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diningpageantry · 6 years

Text

writer’s tag

i was tagged by @basic-banshee (thank you for the tag!!!)

1. how did you start writing?

ooh boy this is a Story. okay uhh i was raised in this cult thing (long story that i’m willing to tell ltr) and part of our education process was writing books so uh i wrote a full length children’s book at like 6 y/o (maybe 5? i think i was 6 tho) and i wrote a couple more before we left. i kept writing tho and i’ve always sort of creatively wrote for myself, then at the end of 6th grade into 7th grade i found the wonders of fanfiction and i was like holy shit so i started writing johnlock fanfics (oof) and uh here i am now

2. what was your first writing project? tell us a little about it.

it was uh about some horses and girls and i’m not saying it was horseland but it was basically horseland. i don’t remember much except one of them nearly died after falling into a ditch because i was a dark and disturbed child (and an even more dark and disturbed adult now tbh) but there was that happy ending. so yeah. that.

3. what is your preferred mediums for writing first drafts?

word docs. i usually move it to a good doc after i’m done, but i like starting with word

4. what rituals or habits do you have around writing?

there’s a good couple. i usually get ideas on a whim, so i do a shitty outline on my phone (honestly it’s laughable if you look at them. i showed a friend a plan list and she started cracking up because most of it is just “??????”) and try to set up a plot flow first before writing. for original works, i actually draw the characters first so i can kinda have a fully put together mental image before i work. while writing, i put on (typically instrumental) music that goes with the mood of the fic (for example, for my demon fic, i put on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey album) whenever working to kinda put myself in the mindset.

5. we all have a “type” - of character, plot, theme - what is yours?

oohh boy. uh, pain. i like writing people hurting and in distress. angst? hell yeah baby. character wise i write a lot of kinda bitter or sarcastic queer people who are secret softies. plot wise i usually go with a “man vs. self” shit. love that internal struggle.

6. introduce us to one (or more!) of your OCs!

heheh okay uhh i’ll start with my current project, a sapphic graphic novel i’m working on. there’s Summer, who’s a high femme lesbian. she’s like... the proper looking girlfriend who likes sweaters and long flow-y skirts and makeup but she’s the rebel and gets into trouble and smokes and gets fucked up on stolen vodka way too often. she’s short and a lil chubby and she’s just the problematic fave. her girlfriend, (who’s actual name is still up for debate, but i just call her Matchstick because she dyes her hair bright/unnatural red and that’s what Summer calls her) rides a motorcycle and wears leather and jeans, but she’s a straight (heh) A student who meditates in the morning and writes sappy poetry for her girlfriend. she’s like... average taller and kinda awkwardly lanky in that way, too. this is set in suburban New Jersey and Summer has a thick NJ accent while Matchstick moved around most of her life because her dad was military (nasty divorce about 3 years prior to when the story is set) but she finally settled with her mom and little brother.

i have another OC that i abandoned that i might bring into the graphic novel (despite her having her own story that i don’t quite know if i’ll finish? it was something i started working on like 3 years ago and abandoned because it’s a tad cliche). her name is ayala and she’s a mixed jew (half ashkenazi, half mizrahi) who’s got a grunge punk aesthetic and she’s the classic bitter bi bitch who just drinks black coffee and complains. honestly? light of my life. she sneaks butterfly knives into NJ and takes a grater to her jeans and just ugh. fave.

7. what’s your favorite genre to read?

fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, and queer YA romance (i have a building library of these)

8. favorite genre to write?

fantasy, queer YA, and not exactly horror but dark stories (i’m writing a morbid children’s storybook rn to just str8 up submit to college board for a drawing portfolio)

9. how do you conduct your authorial research?

hah. google, usually. sometimes i ask my roommate shit, like once i leaned over my bed, looked at him and said “do demons have lairs?” and he thought i said layers so he looked at me, squinted and said slowly “like ogres?”

10. what does your editing (gasp) process look like?

hahAH nah it’s usually me writing shit out, like SLAMMING that shit out, then sometimes reading over it before i put it on my doc to edit. once it’s on the doc, i set my betas to it (sometimes more than my usual beta or two) and i usually read over it while they’re reading too so i edit then too? once they’re finished, i edit whatever suggestions. then i usually do another comb through, looking for little shit, then i share that shit.

11. what are your favorite tropes?

*chanting* MAN VS. SELF MAN VS. SELF MAN VS. SELF i love me some internal struggle. that and miscommunications and poor communication. basically anything that creates angst.

12. show off your writing space

i’m too tired rn but it’s just my loft bed. that’s it. it’s an ikea bed with a bunch of pillows and blankets on it, fairy lights wrapped around one side, and a shelf next to my head for my laptop/food/drinks/anything else i need

13. what is the most useful piece of writing advice you’ve ever used?

it’s odd because it isn’t exactly writing advice, but i use it in reference to my writing. i’m told that i tend to over-complicate shit, that i explain too much and i need to take a step back, and i kinda use that in my writing. it makes me look over paragraphs sometimes and just cut it because hey, that’s either not needed or i can explore the character in other ways than just saying how they’re like. i feel like it really helps because rather than saying shit about the character, i try to make them show it in their actions. it helps, i suppose.

14. what’s the least useful piece of advice you’ve ever ignored?

“do they have to be gay?”

15. your writing beverage/snack of choice?

oh boy okay this really depends on when i’m writing. if i write during early/mid-day, it’s usually a huge mug of breakfast tea with two spoonfuls of sugar, milk, and some kedem tea biscuits (usually original, but sometimes vanilla). sometimes i’ll make myself some instant noodles, if i’m really hungry. if it’s night time, it’s black coffee, and a lot of it.

16. how do you compile your ideas?

fffff uhhhh my note app on my samsung akdsfdsh okay i hate me too but all my ideas go into at least 3 unorganized note files because they always come to me in a whim and i don’t like putting a plot note with a summary note, so i have different note pages for different elements of the story.

17. what are your controversial opinions™ on the craft of writing?

oof uh... don’t write any romance that’s unneeded. also making characters do something shocking doesn’t make the story interesting. writers who feel the need to make a shocking twist aren’t good writers, because if that’s all that’s keeping readers entertained, then it’s not the writing itself, it’s them just trying to figure shit out. i’m not referencing horror or suspense, but let’s say a character who’s known for being aggressively loyal suddenly cheats on their partner for no truly viable reason, then that just feels like sloppy and boring writing that’s supposed to be interesting but isn’t. so, controversial opinion, but if you’re a good writer, you don’t need that kinda shit.

tagging @jessethejoyful @ravenclawbaz @angelsfalling16 @bazypitchandsimonsnow and any other writers who wanna do this (just tag me because i’d wanna see it!!!)

#tag meme #tag game #anï rambles #i wrote a lot oh my lord #i like talking im sorry oml

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