Apparently, I am considered a "Literate Writer." What wizardry is this? I just answered a few questions.
pic.twitter.com/8eB6BLg3NW #amwriting
http://bit.ly/1Vb3737
I'm on the 3rd draft of my back cover blurb ...
#amwriting #amediting #indieauthor
Aug 16, 2023, 2:27:11 AM [original]
2. On a scale of pantser to plotter, what are you? Are you flexible?
(tooting early, tomorrow will be very busy)
I started out a chaotic pantser, and gradually migrated toward more planning. My soon to be released WIP was plantsed. For my next book I expect to go full plotter.
Sep 1, 2023, 11:00:42 PM [original]
#WritersCoffeeClub
9. Have you ever abandoned a writing project that wasn't working? What was wrong?
NOOOO!!! Never give up! Never surrender!!
#Fantasy #WritingCommunity #AmWriting #MovieQuote
Sep 8, 2023, 8:37:08 PM [original]
#WritersCoffeeClub
11. What's your top advice to an aspiring writer?
Find someone who can see into your blind spots and provide cogent critique. This could be a professional editor, fellow writer, or just a smart and erudite reader who can communicate clearly. They will pinpoint for you the problems that you know are there but don't know how to fix because you haven't defined them well enough.
Sep 11, 2023, 12:23:51 PM [original]
#WritersCoffeeClub
12. If you write novels, would you consider a short story, and vice versa?
I often write so-called flash fiction, extremely short works of just a few hundred words. I occasionally include these as special bonuses in my newsletter, or on the blog.
#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #SelfPromo
Sep 12, 2023, 3:07:08 AM [original]
@sandralindsey A situation that calls for a Forget spell so you don't remember that you already wrote it once.
Of course, you'll also forget all you learned about how to write it, so you'll probably make all the same mistakes again.
Sep 24, 2023, 5:07:27 PM [original]
According to the Banach-Tarski editing theorem, the Axiom of Choice means that you can cut enough material from your WIP to make another novel of equal length.
#amwriting
#authors
#WritingCommunity
#writerscoffeeclub
26. How many drafts do you go through before the final manuscript?
I'm up to three or four. I used to do fewer. Perhaps as I've become a better writer I'm less satisfied with the early drafts.
Pretty big assumption there.
Oct 26, 2023, 2:38:15 AM [original]
#NaNoWriMo begins!!!
Time to get writing. I've got a whole entire book 3 to get to.
#writerscoffeeclub
Welcome to November!!
1. What's the best writing advice you've heard or read?
Long ago, a teacher instructed me, "Rein in your style. Make it work FOR you."
Not sure if it was helpful, but it was definitely memorable.
Nov 1, 2023, 3:13:12 PM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
3. "Are dialogue tags flexible?" laughed John.
They are so flexible that they are sometimes invisible. If used creatively, they can overcome the "talking heads" phenomenon and describe characters' entire bodies and their interaction with the environment.
#WritingCommunity
#amwriting
(That's 40 more words toward #nanowrimo2023 goals.)
#writerscoffeeclub
7. How would you describe your WIP's core plot?
What do you get for someone who has everything?
#amWriting
#WritingCommunity
#fantasy
#writerscoffeeclub
8. What does your most productive writing space look like?
It has plenty of ink and nibs around so I don't have to get up and hunt for them when I get into a flow.
Also, I like tea available.
#amwriting
#WizardLife
#WritingCommunity
#wordweavers
10. Do your characters eat any unusual food?
Not really unusual, but the town where they live is famous for the wool it produces, and there are a lot of sheep around. So, they eat a lot of sheep. The inn where every adventure starts and ends is renowned for its lamb stew.
Nov 10, 2023, 2:40:14 AM [original]
Q2: Pumpkin spice latte or pumpkin spice coffee:
a) a tasty seasonal treat that you can’t wait for
b) a seasonal treat you can take or leave
c) the devil’s work
d) other–please explain
Inserting the only flavor that makes pumpkin palatable into a beverage that doesn't need it and never asked for it.
