Hi all! I was recently tagged in two 11 Questions Tags, and I like the questions- so I decided to do them.
Up front, I’m going to tag @dreamywritingdragon, @focusdumbass, @writtenbyhal, @blogherosix, @adorhauer, @katiehahnbooks, @quintessenceofwords, @quillwritten, @awolfthatwrites, @toboldlywrite, and @firewritten. It’s been quite a while since I’ve done anything with tag games, so if you no longer do them/don’t want to/don’t have time, no pressure! Hope you’re all doing great :D
And my questions are:
1. Which OC has changed the most since you created them? Tell us about them!
2. In which season do you get the most writing done? Why?
3. Oldest OC? Youngest OC?
4. Do you have any self-indulgent ideas for projects that you want to write someday, even if you don’t have time right now?
5. Do you have more of a problem with underwriting or overwriting?
6. How do you get most of your ideas? Music, travel, art, or other?
7. What themes recur throughout your WIPs?
8. What are your favorite personal writing hallmarks?
9. What genre do you write in the most, and why do you like it?
10. What genre do you not write in frequently, but want to dip your toes into?
11. Tell us one reason you love your WIP!
My answers to the tagged questions got kinda long, so I put them under the cut!
The first few questions come from @bigmoodword. Your apocalypse WIP sounds rad af??? Please tag me in updates if you have updates/use a tag list- so cool!
Thanks for the tag! To answer your questions:
1. using one sentence summaries, can you tell me about your wips?
Heart of Lead- Luanne will die on her nineteenth birthday because her heart is made of lead, the lowest caste of her society, so she works illegally with an inventor girl from out of town and some other friends to build a new heart before her time is up.
Ivory and Horn- an anthology of short stories with roots in fantasy, horror, and surrealism, set in a variety of speculative settings used as allegory for the various experiences of modern women (mostly queer women- this one’s the newest, and 12+ stories, so please excuse the vague description!)
Belladonnas- Eirene’s girl gang/witch coven, the Belladonnas, find themselves with a mystery on their hands when an enemy comes to them seeking help and hostile demonic entities begin wreaking havoc on their city.
2. what inspired them?
I’ve been working on Heart of Lead for roughly four (!) years, so the inspirations I’ve incorporated into it are many! The original idea came from a different look at the phrase “heart of gold,” and music has also been a huge defining factor. Florence + the Machine, Twenty One Pilots, and Mumford and Sons have given me a lot. The steampunk genre, dystopian novels, and imaginative fantasy books (think Neil Gaiman) contributed. Also, the imagery of Hamlet (because I’m pretentious).
Ivory and Horn is pretty experimental, and it mostly comes from my growing interest in the horror genre. I also want to figure out how to incorporate social and political commentary into my work- how much of a defining factor I want that to be, by what means I want to convey it, and that sort of thing.
Belladonnas is really inspired by 1920s aesthetics, Greek mythology, and electro swing music. A fun mixed bag!
3. which of your ocs do you most identify with?
I think all of my OCs are at least semi-autobiographical, but Luanne is probably the most. I project a lot of issues on her. It helps me work through them.
4. if you’ve ever cried while reading, which book cued the waterworks?
Yes. YES. CONSTANTLY. The one that made me bawl most recently was All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, which was such an amazing book.
5. how do you conduct research for your wips and what’s the most interesting thing you’ve discovered in said research?
Mostly Google? If I’m really interesting in a particular something, I’ll get a book- which I did for fashion in Heart of Lead, and then immediately discarded like half of what I learned for the ~aesthetic~. Oh, well. Did you know that people thought that eating graham crackers encouraged chastity in Victorian London? Well, now you do! This makes me laugh every time I think about it!
6. thus far, which scene has been the most difficult to write?
Beginnings are always hard for me. I usually plan my climaxes first and work backward, unraveling the threads of the story until the point they’re most disparate. I’ve rewritten the opening scene of Heart of Lead at least ten times, which is quite a few more than the rest of the book.
7. which of your ocs do you like the least?
Agh! AGH! How can I choose??? I suppose, since I have a ton of OCs, there are a lot of characters I don’t obsess over as much as my main babies. A lot of these still need work. I think Lucy, from Belladonnas, needs a lot more development before I’m really interested in her.
8. which pov and tense do you prefer to write in?
First person, past tense. Close POV is fun to work with.
9. do you write poetry?
Occasionally! I did so a lot more when I was younger.
10. who is your writing role model?
Neil Gaiman (omg this is the second time I’ve mentioned him on this post, isn’t it? Yeah, he’s great. Go read everything he’s ever written. It will take you a while).
11. if you could give your younger writer self some advice, what would it be?
HAVE FUN! Chances are, you’re not going to have published or released work in the first few years (or first many years) after you start writing. Have that as a long-term goal, and allow yourself to enjoy and experiment with whatever-the-heck in the meantime. It will make you a better writer, you’ll produce a better/more passionate project, and you’ll have a better time.
The second set of questions comes from @sahados-shadow! I totally feel you with the titling struggle, haha. It’s hard to make the catchy words.
