Ten Things ...
... That Make It a SnarkyWench Story.
I saw this going around on the fantasy writers communities a couple of months ago. Several fan fic writers have done it, as well, and since bambu345 said she'd be able to do one for me (since she's my beta) I thought I'd do it and see if my ten things agree with her ten things.
1. First and foremost, there's a happy ending. I am a self-proclaimed purveyor of happy endings. Since I was first introduced to tragedies by way of a seventh grade reading of "Antigone," I've found I prefer the escapist delights of Happily Ever After. Or at the very least, I like my protagonists to have hope for a brighter future.
2. I try to utilize adult characters. I prefer writing about characters who have some life experience under their belts, who've been through some personality-defining moments. If I do end up writing about teenagers, then usually they've been through some such moment already, one that matures them and gives me some depths to plumb.
3. Accuracy in details. I'm almost fanatical about it. If so-and-so dines in a restaurant in DC, you can pretty much assume not only that the restaurant exists where I said it does, but that whatever they've ordered actually appears on the menu. If I'm unable to ascertain specific details, then I do my best to ensure that whatever I create is rooted in information as accurate as I can find. (I heart the internet!)
4. Strong dialogue. I love dialogue. I adore dialogue. Scenes where human interaction carry the story are my favorite scenes to write. Dialogue, both internal and external, is what I consider the backbone of my stories.
5. Humor. Humor goes hand-in-hand with dialogue for me. Being a sarcastic little bitch by nature, I like to pepper my fictional conversations with banter, the livelier the better. I find it highly entertaining (although it can be overdone) and just as revealing a device as a strongly emotional display.
6. Dreams. I like to use dream sequences and fantasies to provide additional emotional details for my characters. It gives the reader an insight into a characer's subconscious thoughts as well as provides me with an opportunity to show the character in a different light. A straight-laced, uptight bookworm can have extremely vivid sexual fantasies that disturb her enough in the light of day to cause her to seek action ... or relief. (At one point, in my little corner of the JAG fandom, another author had dubbed me the Fantasy Queen. **snicker**)
7. First Person POV. Another favorite vehicle of mine ... I'd estimate that at least half of my fics have been written first person. Not everyone likes to read this POV, but I find it attractive because it gives me an opportunity to delve more fully into the main character's mind, to share their unspoken thoughts, to watch the story unfold through their eyes. It's a much more personal POV, one that requires the writer to be intimately familiar with their character and their character's reactions.
8. Detailed physical action. I've been told that reading my stories is like watching a movie; you can "see" the action as I describe it. I take that as a compliment -- that means I'm accurately portraying the scenes as they play out in my head. And they do that -- play out in my head -- long before they ever become words on the page.
9. Detailed setting descriptions. I like to provide sensual descriptions that capture the imagination and transport the reader right into the middle of the setting. Although, just like banter, descriptive language can be overdone. Too much description and you lose your audience to boredom. Those would be the long paragraphs that people skip over in order to get to the dialogue or the action.
10. Oops ... almost forgot the Alliteration. Yes, I admit it ... I'm a compulsive alliterator. Can't help myself. It's like a disease. Ah, the congenial cadence of concurrent commencing characters ... um ... uh ... **blush** ... sorry.
One thing you absolutely never, ever ever will find in one of my fics ... Self-Insertion! (No, I don't mean that! Get your mind out of the gutter!) I mean, I will never, ever insert random authorial comments in the text of the story. And unlike a popular action/adventure author whom I once considered one of my favorites, I will NEVER insert myself into my story as a character, especially under my OWN NAME. Yes, he's well-known and prolifically published, but I've lost all respect for him as he's used himself as a character in his last several books, each successive book providing him with a bigger and bigger role. I find it hugely egotistical, obnoxiously ostentatious ... and it really lifts me out of an otherwise entertaining story.
Well, there you go, bambu345 ... did I get them all?
I saw this going around on the fantasy writers communities a couple of months ago. Several fan fic writers have done it, as well, and since bambu345 said she'd be able to do one for me (since she's my beta) I thought I'd do it and see if my ten things agree with her ten things.
1. First and foremost, there's a happy ending. I am a self-proclaimed purveyor of happy endings. Since I was first introduced to tragedies by way of a seventh grade reading of "Antigone," I've found I prefer the escapist delights of Happily Ever After. Or at the very least, I like my protagonists to have hope for a brighter future.
2. I try to utilize adult characters. I prefer writing about characters who have some life experience under their belts, who've been through some personality-defining moments. If I do end up writing about teenagers, then usually they've been through some such moment already, one that matures them and gives me some depths to plumb.
3. Accuracy in details. I'm almost fanatical about it. If so-and-so dines in a restaurant in DC, you can pretty much assume not only that the restaurant exists where I said it does, but that whatever they've ordered actually appears on the menu. If I'm unable to ascertain specific details, then I do my best to ensure that whatever I create is rooted in information as accurate as I can find. (I heart the internet!)
4. Strong dialogue. I love dialogue. I adore dialogue. Scenes where human interaction carry the story are my favorite scenes to write. Dialogue, both internal and external, is what I consider the backbone of my stories.
5. Humor. Humor goes hand-in-hand with dialogue for me. Being a sarcastic little bitch by nature, I like to pepper my fictional conversations with banter, the livelier the better. I find it highly entertaining (although it can be overdone) and just as revealing a device as a strongly emotional display.
6. Dreams. I like to use dream sequences and fantasies to provide additional emotional details for my characters. It gives the reader an insight into a characer's subconscious thoughts as well as provides me with an opportunity to show the character in a different light. A straight-laced, uptight bookworm can have extremely vivid sexual fantasies that disturb her enough in the light of day to cause her to seek action ... or relief. (At one point, in my little corner of the JAG fandom, another author had dubbed me the Fantasy Queen. **snicker**)
7. First Person POV. Another favorite vehicle of mine ... I'd estimate that at least half of my fics have been written first person. Not everyone likes to read this POV, but I find it attractive because it gives me an opportunity to delve more fully into the main character's mind, to share their unspoken thoughts, to watch the story unfold through their eyes. It's a much more personal POV, one that requires the writer to be intimately familiar with their character and their character's reactions.
8. Detailed physical action. I've been told that reading my stories is like watching a movie; you can "see" the action as I describe it. I take that as a compliment -- that means I'm accurately portraying the scenes as they play out in my head. And they do that -- play out in my head -- long before they ever become words on the page.
9. Detailed setting descriptions. I like to provide sensual descriptions that capture the imagination and transport the reader right into the middle of the setting. Although, just like banter, descriptive language can be overdone. Too much description and you lose your audience to boredom. Those would be the long paragraphs that people skip over in order to get to the dialogue or the action.
10. Oops ... almost forgot the Alliteration. Yes, I admit it ... I'm a compulsive alliterator. Can't help myself. It's like a disease. Ah, the congenial cadence of concurrent commencing characters ... um ... uh ... **blush** ... sorry.
One thing you absolutely never, ever ever will find in one of my fics ... Self-Insertion! (No, I don't mean that! Get your mind out of the gutter!) I mean, I will never, ever insert random authorial comments in the text of the story. And unlike a popular action/adventure author whom I once considered one of my favorites, I will NEVER insert myself into my story as a character, especially under my OWN NAME. Yes, he's well-known and prolifically published, but I've lost all respect for him as he's used himself as a character in his last several books, each successive book providing him with a bigger and bigger role. I find it hugely egotistical, obnoxiously ostentatious ... and it really lifts me out of an otherwise entertaining story.
Well, there you go, bambu345 ... did I get them all?