(no subject)
Hey, look what I did!
1. Tell us about your favorite writing project/universe that you’ve worked with and why.
The only writing project I’ve seriously worked on is Skoal/Point B. It’s become kind of love/hate relationship. I never feel like it’s good enough and I feel like it is too big of a project for me to actually finish. However, I see how much the story has changed and evolved over the years. It started at a post zombie apocalypse story and has evolved into a weird drama action. It has also lead to me forcing myself to develop my fictional world of Verold. I’ve gained a lot of satisfaction from developing and editing from the ground up.
2. How many characters do you have? Do you prefer males or females?
I have a fair number of characters, but I think less than most. I come up with what I think are cool concepts, but I dare not call those characters. I enjoy designing and drawing males more, but at the same time I don’t feel like gender is a super important factor to any of my characters. I like to think that most of them are just people who happen to be men or women.
3. How do you come up with names, for characters (and for places if you’re writing about fictional places)?
For a long time I just named people and places with names I thought sounded cool. But since I am a huge dork I am trying to actually think about how I would name things within a fictional language based in Verold. Most of my characters still have names that are very much based in Earth but I don’t have the heart to change them.
4. Tell us about one of your first stories/characters!
A 13 year old boy is murdered along with his sister and her soul creates a parasitic anchor to his. He’s basically a sentient zombie and apparently that means that he is the one who has to save the world like omg!
I’ve actually revamped this character recently. The only way I could see him working out is in some kind of folklore. The story just chronicles his descent into madness where he is so disconnected from mortals he perceives his malicious actions as being well intentioned and just.
5. By age, who is your youngest character? Oldest? How about “youngest”?
Uh, H and S are probably the oldest but considering that their machines I don’t think that’s fair. Next up is Adelaide as the oldest. Youngest is Dantrell who is actually Adelaide’s son. Funny how that worked out.
6. Where are you most comfortable writing? At what time of day? Computer or good ol’ pen and paper?
For just generating ideas: paper and pen. I just like not having to even think about structure and form, just come up with something and make it permanent. Even if I don’t like the idea at least I can see my process. For a finished product I go with computer. Editing is so much easier.
7. Do you listen to music while you write? What kind? Are there any songs you like to relate/apply to your characters?
I listen to music for both, however what I listen to is totally different. Depending on what I’m drawing I may pick songs with strong lyrics or something that just conveys a mood. For writing there can be no words what so ever. Sound track music suits this task well.
8. What’s your favorite genre to write? To read?
I suppose I prefer to write science fiction. I have never been a fan of the “shut up it’s magic” that fantasy writers tend to utilize. While my stories tend to never have advanced technology, I spend a long time thinking about what unique tools they would use and I must have some rational reason behind everything.
I actually don’t like reading novels all that much. I don’t know why, but I get bored easily with fiction. I really enjoy reading non-fiction books but not memoirs unless they are really interesting. Lately I’ve been reading about physics.
9. How do you get ideas for your characters? Describe the process of creating them.
I don’t have any real process for how I first start a character; they are just a collection of doodles and vague ideas. When I start to actually develop them I definitely have a process though. My first action has always been to figure out what their main weaknesses are and how they deal with said flaws. This alone takes a long time but it is invaluable for me. Next I think of how they would act around people. How do they compensate for their weaknesses, what do they like and dislike in other people, etc. Finally, I will throw them a bone and start to figure out their strengths.
For design I don’t really have a process. I do a bunch of fast doodles and figure out their appearance from there.
10. What are some really weird situations your characters have been in? Everything from serious canon scenes to meme questions counts!
What kind of weird are we talking about? Tagobi is raising his ex-girlfriend’s bastard child (Dantrell) who he is not the father of. He makes it very clear to Dantrell that he isn’t his son and he is no father figure. To make up for it Dantrell acts like he’s the toughest greatest thing ever to convince others and himself that he doesn’t need anyone. Yet he clings to anyone that won’t push him away which narrows the list down to Keaton. Keaton is driven by two things: his need for friends and companionship and the paralyzing fear that he is going to let everyone down.
