#i wrote the rough draft of this first in my handwritten journal

[kinfeelings]

STREAM-OF-CONSCIOUSNESS "ESSAY" ABOUT MY KINTYPE + A LITTLE BIT MORE.

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I used to label myself a Felidae cladotherian, but it just wasn't enough. At the moment, "polymorphic shape-changer" feels far closer to the truth. It may even actually be the truth. I pulled the term out of my ass like a week ago, frankly, but after some discussion with others within the OtherConnect Discord server, I've found a way to define it that is basically perfect, in my opinion. Read my Pinned post on this side-blog if you want the definition as I see it.

I am the sole individual who utilizes this label, so far. It's probably gonna be that way for a very long while. Maybe one day that'll change and I can create a designated Discord server for the lot of us, who knows. I'm no good at designing flags or whatnot, but perhaps I can commission someone to make some stuff for me like that eventually.

I feel very close with the idea of werecats, AKA ailuranthropes. (Like how werewolves can be referred to as lycanthropes.) I dunno when precisely or why this feline fixation of mine ignited; loving cats is a big part of my earliest memories. I tend to simply shrug and claim that I was born enamored with these creatures. It's hardwired into my brain, my DNA, my soul. I am an example of metaphysical feline software running on flesh-and-blood physical human hardware. For as long as I can look back, I've felt like I should be one of them, that they were my kith and kin -- no irony intended -- and that I should have at least one around me in my personal living space at all times.

However, when I was little, rarely did any cat like me or even tolerate me in return. I was too loud, too obnoxious and rudely grabby. The numerous scratches I rightfully received from all those cats never, ever deterred me at all. Sure, it made me heartbroken at the time, but I'd bounce back soon enough. Now that I'm older, calmer, more self-aware and respectful of cats in general, they usually allow me into their proximity for affection, if they're the type of kitty to want it.

Moving on to my teen years, I was but a fledgling, insecure and depressed alterhuman, with no clue what my true identity was yet. I tried identifying as many things, fictotypes, theriotypes...all brief, including my tenure as Bluefur/-star from Warrior Cats. Didn't work out with her in specific, but something in me spoke that I was on the right track by looking into her, if only because of the felinity. I mislabeled myself many, many times as I aged throughout my youth, my journey of growth. Self-discovery was eager to smack me in the face every once in awhile. Lots of embarrassment for me as I continued to mislabel myself over and over, with lots of encouragement and peptalks from my online, fellow alterhuman friends to not give up.

Now, I am cognizant of myself being both a cat person and a literal cat-person. The latter is what my base/default form resembles at basically all times, thinking about it. It took some serious questioning from my previously mentioned online buddies to help me uncover what I was probably critically overthinking. I have a sense that my base/default form is going to gain yet more defining physically traits as time goes on and I dig up these things like a work-weary archaeologist. The exact details of my own appearance frequently change: coloration, eye color, and markings as well as fur length and texture. One day they may just stabilize with finality, and I can feel like I can drop the "polymorphic shape-changer" name and substitute it with just "shape-shifter/-changer" for certain, forevermore.

Not that that's something I particularly dearly wish for. I can remain a polymorphic shape-changer for the rest of my days if need be. Whatever happens will happen.

Anyway, I can clearly see now that I've always had some degree and measure of felinity within me. It's integral to me on the inside. All my other forms I take are secondary in comparison, not lesser but also not as "big." My felinity is the most spiritual part of my identity, alongside what I do as a seemingly "average human being" out in the big wide world. Human isn't how I identify, but yeah, it's nowhere near all-bad. I like it at times. Doesn't change that my felinity means more to me than it.

I have a fiction novel planned that features werecats as the main characters. It's urban fantasy + magic realism. Untitled right now, slowly being built and penned. The first draft isn't even completed yet...or started. I have a long notes Word document about it though. I realize now that I subconsciously and heavily based amd modeled the werecats in the tale after my own base/default form. One day, I'll publish it and then excitedly scour the online alterhuman community to check if anybody else identifies as the type of werecat in my book. Honestly, I'll welcome anyone who identifies as any of my OCs!! I'd adore that, or even as a noncanon member of the species. The second thing I look forward to most are the fanfictions and fanarts folks will surely make of my media. There might even be a film or TV adaptation of it...but I'm getting way overly ahead of myself by daydreaming so much.

