[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 13: Has anything you've written made you cry, either when writing it or on a re-read?
Not yet. I truly hope something does at some point.
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[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 14: How does your plot structure grow? Linearly as you go? Or does it grow out from one or more ideas?
I'm afraid I don't understand this question. I feel like my answer is something like, "Yes, and..."
(I guess the "and" is that it grows out of the actions the characters take.)
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[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 15: Which of the different marketing tactics you may have tried has been the most successful?
I haven't tried any marketing tactics yet; it's way too early for me to try to market something that I haven't even started the first draft of yet.
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[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 16: Have you ever tried to write something set in a culture other than your own? How did it go?
Yes, I once wrote a sort of ongoing roman à clef about web development cast as a tale of ninja derring-do in feudal Japan, in the later part of the Sengoku Jidai.
I think it went pretty well, but I did eventually get tired of it and move on to other things.
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[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 17: What's the body count in your WIP? Is this typical for your work?
It will be at least 2, probably 3. Maybe a few more.
I'm a fan of the Anyone Can Die trope¹, as it keeps readers from getting complacent or figuring that main characters must have Plot Armor², so yeah, this will probably be a typical rate for my work, once I produce more of it.
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Addendum: I think it's really cool that some folks have tried taking this as the sexy kind of body count instead of the murdery kind, but I'm like, how would one even begin to count that?
Do established liaisons count, or only new connections? Do the established ones only count if we see them having sex (or at least see them making overtures and then give them privacy), or... 1/2
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...can we just assume that over a 6-month time span (for my WIP), they obviously must find the time at least once or twice?
Depending on those criteria, and on how many side characters I depict in certain groups, my count could be anywhere from 1-2 all the way up to 3 digits. 2/2
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[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 18: Do you read scripts? Would you try writing a script or screenplay?
Do I habitually read scripts? No. Am I willing to read scripts, or things written in script form? Sure.
I actually have vague dreams of trying to write scripts or screenplays, but I know I should first work on the various novels that I have ideas for.
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[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 19: Do you go to fan conventions or similar?
I've been going to sci-fi cons since I was about 15 or so. I look forward to eventually going as a guest rather than fan, someday.
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[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 20: Do you agree with Terry Pratchett, who said, "There's no such thing as writer's block. That was invented by people in California who couldn't write."
WTF?
I generally have a good impression of Sir Pterry (despite not having read anything of his except whichever is the half of Good Omens that he wrote), so I'm wondering if maybe this was just a line that one of his character said, and he doesn't believe it himself? 1/2
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Or is it misleadingly out-of-context in some other way, as so many of these quotes have been?
Whatever. Basically, the slur against California isn't landing very well over here, in this San Franciscan's mind and heart. 2/2
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[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 21: If you write adult fiction, would you consider children's stories and vice versa? Do you write both? How's it going?
I don't have any real desire to write children's stories. I think I'd be okay at it if an idea hit me that would work well in that genre, but... that's not the kind of thing I usually think about and care about, so that seems unlikely.
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[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 22: What's your favourite writing convention to eschew?
"Writing convention" doesn't sound to me like "faux, overly-prescriptive grammar 'rule'", so I don't need to mention things like splitting infinitives or the fact that prepositions are perfectly legitimate things to end sentences with. So let me see, what are some writing conventions? 🤔 1/3
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To a fair degree, I'm not writing what I know. I am writing from the POVs of a lot of people who have lived experiences that are very different from my own. Women, enbies, Black people, Asian-Americans and Hispanics, people who grew up poor... Okay, also a few rich and powerful people.
I'm kind of diving into the deep end here, but there's no way I can tell the story without doing that. I'm being as careful and conscientious about it as I can. I'm doing my best. 2/3
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Additionally, I'm writing a multi-POV, ensemble story as my first book. I think most people would have advised me to start with a single MC. But again, this story requires multiple POVs and MCs.
A few months ago, I'd have added that I'm starting with a full novel, when there's lots of (good!) advice to write shorter things first. But I've recently realized that's what my vignettes are for. So, yay, I'm at least doing one thing that's not utterly foolish! 😄 3/3
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[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 23: How do you capture a character's unique voice in dialogue?
For the most part, things like word choice and tone. That tone might occasionally be indicated by dialogue tags, though I'm of the opinion that roughly 90% of dialogue tags should just be "said" (or "asked" if that's the case). The time to use variant ones is when it will give the reader extra information — such as a character's unique voice!
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[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 24: Do you criticize other writers? Who and in what way?
I mostly criticize things writers say, not the writers themselves. Like Stephen King's thing about not using adverbs, or Raymond Chandler's advice on having someone come through the door with a gun if you're not sure what to do next, which can easily result in a very tangled plotline full of threads with no clear antecedents. (In essence, a forest of diaboli ex machini.) 1/3
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A major exception is JK Rowling. Not only do I criticize her world-building (which falls apart the moment you give it more than a passing glance, and is a perfect example of the kind of shoddy world-building I'm determined to avoid), I also criticize her as a person. Calling her a TERF would be a misnomer, since the F stands for "feminist", and she doesn't stand up for women — not even herself, as exemplified by her bowing to pressure to use initials instead of her feminine given name. 2/3
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This piece is an insightful (and honestly kind of heartbreaking) study in what she might have done and written if she had been a feminist: https://globalcomment.com/in-praise-of-hermione-granger-series/ I wish I could read that series; it sounds pretty damn good. 3/3
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[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 25: How long is the shortest story you've ever written? Can you link to it?
I guess I can consider my vignettes to be stories. The shortest one is the one where Jessie Nakamura comes out to her older brother, George; it's 956 words.
