Meme

30 Days of Writing: Day Twenty-Three

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

23. How long does it usually take you to complete an entire story—from planning to writing to posting (if you post your work)?

As long as it needs to.

I’ve written some stories and edited them to a good spot within hours–I wrote an entire story in one night, editing it the following morning. Other short stories take far longer–weeks, even spread over months. I don’t post them online, nor do I submit them for publication. I’m not happy-happy with them, so they don’t get anywhere. Yet.

I find that, in some cases, short stories just come to me, completely intact, so I need to write them out before I forget. Some, I need to coax out.

As for novels, well, I’ve only done the first draft of one, and that turned out rather poorly. I’m working on another, still in the planning stages. I’m always in the planning or research stages…

30 Days of Writing: Day Twenty-Two (Getting back into the swing of things)

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

22. Tell us about one scene between your characters that you’ve never written or told anyone about before! Serious or not.

Uh. This is the primary reason why I haven’t updated in over a week. I don’t have an answer.

I write primarily by discovery, and while I do plan out (vaguely) what I want to happen in each chapter, I usually write down a scene as soon as I come up with it. Even if it’s just a backstory scene, it’s written immediately. So I don’t have any hanging around the back of my head, waiting (or not) to be written. If I don’t write something down immediately, I’ll forget about it.

30 Days of Writing: Day 21 (Hey look, I posted it on time-ish)

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

Do any of your characters have children? How well do you write them?

Yes and well, I hope.

Several of my characters have children and the ages vary from toddler to adult. I think I write the kids pretty well. I’ve had a good deal of experience working with children, through volunteer work and jobs, so I have a good base.

I enjoy writing children. It gives a different perspective on things. And I get to write one of my characters’ daughter stealing cookies when she thinks no one’s paying attention. I really can’t do that with my grown-up characters.

30 Days of Writing: Day 20 (I don’t play by the rules)

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

What are your favorite character interactions to write?

Conflict. I like to write characters at odds with each other. Perhaps not fighting, but there’s something between them. It could even just be a discussion about where to eat, or a philosophical debate, or even rivals’ banter. It’s just fun.

Of course, this doesn’t take over all of my writing, but I relish it.

I enjoy exploring different philosophies with my characters, different belief systems.

30 Days of Writing: Day Nineteen (late again…)

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Favorite minor that decided to shove himself into the spotlight and why!

Most of my major characters are minor characters who determined that they are just more important. Again using The Continent, I’ll look to Liv. Liv was supposed to be the sidekick, the cynical comic relief to the hero. The story moved from being a space opera to a more terrestrial setting, and Liv shoved his way into the view. Given his strong political views (and the suddenly political aspect of the novel), it made more sense that he was center of attention and the previous hero steps aside, becoming Liv’s support.

This change happened quite rapidly, when I first began drafting out the story (back when it was a little over influenced by Firefly) and Liv was determined to prove himself the hero.

Other jump to the center characters include Geoffrey, who went from being mystical helper to demanding that he have his own story. Well, he’s the central character to a story that doesn’t exist. Pity, I enjoy writing him.

30 Days of Writing: Day 18

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

Favorite antagonist and why!

Gaius from The Continet! He’s the main character Liv’s younger brother. The two are on completely opposite ends of the political spectrum–Liv is anti-Continent, Gaius pro. They operated on different sides when the treaty was signed, and ten years after the face, still continue to.

Gaius isn’t necessarily a bad guy. We see him primarily from Liv’s point of view, and Liv sees his brother as a traitor not only to his country but to his family. Of course, Gaius sees Liv as a fool…

I like Gaius as an antagonist because he isn’t a cackling madman. He is, in the eyes of most of the populace, a hero, a good man, just as many see Liv as a trouble maker. I’m trying to blur the line between protagonist and antagonist a bit, but Gaius is definitely the primary force against Liv.

Given the number of posts I’ve written regarding The Continent, I should really just buckle down and write that story.