#WritersCoffeeClub March 2: Does your overall goal differ from project to project?

The goal of each project is, "get it done." But each project has different challenges: voice, pacing, transitioning, character development, motifs, research, themes, etc. So yes, each one is different, but the methodology should be consistent even while developing that methodology.

I am an academic, so this is how I work. :)

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#WritersCoffeeClub March 4: Share a recent experience where something just "clicked."

Realizing that my Funny One supporting character deeply wants to be a Sexy Hero. He doesn't get how loved he is for who he is.

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#WritersCoffeeClub March 5: How do you make sure you don’t leave plot holes?

Lot of stewing. Some obsessing. I would love to say, "brooding," but that requires a level of sexy cool that I don't possess. [sigh]

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#writerscoffeeclub March 6: Is there a local writing community near you? Do you participate in it?

There are a few big writers' group in Vancouver. I formed my own small group that meets twice a month.

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#WritersCoffeeClub March 7: What have you given up in order to write?

Anxiety.

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#WritersCoffeeClub March 8: Do the seasons influence your writing? (content? topic? volume?)

I'm allegedly not as busy in the summer, so I ought to get more writing done, but the first thing isn't actually true, so neither is the second.

Inside the stories, I mostly think about seasons in terms of what will look cool. :)

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#WritersCoffeeClub March 9 Do you prefer to write complex, intricate plots, or more straightforward ones?

So far, I keep it pretty simple. We'll see what mood strikes me in the future.

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#WritersCoffeeClub March 10. How informal is your prose? Is there a limit to informality?

It's about a 7/10 for "informalness." I don't use "you." That's my hard line.

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#WritersCoffeeClub March 11: Does your work reflect your morals?

Absolutely. It's anti-cop, anti-fascist, anti-racist, anti-colonial, and feminist. I have plans for anti-ableist and queer-inclusive stuff in the future. I could not put my name on something that didn't carry my values, and if the text betrays my values, I change it. I refuse to be a so-called leftist who then writes a series of stories about an amoral, right-wing jackbooted cop enforcer. (Not that anyone's banging down my door.)

#WritersCoffeeClub March 12: How do you stress test your work?

I show it to my writer's group. Occasionally, I show it to my friends, but that's been less and less since it's legit hard for them to get emotional distance from it because they *know me too well*.

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#WritersCoffeeClub March 14: Do you think readers want new experiences in structure or narrative, or do they prefer what's familiar?

Yes. It's both. The simplest version is new characters, settings, and plot points within a given formula (eg, spy thriller). Pushed a little further, you can start subverting the formula. A little past that, you can critique the formula. Personally, I think the breaking point is *structure*; if it's not three acts, a lot of people will get lost.

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I should say, if you read a lot, especially across times and cultures--as in, you don't just watch Hollywood productions or read books that are structured that way--then you're less likely to have that ingrained expectation of a three-act structure and less likely to be shocked by something that's not, so as always, "it depends."

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@petealexharris Oh, I don't think it's conscious for most people! I think it's ingrained. We watch a certain kind of storytelling our entire lives and become used to it. It's like how native speakers don't consciously know grammar, or how you can *feel* that two pieces of music are similar but not articulate why.

My go-to example is if I start an American (or broadly western) TV show somewhere in the middle, you'll know within two minutes how much of it is left to watch.