1. Which side character is your favorite?
Eep, this is so hard- I love all my kids??? But since I’m writing Blood of Queens right now, Vesper’s pretty awesome. Glamorous faerie prince who’s also a complete dork about humans and also has terrifying eldritch powers. What more do you want?
2. Do you like any character creation templates?
Not particularly. At the very least, I don’t use them to actually create characters, but to stretch my thinking on characters I already have. Oh, and it is really fun to give characters DnD stats!
3. Do you prefer writing by hand or typing?
I do both! I save and edit my work on my laptop, but there are a lot of times I only have a notebook on hand or just want to change my perspective. Handwriting is good for killing writer’s block.
4. What kind of music, if any, do you listen to while creating? Lyrics or no lyrics?
Sooo much music! I make extensive character and WIP playlists (which I’d like to put on Spotify and release for tumblr at some point). Song lyrics are a huge inspiration for characters and storylines.
5. Any animal companions for your characters?
But of course! Ty is friends with a magical talking tiger. Luanne’s family has a cat named Fleurf in book one. Weirdly enough, this discussion could delve into spoiler territory... so that’s all I’ll say about that :D
6. What’s the first thing your OCs would buy if they won the lottery?
Oh, geez. Most of my OCs would not make wise financial decisions. To make this answer manageable, Heart of Lead MCs?
Luanne- books. Just. A million of them. Enough to make a book fort and live in it forever.
Wren- probably new tools/metal to work with? Also, cake. And non-canned food in general. She’d probably throw a giant picnic for all her friends.
Charles- he would probably invest most of it?? Honestly idk what he does with his money, and he has a lot of it in the first place.
Dale- CLOTHES. Fancy tea? Maybe he’d use some of it for bribes or whatever, too. Who really knows.
7. What’s your favorite board game?
Scrabble! I play with my friends all the time.
8. Any OC ships?
Many, many OC ships. I’m a sucker for a good romantic subplot. My main answer for this is always Luanne/Wren, because I’m writing literally an entire series about them. Good stuff I love my girls and they love each other <3
9. Do you have a favorite time/place to create?
Ideally, I write from 9:30 to 11:00 on weekday nights. Over summers and weekends, I write in the morning. Best place is totally in bed, + tea, + cat!
10. How does your OC react to a baby waving at them in the grocery store?
Luanne- bursts into happy tears
Wren- waves back
Charles- re-contemplates his entire existence because a baby actually likes him oh my god??
Dale- “ew tiny human why do you exist”
11. Does your OC have a motto (made up or otherwise) they stick to?
Hmm... that’s something I actually have to think about! Most of my characters have a primary set of morals and a personal outlook on things, but I don’t think any have a motto or catchphrase at the moment.
Your writing is so beautiful, and your wordplay blows me away. I've gotta know: what creative influences have shaped your style?
Oh gosh your message sent me into a blushing frenzy <3 thank you so much!
Long answer: I grew up reading a lot of fantasy. Imagery tends to very heavy in that genre (especially tolkien of course haha) and I loved feeling like you were there in the world. What kid doesn’t want to be pulled out of their life into a fantasy land? I find that one thing I tend to think about is the atmosphere and the tone of the scene. What can I do to put forward that feeling? What do I communicate to make someone feel the way my characters feel? How do I write that in a poetic way without it feeling like hamfisted poetic nonsense and ultimately pulling the readers out of the scene?
Short answer: fantasy (LoTR, harry potter, etc.), and poetry. Then I blend the two together.
How did you choose the protagonists for both Cosmicity and Umbra? Did the story form around your central character or did you have to find the central character in your story?
so, i started umbra more than 5 years ago. it kind of was the seed of an idea back in 2011/2012, or something like that. the story definitely came first. the main character has been reworked so many times. mei, umbra’s protagonist, was absolutely made to cater to the story. she’s a deity of sorts, the personification of balance, and that was what the story called for. umbra is kind of a mess, even now, so i know as the story continues to grow, mei will be changed to fit those molds.
as for cosmicity, it’s a little different. two of the antagonists were created before the story, and when the story came to me, i knew they wouldn’t fit what the story needed from the protagonist. so i made them ‘villains’ because they better suited the role. it took awhile for me to think of a character that i properly liked to tell this story, but eventually i created malum, and i’m happy with him.
so basically both protagonists were characters i created after the initial creation of the story!
you are such a skilled writer, and your blog always features the most helpful advice. thank you for all your hard work! it shows, and i appreciate it every day. (If you receive this, send it to 10 people you love & appreciate and try not to break the chain 💕💓💗💝)
where to start? one. you're a friendly face-er-avatar, and my day brightens whenever i see your stuff on my dash. two. your blog is stunning, and the odes? fff. creative powerhouse. the worldbuilding really is incredible. please, please, please add me to the taglist! (If you receive this, send it to 10 people you love & appreciate and try not to break the chain 💕💓💗💝)
thank you!!! this is so sweet!!! i will gladly add you to the taglist <33
