Hello and a very lovely Friday to you all!
Welcome everyone to another lovely Friday! This week has been filled with productivity I’ve gotten the first ten chapters of my WIP completely outlined and ready for Camp NaNoWriMo, I’ve brought Reaper up to 45k so only 5k more to go before April, then on a smaller scale I’ve been more active on Twitter despite my anxiety shrieking in horror, and last but not least I am back on Instagram once more. All in all I’m feeling really good about how this week has turned out.
Now, moving on to the good stuff. Back in December I made a blog post on my old site answering some Author Questions that I had come across, afterwards I had said that it was something I would enjoy doing every month. Well that didn’t exactly go as planned but then it occurred to me that it was something I could do quarterly or by monthly. So without further ado, I give to you some more Author Answers!
Can you briefly describe your writing process?
Once I actually have an idea and a main character I begin outlining in three different versions. Version one is the main plot points of the story, version two is a skeletal outline, and version three which is a chapter-by-chapter scene building outline. Once I finally start actually writing I try to write 1,000 words a day five days a week.
Can you tell us about a future book that you’re working on?
I’m currently working on two WIPs.
One is a dystopian called Reaper. Reaper follows the journey of Sarine Rivermount as she learns to manage her mental health and love life while being in the military during a rebellion.
The other is currently under wraps at the moment but come April I will talk more about it.
When you look at your oldest work what surprises you or embarrasses you?
My oldest work is a story I work for English class back in the seventh grade. Fortunately I can’t go back and read it as I’m partially blind but from what I remember of it, it was cringe worthy. The oldest stories I have access to that I can read are from 2012, those aren’t the best but not too bad. What embarrasses me most about them is the gods awful flow of the story but at the very least whoever I can bring myself to read my old work I know how much I’ve improved.
What do you think of fanfiction as a writing medium? Do you think it has credibility despite the subject matter?
I first jumped head first into the world of writing through fanfiction. I think as a writing medium it’s very good because it allows writers to gain their footing in the writing world. However I’m not sure how much credibility it has as I have come across people who just because they’ve inverted a character of their own it suddenly makes the entire story belong to them without realizing it’s only the storyline and original concepts (characters, moves, weapons, etc) that belong to them. Fanfiction is very shaky ground as there’s constant back and forth as to whether it should be allowed or not, I for one would take it as an honor to have someone write fanfiction about any of my work so long as they didn’t try stealing my ideas.
Do you write about any controversial topics?
I write about many controversial topics. From racism, to politics, to sexism, and rape there is a lot that goes on in my stories that isn’t always for the easily offended.
What scenes do you find most difficult to write?
I find transition scenes the most difficult to write which is why I always plot out my scenes that way I get a feel for how to go about those scenes and any others that might potentially cause me any trouble.
How do you portray different cultures in your writing?
A majority of what I write is fantasy and one of the benefits to that is creating my own worlds. I usually portray different cultures by how they dress or speech, not using accents but certain words or speech patterns. I also mention what general region a few different characters might be from alluding that people from the South tend to speak or dress in this way while those of the East speak and dress in that way.
Could you torture one of your characters?
Yes, and I often do in both mental and physical ways. The hero/heroine needs obstacles otherwise the story is dull.
What are the worst things that can break your concentration while writing?
I often say that I have the attention span of a squirrel, needless to say everything can break my concentration. I have to persuade my brain to focus by using a reward system, finish this chapter get a half hour of free time and things like that. But if I had to pick one thing that breaks my concentration more than anything else it would be the lure of the internet or my dogs, those are pretty evenly matched.
What is one question you hate answering about your writing that acquaintances ask you?
The question “Is that all you do?” drives me crazy. It’s not the question itself that gets under my skin but the way it’s asked as though being a writer is nothing short of calling yourself a mermaid unless you have three New York Times bestsellers. Yes I am a writer but I am also a homemaker, more commonly referred to as a housewife or househusband, unfortunately neither of those qualifies as a “job” in the eyes of most people. I love my life, don’t try to belittle what I do because I’m taking care of my family while following my dreams.
Oh how I enjoy answering these questions! If you have any questions of your own please feel free to ask and if you’re interested in the Author Answers question you can find them here —> https://ireadencyclopedias.wordpress.com/authors-answer/answers-index/
And with that I shall see you all next week. Have a fun and safe weekend and may next week be productive for us all.
~*~ Happy reading and writing to all and to all a good day ~*~
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