#WritersCoffeeClub (Sep) 2: On a scale of pantser to plotter, what are you? Are you flexible?
Still finding out. For my initial WIP, I'm developing my characters' backgrounds with as much detail as I can, and doing likewise for the setting, society, and magic system. Then I'm plotting the heck out of the first 5 chapters or so... and after that? I have fairly little idea of where it's going to go. I want a firm foundation to jump off of.
#WritersCoffeeClub (Sep) 6: Do you hide Easter eggs in your work? Give some examples?
There will definitely be lots of details that San Franciscans will recognize. But if I'm hiding them for people to find, I'm not going to spill the beans here!
#WritersCoffeeClub (Sep) 7: Share an image of a favourite book cover design. Not your own.
The Integral Trees, by Larry Niven. Part of what I like about this cover for is that Niven says he was once in a bookstore and overheard someone looking at the cover and saying, "Oh, a fantasy novel." And he thought, Nope! Hard SF... just in a very strange place. (Check out the notes on the setting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Integral_Trees. It's a very strange place, indeed!)
#WritersCoffeeClub (Sep) 8: Did you like to read as a child? Which books did you read?
I was a voracious reader as a kid! The kind who frequently had a book hidden under his desk in class and was reading it instead of paying attention.
I couldn't possibly remember all the things I read, but one item that sticks out in my mind right now was the Danny Dunn series: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Dunn
I love 'em! And I maintain that they should be typeset with a non-breaking space before, and a standard space after. The spaces give them visual separation from the surrounding characters, and the non-breaking one on the front means the dash will never be the first thing on the line; that's awkward and impedes reading.
#WritersCoffeeClub (Sep) 12: If you write novels, would you consider a short story, and vice versa?
Whenever I contemplate trying to get stuff accomplished in the confines of a short story, my brain locks up and it just looks like way too little room.
Back in my teens, when I previously was an aspiring writer, I actually intended to write short stories. My attempts ballooned into novellas.
Maybe I'll try the "short story challenge" again someday. Not now.
#WritersCoffeeClub (Sep) 13: Do you derive joy from writing? In what way?
If it weren't bringing me some kind of joy, I'd stop. Even when I'm running into difficulties or being frustrated by obstacles, I'm still, fundamentally, doing the thing I wanted to do.
I've been living with "what if I were to write a book about...?" in my head for so many years. It feels good to finally be making it happen.
#WritersCoffeeClub (Sep) 15: Which conjunctions do you use the most? Does it matter?
I can't imagine that it matters. If I really want to know someday, I guess I'll drop my writing into some kind of thing that generates statistics. But I doubt it.
#WritersCoffeeClub (Sep) 21: Have you practised your autograph and your selfie pose for your best seller?
I'm deliberately holding off on that kind of thing until the book hits the shelves. I feel like it would be too easy for me to get more into the "fantasizing about having finished the book" stuff than the "actually writing the thing" part. I'm trying to maintain some discipline there.
#WritersCoffeeClub (Sep) 23: Do you read your drafts aloud? How does this help?
I pretty much always read things at least "aloud inside my head"; I'm always trying to find the right inflection, rhythm, and tone of anything I read. So "just reading" my drafts is practically reading them aloud.
#WritersCoffeeClub (Sep) 25: What keeps you striving concerning your writing goals?
I have a story that I want to tell. I want to get it out there where people can read it, and I have hopes that they'll like it, and like the characters, and it will touch people.
#WritersCoffeeClub (Sep) 26: Have you used a MacGuffin in your writing? Be honest.
I have a couple of plot devices in my WIP, in the sense of "things that people want to acquire for Reasons, but those Reasons affect the plot", but no MacGuffins (in the sense of "thing that people want, but exactly what it is has no effect on the plot"). My plot devices have specific attributes and uses. 1/2
To clarify, my plot devices are like the Death Star plans in Star Wars IV: A New Hope, not like Marsellus Wallace's briefcase in Pulp Fiction — or the iconic Maltese Falcon, one of the greatest MacGuffins ever, and a good example of the fact that MacGuffins aren't necessarily bad. 2/2
#WritersCoffeeClub (Sep) 28: Do you practice "kill your darlings" in your work?
I haven't yet gotten to the point of editing, where that advice would be practicable. But I have this suspicion that the "darlings" in description are likely to come at points where something magical and special is happening, and so they'll serve as signposts for readers to pay more attention.
So I may need to cultivate those bits, not kill them.
#WritersCoffeeClub 1: Intro: Shameless self-promotion. What's your WIP? What's it about?
My WIP's in early stages (still building the world, characters, etc.) and has no title yet. It's an #UrbanFantasy set in #SanFrancisco, about people who can hear the voice of the City, and who it teaches to do magic. It's about the life and magic of cities, and how San Francisco is at a crossroads, and how people affect the future by our choices in every moment.
#WritersCoffeeClub 2: How often do you write in a typical week? How do you find the time?
I try to write every day, but many days I'm too tired after work to write much. Even then, I try to at least poke at things a little.
Over the summer, I did fairly well at this. Lately, with the sunlight fading, I've been too tired a lot of evenings. I'd say I still do at least a little writing 1-2 weeknights, and also do a fair bit on the weekends.
#WritersCoffeeClub 3: Should a writer have a face shot on their book cover or within their book?
It's absolutely tragic and disgusting that women can still sell better if they hide their gender and use initials (or a full-on male pseudonym). As long as that's true, though, I can't in good conscience say that people "should" have their picture available.
Being a white guy, I could do it. And I won't get judged on whether I'm hot or not. 😒 Not sure if I'll do it or not.
To finish this novel and get it published, and then to follow it up with two more books to make a full trilogy.
And for people who read these books to feel seen, to fall in love with my world, and want to step into it and become a part of it. To hear the things I'm trying to say, and to want to amplify those messages and make them part of their lives.
#WritersCoffeeClub 6: Are you self-published or trad-published? How's it going?
I don't have anything to publish yet; I'm still in the early stages of writing.
I plan to try very hard to get traditionally published, once the book's ready. NGL, I'll consider it a bit of a personal failure if I have to self-publish.
#WritersCoffeeClub 8: Rough, complete or not at all. How do you plan your writing?
I'm doing some extremely complete planning of "the situation as it stands at the beginning of the book." Then I'll run it forward from there and... see what happens. (I have a few items I plan to hit at various points, but I'm not yet sure how I'm going to get to them — and that's okay).
I don't have a "body of work" yet. (Yet!) But things I expect to show up a lot are:
We create the future. Every moment, every action (to a greater or lesser degree) influences what comes next. So it's up to us to build the kind of future we want.
People aren't "good" or "evil" because of something inherent, but rather because of what they do.
You can be one of "the cool people" if you want! It's not a closed or exclusive club.
#WritersCoffeeClub 10: Did you learn cursive/joined-up writing in elementary/primary school?
Yes, but then I abandoned it midway through high school; my writing got progressively less and less connected until it had reverted to print.
Now, I type as much as I can; handwriting is a very rare thing for me (and it's both messy and kind of difficult, leading to hand cramps fairly quickly).
I write in various locations: at home, but also at a few local bars. At home, the sounds are the city outside (sirens, traffic, etc.) and my own writing mix (a bunch of mid-tempo, atmospheric music). At bars, you can guess: people, plus whatever music the venue is playing on their sound system.
#WritersCoffeeClub 12: How do you research real-world locations? Do you visit them?
