Happy Storyteller Saturday!

Happy Storyteller Saturday!

If you had to choose who your favorite character is from all of your works, who would it be? Why?

As a writer, what are the kinds of things that you find most easy to write about, and what are the things you avoid (+ Is there anything you'd like to improve)?

Let's say your main cast of characters find themselves trapped in a life-threatening situation. How would each one of them react? Who would be the most selfish and who would likely be the most selfless?

Happy Storyteller Saturday!

You are literally so mean lol... (jk. It's just that these are some IMPOSSIBLE questions)

I don't have any "favourite" characters. I love all of them. There's a special place in my heart for each one - even characters that aren't meant to be likeable. Like Bret, for example... in the beginning, you're not really supposed to like him. You start sympathising with him more when you find out more about his life and what he's been going through lately.

If we're talking about which character I'd most likely be friends with, then probably Elise. I've mentioned this a few times already, but she's the character I've given most of my personality to. She's super sweet and friendly, but also an introverted bookworm. It would be so cool to have a friend like that irl... we'd swap book recommendations all day long.

The others are more rebellious and extroverted, so they'd probably be too much for me lol. That being said, I like to give ALL my characters a little piece of me, and I take a lot of inspiration from my life and experiences. So I'd probably vibe with each of them to some level (e.g. Dylan with his family drama).

(More below)

I think the thing I find easiest to write is conflict. I just love creating chaos for some reason...

No, but really. It's something I've always been good at (well, being good at something is different from finding it easy/doing it all the time, but you get what I'm saying). I like throwing things off the rails. I like writing arguments. In Steph's Crew, there are like 5 main conflicts/arguments before we even get to the midpoint lol.

(It's a real problem of mine. When I was a kid, and I'd play dolls with my sister, I used to be the one to come up with all these random conflicts and plot twists for no apparent reason. It would seriously tick her off lol.)

Something I struggle more with is coming up with realistic dialogue. Which may sound weird, considering the fact that I'm literally posting a series of ONLY dialogue, but that is actually part of why I decided to do that! I like practicing writing conversations, it gives my mind a clear idea of what is going on, and planning out dialogue helps me practice more in that weaker area.

I'd also say writing romance of any kind is something I'm not 100% comfortable with, either (purely due to lack of experience lol). And I would avoid it in my own work... if I didn't love it so much. I need at least one love story in most of the stuff I write, I just love love too much! (Another serious problem of mine... )

Your third question is actually super interesting, and I'd actually like to tackle it in it's own separate post if that's ok. I just really need some more thinking time with that one!

Thanks for the ask!

Happy STS! Here are your questions revealed:

Question 1:💜(Purple Heart)

What surprised you the most (either about your story, your characters, or yourself as a writer) in the course of working on your WIP?

Question 2: 💔 (Broken Heart) 

What’s a plot hole in your WIP you just can’t seem to fix? Do you plan to fix it? If you can’t fix it, would you consider just leaving it in and hoping nobody notices?

Happy Storyteller Saturday to you too! Thank you for the Ask, @clairelsonao3! 💕

Question 1:💜(Purple Heart)

This is intriguing. I never really thought about this before this question, but now, I would say that what surprised me the most about my book was the fact that I managed to somehow weave my characters' stories together by the end of the day, even though some of them don't meet for a long time in the actual story their fates and the events around them are intrinsically connected. I really like that I was able to do this, and just think that is quite neat!

Question 2: 💔 (Broken Heart) 

This is where things get complicated. You see, I am still in the process of making the first draft of all of my WIPs and am a strong plotter (which means I outline, brainstorm and plot the heck out of my works before I actually start the narrative part lol), and so far, I don't know if I have any plot holes in my main WIP (The Last Wrath), especially since my OCD wouldn't let me live in peace if I didn't fix every plot hole as soon as they popped into existence lol.

BUT...

I have another WIP that is still quite new and very early in the drafting stage - it is my grim dark cyberpunk superhero story, called Open Secret Files - and there is this moment in the story where (I don't want to give too many spoilers, lol) this young man, who is a rich kid that spends most of his time going to parties and stuff, finds himself trapped in a dangerous conspiracy which causes him to become estranged from his younger sister (who is later on going to find out the truth about all of this and discover the conspiracy too, as she is one of the MCs - not him - and what happens to him is the prompt for her to start investigating things). I still have yet to figure out how Everett, this rich kid who just wanted to spend his time partying, got caught up in a governmental scheme around the enhancement of superpeople. But I might figure that out soon enough tho, lol.