On the note of artwork, I viscerally hate it when artists put the warning "do not tag as ID or me" under their pieces. Like, so sorry your art was so amazing that it resonated with me on a deeply personal, important level. Jerk. I know certain artists do it because the art is of their own alterhuman memories or noemata and the like, but normal human creators? What excuses do you have? Why do you care so badly? ...In the end, unfortunately, I cannot dictate how any other artist wants their works to be seen or used. Sigh. But I can definitely whine and bitch about it -- as evidenced.

[joshwylie]

Why I Call Myself Wylie

Prologue:

I'm going to write a book. No, I AM writing a book, I'm going to do it here. With all of you watching and inexorably judging. I've made a decision. Don't much like discussing decisions like this, but announcing the decision is how the story begins because we're all just fuckin' wingin' it here anyhow...

Was first inspired at 12 years of age to do this after reading my first adult novel, Stephen King's "Misery".  Which btw (and there will likely be a lot of those to come, fair warning) was a movie I was elated to see become a reality and that's when I fell in love with Kathy Bates and good acting for that matter. But I digress...I got praise from a young age for my language skills, and was a particularly adept speller, which I was proud of.  Growing up with more of a punishment system that included a myriad of traumas, any reward for me meant that I cherished this praise and it being something that came naturally to me made it especially meaningful. The title of this mini-novel (300 pages or so in a small sized journal-about 2/3s the size of a standard piece of paper) was "Flesh and Blood". Beyond dramatic, I was hyperbolic from the get-go. It was a story of a girl who finds out she was adopted and then to deepen the mystery she uncovers that she was actually bought by her parents and stolen from her biological  mother and father. Thinking of it now, writing a child trafficking novel at age 12 is pretty wild, which will be a recurring theme as we go, shit gets wild.

My book begins now. I mean, why not right here right now? Nothing is stopping me except for my self.

There was a sequel btw. At the ripe old age of a decade and a half I wrote on standard sized paper this time for a more professional approach and got nearly finished. Around 300 handwritten pages, getting close to proper novel size at this point. Then I hit a wall. Writer's block. It was what I understand now to be called c"imposter's syndrome". A sophomore high school, no longer a virgin but fully awkward and weird I was lacking any semblance of self-confidence. Plus, there were all of these beautifully, poetically written books I was being exposed to that were now called "literature". Being strangely pragmatic, and pragmatic yet in strange ways, I found myself rather than being inspired by this feeling profoundly incapable, impotent. There was no way I'd ever be a "great", hell, there was no way in my mind at that point I'd even become a "real" writer. Not with my overuse of the word "I" and my overuse of quotations and general lack of respect for grammar. Not being this odd and all. And awkward, I mentioned awkward right? Cause that's another recurring theme you'll find as we go forward. Shit gets awkward. That is, if we go forward. We're all going forward whether we like it or not, really, kicking and screaming if necessary. Do we not?

-Oh, and it's an autobiography, and I have zero plans for structure or timelines. This could considered an artistic exercise or a "rough draft" if you will. I don't know if it will even be fit to publish and I don't even care. Maybe it's not destiny to be a legend of the written word for this fella, maybe I am not a talented enough writer to write a "good" book, but there is one book only I can write. Mine.

So there we have it then. A beginning again. Again. Don't know what I'm doing, but then again who really does deep down inside? Hope you'll continue alongside this adventure anyhow, my friends. Stay Bright and Shining!

[thumper-darling]

all the writer asks? and can you use your current story for the blank ones?

1. Favorite place to write.

My most productive nights writing were spent in hotel rooms with cheap black coffee and terrible lighting. It sets a very motivating vibe. 

2. Favorite part of writing.

Creating and developing characters. Character arcs?? are ?? my favorite??

3. Least favorite part of writing.

writing ™ 

4. Do you have writing habits or rituals?

Yeah, procrastinating for months. :’)

5. Books or authors that influenced your style the most.

Patrick Ness and Stephen Chbosky are pretty big idols of mine

6. Favorite character you ever created.

Cadence, she’s my hero 

7. Favorite author.

Rainbow Rowell or Patrick Ness

8. Favorite trope to write.

Coming of Age Angst ™ and realistic development for the main character

9. Least favorite trope to write.

Love triangles or over-dramatic and non-realistic romantic interests. 

10. Pick a writer to co-write a book with and tell us what you’d write about.

I’d love to work with Chbosky and write a spin-off of Perks of Being a Wallflower, or like a potential sequel? That would make my actual dreams come true. 