My WIP is set in #SanFrancisco, a city that a friend of mine once observed about me: "You know this city like a Dashiell Hammett character." (One of my most-cherished compliments ever!) So, many of my locations are ones that I know personally.
When I need a memory boost, I'll use Google Maps or similar things. And I'm planning to revisit some spots during editing (once I know what places went into the book).
I don't have anything to beta-read yet. I am definitely planning on having as many sensitivity readers as I can manage, because I'm portraying the experiences of a lot of people who are not like me. (My characters are as diverse as actual San Franciscans. Of course!)
I'm also trying to find cultural consultants, to talk to before the writing, but they seem harder to find than sensitivity readers. Dammit.
#WritersCoffeeClub 15: Should writers be honest re:their politics online or keep quiet/avoid controversy?
"Should" is a strong word. I'm not sure what other writers "should" do, or even what would be prudent for them.
I'm not exactly quiet about my politics; my social media profiles brazenly proclaim me as progressive/feminist/etc. I don't expect that'll lose me any sales; the book itself'll be loaded with characters across the LGBTQ+ and ethnic spectra, so conservatives'll DNF it by page 5.
#WritersCoffeeClub 16: How do you feel about flashbacks? Do you use them?
I have no strong feelings about them one way or another. I expect I'll use a few, as I want to show some scenes in my villains' histories that show how they went from being more-or-less good to not-so-good-anymore and then to out-and-out villainous.
#WritersCoffeeClub 17: What is the biggest inspiration for your writing?
I wish I could point to something. But it's really all over the place. I'm inspired by the city, by cities in general, by the life in them, by the lives in them — so many people going about their lives, and the ways they interact…
Also by thoughts of what good and evil are, and how people become one or the other.
I haven't really been prone to it yet. I think partly because I'm in the world- and character-building stage, and that means that if I get stuck on some particular thing, I can always just shift my focus to something else for a bit. Not even just between characters/world, but subsets of each: MCs/villains/side characters, or groups and organizations/the magic system/divination, and so on. There's always something I can pick up!
#WritersCoffeeClub 19: As a writer, do you always apply the three-act structure? Why/why not?
I can't think of ANY structure that is so universally relevant that I'd try to apply it to everything I do. Different stories have different needs. Just like the Hero's Journey/"monomyth", trying to shoehorn everything into one framework may work smoothly on some stories, but others will be horribly mangled.
That said, the three-act structure does apply reasonably well to my current WIP.
#WritersCoffeeClub 20: If you read over a quarter of a book and decide you don't like it, do you bail or complete it?
I'm not one to force myself to slog through an unpleasant or tedious experience. Heck, I recently checked out Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and was looking forward to it, thinking it sounded like the kind of thing I'd probably like... then DNF'ed it maybe a quarter of the way through when I realized I was dreading picking it up again.
#WritersCoffeeClub 21: How do you write an internal monologue and/or telepathy in your work?
Internal monologue: italics.
Telepathy: I don't think there'll be any telepathy in my WIP (although hmmm, maybe a telepathy spell might open some interesting doors…), but the City speaks in something similar. So far, I've been italicizing that and also setting it off with ::doubled colons::, but I think that looks awkward and I'll probably change it. Maybe «angle quotes»?
#WritersCoffeeClub 22: Stephen King portrays writers in his stories. Which actor should play you in the story of your life?
I think Val Kilmer has the kind of sensitivity and ability to play people who are little different from everyone around them that I'd want, if not for the throat cancer.
#WritersCoffeeClub 23: Is it okay to use short-form conversational text, i.e. contractions, in a novel?
Absolutely. I mean, in dialogue? Obviously. People don't talk in formal speech! People use contractions! (Except folks like Data from ST:TNG. I have nobody like that in my work.)
But even in narration, it's fine! Words like "didn't", "couldn't", "can't" and "won't" are absolutely not a problem; trying to avoid them might even sound stilted.
#WritersCoffeeClub 24: Are you a book hoarder, or do you sell them/give them away once read?
Most of my books or reading these days are either library books or digital, and copyright holders have done all kinds of shenanigans to make digital books difficult or impossible to pass along.😒
#WritersCoffeeClub 25: Oxford comma, no Oxford comma, or I don't live in Oxford?
I'm one of those heretics who really doesn't care much. Just make sure your comma usage diminishes, rather than increases, confusion. That's the important thing for me. The reader's ease of comprehension.
That said, the Oxford comma is usually clearer. And I've adopted it to avoid the wrath of its partisans and crusaders. (The anti camp seems much quieter.)
#WritersCoffeeClub 27: Hollywood has optioned your work for a movie. Do you disown it if they change things?
This is a tough one. "Change things" how much? Some things need to change when going from a written medium to a visual one. But speaking of core, crucial things…
I'd try to hold out for contract clauses that would allow me to scuttle a project that was going to mess with important stuff (or keep them from doing so in the first place!), if possible. 1/3
But I realize it probably wouldn't be possible. Especially for me, as a first-time writer! So…
If "disown it" just means that I say publicly, all over social media and in any interviews I can get, "I disown the movie that's coming out next week. It's a travesty; don't go see it"? (Sort of like Anne Rice did with the 1993 Interview With the Vampire… until she suddenly changed her mind for reasons unknown?) Yeah, I'd do that. Absolutely. Why not? 2/3
Okay, I can actually see why not, if you're hoping for royalties. And no shade or disrespect to any writers who need their movie royalties to be as big as possible because they need to pay the bills! You do what you gotta do under capitalism.
But for myself, I already have a career. I can afford to say that I want my works to stay true to a particular vision, where the legacy is more important than the pay. I have that option, and I'd take it. But I can understand the other side. 3/3
#WritersCoffeeClub 28: Table of contents or no table of contents? Discuss.
I don't much care either way, but I am thinking very hard about whether to have themed chapter names/titles. Or chapter names at all; it seems like very few books do, but I really love the idea of having them have a theme or connecting thread.
Of course, if you have chapter titles and a ToC, you need to make sure none of those titles deliver spoilers! But that should be easy enough.
#WritersCoffeeClub 30: Did the education system inspire you or put you off writing?
Neither, really. It taught me some about writing essays, but not really about writing fiction. OTOH, it did introduce me to lots of works of literature. Ehhh, really 🤷🏻 six of one, a half-dozen of the other. Or "not a major influence in either direction".
#WritersCoffeeClub 31: Does your work include any horror elements? What's the most frightening thing you've written?
I have plans for one of the villains to do some things that are pretty creepy, but I'm trying to be very careful of the usual "ways creepy guys violate other people" tropes. Also, I'm writing #UrbanFantasy, not horror, so I do want to avoid suddenly hitting readers with a level of scariness that they hadn't planned on signing up for.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 1: What's the best writing advice you've heard or read?
Write for the people who will enjoy your work, not for the asshole on the internet (whose voice you've probably internalized by now!) who picks everything apart mercilessly. Don't write defensively; write for joy.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 2: Do you keep a notebook or digital device by your bed if you have an idea during the night?
Not specifically in that way, but... I have made it so I can take notes and edit any and all of my writing files on my phone. And I do keep my phone by my bed when I'm sleeping, albeit mostly because it's also my alarm clock.
So, the two things combine to make this a "yes", even though I didn't intend those actions quite that way.
I think so, because you can do some nice stuff with them, but I also think you should use that very carefully. You want to deliver information about what the characters are doing and how they're saying things; you don't want to draw attention to the writing itself.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 4: Have you ever seen a movie which was better than the book?
