#PennedPossibilities 276 — What is the most significant smell in your WIP?
Credit: @HeliaXyana
I absolutely love this question. In #ThePastIsAWound, significant smells would have to be office scents: old books, paperwork, ink, that slight hint of dust in the air, freshly brewed coffee, cigarette smoke all around, etc. It's the smell of work. It's the scent of newspapers, all recently printed. It's a whiff of news scribbled on notes or written with a greased typerwriter. It smells like CHANGE.
#PennedPossibilities 277 — Who in your MC's family do they most resemble?
Randall is the spitting image of his father in every imaginable way. He looked just like him as a younger man, wild and curly blonde hair, those expressive eyes, and thin frame. Even now, as he's grown older, he still looks a great deal like him. All the men in his family are or were thin, belying quite a strength, dressed sharply, and wore glasses.
#PennedPossibilities 278 — Did your MC or SC have any childhood pets?
Credit: @aperfectsong
(This question comes from my girlfriend!)
Lix had a dog growing up that she was incredibly close with, among other pets. She had rabbits, a few cats, etc. She adores animals. She is such a compassionate woman. Randall loves that about her. She used to feed the feral cats in Spain while they were there. He took quite a few photographs of her doing just that. It always made him smile.
#PennedPossibilities 279 — Does your MC or SC have a favorite type of food? It could be a specific dish, a cuisine in general, etc.
Credit: @aperfectsong
(Again, this one's from my other half! Go follow my girlfriend.)
This one's easy. For Randall, it's tiramisu. He has such a sweet tooth and he loves an elegant dessert. Tiramisu is one of his absolute favorite pleasures.
For Lix, she loves Chinese cuisine. So much. She loves spicy food as well. The spicier, the better.
#PennedPossibilities 280 — SC POV: What is something you were insecure about when you were a child?
Bel: I was rather thin. The other women in my same year would tease me about my weight.
Freddie: I was the quiet lad that everyone avoided. I often enjoyed my own company. I read, cared about politics, and followed current news — just things that no one else ever did — and because of that I found myself in the company of those older than myself. People called me odd for it.
#PennedPossibilities 281 — What does your MC or SC first notice when meeting new people?
Lix excels at reading people. She notices everything. She has met so many people. At this point, she can immediately tell who's a good person and who isn't. Upon first meeting a person, she can see (by subtle tells) if they're genuine or not by reading their eyes. She just knows. She's good at what she does. She has worked in the news for all of her life. It all comes with experience.
#PennedPossibilities 282 — Are there any insignificant memories that stick with your SC to this day?
Freddie remembers the time spent with Ruth Elms. It might just be little things, like hot cocoa on a snowy night or enjoying a rainstorm indoors as they read together by the fireplace. Even though it's heartbreaking because she's gone now, he tries to remember those days and how she was then. He only wants to think of her that way: smiling, young, happy, and witty.
#PennedPossibilities 283 — Do you have any advice for "aspiring" authors?
"Share your work. Famous writers of the past had cadres of fellow writers they bounced ideas and writing off of. I don’t suggest trying to be an island, or a vacuum. People picture that it has to be done alone to truly be theirs, untainted by others. But that’s just not how it is. We read others’ work. We share ideas every day. We still bring about something unique when we write."
Check this out: https://mariejudson.com/2021/12/10/what-are-common-traps-for-aspiring-writers/
#PennedPossibilities 284 — What are common traps for new authors?
There are far too many to list. However, I did find a fantastic article that I'd love to share with everyone here. I also found something on Reddit that will help as well. I'll post a screenshot.
This is a GREAT read: https://scribemedia.com/author-traps/
#PennedPossibilities 285 — Are there any significant memories that stick with your MC to this day?
To this day, Lix will never forget the look on Randall's face when she turned down his marriage proposal. It was twenty years ago and she will never be able to forget it. She wishes she never said no. She wishes she hadn't been a coward. More than that, she wishes she told him that she was pregnant. If only she could turn back the clock... It's a memory that haunts her.
