#WritersCoffeeClub What can we do to support and protect other writers, not only now, but in the future as well?
Unionize: WAY easier said than done, especially in the US.
Build a non-profit, creator-owned self-publishing cooperative with creatives in charge; do NOT let "executives" anywhere the fuck near it.
Stand firm against "AI" writing. It's here to enshittify creative work (along with many other things).
Tell everyone: you don't need to write for a living to be a *writer*.
#WritersCoffeeClub May 2. Have you ever written a character making one decision, only to later revise them choosing otherwise?
Sure. Figuring out what they would decide but integrating that into the story you want to tell is half the challenge. I once had a pacifist be part of a military operation before realizing: no, she would just leave. It's not in her to stay. She wouldn't justify or rationalize. She's not going to use violence. Full stop.
#WritersCoffeeClub May 3: Do you write your works localized to the setting or to your background? How do you decide?
The choice of setting evolves with the premise of the story. I have a novel set in Vancouver, where I live, but 150+ years in the future. I have a novella set in pre-historical Greece.
But I do *like* setting stories in my city. That's fun.
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#WritersCoffeeClub May 4 Is there a scene or a character or even a plot you regret adding to a finished work?
None of them have been published, so they're all still fluid, so there's nothing to regret. :)
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#WritersCoffeeClub May 6: Talk about something you've written that you expect will divide readers.
My lead character isn't the one to fight the Big Bad, for ~reasons~, and I think that might disappoint people, but it's got to be that way. She can't be the one.
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#WritersCoffeeClub May 7: Do readers need to understand a character's motivations to understand the story?
Maybe, maybe not. It depends on the kind of story. If it's character-driven, probably yes. If it's really plot-focused, maybe it's not necessary.
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#WritersCoffeeClub May 8: What experience can you identify as having made you the writer you are today?
Uh... trauma?
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#WritersCoffeeClub May 9: Share the first line of your current WIP.
"Grace Langely slept with her dad's chef knife under her pillow for as long as she could remember, and she didn't know why."
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#WritersCoffeeClub May 12: If not in your current format (novel, play, music, etc.), in what format would you write?
I would *love* to co-create a comic book. That would be a blast. Second choice: be in a writer's room. Sounds like so much fun.
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#WritersCoffeeClub May 13: If writing was not your "thing," what would your "thing" be?
Probably RPGs (tabletop, the originals; the other ones should be called "VRGPs" or whatever) but possibly community theatre. I have a touch of the "hey look at me" disease.
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#WritersCoffeeClub May 14: For characters, plots, ideas, settings, etc. how much is too much?
If it's hard to follow, it's too much. That's *very* subjective, of course.
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#WritersCoffeeClub May 15: Follow-up: and how little (plots, ideas, settings, etc) is not enough?
If readers are engaged, then it's enough. There's no objective standard.
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#WritersCoffeeClub May 17: If you work exclusively digitally, could you work by hand?
I *could*, but it would change the nature of the writing. The ability to go back and forth at a click, to edit inside a draft, to rearrange sections at will, etc. All of that changes what you produce.
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#WritersCoffeeClub May 18: Who do you wish you could share your work with but can't?
The people who are really close to me (not unreasonably) see *me* in my writing rather than the story. It can make talking to them about it unproductive.
That said, I see my friend in her writing, too, and I don't mind at all, so maybe I shouldn't be touchy about it.
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#WritersCoffeeClub May 19: How would changing genre change your current WIP's plot?
It could work as a thriller without any SFF aspect to it (but where's the fun in that?). If seriously reworked, it could be a very dark coming-of-age story. It could work as a fantasy story, but it would be so recognizably of the modern world that I would never try. It could be inverted into a romance, sort of.
(Just realized I inverted the question, but I'm leaving it.)
#WritersCoffeeClub May 20: If not your current genre, what genre would you write?
I think I could get good at comedy if I worked at it.
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#WritersCoffeeClub May 21: What targets do you set for yourself? To what frequency?
[averts eyes, slinks away]
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#WritersCoffeeClub May 22: How well would your current WIP work as a play?
Very badly. I mean, you could do it--limited sets, small cast--but it's the wrong medium.
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#WritersCoffeeClub May 23: C&R: Share a current creative frustration. Everyone: Prescribe a 'creative antidote', not as a solution, but as a disruptive exercise.
I can't get myself to work on my draft. The draft needs restructuring, and I don't wanna.
I doubt there's any real help for this other than sitzfleisch.
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@khleedril Good. It's a dark book. It's about kids abducted into a cult and forced to be child soldiers.
In space.
With magic powers.
(Because I gotta be me.)
PS: It's Star Wars.
@khleedril Ha! It's not literally Star Wars. It's a commentary on Star Wars.
But your boosts are your own! Give them, retract them. Up to you.
I fully support this.
Orion (he/him)
EmpyClaw
bluestarultor
Khleedril
Kagan MacTane (he/him)
Will Elm
WarmasterPalak