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@abbywritesfiction
just something i've been thinking about: i love all parts of writing, but one of my favorites is when you're tuning up a draft and cutting words and you can like, feel the story getting tighter, more cohesive. that sensation of pulling the strings until they're completely taut is rivaled by almost nothing.
why do i always name really cool/level-headed/good characters nick or nicky?? the only two nicks i've ever known irl were idiots and bastards (one was my sister's abusive ex-husband (who i didn't know well bc i was like a year old at the time but have heard plenty about) and one was a kid in my eighth grade class whose parents were filthy rich and who grew up to be a party boy and, iirc, a racist and homophobe). idk what it is about the name nick but every character i've ever given that name to has been a really good guy, and whenever i meet a guy like that irl (calm and collected/laid back, sweet smile, heart-of-gold vibes, etc.) i always refer to him as a nick in my head (like "oh, that guy seems like a nick"). idk man.
do any of y'all have certain names like that? names that you always come back to? names that always have really good vibes for you or that you really like?
Stuck in the South - Adia Victoria
eleven writing questions
thank you @neurtsy for the tag!
1. how do you choose titles or chapter headers? (or do they choose you?) truth be told, i don’t use chapter titles or headers much. unfortunately, i’m terrible at titling (and that goes for all types of titling - i’ve gotten slightly better at titling poems, through hard work and practice), so i find it works better for me if i don’t bother with chapter headers.
2. what are some pieces of literature that have heavily influenced you?
definitely stephen king’s work. if i had to pick a specific book, i’d pick the shining, but his body of work as a whole has taught me a lot and has had a hand in the formation of my style.
the harry potter series influenced my writing style and syntax style.
the work of poets here on tumblr (like @americansport and @exit152), as well as crush by richard siken, caused a gradual but extremely significant shift in my style of poetry and expression.
3. what certain themes do you find yourself more strongly drawn to? in fiction, i find myself often turning to the theme of twisted/soured religion - either religion used as manipulation or religion taken too far (i.e., cults). in poetry, i often draw on heartbreak or emotional turmoil (but what poet doesn’t?).
4. do you underline in books you read? how do you feel about this? i don’t underline, but i do highlight and jot notes in the margins. i don’t mind people marking books as long as they own the book and as long as they don’t plan to give them away or sell them in the future. personally, i don’t ever get rid of books that i care about or write in books i don’t enjoy, so i feel like i have a good system going.
5. if someone were to design a cover for one of your stories, how do you imagine it looking? i honestly think it varies with each story, because each of the stories i’ve ever worked on to a significant extent vary widely in genre and general vibe. however, one thing i do think they’d have in common is an element of mystery and danger, so i’d like their covers to convey that. in addition, i really enjoy book covers that focus on one object or character in particular that ends up having significance in the story, so that would probably play a large part in my cover(s) as well.
6. do visuals influence your writing? typically my writing is more influenced by action. i imagine things pretty vividly, but i transcribe them pretty loosely and leave much to the reader’s imagination as far as appearances go. i’m more descriptive with settings than i am with characters’ appearances, but even then i only mention important things or single details that enhance the reality of the setting. i guess visuals don’t inspire me much, typically, so they don’t influence my writing much either.
7. do you draw inspiration more from the people and happenings around you, or the writing and media you consume? definitely both! but i think i typically draw it more from media i consume, in the sense that after experiencing media that tells a particularly good story or is very well-executed, i feel inspired to create something on the same level.
8. what film(s) would you love to see fic adaptations/references of? i would love to read the dead poet’s society as a work of fiction.
9. what is one trope you think is overused, and one that is underused? i think “woman dies as a plot point” is drastically overused, and i’m tired of reading it. i hate it when one of the only women characters (if not the only) is made to be badass and likable, seemingly with her own autonomy, and is then killed so that her death can grieve/motivate the main male character. as for an underused trope, i’d really like to see more comedic tropes used in narration (such as unreliable narrators that tell events in an obviously contrived or biased way, or narrators breaking the fourth wall and adding commentary).
10. what book/story has absolutely rattled you to your core? here are a couple of faves that have really stuck with me:
the shining by stephen king
the alienist by caleb carr
crush by richard siken
bone by bone by bone by tony johnston
lord of the flies by william golding
11. when was the last time you felt truly moved by a piece of writing? yesterday, when i read LONELY BODIES by adrian bouvier ( @slaughtervoid ).
now, for my eleven questions:
1. where do you often find yourself turning for inspiration? 2. what genre is easiest for you to write? what genre is your favorite to write? 3. what literary work(s) have been major inspirations to you? 4. what was the event that set you on your journey to become a writer (if you can remember one in particular)? 5. what were some of your favorite books growing up? 6. what are some of your favorite books now? 7. is there any specific writing skill you’d like to become better at or master? 8. what is your greatest creative strength? 9. do you generally feel more inspired during the day or at night? 10. what are your long-term writing goals? (e.g. being published, just having fun, etc.) 11. what piece of your writing are you most proud of? (if you’d like, provide links!)