11. Describe your writing process from scratch to finish.

In the beginning, I print off a million character questionnaires and fill out every detail about my main characters. It’s funny, because my characters always come first, and the story soon follows. After I know my characters inside and out, I think in their mindset for days and write down notes about things I for sure want to include in my story whether it be a plot twist or just a small piece of dialogue. Once I find the character’s voice, I feel ready to start writing the story.

12. How do you deal with self-doubts?

I’m still not great with this, because I have a LOT of self-doubt, but I know that writing is what I want to pursue. I just remember that I have talent and I shouldn’t worry about the first draft because the first draft is almost always awful.

13. How do you deal with writers block?

I read. A lot. Reading helps spark ideas and un-stick my story.

14. What’s the most research you ever put into a book?

OH MY GOD. I would look at maps and historic timelines. I filled nearly 4-5 pages of a journal just with a timeline of events and it was lit. 

15. Where does your inspiration come from?

Literally anything. That bench on the corner? INSPIRED. Pulling out of a driveway? INSPIRED. That sandwich looks tasty. INSPIRED. No, but in all seriousness I just observe my surroundings at all times and in an average day I can pull an idea out of something. 

16. Where do you take your motivation from?

I just think of my future and what impact/ message I’d like to leave behind to anybody who reads my writing. 

17. On avarage, how much writing do you get done in a day?

None. Writing isn’t something I can do everyday. Some days I’m more inspired and motivated than others. If I try writing when I don’t have the energy, it turns out forced and choppy. I let the motivation come to me.

18. What’s your revision or rewriting process like?

I typically like to wait a week or two before re-reading and editing, that way I can have space from my writing. I do it gradually through out the story so I can draw potential ideas from what I have so far. 

19. First line of a WIP you’re working on.

Version 1: “The shop had been empty for a little over an hour, and Charlotte was beginning to grow restless.”

Version 2: “Charlotte had a look of determination set in the furrow of her eyebrows and curiosity in the gleam of her eyes.”

20. Post a snippet of a WIP you’re working on.

“Whenever Jordyn spoke, it was reminiscent of watching an old southern film. Her slight, hidden drawl was nothing less than soothing. Charlotte sometimes liked to picture her with obnoxiously tight ringlet curls and big, poofy southern belle dresses with frilly ribbons and lace. The thought brought a subtle snort from Charlotte.”

21. Post the last sentence you wrote in one of your WIP’s.

Version 1: “He just followed his feet, and they lead him to her.”

Version 2: “His only response was a smirk before he opened the door to the back alley.”

22. How many drafts do you need until you’re satisfied and a project is ultimately done for you?

At least a million

23. Single or multi POV, and why?

Single, I feel like it leaves for more mystery. That way the reader can interpret different POV’s for themselves. 

24. Poetry or prose, and why?

Prose, rhyming isn’t my forte 

25. Linear or non-linear, and why?

Depends on the story I’m trying to tell. Sometimes one way has more impact than another. 

26. Standalone or series, and why?

Standalones are beautiful for some stories, but others simply must be more than just one book long. Some stories exceed one book.  

27. Do you share rough drafts or do you wait until it’s all polished? 

I share drafts with people I trust to edit or give me feedback. 

28. And who do you share them with?

My friends that love stories. 

29. Who do you write for?

Mainly for myself, but also for anybody that needs to hear the message my story can offer them. 

30. Favorite line you’ve ever written.

“So, as a sign of letting go, I introduced my lips to his cheek and the sound of my skin meeting his was a melody playing a sweet goodbye.”

“Kissing him was like kissing air or water, it was so sweet and slow that it was a natural instinct to flow with it. However, kissing her was like fire because it was warm, inviting, and compelling, but had all the potential to burn him. Their love was like melting into each other, neither would make it out alive.”

31. Hardest character to write.

Side characters or the main character’s family. Because those characters are always important and meaningful, but I don’t want to write them only as a means of helping the main character. I hate flat characters and everybody deserves to have a story, you know?

32. Easiest character to write.

The sidekick ™ 

The one who always knows just what to say and how to say it. 

33. Do you listen to music when you’re writing?

Only for specific scenes that music could really inspire me for. Like if I’m writing a sad scene and I’m not really in that head space, I listen to depressing ass music so I can understand the scene better. 

34. Handwritten notes or typed notes?

Both. Here, have some of my notes.

Just some random dialogue drabbles:

 “So, can I find you here often?” “Jamie…I work here.” “Oh, yeah, right. Of course.”

“There’s nothing beautiful nor poetic about being an asshole, Jenny. Calm down.”

“Listen, you’ll always be a jalapeno bagel and strawberry cream cheese to me, but I sort of feel like I should know your name by now.” 

