Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 3: Should a writer have a face shot on their book cover or within their book?
It's absolutely tragic and disgusting that women can still sell better if they hide their gender and use initials (or a full-on male pseudonym). As long as that's true, though, I can't in good conscience say that people "should" have their picture available.
Being a white guy, I could do it. And I won't get judged on whether I'm hot or not. 😒 Not sure if I'll do it or not.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 25: Oxford comma, no Oxford comma, or I don't live in Oxford?
I'm one of those heretics who really doesn't care much. Just make sure your comma usage diminishes, rather than increases, confusion. That's the important thing for me. The reader's ease of comprehension.
That said, the Oxford comma is *usually* clearer. And I've adopted it to avoid the wrath of its partisans and crusaders. (The anti camp seems much quieter.)
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 24: Are you a book hoarder, or do you sell them/give them away once read?
Most of my books or reading these days are either library books or digital, and copyright holders have done all kinds of shenanigans to make digital books difficult or impossible to pass along.😒
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 23: Is it okay to use short-form conversational text, i.e. contractions, in a novel?
Absolutely. I mean, in dialogue? *Obviously.* People don't talk in formal speech! People use contractions! (Except folks like Data from ST:TNG. I have nobody like that in my work.)
But even in narration, it's fine! Words like "didn't", "couldn't", "can't" and "won't" are absolutely not a problem; trying to avoid them might even sound stilted.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 22: Stephen King portrays writers in his stories. Which actor should play you in the story of your life?
I think Val Kilmer has the kind of sensitivity and ability to play people who are little different from everyone around them that I'd want, if not for the throat cancer.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 20: If you read over a quarter of a book and decide you don't like it, do you bail or complete it?
I'm not one to force myself to slog through an unpleasant or tedious experience. Heck, I recently checked out Tom Stoppard's _Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead_ and was looking forward to it, thinking it sounded like the kind of thing I'd probably like... then DNF'ed it maybe a quarter of the way through when I realized I was dreading picking it up again.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 21: How do you write an internal monologue and/or telepathy in your work?
Internal monologue: italics.
Telepathy: I don't think there'll be any telepathy in my WIP (although hmmm, maybe a telepathy spell might open some interesting doors…), but the City speaks in something similar. So far, I've been italicizing that and also setting it off with ::doubled colons::, but I think that looks awkward and I'll probably change it. Maybe «angle quotes»?
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 19: As a writer, do you always apply the three-act structure? Why/why not?
I can't think of ANY structure that is so universally relevant that I'd try to apply it to *everything* I do. Different stories have different needs. Just like the Hero's Journey/"monomyth", trying to shoehorn everything into one framework may work smoothly on some stories, but others will be horribly mangled.
That said, the three-act structure does apply reasonably well to my current WIP.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 18: How do you combat writer's block?
I haven't really been prone to it yet. I think partly because I'm in the world- and character-building stage, and that means that if I get stuck on some particular thing, I can always just shift my focus to something else for a bit. Not even just between characters/world, but subsets of each: MCs/villains/side characters, or groups and organizations/the magic system/divination, and so on. There's always *something* I can pick up!
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 17: What is the biggest inspiration for your writing?
I wish I could point to something. But it's really all over the place. I'm inspired by the city, by cities in general, by the life in them, by the *lives* in them — so many people going about their lives, and the ways they interact…
Also by thoughts of what good and evil are, and how people become one or the other.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 16: How do you feel about flashbacks? Do you use them?
I have no strong feelings about them one way or another. I expect I'll use a few, as I want to show some scenes in my villains' histories that show how they went from being more-or-less good to not-so-good-anymore and then to out-and-out villainous.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 15: Should writers be honest re:their politics online or keep quiet/avoid controversy?
"Should" is a strong word. I'm not sure what other writers "should" do, or even what would be prudent for them.
I'm not exactly quiet about my politics; my social media profiles brazenly proclaim me as progressive/feminist/etc. I don't expect that'll lose me any sales; the book itself'll be loaded with characters across the LGBTQ+ *and* ethnic spectra, so conservatives'll DNF it by page 5.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 14: Many writers own cats. Is pet ownership essential for your writing?
