The Mastodon is a beautiful creature. I've always wanted a small one.
#WizardLife
@lolennui Good to know. I may have to stop by for a spell.
#WizardLife
TIL what an incredibly magical world you inhabit. Apparently, you can get dirty dishes clean just by flipping over a sign. Amazing!
Sep 5, 2023, 2:35:10 PM [original]
#WritersCoffeeClub
18. What genres might you try if you wrote outside your chosen genres?
I'm working on getting other types of story into my 'genre'. Adding romance, political intrigue, mystery, etc.
Of course, in my world 'fantasy' is just regular literature.
#AmWritingFantasy
#AmLivingFantasy
#WizardLife
#WritersCoffeeClub
19. Do you suffer from imposter syndrome?
Only when I'm using Disguise Self to actually impersonate someone else.
Never in writing, mostly because I spell it "impostor" and I must have a pretty high opinion of myself to 'well actually' @johnhowesauthor like that.
#WizardLife
#WritingCommunity
#UKspellingsGetLost
#WritersCoffeeClub
22. Would you ever consider collaborating on a book?
On a book, absolutely.
On Magic, never. I always enchant alone.
#WizardLife
#WritingCommunity
#fantasy
#author
@desiree I'm the NPC that just wouldn't go away! The PCs ended up trusting me to write their story.
Sep 22, 2023, 8:10:07 PM [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]
#writerscoffeeclub
30. What dumb things do people say when you tell them you're a writer?
"Wouldn't you earn more gold by casting spells for people?"
#WizardLife
#author
#WritingCommunity
#writerscoffeeclub
9. Is there a recurring theme in your body of work?
Probably using #magic to solve problems even when it isn't the best or most appropriate means of solving them.
#WizardLife
#author
#WritingCommunity
#fantasy
#writerscoffeeclub
10. Did you learn cursive/joined-up writing in elementary/primary school?
Arcane symbols must be carefully and independently written one at a time.
Connecting them can have unexpected and disastrous consequences.
That said, part of the art of wizardry is knowing when you can "cheat".
#WizardLife
#WritingCommunity
#fantasy
@davidtheeviloverlord #WizardLife
#ThatsWhatImSaying
#writerscoffeeclub
11. What sounds are present when you're writing?
Sometimes my Gryphon squawks when it hasn't been fed. And now and then a group of adventurers will arrive at my door.
Oct 11, 2023, 5:13:49 PM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
12. How do you research real-world locations? Do you visit them?
Since writing is a second career for me, I tend to rely on my personal experience of places I saw as an adventuring wizard in my previous life.
For everything else, I have astral projection.
#WizardLife
#WritingCommunity
#fantasy
#writerscoffeeclub
14. Many writers own cats. Is pet ownership essential for your writing?
Absolutely! I would not have even had the rights to tell the stories in my books if not for my hobby of shrinking and keeping pet monsters.
Oct 13, 2023, 9:15:37 PM [original]
#writephant
Q1 Do you own a paper dictionary and thesaurus, or do you prefer digital?
I use dictionaries written on paper, vellum, or parchment, or etched in stone.
But I prefer to conjure word associations out of the aether.
@elektra @neve Sounds great! Maybe I'll try to make one!
Oct 16, 2023, 11:53:19 PM [original]
#writephant
Q4. Do you speak a language other than English?
I can't even speak English without the aid of a magic spell!
#WizardLife
#WritingFantasy
#writing
I'm not just a #fantasy #author.
I'm also a character!
Oct 18, 2023, 2:51:15 AM [original]
I suspect that the magical inter-planar conduit that I use to communicate with your world may have collapsed.
Please send some form of response if you see this message. If I don't get a reply, I'll have to repeat the ritual to re-establish the connection. I prefer to avoid it, since it involves some discomfort as well as the consumption of some rather expensive material components.
Oct 27, 2023, 6:19:38 PM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
30. Did the education system inspire you or put you off writing?
Back when I went to school, the first spell we had to learn was "Write".
I haven't ever stopped.
#wordweavers
3. Who is your favorite antagonist? Why?
There is this other wizard who always gets undue credit for defeating the dragons. He gets to be the hero, while I'm cast aside despite my crucial role. He's the guy I love to hate.
