Meme

30 Days of Writing: Day Eleven

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

Who is your favorite character to write? Least favorite?

Oh, my favorite character to write! It’s got to be Griffin, my take on HG Wells’ The Invisible Man. He’s vain, egotistical, a manipulative jerk–in short, an awful person, but terribly fun to write. I enjoy writing him opposite Pryce, who’s his foil. Their contrasting characteristics make them a great pair to write. I just need to come up with a good story for my little odd couple. This pair just comes easily to me.

My least favorite character to write…oh gosh…probably the hero of my first novel, Will. He wasn’t a terribly good character, really just an incredibly dull mall version of myself with a few more unsavory characteristics. In short, a very boring character, and the main reason why I won’t re-edit that work. I didn’t like the character in the slightest. He was whiney and just…blech. So I don’t write him any more.

30 Days of Writing: Day 10 (late again)

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

What are some really weird situations your characters have been in? Everything from serious canon scenes to meme questions counts!

Um, weird situations…lemme see. What do others define as weird? Strange, alien? Different, obscure?

I wrote a mock fanfiction of my current WIP…the main character met his Mary-Sue daughter who’s mother is his mortal enemy(part of the idea of the story is that natural reproduction is rare, nearly all reproduction happens in vitro). So I suppose that counts as strange…best part was that after I wrote the mock fan fic, my co-author thought it was funny and we decided to make it canon. She’s not a Mary-Sue any more.

Pretty much that entire story is strange…but it’s an enjoyable one to work on.

I was working on a story about a minor rock band for a while. I had lots of strange/funny things happen to them on the road, much of it pulled from real life (my real life, not from biographies of legit bands). I had a couple of characters go for a swim in a hotel’s fountain, among other things.

Um, not really too much on the strange front.

30 Days of Writing: Day Nine (a day late)

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

How do you get ideas for your characters? Describe the process of creating them.

Oh boy.

I don’t sit down and make lengthy sheets about my characters likes/dislikes. I’ve tried it. It doesn’t work. They feel forced.

I create my characters through discovery. I write them and write them, putting them in different situations. Sometimes I write their thoughts, their feelings. After I’ve gotten a sense of them, I feel that I can develop their histories.

I can’t force personality traits onto them. My character Pryce was supposed to be a real jerk, turns out he’s probably the sweetest character I’ve created–Griffin, my take on the Invisible Man, is the jerk. The two of them are a blast to write together.

They adapt, too, based on their experiences. Which is great for me. I’m always learning something new about them.

After I’ve worked with them for a while, I can play with what they represent, etc. This part is fun…I’m having a blast playing with the idea of a pliant mind versus a immovable one.

30 Days of Writing: Day Eight

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

What’s your favorite genre to write? To read?

Ah, my favorite genres! This is a terribly difficult question for me to answer.

For the longest time, I claimed that fantasy was my favorite genre to read. Then I realized that I read far more mysteries, biographies and historical fiction than fantasy or science fiction.

Mysteries are my go-to books. I adore Bruce Alexander’s historical murder mystery series The Sir John Fielding Mysteries, starting with Blind Justice. The characters are outstanding, the books are well researched, the mysteries engaging and well plotted. Of course, I’m also a fan of the Sherlock Holmes stories. I enjoy Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series immensely (though I have yet to finish).

I enjoy reading mysteries for the possibility. They can be transposed to any time period, to any branch of society. They may or may not have murder at their center. I enjoy the puzzle, the quest to determine the outcome before the detective (I’m always pleased when I come to a conclusion before Holmes announces it).

As for writing, it’s varied, but largely speculative fiction. I enjoy researching and writing historical fiction, but my favorite stories that I’ve written fall under the header of ‘speculative.’ They may not be obviously fantasy or science fiction, but an alternate world exists.

I haven’t attempted to write any mysteries.

30 Days of Writing: Day Seven

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

Do you listen to music while you write? What kind? Are there any songs you like to relate/apply to your characters?

I don’t always listen to music when I write, but when I do, its largely instrumental. I like movie soundtracks and classical albums because I’m easily distracted by words, and works by Beethoven or John Williams can get me in the right sort of mood. That’s what I need, often, the right mood. If I’m writing something gut-wrenching, the theme from Schindler’s List does the trick. In a more triumphant frame of mind? Got to be Star Wars.

I am, however, inspired by music. To put me in the correct vibe, I’ll listen to some of my favorite rock music, like The Who’s Quadrophenia or a playlist I’ve made specifically for a story or character.

I find that there are songs that relate to my characters. Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” reminds me very much of one, The Who’s “Acid Queen” is perfect for another.

30 Days of Writing: Day Six

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

Where are you most comfortable writing? At what time of day? Computer or good ol’ pen and paper?

I’ve got that wonderful ability that I can write anywhere at any time of day. I like writing in the afternoon to night best. I find I come up with my best turns of phrase later in the day, but if I get the urge to write at 4 am, I will.

I write wherever I can. On a bus. On a boat. In a car. Sitting in a museum. Lying in bed. In the library. At my desk.

I can write on the computer, but I prefer using pen and paper. I love journals–I got several lovely ones during my sojourn in Florence. I always use the same pen. I’ve written with this type for years…going on three, I think. I’ve only had one explode on me, and that was earlier this week. That’s a pretty good track record.

Writing on computers makes me think of writing papers for school. I don’t mind it, but I find my brain works best when I’m physically forming the letters, not typing. Trouble is, I type faster than I hand write…typing is more at the speed of my brain.