Wednesday, November 21, 2012

The Nutcracker

For my 2012 YWP NaNoWriMo novel, it is called The Nutcracker.  We all know the Nutcracker, pretty little rich girl gets a nutcracker, rescues him, and they all live happily ever after.  That isn't what happens in my novel.

Basically my novel is about a girl named Clara, whom is around fifteen.  Her fiance and her father dies from a terrible disease, leaving Clara to care for her sick mother and her two little siblings, John and Louise.  Clara is very poor, but she loves Christmas, but has stopped believing in fairytales, until one night, her Godfather Drosselmeyer comes, and gives her a mysterious toy, a Nutcracker, and on one night, the nutcracker comes to life, changing her life forever.


So that is what it is about!  It will be around 30,000 words (Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief is 75,000 words, but 30,000 words a lot to be written in a month!), and hopefully very interesting!

This is my cover that I made, pretty good, right?



I am now going to give you a little part from my novel.  It is unedited, since editing will be put off until December, so if there is a problem, just ignore it and leave nice comments!  And please do not steal this.  It is my novel, not yours, my words, not yours.  If you, you would be stealing.  Thanks!



The butler James opened the door with a dramatic flair, saying good day.  I blushed a little and nodded as I walked into the beautiful hall.
James then took my coat and hung it up.
“Where is Caroline?” I asked the butler.
“Right here, silly!” said a voice.  I turned around and there was Caroline.  Her light brown eyes sparked, her long brown hair still wet from the bath she had just taken.
She embraced me, and I hugged her tightly.  “Caroline!”
“Merry Christmas Eve, Clary fairy,” said Caroline.
“You, too, Carol Meryl,” I joked, using the nickname that we had as children.
“Hello, Clara!” said Mrs. Locketsen, from the open upstairs with a balcony that looked onto the door.
“Hello, Mrs. Locketsen!” I called waving.
“Come on upstairs, girls.  We need to get your ready for the party!  Caroline still needs to change.”  
I stepped back and looked at my friend.  She was dressed in a beautiful mint green dress made out of silk and pale pink ribbons.  It was very fine, and I felt a little twinge of jealousy.  Here was a beautiful piece of clothing, yet it wasn’t even Caroline’s best!
Caroline saw the quick look in my eyes and looked at me worriedly.  I knew she would’ve gladly given me money as well as all her clothes in a heartbeat, but my father’s pride ran thick in my blood.
“Coming, Ma!” Caroline called.
I then smiled at Caroline.  Forget about having pretty clothes, today was the eve before Christmas, and I wasn’t about to waste it by wishing for things I didn’t have.


Caroline excitedly babbled as she led me up the stairs, talking about all the people who were coming.  Suddenly Caroline began to bounce up and down.  “Oh, Clara, oh, Clara!  I can’t believe I forgot to tell you, but Max came home yesterday night!” Caroline said, beaming.
Max Locketsen was Caroline’s older twin brother.  He had been way from home for two years, and last time I saw him he had been my crush until he began to ignore me and his sister and study his books, and of course I had met Brandon.
“Really?  Oh, Caroline, you must be so happy!” I said, giving her another hug.
“Oh, Max!  Max!  Come here!  I have somebody you need to meet!” Caroline called.
“What Caroline!” said a deep voice.
Stumbling out of a room with glasses slipping off his nose, was Max.  Simply put, he had changed.  He was taller but still as thin a bean pole, his loose brown hair had thickened, but the stubble on his chin and the eyes had changed.  He was…different.
“Clara?” Max asked quizzically.
“Max!” I said happily.
He went to hug me, but I quickly just shook his hand, smiling up at him.  “How are you?”
“I….I’m fine!” he said, stumbling over his words.  “And you?”
“Great!”
“Girls!” cried Mrs. Locketsen.
“Oh, uh, see you later, Max,” I said.  
“See you, Clara,” said Max.
Caroline grabbed my arm and pulled me past him, nudging me and giving me a look.
“What?” I asked.
Caroline rolled her eyes and sighed.
Sometimes I felt like I should’ve known what she was talking about, but other times I had no idea what my best friend was getting at.
We went into Mrs. Locktsen’s room.  Beautiful honey floors, pale purple walls with purple flowers, and a beautiful canopy bed with a balcony, it was an amazing place.
Mrs. Locketsen led us into the bathroom, and had Caroline seated on the plush chair before the vanity.  She took a bristled brush and began to brush her daughter’s thick, tangled hair, as Caroline cringed.
“Clara, would you be a dear and go and get Caroline’s dress?”
“Sure!” I said.
I went into Caroline’s room and grabbed the beautiful, lovely, full pink dress with the gauzy skirt and small waist, complete with silk shoes.
By now Mrs. Locketsen had brushed her, and she and I helped Caroline into the beautiful, soft dress.  Caroline looked in the mirror and smiled.  The rose in the dress brought out the hue in her round cheeks.
Then Mrs. Locketsen went into her closet and appeared with a beautiful little velvet box.  Inside was her cosmetics.  She applied lipstick to her daughters face, along with creme under the eyes, some paint on her eyelashes and above her eyes, and penciled out her daughters beautiful eyebrows, where as mine were more bushy and pointed.
Then she towel dried Caroline’s hair as I watched.  She then took a hot iron out of the fire and curled Caroline’s beautiful hair.  After much twirling, and pulling and squealing in Caroline’s case and me running off to grab more pins and primrose, Caroline was done.
Her hair was amazing.  And then, Mrs. Locketsen pulled out two elbow length gloves, as well as a beautiful silver necklace with sparkling white diamonds, as well as matching earrings and a bracelet, in which Caroline would put on when the party began.
And then with a little squeal as she looked at the Godfather Clock on her mantle, Mrs. Locketsen shooed us out to get herself ready.
“My head hurts,” Caroline complained, but she was pretty happy and gasped when she looked at herself in the mirror.  
I felt small and ugly beside her—the fairy of all beautiful things—dressed in my plain dress.
But then Caroline beamed at me.  “Now it is your turn.”


Like it, love it?  Please say so in the comments!  Thanks! :D



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