#WritersCoffeeClub day 1: What’s the greatest benefit you’ve taken from the writing community online?
The top few would be encouragement, inspiration, and companionship. Encouragement is probably the most valuable to me. I like being part of a community that's all wrestling to do the same thing and all cheering one another on.
RE: https://mastodon.art/@rowyn/115826212498498121
I forgot to add day 2 to the day 1 post to make a thread for January, so quoting it now to add it in.
#WritersCoffeeClub 3. How do you come up with the titles for your works?
For the first book in a series, I use something that sounds pithy/appealing in English, and that reflects something meaningful about the book. For instance, "A Rational Arrangement" reflects the pragmatic approach the female protagonist takes towards relationships.
For sequels, I riff off the first book title, while still trying to capture something about the story and sounding appealing in English.
#WritersCoffeeClub 4 Share a tool of your trade.
Most of my tools are pretty boring, so I'l share my favorite fun one: https://4thewords.com/ , a writing gamefication site. I've been using it since 2016. The gameplay is mostly just "writing words", but I love the flavor text, the events, completing quests, and the community. They have free accounts now! Free accounts have many limitations, but they let you try out the game.
And my referral code, since I'm waxing euphoric over it: LBQFV83845
#WritersCoffeeClub 5 How do you choose the point of view for a new story?
I mostly write romance, and I much prefer romances where you see the POV of all the romantic leads. So the vast majority of the time, I have multiple POVs and they're all protagonists in the romance. Any given scene will be told from the character whose perspective is most interesting to me. Maybe the one whose thoughts are least obvious from their outward actions, or the character most emotionally impacted by the scene.
#WritersCoffeeClub 6 Process-wise, what’s improved for you over the years?
I write more detailed outlines, which makes the outlining stage take longer and makes the writing stage easier. In general, it's a good trade, because editing is my least favorite part and having better plans means fewer structural revisions. Also, my books are less likely to ramble on because I wanted to feel productive and wasn't sure exactly where I was going with something.
#WritersCoffeeClub 7 Continuing from yesterday’s question, what’s gone downhill?
My productivity is very low in recent years, mostly because of all the caregiving and loved ones dying. I don't worry about it too much.
#WritersCoffeeClub day 8: While editing, what most clearly signals a pacing issue?
"Pacing" is not a term I consciously edit around. Yes, I know what it means, yes, I can identify if a book or section is fast-paced or slow-paced.
But when I'm editing, I don't think "the pacing is wrong here and I must fix it." This is at least partly terminology: I might think "this is confusing and needs more elaboration" or "this is boring and needs to be trimmed" where another might go "pacing issue!"
#WritersCoffeeClub 9 What’s your top tip for writing authentic dialogue?
I aim for "distinctive" more than "authentic". I want readers to be able to tell characters apart by their speech patterns.
Some years back, I made a list of speech quirks to help make characters more distinctive: https://rowyn.dreamwidth.org/626078.html
#WritersCoffeeClub 10: How do you steer a reader’s emotional journey?
I choose the story events--what happens and what to show of what happens--based on the kind of story I'm writing. Eg, if "character is excited about traveling" is a key component of the story, then I'll show scenes of them traveling. But if the important part is "they were here, and now they're there" then the journey can be covered in a sentence or two.
#WritersCoffeeClub 11 Name a poet who has influenced you.
Shakespeare, from whom I learned (among other things) that "how original is the plot" is not that important to telling a good story.
#WritersCoffeeClub 12. How do you get to know your characters before you start writing?
I make a "notes" file for all my books, and that accretes information about the plot, characters, and setting. I'll flesh out details about each part as they come to me or as I decide to work on them. Major characters usually start with a few important parts that made me want to write about them specifically, and I build onto that. Minor characters may get just enough detail to play their part.
#WritersCoffeeClub 13: Are you actively building your working vocabulary? How?
Nope! Boring answer, I know.
#WritersCoffeeClub 14 What's a service or skill you'd like to offer your fellow writers?
I'm generally happy to chat about publishing stuff with folks, and to tell them about my experiences and tidbits about how various sites work. (Like "Draft2Digital distributes to most book retail websites, but not to Google Play Books and not to sites like itch.io, that are relatively small and do not have epubs as their main product").
#WritersCoffeeClub 15 How human are your protagonists? What about your antagonists?
Most of my characters are human-like in behavior. I have some nonhuman characters (dragons, elves, goblins, centaurs, etc.) and many more shapeshifters, but they're sapient and generally relatable.
My most inhuman characters are the demons from The Demon's Series. They're sapient but not social, and their natural drives aren't the same as animal ones, leading to pretty alien behavior.
#WritersCoffeeClub day 16: Name a non-anglophone writer who has really lit you up.
BK_Moon wrote The Greatest Estate Developer; I read it as a manwha adapted by Lee Hyun Min (https://www.webtoons.com/en/fantasy/the-greatest-estate-developer/list?title_no=3596). The story has a mix of action, heart, and humor. I love the way many problems are solved by civil engineering. The main character, Lloyd Frontera, personifies the tumblr alignment of Evil Good (full text here: https://avithenaftali.tumblr.com/post/185704522059/invalid-dd-alignments). Highly recommended.
#WritersCoffeeClub day 17: What’s frustrating you, writing-wise?
I just don't want to.
Hopefully at some point my life will be less full of grief and chores and I will muster energy for writing again. But now. I don't want to.
#WritersCoffeeClub 18 Jan: Are you comfortable making your readers uncomfortable? How far will you go?
I generally write cozy, upbeat, romance-heavy stories, so I'm more likely to bore readers than make them uncomfortable.
Some of my books have grisly or grueling scenes, though. A main character in the Demon's Series fed by torturing people, so the book has some gruesome depictions of that because I felt it was important to show it and not just have it as part of the backstory.
#WritersCoffeeClub 19 Talk about something (even if very small!) from your own life which made it onto the page.
One protagonist in "A Game to You" (not yet published) is a grandmother who plays MMOs with her grandkids. This was inspired by my own mother, who used to play WoW with her grandson.
#WritersCoffeeClub 20 Figuratively speaking, do you travel with the caravan or solo over the hills?
I'm here with the caravan. I don't mean that I'm, like, *socializing* with the caravan. I don't even say hi most days. But I am plodding along a blazed trail, benefiting from the work of thousands to make this route safer for me.
#WritersCoffeeClub 21 Jan: When writing about unpleasant feelings, how do you avoid alienating the readers entirely?
I work to match my use of language to the intended tone. 'Erotic and sexy' requires a different approach than 'goofy and funny', or 'violent and painful', etc.
Having a mismatch between actual tone and appropriate tone is most likely to alienate the reader. If I'm writing a torture scene in BDSM erotica, it'll have a _very different_ feel from one in The Demon's Series.
@rowyn Hugs. It's okay to take a break if you're burning out. You've been writing a LOT for a long time now.
And I say this as someone who very much wants you to write. :)
@rowyn Guess I was underestimating how much you had starting last year.
Definitely hear you about preferring a break from everything else.
@Tuftears @rowyn Oh, wow - I would be thrilled to read it! Is this your first novel?
Please send me a copy at [email protected]. What kind of feedback can I provide that would be helpful, and do you need it in any particular timeframe?
Rowyn
Emil Socks
Tuftears
💜
Jess Mahler
Andy is Frazzled (ze/they/she)
Kelkyag
LilFluff
V, The Dragon Witch 🌙
Brian Kendig