Oh, absolutely. The Hunt for Red October comes immediately to mind, and I feel like there's another one that I have in the same category, but can't bring it to mind ATM.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 6: Would you consider an audiobook of your novel or short story?
Sure, I don't see why I'd be opposed to such a thing in principle. I might oppose a certain, specific implementation, or not be willing to sign a particular contract, but I'm definitely open to the idea, and "would consider" it.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 8: What does your most productive writing space look like?
The comfy armchair in my living room, where I can park a drink on the table by my left hand, and I can just turn on my writing music mix and go and go, reaching out to take sips whenever I'm thirsty or in need of motivation.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 9: Is there any kind of scene you could never write?
I absolutely hate the kind of "humor" that's based on embarrassing someone. Even if I decided to write such a thing for some godforsaken reason, I'm sure I'd be awful at it.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 11: Does your writing include comedy? How do you add comedic moments?
I sure hope so! I want some laughter and mirth in there. But I want it to bubble up out of the fun that people are having; I don't want to try to force funny things to happen.
That's what I want, anyway. I'll find out what I actually do, once I start doing it.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 12: Do you prefer to write on a desktop, laptop, typewriter, pen and paper, quill and parchment, blood and stone?
On a computer, absolutely. My writing by hand is awful — not just messy, but also slow, awkward, and makes my hand cramp very quickly. Give me a keyboard!
I no longer have a desktop machine, so laptop works fine. And it's portable, which is a nice plus!
In an early chapter, my 2 new-to-magic-and-learning-the-ropes MCs will watch a magical contest, sort of a "friendly duel" involving 2 city shamans racing to see who can get to a destination first. (Knowledge of and connection with the City are crucial for this.) Near the climax, one of those MCs has to get a thing from Point A to Point B in a hurry, and will use their improved City skills to do it faster than should be possible.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 15: If you find you've used a name from a famous novel, do you change it?
That hasn't happened to me yet, but I probably would if I found out in time; I wouldn't want my readers distracted by unintended associations with that other character.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 16: What ancillary writing apps do you find the most useful?
I don't currently use (or even really know of) any ancillary writing apps. (I've heard of something called Scrivener; is that an ancillary writing app? Or something else?)
I'm looking forward to seeing others' responses to this question!
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 18: How do you do research for your writing? Do you ask specialists?
Hell yes, if I can find any. I want all the specialists. Or just the people with life experience different from mine. I want to make sure all my details are just right — or at least, if any of them aren't, I want it to be because I deliberately decided to deviate from reality to make the story better, not because I didn't know any better.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 20: Do you have an author's website specifically for promoting your writing?
No, but I'll probably whip one up once I hit the point of sending manuscripts out to publishers. But I'll have to figure out how it's going to coexist with my existing website for coding and software development. (And that site needs a complete overhaul, having not been updated in over a dozen years...)
I was tempted to say "heck if I know", seeing as I'm not an artist, designer, or marketer. But no — even though I couldn't produce a good cover, that doesn't mean I can't recognize what makes one:
It should draw the potential buyer's attention, arouse their interest, and give them some idea of what the book's about or what happens in it. (And that idea should be reasonably accurate, not deceptive!)
On the topic of "not deceptive", 2 things come to my mind:
Joan D. Vinge's "Cat" novels, Psion and Catspaw, make it clear that the protagonist (named Cat) is very dark-skinned, and we'd consider him Black (despite his green eyes, which are a plot point).
Why do covers keep depicting him as blond and definitely-Caucasian? (That's a rhetorical question. The answer, of course, is racism.)
Not visual, but the back cover blurb text is part of a book's "cover design". A friend gave me a copy of Niven and Pournelle's The Mote in God's Eye when I was about 12. The back cover said something about "a black hole in space, and a beam of ruby light shining out of it", and also some nonsense about people thinking it meant God was involved.
Even at age 12, I knew light does not come out of black holes, and I wanted sci-fi, not some kind of God-based miracle. I was so annoyed, I didn't read the book for well over a decade... and found out that, no, it's actually just a dark nebula with light shining through, and while people give the phenomenon a picturesque name alluding to God, none of them think there's anything supernatural going on.
That utterly-false blurb kept me away from that classic book for years. 😠
Like, who will put in my acknowledgements before or after the main text? I guess I'll keep track as I go, if anyone gives me help that would be good to acknowledge. (Hmmm, a few people on Reddit have given me some useful info, but I'm not sure if it rises to the level that I should put in.)
More on the likely places for Precision F-Strikes: Margot and Carlos both have small children, and so have trained themselves out of using profanity. (Indeed, I'm not sure Carlos was ever a fan, but I think Margot was in her younger days.) I can definitely see Margot carefully and deliberately deploying just 1 or 2 very momentous F-bombs in the places where they'll do the most good.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 24: What's the best time of day for you to write?
Seems to be evening. I'll admit, I've rarely even tried writing in the morning; I'm usually not nearly awake enough for it then. Afternoons, I've tried sometimes on weekends, but I really do get going better once it gets dark outside.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 25: What's a better (more truthful) name for a famous novel?
Honestly, I've got to throw my lot in with @elysegrasso's "I have enough trouble finding names for my own novels." My WIP has a working title that I know won't be the actual title, and while I'm willing to put in the hard work on all the plotting, characterization, and world-building, when it comes to a title, I'm still praying that inspiration will somehow strike before I'm done.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 26: Have you ever retconned a story post-publishing? Is it OK to retcon?
I HATE retcons because "I take it back, that never happened" nullifies stories (or parts thereof). If you, the author, aren't willing to let your story stand, to say "yes, that happened" — in short, to take your story seriously — then why should the reader?
But I do like when the events don't change, but our interpretation of them does. I don't consider that a "retcon", but a reinterpretation.
First off, that should be LLMs, not "AI". There's no intelligence there; I don't want to help the hype merchants.
In my own writing? I'm very against it. On the one hand, I want to write. I don't want to have something else do the writing for me. And on the other hand, the question of what incorporating LLM output into my work would mean for my copyrights is one with no clear answer, and many bad possibilities.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 28: How do you approach a fight scene or other high-action scenes?
I'm planning to write close 3rd person, so it will depend a lot on whose viewpoint we're in. Either of my martial artist characters, for example, will describe things in more detail, sometimes using specific terms for particular types of attacks and blocks. Other folks with less combat experience would have a much more chaotic impression of a fight, and that'll be reflected in the narration.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 29: Some writers hate exclamation marks! How do you feel about them? What about interrobangs!?
I absolutely hate exclamation points in narration. Even when I was a pimply-faced teen with bad enough taste to read Piers Anthony, I still (or already) squirmed and cringed at his use of them.
But they're totally fine in dialogue — at least, assuming a character is shouting, or excited, or whatever. Keep 'em between the quotation marks!
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 30: How much detail do you put into character descriptions?
Enough to give the reader an idea of what they look like (hopefully including what race they are, like The Hunger Games' Rue), but not a lot beyond that; I go more for quick thumbnail and vibes than detailed portraiture... except for items the character chooses to express themself. Buttons, pins, statement/graphic tees, those all deliver messages. (And in Ángel's fashionista case, their whole wardrobe qualifies.)