#Writephant #WritingCommunity #amwriting #WritersofMastodon #amdrinking #teadrinkersunite #friendsofJuanValdez #hotchocolateseason
#neverpumpkin
#wordweavers
24. What would make your protagonist and antagonist work together?
An even larger threat that they both feared.
Come to think of it, that sounds like a great plot twist. Be right back ...
#PennedPossibilities
166. Would your MC or SC have any bad Holiday-related pick-up lines?
I think Garynd (new SC) definitely would.
Now I'll have to come up with them.
Dec 20, 2023, 1:15:47 AM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
29. Do you have a favourite letter of the alphabet? How does it feature in your work?
I'm concerned that if I have favorites it might antagonize the other letters and then I'll never be able to get any work out of them.
Dec 29, 2023, 7:32:56 PM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
17. Do you think about your WIP every waking moment?
Thankfully, I have a variety of activities with which to keep myself and my mind occupied.
Frankly, I really ought to set aside a few more minutes in the day for story ideation. This one really needs some more work.
Jan 17, 2024, 4:05:02 AM [original]
#itwasadarkandstormymind
The avian hypnotists must have evacuated along with everyone else. How else to explain why the birds were not dive-bombing the squirrels, building fortifications out of twigs, or forming messages in flight?
#writerscoffeeclub
6. What five things do you need to be a writer?
1. The courage to call yourself a writer.
That's it.
#amWriting
#anWritingJustNotRightThisMinute
#writerscoffeeclub
19. What do you put into your coffee? Or tea? Is this a vital part of your writing routine?
I prefer my tea with honey, particularly the very rare honey that is collected from giant bees. These bees make their honey from not only nectar, but occasionally whole mashed fruits, which once the sugars have crystallized gives the honey a texture and sweetness unmatched by any other substance.
#amWriting
#WritingCommunitea (see what I did there?)
#writerscoffeeclub
30. How do you keep track of your work? Do you have a system?
A summary of each and every scene gets inscribed on a small card with details like POV, who is in the scene, and if it is a key scene (like 'inciting incident').
When I sit down to actually write, I make sure to misplace the card deck so I can't actually use it for writing.
Mar 29, 2024, 8:58:43 PM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
5. What's the best thing about being a writer?
The trend seems to be that we're supposed to answer this one sarcastically? Well, here goes.
The best thing about being a writer is so you can "Well, actually" people by saying "I'm a writer, and here's why you're wrong."
Apr 5, 2024, 4:00:49 PM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
6. What have you learned from past projects that you're using in your WIP?
I wrote all my scenes on cards BEFORE writing the first draft rather than having to go back and break up the draft into scenes and get it on cards after the fact.
The cards were very helpful for my structural/developmental edit.
Apr 7, 2024, 1:46:22 AM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
7. Write a poem in no more than 500 characters which describes you as a writer.
Sorry, I blew through my server's character limit.
#sonnet
#amWriting
#WritingCommunity
#writerscoffeeclub
8. Do you think of your books as having a particular length?
Yes, I think of them as costing a certain amount to print, which constrains the page length.
Apr 8, 2024, 10:55:59 PM [original]
#Writephant Q4.
How do libraries appear in your writing? #National Library Week #RightToReadDay
Very early in The Amulet and the Dragon, the two characters search a #library for clues about the mysterious Amulet.
#WritersofMastodon #WritingCommunity #AmWriting
Apr 9, 2024, 1:15:38 AM [original]
#Writephant Q6.
What celestial events have you incorporated into your stories & writing?
In Water Against Chaos, the heroes visit the Moon. Does that count?
#WritersofMastodon #WritingCommunity #AmWriting
Apr 9, 2024, 1:21:08 AM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
9. Do you use a dedicated proofreader, or is one provided by your publisher?
My publisher does some proofreading, but not much. The job is mostly up to me.
Apr 9, 2024, 4:35:14 PM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
10. Do you have favourite words you like to use?
I try not to play favorites. All the other words get upset and then I can never get any work out of them.