#PennedPossibilities 286 — Piggybacking off of the previous question: Are there any insignificant memories that stick with your MC to this day as well?
Lix remembers everything from Spain. She can recall Randall's touch, the way he always wanted to be near her, protecting her and making sure she was safe and cared for, or how much he adored that she fed the feral cats in the area. How he laughed and smiled, or how he would take photographs of her in random places. All of it.
#PennedPossibilities 287 — What were your SC's childhood obsessions?
For Freddie, it was writing. He could always be found with a notebook in hand. He scribbled down notes about the news, poetry, quotes from novels that he fancied, and often wrote short stories. His obsessions were both non-fiction and fiction alike. The news became his passion over the years.
#PennedPossibilities 288 — How social is your MC or SC? Do they thrive around others or do they prefer being alone?
I truly mean it when I say that none of my characters are very social at all. They learned how to be social with one another, but that doesn't mean they're extroverted by any means. They all struggle in various different ways. Around one another and at work, they've learned how to communicate, how to be, and how to support another. They all grew together.
#PennedPossibilities 289 — What is the longest amount of time you’ve spent on a WIP?
Credit: @aperfectsong
I can't remember anything specifically, but I will say that I have spent YEARS on WIPs in the past. I will write, rewrite, edit, and continue writing for the sake of a WIP. I'm a perfectionist, what can I say? I never overdo it, though. I just try to put out the best "product" that I possibly can. That's all. It's a craft that needs practice and a hell of a lot of experience.
#PennedPossibilities 290 — How do you find time to write?
I don't, but I make it work.
In all seriousness, the time needs to be made for it. Some days, I HAVE that time. Others, I'm incredibly busy and it's just impossible for me. Our schedules can be the biggest and worst antagonists of all, worse than any terrifying fantasy story's villain — and unlike them, you can't just set it on fire or hurl it into the void of doom and despair.
#PennedPossibilities 291 — How does your SC feel about babies, children, and teenagers?
Freddie and Bel don't mind children or teenagers. They're fine. They would love children some day.
Hector and Marnie don't mind them at all, of course. They're parents.
Sissy and Sey love children. Despite the risks with the time period and the current political situation, they do want children of their own. They just aren't sure if it will ever happen. Their child would be multiracial.
#PennedPossibilities 292 — MC POV: What is your biggest fear?
Randall: Losing my friends, family, and those I love. I've spent my life losing people and things. I'm sick of it. I'm tired of /losing/ everyone. In all fairness, I wouldn't survive losing Lix again.
Lix: Losing him. Again. I never should have sent him away twenty years ago. Now that Randall's back again, I'll never be able to say goodbye. Our love is a book that I never want it to end. It hasn't finished yet.
#PennedPossibilities 293 — What is your MC burningly passionate about?
Both Lix and Randall, who have worked in the business of the news as war photographers and journalists throughout their lives, are passionate over their craft. The endless workdays, the sleepless nights, the nightmares, the realizations that the world may never change... All of it is worth it for the chance to open people's eyes to the horrors currently going on in the world. The truth deserves to be known.
#PennedPossibilities 294 — What, to you, are the most important elements of good writing?
This was actually one of my favorite questions to think of.
There are so many important elements when it comes to writing. For me, here are some of them. Find a clear voice and a style that fits you. You need an accurate and evocative word choice as well. Also: read more, especially stuff you love.
I found two fantastic articles that might help others.
https://www.writingforward.com/better-writing/characteristics-of-good-writing
#PennedPossibilities 295 — What is your MC or SC’s posture like?
Randall's posture is near-perfect. He's always just a bit too stiff. It shows how uncomfortable he is, or how he might be dying to fidget and move things around. For clarification, he has atrocious OCD.
Lix is languid and smooth, moving like a lazy panther. Her posture is both good and bad. It depends on how utterly knackered she is.