Did I mention that all these people live together in a tiny apartment?
11. Who is your favorite character to write? Least favorite?
This is hard for me. Right now I’m really enjoying writing Nibal. She’s got some problems in her life, but nothing to complain about. It’s just nice to have someone normal with normal anxieties…unlike everyone else.
I actually enjoy writing all of my characters. If there is something I don’t like it’s usually because I think that they just aren’t developed enough.
Least favorite are H and S. They work as “characters” because they are so simple, yet it makes writing them boring. The only thing interesting about them are how the other characters interact with them.
12. In what story did you feel you did the best job of world building?
Point B. I’ve had to build a world, cultures, geography and some technology to make things feel “correct”. I feel kind of lame that I haven’t created that I haven’t made any other major stories set in the same world. It’s by no means a permanent concern though.
13. What’s your favorite culture to write, fictional or not?
I never do this, but I adore Neolithic culture. I don’t have to worry about history but I do need to look forward. For every simple tool that someone uses or develops I need to think about how this could change or lead to the future.
Aside from that I like writing Keaton’s back water culture. He’s a part of the du-cai tribe but since he was way out in the country his family held many of the older du-cai traditions that are very unpopular in the more eclectic city culture. Keaton did not fare well in this culture.
14. How do you map out locations, if needed? Do you have any to show us?
I usually have a rough idea of where things are, but an actual map is always helpful. Here is a very rough map of the Veroldian region.
15. Mid way question! Tell us about a writer you admire, whether professional or not!
This is hard. I admire Tolkien just for how well developed middle earth is, but I do not care too much for reading LOTR. It could have been a much better book had an editor stepped in. Revisions and paraphrasing were needed in the interest in presentation.
Mike Mignola is a pretty awesome dude too. Hellboy and the Amazing Screw on Head are two of my favorite comics. I just love black comedies and to add monsters, vampires, zombies, Nazis, mad scientists and a slew of other awesome things is surely the key to my heart.
16. Do you write romantic relationships? How do you do with those, and how “far” are you willing to go in your writing?
I am a cruel and heartless person: none of my characters have ever had a lasting an meaningful relationship. A few of them carry an absurd amount of baggage from their previous relationships. I am aware of this and I certainly don’t intend for it to stay that way.
And if it makes sense and is appropriate, I don’t care how much sex my characters have. I’m not about to write porn, I think that leaving things to the imagination is a good tool, especially when it comes to sex.
17. Favorite protagonist and why!
Hm, that’s a hard one. I guess Keaton because he is an idiot and a coward, but he eventually puts himself aside and for once in his life steps up and assumes responsibility.
18. Favorite antagonist and why!
Ug, this is really hard. None of my characters perceive themselves as antagonists. Everyone thinks they are in the right and at least tell themselves that they are helping others with their actions.
Closest thing to a villain is class divide…so that?
19. Favorite minor that decided to shove himself into the spotlight and why!
Tagobi. He’s never been a major character yet he’s somehow become one of my favorite characters. He is barely around in Point B but he gets some of the best lines.
20. What are your favorite character interactions to write?
I love awkward people doing awkward things. The best of which are when people are just starting to get to know eachother.
21. Do any of your characters have children? How well do you write them?
A few of them do. I’ve really only written about Dantrell and I think that he’s a pretty well developed character. The other one was abandoned by her father when she was still inside her mom. She harbors some resent for what her father did to her mother, but she doesn’t feel that she needs a father.
Wow…I really like writing child abandonment.
22. How long does it usually take you to complete an entire story-from planning to writing to posting (if you post your work)?
Forever or until someone pries it out of my hands.
23. How willing are you to kill your characters if the plot so demands it? What’s the most interesting way you’ve killed someone?
If the plot demands it then they die. I don’t really think that any of my characters have that interesting of deaths. Most brutal is someone getting beaten to death by guerillas.
