CAMP NANOWRIMO APPROACHES!: Episode III – Liam & Eleanor

This episode of LET’S CHAT! is brought to you by . . . Sir Arthur Conan Doilies! Now available in 221 different colors!

---

---

KENZIE: Good morning, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of LET’S CHAT! In our last interview, we got a sneak peek into the lives of Ed, Shelby, and Beau–three of the main characters within the universe of SK! Today, we’re going to be interviewing two new characters from that very same cast!

KENZIE: Ladies and gents, boys and girls, please give a big, warm welcome to Eleanor and Liam!

CROWD: *cheers begrudgingly*

LIAM: Gee. Don’t overexert yerself, there. . .

ELEANOR: *elbows Liam in the ribs*

LIAM: Oi!

KENZIE: All right, you two, settle down. First of all, I would like to thank both of you for agreeing to do this. Your support means the world to us here at the Smudged Thoughts studio.

LIAM: *hisses to Eleanor* I thought this was a contractual obligation kinda thing. . .?

KENZIE: Let’s get right to our first question, shall we? I think you’re really going to like the questions I’ve picked out!

KENZIE: First question comes from both Becky the Mothling and Madeline. It’s slightly similar, so we’ll just combine it into one. From Becky: “Can you guys do magic, or is it more magical creatures that you have to deal with?” And then from Madeline: “Can you guys do magic?? *heart eyes*

LIAM: My goodness, how did ye do that with your face?

KENZIE: Don’t you mind that. Now, which one of you would like to go first?

ELEANOR: Well–

LIAM: Magic? ‘course we can do magic! Ye think we’re supposed to save this idiotic planet without it? Let me tell ye somethin’, lassie, I–

ELEANOR: *jabs Liam’s foot with the butt of her cane*

LIAM: YOUCH!

ELEANOR: We do not possess magic, no. That would be absolutely preposterous. We are normal, average human beings, just like you.

LIAM: There ye go, Elle. Call the poor lassies average. That’s gonna make ye some friends.

ELEANOR: Oh, you know what I meant, you old fart.

KENZIE: All right, leading off that extremely . . . cryptic answer, here’s another one from Madeline: “Tell me a bit about your world? Is life different? Do you still watch movies and read books and act like normal humans?”

ELEANOR: Well, that’s highly presumptuous of you to assume that we don’t act like normal humans, isn’t it? I do, as a matter of fact, enjoy reading. Books are a beautiful escape, which–

LIAM: *intense snoring sounds*

ELEANOR: Oh, and I assume you have a better answer for this question? She asked about reading. I’m not exactly sure that’s a topic you’re well versed in.

LIAM: No, she asked what our world was like. Clean those elephant ears out, would ye? As a matter of fact, lass, our world is different. They’d like ye to believe it’s not–try to keep it all hush-hush, like–but I can tell ye for good and certain that our world’s chock full of–

ELEANOR: –legends that no one needs to hear, you’re perfectly right. Please ask us another question, dear.

KENZIE: Actually, I think I’d really like to hear the rest of Liam’s answe–

ELEANOR: QUESTION. NOW.

KENZIE: *jumps and flips her cards hastily, dislodging a few of them to the floor in the process* Okay, okay. . . How about this one from Anna?: “Do you like the world you live in? What would you change about it if you don’t like it?“

LIAM: Well, I don’t know about somethin‘, but someone could certainly use an attitude adjustment, if ye catch my meaning. . .

ELEANOR: *scowling as she readjusts her hands on the bejeweled cane in front of her* As a matter of fact, I do like the world we live in. It is peaceful and quiet . . . nothing happens, just as it should.

KENZIE: That feels like a bit of a lie, don’t you think?

ELEANOR: Definitely not a lie. We live in a small, meaningless little village, Miss Kenzie. Nothing to write home about, I can assure you of that.

LIAM: Ehhh, except for that one time when Casey came and blew up the middle school. That sure was interesting, wasn’t it, Elle? *nudges her with an elbow*

ELEANOR: *scowls* Do you have any more questions for us today, or will that be all?

KENZIE: Oh, we’re almost done. Is there anything else you’d like to add, Liam?

LIAM: Well, fer one thing, I’d appreciate it if someone *glares pointedly at Eleanor* would stop cuttin’ me off in the middle of me sentences. Very rude, if ye ask me.

KENZIE: Certainly.

LIAM: And secondly . . . nah, there’s really nothin’ I’d change about our world. It’s a bit depressin’ at times, to be sure, but the people are good and the sky is deep. Couldn’t’ve made a better one myself.

KENZIE: Perfect answer, Liam! Thank you for your input.

ELEANOR: *scowl increases*

KENZIE: Ahem. Moving on. Our fourth and final viewer submitted question for today comes from Anna, as well, and it’s specifically for you Eleanor! Anna asks: “Why are you so adorable and can you be all my characters’ mother, please? (psst, I have a cute little five-year-old Eleanor who would like you!!)”

LIAM: Ahhhhh. *nods knowingly* Good idea. Butter up to the old hag. That’s sure to cheer her up. *flips a subtle thumbs up towards Kenzie, who’s eyes glint as though she wishes she could strangle him and throw him into the coat closet*

ELEANOR: *pinches her lips together, but otherwise ignores the annoying little man to her left* Oh my. . . Of course I will take care of your characters, dear. Goodness knows I do quite enough of that already with these lunatics hanging about.

LIAM: *beams*

ELEANOR: You’d think they were all toddlers, the way they act. I swear the only sane one among them is Ms. Westburn.

LIAM: Yeah, well. We’ll fix that eventually, won’t we?