i’d like to tag @americansport, @anonymous-hoper, @victoria-writes-sometimes, and @christinawritesfiction! (ofc, only do this if you have time and would like to!)
my wip - twisted tragedy; there’s this group of angels that survived their kingdom’s fall, caused by one of their close friends, sorn, betraying them. the lead angel, guardian, has a prophetic dream not long after the kingdom falls, informing her that she has to gather ‘the chosen ones’ to stop sorn’s plan. the story starts billions of years after the kingdom’s fall, when guardian starts her search her the chosen ones. i won’t elaborate anymore, i’d probably go on forever 😅
oooooh i LOV prophetic dreams and chosen ones!!! lots of potential for angst and heroism 😏
Okay so—my WIP, currently called Bloodlines, right? So basically what I’ve got for it makes it a Game of Thrones meets Avengers Infinity War/Endgame feel to it. There’s this throne that three siblings want—the one, Iania Nhovo, is one of my POV characters, badass who slays people with her words but can also do so with her magic—but my other POV is Caella Merax, badass dragonrider who’s supposed to marry Iania’s older brother Rhosso—except, her family wants to overthrow the Nhovos.
BRO OMG THAT SOUNDS SO GOOD. very engaging!! and bound to have lots of little subplots and schemes going on, which, personally speaking, always get my motor running. give me backstabbing and betrayal or give me death!!!
hey guys fkfkfkkfkf i miss interacting on here so blease . .. may i have some asks . .. preferably about my new southern gothic wip i’ve been vagueposting about for twenty years 👀👀 but fr i miss the writing community here
what is gothic, by definition? and i would love to hear about stories
gothic in the context of fiction “refers to a style of writing that is characterized by elements of fear, horror, death, and gloom, as well as romantic elements, such as nature, individuality, and very high emotion. these emotions can include fear and suspense.” southern gothic specifically incorporates common elements of the south (religious mania being the most prevalent, at least for me). i’m super excited about this wip!! it’s been cooking in the back of my head for quite a long time and frankly, it and all its potential fascinates me.
oh, that’s neat! so, what sort of genres could gothic be compared to? thriller? adventure? fantasy?
and how do you incorporate/ use gothic elements in your wip? (does your wip have a title?)
i would honestly put it in horror/thriller?? it tends to rely on that creepy vibe of “something here isn’t right, but i don’t think i’ll figure out what it is until it’s too late.”
personally, i try to incorporate it with the vibe of my scenes!! ofc events matter - if you don’t have a foundation/plot that uses themes of gothic fiction, how can you call it gothic - but i try to describe things in a way that unsettles the reader and tips them off to the fact that something isn’t right here (even during scenes that don’t necessarily have something creepy happening).
also, no, my wip doesn’t have a title yet!! it’s still only in the first draft, so any big themes that might inspire a title are still under development (and also i’m just bad at titling).
that’s really neat! i love unsettling vibes that aren’t *quite* thriller… it’s a tenseness that has a reason to be there, not just because of jumpscares and whatnot. to you have actual scary scenes or is it more of an overall unsettling?
me too!! i’ve always been inspired by that type of material, which is probably why i’m writing this story now.
i have a few scenes that are scary, but not in the horror sense? ig more in a shocking, humanly horrifying way (so no monsters or supernatural entities). it’s also the normalcy with which the town treats those events that makes it scary.
oh i love that! you know, that’s making me wonder if i should write gothic stuff… are there any major plot points that are relevant throughout the story? like, a unified goal?
gothic stuff is tons of fun to write!!! also ig religion is a really big motivator throughout the story (it’s not super prevalent rn but i plan to flesh it out more in later drafts). not really a unified goal, unless you count the town’s wish for rain (their goal is to repent so that God lott’s the curse they think is on them) and/or hunter/savannah/tommy’s ambition to get hunter out of town before some very unfortunate events take place
cool!
could you clarify ig religion for me?
i meant “i guess religion,” bc most of the town’s actions are motivated by religious ideals and principles (often bordering on superstition).
ah nice. so is it more of a little place, say, 200 people? that’s my impression right now
yeah for sure!! it’s a very small town, that way it’s easier to maintain the intimacy and kind of cult-like vibes around the whole place
yeah, that’s how it felt. now i’m really curious to read a sample of your writing! the concepts here are really cool and i love them
!!! thank you!!! i'll keep you in mind once i work through a few drafts and the story is ready for beta reading!! (also i'm sure at some point i'll post an excerpt or two)
damn okay so since posting about my wip and answering questions i've already tightened up certain areas of the story . .. i'm not saying there's a correlation but 👀👀
So UTHERn GOTHIC?? more, please? who're the main characters? the antag [unless no spoilers]? hell, just worldbuilding?