24. Do any of your characters have pets? Tell us about them.
Most have had livestock at some point in their life, but pets are not all that common. Closest one to ever have a pet is Nibal. She has some mujur at her parents’ house. Mujur are a breed of primitive bird that has been domesticated. They all have names and Nibal loves to spoil them and show them affection but the day the quit laying eggs those guys are going to be dinner. Nibal still eats their meat but she always has a funeral for them by burying their bones and jiblets. No, this is not normal behavior.
25. Let’s talk art! Do you draw your characters? Do others draw them? Pick one of your OCs and post your favorite picture of him!
Implying I have a favorite.
26. Along similar lines, do appearances play a big role in your stories? Tell us about them, or if not, how you go about designing your characters.
Appearances are a little important. I focus more on how these people want to present themselves. Hair clothes, make up, posture, etc. Tagobi and Keaton are they only two who have a physical deformity that is beyond their control. Keaton’s ears are just a genetic mutation that while rare does not have a stigma against it in modern society. Tagobi has scars and pock marks all over his body from a very deadly disease he contracted as a child. Most people who contract said disease will eventually have a second round of the dormant virus. Consequently, a lot of people see Tagobi as a viral time bomb.
27. Have you ever written a character with physical or mental disabilities? Describe them, and if there’s nothing major to speak of, tell us a few smaller ones.
A few of them have health problems but I wouldn’t say any have a real disability…yet. Dantrell has a condition similar to hemophilia or VWD; his blood has trouble clotting so he bruises easily, gets frequent nose bleeds and small cuts will have prolonged bleeding times. He is medicated, but his treatment does not cure him by any means. As long as he doesn’t severely injure himself he is likely to make it to 60 with a high quality of life. Without the medication he would be luck to make it to 40 and much of his time would be spent in a hospital.
Tagobi has early arthritis and skin problems. It is yet another setback he acquired from surviving that viral disease as a teenager. It is possible that his growth is stunted from it, but being short is better than dead.
28. Final question! Tag someone! And tell us what you like about that person as a writer and/or about one of his/her characters!
I tag everyone who wants to do this and all 4th dimensional being reading this.
Real update tomorrow.
1. Tell us about your favorite writing project/universe that you’ve worked with and why.
The only writing project I’ve seriously worked on is Skoal/Point B. It’s become kind of love/hate relationship. I never feel like it’s good enough and I feel like it is too big of a project for me to actually finish. However, I see how much the story has changed and evolved over the years. It started at a post zombie apocalypse story and has evolved into a weird drama action. It has also lead to me forcing myself to develop my fictional world of Verold. I’ve gained a lot of satisfaction from developing and editing from the ground up.
2. How many characters do you have? Do you prefer males or females?
I have a fair number of characters, but I think less than most. I come up with what I think are cool concepts, but I dare not call those characters. I enjoy designing and drawing males more, but at the same time I don’t feel like gender is a super important factor to any of my characters. I like to think that most of them are just people who happen to be men or women.
3. How do you come up with names, for characters (and for places if you’re writing about fictional places)?
For a long time I just named people and places with names I thought sounded cool. But since I am a huge dork I am trying to actually think about how I would name things within a fictional language based in Verold. Most of my characters still have names that are very much based in Earth but I don’t have the heart to change them.
4. Tell us about one of your first stories/characters!
A 13 year old boy is murdered along with his sister and her soul creates a parasitic anchor to his. He’s basically a sentient zombie and apparently that means that he is the one who has to save the world like omg!
I’ve actually revamped this character recently. The only way I could see him working out is in some kind of folklore. The story just chronicles his descent into madness where he is so disconnected from mortals he perceives his malicious actions as being well intentioned and just.
5. By age, who is your youngest character? Oldest? How about “youngest”?
Uh, H and S are probably the oldest but considering that their machines I don’t think that’s fair. Next up is Adelaide as the oldest. Youngest is Dantrell who is actually Adelaide’s son. Funny how that worked out.
6. Where are you most comfortable writing? At what time of day? Computer or good ol’ pen and paper?
For just generating ideas: paper and pen. I just like not having to even think about structure and form, just come up with something and make it permanent. Even if I don’t like the idea at least I can see my process. For a finished product I go with computer. Editing is so much easier.
