Delulu, Not Delusional

Post 1

Mulan.

Tiana.

Elsa.

Moana.

Just to name a few Princesses that are going to be relevant to the post later.

Anywho…

This is probably the most fun I’ve ever had writing.

Somehow, even the stories I write purely for fun find a way of making me unpack things I didn’t realize I’d shoved into a box.

But the series name, Delulu, not Delusional, is letting me be delusional about another life that now exists.

The women in this series are badass.

Unapologetic.

Fearless.

And save themselves before a man can even think about what he needs to do.

And because my brain is a chaotic, delusional mess when these women are around…

Writing them has been a whirlwind of discovering how my brain wants to write a book.

I’ve learned I write better backwards.

A song comes on.

No matter what I’m doing, where I’m at, or even if I’m having a conversation…

There’s a scene in my head.

A character tugging on my jacket like an impatient child who has decided whatever I’m doing can wait.

I know what they’re feeling as strongly as if it were me.

Sometimes I can hear exactly what they’re saying.

And I can’t do anything else until I write it.

It doesn’t matter if that scene belongs three chapters ahead of where I’m currently writing or if it’s at the end of the book.

I write the moment first and figure out how the hell everyone gets there later.

Without giving too much away, working this way—and letting music guide a lot of those scenes—has made for a much better story than I think I could’ve ever hoped for.

No hate to Iris and her universe because I hold her and everyone in that world near and dear to my heart.

But that series was written at a time in my life when I was finding myself, so of course Iris is finding herself as well.

DND is fueled and inspired by all of the women I see, hear, and read about who go, ‘If I wait on someone to rescue me, I’ll always be lost.’

Mulan saved China.

Tiana built her own dream.

Elsa saved her kingdom.

Moana saved her island.

Romance didn’t make these women interesting.

Moana and Elsa don’t have love interests.

Love can be part of their stories without being the reason their stories exist.

That’s what I want for my women.

And I’m having a blast letting romance and independence work side by side instead of having one or the other.

Maybe this will sound cynical, but I don’t think we should be waiting around for someone else to decide what’s best for us.

Being loved shouldn’t mean giving up the ability to stand on your own.

It should mean ‘I pick this person to stand with me and be there to lean on when I need a break.’

Being loved—platonically or romantically—should be a partnership.

Someone who adds to your life without asking you to become less of yourself.

Which leads me to...

This is probably also simultaneously the easiest and hardest series I’ve had to write, because I can hear the characters in my head like they’re sitting beside me.

BUT…

How do I put what I can see and hear onto paper?

I know exactly how each character says something.

I can hear the inflection.

Sarcasm.

The looks other characters give them.

The smiles that light up their faces.

I can see it all and then stare at my screen like…

How the fuck do I explain that?

How do I describe these vibrant characters and their personalities in a way that resonates and makes sense to humans who are reading what I can clearly hear and see?

Needless to say…

This series will be an audiobook, and I know exactly who will be voicing the characters.