#WritersCoffeeClub (Sep) 1: Intro: Shameless Self Promotion.
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(And, TBH, even if I didn't include any author bio, or if I left out the fact that I'd lived there, I think any reader would easily be able to tell not only that I'd lived in San Francisco for a long time (and might assume I still did), but also that I *love* it very much.) 2/2
#WritersCoffeeClub day 1: Are there ethical principles fiction must adhere to? What are they?
Fiction particularly? Like, in a way that other things (including non-fiction, or just living) don't have to? No, I don't think so.
[Edit: Having written that answer on my own when the questions first came out, I would like to co-sign @orionkidder's excellent answer: https://writing.exchange/@orionkidder/114608746597852518.]
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#WritersCoffeeClub day 1: Are there ethical principles fiction must adhere to? What are they?
Fiction particularly? Like, in a way that other things (including non-fiction, or just living) don't have to? No, I don't think so.
[Edit: Having written that answer on my own when the questions first came out, I would like to co-sign @orionkidder's excellent answer: https://writing.exchange/@orionkidder/114608746597852518.]
#WritersCoffeeClub day 2: Do you write linearly? Why or why not?
Mostly, yes. Everything that happens rests on what's gone before — both for characters and for readers. It's easier for me to determine what a character will do in a particular situation if I know what they've been dealing with before. And descriptions of things need to be based in what the reader has (and hasn't) already been told.
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#WritersCoffeeClub day 2: Do you write linearly? Why or why not?
Mostly, yes. Everything that happens rests on what's gone before — both for characters and for readers. It's easier for me to determine what a character will do in a particular situation if I know what they've been dealing with before. And descriptions of things need to be based in what the reader has (and hasn't) already been told.
#WritersCoffeeClub day 3: Have you ever done a writing challenge? How did it go?
I haven't.
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#WritersCoffeeClub day 3: Have you ever done a writing challenge? How did it go?
I haven't.
#WritersCoffeeClub day 4: Do you consider writing work? Would you say writing is your life’s work?
Well, it is labor, and requires energy. In that sense, yes. But it isn't drudgery, or a chore that I have to do. So in that sense, no.
I'm still not sure what "my life's work" is. I think my writing will turn out to have been part of it, but not the whole thing.
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#WritersCoffeeClub day 4: Do you consider writing work? Would you say writing is your life’s work?
Well, it is labor, and requires energy. In that sense, yes. But it isn't drudgery, or a chore that I have to do. So in that sense, no.
I'm still not sure what "my life's work" is. I think my writing will turn out to have been part of it, but not the whole thing.
#WritersCoffeeClub day 5: World Environment Day. Talk about something you’ve read that made you think, “I wish I wrote that.”
Honestly, "The Raven", by Edgar Allan Poe, is such a tour de force of rhythm and rhyme, it never fails to impress me. It's technically virtuosic, but you can almost miss that because of the emotion in it.
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#WritersCoffeeClub day 5: World Environment Day. Talk about something you’ve read that made you think, “I wish I wrote that.”
Honestly, "The Raven", by Edgar Allan Poe, is such a tour de force of rhythm and rhyme, it never fails to impress me. It's technically virtuosic, but you can almost miss that because of the emotion in it.
#WritersCoffeeClub day 6: What are the conventions of the genre in which you write? How strictly do you follow them?
There are some that I follow pretty strictly, like: put it in a modern city; add some supernatural or magical stuff; and make it generally action/adventure oriented. 1/2
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#WritersCoffeeClub day 6: What are the conventions of the genre in which you write? How strictly do you follow them?
There are some that I follow pretty strictly, like: put it in a modern city; add some supernatural or magical stuff; and make it generally action/adventure oriented. 1/2
There are also a few that I'm totally ignoring, like: make some of that supernatural/magical stuff be non-human species, like vampires, werewolves, fairies, angels, or demons; have only one MC; have that MC be some kind of investigator or detective; and use 1st-person POV. 2/2
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There are also a few that I'm totally ignoring, like: make some of that supernatural/magical stuff be non-human species, like vampires, werewolves, fairies, angels, or demons; have only one MC; have that MC be some kind of investigator or detective; and use 1st-person POV. 2/2
#WritersCoffeeClub day 7: Describe some facet — hidden or overt — which can be found in each and every one of your works.
I only have one work so far, and it's still in progress.
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#WritersCoffeeClub day 7: Describe some facet — hidden or overt — which can be found in each and every one of your works.
I only have one work so far, and it's still in progress.
#WritersCoffeeClub day 8: Talk about something you wrote and later removed, and why.
I'm still on my first draft, so any "removals" are the kind of thing where you're writing, you write a paragraph or two, and then within a half-hour you go back and change, rewrite, or delete it.
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#WritersCoffeeClub day 8: Talk about something you wrote and later removed, and why.
I'm still on my first draft, so any "removals" are the kind of thing where you're writing, you write a paragraph or two, and then within a half-hour you go back and change, rewrite, or delete it.
#WritersCoffeeClub day 9: Have you ever done timed writing sprints? Did you enjoy it?
I haven't.
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#WritersCoffeeClub day 9: Have you ever done timed writing sprints? Did you enjoy it?
I haven't.
#WritersCoffeeClub day 10: Where is the line between between homage and theft?
