Song for the day: Numbers by Daughter

Perhaps a melodramatic song for what is generally a very light-hearted book, especially one where the primary "moral" is about others helping you to care for yourself, but none of the characters start in an especially great place. I mean, few protagonists do-- there has to be a fundamental lack, some kind of need, that drags stories forwards.

I tend to emphasize lack. I'm looking for a good word to fill the emptiness between how things should be and how things are. I'll tell you when I write long enough to figure it out.

Muse is the story of three teenagers who are each posting their original fiction on WordThread, which is a very transparent Wattpad parody. Through shenanigans, the three of them find out that they are in fact writing the same story from three different perspectives and that it is their job to ensure that this story has a happy ending. 

URIEL/UrielOfAgnant

Uriel is one of the foremost authors in the fantasy section of WordThread. Though she's young and she sometimes lacks in the way of heart or originality, her prose is snappy, heavily marketable, and she has a knack for networking. She knows just how to twist things to keep people hooked, and she reads several dozen chapters on the site a day and keeps up with all the drama in the community. This is to say that Uriel is a dedicated force to be reckoned with.

TALIA/la-luz-esperate

Talia is a firsttime writer on WordThread. Her grip on the English language is mildly tenuous but she loves the idea of being a writer and sees it as an outlet to express herself. She's a huge fan of Uriel's and has drawn fanart in the past, although she doesn't think of herself as much of an artist. She's on WordThread to escape and make friends, although she hasn't reached out to anyone and has a tendency to silent read.

Matteo/Neofictitious

Matteo has never received more than thirty reads on a story in his life, but he's been on the site for five years and has two or three readers who regularly read all his works and leave extensive comments. However, these are not half as extensive as his own-- he posts all his chapters at three in the morning with five hundred word author's notes on the prose and his decision process, headcanons, et cetera. Matteo doesn't get any sleep but he does get work done. The self-proclaimed king of worldbuilding and the only one of the three who wants to write full time as an adult, Matteo has no back up plan, no friends, and no problem with this.

More sketches of the group, and as you can see at the top, their protagonists. All the books are written in first person because this is WordThread. The books are integrated into the chapters of *my* book as well, so think of it as three stories within a story with a side chat function.

To round us off, while I wouldn't consider this a first chapter, as it's already old, but have a prototype for what will eventually become a draft of sorts. Enjoy. :)

WordThread Conversation Between UrielOfAgnant and Neofictitious on 8/9/16 at 20:05

UrielOfAgnant: I by no means intend to be rude but I must inform you that I recently found your story "Seacaller" and it is very clear that you have stolen my idea.
Neofictitious: who even are you
UrielOfAgnant: I'm a fellow author on this site--may I note, a member of some notability. I'm best known for my work on the "Gemini" duology and following companion novel.
Neofictitious: that's not what I meant it was a rhetorical question
Neofictitious: And I didn't steal your book and have no idea what you're talking about?
Neofictitious: on an unrelated note a duology and a companion novel is just a trilogy which you should have considered before you named your series
UrielOfAgnant: I didn't contact you to insult you.
Neofictitious: It appears to me like that's exactly what you did?
UrielOfAgnant: Stop playing coy with me. There is no way you could have thought of the exact same name for your world as I did and the same general concept of a world separated into castes according to climate.
Neofictitious: oh what it wasn't like a character premise or something it was worldbuilding
Neofictitious: So I guess this is like a Pokémon and Digimon deal where they're obviously not even close but everyone keeps comparing them right?
UrielOfAgnant: What's Digimon?
Neofictitious: You disgust me.
UrielOfAgnant: I know, given that you've copied *my original works*, that you're probably a troll, but could you at least pretend to be professional about this?
Neofictitious: We are on a website for thirteen year olds.
Neofictitious: Whatever. The book I "borrowed from" was The Storm's Eye, right?
UrielOfAgnant: So it would be.
Neofictitious: funny story! you appear to have put it up a day after mine.
UrielOfAgnant: Are you accusing me of stealing ideas?
Neofictitious: watch out. the tables have turned
Neofictitious: heavy tables
Neofictitious: sharp corners
Neofictitious: and I'm turning them
UrielOfAgnant: What's your angle?
Neofictitious: hey man you contacted me
(UrielOfAgnant has stopped the thread. Have a nice day!)