I have no pets. And I'm just fine with that.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 13: Do you use beta readers? How's it working out?
I don't have anything to beta-read yet. I am definitely planning on having as many sensitivity readers as I can manage, because I'm portraying the experiences of *a lot* of people who are not like me. (My characters are as diverse as actual San Franciscans. Of course!)
I'm also trying to find cultural consultants, to talk to *before* the writing, but they seem harder to find than sensitivity readers. Dammit.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 12: How do you research real-world locations? Do you visit them?
My WIP is set in #SanFrancisco, a city that a friend of mine once observed about me: "You know this city like a Dashiell Hammett character." (One of my most-cherished compliments ever!) So, many of my locations are ones that I know personally.
When I need a memory boost, I'll use Google Maps or similar things. And I'm planning to revisit some spots during editing (once I know what places went into the book).
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 11: What sounds are present when you're writing?
I write in various locations: at home, but also at a few local bars. At home, the sounds are the city outside (sirens, traffic, etc.) and my own writing mix (a bunch of mid-tempo, atmospheric music). At bars, you can guess: people, plus whatever music the venue is playing on their sound system.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 10: Did you learn cursive/joined-up writing in elementary/primary school?
Yes, but then I abandoned it midway through high school; my writing got progressively less and less connected until it had reverted to print.
Now, I type as much as I can; handwriting is a very rare thing for me (and it's both messy and kind of difficult, leading to hand cramps fairly quickly).
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 8: Rough, complete or not at all. How do you plan your writing?
I'm doing some extremely complete planning of "the situation as it stands at the beginning of the book." Then I'll run it forward from there and... see what happens. (I have a few items I plan to hit at various points, but I'm not yet sure how I'm going to get to them — and that's okay).
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 9: Recurring themes in your body of work?
I don't have a "body of work" yet. (Yet!) But things I expect to show up a lot are:
* We create the future. Every moment, every action (to a greater or lesser degree) influences what comes next. So it's up to us to build the kind of future we want.
* People aren't "good" or "evil" because of something inherent, but rather because of what they do.
* You can be one of "the cool people" if you want! It's not a closed or exclusive club.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 6: Are you self-published or trad-published? How's it going?
I don't have anything to publish yet; I'm still in the early stages of writing.
I plan to try very hard to get traditionally published, once the book's ready. NGL, I'll consider it a bit of a personal failure if I have to self-publish.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 5: What are your writing project goals?
To finish this novel and get it published, and then to follow it up with two more books to make a full trilogy.
And for people who read these books to feel seen, to fall in love with my world, and want to step into it and become a part of it. To hear the things I'm trying to say, and to want to amplify those messages and make them part of their lives.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 3: What writing advice would you give your younger self?
Maybe to start writing sooner? But maybe not; maybe I started now because now is when I finally have something I want to write.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 2: Do you use ARC readers? Do they help your book sales? What's an ARC reader?
I'm not at that point yet. I haven't even really thought about it.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 30: How much detail do you put into character descriptions?
Enough to give the reader an idea of what they look like (hopefully including what race they are, like The Hunger Games' Rue), but not a lot beyond that; I go more for quick thumbnail and vibes than detailed portraiture... except for items the character chooses to express themself. Buttons, pins, statement/graphic tees, those all deliver messages. (And in Ángel's fashionista case, their whole wardrobe qualifies.)
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 1: Does your work include any poetry? Share a snippet.
Some might pop up during the writing. I don't have any specific plans for it, but I can imagine a few places it might crop up.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 29: Some writers hate exclamation marks! How do you feel about them? What about interrobangs!?
I absolutely hate exclamation points in narration. Even when I was a pimply-faced teen with bad enough taste to read Piers Anthony, I still (or already) squirmed and cringed at his use of them.
But they're totally fine in dialogue — at least, assuming a character is shouting, or excited, or whatever. Keep 'em between the quotation marks!
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 28: How do you approach a fight scene or other high-action scenes?