“Emma, have you ever been in love?” “I might have been. Then again, girls are easy to love, I’m pretty sure Jamie is a different story. If you want my advice Charlotte, date a girl.” 

35. Tell some backstory details about one of your characters in your story ________.

The main character is named Charlotte Caroline Tillman. She’s named after the city and state(ish) that her parents met in. She has an older brother named Chance and a calico cat named Sally Mae. Charlotte goes to an Arts Magnet High School and she has a troubled history with her father, and a lot of the story is about her accepting things she cannot change. Her best friend, Emma, is v gay and v hot. 

36. A spoiler for story _________.

Charlotte ends up leaving town and everyone she loves. All that’s left behind is a note and a phone number. She leaves her life behind. No closure and no goodbyes. She’s kind of a dick. 

37. Most inspirational quote you’ve ever read or heard that’s still important to you.

“That’s where you’re wrong. Everybody has a story, and every one is worth being told.” 

38. Have you shared your outline of your story ________ with someone? If so, what did they think of it?

Lol no, my outline isn’t even finished homeboy

39. Do you base your characters of real people or not? If so, tell us about one.

I usually base my side characters off of people I know or have met, even if only for a brief moment. For example, today at work I saw somebody and instantly knew that I needed her in my story. She is now the inspiration for my character Jenny. 

40. Original Fiction or Fanfiction, and why?

Both are equally fun and important. Fanfiction is an amazing starting point for beginners, and it helps them write. However, original fiction is so raw and new that it could inspire future writers. 

41. How many stories do you work on at one time?

Typically just one, but I always have other stories in the back of my head. I like to focus on one at a time though, that way I can keep characters and plot points straight. 

42. How do you figure out your characters looks, personality, etc.

Well, like I’ve said, my characters come first. So based on whatever kind of story I want to tell, my character has to portray that. So I pick and choose different tropes and arc ideas that could impact the story even further. 

43. Are you an avid reader?

I heckin’ try to be. Sadly, I don’t always get into stories easily. 

44. Best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.

I had an English teacher write a note on one of my writing pieces telling me that she knew I had talent and every teacher has one student where they think “That one…that one’s gonna be the one who makes it” I was that student for her. Oh, and my composition professor had my class read some of our writing pieces, and he told the next semester’s class about my writing. The next time I had him in class, he handed me a form for a writing contest. 

45. Worst piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.

I honestly probably blocked it out. Idk, probably that I use too many commas? Or that one of my chapters was written in a passive voice. 

46. What would your story _______ look like as a tv show or movie? 

OH MAN! It would be great and I feel like a lot of the stories I write would be 100 times better on the big screen. 

47. Do you start with characters or plot when working on a new story?

Characters. 

48. Favorite genre to write in.

Contemporary or science fiction

49. What do you find the hardest to write in a story, the beginning, the middle or the end?

The middle

50. Weirdest story idea you’ve ever had.

A coven of teenage witches that were randomly selected to be given magic. Some of them became corrupt with power, and the others found good use for them. 

51. Describe the aesthetic of your story _______ in 5 sentences or words.

Self love, friendship, denial, heavy, heartbreaking 

52. How did writing change you?

It opened my mind to endless ideas and helped me grow. I often didn’t know what I was feeling until I wrote about it. 

53. What does writing mean to you?

It means creating a million versions of yourself and turning it into a lesson or inspiration for other. 

54. Any writing advice you want to share?

Don’t stop. There are so many things you have to tell the world, so tell them. 

[prideandpen]

Expanding Pride and Pen

So, as I’ve mentioned a couple times, I have plans to expand Pride and Pen (but don’t worry, I’m not leaving tumblr!). I’m making small steps in the direction of expanding Pride and Pen all the time. I’m not ready to tell you what the tagline is going to be yet (there may be some kinks to work out - but I am excited to share that info later!) but I did want to share a little bit of my progress with you. I’ve mentioned that the expansion of Pride and Pen is going to be in the form of creating a non-tumblr blog focused on being a writing advice blog from the perspective of a writer who is also struggling. The blog will be tilted towards the emotional side of writing and creativity and many post topics will have a lean towards mental health issues and social issues as well as how they affect writing (and sometimes creativity in general).