That's a great question. I'm doing a few things that I'm quite sure are homage, not theft, and I'll have to consider why. Some are mere references, while at least one is more than a bit load-bearing. But even that one, I could have done without referencing the other material. It would have worked fine if I just made it a [thing redacted], but... 1/2
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#WritersCoffeeClub day 10: Where is the line between between homage and theft?
That's a great question. I'm doing a few things that I'm quite sure are homage, not theft, and I'll have to consider why. Some are mere references, while at least one is more than a bit load-bearing. But even that one, I could have done without referencing the other material. It would have worked fine if I just made it a [thing redacted], but... 1/2
...making it be "the one from that other story" (albeit with some definite changes) makes a nice hat-tip to that writer and their story. I'm not sure how much I feel that this is the definitional line; it may just be what's valid in this particular case. 2/2
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...making it be "the one from that other story" (albeit with some definite changes) makes a nice hat-tip to that writer and their story. I'm not sure how much I feel that this is the definitional line; it may just be what's valid in this particular case. 2/2
3/2 After writing my answer some days ago, I've seen a bunch today saying it's whether you're passing something off as your own work or hoping readers won't recognize the source material, vs. whether you're assuming or even hoping that they *will* recognize it, or making it obvious. I agree.
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3/2 After writing my answer some days ago, I've seen a bunch today saying it's whether you're passing something off as your own work or hoping readers won't recognize the source material, vs. whether you're assuming or even hoping that they *will* recognize it, or making it obvious. I agree.
#WritersCoffeeClub day 11: Who sees your WIP before it’s done?
So far, just my alpha reader. I hope to find a few beta readers at some point. Also, I have plans to put this particular WIP (my first) through a round of developmental editing, so that editor will see it after probably the 2nd or 3rd draft.
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#WritersCoffeeClub day 11: Who sees your WIP before it’s done?
So far, just my alpha reader. I hope to find a few beta readers at some point. Also, I have plans to put this particular WIP (my first) through a round of developmental editing, so that editor will see it after probably the 2nd or 3rd draft.
#WritersCoffeeClub day 12: How much of your ideals are imbued in your work? Give an example.
Loads. Examples include:
* People helping people is a really good thing
* Diversity is the spice of life and America's strength
* ACABProbably various others, but that should suffice for now.
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#WritersCoffeeClub day 12: How much of your ideals are imbued in your work? Give an example.
Loads. Examples include:
* People helping people is a really good thing
* Diversity is the spice of life and America's strength
* ACABProbably various others, but that should suffice for now.
#WritersCoffeeClub day 13: Do you restrict what you read or watch while working on a WIP? Why or why not?
Yes, I'm definitely making sure to avoid most urban fantasy while I work on this book. I want to at least get the first draft done before I pick up things like _The City We Became_ and the first October Daye book, just to avoid any undue influence on my work. I want, and need, to produce at least the basic structure and get that firm first.
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#WritersCoffeeClub day 13: Do you restrict what you read or watch while working on a WIP? Why or why not?
Yes, I'm definitely making sure to avoid most urban fantasy while I work on this book. I want to at least get the first draft done before I pick up things like _The City We Became_ and the first October Daye book, just to avoid any undue influence on my work. I want, and need, to produce at least the basic structure and get that firm first.
#WritersCoffeeClub day 14: Do you take notes for your WIP? How closely do you follow them?
I made *COPIOUS* notes before starting on nearly everything I could. Both text notes and an actual spreadsheet tabulating various attributes of nearly all characters. It's very handy to be able to refer back to that stuff while writing, so I can keep all the details in order.
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#WritersCoffeeClub day 14: Do you take notes for your WIP? How closely do you follow them?
I made *COPIOUS* notes before starting on nearly everything I could. Both text notes and an actual spreadsheet tabulating various attributes of nearly all characters. It's very handy to be able to refer back to that stuff while writing, so I can keep all the details in order.
#WritersCoffeeClub day 15: Have you ever challenged yourself to write without editing? What were the results?
I haven't, partly because, what counts? Going back and fixing a typo? Not being allowed to even do that would drive me nuts. But if I can do that, how much change is too much?
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#WritersCoffeeClub day 15: Have you ever challenged yourself to write without editing? What were the results?
I haven't, partly because, what counts? Going back and fixing a typo? Not being allowed to even do that would drive me nuts. But if I can do that, how much change is too much?
#WritersCoffeeClub day 16: Do you write out accents phonetically/use eye dialects? Why or why not?
Only a teeny bit. I think that sort of thing should be used sparingly — basically, just enough to make the reader aware that this character has an accent when we first meet them, and then occasionally remind the reader, but there's no need to keep hammering on it. That pushes the character in the direction of caricature. 1/2
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#WritersCoffeeClub day 16: Do you write out accents phonetically/use eye dialects? Why or why not?
Only a teeny bit. I think that sort of thing should be used sparingly — basically, just enough to make the reader aware that this character has an accent when we first meet them, and then occasionally remind the reader, but there's no need to keep hammering on it. That pushes the character in the direction of caricature. 1/2
Note that this isn't just for accents! It can also work for registers, like if a person who speaks General American English is speaking very informally, I might have them say they're "gonna" do something. Further, note that some characters code-switch, going from AAVE to GAE and back as befits the situations they're in. 2/2