I haven't put it up anywhere public. (Yet. Maybe someday. After the actual book is published.)
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[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 26: Have you entered any contests? Which would you recommend?
I haven't, and I don't know nearly enough about any to recommend any.
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[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 27: What's been a key non-fiction book for researching your current/recent writing project?
I can't think of any non-fiction books that I've used for research on this project. Lots of non-fiction online sources, but no books.
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[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 28: Do you make any of your work available for free? Would you?
Not yet, but once I get the book into print and set up a website for my writing (as opposed to my web development), I do plan to make some supplemental material available on that site. That will probably include some of the vignettes I've been writing for practice — some of them may get elevated to "canon" status. (As alluded to in https://wandering.shop/@kagan/113368727324413693.)
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[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 29: What is your editing process? How do you know it is done?
First, let something sit for at least a week or two. Maybe more. Then, either open it up in my text editor, or actually print it out. Either way, start reading through it and seeing what feels awkward. What snags, or catches badly on my mind.
If I'm working with a soft copy, I'll generally edit that immediately, on the spot. But... 1/3
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...I'm getting more attracted to the printed-out, hard-copy editing, where I'll write my notes on it with one of those four-color ballpoint pens. Red for things that need to go. Blue for things I'm not sure about, or that could maybe stand a little improvement, or that just make me go, "Hmmm." Green for things that I actually like. (And no black, because that's the color that the existing, printed draft is in.) 2/3
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The only way I can think of it as "done" is when I do an editing pass and I don't change anything. I've done that with a couple of vignettes and sent them to my alpha reader, and they came back with a bunch of notes about things I hadn't even seen.
With the colored pens, it'll probably be "when there's no more red ink on it", and maybe no blue, either. 3/3
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[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 30: How much world-building do you do before starting your first draft (if any)?
Hahahahaha 💀
Even people who have simply seen my answers on this hashtag, never mind ones who actually follow me, have probably noticed that I did huge amounts of world-building... and I haven't started that first draft yet!
(And this is for a work set in San Francisco in 2024. Imagine how much I'll do for a multi-species, parsecs-spanning space opera someday...)
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[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 31: What's your tip for getting into a writing groove?
It's not something I can always force to occur, but: find something that hooks your interest. It might be writing a new scene; it might be editing an existing scene; it might be doing revisions or just one of those things you left yourself a note about, weeks ago, saying "do this sometime."
Just get started. Then try to build momentum.
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[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 1: Introduce yourself in the third person, as if you're a world-famous author.
And now I'd like to introduce a man whose books have thrilled, entranced, and inspired millions of people around the globe. 1/2
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From his start in urban fantasy, writing about city wizards, to his more recent hopepunk sci-fi, and his space opera exploring different minds and different languages, his works of imagination are only exceeded by their heart and compassion. Of course, I'm talking about the inimitable, the incredible Kagan MacTane. Please give him a warm round of applause! 2/2
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[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 2: Do you write to music? If so, do you feel it influences your story?
I have two types of music I write to:
First, my general writing playlist, which is a mix of stuff that varies in atmosphere, but is generally mid-tempo. It's intended to keep me going, keep my mind in a focused-but-loose state where I can play with possibilities, write stuff down, etc. 1/3
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Anytime it doesn't mesh with what I'm doing, I bump it to the next track (on shuffle, natch). I can do that with a single keystroke-chord, so it doesn't even interrupt my flow.
So if that one influences my story, something's wrong. It's really not supposed to. 2/3
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But second is the whole bunch of playlists I've put together for various characters. There are even a couple that are for specific scenes! And those very much are intended to influence the writing. They're to get me specifically in the mood of that character. That's their job. 3/3
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[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 3: What's the best money you ever spent as a writer?
I can't think of a single thing. I can't recall anything I've spent money on specifically as a writer or for writing, except for the four-color ballpoint pen I got a few weeks back for hard-copy editing. That was something like $3.99. Can I really count something like that? 🤷🏻 Really, I got nothin', here.
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[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 4: Do you find your writing skills or writer's instinct useful in other walks of life?
Not that I've noticed.
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[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 5: Share a snippet of what you've most recently written.
It's not what I'd normally choose to share, but what the hell. Here's the opening of my latest vignette. It's just setting the scene and giving me some practice at things like descriptions (and it also forced me to figure out some side characters and background stuff), but it's not something that'll go into the book itself. Also it's 1st-draft (a natural consequence of asking for "most recently written" material).
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[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 6: Do you ever move characters between stories (if, for example, they don't fit into one plot), or are they intrinsic to their story?
They're intrinsic to their stories.
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[#]WritersCoffeeClub Day 7: Is there one genre or subgenre you would never write?
I find Westerns boring and annoying. I'm not much into military SF, either, and I wouldn't be very good at it, having a generally anti-military mindset. I wouldn't write either of those (sub-)genres.
[Edit: Oh that's right, I keep forgetting "Christian" is also a genre. That's one I'd seriously never write, and I can't imagine any of that genre's fans would enjoy what I'd produce if I did.]
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@kagan Agreed about military stuff. I had said, "never say never," but the only way I'd write military fiction is if it were a scathing satire.
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@kagan Actually, I did try to take a whack at "anarchist Star Trek" once, but never got past the opening scenes. I'll get to it someday. (They're a non-hierarchical vessel where everyone works in teams and votes in real-time about major decisions, only electing a captain in emergencies, which sounds fun as hell until you try to think of something for them to do).
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@orionkidder I'm reminded of the Betan Astronomical Survey and their... let's just say, their very Betan approach to discipline and hierarchy in Lois McMaster Bujold's Shards of Honor.
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