OH HELL YEAH!!!!!! fkdkfkkdkfkdkfkdk y'all would not BELIEVE how long i’ve been waiting for someone to ask about this
OKAY, SO. the novel takes place in fairfalls, virginia, a small town in the middle of nowhere that is constantly struck with a huge case of religious mania. the main characters include:
hunter: an 18 year old guy who gets stuck in fairfalls (he was on a solo road trip, he blacked out, and then woke up in virginia)
savannah: a 17 year old girl who has grown up in fairfalls and whose parents disappeared mysteriously about four years before the beginning of this story
tommy: a 5 year old little boy, savannah’s little brother. he possesses a range of special mental and metaphysical abilities, including but not limited to telepathy and precognition. (how powerful/present these abilities are depends on how stressed he is at the moment, but he always possesses precognition in some degree or another.)
alma: a middle-aged (probably about 50 years old) woman who basically runs fairfalls - fairfalls is about as close to a democracy as a place can get, but alma tends to really take the lead on a lot of things. (despite this, she maintains kindness and a level head - no power hunger here.)
there are some other characters as well, but at that point i can’t really get into their place in the story without spoilers. all i have to say about them is that one is an asshole and, by the time i start revisions, will be one of those characters you can’t stand bc they keep fucking stuff up for the protagonists, and the other is gonna deliver some major plot twists as the plot starts kicking into high gear right before the climax and i’m super excited to write that part (i haven’t gotten to it yet and i have to plot the in-between stuff before i can get to the climax and ending). it’s gonna be good!!!
as for an antagonist, i don’t have a main antagonist? i guess you could say the main antagonist of the story is the town as a whole. in early early early drafts (like most of my wips, this story has been drafted and subsequently scrapped in the past), alma was my antagonist, but not anymore. the town as a single unit has filled that void.
the general plotline is that hunter wakes up in alma’s house with no idea how he got there, no idea how he’s missed three days (he last remembers it being the twenty-first of the month and now it’s the twenty-fourth), no way to get home (he supposedly crashed his car and totaled it, and fairfalls is a small, secluded town that no one passes through and that doesn’t really have any large-scale travel options like train or plane or bus), and no way to contact his family (no phone lines). the town is rather cultish, and it rubs hunter the wrong way from the start. meanwhile, in a currently-unrelated-but-soon-to-be-related train of thought, the town is in the midst of a drought, and seeing as they grow their own crops and need the rain to have a successful harvest, they are becoming desperate for rain. their belief in God and religion leads them to believe this drought is a result of their wrongdoing and therefore they need to repent, and they begin looking for ways to do so. these ways start off fairly run-of-the-mill but soon become outlandish and frightening, and due to some plot points that take place, they soon begin to center on hunter.
hunter’s wind is up, and as he has made friends with savannah and tommy, he gets them on his side and enlists their help. using tommy’s abilities, they figure things out point by point, soon leading to the climax, which is gonna be quite the upset!!!! fjklsdjfskjlgk i cannot stress enough how damn excited i am for this ending. i’ve never been this excited to write an ending in my life.
tl;dr: i’m extremely excited to finish up my first draft and start rewriting bc i really think this one’s gonna be good!!!
BADLY EXPLAIN YOUR CURRENT WRITING PROCESS GO!!!
OKAY okay dkdkkfkfjfjf my current writing process is just drop everything, turn on some music (usually of a southern gothic variety lately) and start writing!!! i've been making good progress bc i've known where i was going but now i'm about to run into a wall so :/ idk what's gonna happen now but i will finish this first draft even if it kills me!!!
hey guys fkfkfkkfkf i miss interacting on here so blease . .. may i have some asks . .. preferably about my new southern gothic wip i've been vagueposting about for twenty years 👀👀 but fr i miss the writing community here
I go to feed him,
and god bites my hands through the bars of the cage -
the preachers ask what prayer is like,
and my fingers bleed in answer.
ALSO kdldldllsldls i'm not even working on my fantasy wip rn but the song "severed" by the decemberists is so max!!!! and now that i'm thinking about that wip i kinda wanna work on it again when i finish my southern gothic wip
so i think this wip might be my first one with what i think of as a stephen king ending, which means that absolutely no main character makes it out alive. idk though we'll see
this wip is probably gonna be the first i've ever written in which 1. i knew the ending during the writing of the first draft and 2. i'll probably keep the majority of the plot during subsequent drafts and not toss most of it and rearrange the rest!!!! and it feels really good to actually plan it out and know what happens. i always thought the thrill was in not knowing what happens next during a first draft, but now i actually like planning and knowing things ahead of time? there are still surprises and sudden bursts of inspiration but it's all much more cohesive and woven-together. love it