Nov 3, 2023, 11:41:19 AM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
4. Have you ever seen a movie which was better than the book?
Film is not yet available in my particular material plane. However, I have read some books that were better than the real thing.
#WizardLife
#fantasy
#WritingCommunity
#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
#writerscoffeeclub
12. Do you prefer to write on a desktop, laptop, typewriter, pen and paper, quill and parchment, blood and stone?
Parchment (and vellum, too) are way too expensive for drafting. I try to use paper or low-end papyrus.
My favorite nibs are made from manticore quills, but they are hard to come by.
#amwritingfantasy
#WizardLife
#WritingCommunity
#writerscoffeeclub
16. What ancillary writing apps do you find the most useful?
I find that the static illusions I place on my windows convince people that I'm not home so I can focus on my writing in peace.
#WizardLife
#WritingCommunity
#AppMagic
#wordweavers
21. “If a scene is boring, add dragons.” What do you do if a scene is boring?
My question is, "What do you do if your scene already has dragons and is still boring?" to which I say, "Make one of the dragons your MC under the influence of a Polymorph spell."
#fantasy
#WizardLife
#bookstodon
#WritersOfMastodon
I'll be helping the local Hobgoblins celebrate Black Friday by casting Darkness on them.
Nov 24, 2023, 4:57:15 AM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
28. How do you approach a fight scene or other high-action scenes?
I always prepare a high-level area-of-effect or damage spell, and make sure I'm using Mage Armor.
Oh, this prompt is probably about #writing.
In that case, I try to make sure I have a very good picture in my head of what the "battlefield" looks like and where the participants are in relation to each other.
In revisions, I look for opportunities to increase the danger and tension.
Nov 28, 2023, 3:21:16 AM [original]
#wordweavers
30. How would your protagonist and antagonist describe you to their besties?
I think pretty much everyone describes me as an eccentric old wizard with unusual ideas about magic, politics, and fashion.
They aren't exactly wrong, either.
Nov 30, 2023, 4:06:50 AM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
4. Do you/will you write under your own name? Do you share a name with another writer?
I won't reveal what the R. and the A. stand for. In some of the worlds in which I operate, True Name magic is effective...
Dec 4, 2023, 10:31:35 PM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
5. What genre is your WIP?
My genre is what you would consider Sword and Sorcery Fantasy, inspired by tabletop roleplaying adventures.
I consider it Urban Realism.
Dec 5, 2023, 10:59:18 PM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
6. Is it the reader's/critic's interpretation of a work or the author's? Would you fight an author's opinion?
I see a lot of responses to this prompt that mention "death of the author." Maybe I'll just avoid the question by becoming an immortal lich.
And rather than fighting, it would be much cleaner and only slightly less ethical to just use magic to change the author's mind.
Dec 6, 2023, 5:02:25 AM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
7. What's your favourite book? Why?
Xanathar's Guide to Everything.
Every time I open it up I always glean new approaches to spell casting. And his insane wit is super entertaining.
Dec 7, 2023, 4:49:20 AM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
12. A game developer wants to base a game on your book. How do you feel about it?
It depends on who they are hiring to play me.
#WizardLife
#fantasy
#WritingCommunity
#writerscoffeeclub
17. What aspects of your life do you bring into your writing?
I'd like to think that my deep knowledge of magic informs my writing significantly.
But it's probably my intimate familiarity with livestock that shows through the most.
Maybe I should rephrase that...
#WizardLife
#writing
#NotThatKindOfFamiliarity
#writerscoffeeclub
26. What positive things do people say when you tell them you're a writer?
Oh, I never tell anyone I'm a writer. It messes with my wizard mystique.
Dec 26, 2023, 4:49:55 AM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
2. Do you have other artistic leanings? How do these affect your writing?
I occasionally will compose a new spell, although I haven't done so in years. This only effects my writing because my unique spells sometimes get me raw material for new books. Such was the case with Water Against Chaos.
Jan 3, 2024, 3:24:20 AM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
4. What aspects of your current or former profession do you bring into your writing?
As has been mentioned by others (you know who you are), being an actual wizard gives me tremendous insight into the magic used and encountered by my characters.