A work needs to, or at least really should, be able to stand on its own. It shouldn't need some external "artist's statement" to make it comprehensible. (For example, Félix González-Torres' "Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.)" seems to be nothing but a pile of candy unless and until you hear about how it represents his partner, who was dying of AIDS at the time the artwork debuted. Knowing that, it becomes powerful and painful, but without it? It's practically meaningless.) 2/5
OTOH, context is important and can add a lot. Picasso's "Guernica", on its own, is obviously a representation of something very chaotic and traumatic, and that's clear without any outside knowledge. But knowing that it depicts an actual bombing of an actual town gives it greater weight. 3/5
What an author was trying to say, what they "meant", is important. If an author says "Look, my work was really intended to do/say X, that's what I was going for the whole time", I usually take that pretty seriously.
OTOH, if nobody got that, then the author kind of failed. I mean, an artist or author's job is to communicate something. If a few people miss it, that's par for the course, but if most of them do? Then the artist's attempt to communicate was a failure. 4/5
Buuuuuttt... sometimes artists just plain deceive themselves. Sometimes someone'll write something, and claim until they're blue in the face that "Really, it's about X! It's not Y, I promise!", and the rest of us can all see, "Sorry, pal, but it's obviously actually Y."
I haven't got any examples at hand right now, though, and I think that's fairly rare. 5/5
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 8: Do you write in the active voice, passive voice or a mixture? Does it matter?
I think passive voice would be a really weird choice for a novel. It's great for scientific papers and other academic work, but it has fairly limited use in fiction. (An exception that comes to mind is Kafka's use of the passive voice in describing how Gregor Samsa became a cockroach: it serves effectively to obscure the agency behind that, because it's Not The Point of the story.)
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 9: How would you write an online chat or text message conversation in your novel?
In fact, I'm going to need to put at least one group-text convo into my very first chapter. I guess I'll probably indent (both right and left), and precede each message with the person's name.
Later chapters may need instances of "[name] is typing..." and so on. (My MCs are Millennials. Yes, of course they text each other a bunch!) Hmmm, that'll be interesting to run into/play around with.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 13: Do you write to a specific word count, or do you let the story dictate the length?
I'm just shooting to try to be in good "first-time urban fantasy novel" length. That has some range to it, thank goodness... but for the first draft, I'm planning to just see how long it comes it out, and then see if I need to do anything to expand or pare it down.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 14: What's the biggest edit you've ever needed to make to your work?
It's too early for me to have nearly anything to respond to this with. I guess there's this one case of a setting description, where I wrote it just to see how well I could describe a place that will figure prominently in the plot, and then later I realized I wanted to start my story earlier in the year, so I needed to change the trees from leafy and green to bare branches, just beginning to bud.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 16: Are there any writing tropes you dislike, without insulting other club members?
Writing tropes or story tropes? (What's the difference?) Anyway, loads! One quick example is that any kind of forced pregnancy situation will infuriate me. I hate when creators do that to their characters. (Yes, that includes Steven Moffat.) Also mystical/alien/whatever children who grow up abnormally fast (ST:TNG and V, I'm looking at youse.)
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 17: What aspects of your life do you bring into your writing?
My love of cities, my belief that the future is what we make it, and hopefully a little of my sense of wonder and love of heroism.
On a smaller level: fairly little of David's job and workplace are likely to show up on-page, but if any do, I'll certainly be pulling in my own career web-dev knowledge to provide verisimilitude.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 18: Do you intend to read a book over the holidays? What will you choose?
I'm still working on finishing Cassandra Clare's City of Lost Souls (the 5th in the Shadowhunters series). Not sure when I'll finish it; I don't exactly have a "holiday break", more just a pair of three-day weekends back-to-back.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 19: If you could remove one rule of grammar, which would you choose?
Hell, I'd rather add one. Like, given how often my partner and I bemoan the lack of #clusivity in English, that might be what I'd go for.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clusivity TL;DR: It's the ability when saying "we" to indicate whether the person you're talking to is or isn't included. (Frex, "We're going to the store, do you want anything?" (excl.) vs. "We're going to the park, grab your coat!" (incl.))
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 20: Do you name or number chapters? If you name them, how do you decide on a name?
I want to name them, but I'm afraid I'll have too much trouble coming up with titles. If that turns out to be the case, I'll just number them... but I'll be disappointed in myself, and grumpy about it.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 26: What positive things do people say when you tell them you're a writer?
Nothing very specific, they generally just make approving noises and say things like, "Oh, that's cool."
Although there was one person (getting away from the general "people" now) who asked what my magic system was like, then said it sounded like something she'd want to read if it she found it in a bookstore!
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 27: If you write in more than one genre, which is your go to?
So far, I'm only writing in urban fantasy. I do hope to do some hopepunk sci-fi someday. I also have the beginnings of some ideas for a modern (though not necessarily urban) fantasy, and a space opera.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 28: What are your thoughts on using real brand names in your writing?
I plan to use at least a few as characterization aids. Like, the fact that Ángel's car is a 1985 Cadillac Eldorado convertible says some stuff about them, and also is a great image that readers can have in their heads. Whether Travis Winter wears suits by Armani or Brooks Brothers (to take just two options — but very different ones) says some things about his style, and those hint at his personality.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 29: Do you have a favourite letter of the alphabet? How does it feature in your work?
Not a letter, necessarily, but I like the hard /k/ sound. Okay, I also like lowercase descenders, like on j, g, and y.
I wouldn't let that affect, or show up in, my work though. Like, I'm not going to have lots of characters whose names have prominent K sounds in them, or use lots of words with j, g, and y in them. That'd be super weird.
In this WIP, it's close 3rd, rotating among people. I like getting near to, or even entirely inside, characters' heads, but not having them be the narrators. (Because then I ask myself who they're telling the story to and why? Though I like what Roger Zelazny did with that 1st-person voice at the end of the first Amber series. And the way it's foreshadowed when the narrator 1st walks the Pattern.)
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 31: Will you be writing today? How do you feel about your writing journey over the last year?
Absolutely; I'm getting to that in a few minutes, after I post this.
I feel like my "writing journey" has been way too slow. I am STILL working on character backgrounds and histories. I'm getting close to where I can start the "actual" writing, but I'm still not there yet, and it's honestly getting really frustrating.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 1: What are your writing related New Year Resolutions?
I don't really do New Year's resolutions, and if I did, I'd do them at Samhain (October 31st) — except @Issi makes a cool case at https://pagan.plus/@Issi/111675304273354533 that we should do them at Imbolc, February 2nd!
Anyway, my main goal this year is to get my novel finished and start shopping it around to publishers. That's all.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 2: Do you have other artistic leanings? How do these affect your writing?
I love music, and used to want to be a musician. There are lots of places in my WIP where I'd really like to use song lyrics or references to add some emotional "oomph", but I'll have to be careful to avoid copyright issues.
No real routine, just "open my editor and start writing some kind of stuff". Sometimes I'll check and see what the most recent things were that I was doing when I stopped the previous session, but other times, I start off with something in mind that I want to do and just dive in there.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 4: What aspects of your profession do you bring into your writing?
With my WIP being set in modern-day #SanFrancisco, it makes sense to have at least 1-2 characters working in tech. My career as a web developer helps me with realism there.
On another level, I store all my writing in source code management software, so I can easily roll back or double-check the state of my notes at any given time in the past. Also, as I write, I can easily explore branches and "what if"s.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 5: Is it okay to end a sentence with a preposition?
Yes, absolutely. Unless you're writing in Latin; ending sentences with prepositions is against the grammatical rules of Latin, just like saying *"He am tall" is against those of English.
The fact that sentences like "A preposition is a perfectly fine thing to end a sentence with" and "Where do you come from?" don't hit our ears as wrong (unlike *"He am tall") shows you that it's not against English grammar rules.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 10: Have you ever given a talk about your work? Would you?
