Beautiful Books

Hi guys! So instead of doing Beautiful People this month, Further Up and Further In is hosting Beautiful Books. The idea is to answer questions about our NaNo project (or any other story we happen to be working on). There will be three different sets of questions, but you can follow the link for the full details.

Anyway, using my NaNo idea, Running Crazy, here are the questions and answers.

What came first: characters or plot idea? Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Do you have a title and/or a “back-cover-blurb”? 
I have a working title at least, and that's Running Crazy. Right now I'm still working out a blurb.

What wordcount are you aiming for when your novel is finished?
I'm hoping at least 50K, though I doubt I'll make that in November.

Sum up your novel in 3 sentences.
Boy meets girl.
Boy likes girl.
Girl leaves.

No, not really.

 Reeve and Amy get tossed together through a series of circumstances and end up on a road trip together. During the duration of the trip they start to develop feelings for each other. When the trip is over however, they don't know if those feelings are strong enough to stand up to normal life.

Sum up your characters in one word each.
Reeve = Adorable. Amy = Broken.

Which character are you most excited to write? Tell us about them! 
Well, the point of view is Reeve, so I guess him. I like him a lot.

What about your villain? Who is he, what is his goal?
I still don't have a flesh and blood villain! :'(

What is your protagonist’s goal? And what stands in the way?
Reeve's goal is to land Amy as his official and for real girlfriend. Her mom stands in the way.

What inciting incident begins your protagonist’s journey?
Reeve gets a call from Donny asking if he wants to take off with him and some friends during summer vacation.

Where is your novel set?
It jumps between Kearney, Nebraska and the Laramie, Wyoming area.

What are three big scenes in your novel that change the game completely?
The first would be when Reeve and Amy have to take the pickup together. The second would be when they ditch their friends for their own trip. The third would be when the cops come after them.

What is the most dynamic relationship your character has? Who else do they come in contact with or become close to during the story?
Well the love interest is obviously Amy, and Reeve doesn't like any of the other girls in the story. He does a lot of interacting with Donny and Chloe though.

How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?
He's hopelessly in love, ten times more mature, and double confident in his ability to drive way too fast.

Do you have an ending in mind, or do you plan to see what happens? 
I have a vague ending in mind, but not a definite ending scene. I know what happens, just not exactly how.

What are your hopes and dreams for your book? What impressions are you hoping this novel will leave on your readers and yourself? (This is your mission statement, one you can look back on when the road gets tough.)
I'm hoping it will turn out to be 'pretty'. Something heartwarming, like John Green-ish minus all the death and heartache. I'd like it to have the best emotional feel of all the stories I've written so far, and hopefully it will be much longer too.

There you go! You should go check out the questions too, because I'd love to read your answers.