I have two pages so far (back and front) of ideas for posts I would like to write, topics I want to address. My goal is to build this expansion of Pride and Pen up as a place of positivity and curiosity without shying away from the realities of being a struggling writer, to put myself in a place of open communication with any readers and any patreons that I’m fortunate enough to attract to it. And today I’m starting something exciting. I’m writing out the rough draft of what I expect will be my first post for the blog once I reach a point to get it up and running. And I’m doing it by hand too. (which is doubly exciting because aside from journaling I haven’t hand written much at all for ages until I started this project)

A few weeks ago I wrote what is - for lack of a better explanation - a mission statement for the expansion blog, as well as an “About the Writer bio”, and a “Deanna’s other Writing” page which will all find a home somewhere on the new blog. All handwritten rough drafts. Progress is being made bit by bit. This process is still in the early stages of preparation, but I am really genuinely excited for it, and I really hope you’ll be interested too. I hope one day I can get the expansion of Pride and Pen well enough funded to maybe even commission guest posts from some of you. But we’re probably still a long way out from that point. For now I’m excited just to start and share my progress and this journey with you.

[mistye-dawne]

actually you know what? 1-54 lmao. (or just whatever ones you want to answer.)

This took way too long cause my niece has been a wiggleworm all morning and I’m up and down chasing her ever 5 mins lol.

1. Favorite place to write.There is a park about an hour away from me that I go to, if able, when I’ve got writer’s block. I’ll walk about a mile into the forest and sit by a creek that runs into the river. It’s a trip but is worth the effort when I just really need an isolated place to think.

2. Favorite part of writing.Character creation. Even in fanfiction, I always change up the background/personalities a little to add my own touch and present them in a new light. I also love learning and researching so I’ll just look up random things and see if I can’t design something or someone around an idea or belief.

3. Least favorite part of writing.Editing… moving on. I guess I should say editing my own work. Sometimes because I wasn’t the happiest with how a chapter turned out and sometimes because I really don’t feel like re-reading what I just wrote 3 times over only to read it again later and still find typos and parts that just don’t flow quite right.

4. Do you have writing habits or rituals?I have to be listening to something. Music, tv, the ambiance of a coffeeshop, etc. Unless I’m at my favorite place I can’t write in silence, but even there it isn’t quiet.

5. Books or authors that influenced your style the most.Toni Morrison morrison is the first name that pops into my head just because I re-read at least one of her books each month.

6. Favorite character you ever created.Childlike Evergreen for an idea that I’ve been playing with. She’s so cute and nothing like her character as an adult lol

7. Favorite author.Kristen Cashore, author of the Graceling series.

8. Favorite trope to write.

9. Least favorite trope to write.

10. Pick a writer to co-write a book with and tell us what you’d write about. 11. Describe your writing process from scratch to finish.1. Take pen and paper. Write everything that come to mind then end up trashing more than half of it.2. Write nothing but dialogue to go with everything written in step one.3. Combine both into a word document.4. Edit and make look pretty for others to enjoy.

That’s actually how I do it. I will plot out and idea with rough imcomplete details. If something need dialogue to get it moving a have a seperate journal that I write nothing but raw dialogue in. I color code everything so that it’s easy to reference back to and see what goes with what. Then I literally just splice the two parts together including every possible word before editing and cutting most of it out.

12. How do you deal with self-doubts? I’ll go through some of my older pieces that I’ve never published/shared and compare it to my current work. Idk, seeing how far i’ve improved always give me a boost in confidence.

13. How do you deal with writers block?First, I walk away from a project because trying to force something out can ruin a piece and just spend a little time each day writing something, anything, just so that I’m always keeping up with my practice. I’ll also read a bit more and get out of the house more often cause my writer’s block stems from cabin fever most of the time.

14. What’s the most research you ever put into a book?With my current piece that I’m writing. I took the idea of herbal medicine and looked up different plants what were used as medicines/ healing aids. Example: Belladonna, deadly nightshade, tincture was used to help aleviate thing like motionsickness, nausea, and even menstrual cramps. I thought it was interesting and since I was writng about dragon slayers and their perpetual uneasiness with transportaion, added into the story. In general though I always do a fair amount of research because I’ve not experienced all there is in the world and want to be able to make a connection with readers by presenting believable and accurate ideas.

15. Where does your inspiration come from?I’ve always felt more comfortable expressing myself through the written word and grew to love books and storytelling when I was little.

16. Where do you take your motivation from?Same as question 15?

17. On avarage, how much writing do you get done in a day?If I’m doing computer work, anywhere from 1500 to 2000 words. I could easily do more if I let myself, and I sometimes do, but I always walk away from it at some point during the day so as to not overexhert my hands since they already hurt my after a while of handwriting or typing.