Nobody's ever asked me to, no. Of course not; I have nothing published yet. But would I? Oh, heck yes! I'd love to talk about it! An audience that wants to hear me ramble on about the thing I'm pouring so much time, energy, and caring into? Yes, please!
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 11: Do you use dream sequences in your work? How do you feel about them?
I think they're like any tool: they can be used well or poorly. I'm pretty sure at least one of my characters will start having prophetic dreams midway through the book, for reasons related to the magic system and stuff they'll be inadvertently doing.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 13: Do you like maps? If they feature in your work do you draw them by hand or use an application?
I love maps! I so easily get sucked into poring over them!
Unfortunately, there's no real point in putting a map into my WIP. Anyone who wants to know its geography can just look up an online map of #SanFrancisco.
I could do one with pins for things like my characters' homes or other locations, but I want to give readers the fun of figuring that out from the text.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 15: Is it worthwhile buying professional cover art?
Absolutely. I've already heard people are starting to get turned off by computer-generated art, finding it cheap and formulaic. If you want something done right, get a professional.
(Seriously, how would you answer someone asking, "Is it worth it to hire a professional writer?")
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 16: How do you feel about an ISBN? Is it important to have them?
Do I have the option not to? I haven't even thought about this before. I have to admit, my immediate thought is that it wouldn't feel like "a real book" without one.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 18: Does your work feature on BookTok? How do you feel about the platform?
I am not on TikTok, and have no desire to be. The things I've heard about its algorithm, and who it favors (conventionally pretty people) and disfavors (people with disabilities, overweight people, etc.) turned me off to it even before I heard about how it's a surveillance app.
I go by a combination of sound/feel, meaning, and if it's a given name rather than surname, I also look at how common it was in the year the character was born.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 20: Do you have a blog? Tell us about it and share a link.
I used to have one for technical stuff (software development, tech policy, stuff like that). Near the end, it branched out a little into plain old politics and geek stuff, but then I dropped it entirely because nobody read blogs anymore, they just posted long threads on Twitter.
I've been thinking of reviving it, but am not sure how I'll balance the software professional vs. writer vs. "all the other stuff".
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 25: How do you feel about writers who write outside their gender/sexuality/race etc?
I think it's necessary, unless you have a reason why all your characters can be the same gender/race/etc. as you are. Like, back in the '50s, setting Twelve Angry Men in a jury room meant it made sense for all characters to male, and white, and presumed-straight — but that was gross and wrong (of society), and it's good that modern productions include women and people of color. 1/2
Most settings are too diverse to allow a writer to make everyone match their own demographics.
And isn't this part of why writers are supposed to observe people? To learn about people who aren't like themselves, so that we can be sure to depict them accurately? 2/2
(Note: This post has been edited to add the final clause, starting from the comma.)
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 26: How do you ensure that you don't infringe copyright in your work?
Mostly by writing it myself? I'm not sure how I'd infringe someone's copyright, except for by having a character quote something.
And that's a bit of a problem, because I do want my characters to reference things, particularly certain songs. I expect I'll have to seek permissions before I try to get published, or else rewrite to carefully avoid the issue while still making the idea clear.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 28: How do you format a flashback so the reader knows what's going on?
I'm not sure yet, and it's something I'll need to do for the opening few pages of chapter 5, as it's going to go back to the end of chapter 2 and pick up on that moment from a different character's POV, moving quickly forward to meet up with the way things stand at the end of chapter 4. (That sounds awkward and confusing here, but I think it'll make sense and work well in the actual book.) 1/2
My plan right now is to write that flashbacky part in the past perfect tense until it catches up to the main action's simple past tense. I hope that'll work; if not, I'll have to try something else. 2/2
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 29: Describe the saddest moment you’ve written. Share an excerpt.
This is a little weird, because # WordWeavers this month has asked about the scene I'm proudest of, and the hardest one to write, and I answered both of those with the only scene I've written so far — by default, it must be "the most" anything.
But that scene isn't remotely sad, so I can't use it for this prompt. I haven't written anything sad yet.
Yet. I have some plans for some sad things in my WIP.
I'm Kagan, a web developer working on my 1st novel: an ensemble (multi-MC and -villain) #UrbanFantasy set in #SanFrancisco, about people who can talk to the City. It teaches them to do magic, and they're trying to change the world for the better. But different people have different ideas about what "better" means.
I'm still working on background (magic system, character backgrounds, etc.) and hope to start "real" writing soon.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 2: Do you agree with Jodi Picoult who says you should finish writing a book even if you think it might be garbage?
Yes, for 2 reasons:
You might be being too hard on yourself.
Like Mr. Rogers says at https://wandering.shop/@sarahijackson/110601308851114103, "It feels good to have made something" (emphasis added). Even if it does turn out to be garbage, you'll have fully accomplished a written book🏆🏅, not "well, I wrote half a book once but stopped midway through.🙁😞"
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 3: What skills/qualities do you look for in an editor?
Someone who will work with a writer to make the piece be the best it can be. But that's the best that it can be; not some other piece. I.e., not turn it into some other work. But someone who has suggestions can be good.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 5: Can you feel the emotions of your characters when you write them?
More than just their emotions; I need to inhabit their mind and their thoughts, and often even their bodies, in order to write what they're thinking, feeling, and saying in that moment.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 6: If you were to write a sequel centred on one of your SCs, which would you pick?
Jake Mansour and Meredith Romer are two very strong contenders. Alternatively, I think Hazel Kovalenko could make a nice anchor for a series of cozy shorts.
I suspect "really", "honestly", and "seriously" will be my overuse bugaboos, but honestly, I can't really tell yet. Get back to me once I start seriously writing.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 9: How do you deal with describing specific character ethnicities?
I'm still pondering how to do this best. I have the advantage that, since my work is set in present-day San Francisco, I can simply describe people as "a Japanese-American woman", "a Palestinian-American man", "a European-American guy", etc. It's not like, say, Earthsea or Middle-Earth. But I'm not sure if it's the best way to do it, or if it's what I'll finally settle on.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 10: What do you say to people who tell you they're frustrated writers?
I understand. I'm a frustrated musician. I love music, I used to want to be a musician, but I honestly don't have the talent for it. Sometimes, what you want to do and what you can do well enough to satisfy yourself just aren't the same. And it hurts. I understand.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 11: Are some genres taken more seriously than others? How does this make you feel?
Obviously! Nobody could claim with a straight face that "literary" fiction (which, yes, is a genre) or even biography isn't taken more seriously than romances. (Hell, I think at this point even sci-fi and fantasy may be taken more seriously than romances.)
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 12: Share your personal grammar/typography style, if you have one.
I'm really not sure what this even means. I'm pretty sure the typography will be set by the publisher, and my "grammar style" is: follow English grammar. (But not the bizarre dictates of hypercorrective prescriptivists; starting sentences with conjunctions and ending them with prepositions are both fine.) 1/2
I do maintain that em and en dashes should be set off with spaces on either side, and the first one should be a non-breaking space, so the dash can never be the first thing on a new line. Is that a "personal typography style"? 2/2
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 14: Does your work feature on GoodReads? How do you feel about the platform?
Being as-yet unpublished, my work couldn't possibly feature on GoodReads if it tried.
I am dubious about the platform; I've heard all kinds of stuff about its bad side, bad participants, and so on. But I suspect I'll have to get at least a little bit involved there if I get published.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 16: If you've read a book series, was there a weak book in the series? What made it weak?