I'm planning to write close 3rd person, so it will depend a lot on whose viewpoint we're in. Either of my martial artist characters, for example, will describe things in more detail, sometimes using specific terms for particular types of attacks and blocks. Other folks with less combat experience would have a much more chaotic impression of a fight, and that'll be reflected in the narration.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 26: Have you ever retconned a story post-publishing? Is it OK to retcon?
I *HATE* retcons because "I take it back, that never happened" *nullifies stories* (or parts thereof). If you, the author, aren't willing to let your story stand, to say "yes, that happened" — in short, to *take your story seriously* — then why should the reader?
But I do like when the events don't change, but our interpretation of them does. I don't consider that a "retcon", but a reinterpretation.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 27: Use of AI in writing?
First off, that should be LLMs, not "AI". There's no intelligence there; I don't want to help the hype merchants.
In my own writing? I'm very against it. On the one hand, I want to write. I don't want to have something else do the writing for me. And on the other hand, the question of what incorporating LLM output into my work would mean for my copyrights is one with no clear answer, and many bad possibilities.
Others' writing is up to them.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 25: What's a better (more truthful) name for a famous novel?
Honestly, I've got to throw my lot in with @elysegrasso's "I have enough trouble finding names for my own novels." My WIP has a working title that I *know* won't be the actual title, and while I'm willing to put in the hard work on all the plotting, characterization, and world-building, when it comes to a title, I'm still praying that inspiration will somehow strike before I'm done.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 24: What's the best time of day for you to write?
Seems to be evening. I'll admit, I've rarely even tried writing in the morning; I'm usually not nearly awake enough for it then. Afternoons, I've tried sometimes on weekends, but I really do get going better once it gets dark outside.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 23: Will you have any profanity in your work?
* Travis Winter will swear vociferously when things are going wrong
* Donna Kuang probably uses lots of casual profanity behind close doors/with close confidants — in contrast to a much cleaner public image
* I feel like Jessie, David, and Ángel may use some for emphasis at times
Also, I'm a fan of the Precision F-Strike (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PrecisionFStrike) and will doubtless find places to deploy a few.
Kagan MacTane
More on the likely places for Precision F-Strikes: Margot and Carlos both have small children, and so have trained themselves out of using profanity. (Indeed, I'm not sure Carlos was ever a fan, but I think Margot was in her younger days.) I can definitely see Margot carefully and deliberately deploying just 1 or 2 very momentous F-bombs in the places where they'll do the most good.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 22: Who do you acknowledge in your work?
Like, who will put in my acknowledgements before or after the main text? I guess I'll keep track as I go, if anyone gives me help that would be good to acknowledge. (Hmmm, a few people on Reddit have given me some useful info, but I'm not sure if it rises to the level that I should put in.)
Kagan MacTane
Even at age 12, I knew light *does not* come *out of* black holes, and I wanted sci-fi, not some kind of God-based miracle. I was so annoyed, I didn't read the book for well over a decade... and found out that, no, it's actually just a dark nebula with light shining through, and while people give the phenomenon a picturesque name alluding to God, none of them think there's anything supernatural going on.
That utterly-false blurb kept me away from that classic book for *years*. 😠
Kagan MacTane
2) Not visual, but the back cover blurb text is part of a book's "cover design". A friend gave me a copy of Niven and Pournelle's _The Mote in God's Eye_ when I was about 12. The back cover said something about "a black hole in space, and a beam of ruby light shining out of it", and also some nonsense about people thinking it meant God was involved.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 21: What things make a good book cover design?
I was tempted to say "heck if I know", seeing as I'm not an artist, designer, or marketer. But no — even though I couldn't *produce* a good cover, that doesn't mean I can't *recognize* what makes one:
It should draw the potential buyer's attention, arouse their interest, and give them some idea of what the book's about or what happens in it. (And that idea should be reasonably accurate, not deceptive!)
Kagan MacTane
On the topic of "not deceptive", 2 things come to my mind:
1) Joan D. Vinge's "Cat" novels, _Psion_ and _Catspaw_, make it clear that the protagonist (named Cat) is very dark-skinned, and we'd consider him Black (despite his green eyes, which are a plot point).
Why do covers keep depicting him as blond and definitely-Caucasian? (That's a rhetorical question. The answer, of course, is racism.)
