#WritersCoffeeClub 5: What's a trait of other written works you admire, but don't seek to incorporate in your own works?
I guess probably voice is the best answer? I'm always trying to improve my work, but I'm always trying to be *me*. There are writers with incredible voice and style that I have no desire to emulate, because that's them and this is me.
#WritersCoffeeClub 3: What signature marks your work as definitively and effectively yours?
There is probably shapeshifting or something shapeshifting-adjacent in the work, and/or a water world or underwater sequence.
This is not intentional, but I can't un-notice it.
The real answer is: my voice. That's all any of us can say truly makes our work original. The one who wrote it.
#WritersCoffeeClub 4: How much detail do you use to describe your settings?
Middling, I guess? I'm not a minimalist and I'm not a maximalist. I spend more space describing particularly cosy, fantastic, or dramatic settings, but I love a succinct description, too.
On a first draft, I under-write. Not enough description is part of that. I bulk it out a bit during edits. I want to make sure the reader has a good sense of place and feels grounded in the setting.
#WritersCoffeeClub 5: What's a trait of other written works you admire, but don't seek to incorporate in your own works?
I guess probably voice is the best answer? I'm always trying to improve my work, but I'm always trying to be *me*. There are writers with incredible voice and style that I have no desire to emulate, because that's them and this is me.
#WritersCoffeeClub 8: How imperfect is your pacing? Do you consider imperfection a sign of your humanity?
No pacing is perfect. Perfect in creative works is subjective. Some readers prefer a generally slower pace and to dwell in the moment. Other readers prefer to always be running to the next exciting thing. All readers prefer a mix of the two.
I'm pretty happy with my pacing.
Alas, imperfection isn't actually a sign of humanity--as we've seen, LLMs are pretty fucking imperfect.
#WritersCoffeeClub 9: Do you subscribe to ‘show, don’t tell’? Why, or why not?
'Show, don't tell' is advice for early writers, because most early writers start by listing events/actions in order. That advice is very useful if you haven't yet learned to zoom in.
For anyone past that stage, I don't consider it that useful. You need a mix of both, and the right balance of that mix will vary between scenes, stories, and writers.