One of my favorite recent series is The Expanse, by James S.A. Corey. The first 6 books in it are each "space opera/[something]", where the "something" changes from book to book. In order they are... 1/2
A lot of the series' fans feel that book #4 was the weakest, but I think it may be because the Western doesn't mesh well with the rest of the series. 2/2
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 17: How much of yourself is in your MC, or do you never write this way?
I put a little bit of myself into nearly all of my characters, but I try not to concentrate very much in any one person. I'm on guard against self-insertion.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 18: Do you suffer for your art? Backaches, headaches, writers' cramps, etc.?
No. I like comfort, and as a coder, I know the importance of ergonomics for anything you want to be sustainable.
I'm not even sure what "writers' cramps" are, unless it means a cramp in one's hand from writing by hand with a pen? In which case, I get those if I hand-write for more than about 90 seconds (which is why I type instead)! 🤣
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 19: Do you give your characters mannerisms? How do you do this?
I'm sure at least one or two will have common mannerisms, as many (but by no means all!) people do. I'll probably discover exactly who and what as I'm writing. And I expect and plan to do it by simply describing the gestures.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 21: Would you ever use emojis in your writing? Why? Why not? 😀
Since my story is set in modern-day San Francisco, some of my characters will naturally communicate by text and by group chat. Yes, of course they'll use emoji in there! I consider that to be akin to dialogue.
Outside of those situations? I can't think of any reason, or manner, to use emoji in my novel.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 22: Thoughts on chapter length. Long, short or mixed? What's a chapter?
I aim to keep them mostly similar lengths, and I currently plan to aim for something around 3000-5000 words per chapter. I'll doubtless adjust that once I see just how much "stuff" fits into that many words, and how "digestible" those chunks feel.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 23: Do you format your own work, or hire someone?
I assume my publisher will format it. I plan to go the "traditional publishing" route.
If that plan doesn't work out, I'd naturally be the person to format it if I self-publish. (Although my partner is very good with design software, so maybe they'd do it. They'd at least advise me!)
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 25: How do you feel about Amazon's influence on books and publishing?
I don't know enough about its influence on books and publishing, specifically, to have an opinion. But in general regarding Amazon, I think they're a huge monopoly with atrocious business and labor practices, and I doubt they're any different in this one field.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 26: Would you consider recording your own audiobook?
Absolutely. I'm pretty good at reading things aloud, and I think I'd do a good job. I'm not sure about the time commitment or whether I could get paid, so I'm not sure that I "would do it", but I would absolutely consider it.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 27: How do you find beta readers? Would you beta read yourself?
I have been a beta reader before, for a friend of mine! (Sadly, they don't seem to have published the work I read, which is a shame, because I'd love to see it on the shelves.)
I will tackle the question of how to find beta readers when I have enough for them to read.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 28: Should you avoid running around the Wrekin, beating about the bush and avoid colloquialisms?
In narration, yeah, I think so. Even in close 3rd, where the narration can (and I think should) pick up a little of the character's voice and style, it should still be only a little, and I think really noticeable colloquialisms like that would be a lot, not a little.
In dialogue, of course, it can help delineate your character; do it! (Maybe don't go overboard, though.)
I'm honestly beginning to think it was leaving behind a job that had been progressively worse and worse for me. I think getting that weight off my psyche was what freed up the creative energy I needed to start writing.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 2: Have you ever based a character on a real person? Do they know?
All of my characters have at least teensy bits of real people in them, but usually more than one person, and also they're mostly stuff I've created myself. The bits of real people are just to lend a little bit of verisimilitude.
There is one character in my WIP who's 100% based on a dear friend who died a couple of years ago. If there is an afterlife, then he knows.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 3: How much of your worlds are invented versus real? Give examples.
The setting and basic backdrop is modern-day San Francisco, to as high a degree of accuracy as I can do. The magic, and the things that spring from it (like the various groups and orders magicians have formed) are all invented by me.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 4: Do environmental concerns feature in your work?
Only in a very backdrop way. The world is undergoing global warming, and my characters will notice and comment on the weather at least once or twice. But it's not their main concern; their issues are more local.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 8: Do you have a favourite opening line of a book?
I don't tend to do "single, above-all favorite" items, but I have a soft spot for "It was a dark and stormy night", partly because I have a soft spot for A Wrinkle in Time.
(Also, shout-out to the variations on "Death came for him/her [in some kind of way]" in Steve Perry's Matador series: "Death came for him through the trees", "…for her from behind a child's game", "…in the form of a trusted friend", etc.)
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 9: Do you invent places in your work? Are any based on real locations?
I plan to invent at least one bar/café/restaurant that's frequented by city shamans (and owned by one), but aside from that, I'm keeping it as real as I can (aside from things like characters' individual dwelling places — but even for those, I'm trying to base them very much on actual San Francisco homes).
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 10: Do you want to write full time or are you happy for it to be a hobby/side hustle?
I am okay with it being a hobby, and continuing my career as a web developer. I would also be fine with dropping web development and becoming a full-time writer, but only if my books started making as much money for me as I'm currently earning. That seems extremely unlikely.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 11: Do you ever imagine scenes in your work as if they were scenes in a movie or TV show?
Yes, definitely! It seems perfectly natural to do so. But, that being said? I should probably stop that. I'm not writing a screenplay; I'm writing a novel, and the storytelling modes are different.
(But I will absolutely keep putting myself inside the scene, in my characters' skins.)
Yes, actually! Just a few weeks ago there was a prompt that spurred me to really buckle down and finalize what tattoos Margo Chu has, and that got me thinking a little more about her history and her personal feelings about getting married and having kids. I know there have been a few other ones that made me think more deeply about certain aspects of my work, and made it deeper and richer thereby.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 15: What would one of your stories be like in an alternative universe? E.g. A Sci-Fi written as a rom-com etc.
The urban fantasy novel I'm writing actually could become a political thriller with not too much work. But another option is, I could almost see turning it into a murder mystery.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 16: How much do you edit as you write, and how much do you leave until the second draft?
I'm not sure yet. I'll find out when I start writing. So far, the one scene (and a couple of extra "bits") I've written were things I didn't intend to go back and revise, so I mostly focused on editing as I wrote, with just 1 or 2 cases of "Okay, I'll fill this bit in later." But when I write in earnest, I expect I'll leave a lot more FIX_THIS and FIND_BETTER_WORD tags for myself.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 17: Have you taken high school or college courses in Creative Writing? Were the classes useful?
I took a poetry workshop in college, and I think it was useful. It made me produce stuff, and it gave me experience in both giving and receiving critique. (And the critiques in that class were constructive, not people trying to tear each other down or anything like that.)
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 18: Do you ever use parentheses/brackets in your writing?
Parentheses? Absolutely. If left to my own devices, I'd nest them three or even four levels deep — and in fact, I used to do so, but came to realize most people had trouble following that kind of logic. (In retrospect, I was already thinking like a programmer.) So now I try to keep them to a minimum, and not nest them.
Brackets, whether square or curly? Not in writing, just coding.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 19: What do you put into your coffee? Or tea? Is this a vital part of your writing routine?
My morning starts with tea, generally Irish breakfast with moderate amounts of sugar and half-and-half. But my writing doesn't start until later, after the caffeine's kicked in and I'm fully awake.
(When I have coffee, it's with hazelnut syrup and lots of half-and-half — basically a hazelnut café au lait (or if I go to a coffeeshop or café, I'll just order a hazelnut cappuccino).)