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 20: Do you have an author's website specifically for promoting your writing?
No, but I'll probably whip one up once I hit the point of sending manuscripts out to publishers. But I'll have to figure out how it's going to coexist with my existing website for coding and software development. (And that site needs a complete overhaul, having not been updated in over a dozen years...)
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 18: How do you do research for your writing? Do you ask specialists?
Hell yes, if I can find any. I want all the specialists. Or just the people with life experience different from mine. I want to make sure all my details are just right — or at least, if any of them aren't, I want it to be because I *deliberately decided* to deviate from reality to make the story better, not because I didn't know any better.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 16: What ancillary writing apps do you find the most useful?
I don't currently use (or even really know of) any ancillary writing apps. (I've heard of something called Scrivener; is that an ancillary writing app? Or something else?)
I'm looking forward to seeing others' responses to this question!
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 17: Do you draw out maps/floor plans/diagrams/etc for key set pieces in your writing?
I haven't yet hit the point where I'd need to, but I suspect I will. Hit me up in a year, and I bet I'll just say "yes" to this one.
What I *have* done already is look up realtors' floor plans of apartments and houses that I can pretend are some of my MCs' homes. Close enough?
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 15: If you find you've used a name from a famous novel, do you change it?
That hasn't happened to me yet, but I probably would if I found out in time; I wouldn't want my readers distracted by unintended associations with that other character.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 14: Example of Chekhov's gun in your work?
In an early chapter, my 2 new-to-magic-and-learning-the-ropes MCs will watch a magical contest, sort of a "friendly duel" involving 2 city shamans racing to see who can get to a destination first. (Knowledge of and connection with the City are crucial for this.) Near the climax, one of those MCs has to get a thing from Point A to Point B in a hurry, and will use their improved City skills to do it faster than should be possible.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 12: Do you prefer to write on a desktop, laptop, typewriter, pen and paper, quill and parchment, blood and stone?
On a computer, absolutely. My writing by hand is awful — not just messy, but also slow, awkward, and makes my hand cramp very quickly. Give me a keyboard!
I no longer have a desktop machine, so laptop works fine. And it's portable, which is a nice plus!
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 10: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your writing journey?
I'm just at the beginning of my writing journey. I don't think I've had the opportunity to make many mistakes at all yet.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 11: Does your writing include comedy? How do you add comedic moments?
I sure hope so! I want some laughter and mirth in there. But I want it to bubble up out of the fun that people are having; I don't want to try to force funny things to happen.
That's what I want, anyway. I'll find out what I actually do, once I start doing it.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 9: Is there any kind of scene you could never write?
I absolutely hate the kind of "humor" that's based on embarrassing someone. Even if I decided to write such a thing for some godforsaken reason, I'm sure I'd be awful at it.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 8: What does your most productive writing space look like?
The comfy armchair in my living room, where I can park a drink on the table by my left hand, and I can just turn on my writing music mix and go and go, reaching out to take sips whenever I'm thirsty or in need of motivation.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 7: How would you describe your WIP's core plot? E.g. Found family, redemption, gunpowder treason?
A small band of heroes fight the rich and powerful to make the world better.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 5: How are you affected by reviews of your work?
I haven't received any yet, as I haven't yet got any work that could be published.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 6: Would you consider an audiobook of your novel or short story?
Sure, I don't see why I'd be opposed to such a thing in principle. I might oppose a certain, specific implementation, or not be willing to sign a particular contract, but I'm definitely open to the idea, and "would consider" it.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 4: Have you ever seen a movie which was better than the book?
Oh, absolutely. _The Hunt for Red October_ comes immediately to mind, and I feel like there's another one that I have in the same category, but can't bring it to mind ATM.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 3: "Are dialogue tags flexible?" laughed John.
I think so, because you can do some nice stuff with them, but I also think you should use that very carefully. You want to deliver information about what the characters are doing and how they're saying things; you don't want to draw attention to the writing itself.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 1: What's the best writing advice you've heard or read?