Freddie has bad posture.
Bel has fantastic posture. Blame it on how she grew up in sports.
#PennedPossibilities 296 — What is the best piece of advice that you as an author have ever received?
Credit: @aperfectsong
This one is short and sweet for me: to write what makes me happy. If it doesn't make me happy to write it, then what's the point?
#PennedPossibilities 297 — Sum up your MC in three verbs.
I loved this prompt so much.
Randall: Advise, analyze, and encourage (or dare, just because he's always pushing the limits).
Lix: Achieve, nurture, and accomplish. (She's a woman in a man's world. It's the 1950s and so few women are journalists. She has done so much in the world of the news. She has accomplished and achieved incredible things in her life. That's why both of those words were necessary in my eyes.)
#PennedPossibilities 298 — Do any of your characters have a disability?
Credit: @HeliaXyana
Yes, one of my characters (my MC, Randall) is neurodivergent. He has Autism and is on the spectrum. He has an intense case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). TODAY it's recognized as a mental health disorder, but our story takes place in the late 1950s. It wasn't even known about back then. He's different, but he's beautiful. He struggles but he's a warrior, and I love him.
#PennedPossibilities 299 — How does your MC or SC cope with stress?
He doesn't. Heh. Randall is atrocious when it comes to stress and anxiety. He's neurodivergent. His OCD goes into overdrive. He immediately starts fiddling with things. If the situation is bad enough, he'll have a full-on breakdown and tear his office or bedroom to pieces. That being said, he's also a well-seasoned journalist and ex-war photographer. He makes it work. He does his best. He CAN handle stress.
#PennedPossibilities 300 — How does your MC or SC react to change? Do they struggle to adjust or go with the flow?
Randall and Lix are both crying out for change. Freddie, Bel, and the others are as well. They work in the news for a reason. They WANT change. They NEED it for the world. Women, people with a different skin color or religion, those who are disabled either physically or mentally, etc... Everyone deserves to live a life filled with safety and equal opportunity.
#PennedPossibilities 301 — What are some of your MC's other (lesser) fears?
Randall has a fear of spiders. Lix used to laugh at him when they were in Spain. His flat was a tiny, leaky-roofed space and spiders loved living in any available spot, whether it was in a dresser drawer or in the closet. He would (and I'm not even joking here) scream whenever he saw them. He made Lix "relocate" them. He's still not a fan of anything creepy-crawly.
#PennedPossibilities 302 — What is the one thing your SC desires most in the world?
Equality. It's the 1950s, almost the 60s, and every single one of my SCs (and the MCs) are different in some way or considered the "wrong" gender (especially to be journalists in the business of television and sharing the news). They're all connected in that way, and it's why they work so well together. Each of them desire change, equality, the end of war, safety, and peace for the world.
#PennedPossibilities 303 — Is your SC one to be haunted by adversity, or to use what they've gone through to become stronger?
Never haunted, only motivated. Bel Rowley will never be held back by her gender. She uses her past experiences and the experiences of women around her as fuel to push her forward and to motivate her further. As I've said before, our story takes place in the 1950s. She's a woman in a man's world, especially working in news, and she won't be stopped.
#PennedPossibilities 304 — How did your MC feel about friendships growing up? How do they feel about them now?
Randall had a tough time making friendships. He has OCD and is neurodivergent. He's on the spectrum. Connections were / are hard to form. He struggled as a young lad. Now, much older, he knows that the friendships that he has are so important. He's fiercely protective over those that are lucky enough to be considered very dear mates of his. They're more like family.
#PennedPossibilities 305 — Are there any characters of yours that you wound up HATING once you were finished with a story or WIP?
Credit: @aperfectsong
I have to say, that hasn't been the case for me. I'll count myself as lucky here. I would have killed them off the very moment I started to hate them. I still wanted to ask this question, though. I'm dying to see everyone else's responses. I'm sure they'll be fantastic.