Special bonus! Last post is an example of the kind of nested parentheses I talked about in the post it's a reply to! (And which I'm making sure not to do in my writing anymore.)
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 22: Are there any books which should be banned, or is book banning always wrong?
Even things like Mein Kampf can be (and I understand are) useful for historians to get a better idea of how fascism grows (and therefore how we can better stop it). I think things like that should be given proper context and framing, but outright banning doesn't fix the underlying problems.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 23: How important is humour in your work? How do you work it in?
It's important to me to have moments of humor (also light-heartedness and joy) but it's not primarily a humorous work. Folks will crack jokes when appropriate, and observe the humor in situations when it's there; they'll also deliberately seek out and create moments of joy in life, because people do that. Things like parties, lunch w/friends, etc. are part of life, and my folks will enjoy them.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 24: What websites do you rely on most to help you with your writing?
I couldn't possibly narrow it down. Everything from name sites to Google Maps to places where you can ask questions of (Latines/Chinese people/police officers/etc.) to Wikipedia to websites of innumerable colleges, universities, corporations, restaurants, residential buildings, and whatever else.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 26: In your opinion, name a book, movie or TV show where the ending spoils the story.
The ending of Quantum Leap was famous for how it infuriated fans. I was only a very casual fan — hell, more of a casual watcher, not even really a fan — and it started off by confusing and annoying me, until the closing text card made my blood boil.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 28: Do you prefer to write protagonist-driven stories or ensembles? Why?
Definitely ensembles. I like multiple people working together, bouncing off each other, and different people having different styles and viewpoints. I'm not so much a fan of "this one person is the only one who matters, and everyone else is just a side character in their story." That, to me, feels so narrow and almost confining.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 30: How do you keep track of your work? Do you have a system?
Right now it's all background material, so there's a folder for each character, which at minimum contains a .txt file named for them, and may also contain extra files like family-history, schooling (i.e., HS and college, often formative years and experiences), music-stuff (for musicians; this'd be the history of bands they've been in, etc.), social-scene, and so on. 1/2
There are also top-level .txt files like plot, characters (notes on ones who aren't developed enough yet to get their own folders), magic-system, magic-spells-list, divination-system, and the all-important !unresolved file. (The ! makes it sort at the top of the folder, too.)
Soon there will be folders like "Ch. 01", "Ch. 02", and so on, with scene1.txt, scene2.txt, etc. files. 2/2
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 1: What's your favourite Easter egg in your own work and/or another work of fiction?
I'll go with the bit in the Expanse book series where there's a Martian ship named the Mark Watney.
My own work will be chock full of Easter eggs and shout-outs, but I'm not giving them away before publication; that would ruin readers' opportunities to find them on their own!
I used to keep a Livejournal, then moved it to Dreamwidth. Sadly, I've gotten out of the journaling habit; that pretty much happened with the rise of microblogging. My "accounting of life as it happens" energies started going to Twitter, and now Mastodon, instead.
I miss journaling. I keep trying to revive the habit, and failing.
You get to create whatever you want — worlds, people, events, aliens, magic spells, dragons, mysteries, love, anything you can think of or imagine. All you have to do is string some words together.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 7: Write a poem in no more than 500 characters which describes you as a writer.
An aspiring writer named Kagan
is obsessed with cities, though Pagan.
He writes night and day,
though he doubts it'll pay,
but the story, his brain it is plaguein'.
(alternatively...)
Kagan, an aspiring writer,
hoped his tales could make spirits lighter.
Though it seems urban mages
are what fill up his pages,
his true aim's to make the world brighter.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 8: Do you think of your books as having a particular length?
I'm shooting for roughly 100,000 words for the current book, which will be a first-time novel in the urban fantasy genre. So, basically, "roughly mid- or average-length for my genre and fame level".
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 12: Do you reread things you wrote some time ago? How do they stand up today?
How long is "some time"? All my old writings are lost to the mists of time. The oldest thing I've got is the first brief scene I wrote for the WIP, less than 2 years ago.
Okay, I just looked at it again. It stands up okay. I think. I hope. Parts certainly do. Others might need a little polishing.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 13: Which "unfilmable" novel do you think has worked best on screen?
Since you said "novel", I can't pick Ted Chiang's short story "Story of Your Life", which Denis Villeneuve brilliantly turned into Arrival. I'm going to go with either Terry Gilliam's adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, or else Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings (because Tolkien's story was one novel, and only released in 3 volumes due to post-WWII paper rationing).
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 14: Do you keep a log of incidental characters or forget them once they've featured?
I think if someone's that incidental, I will (hopefully) not create anything else about them that doesn't show up on the page, so therefore if I need to refer back to anything about them, I can just go look at what I've already written. It will be the source material.
But if I even mentally create anything else about them... boom, they get their own notes somewhere in my files.
In my comfy chair, at nighttime, having already eaten, with a Manhattan and a shot of Tullamore Dew on the table next to me, and my "writerly mood" music mix playing.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 16: Have you ever started a chapter with a quote or poem? How do you feel about the idea?
Haven't started any chapters yet, so no. But... I suppose I might. I'm okay with the idea in general, but in implementation I wonder if it'd be weird to only put epigraphs like that on some chapters, and then if it'd get to be a super hassle to find epigraphs for every chapter just to maintain consistency.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 17: What genre(s) would you be terrible at writing?
I've said before that I'm not really into Westerns as a genre, so I'd probably suck at writing them. I also don't have much taste for or desire to write historical-setting stuff.
I might have decent ability to write techno-thrillers, but the idea rubs me the wrong way, so that'd probably also make the final output sucky.
Addendum: I see others mentioning military SF, which, yeah, I'd suck at (and had just plain forgotten about), and someone else mentioned that Christian stuff is a genre, and hoo boy! would I be awful at that! 😂
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 18: How important is social media in promoting your work?
I'm sure I'll promote my work through my own SM, but all I have is this. I ditched Facebook and Instagram shortly after FB bought IG, ditched Twitter shortly after Elon bought it, and have never been on TikTok.
If I manage to get traditionally published, maybe my publisher will promote it on their social media?
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 21: Do you agree with Rose Tremain, who says you shouldn't plan a book's ending; it must be earned?
I'm not entirely sure what that means. I don't feel like a writer needs to "earn" their own book's ending (by anything other than the act of writing the book from beginning to end, at least). But I am somewhat a fan of the "Earn Your Happy Ending" trope, in which the characters must engage in some struggle to earn their desired ending: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EarnYourHappyEnding.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 24: When older novels use outdated or racist language, should they be edited for the modern world or left alone and viewed in context?
I think everyone can figure out that they're from another time. And while I wouldn't mind edited versions existing for those who just want to read the thing for the point it was trying to make and not be assaulted by some awful slur every other paragraph, I'm also glad the original versions still exist, and they're what I'd likely choose.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 25: Do you add a message from the author to your work?
Shouldn't the message be in the work itself? Seriously, if the work doesn't already transmit whatever message the author intends, then the work is not complete, or has failed. It's up to the author to fix that!
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 26: Do you write stand-alone stories, series or both? Which do you prefer?
My WIP is a stand-alone story that could conceivably kick off a trilogy or series. (I like flexibility.) I haven't had enough experience to decide on a preference yet.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 28: Do you ever picture a character as someone from real life? E.g. an actor, etc.
