SC2: No particular desire to lead. Happy to follow if he likes what someone is doing. Will calmly pick up and leave if he stops liking what that person is doing.
SC3: Raised in consensus decisions-making. Doesn't believe in "leaders."
#PennedPossibilities 317 — What clothing materials or outfits feel the most comfortable to your villain?
Stuff like this. White woman who's spent decades studying various martial arts, but kalaripayattu and HEMA-style fencing form the basis of her practice.
They're at home, wondering how they could possibly have let their little girl die like that, even though she's very much alive, trapped, a long long way away...
#WritersCoffeeClub May 11: What character have you written that's most unlike you?
There's one coach/master in the murder space cult who's all business, pure practicality. Very physically disciplined. All my other characters have pieces of me in them. Not her. At all.
#WritersCoffeeClub May 14. Do you have a sense of how much plot you need for how long a manuscript.
Yes. I mimic the number of beats and subplots and secondary cast I've experienced in books I've read. I'm a little bogged down in my MS right now, but I believe I'm gong to arrive pretty much on at the word count I set.
#WordWeavers May 1: Introduce your setting as if it’s a character in your story.
The Greater Cascadian Megalopolis was born from the need to house the population of the Pacific North West but leave the bulk of the continent free of humanity,"re-wilding." The fetal megapolopolis started as superblocks and then arcologies,multiplying until they formed an urban organism that now stretches from the middle of British Columbia all the way to the California border.
#WordWeavers May 12: Who is the best friend in your story?
They're all really good friends in different ways. One was taught friendship is nigh sacred. One really wants to be loved. One is loyal by nature. One has always had a gang of friends, so she builds a new one. Friendship isn't ranked and it isn't exclusive.
#WordWeavers May 14: What role do other writers have in your writing life?
I have a group. They're great. A friend of mine is a pro novelist and editor, so I occasionally ask her for advice (but I try not to lean on her too much because it's a job she gets paid for).
#WordWeavers May 15: Who are your most and least gullible characters?
My protagonist has finely tuned bullshit detectors by virtue of being shocked and offended by mistreatment of any kind. My comic relief character wants to be loved and accepted, and wants to the he Big Damn Hero so bad he'll believe anyone who promises him that.
#WordWeavers May 17: Have you ever written for other age groups? (MG, YA, A)
My WIP is YA. I didn't set out to write that, but the premise lent itself to YA--superpowered teenagers in space learning martial arts--so I'm leaning into it.
#WordWeavers May 21: Do you consider how your MC's appearance may contribute to stereotypes?
Yeah, of course. To do less would be unethical. Especially for me, a white man. I deliberately steer away from stereotype, and the result is a story that's lively and unexpected. I don't rehearse the same old thing, at least not when I can help it.