#PennedPossibilities 306 — Are there any characters that you WISH you killed off in a series or standalone story?
(My follow-up to last night's prompt!)
I don't particularly have any characters that I wish I had killed off in a WIP or finished story. The answer is no. I'll take that as a win. It means I did it the right way. You don't want to look back on a story of yours and wish that you had changed it somehow, or even killed off a character that ended up living. It would change everything.
#PennedPossibilities 307 — Does your MC have next-door neighbors? Who are they?
Since moving to London, Randall has lived in a hotel suite. For the time period, in the 50s, this was a commonplace practice. He never meant to the stay in London for The Hour. Think of hotels like apartment or flat buildings. Rooms or suites could be rented. He doesn't really know his neighbors, aside from waving to them or mumbling a quick greeting as they pass each other by the lifts.
#PennedPossibilities 308 — What is one place your characters want to visit?
They all want to see the world, or already have but only for the sake of work and journalism. Something comes to mind, though. Lix wants to visit Scotland with Randall. It's mentioned in one of the chapters. They have a conversation about it, and Randall says that he'll take her home one day to see his house and to meet the family. She's looking forward to that more than words could ever say.
#PennedPossibilities 309 — How is your MC or SC with animals?
I've mentioned this before but Lix loves animals. She used to feed the feral cats and dogs while they were in Spain. These days, she would love another cat. Things aren't exactly "safe" at home for the time being, which is why she has been staying with Randall. One day, though. She would love another cat. Randall and Lix are both huge animal lovers. They're both so compassionate. Animals make the best of friends.
#PennedPossibilities 310 — MC or SC POV: What was your favorite day or holiday when you were a child?
Randall: Hogmanay. The last day of the old year. I come from an incredibly large Scottish family. It's ridiculous how many of us there are, to be honest. We would always get together to celebrate the New Year. I miss those days.
#PennedPossibilities 311 — What is a memory that makes your SC swell with pride?
Quite a few moments come to mind for Bel, and all of them revolve around the workplace and news stories that she's followed for the sake of sharing it all. In particular, though, it was landing the job as Producer for The Hour in the first place. The first television news program, the very first of its kind, and with a woman as producer! She was so proud. Everything clicked into place for her.
#PennedPossibilities 312 — Is your MC or SC a leader, a follower, or something in between?
None of my characters are one or the other. They're all a bit of both. They'll jump to action and take charge, but they will also gladly take advice and guidance from others when it might be needed as well. To be fair, though, they all lean more towards the "leader" side of things, which is why they make such an incredible journalism team and tell the best news stories on television.
#PennedPossibilities 313 — Is your MC or SC one to confess romantic feelings early on, or to conceal them for long periods of time? (1/2)
Both Lix and Randall are the type to conceal their feelings for as long as possible, right up until they're crippled by them and have to confess it all. Although Lix is the type to occasionally pursue one-night-stands, there aren't any feelings involved. She's only looking for sex. There's never any comfort, protection, and love. ~ (cont.)
#PennedPossibilities 313 — Is your MC or SC one to confess romantic feelings early on, or to conceal them for long periods of time? (2/2)
Randall, on the other hand, is the type to stay away. He's only ever been with a few women (and men). People loathe his idiosyncrasies. He thinks that he's hard to love so he stays away. Life isn't easy when you have terrible anxiety, awful OCD, and are on the spectrum. Mind you, it's only the 50s. Barely any of this was named or known.
#PennedPossibilities 314 — Has your MC ever felt as though they were reborn in the mental / emotional sense?
Randall has. Finding out about Lix's feelings, knowing that she cared as deeply as she did, and all along as well, felt like a rebirth in a very emotional sense. She loves him, despite it all. All throughout the years, it never faded. That love endured, same as it had for him as well. Love is pain, it aches, it isn't easy, and /true love/ never wavers. He felt reborn.
