#< most probable name for my art tag unless i think of sth better

[camulatz]

'tis the scenario i call "i scribbled cat pictures as macaque a bit too hard and then this happened" (ft. his clones from the sets)

[theouterdark]

Tag: 11/11/11 III

Thanks for the tag, @dotr-rose-love. I’ll do my best to answer these questions. I’ll be doing this for The Devil from the Outer Dark.

Rules: Answer 11 questions, write your own 11, tag 11 people.

1. Did you have alternate ideas for a WIP that eventually didn’t make it in the story or were exchanged with a better scene or sth? If yes, tell us one or a few that you left out (could be just a character too, or a name)

Yes, there are always concepts that don’t mesh with the story as I’m putting it together. I have a “Scraps” folder where these ideas go until I either find a place for them, or decide they are extraneous. It’s a way to kill my darlings without getting their blood on my hands.

Some scrapped ideas for The Devil from the Outer Dark:

No bishop, no nun, and no Christian boarding school as mentioned in my outline. Less religious iconography in general.

There’s no particular reason for this, but I think it distracts from what I’m trying to accomplish thematically.

There IS a monastery I wanted to feature in the climax, but it may end up being cut as I go forward.

There’s a smattering of supernatural goings-on based on French folklore that will have to be cut in order to narrow focus onto the ones that best serve the story.

There’s an auction scene in the outline that never made it to the page, and I’m still unsure if I’m going to write it.

The climax will be rewritten, almost certainly. It accomplished what I wanted to emotionally, but it shifts too far into schlock and pulp territory.

2. Do you have a specific audience in mind for your WIP?

I’m operating in an alley at the end of a boulevard in a niche genre. I’m hoping my characters and style help transcend that though. There’s a part of me writing these stories for myself, but at the end of the day, I write with the intent to sell. So yeah, my audience is specific, and on my mind more often than not.

3. Is it important to you that your WIP has a moral or a message?

I don’t particularly enjoy stories that can’t stand on their own without allegorical interpretations, but I have biases, sure. Will they come through? Probably. I have blind-spots. All I want is for my work to resonate true.

4. What kinds of relationships do you like writing the most (romantic, platonic, familial, etc)?

Unrequited and unrealized love are fun to write. I enjoy writing platonic friendships and familial relationships too. I don’t think there are any I don’t like? If there are, I haven’t found them.

5. What kind of research have you done for your WIP? What have you learned?

I did a lot of period research for this book. And a lot regarding both southern France and Céret. I also had to dig deep into art history, particularly that of art restoration. I wasn’t clear on the methods used today, much less in the 1920s for repairing damaged paintings. There are a a lot of clever tricks restorers use. Talented folks.

I think the most anecdotal discovery was regarding the format of the 1928 Tour de France having been changed to the dismay of several participants. Also, some participants doped with strychnine and ether to cope with the pain in their legs.

6. If your WIP became very successful, would you want to make a movie adaptation? Why or why not?

I haven’t given up on my film aspirations, so it would be great to adapt my own work one day, but I don’t think film is the best medium for this work. I could see the Blake Livingston Mysteries being a streaming series, perhaps. But I’m not likely to give the rights away unless I retain some modicum of control over the adaptation. Specifically, all of it, I want all of the control.

7. Did you have any alternate title ideas for your WIP? If so, what are they?

The Devil from the Outer Dark had a few before I settled on the current one:

An Occurrence at Pont du Diable

Night of the Meek

Shadow of the Outer Dark

The Gloaming

8. What has been the hardest part about writing your WIP so far?

Getting people to read it. Honestly, this book was probably the easiest writing experience I ever had. While I did a lot of research and note-taking for about a year before I wrote a single word, I ended up finishing the draft in a single twelve-day streak. If only I could write all my works like this.

But in the spirit of the question, I think portraying an evil you don’t necessarily see is difficult. I didn’t get the ending quite right.

9. Do you prefer writing action or description?

My preferences change moment-to-moment. I enjoy plotting and constructing scenes more than any specific aspect.

10. What do you want your readers to come away with after reading your story?

A desire to buy my next book.

I want them to feel complete, but empty. I want them to want to read more.

It might sound silly, but it’s true.

11. What’s your favorite part about your WIP? What makes you excited to write it?

I love Blake’s arc in this book. I’m honestly just proud of this work as a whole. It’s probably my favorite so far.

Tag List: @writingmyassoff, @erinisawriter, @midnightstreetwanderings, @bethwrotethis, @doux-ciel, @hilunawrites, @ghost-possum, @zmlorenz, @doubleviewfinder, @veronicadent, @els-writes, @dantedevereaux, @tlbodine, @hypotheticalwriterquestions, @hazeywrites, @reeseweston, @withered-rose-unbreakable-lotus, @katabasiss, @dotr-rose-love, and @byjillianmaria. (Let me know if you’d like to be added or removed from tags future tags).

If any of you want to do this, there are some questions for you below. Mostly tagging you all so you can get to know my work a little better. If I didn’t tag you, and you want to answer any of these questions, don’t let anyone stop you.

What is the significance of your WIP’s title?

What is the setting of your WIP, and why did you choose it?

What is the next step for you and your WIP?

How have you changed as a writer in the last year? Where have you improved? Where have you faltered? Where do you intend to go in the year to come?

How do you organize your thoughts when you’re creating something new?

How do you deal with the emotional impact of a book (on yourself) as you are writing the story?

How do you feel about fan-fiction?

Do you wait for your muse to inspire you or forge your own path through discipline?

Which genre are you curious about, but haven’t tried writing yet?

What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?

Do you have a story you’re not ready to tell? Or a book you’re not ready to write?

D