#amWriting
#WritingCommunity
#words
#writerscoffeeclub
12. Do you reread things you wrote some time ago? How do they stand up today?
Well, I'm rereading Water Against Chaos (Book 1) as part of my prep for Book 3. I'd say it holds up pretty well.
Apr 12, 2024, 2:17:16 AM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
14. Do you keep a log of incidental characters (e.g. shop assistants) or forget them once they've featured?
I don't have to. Cordela (my MC) keeps a list of everyone she's met throughout her adventures.
Apr 14, 2024, 3:39:49 AM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
15. Describe your perfect writing conditions.
I'm not sure that perfect exists. A quiet evening with a glass of well-aged spirits is about as good as it gets.
Apr 15, 2024, 3:02:22 AM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
16. Have you ever started a chapter with a quote or poem? How do you feel about the idea?
I never used an epigraph, but I'm not against the notion.
Apr 17, 2024, 12:32:22 AM [original]
#WritersCoffeeClub
#EpigraphCoffeeClub
"This was always so much easier in practice!" — Cordela Shent
17. What genre(s) would you be terrible at writing?
I wrote a sonnet on here last week, for Magic's sake. At this point, I feel like I could write anything.
Apr 17, 2024, 2:36:26 AM [original]
#WritersCoffeeClub
#EpigraphCoffeeClub
"Everything's going according to the prophecy." — @ixtlidekami
19. Does weather play an essential role in your writing? In what way?
Weather is one thing of many that can influence the plot. In Water Against Chaos, Cordela has to deal with torrential rains, and the resulting outbreak of sniffles.
In The Amulet and the Dragon, the weather clears up just in time for Rizo to cast his (out of doors) summoning spell.
#WritersCoffeeClub
#EpigraphCoffeeClub
"Monks hold many secrets. They also make a decent snack." — The Sphinx
23. What's your strangest source of writing inspiration?
Really, there is nothing more outré than Cordela and the adventures she gets up to.
Apr 22, 2024, 7:20:09 PM [original]
#WritersCoffeeClub
#EpigraphCoffeeClub
"If you ask me, it's a load of dragon poo." — Rizo Malkin
26. Do you write stand-alone stories, series or both? Which do you prefer?
I have written two stand-alone stories (one semi-autobiographical) and I'm two books into a series with the third WIP.
I prefer series because I can drop in little references that astute readers of earlier books will notice but others will not, and that understanding is not essential to the story at hand.
Apr 26, 2024, 11:18:08 PM [original]
#WritersCoffeeClub
#EpigraphCoffeeClub
"High seas piracy ain't as fun or as glamorous as it might appear." — Captain Kenna Aylson
28. Do you ever picture a character as someone from real life? E.g. an actor, etc.
Well, since I've met most of my characters, or at least the people they were based on, it's hard not to.
Apr 28, 2024, 2:55:05 PM [original]
#WritersCoffeeClub
#EpigraphCoffeeClub
"We must allow tomorrow its secrets. They will, after all, soon be yesterday 's news." - Stonefoot the Dwarf
29. Do you share your name with other writers?
Never. Some might call me selfish, but I won't share!
Besides, in some of the worlds I operate in, True Name magic is effective. That's why I just use my initials "R. A." on my books and public profile.
Apr 28, 2024, 10:48:23 PM [original]
#WritersCoffeeClub
#EpigraphCoffeeClub
"Have you ever heard the sound of your skull crack?" - unnamed thug
30. Are you writing to prove a point to anyone?
A bit. I found Cordela's story to be compelling and a lot of fun, so I'm trying to prove that to anyone who will give the books a chance.
May 1, 2024, 1:41:59 AM [original]
#WritersCoffeeClub
#EpigraphCoffeeClub
"Where was I"? — Cordela
"Rizo was about to get you into trouble." — Willie
"That doesn't narrow it down." — Cordela
4. What's the worst thing about being a writer?
Having lots of great ideas but no time to write them.
Second worst is when you do write them and they aren't nearly as great on the page as they were in your head.
#amWriting
#Writing
#WritingCommunity