7. Do you listen to music while you write? What kind? Are there any songs you like to relate/apply to your characters?
I listen to music for both, however what I listen to is totally different. Depending on what I’m drawing I may pick songs with strong lyrics or something that just conveys a mood. For writing there can be no words what so ever. Sound track music suits this task well.
8. What’s your favorite genre to write? To read?
I suppose I prefer to write science fiction. I have never been a fan of the “shut up it’s magic” that fantasy writers tend to utilize. While my stories tend to never have advanced technology, I spend a long time thinking about what unique tools they would use and I must have some rational reason behind everything.
I actually don’t like reading novels all that much. I don’t know why, but I get bored easily with fiction. I really enjoy reading non-fiction books but not memoirs unless they are really interesting. Lately I’ve been reading about physics.
9. How do you get ideas for your characters? Describe the process of creating them.
I don’t have any real process for how I first start a character; they are just a collection of doodles and vague ideas. When I start to actually develop them I definitely have a process though. My first action has always been to figure out what their main weaknesses are and how they deal with said flaws. This alone takes a long time but it is invaluable for me. Next I think of how they would act around people. How do they compensate for their weaknesses, what do they like and dislike in other people, etc. Finally, I will throw them a bone and start to figure out their strengths.
For design I don’t really have a process. I do a bunch of fast doodles and figure out their appearance from there.
10. What are some really weird situations your characters have been in? Everything from serious canon scenes to meme questions counts!
What kind of weird are we talking about? Tagobi is raising his ex-girlfriend’s bastard child (Dantrell) who he is not the father of. He makes it very clear to Dantrell that he isn’t his son and he is no father figure. To make up for it Dantrell acts like he’s the toughest greatest thing ever to convince others and himself that he doesn’t need anyone. Yet he clings to anyone that won’t push him away which narrows the list down to Keaton. Keaton is driven by two things: his need for friends and companionship and the paralyzing fear that he is going to let everyone down.
Did I mention that all these people live together in a tiny apartment?
11. Who is your favorite character to write? Least favorite?
This is hard for me. Right now I’m really enjoying writing Nibal. She’s got some problems in her life, but nothing to complain about. It’s just nice to have someone normal with normal anxieties…unlike everyone else.
I actually enjoy writing all of my characters. If there is something I don’t like it’s usually because I think that they just aren’t developed enough.
Least favorite are H and S. They work as “characters” because they are so simple, yet it makes writing them boring. The only thing interesting about them are how the other characters interact with them.
12. In what story did you feel you did the best job of world building?
Point B. I’ve had to build a world, cultures, geography and some technology to make things feel “correct”. I feel kind of lame that I haven’t created that I haven’t made any other major stories set in the same world. It’s by no means a permanent concern though.
13. What’s your favorite culture to write, fictional or not?
I never do this, but I adore Neolithic culture. I don’t have to worry about history but I do need to look forward. For every simple tool that someone uses or develops I need to think about how this could change or lead to the future.
Aside from that I like writing Keaton’s back water culture. He’s a part of the du-cai tribe but since he was way out in the country his family held many of the older du-cai traditions that are very unpopular in the more eclectic city culture. Keaton did not fare well in this culture.
14. How do you map out locations, if needed? Do you have any to show us?
I usually have a rough idea of where things are, but an actual map is always helpful. Here is a very rough map of the Veroldian region.
15. Mid way question! Tell us about a writer you admire, whether professional or not!
This is hard. I admire Tolkien just for how well developed middle earth is, but I do not care too much for reading LOTR. It could have been a much better book had an editor stepped in. Revisions and paraphrasing were needed in the interest in presentation.
Mike Mignola is a pretty awesome dude too. Hellboy and the Amazing Screw on Head are two of my favorite comics. I just love black comedies and to add monsters, vampires, zombies, Nazis, mad scientists and a slew of other awesome things is surely the key to my heart.
