Quid pro quo, Clarice.

[sarashina]

So I just came off a hellacious couple of weeks (which I will explain properly sometime soon) and I am feeling FREE AS THE WIND BLOWS. Best part? So many of my mental processes have been freed up, and I've been thinking about writing a lot more than I have been lately. Which feels so, so good.

I was thinking of a simple exercise I used to do with writing partners - I was actually telling moonsheen about it the other day - and I thought I'd put it up here so that we all could play.

Here's how it goes: you ask me a question about a writing project, I answer, and ask a question about yours. Simple as that! It could be about a specific project, or something in general (like, say, "Who is your most ____ character?" or something like that.) And the questions can keep going back and forth for as long as you like.

I've always found that it's easier to get enthusiastic about a project and dive right into it when you can share your enthusiasm with someone else. And there are my ulterior motives, of course - I get to find out about everyone else's writing, too.

Just to remind you all, my big projects are:

Completed:
In Descending Order
Grandmaster Draw

In progress:
Catalyst
The Imperial Guard
The Hungry Ground
Possession is Nine-Tenths of the Law

And there are also short stories like "The Mountain Sleeps" (and the not-yet-written universe based around that story), and cowriting and such.

Let's play?

Comments

[ivory-and-horn.livejournal.com]

Oh man, Howl is one of my favorite Florence + the Machine songs ever. <3

I tend to get pinged more for characters than projects, really, as well as the relationships they have with each other. Let's see...Joza is Incubus by Recoil. It's also my song for Sebastian, really. Something about it just screams demon at me, and not just because of the title. :P Other than that, I don't have many song calls for Contract Theory.

I have a lot more for Capertown -- some of the highlights are I Can't Decide by Scissor Sisters and I'm Incapable of Regret by Rasputina for Garath, and Let Me Be Your Armor by Assemblage 23 and Somebody Hates Me by Reel Big Fish for Ketterly. Yana, another character who may or may not show up in the story, has You're the Psycho by Diva Destruction and Trouble by Bonnie McKee.



Hmmm, new question, new question... Where did the idea for "The Mountain Sleeps" come from?

[glass-icarus.livejournal.com]

Hahaha, well, mostly mine is the coasting along while chewing on interesting tidbits thing? If it's a longer story (by which I mean like 1-3K), I'll pick out a general sequence of events and connect the dots, not necessarily in order- I tend to shuffle scenes a lot to see how I like the look of things. If it's shorter, I'll usually just transfer one central idea/theme/scene from brain to page and then build around that as I find it necessary.

Depending on whether I have a prompt or not (I prompt myself a lot of times, since it seems to help), and whether or not it's for some sort of challenge/exchange (deadlines often trigger something deathly to my writing-think), the whole process could either go really smoothly and without brain or, you know, in fits and starts and headdesks and mental agony. :P

[glass-icarus.livejournal.com]

*curses, can't edit comments on LJ! :P And your question: describe your relationship with writing music! I am curious about this, because I've realized that I rarely ever write while actually playing music, but I do often write with songs (or lyrics) in mind.

[cerine.livejournal.com]

SUCH HARD QUESTIONS. *shake fist*

Hm, a lot of stuff, actually. History, religion and their accompanying myths, a commercial on kidnapping, star-gazing, dreams, the behaviours of people and animals, smells, music, plants, artwork, trips/vacations. If there's a specific story or element you're interested in, I might be able to cite particular influences more. *eeks*

Relating to the last question, how do you tend to write your characters' parents? i.e. widowers, single parents, divorcees, remarried, married4life, etc.

I guess I'm on a kinship roll, lawl.

[quatredeathlady.livejournal.com]

I always love hearing about people's writing processes, because they're all always so different! And I've read a lot from big-name authors on what their processes are and why it works for them, and sometimes I think about how it would never work for me (or how I should adopt some of their methods ASAP). So, thanks for sharing! :D

Damn, your question is really hard, and I don't have nearly as many characters as you do! XD Overall, I think that all my protagonists have at least one prominent trait that I have (or like to think I have :x), but I actually think that Andy is the most like me (He's the narrator in Untilted #2 in my Works in Progress meme post, just for point of reference XD) in personality. He's fiercely loyal and protective of his friends and doesn't really care what other people think about him. He also kind of has a temper and is antisocial. And while I have never punched someone in the face, I certainly would if I thought it was necessary. >.>

Next question: How do you come up with character names, and the titles for your stories? And, if you don't mind a double question, which character name and story title are your favorite? (This seems like a simple/boring question, but good Lord I am terrible at coming up with titles especially, and I think your titles are awesome. TELL ME YOUR SECRET XD)

[sandvich.livejournal.com]

Hm. I write a lot of ghosts and a lot of finding-the-body scenes, but I think I've only written three actual deaths in detail. One was at the beginning of a story, when the main character dies in a random shooting and becomes a ghost shortly afterward; one was at the end, when the main character's love interest dies of radiation sickness; and the last one was in the middle -- technically the character kills herself at the beginning, but the details don't come until about halfway through. They're all really different scenes, which I'm pretty proud of. ♥

What sorts of romantic relationships do you like to write? How about platonic ones?

laaaaate

[evilsimon.livejournal.com]

Oh man. Some of the things I have done/will do to Reynan were pretty mean. I've messed with a lot of characters' minds, but he's the only one who has pretty brutal physical torture in his backstory and extensive mental torture in the story.

How do you develop cultures when you worldbuild?