Toots for writermonki@mastodon.social account

Written by writermonki on 2025-01-18 at 17:30

16.1 How would you describe the way you create your stories to a non-writer?

Usually, I only describe my process in parts because there’s so much of it. I only talk about sections relevant to the discussion.

[#]writerscoffeeclub #writing

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Written by writermonki on 2024-12-18 at 22:49

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGXz9Jo6o78

[#]beatles #music #creative

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Written by writermonki on 2024-11-22 at 16:56

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fok5MZujJZw

[#]USPolitics #congress #democracy

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Written by writermonki on 2024-11-22 at 02:11

22.11 How did you develop the idea for your first book?

Like most of my story ideas, it started as a mental image--a teenage girl watching a building burn. I struggled to develop the idea because I assumed the image was the beginning, but it was the story's ending.

[#]writerscoffeeclub #writing

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Written by writermonki on 2024-11-20 at 05:36

20.11 Are Novel genres helpful or constraining? A bit of both?

I view genres as a list of reader expectations. These expectations separate a Western from a sci-fi or detective novel. And these expectations can be combined, shifted, and twisted. But they have to be met enough for the reader to find what they're looking for. As writers we must decide which elements we'll preserve and which get shaken up.

[#]writerscoffeeclub #writing

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Written by writermonki on 2024-11-17 at 19:27

17.11 POV shifts partway through to a new MC?

My current WIP shifts between the protagonist and antagonist, which happens early in the narrative to communicate this structure to the reader and avoid confusion. There’s a third POV near the end, but the reader should expect them by that point. And POVs don’t shift within chapters.

[#]writerscoffeeclub #writing

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Written by writermonki on 2024-11-13 at 04:12

13.11 Is there a message that runs through all of your work?

An outsider finds their place.

[#]writerscoffeeclub

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Written by writermonki on 2024-10-30 at 19:43

29.10 What is your editing process? How do you know it is done?

When a draft is finished, I re-read the full narrative rating each scene and listing needed changes. If a scene requires changes to another scene(s), I will note it in those scenes. When the review is finished, I start at the beginning and work through each task list. Several scenes are added on the 1st editorial pass.

[#]writerscoffeeclub #writing

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Written by writermonki on 2024-10-18 at 01:00

Oct 17.10 What's the body count in your WIP? Is this typical for your work?

The body count for the WIP is 0. This is atypical for me. But this novel nuzzles up against a more cozy genre. The readers don’t expect violence on the page. So this book is about having the horror thrills without the blood. So no deaths, at least not during the novel’s timeline.

[#]WritersCoffeeClub

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Written by writermonki on 2024-08-13 at 17:18

What’s the best #mastodon client for iOS?

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Written by writermonki on 2024-08-13 at 03:42

13.8 Would you ever serialize your work?

True serialization where each chapter is published? No. My first draft is only a rough snapshot of the narrative. Then I layer in details over 3 or 4 drafts. And then I finalize the wording. So, serialization wouldn't work for me.

[#]writerscoffeeclub #writing

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Written by writermonki on 2024-07-26 at 04:24

25.7 Process> Has your process changed for this WIP? How?

Yes. I changed my novel drafting process. Instead of perfecting sentences in a few scenes, I narrated the entire first draft, leaving polished prose for later. This allowed me to finish it within a month and a half instead of abandoning it before the midpoint. Not being attached to specific word choices made adding, removing, or reordering sections and scenes easier during developmental editing.

[#]writerscoffeeclub #writing

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Written by writermonki on 2024-07-07 at 20:20

7.7 Do you structure your WIP into chapters/sections as you write? Do you use Epigraphs?

I construct scenes into sequences, then arrange them into chapters afterwards. Understanding sequence and scene structures helps guide my narrative creation process. However, chapter definitions are too vague for me to use effectively while writing. What does and doesn't count as a chapter? I haven't used epigraphs, but I might.

[#]WritersCoffeeClub

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Written by writermonki on 2024-05-27 at 18:43

[#]writerscoffeeclub May 27: What's the ideal story length?

If the narrative isn't for a known market (or any), the author can write until their story feels finished. But if you're writing for a market, story length is dictated by the expectations of your future readers. If it's a contemporary thriller, it probably shouldn't run the length of Game of Thrones 1. The easiest way to find a good count is by noting the page count of selected genre books and stopping in that range.

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Written by writermonki on 2024-03-26 at 03:01

[#]WritersCoffeeClub 25.3 Unpublished authors: Do you intend to publish? Timeline? What's holding you back?

My current work will be my first--self-published. I want it delivered to beta readers by October. I needed a process to keep my dyslexic, ADHD brain progressing. It's taken a lot of organization to keep everything coordinated. I'm updating and developing that process as I work. The next book should be faster and easier because I'll have the development and tracking working.

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Written by writermonki on 2024-03-21 at 05:44

[#]writerscoffeeclub 21.3 Do you ever regret killing a character, or the manner of their death?

I'm writing a paranormal occult thriller. So, no. Because are the characters really dead if they can still annoy or threaten the POV characters?

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Written by writermonki on 2024-03-17 at 00:23

[#]WritersCoffeeClub 16.3 How much do you edit as you write, and how much do you leave to the second draft?

My first draft is a treatment. I focus on what needs to happen in each scene, plot lines, character moments, and emotional turns. I worry about making it understandable and getting the pieces in. The development pass causes major additions, deletions, and rewrites. The less I'm attached to the language at this stage, the better. Style comes after things settle down.

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Written by writermonki on 2024-03-15 at 03:58

[#]WritersCoffeeClub 15.3 What would one of your stories be like in an alternative universe?

As a rom-com the thriller details would change, of course. The broad narrative shapes remain. The lead and villain fight over the same person but in a different way. It's not death stakes. The villain's goal could still be inheritance. His relative's ghost could be a stipulation in a will. The lead is shy/hesitant after her sister's death, not psychic. But she must still adapt after a tragedy.

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Written by writermonki on 2024-03-15 at 02:25

I got most of the pages back. The backups were too old, but the files on the main directory where the latest version. I only lost one page's content because I opened it in Logseq before locating the file on disk. I opened the files in a text editor, copied the text, and pasted back to Logseq. 5 of 6 docs recovered. Still not sure what happened. #logseq

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Written by writermonki on 2024-03-15 at 02:10

OK, Logseq users, what was the secret keyboard shortcut I accidentally hit that threw away my work for the day because it's terrifying. I'd rather not hit it again. #logseq

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