#WritersCoffeeClub (Sep) 1: Intro: Shameless Self Promotion.
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#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.
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#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.
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#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.😒
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#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.)
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#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 26: How many drafts do you go through before the final manuscript?
I'll find that out after I finish the first draft!
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#WritersCoffeeClub 26: How many drafts do you go through before the final manuscript?
I'll find that out after I finish the first draft!
#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
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#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
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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
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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.
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#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 29: Have you ever left an autographed copy of your work in a hotel or guest house?
I don't have that option yet, still being unpublished.
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#WritersCoffeeClub 29: Have you ever left an autographed copy of your work in a hotel or guest house?
I don't have that option yet, still being unpublished.
#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".
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#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.
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#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.
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#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.
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#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.
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 3: "Are dialogue tags flexible?" laughed John.
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.
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#WritersCoffeeClub Day 3: "Are dialogue tags flexible?" laughed John.
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.
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#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 5: How are you affected by reviews of your work?
I haven't received any yet, as I haven't yet got any work that could be published.
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#WritersCoffeeClub Day 5: How are you affected by reviews of your work?
I haven't received any yet, as I haven't yet got any work that could be published.
#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.
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#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 7: How would you describe your WIP's core plot? E.g. Found family, redemption, gunpowder treason?
A small band of heroes fight the rich and powerful to make the world better.
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#WritersCoffeeClub Day 7: How would you describe your WIP's core plot? E.g. Found family, redemption, gunpowder treason?
A small band of heroes fight the rich and powerful to make the world better.
#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.
Gli ultimi otto messaggi ricevuti dalla Federazione
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@lritter beware of fixed points for consciousness contraction in metric spaces.
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Grazie Presidente
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Stefano🇪🇺🏳️🌈 (@stephan947.bsky.social)
https://bsky.app/profile/stephan947.bsky.social/post/3maekjxn25c27
> "La doppia faccia" by @natangelo.bsky.social
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@miles da un po', e probabilmente chi ha l'applicazione può rispondere ai commenti con i vocali da come ho visto
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Did youtube just add threads to comments?
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Il primo giro con la Stratos di serie? Non andava dritta.
Ottavio Tonti
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2r_UMaGxAk
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I have food allergies. I’ll make you a deal: I won’t expect you to do all the extra work to ensure I can safely eat your meal. In exchange, you will not be weird about me bringing my own meal.
