Spooky Scary Writing Tag
Today, I venture to participate in YouTuber/blogger, Emma T. Fink’s, Spooky Scary Writing Tag, which consists of 10 writing-related questions that are based on Halloween creatures. To answer the questions that deal with current WIPs or novels, I will be referencing my soon-to-be sports romance, Defending the Net.
DTN follows rookie Brighton Rabalais, as he sets to compete for the starting goalie position on the Saint Anne Civets professional hockey team in Louisiana. Brighton is young, hot, lit, and talented. He’s a top draft pick; so, doing the job shouldn’t be a problem. But it is. His situation becomes complicated (and in Brighton’s words “jacked the hell up”) when the veteran goalie, Gatien Glesseau, takes more than a professional interest in him. Links to order DTN is listed at the end of this post. Preorder and get it at a discounted price.
Ghosts – Have you ever originally put a character/scene/theme in the book and then later taken it out? What is the say? It’s better to have and not need than to need and not have. I am known to overwrite in early drafts. I think on paper and flush out characters, plots, and settings with words. Frequently, I do not write scenes in order, or, at least, not their final order. I tend to move stuff around. In the process of rearranging, some scenes get the ax—although, sometimes, not forever. Some of the discarded scenes, I discover, are meant for other, related stores such as sequels or spinoff characters.
Bat – Most misunderstood character in your WIP. Maybe Dylan. Everyone in DTN is pretty much up front. There’s not much misunderstanding them. However, Dylan, Brighton’s roommate, can be shady at times. Any misunderstandings with him are intentional.
Jack-O-Lantern – What’s your most common source of inspiration to write? I grab inspiration from anywhere, and no one place stands out. It can be music, art, or what someone says. I like doing writing challenges and often take inspiration from the designated theme. Anything new that allows or requires me to advance the craft of writing is a source of inspiration. Also, I live in an area that is filled with culture. There is so much to intrigue me just by spending a weekend wandering about town. I’m kind of a history buff. I love museums and learning about the past and trivia. Many of those things find their way into my writing.
Zombie – Preferred form of writerly fuel. Coffee, tea, etc. Chocolate. This is really two-fold. I sometimes get migraines when I stare at a computer screen for a long time. Caffeine is good migraines, and chocolate is packed with caffeine. (Yeah, that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.) The second reason is chocolate is savoring. I can have one piece, and the delicious taste lingers for a while. A little goes a long way. I pop one in, and I’m good to go for several hours.
Vampire – Cheesiest trope that made it into your novel. This may be the socioeconomic status of characters—that one character is more successful (usually financially) than the other. But make no mistake; my characters aren’t unevenly yoked. One may have a heftier bank account, but the other has something going on for him/her that evens the playing field.
Spider – What’s a character in your WIP that’s fine from afar but you would NOT want to interact with if they ever got close? Here’s the tea on that. I rarely write characters that I absolutely can’t stand. Why? Because I don’t like them. And if I don’t like them, I sure don’t want to read about them. And if I don’t want to read about them, why would I have my readers to read about them. I like my readers. I do have characters that do unsavory things and are distasteful, though. Those characters I would want to interact with just to tell them off and put them in check.
Frankenstein’s Monster – Ever combined two characters into one/split one character into two? I can’t recall ever having split one character into two; although, I may have. And it’s very rare that I have combined two characters into one. But in editing a WIP that I have dubbed “The Beast” (and no, it has nothing to do with monsters), I did combine a character. Or more specifically, I gave the lines of one character to the other and discarded the other character. The situation involved two minor characters. I realized that the more prominent of the two characters needed to be flushed out more and that the MC needed certain information sooner. When I consider which character could deliver the information (because not all characters had the same knowledge), I realized it was the first of these minor characters. Later, I had a plot hole and a considerably large one at that. (Yes, I’m a panster so it happens in my drafts.) After weeks of struggling and frustration, I finally figured if I expanded the first character to be in more scene, it would simplify understanding the plot while simultaneously plugging all the holes. Once I did this, I no longer needed the second minor character. In DTN, the cast is relatively small and each has their distinctive role. There was no need for me to divide or split any characters there.