18. What’s your revision or rewriting process like?For revisions, I can just cut and add in the document. If i doing a rewrite I will create a new document and write it side by side. I feel like i make more changes that way which is the point of rewrites.

19. First line of a WIP you’re working on.He wiped the sweat from his brow as he came upon her silhouetted form on the forest floor.

20. Post a snippet of a WIP you’re working on.“What is you plan to accomplish with this stupid ritual?”

“Oh, I don’ even know it’ll work. I just read about it thought maybe I’d give it a go if the opportunity presented itself. Your cerlestial mage appearing was just that.”

21. Post the last sentence you wrote in one of your WIP’s.Lucy had been so caught up in herself that she failed to asking how Bickslow was holding up. 22. How many drafts do you need until you’re satisfied and a project is ultimately done for you?Nothing is ultimately ever done for me. that’s propably why I’m still sitting on a collection of shortstories that I’d like to get published but haven’t yet.

23. Single or multi POV, and why?No preference. Both come fairly easy to me but I think that if done well, single POV provides the most entertainment.

24. Poetry or prose, and why?Prose. I’ve taken poetry classes and had to read said poetry in front of 100+ people in college. I still cringe when I tell that story…

25. Linear or non-linear, and why?

26. Standalone or series, and why?Standalone. I just can’t imagine writing multiple multichapter things centered around the same idea. Idk

27. Do you share rough drafts or do you wait until it’s all polished? 28. And who do you share them with?Rough drafts are for my eyes only. Occasionally a beta when I find the need but that’s rare.

29. Who do you write for?For the sole purpose of manipulating the emotions of readers. Basically, I like to write trash that’ll make people cry when it suits me. Nah, I write because my head is full of all sorts of ideas and I just have to get them on paper so to speak. Sharing my creative writing is something new for me but so far, I’m not regretting that choice.

30. Favorite line you’ve ever written.You showed me the world, then left.

31. Hardest character to write.Gray… never was a favorite of mine so I just can’t connect with him.

32. Easiest character to write.Lucy

33. Do you listen to music when you’re writing?Most of the time.

34. Handwritten notes or typed notes?Handwritten. I waste a lot of paper and wish that I didn’t but it’s just most comfortable for me to handwrite the roughest form then expand the ideas on the computer.

35. Tell some backstory details about one of your characters in your story ________.

36. A spoiler for story _________.

37. Most inspirational quote you’ve ever read or heard that’s still important to you.You aren’t the man who will make or break me. I have learned those men do not exist… I do not need you in my life. But I really, really want you in it

38. Have you shared your outline of your story ________ with someone? If so, what did they think of it?Meh, I’ll talk to my brother about ideas sometimes. He’s not a writer but he’s a good listener and is one of the few people that actually seem to enjoy it when I talk about writing with him.

39. Do you base your characters of real people or not? If so, tell us about one.I do and my favorite one is based off of my best friend from college. This girl and I met a week before classes began and she really like how my name was spelled. We hit it off from there. I’ve actually written a story based off of that first interaction between us. She’s a family woman and has such a passion for teaching english. She’s got an attitude and does what she wants, but she was the mom friend that i needed because I usually play mom for my other friends lol

40. Original Fiction or Fanfiction, and why?Both. All of my original works are based off of real stories from real people that I know. My fanfiction is where my creativity shines though especially when working with a universe like Fairy Tail.

41. How many stories do you work on at one time?However many that suits me. My exception to this rule is only 1 multichapter fic at a time due to how much time and research I invest into the piece. I’m also far more critical about editing chapter versus oneshots.

42. How do you figure out your characters looks, personality, etc.

43. Are you an avid reader?Yes. Reading is what makes the writer.

44. Best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.One semester I took a research class and had to design and conduct my methods and gather data. There was one part where we had to develop how we were to gather the data we sought and my instructor told me that it was hard for him to critique my methods because I had already done so in the proposal. I figure leaving a guy who writes for a living unable to write anything is a good thing lol

45. Worst piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.Taking a creative writng class with people who don’t love writing as much as I do. To elaborate, we would be required to write something of our own creation and you could tell who loved writing based on the feedback they gave. I can’t begin to say how many people took to giving me grammar advice because they couldn’t think of anything to say about the content…

46. What would your story _______ look like as a tv show or movie?

47. Do you start with characters or plot when working on a new story?Characters.

48. Favorite genre to write in.Adventure/drama

49. What do you find the hardest to write in a story, the beginning, the middle or the end?Always the beginning.

50. Weirdest story idea you’ve ever had.Oh god. Please no. Umm when I was like 15 I started writng this story about elemental angels and they had to save the world or something like that. Idk, when I look back on it I think that it’s weird

51. Describe the aesthetic of your story _______ in 5 sentences or words.

52. How did writing change you?Writing has helped me to become more confident in myself and also helped me to cope and move forward from the abuse I lived through when I was little.