There are a few of my characters who I'm specifically trying to stop picturing as certain actors. In at least one case, that's because the actor would be visually all wrong for the character. (Like, the character has hEDS, which results in very smooth, silky skin, and the actor in question has a very rough complexion; he'd be wrong on a truly serious level!)
(Edited: I see some other people are taking this to mean "do you let others know what your name is?", while I took it as "does anyone else have the same name as you?" Since this account has my legal name all over it, I obviously do the former, but the latter isn't the case.)
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 3: Does your work include pictures, maps or other custom graphics? Share your pics.
I occasionally debate having a map that shows the magical stuff in San Francisco, because I love maps! But I think it'll be better — including, more fun for readers! — to just describe in text where things are and let people figure them out from the clues.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 5: Is there a certain kind of story or arc that is easier for you to write as a short story than others?
[Edit: Oh crap, I only posted half of my answer yesterday! Here's the whole thing...]
Not that I know of. (Yet?)
I would like to learn to do short stories at some point. The last time I tried (admittedly, back during high school), it quickly ballooned to novella length.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 6: Have you ever copied a piece from another book or a movie as a homage to that work?
"Copied a piece"? I'm not sure how that would be "an homage"; that sounds more to me like "quoting" the other work. To me, an homage implies more of an obviously-affectionate allusion. (One example is Spider Robinson's homage to The Princess Bride in one of the early Callahan's Saloon stories.)
Anyway, I will be making a variety of non-quote homages to various things, yes.
@writerobscura I didn't think you were an ass; it seemed like a reasonable question.
If my response seemed like a quick backpedal, it's partly because I'd also seen @sfwrtr's answer mentioning how it's unprofessional to put on submissions to publishers. And I don't expect everyone to remember that I'm still a baby writer and haven't finished a manuscript yet; just because I'm very aware of it doesn't mean I expect other people to track where some rando on Masto is at. 😄
@kagan@sfwrtr Ouch. I didn't know you were still a baby writer. If it makes you feel any better, no matter how long I've been at this - I'm still a toddler.
@kagan@writerobscura
Sorry I'm late to respond to "@sfwrtr's answer mention[ed] it's unprofessional to put on submissions to publishers." Hehehe... Hope I caused nobody distress when I let too much realism creep into my posts.
"...baby writer..."
I like that term! It implies you have to work to walk, and that you understand it won't be easy. But, with time we will run.
Being new to something, aspiring, we always want to look experienced because those who will judge us and our works are reassured by competency. Competency implies experience. Experience in turn implies that we won't waste your valuable time if you look closer at us or our work. Learning to appear professional is essential, especially when you don't have a brand name. Any little thing that gets you past the gatekeepers is worth working upon. You at least want someone to read the first few paragraphs of your story (the best you can hope for).
f my response seemed like a quick backpedal, it's partly because I'd also seen @sfwrtr's answer...
I specifically want to praise you. Admitting that you are learning has impressed me a lot. Humility is a skill, and it will serve you as well as persistence will. It certainly makes me want to write further posts because I feel I'm actually helping folks. Writing is always about communicating.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 8: When writing technical or scientific detail, how much is plausible versus imagined?
In my urban fantasy book? There won't be much technical or scientific detail at all; what there is will probably be very plausible, in the sense of just being taken straight from current tech.
To the extent that I go into detail about the magic, it is imagined (i.e., I'm making it up), but should feel plausible to people who know anything about magic. Or cities. Or San Francisco.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 9: What's the minimum time you can work on your writing? Do you need a long, clear period?
I prefer a long, clear period, but I can just jot down a few ideas or clean up notes or stuff like that, if I know I've only got something like 15 minutes.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 11: What character have you written that's the most unlike you?
Either Aisha Morgan or Carmen Lockhart. Aisha is Black, female, straight, grew up in the projects, and now drives a Muni bus. Carmen is also female, Latina (though white and Anglo-passing), and has some other differences from myself that I don't want to give away yet.
With both of them, I'm taking a lot of care in their depiction and characterization.
I haven't even thought about that yet. Mostly my ideas in that vein are, "Get someone else to do the marketing for me," because marketing is not my strong suit. This is part of why I'm leaning toward traditional publishing; they have people to handle that. That's one of the strong benefits I see from a trad publishing house.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 13: When does AI cross the line between helpful tool and problematic tech for writing and publishing?
I wouldn't know; I haven't touched it at all. And I don't plan to.
(Also: Loving the large number of responses to this question that amount to "Fuck AI completely, and the people who are building and promoting it, for a long list of reasons..." 😄💯👍🏻)
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 14: Do you have a sense of how much plot you need for how long a manuscript?
Not yet. That's something I expect to acquire as I progress through the manuscript on my WIP. Also, some of these vignettes might help me get a start on that. (Except most of them have very little plot, which is kind of a problem in multiple ways.)
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 15: Have you ever attended a writer's fair/festival to promote your work? Would you?
I haven't because I have nothing to promote yet. But once I do, I'd consider it, if I thought the returns would be worth the time and trouble. (Also, I'd probably try 1 or 2 just to find out what they're like — or you could say, to find out about the return, the time and trouble, and the comparison between the two.)
People who like urban fantasy with diverse casts and themes of found family. "Why?" Because that describes my book! People who like that might like my book, and people who don't like that probably won't! 😂
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 17: Other than writing, what's your go-to creative outlet?
I don't really have one at the moment. I used to do fire-dancing, and DJing, and also I used to just go out to clubs and dance, but those have all fallen by the wayside for one reason or another. Right now, writing is my main and possibly sole creative outlet, and I'm okay with that.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 18: Have you written sections where the action occurs against the clock? How did you do it?
Not yet, but I do have a plan for a situation where someone needs to get from Point A to Point B in no more than 15 minutes. Nobody thinks she can do it, but she assures her allies she can manage it. She'll be riding a motorcycle; I'm not sure if I'll let her have chances to snatch a glance at her watch along the way or not. (Also, I really doubt she wears one.)
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 19: Do you agree with Hillary Mantell, who said the best qualities for writing are self-confidence and a little arrogance?
Not quite. I think the best qualities for writing are a facility with words, and having something to say. But I would say self-confidence, particularly the self-confidence to put some of your heart and soul into your writing, without holding back and trying to play it cool, comes close after that.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 20: When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?
Sometime around age 12. Then sometime during college, I lost that desire. And it became one of the many "roads not taken" in my life for a few decades, so in idle moments I'd think, "If I had become a writer, maybe I'd write something like X..." And then that eventually grew into where I'm at now.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 21: Do you format as you write or do that at the end?
If I understand this correctly, if it means things like putting in emphasis and italics, I have to do that as I'm writing! When the character says "I think we should do it", or else says "I think we should do it", I need to put that emphasis in right then, or I'll lose track of it later.
The idea of going back to put in that stuff later is so foreign to me, I wonder if I've misunderstood the question.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 22: If someone were to write your autobiography, who would you want to write it?
If it's my autobiography, wouldn't I have to write it myself?
If you just mean my biography... I don't know anything about any major biographers, except I've heard some bad stuff about Walter Isaacson, so not him. Aside from that? I have no clue.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 24: Is there any work of fiction you could have written better? Don't be shy.
The Star Wars prequel trilogy. Sure, not a high bar to clear. But once I saw boy Anakin, I was excited! It was a great chance to explore "How does an innocent become evil?"/"What is the source of evil?" And then the entire trilogy just failed to deliver on that, with a combo of "love makes you stupid" and pushing the source-of-evil out of Anakin and into Palpatine, where it's never explored.
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