Write for the people who will enjoy your work, not for the asshole on the internet (whose voice you've probably internalized by now!) who picks everything apart mercilessly. Don't write defensively; write for joy.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 2: Do you keep a notebook or digital device by your bed if you have an idea during the night?
Not specifically in that way, but... I have made it so I can take notes and edit any and all of my writing files on my phone. And I do keep my phone by my bed when I'm sleeping, albeit mostly because it's also my alarm clock.
So, the two things combine to make this a "yes", even though I didn't intend those actions quite that way.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 31: Does your work include any horror elements? What's the most frightening thing you've written?
I have plans for one of the villains to do some things that are pretty creepy, but I'm trying to be very careful of the usual "ways creepy guys violate other people" tropes. Also, I'm writing #UrbanFantasy, not horror, so I do want to avoid suddenly hitting readers with a level of scariness that they hadn't planned on signing up for.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 30: Did the education system inspire you or put you off writing?
Neither, really. It taught me some about writing essays, but not really about writing fiction. OTOH, it did introduce me to lots of works of literature. Ehhh, really 🤷🏻 six of one, a half-dozen of the other. Or "not a major influence in either direction".
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 29: Have you ever left an autographed copy of your work in a hotel or guest house?
I don't have that option yet, still being unpublished.
Kagan MacTane
Okay, I can actually see why not, if you're hoping for royalties. And no shade or disrespect to any writers who need their movie royalties to be as big as possible because they need to pay the bills! You do what you gotta do under capitalism.
But for myself, I already have a career. I can afford to say that I want my works to stay true to a particular vision, where the legacy is more important than the pay. I have that option, and I'd take it. But I can understand the other side. 3/3
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 28: Table of contents or no table of contents? Discuss.
I don't much care either way, but I am thinking very hard about whether to have themed chapter names/titles. Or chapter names at all; it seems like very few books do, but I really love the idea of having them have a theme or connecting thread.
Of course, if you have chapter titles *and* a ToC, you need to make sure none of those titles deliver spoilers! But that should be easy enough.
Kagan MacTane
But I realize it probably wouldn't be possible. Especially for me, as a first-time writer! So…
If "disown it" just means that I say publicly, all over social media and in any interviews I can get, "I disown the movie that's coming out next week. It's a travesty; don't go see it"? (Sort of like Anne Rice did with the 1993 _Interview With the Vampire_… until she suddenly changed her mind for reasons unknown?) Yeah, I'd do that. Absolutely. Why not? 2/3
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 27: Hollywood has optioned your work for a movie. Do you disown it if they change things?
This is a tough one. "Change things" *how much?* Some things *need* to change when going from a written medium to a visual one. But speaking of core, crucial things…
I'd try to hold out for contract clauses that would allow me to scuttle a project that was going to mess with important stuff (or keep them from doing so in the first place!), if possible. 1/3
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub 26: How many drafts do you go through before the final manuscript?
I'll find that out after I finish the first draft!
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 12: You're at a coffee shop table at the end of the universe, what 3 writers are you chatting with?
Shakespeare, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Susan Cooper.
(I don't care if it sounds pretentious to say Shakespeare. I've honestly really liked his stuff since high school.)
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 13: Do you like maps? If they feature in your work do you draw them by hand or use an application?
I *love* maps! I so easily get sucked into poring over them!
Unfortunately, there's no real point in putting a map into my WIP. Anyone who wants to know its geography can just look up an online map of #SanFrancisco.
I *could* do one with pins for things like my characters' homes or other locations, but I want to give readers the fun of figuring that out from the text.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 11: Do you use dream sequences in your work? How do you feel about them?
I think they're like any tool: they can be used well or poorly. I'm pretty sure at least one of my characters will start having prophetic dreams midway through the book, for reasons related to the magic system and stuff they'll be inadvertently doing.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 10: Have you ever given a talk about your work? Would you?
Nobody's ever asked me to, no. Of course not; I have nothing published yet. But *would* I? Oh, heck yes! I'd *love* to talk about it! An audience that wants to hear me ramble on about the thing I'm pouring so much time, energy, and caring into? Yes, please!
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 8: Do you ever use discarded story ideas from one project in a different project?
