#I'M SWALLOWING BACK THE CRINGE PLEASE BE NICE T.T

[breathofthebloodlily]

28, 35, 40

28. Who is the most delightful character you’ve ever written? Why?

In original stuff, rn what comes to mind is Alnitak, from my tragically half-finished Alien Abduction Romance Novel from back in 2015. They were one of the two love interests, a Generally Positive embodiment of chaos, and generally wonderful to write because of... idk how to describe it other than Their Rhythm. The writing equivalent of how a character moves on screen and how they occupy the space and time that's available. Think of it maybe as the concept of Comedic Timing but expanded to everything.

In fandom, I thought about this a long while and I think my answer isn't a character but a group: whenever I got to write TRY3 (from cardfight vanguard G) interacting, or even referencing each other. Just their dynamic as a unit. It was so good. I think I wrote a lot of my best lines when writing these three.

35. What’s your favorite writing rule to smash into smithereens?

Anything about the anglo saxon obsession with paring sentences down to their bare bones, but also I really don't agree with the whole "never use perception verbs" stuff. Not everything has to feel like you're reading a movie. The use of perception to create shifts in perspective and manipulate the feeling of time is a GREAT tool that, among other things, makes things feel more character-focused than just action-focused, and while we're at it, exposition sentences are also a great tool, not because they in themselves give much info, but because the combination of them with what comes after can do a massive amount of work re: tone, characterisation, worldbuilding, atmosphere, genre-building. A tiny pinch of dissonance can do SO much heavy lifting without having to actually Tell anything about a character's beliefs or personality etc and I really think people sleep on it.

40. Please share a poem with me, I need it.

oh my god I don't read enough poetry for this and I feel like just quoting YES YES the tiger is out might be a little sad (as much as I love it) so uh. PLEASE do not judge this shit that I wrote like 15 years ago.

It has a couple of missing/temporary words in brackets bc I never did finish it.

It is the simmering of nerves

--of K, and Na, and H rushing too fast, too early--

and the tinkling bell of pain runs and is lost, washed

(in the wave)

Hipbones that hum, and a spine who sings,

and my voice need not tremble, my eyes not fall away;

the dull beat of flesh, seething beneath its skin,

hides better in [...] than ever in [denial]

And burn, in alveoles shriveled, and yield to the battering ram

(the air is crisp and sweet in its frost)

of current and unconscious sparks.

Embrace the world, only it can soothe you now

The shiver always races from hair to nape to wrist

and through the throat the air can reach

and grasp and caress where the skin would shrivel

Magma still will run (and for strife I will thirst)

(And tread left and tread right and your hips will glide on the chord of "yet";

it is momentum, and running needs no breath.

And drums will sound the war of haemophilia)

The tendons still will sing.