#WritersCoffee Club 21 Nov: What are some preconceptions about writers you'd like to see challenged?

I'm not bothered, really. People have mistaken ideas about most jobs or activities they don't happen to do themselves. It just doesn't weigh on me very heavily. I guess people's misconceptions about other things bother me more.

#WritersCoffee #Club 7/8: Have you always written, a tipping point

There's a striking difference between vaguely floating around thinking being an author would be lovely and sitting down and dedicating time and effort to get somewhere.

So a long list of byways but in 2012 I had a sabbatical and I wrote a first draft... Now I have two trad books out, I'm trying self-publishing a third and I've got a novella ready to go.

#The Crooked Medium #amwriting #reading #books

13. Favourite antagonist to write: Villains, anti-heroes, rivals?

#writerscoffee

I have written genuinely evil people. I prefer people who are flawed and who are doing something for motives which are not entirely selfish.

#amwriting #writingcommunity #writelife #amwritingSFF

#WritersCoffee Club 19 Jan: How do you pick character names?

Nodding my head vigorously as I read through people's answers. Yup yup yup.

If I'm writing something in the past, I look at names that were common in the place and period. If I'm writing something set in the future, I like using a good mix of names from around the world, plus blends of personal-name+surname to represent how we mingle.

If I'm writing secondary world/fantasy, ooh, it's complicated. I've used various methods.

#WritersCoffee Club Jan 13: Do you like maps? If they feature in your work do you draw them by hand or use an application?

I don't have a mappy mind. I skip over them in books and I don't use them myself so there are probably all kinds of geographical impossibilities.

(Sorry, worldbuilders!)

The exception is this map of Narnia. I had it on a poster as a child and pored over it for ages.