Not yet. I'm sure it'll happen somehow, someday, if I keep writing long enough.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 9: Do you avoid or embrace adverbs? He said provocatively.
I think they have their place. I won't avoid them if they're the right thing for the sentence.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 7: Do you have an epilogue in any of your writing? How do you feel about them?
I'm not sure yet if I'll have one or not. I kind of wonder, what's the difference between an epilogue and just "a final chapter", anyway?
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 6: Have you ever entered any writing competitions? How did you do?
Nope. I don't have anything to enter yet.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 4: What aspects of your profession do you bring into your writing?
With my WIP being set in modern-day #SanFrancisco, it makes sense to have at least 1-2 characters working in tech. My career as a web developer helps me with realism there.
On another level, I store all my writing in source code management software, so I can easily roll back or double-check the state of my notes at any given time in the past. Also, as I write, I can easily explore branches and "what if"s.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 5: Is it okay to end a sentence with a preposition?
Yes, absolutely. Unless you're writing in Latin; ending sentences with prepositions is against the grammatical rules of Latin, just like saying *"He am tall" is against those of English.
The fact that sentences like "A preposition is a perfectly fine thing to end a sentence with" and "Where do you come from?" don't hit our ears as wrong (unlike *"He am tall") shows you that it's *not* against English grammar rules.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 3: What's your writing routine? If you have one.
No real routine, just "open my editor and start writing some kind of stuff". Sometimes I'll check and see what the most recent things were that I was doing when I stopped the previous session, but other times, I start off with something in mind that I want to do and just dive in there.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 2: Do you have other artistic leanings? How do these affect your writing?
I love music, and used to want to be a musician. There are lots of places in my WIP where I'd really like to use song lyrics or references to add some emotional "oomph", but I'll have to be careful to avoid copyright issues.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 31: Will you be writing today? How do you feel about your writing journey over the last year?
Absolutely; I'm getting to that in a few minutes, after I post this.
I feel like my "writing journey" has been way too slow. I am STILL working on character backgrounds and histories. I'm getting close to where I can start the "actual" writing, but I'm still not there yet, and it's honestly getting really frustrating.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 1: What are your writing related New Year Resolutions?
I don't really do New Year's resolutions, and if I did, I'd do them at Samhain (October 31st) — except @Issi makes a cool case at https://pagan.plus/@Issi/111675304273354533 that we should do them at Imbolc, February 2nd!
Anyway, my main goal this year is to get my novel finished and start shopping it around to publishers. That's all.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 30: What POV do you mostly write in? Why?
(Ack, forgot to post yesterday!)
In this WIP, it's close 3rd, rotating among people. I like getting near to, or even entirely inside, characters' heads, but not having them be the narrators. (Because then I ask myself who they're telling the story to and why? Though I like what Roger Zelazny did with that 1st-person voice at the end of the first Amber series. And the way it's foreshadowed when the narrator 1st walks the Pattern.)
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 29: Do you have a favourite letter of the alphabet? How does it feature in your work?
Not a letter, necessarily, but I like the hard /k/ sound. Okay, I also like lowercase descenders, like on j, g, and y.
I wouldn't let that affect, or show up in, my work though. Like, I'm not going to have lots of characters whose names have prominent K sounds in them, or use lots of words with j, g, and y in them. That'd be super weird.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 27: If you write in more than one genre, which is your go to?
So far, I'm only writing in urban fantasy. I do hope to do some hopepunk sci-fi someday. I also have the beginnings of some ideas for a modern (though not necessarily urban) fantasy, and a space opera.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 28: What are your thoughts on using real brand names in your writing?
I plan to use at least a few as characterization aids. Like, the fact that Ángel's car is a 1985 Cadillac Eldorado convertible *says some stuff* about them, and also is a great image that readers can have in their heads. Whether Travis Winter wears suits by Armani or Brooks Brothers (to take just two options — but very different ones) says some things about his style, and those hint at his personality.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 26: What positive things do people say when you tell them you're a writer?
Nothing very specific, they generally just make approving noises and say things like, "Oh, that's cool."
