#wordweavers 28 Did your MCs have comfort objects they carried as a child?
For Freya's sixth birthday, her brother Lazarus wrote her a story about climbing the highest tree in the world and plucking a few stars from the sky while he was up there. He told her he stuck some of those stars in a peach pit so they could have a nap and gave it to her.
"If you're really quiet, you can hear the little star snore."
She believed him, and on a bad day, she can still hear it snore.
#wordweavers May 28 — Did your MCs have comfort objects they carried as a child? Now?
In my currently work in progress, which is Kindle Vella Serial (titled WARSONG,) most people are found to carry what they are called Lightphones, which serve both as cellular phones and identification devices. It's main character, Harper, is one of her country's most recognized popstars. Her constant travel makes me think that she probably wouldn't carry anything.
#WordWeavers 5.26 — What childhood similarities do your MC and antagonist share?
Both grew up in the South, both didn't come from a rich background.
Connor learned to enjoy the little things in life, like freedom, hunting, riding his bike, and the brothers of his pack.
Sam Beechcroft, however, uses everyone and everything he can lay his hands on to enrich himself, including his daughter Ashley. He is a mobster at heart.
#WordWeavers 5.28 — Did your MCs have comfort objects they carried as a child? Now?
Connor hasn't told me much about his childhood so I don't know.
Wolves do not collect a lot of stuff. It's impractical when they have to move den in a hurry. Most of them live with few material possessions.
Some of my Wolves carry family heirlooms. Connor has none, though. He does find comfort on long, rambling motorcycle rides, so his bike may come close.
#WordWeavers 27 May: What would your ideal writing group be like?
I'll be honest, because my subject matter is steamy, I wouldn't be comfortable sharing it with a writing group.
I've been in a lot of writing groups over the years and they all worked differently. To be honest, as I and my friends have got older, we rarely have the time to do each other's work justice and enjoy the experience.
The ME/CFS unsurprisingly, also interferes. I can't go out and Zoom calls are overstimulating>
#wordweavers May 27: What would your ideal writing group be like?
Kind, dedicated creatives who are not only interested in showing off their own work, who are willing to help and support, and who do not see each other as competition.
Yeah, I'm an idealist. But I've met quite a few people here who fit this picture, tbh.
#WordWeavers 5/27. What would your ideal writing group be like?
This one is tricky, if only because I've had both good and bad experiences with "writing groups," either because they eventually fall apart due to admin issues or because their memberships just evaporated overtime.
In the past few years, I've tried to cultivate a group of like-minded people on my feeds, and interact with them primarily through those avenues.
#WordWeavers 5.19 — How did you settle on your MC’s appearance?
Connor was a side character at first, just a member of the motorcycle gang that helps Nessa when she's abducted by Hunters.
So I knew little about him other that he is a red-head (because of his name, more than anything). He faded into the background - until the moment he actually chose sides, which surprised me.
I can't visualize people easily, so... I leave that to the reader.
#WordWeavers 5.25 — How often do your characters think of death?
In my current WIP (which is my Kindle Vella serial WARSONG,) my main character thinks of death constantly, especially as she and her best friend are drafted into a war.
There's some other trauma-associated stuff in the book, but the first answer is more suitable, I think.
#WordWeavers 5.25 — How often do your characters think of death?
Connor doesn't.
He's young (early 30s), he's strong, and thanks to being a Wolf, he has better health than the average human.
Yes, there are the Hunters, but he thinks they'll never touch him. His pack is great, he loves roaming around on their motorcycles and until Reg showed what an ass he was, things were easy.
Intelligent people who are serious about their writing. An interest in Japanese literature, tolerate of R18. People who have posted or are published. Not the art literary crowd, but folks that want to write entertaining fiction.
It's not a plot or narrative point but given the antag is undead and out to kill them, I would imagine they think about death quite frequently.
In the early parts of "My Girlfriend Almost Got Me Killed," Shiro mentions several times that one reason she's not sure she wants to establish a long-term relationship with Kaori is Kao might get them both killed.
Tomo in Konbini Idol mentions several times that he is less than thrilled that Ume brings home a woman who is cursed and might get them killed.
#WordWeavers 24-05-25 How often do your characters think of death?
Not often really. It's a part of nature so Parthia and Pintac pay due respects to that part of the cycle, but don't/didn't have any extensive thoughts or concerns about it on the regular.
That isn't to say unexpected deaths aren't stressful. 😔
#WordWeavers#Writing 26 May: what childhood similarities do your MC and antagonist share?
They were Japanese.
They were all lesbians or queer and knew it.
Most had shitty childhoods
Kaori and Miyako-kun went to the same high school. They were both smart troubled teens. Dated.
By the time the antags are antags most similarity is gone. They are Japanese. On one side we have human protags the full range of human emotions and weakness and on the other supernatural beings shorn of all but one driving emotion hate and a twisted love that keeps them from passing over.
#wordweavers May 26. What childhood similarities do your MC and antagonist share?
Again, the disclaimer thar the roles of antagonists are fluid. But if we take Rainald: Both he and Katja are the children of wealthy merchants, and both are forced to marry according to their guardians' wishes.
#WordWeavers 2405.25 — How often do your characters think of death?
The reader and author are privy only to the MC's thoughts. "Often" is a vague word. Generally the MC doesn't think of death as you and I would experience time. However, in story time, she thinks of it rather often. She experiences PTSD episodes from when she saw someone die horrifically during a gang war, then realized her actions (or rather her inactions) resulted in dozens of others dying. Being responsible but powerless to stop it rattles her to the core. Her death? Not so much. Having been a bodyguard for a mob boss, and to an extent being a prizefighter where an errant strike could be lethal before that, she's never expected herself to live to old age. Twice someone has tried to murder her; only quick thinking and skill saved her. Twice she actually died, only extraordinary attempts at resuscitation bringing her back from the brink. She's not yet 20 years old. Each time she learned something or achieved something, the very last time saving not only the life of her lover but the life of his assassin because actually murdering the assassin was worse to her than dying herself. Not becoming a murderer is a possible tipping point in her life story because she is was conceived as a evil character, and if something doesn't get in the way she will be responsible for the destroying the world...
#wordweavers 01/05/2024 Introduce your setting as if it's a character in your story.
The McAlistair mansion POV: “I’m currently the host of Esther and her strange little maid. Before I belonged to Esther’s husband, but he wasn’t with them when they came back from the colonies. Something has happened there, I don’t know what, but it makes Esther ill. The little strange maid tries her best to help.”
#wordweavers 26/05/2024 What childhood similarities do your MC and antagonist share?
Never thought about that but they have pretty much same origins… and yet their paths have diverged.
They are both born in the upper-class but not in the aristocracy. Their fathers were both hardworking but if Esther’s was successful, D’Arcy’s one never managed to recognised as inventor. Absorbed in his lab, he failed to see how bad his daughter was turning.
#wordweavers 26/05/2024 What would your ideal writing comics group be like?
In the early 2000, I was in a aspiring comics artists group. Some were already published, several were about to succeed (and are now quite successful authors) and some like me were not ready and I missed the bandwagon.
The group has split but I never found such a emulation.
#wordweavers 28/05/2024 Did your MCs have comfort objects they carried as a child? Now?
Living in a family dominated by an abusive father, Esther certainly needs one. She can’t really escape him, but when she was riding her poney, at least she had a few moments of peace. That’s why finding her saddle makes her so nostalgic.
[Illustrations: Excerpt from Inktober 2023 - Esther youth]