1. If your cast of characters were a music band, who would play which instrument? Introduce them as they come on stage!
Here comes Bella, lead guitarist, flying off into other worlds with her solos.
Alder: vocals and bass, he grounds the whole thing.
Calanthe dances around with her flute, Ian Anderson style.
Rosie is on the drums. She's got the rhythm!
Guest star: Pepper Whitecrane with his lute .
1 What do you want to work on this month?
I won't even mention these crochet slippers that lie there and stare at me, whispering, 'finish me!'
I hope to get my motivation back, and to get back to editing part 1 of my fantasy story.
Chatting with some of you here gave me a good kick and I hope to get going again.
658. When asked about SCs, do you write about your side or supporting characters, or both?
Both. I don't really think about them that way outside of the prompts, their importance varies throughout the story. Some become as important as the MC, some less so... I usually pick out the ones that fit the prompt. I don't know all of them as well as I know the MC.
30. How and when does your material make use of alliteration?
Seldom, and not by design.
30. How did it go? Were you able to work on the things you wanted to?
No. I already whined yesterday about my lack of motivation. Didn't edit. And the slippers? I tried different materials for the soles and found that most of them were unpleasant to walk on. I've now chosen a strong cotton yarn but didn't make the soles yet because: lack of motivation. On the plus side, the weeds in the garden are thriving, and the forget-me-nots are in full bloom.
657. Continuing with last night’s questioning, tell us if your SC is one to be forgiving as well
Calanthe - I'm not sure. She didn't have a 'life of her own' in the story yet, only as a tutor for the MC, and in that job, she is loving and forgiving.
Rosie the groom - oh dear, she does know how to hold a grudge, as Bella, the MC, soon finds out.
29. What’s your best-selling or most popular story?
I don't sell.
Most popular in terms of reader comments were my fanfic stories, but they had their niche with readers who knew and loved that niche.
Most popular flashfic was this one from 2018 (formatting isn't nice)
https://ghlearner.wordpress.com/2018/09/05/death-by-chocolate-friday-fictioneers-flash-fiction/
29. What is your proudest or best moment with your creative endeavor this month?
I'm currently sitting in a deep hole of self doubt and lack of motivation. I'd have nothing creative to be proud of this month if it wasn't for #ScribesAndMakers. Helping with the game and interacting with you all gave me the best moments this month.
656. How forgiving is your MC?
Very. Bella isn't treated well by her mother but forgives her, at least in the beginning. I don't know what happens later yet.
She is deceived by some people and forgives them.
She is betrayed by a friend and forgives her. She can be angry and hold a grudge, but never for very long.
28. Do you pick the story, or does the story pick you?
The story always picks me. Sitting down, "I want to write something now," never works for me. An idea flutters by, and when I can catch it, I write.
28. Do you blog or journal about your work?
I don't journal, I tried many times but always stopped after a few days. I'm just too lazy for that kind of routine.
I have a blog where I post my flashfic stories. If I ever finish one of my longer stuff, I'll post it there as well. The process of writing - I talk about it here, mainly through participating in the writerly hashtag games.
655. What’s the most unusual source of inspiration you’ve found?
Inspiration hits me from the oddest sources, I couldn't really tell. My latest flash fic for the Friday Fictioneers over at my blog came from a documentary about Axolotls I watched last week. I looked at these cute little salamanders with their feathery gills, and there it was, a tiny SF story. This happens often, not all of it makes it on the page though.
654 — How would your SC introduce themselves?
One of them:
"I'm Pepper Whitecrane, at your command. I'm a minstrell, well known in all Firand, often received in noble houses. I'd be delighted to perform for you."
For most it'd depend to whom they would introduce themselves, and why.
26. Does your MC have good or back luck?
Neither. Sometimes things work out in her favour, and sometimes they don't. She's not a gambler, she doesn't think much about luck in terms of some intervention of fates or the Worldmother, more in terms of being successful, and that, in her view, depends very much on skill and cleverness.
26. Do you engage offline with other creatives? What did you/would you do if social media didn't exist?
Before the WWW became a thing I didn't engage with other creatives, and wasn't very creative myself. As a child and youth my friend was an artist, she later studied arts but at some time stopped creating. We would often sit and draw the same thing, then compare. If social media suddenly disappeared, I'd try to keep in touch with people per snail mail.
25. **World Penguin Day!** How have ‘the classics’ influenced your work?
This day highlights penguins and their struggle for survival, just like that of many other species, like monarch butterflies, giraffes, whales, great apes, asian elephants, forests all over the world and many more that are on the brink of extinction because of climate change and human greed.
They are all classics of our world.
These classics influence my writing greatly.
https://www.trvst.world/biodiversity/world-penguin-day/
653. MC POV: Your best friend comes over at 3 am to go on an adventure. Where are you (both) going?
This is entirely fictional. If we lived where I would have liked to live, we'd throw a canoe into the next lake and just paddle, watch the beavers and the herons, the pelicans and the moose, the loonies and the squirrels, and the sunrise.
25. How long does it typically take you to draft a novel?
One month for the first rough draft, usually in November (#WritingMonth) or, in the past, also April, when that other site was still a thing. After that month, forever, because the draft is so rough that it neds so many changes that I lose confidence in the story.
25. Do you have any indie marketing strategies that work well? Please share if you're willing.
No, but I'm looking forward to all your answers. 😀
24. Would your MC rather lose their sight or hearing?
She rather would lose neither. This is a tricky question in so many ways. Do I want to write a MC who loses their sight or hearing? Do I know how to write such an MC, myself having both senses mostly intact? I don't think so, not without sensitivity readers and a deep dive into the MC's society's attitude towards disabled people. I do touch on the subject because: war, but don't make it the focus of my story and MC.