Skeleton – Best tips for adding in character baggage without info dumping? Most of my characters usually gain the majority of their baggage during the story. They have very little coming in. This means I rarely have to address info dumps. That being said, “The Beast” has proven to challenge me in this area. What it took me months to figure out, though, is the problem was the order of my scenes. So, my best advice to writers would be to read through the scene and ask where the background information is really necessary for the reader to know. Once that place is identified, ask how would all the characters involved know that information and what has triggered that the information to be revealed. Usually, those two questions guide me to how best to relay the information.
Cat – What’s a polarizing writing/bookish opinion that you have? Writing is difficult, and it is a craft. It takes time to develop and publish quality content. There is no set way to go about doing this nor are there hardcore rules. There may be useful guidelines that are optional. It is difficult for good new authors to become noticed when there are others who do not take measure to ensure their work is of the highest quality it could be. For me, it’s like going into Dirt Cheap and sorting through their bargain bins. There is a lot of quality stuff there, but by golly one has to search for it. By the time you find what you’re looking for (if you find it), you’re slam wore out. A lot of readers don’t have the patience to sort/scroll through the hundreds of books that are uploaded on sites daily. Instead, they remain with familiar authors or the ones that are profiled on the beginning screens. In brick and mortar stores, many readers rely on the displays to guide them. All writers should take pride in what they produce.
Demon – Most frequent writing distraction. This is simple. Life. I have a child and the “Mama” means “game on”. I have a lot of interruptions, and by the time I deal with all of them, fatigue sets in. I’m a night owl and develop most of my ideas late at night. However, life demands that I get up early—real early. This sometimes means turning in before I’m ready or becoming too sleepy to write because I have been working for 18 hours. That sucks, but that is also why I have tons of sticky notes and use the voice recorder on my phone. I old-school it, too, and carry several notebooks to write when I find free moments between other obligations.
Don’t forget to visit Creole Bayou again. New posts are made on Wednesdays. If you have any questions or suggestions about this post or any others, feel free to comment below or tweet me at @dolynesaidso. You also can follow me on Instagram at genevivechambleeauthor or search me on Goodreads or Amazon Authors.
Enjoy sports romance? Check out my new adult romance, Defending the Net, being released on November 10. It is the second in my hockey series and guaranteed to melt the ice. It will be sold at Kindle, Apple Store, Nook, Kobo, !ndigo, Angus & Robertson, and Mondadori Store. It is the second in my hockey series and guaranteed to melt the ice. Preorder a copy now at www.books2read.com/defending and get a discounted price. Crossing the line could cost the game.
Missed the first in my hockey romance series? Don’t worry. Out of the Penalty Box, an adult romance where it’s one minute in the box or a lifetime out is available at http://amzn.to/2Bhnngw. It also can be ordered on iTunes, Nook, or Kobo. For more links where to purchase or to read the blurb, please visit http://bit.ly/2i9SqpH.
Life’s Roux: Wrong Doors, my steamy romantic comedy, is available at Red Sage Publishing. To order, follow the link to http://bit.ly/2CtE7Ez or to Amazon at http://amzn.to/2lCQXpt.
Copies of all my books and stories are available in paper, eBook, and audio on Amazon, iTunes, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. The links are listed in my Writing Projects page (http://bit.ly/2iDYRxU) along with descriptions of each of my novels or stories.
NEWSLETTER! Want to get the latest information and updates about my writing projects, giveaways, contests, and reveals first? Click https://genevivechambleeconnect.wordpress.com/newsletter/ and signup today.
If you enjoyed this writing tag, consider visiting Emma T. Fink at http://emmatfinkblog.blogspot.com. Thank you so much, Emma, for creating this writing tag for everyone to enjoy. It was so much fun. And anyone who completes this tag, be sure to tag me so I can see the answers.
Advertisements