16. Do you write romantic relationships? How do you do with those, and how “far” are you willing to go in your writing?
I am a cruel and heartless person: none of my characters have ever had a lasting an meaningful relationship. A few of them carry an absurd amount of baggage from their previous relationships. I am aware of this and I certainly don’t intend for it to stay that way.
And if it makes sense and is appropriate, I don’t care how much sex my characters have. I’m not about to write porn, I think that leaving things to the imagination is a good tool, especially when it comes to sex.
17. Favorite protagonist and why!
Hm, that’s a hard one. I guess Keaton because he is an idiot and a coward, but he eventually puts himself aside and for once in his life steps up and assumes responsibility.
18. Favorite antagonist and why!
Ug, this is really hard. None of my characters perceive themselves as antagonists. Everyone thinks they are in the right and at least tell themselves that they are helping others with their actions.
Closest thing to a villain is class divide…so that?
19. Favorite minor that decided to shove himself into the spotlight and why!
Tagobi. He’s never been a major character yet he’s somehow become one of my favorite characters. He is barely around in Point B but he gets some of the best lines.
20. What are your favorite character interactions to write?
I love awkward people doing awkward things. The best of which are when people are just starting to get to know eachother.
21. Do any of your characters have children? How well do you write them?
A few of them do. I’ve really only written about Dantrell and I think that he’s a pretty well developed character. The other one was abandoned by her father when she was still inside her mom. She harbors some resent for what her father did to her mother, but she doesn’t feel that she needs a father.
Wow…I really like writing child abandonment.
22. How long does it usually take you to complete an entire story-from planning to writing to posting (if you post your work)?
Forever or until someone pries it out of my hands.
23. How willing are you to kill your characters if the plot so demands it? What’s the most interesting way you’ve killed someone?
If the plot demands it then they die. I don’t really think that any of my characters have that interesting of deaths. Most brutal is someone getting beaten to death by guerillas.
24. Do any of your characters have pets? Tell us about them.
Most have had livestock at some point in their life, but pets are not all that common. Closest one to ever have a pet is Nibal. She has some mujur at her parents’ house. Mujur are a breed of primitive bird that has been domesticated. They all have names and Nibal loves to spoil them and show them affection but the day the quit laying eggs those guys are going to be dinner. Nibal still eats their meat but she always has a funeral for them by burying their bones and jiblets. No, this is not normal behavior.
25. Let’s talk art! Do you draw your characters? Do others draw them? Pick one of your OCs and post your favorite picture of him!
Implying I have a favorite.
26. Along similar lines, do appearances play a big role in your stories? Tell us about them, or if not, how you go about designing your characters.
Appearances are a little important. I focus more on how these people want to present themselves. Hair clothes, make up, posture, etc. Tagobi and Keaton are they only two who have a physical deformity that is beyond their control. Keaton’s ears are just a genetic mutation that while rare does not have a stigma against it in modern society. Tagobi has scars and pock marks all over his body from a very deadly disease he contracted as a child. Most people who contract said disease will eventually have a second round of the dormant virus. Consequently, a lot of people see Tagobi as a viral time bomb.
27. Have you ever written a character with physical or mental disabilities? Describe them, and if there’s nothing major to speak of, tell us a few smaller ones.
A few of them have health problems but I wouldn’t say any have a real disability…yet. Dantrell has a condition similar to hemophilia or VWD; his blood has trouble clotting so he bruises easily, gets frequent nose bleeds and small cuts will have prolonged bleeding times. He is medicated, but his treatment does not cure him by any means. As long as he doesn’t severely injure himself he is likely to make it to 60 with a high quality of life. Without the medication he would be luck to make it to 40 and much of his time would be spent in a hospital.
Tagobi has early arthritis and skin problems. It is yet another setback he acquired from surviving that viral disease as a teenager. It is possible that his growth is stunted from it, but being short is better than dead.
28. Final question! Tag someone! And tell us what you like about that person as a writer and/or about one of his/her characters!
I tag everyone who wants to do this and all 4th dimensional being reading this.
Real update tomorrow.