Although there was one person (getting away from the general "people" now) who asked what my magic system was like, then said it sounded like something she'd want to read if it she found it in a bookstore!
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 24: Do your family and friends expect one of your books for Christmas?
Hahaha, no. I'm nowhere near published yet.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 20: Do you name or number chapters? If you name them, how do you decide on a name?
I want to name them, but I'm afraid I'll have too much trouble coming up with titles. If that turns out to be the case, I'll just number them... but I'll be disappointed in myself, and grumpy about it.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 22: Change one word in the title of a famous novel to change its meaning.
Fahrenheit 212 (The temperature at which water boils — maybe it'd be a novel about making tea?)
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 19: If you could remove one rule of grammar, which would you choose?
Hell, I'd rather *add* one. Like, given how often my partner and I bemoan the lack of #clusivity in English, that might be what I'd go for.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clusivity TL;DR: It's the ability when saying "we" to indicate whether the person you're talking to is or isn't included. (Frex, "We're going to the store, do you want anything?" (excl.) vs. "We're going to the park, grab your coat!" (incl.))
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 18: Do you intend to read a book over the holidays? What will you choose?
I'm still working on finishing Cassandra Clare's _City of Lost Souls_ (the 5th in the Shadowhunters series). Not sure when I'll finish it; I don't exactly have a "holiday break", more just a pair of three-day weekends back-to-back.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 16: Are there any writing tropes you dislike, without insulting other club members?
Writing tropes or story tropes? (What's the difference?) Anyway, loads! One quick example is that any kind of forced pregnancy situation will infuriate me. I hate when creators do that to their characters. (Yes, that includes Steven Moffat.) Also mystical/alien/whatever children who grow up abnormally fast (ST:TNG *and* V, I'm looking at youse.)
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 17: What aspects of your life do you bring into your writing?
My love of cities, my belief that the future is what we make it, and hopefully a little of my sense of wonder and love of heroism.
On a smaller level: fairly little of David's job and workplace are likely to show up on-page, but if any do, I'll certainly be pulling in my own career web-dev knowledge to provide verisimilitude.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 14: What's the biggest edit you've ever needed to make to your work?
It's too early for me to have nearly anything to respond to this with. I guess there's this one case of a setting description, where I wrote it just to see how well I could describe a place that will figure prominently in the plot, and then later I realized I wanted to start my story earlier in the year, so I needed to change the trees from leafy and green to bare branches, just beginning to bud.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 13: Do you write to a specific word count, or do you let the story dictate the length?
I'm just shooting to try to be in good "first-time urban fantasy novel" length. That has some range to it, thank goodness... but for the first draft, I'm planning to just see how long it comes it out, and then see if I need to do anything to expand or pare it down.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 11: How close is your final manuscript to your first draft?
Hell, I don't even have a first draft yet! I can hardly guess how close the final version will be to it (or how far away from it).
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 12: A game developer wants to base a game on your book. How do you feel about it?
I think my book might actually be a fairly good basis for a TTRPG, actually. I'd be cautiously in favor, depending on the developer/company.
I'd be more lukewarm or "meh" about a video game, but could be convinced.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 10: What aspect of your work are you most proud of? Don't be shy.
The fact that my sweetheart really loved the one scene I've written.
I'll have more to be proud of when I have more written.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 9: How would you write an online chat or text message conversation in your novel?
In fact, I'm going to need to put at least one group-text convo into my very first chapter. I guess I'll probably indent (both right and left), and precede each message with the person's name.
Later chapters may need instances of "[name] is typing..." and so on. (My MCs are Millennials. Yes, of course they text each other a bunch!) Hmmm, that'll be interesting to run into/play around with.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 7: What's your favourite book? Why?
I couldn't possibly pick just one. A few that come to mind as "ones I've loved", though, include:
* The Dark is Rising, by Susan Cooper
* Earth, by David Brin
* The Last Hot Time, by John M. Ford
I feel like I'm missing something here, and it'll hit me two weeks from now and I'll wonder how I could possibly have left it out.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 8: Do you write in the active voice, passive voice or a mixture? Does it matter?
