Writer. If I'm tootin', I ain't writin'.
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I write character-driven stories about magic and monsters. I'm about to start the querying process for my first novel, and plowing through my final draft. Therefore, this feed will likely feature a lot of #justwriterthings that involve lamenting the plight of writers, as though this were some involuntary calling (it is).
I never thought I would get to this stage, but I actually need a pen name.
How do you pick one? I am STRUGGLING. Everything I have either sounds like a porn name or is literally “Beef Bingly” (Beef is from Old French, okay? I am trying).
#WritersCoffeeClub - June 10. Do you revise and add more plot if you feel your story is too short?
Plotting has never been my struggle. I tend to do plot & dialogue snippets then flesh out the scenes and characters/dialogue after the fact. First drafts usually come out a touch short (50-75k). Going back and tightening up dialogue, adding more description to the scenes, that usually brings me up to 80-100k.
#writerscoffeeclub 9. How do you select ideas from all the ones floating around?
I email them all to myself and incorporate the ones that make sense. I also have a OneNote for dumb book/story ideas.
Honestly, they aren't half bad, but I'm apparently going all in on "literary romantic fantasy," right now, so "witty urban fantasy mystery series" would be a departure.
#writerscoffeeclub Jun 7: What do you do first when you start a new writing project?
I start with a character and expand from there. Who are they, what stage of life are they in, (I favor older characters, so they usually have a pretty interesting history), what makes them interesting, what kinds of relationships do they have, and what interesting thing is about to really fuck up their day? I've been working on my current book for years, and it's funny how much my original doc holds up.
#WritersCoffeeClub - June 6. Have you queried agents for traditional publishing? How did it go?
I did! My manuscript wasn't ready even though I desperately wanted it to be. Rejections that first round were the best thing that could have happened to my book. I strongly suspect the next go round will be far more fruitful.
I'm trying to find vintage handheld manual pencil sharpeners from the 40s and struggling.
It doesn't matter why. I need to know what pencil sharpeners looked like and were made of in the 40s. (Bakelite, it was bakelite, but I don't like that answer).
It won't actually make it into the book. It is not relevant to the plot or any other points. There is no reason for me to about it. BUT I MUST KNOW.