53. What does writing mean to you?Writing is literally what saved my life so it’s everything.

54. Any writing advice you want to share?Write. If it’s something you want to do then do it. You only get better the more you pratice it. If you don’t know what to write, try a word promt challenge and write about whatever comes to mind. Just let your ideas flow.

[limejuicer1862]

Wombwell Rainbow Interviews

I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me. I gave the writers two options: an emailed list of questions or a more fluid interview via messenger. The usual ground is covered about motivation, daily routines and work ethic, but some surprises too. Some of these poets you may know, others may be new to you. I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I do.

John Saunders

is a founder member of the Hibernian Writers’ Group. His collections are After the Accident (Lapwing Press, 2010) and Chance (New Binary Press, 2013). He is one of three featured poets in Measuring, Dedalus New Writers, 2012. John’s poems have appeared in journals and anthologies in Ireland, the UK and America, on many online sites. .and in The New Binary Press Anthology of Poetry, The Stony Thursday Book, The Scaldy Detail 2013, Conversations with a Christmas Bulb (Kind of a Hurricane Press, 2013), The Poetry of Sex, (Penguin, 2014), Fatherhood Anthology (Emma Press UK, 2014), The Fate of Berryman Anthology (Arlen House, 2014) The Launchpad Children’s poetry book and The Lion Tamer Dreams of Office Work, Hibernian Writers Anthology (Alba Press, 2015).

The Interview

1. When and why did you start writing poetry?

When I was at school I was attracted to the reading of poetry. I remember being fascinated with Shakespeare’s sonnets and searching to read the many that were not on the syllabus. To this day I have a fondness for the sonnet form and tend to shape many of my poems into sonnets. At that time I did not write poetry but I found myself studying not just the content of poems but also the structure and tone. I would dissect a poem like a science experiment to see what was inside it. Unconsciously I suppose that’s when I learned how a poem was constructed although it was much later when I began to write. Looking back now I realise that my father’s interest in poetry was a strong influence. He had to leave school early to earn money and became a carpenter. I think if he could he would have been a teacher of English. He was widely read in history, literature and poetry and often quoted lines from poets such as Wordsworth, Keats and their contemporaries. I have a fond memory of sitting with him when I was about eight whilst he read aloud Gray’s Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.

It was in middle adulthood when I returned to the reading of poetry and then eventually to writing. Like many writers I admire specific poets and was spurred on to find my own expression. I very much write for leisure as opposed to making a living which of course is impossible except for the very few, unless you want to spend time teaching poetry which i don’t.

Why do I write? Poetry for me is about personal expression and observation. I am as likely to write a poem about small thing such as watching someone cook a pancake to the big issues of love, war and death. For me all of the small observations of this world can be big issues and can be expressed in poetry. I like form and more recently have become engaged in the long poem form. I am more interested in writing for its own sake than for publishing although its nice to be published. 2. How aware are and were you of the dominating presence of older poets traditional and contemporary?

Most of the work I was exposed to during the school years were the older ‘dead’ poets of the 18th/19th century. Few of them stimulated me the way Shakespeare did although I did like Keats partly , I think because of his intriguing but short life which I found romantic in the imaginative sense.

After school I became more engrossed in 20th century writing and of course being in Ireland found Kavanagh, Yeats and many others including Heaney. Larkin and Hughes were also enormously influential. Of course there are numerous contemporary poets from all over the world that I like and I often revisit their work. I think all poets strive to be like those that went before and often copy styles. I suppose this is a natural learning process on the journey to finding your own voice to use a cliche. For me Kavanagh and Heaney have dominated Irish writing in my lifetime and their effect is still seen in contemporary writing. That draw on the natural, the land, the familiar.

3. What is your daily writing routine?

I don’t have a daily routine. As I work fulltime at a non writing job my writing pattern is subject to all of the demands of a working life. When I do sit down to write I usually have an idea or a subject to develop. In recent years I have often developed rough ideas and even specific lines in my head and may not write anything down until a rough shape has emerged.

