Gabriel and the others belonged to.

Here is a snippet of the original. It has a tiny bit of the world thrown in as well. (Yes, Gabriel IS some tortured and lovesick puppy. Doesn't unrequited love suck?)

 I discovered the story that they belonged to at loooooong last near the beginning of 2015 and began to plot like never before. It's this that I am currently working on, along with two WIPs from the beginning of 2015 called STARHOUNDS (YA SciFi. Vampires in space, dude! And fat heroine.) And THE HOLLOW PRINCE (NA fantasy with faeries. I began this wayyyyyy before reading ACOTAR and ended up having to edit bits because it was so similar. Small world, huh?) These two WIPs are 30k or beyond now. There's also other WIPs such as; HEARTLESS, LADY WINTER and THE DARK CITY and DRAGONSONG.

 I really don't stop plotting. It's become the norm for me to carry a notepad and pen around with me. 

OCEAN OF INK AND TEETH has undergone major changes, and it feels so, so great to be writing about Cascadia again. This new version is definitely best described as SIX OF CROWS (or PEAKY BLINDERS) meets THE LITTLE MERMAID. These mermaids (called the Okyano) have a hidden layer of shark's teeth in their gums that slides down when they're angry (or hungry...) and they can and will rip your throat out. No aria singing fishes here! You can see me affectionately calling it "Mermaid Mafia" on Twitter.

What fun!

It's OCEAN OF INK AND TEETH that my OTPP posts will be about. I will tell you how I created Cascadia's world, plotted out the mythology and more. There's just... so much! I am terribly passionate about this story and its world. (I have maps for another post. Ye have been warned.)

So... I hope you can join mine and Cascadia's story. There's still much to do and I know for sure that it's going to be a crazy ride. 

*me when I realise just how much more I have to write*

For the first OFF THE PAGE PROJECT post, I'd like you to write about YOUR past and present novels. How did you get from those old works to where your writing is now? Do your old works make you cringe? Did they, like me, inspire your current work?