#PennedPossibilities 315 — What smells remind your MC of their childhood?
Pipe tobacco, for one, because Randall's father smoked. His uncles did as well. Baked goods would have to be another answer, if only because his mother could always be found pottering away in the kitchen as she baked. It seemed to relieve her of any stress and anxiety that she might have had. The smell of a fire in the hearth always reminds him of home and his childhood as well. It makes his heart ache.
#PennedPossibilities 316 — Does your MC or SC have a hard time connecting with others?
Randall has such a tough time forming connections. Not only does he have OCD but he's on the spectrum. He's neurodivergent, which means that he's different from everyone else around him. The only one who's ever truly understood him has been Lix. Bel and Freddie do now as well. They all love him, care for him, and consider him someone worth knowing, protecting, and admiring. That matters.
#PennedPossibilities 317 — What clothing materials or outfits feel the most comfortable to your villain?
Once upon a time, he would have said his military uniform. These days, he doesn't care. Why would he? He's only seeking revenge. The rest is completely unnecessary, so he'll wear whatever he can afford or find.
#PennedPossibilities 318 — What do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?
Music. Other than that, of course, I require complete and utter silence in every other aspect. My cat begs to differ. She thinks I need her continuous and incredibly loud meowing and ear-piercing squeaky toys. I also have a few comfy pillows on my gaming chair and things like that. It makes being at my desk a better experience overall, especially for long periods of time as I write.
#PennedPossibilities 319 — MC POV: Where did you grow up? What was your childhood like there?
Randall: Glasgow. It was... interesting. Not a fun time, either. I never had very many friends, which was fine by me. No one understood me, anyway. I have such a large family. My cousins and I are rather close. That was all I needed. I never had any sweethearts growing up, only studied well and left the first moment that I was able to in order to pursue photography and journalism.
#PennedPossibilities 320 — What was the worst event of your MC's childhood?
For Randall, it would definitely have to be his parents sitting him down to ask him to stop "being the way that he is" and to stop fiddling with things. They thought that it was made up, that he was seeking attention and was lying about feeling "different" from everyone else. They soon learned the truth. (Randall has OCD and ASD and is neurodivergent.)
#PennedPossibilities 321 — Did your SC once admire their parents? Who else did they admire growing up? What about today?
Bel admired her father more than anything. She misses him. Her mother is a bit... much. She loves her, but she doesn't admire her or look up to her in any way, shape, or form. She admired strong, powerful women as she grew older. These days, she thinks rather highly of both Lix and Randall. They would help her with anything. She need only ask for it.
#PennedPossibilities 322 — What piece of advice, as an author, did you once receive but hadn’t followed? Looking back on it now, you might wish that you had.
Credit: @aperfectsong
Some people aren't there to offer helpful advice. Don't bother entertaining haters' opinions. They're only looking to tear you down and make you feel like rubbish. Ignore them and live your life. Forge ahead and continue on with your writing. Advice like that would have saved me so much time and heartache years ago.
#PennedPossibilities 323 — What's a piece of advice for writers that you listened to and are glad for?
To surround myself with other writers. The majority of my close friends are writers. My girlfriend is one, and it's how we met. My friends on here are. It was the best decision I've ever made, joining Mastodon. I will always be an advocate for joining a "community" of any kind where your hobbies are more than just that. They're your passion. It's love. It's so helpful, and you aren't alone.
#PennedPossibilities 324 — SC POV: If you could relive one day of your life without changing anything that happened, which day would you choose?
Bel: The day I married Freddie, my best friend. He drives me mad, never fails to make me laugh, occasionally pushes me to my limits, supports me completely, and loves and protects me. He gives me everything that he has. He hates that he has to walk with a limp now, but if our situations were reversed, he would love me through it.
#PennedPossibilities 325 — SC POV: If you could relive one day of your life and change its course of events, which day would you choose?