Sometimes a word or phrase stays with me and becomes the genesis of a poem. Despite technology I still like to do a first handwritten draft which I might edit a couple of times before moving to a word processor. There is something about hand writing which gives me comfort and satisfaction which I know is generational. I have rarely sat down to a blank page without some idea in my head.

4 What motivates you to write?

Always, its a means of personal expression and reflection. In the early days i wrote to be read. I wrote with a view to being published. In that sense I think I was motivated to impress a reader the assumption being that everything one wrote would see the light of day. Things have changed since then. I now write for myself and to please myself. There is no longer a reader in waiting, an audience wanting to find me in a magazine. I still submit poetry and some of it is published but the urgency to do so has diminished significantly. I write because I can. Because I want to. 5. How do the writers you read when you were young influence you today?

The poets I admire most some of whom I have mentioned all have the power to create the extraordinary from the ordinary. For me that’s the essence of a good poem. Most people’s lives are mundane. time given to work, survival, sustenance. A poetry which captures that is to me more significant than the sometimes grandiose descriptions of love, death, god, and so on. He any and Kavanagh, for example could find poems in everyday existence which they crafted into pieces of art. Contemporary poets like Billy Collins, Carol Anne Duffy and many more do this with ease.

I also admire poems that surprise either by the unusual use of words or phrases or with punchlines. The American poets Galway Kinnell and Raymond Carver were in my opinion masters of surprise.

6. Whom of today’s writers do you admire the most and why?

There are so many writers I admire and revisit. If by contemporary one means the living poets, there is a handful including Micheal O’ Loughlin, Paula Meehan, Tony Curtis, Thomas Kinsella, Carol Anne Duffy, Simon Armitage, Robin Robertson and A E Stallings. Of the more recently dead, apart from those already mentioned I like Michael Hartnett, Elisabeth Bishop, Dennis O’ Driscoll and Phillip Larkin. Why do I admire these writers? I’m not sure I can rationally explain why. All of these and others have mastered form and as I said earlier translate the mundane into something special. They are also very readable, what is sometimes described as accessible and I don’t mean this in a derogatory way. In fact for me being able to write an accessible poem whilst remaining true to the technique of poetry and form is success. I am reminded of Heaney’s reply during an interview where he said that writing arcane poetry was not necessary and in fact was downright rude to the reader. There is an inherent snobbery in poetry where some poets think the achievement of extreme obliqueness is a prerequisite of a good poem. I disagree. Like wine, for me, the best poem is the one you like.

7. What would you say to someone who asked you “How do you become a writer?”

The short answer is ; write. I believe that anyone can become a writer once they have the fundamental literacy skill. Even someone who cannot write could compose words into a meaningful shape. After all poetry was originally aural. In the context of the modern world we can all write. The quality of such writing is of course determined by skill, technique, knowledge, motivation and so on. In other words we have an innate ability to create. What we create can be nurtured. I am reminded of Kavanagh’s quote that the hardest part of writing is keeping your arse on the seat. This suggests of course that writing is a task to which you apply yourself and that is definitely true. It’s worth noting also and it has been well quoted that you cannot write poetry all day. Most poets spend most of their time on the business of poetry; reading reviewing editing teaching and so on and much less time actually engaged in creative writing. So what advice do I have? I think good writing is contingent on wide reading, not only of poetry but also prose. The tools of creative writing are vocabulary. A writer need to have as wide a vocabulary as possible to give him the wherewithall to produce good writing.

Writing poetry demands an understanding of technique so the reading of other poets gives great insight. I rarely read a poem without interrogating its structure and form to identify new ways of expression.

So for any one wishing to write, read widely ,learn from what others have done and them practice. While you may initially start out emulating other writing styles you will eventually with sufficient practice and time find your way of writing. Your own voice.

8. Tell me about the writing projects you have on at the moment.

As ever I have a number of projects which are best described as works in progress. I am finalizing a manuscript of children’s poetry which I have been working on over a number of years and have published some of them in magazines. I find writing for children an exhilarating experience and one that’s very different from writing for adults. I’m also presently in an ancient Greece phase and have just completed a manuscript of fifty-two sonnets each one devoted to a god. Similarly and as an outcome of that work, I am writing a long poem on the life of Herakles. This is in the form of ten-line stanzas of ABABABABAA rhyming. I’m on the 20th stanza and he’s only just completed the 12th labor! Finally, I have a manuscript ready on the theme of mental Ill health which is partly based on historical events of how people were treated on the past where the only option was the Victorian Asylum system.

Wombwell Rainbow Interviews: John Saunders Wombwell Rainbow Interviews I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me.