ELEANOR: But your little Eleanor sounds like an absolute darling. I would love to meet her someday. I’m sure there’s a thing or two I can teach her about becoming a civil human being. *glances pointedly to her left*

KENZIE: I’m sure we can arrange for you two to meet sometime. I bet the other Eleanor would love to meet you, as well.

LIAM: Yeah. That ain’t gonna be a recipe for disaster, surely.

KENZIE: *flipping her cards onto the coffee table in front of her* So I think that’s it for our viewer-submitted questions today. We have a few more to get to later on, but I’ve set those aside for next week’s special guests–Sam and Eugene. I’m sure you know these two quite well already, no?

LIAM: *snorts* Know them? O’ course we know them. Good luck interviewing those blubbering idiots, lassie.

KENZIE: Oh, I’m not worried. They’re softies once you get to know them.

ELEANOR: Be that as it may, you might consider having some . . . backup on hand. Just in case.

KENZIE: . . .right. That’s probably not a bad idea, to be honest. But still! It’ll be a wonderful time, I’m sure of it!

LIAM: *muttering* Somethin’ like that. . .

KENZIE: Right. . . So now that we’re done with our submitted questions, I was wondering if we could switch gears and talk for a moment about Camp NaNoWriMo. You two were part of a camp project last year, so I was thinking you might be able to give some advice to other characters preparing to go into their first Camp NaNo? It really is a trying ordeal for some of them, I’ve heard.

LIAM: Yeah, considerin’ that our last Camp NaNoWriMo ended in the worst failure I’ve seen to this day, I’d say it can be quite a difficult adjustment to make.

ELEANOR: *hisses* Liam. . .!

LIAM: What? Ye want me to lie to these unsuspecting maggots? What am I supposed to tell ’em, Elle? That they’re not entering the worst month of their poor, pathetic lives tomorrow? Because that’s all that awaits ’em on the other side of March, ye know. Pain and death and failure. We’re doomed, the whole lot of us.

ELEANOR: *sighs* What Liam is trying to say is that you’re going to be just fine. It’s difficult, yes, but not impossible. The best thing to do before Camp begins is to make sure you’re prepared physically and mentally. Know that for the next 30 days, you will be working every day, and you will be working hard. Get to know your coworkers and fellow castmates. They’re going to become your new best friends until May.

LIAM: Unless you’re already best friends, and then they’re just gonna be a pain in yer side forevermore.

ELEANOR: But most importantly of all, don’t give up. There will be days when you want to quit, but you mustn’t allow those days to define the whole of the month. You can do this. I believe in you.

LIAM: Aye. And rules are made to be broken, so go ahead and break as many of ’em as ye see fit. Don’t feel like workin’ everyday? Tell yer author to work on a scene where yer not present. Works like a charm every time.

ELEANOR: Yes, some people prefer to take the lazy approach, but if you’re persistent and come to work fresh and ready for action each morning–

LIAM: — yer a robot and can’t be trusted. Take naps. Many of ’em. That’s the only way to recharge, in my opinion. That and ice cream. So eat a lot of that, too.

ELEANOR: We’re trying to give them good advice here, Liam. Not a how-to guide for giving yourself diabetes in thirty days or less.

LIAM: Fine. Drink water. Keeps yer skin supple.

ELEANOR: You’re impossible.

LIAM: Thanks, darlin’.

KENZIE: Aaaaand I think that’s where we’re gonna end this today. Thank you both so much for joining us on LET’S CHAT! I’m sure this interview will be . . . quite enlightening for our viewers. I wish you two the best of luck next month, and to everyone watching, have a beautiful day, a magical Camp, and a most whimsical week! See you all next time!

*click*

---

---

TALK TO ME, PEASANTS!

So that’s the interview between Eleanor and Liam! I currently have one more interview planned–Sam and Eugene–before the grand finale interview at the end of the month, where the entire cast of SK comes together for the first–and quite possibly only–time! There are a couple questions on my list that seem to be directed at everyone, so I thought it would only make sense for everyone to get the chance to answer them! Of course, this means that I have to try and wrangle all ten characters at once, but . . . aheh. I’m sure it will be fine.

*sweats nervously*

SO ANYWAY. Let’s talk, shall we?:

for the wrimos . . .

• On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you for tomorrow??? Since I’m currently on quarantine and literally have no life (aside from talking to imaginary people and counting my toenails) I’m planning on staying up until midnight tonight to get a head start on my writing! It’s gonna be GREAT. And quite possibly exhausting. We shall see.
• What is your best advice for avoiding distractions??? I recently got the new Animal Crossing game and . . . I’m kind of in love? So yeah. I’m absolutely loving it, but it’s a D I S T R A C T I O N. So give me ALL of the distraction-crushing advice, if ya please!
• Would you like weekly/daily/sporadic writing prompts throughout the month of April to help keep you motivated and inspired to write? I quite enjoy coming up with writing prompts, but I’d like to make sure that the content I’m posting is something that you all would actually enjoy. So! Let me know down below if writing prompts are something you’re interested in!
• OR, on the flip side, would you be more interested in weekly live writing sprints? I’m definitely up for hosting those, as well, so just let me know what kind of camp activities you’d find most helpful for your creativity! <333

for the non-wrimos . . .

• DO YOU PLAY ANIMAL CROSSING???????? If so, we should probably exchange friend codes or something . . . just saying.
• No, but seriously. If any of my writer friends out there play Animal Crossing, TELL. ME.
• Ahem. Moving on. What sorts of things have you been doing to keep your brains busy during this weird, slightly terrifying time? I recently read a post from the Go Teen Writers blog, and W H O A. It kind of changed my whole viewpoint on this pandemic? 10/10 recommend reading it.

As always, let’s talk about ALL OF THE THINGS! (especially all of the CAMPish things) down in the comments below. And until next time. . .