Bel: If I could change one day of my life, it would have been /that day/, the one where Freddie was nearly beaten to death. He survived, by some miracle. I would have never let him go alone, though. Those thugs wouldn't have bothered a group of people. The remaining course of events wouldn't have changed. /He/ would have been safe, though.
#PennedPossibilities 326 — Do any of your characters have a favorite place that they've ever visited?
Randall adored living in Greece. It was one of his favorite places that he had ever visited, worked, or lived. He would love to go back on a holiday someday. He saw the majority of the Greek Civil War there, covering the news as a war photographer and working on various articles as well. He even stayed to see the defeat of the Communist forces. He also loved living in France.
#PennedPossibilities 327 — How much does your MC value other people? Do they wish to have many friends, lovers, and / or associates? Are they an easy person to love?
Randall is anything but an easy person to love. Those who DO love him care a great deal and would do anything for him. Yes, he values people — /he's in the business of news/ — but he doesn't ever need many friends, only associates or contacts. He likes things just as they are. (Lix is the only lover he needs.)
#PennedPossibilities 328 — If you could meet your characters, what would you say to them? (1/2)
To Randall, I would say that he's not alone. There are so many other people out there like him, and in the future things begin to change for people like /us/. It's okay to be different and neurodivergent, to have OCD or be on the spectrum in any way. I would teach him about those things and show him just how far medical science has come since the 50s. We don't have to be alone.
#PennedPossibilities 328 — If you could meet your characters, what would you say to them? (2/2)
To the rest of the bunch, to all of my other characters, I would simply tell them this: everything is going to be okay. It's all going to work out. Hold onto your faith in humanity and the prevailing journalism, hold onto each other as tightly as you can, and support one another however, whenever, and wherever you can (and must). Life is going to work out for the best.
#PennedPossibilities 329 — How is your SC typically seen by others? Does it ring true to who they really are?
It's the late 1950s and Bel is a woman in a man's world. She's a journalist. Not only that, but she is the /producer/ of a television news program. No one thinks that she is worthy of her job. They think she's incapable. She proves them wrong time and time again. None of their opinions matter in the end. She's just as excellent and more than capable as any other man.
#PennedPossibilities 330 — How does your MC go about expressing or not expressing their sexuality?
Lix (while Randall was gone from her life for twenty years) would find men and women in smoke-filled pubs for drinks and dances before going home with them. She would later slip out of bed and sneakily make an exit, hobbling home. She expresses her sexuality very easily. Sex was never the problem, but love was. Now that Randall's back in her life again, everything has changed.
#PennedPossibilities 330 — How does your MC go about expressing or not expressing their sexuality?
Ludwig has /never/ had a problem with expressing his sexuality. He's been with so many women throughout his life. He's had some men as well, to be fair. Those trysts have always been and will always be well-kept secrets, though. He is a rather flirtatious man and has always been comfortable in his own body. It comes easily.
(This is a co-written & ongoing story with a friend.)
#PennedPossibilities 331 — Has your MC ever desired the feeling of a fresh start, or a better understanding of themselves and / or the world around them?
Randall tried to make a fresh start for himself so many times. It never worked. He always thought of his daughter and Lix. In the end, he came back. Maybe he was always meant to return to her. As far as a better understanding of himself and the world around him, he works in the news. He understands enough. People are cruel.
#PennedPossibilities 331 — Has your MC ever desired the feeling of a fresh start, or a better understanding of themselves and / or the world around them?
Ludwig has thought of a fresh start. He never pursued it. His desire to compose keeps him in Vienna. He can't leave. He's had friends move to London or New York, but he stayed. A better understanding of himself and the world around him, though? It will never happen.
(This is a co-written & ongoing story with a friend.)
#PennedPossibilities 332 — What were your MC's childhood obsessions?
Randall was fond of reading, following the news, taking photographs, and doing all sorts of puzzles. Funnily enough, all of those things still hold true to this day.
Spooky Panda 🏳️🌈