Happy blursday! 💜💌 What are the fic-y tropes (generally romantic, but not necessarily) that your blorbo(s) would LEAST be able to stand being involved in, and what are they doing to tolerate or to get out of these situations? (e.g., who is sleeping on the floor when There's Only One Bed; who starts going to a different coffee shop to avoid The AU?; who digs their way out of the snowstorm to avoid being Snowed In? Who's out here crushing the would-be Enemy to Friend to Lover's dreams?)- @liv-is

Thank you for the Ask, @liv-is!

This is a very funny question LOL. I'll try to answer using the tropes you've given me here!

"who is sleeping on the floor when There's Only One Bed?"

This one would definitely be Bryn. He hates overt physical contact with others, much less when he is sleeping. There is no way he would let himself share a bed with anyone. The floor it is. (This is especially true since, according to him, most of his travel companions have a tendency to keep moving around while sleeping or snoring. He isn't getting any shut-eye with that beside him on the mattress). This, along with the fact that he feels literally zero romantic or sexual feelings for anyone, makes me sure that if he had to choose between the floor or sharing The Bed, the floor it is. lol

"who starts going to a different coffee shop to avoid The AU?"

This would definitely be Tanwin if he lived in modern times. My boi doesn't do emotions well, let alone the tooth-rotting fluff that accompanies the Coffee Shop AU, he would be running from it like the plague lol. As soon as he sensed The AU coming his way, he would be already going to a shop four blocks away - little does he know that The AU is following him (;

"who digs their way out of the snowstorm to avoid being Snowed In?"

100% Luciya. She hates being forced into being trapped anywhere, or restricted in any way, especially if it leads to a heart-to-heart or talking about Feelings tm while trapped. If her lover wants to talk Feelings, he'd better do so in a free and open meadow, because our claustrophobic girl is already trekking through 3ft of snow in order to not to be Snowed In anywhere. It's not that she doesn't love him, she loves him dearly, but being trapped anywhere is a huge NOPE, to her, in any situation lol.

"who's out here crushing the would-be Enemy to Friend to Lover's dreams? "

You got me there lol because there is actually a working Enemies to Friends to Lovers relationship in my TLW WIP - our lovely battle couple, Nethen and Ellinor. BUT... for the sake of this answer, someone who would be 1000% out here crushing dreams if they were in this trope would be, without a shadow of a doubt, our girl Sybil - because no one holds a grudge for longer than our little feral bard. She'd be crushing her would-be Enemy to Lover left and right without even realizing it, and then she'd want to go out for the medieval version of a strawberry smoothie.

"How's your magic?"

"Explosive and unstable. Yours?"

"Draining my life force through a sieve."

I don’t know who might need to hear this announcement in this Virtual Chili’s tonight, but:

The goal of your first draft isn’t to make the story GOOD.

It’s to get the story TOLD.

Character developement

- Create a detailed backstory: Develop a rich and layered backstory for your character, including their upbringing, past experiences, and significant events that have shaped them. This will provide a foundation for their personality and motivations.

- Define core traits: Identify a few core personality traits that define your character. Consider both positive and negative traits to make them more well-rounded and realistic.

- Give them strengths and weaknesses: No character is perfect. Give your character a mix of strengths and weaknesses to make them relatable and interesting. These flaws can create internal conflicts and opportunities for growth.

- Establish goals and motivations: Determine what drives your character. What are their goals, desires, or ambitions? Understanding their motivations will help shape their actions and decisions throughout the story.

- Create relationships: Develop meaningful relationships for your character with other characters in the story. This includes friends, family, romantic partners, and even adversaries. Consider how these relationships influence and shape your character's development.

- Show internal conflict: Explore the internal struggles and dilemmas your character faces. This could be conflicting emotions, difficult choices, or battling their own fears and insecurities. Internal conflict adds depth and complexity to their development.

- Allow for growth and change: Characters should evolve throughout the story. Consider a character arc that takes your character from a starting point to a transformed state by the end. Give them challenges and experiences that allow them to learn, grow, and change over time.

- Use dialogue effectively: Craft dialogue that reflects your character's unique voice, speech patterns, and personality traits. Dialogue can reveal their emotions, beliefs, and thought processes, providing insights into their character.

- Show, don't tell: Instead of explicitly telling readers about your character's traits, show them through their actions, choices, and interactions with others. This allows readers to form their own opinions and connections with the character.

- Continuously refine and develop: Characters are not static entities. As you write, remain open to new ideas and opportunities for character development. Allow your characters to surprise you and evolve beyond your initial plans.