Being a participant in the events that they view as history is also helpful. As is having personally encountered many of the creature types they meet.
Jan 4, 2024, 5:25:43 PM [original]
@Glitterr I prepare them regularly with a Prestidigitation spell, which can be cast once every 6 seconds without limit.
Jan 4, 2024, 10:02:07 PM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
6. Have you ever entered any writing competitions? How did you do?
I attended a magic school where we had scroll-writing races. I was always pretty fast, but they didn't always work as planned. One of them turned a teacher into a gerbil.
Jan 7, 2024, 12:50:43 AM [original]
@TreeVor I think I've visited that world before.
It was nice, but the sunsets were just a little too orange for my taste, and everything smelled like applesauce.
Jan 11, 2024, 3:17:13 AM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
18. Does your work feature on BookTok? How do you feel about the platform?
I have yet to forge an interplanar link with the Book Tok service. It's hard enough keeping my tunnel to X up and running since they keep changing their API (Arcane Programming Interface). As such, I have no particular feelings about it.
#WritingCommunity
#WizardLife
#InterplanarInternet
#writerscoffeeclub
1. Intro update: Shameless Self Promotion. Tell us about yourself, published work, WIP or anything else people should know.
My blog has tips for taking care of your miniature monsters.
How you make the monsters small to begin with, I'm afraid you're on your own.
Feb 2, 2024, 4:19:51 AM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
4. What software do you use to write?
Haha. Well, I've been trying to get Scrivener to run properly on my arcana-powered computing machine, but neither the Mac or PC versions seems to be compatible. And I haven't met anyone from any material plane who understands the technology well enough to help.
So, for now I'm stuck with quill, ink, and paper. Or Google Docs.
Feb 4, 2024, 3:04:40 PM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
7. Complete this phrase: I write because…
I can't figure out how to get the books to write themselves. I'm sure there is a spell for that, but nothing has worked yet.
Feb 7, 2024, 3:13:38 AM [original]
@KitMuse LOL 'spell slots'.
I thought I was the only bona fide magic user on here
#writerscoffeeclub
15. What's your field of expertise? What are you most skilled at?
I am a wizard. My expertise covers most things Arcane or magical. I have a particular skill at composing — some would call it "discovering" — new spells.
Feb 16, 2024, 3:49:15 AM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
26. Would you consider recording your own audiobook?
I'd think about it, but that's an awfully large number of Magic Mouth spells and frankly, I've got better things to use my slots on.
Feb 26, 2024, 9:24:41 PM [original]
@valthonis I approve
#WizardLife
I often have to invent new letters that embody arcane concepts unique to spellcasting.
Their sound can be ominous, whimsical, portentous, or brash depending upon the intended results of the spell.
For example, my new fireball uses a character pronounced with an explosive release of air. You need to be very careful not to spit while casting, as it ruins the spell.
Mar 8, 2024, 9:55:27 PM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
14. Should you avoid sentence fragments? Or, should you. Simply not care?
Probably best to avoid them unless you really know what you're doing. There are always exceptional situations where they are the right choice.
What you really want to avoid is spell fragments, which can have unpredictable results. I had an apprentice once who tried casting Find Familiar, and a long-lost brother showed up.
Mar 14, 2024, 4:12:19 AM [original]
#writerscoffeeclub
2. Do you keep a journal? Would you?
I do keep a journal, but it's more like a lab book. I jot down ideas for spells and magical procedures, and keep track of what works and what doesn't.
Apr 2, 2024, 11:26:36 AM [original]
@ixtlidekami @NaraMoore
I do the opposite. I control computers with magic!
@Deiru not quite sure where your confusion is (translate spell not at 100% yet), but this seems about what to expect at one of those magic "schools." The "use potions in battle" part is really just to teach you the lesson not to rely on potions in battle.
Apr 17, 2024, 5:22:44 PM [original]
@juergen_hubert A creature that feeds on fear would leave its victims with less of it, or possibly none.
So, as soon as a Will-o-wisp latches on, the victim would feel a sense of calm come over them as their fear was drained.
That hasn't been my experience with the creatures.
Apr 18, 2024, 1:03:38 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]