I think passive voice would be a really weird choice for a novel. It's great for scientific papers and other academic work, but it has fairly limited use in fiction. (An exception that comes to mind is Kafka's use of the passive voice in describing how Gregor Samsa became a cockroach: it serves effectively to obscure the agency behind that, because it's Not The Point of the story.)
Kagan MacTane
* What an author was trying to say, what they "meant", is important. If an author says "Look, my work was really intended to do/say X, that's what I was going for the whole time", I usually take that pretty seriously.
* OTOH, if nobody got that, then the author kind of failed. I mean, an artist or author's job is to *communicate something*. If a few people miss it, that's par for the course, but if most of them do? Then the artist's attempt to communicate was a failure. 4/5
Kagan MacTane
* Buuuuuttt... sometimes artists just plain *deceive themselves*. Sometimes someone'll write something, and claim until they're blue in the face that "Really, it's about X! It's not Y, I promise!", and the rest of us can all see, "Sorry, pal, but it's obviously actually Y."
I haven't got any examples at hand right now, though, and I think that's fairly rare. 5/5
Kagan MacTane
* OTOH, context is important and can add a lot. Picasso's "Guernica", on its own, is obviously a representation of something very chaotic and traumatic, and that's clear without any outside knowledge. But knowing that it depicts an actual bombing of an actual town gives it greater weight. 3/5
Kagan MacTane
* A work needs to, or at least really *should*, be able to stand on its own. It shouldn't need some external "artist's statement" to make it comprehensible. (For example, Félix González-Torres' "Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.)" seems to be nothing but a pile of candy unless and until you hear about how it represents his partner, who was dying of AIDS at the time the artwork debuted. Knowing that, it becomes powerful and painful, but without it? It's practically meaningless.) 2/5
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 5: What genre is your WIP?
Urban fantasy.
(Technically I suppose I could or should specify _modern_ urban fantasy, since urban fantasy can be set in earlier eras.)
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 6: Is it the reader's/critic's interpretation of a work or the author's? Would you fight an author's opinion?
I'm of two minds (or maybe more) on the Death of the Author. A few thoughts: 🧵 1/5
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 4: Do you/will you write under your own name? Do you share a name with another writer?
Yes, I'll be writing under my own name. And no, I don't share it with anyone else; I'm quite sure there is nobody else in the world with my name.
Aral Balkan
@JenniferdeGuzman @kagan It’s odd that your editor was tasking you with spacing – that should be the typesetter’s job. They have far more flexibility (eg., adding hairline spaces around em/en dashes, etc.) And the rule about ellipses is just plain wrong – there are no spaces around the periods because it is a single glyph (…) and the font determines the appearance. As an author, you should really be free to write as you like without worrying about typesetting.
Jennifer de Guzman 🪲🦋🐝🐞
@kagan No spaces around em-dashes, but yes spaces around each period of an ellipses! This is an editor contracted with the book packager I’m working for, so not a publisher. Fiction mostly uses the Chicago Manual of Style, I believe. I’d have to look up what’s standard for that.
Kagan MacTane
@JenniferdeGuzman That is so weird to me! I find unspaced em dashes much harder to read and parse.
Like, this here — is a thing that's easy to spot. But your editor really wanted—to have it set like that?
Any chance the editor wanted the spaces taken out of the document so they could put in their own as part of the layout process, and they didn't want to have to worry about accidental extras? If not, I think I'd be annoyed by reading books published by that editor/company.
Kagan MacTane
I do maintain that em and en dashes should be set off with spaces on either side, and the first one should be a non-breaking space, so the dash can never be the first thing on a new line. Is that a "personal typography style"? 2/2
Jennifer de Guzman 🪲🦋🐝🐞
@kagan One of the notes back from my editor was to delete the spaces from before and after the em-dashes. Thank goodness for find and replace. I'm trying to retrain my muscle memory, like I did when I stopped using two spaces after periods. (But of course when I turned in my MFA thesis, the committee made me add the spaces.)
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 12: Share your personal grammar/typography style, if you have one.
I'm really not sure what this even means. I'm pretty sure the typography will be set by the publisher, and my "grammar style" is: follow English grammar. (But not the bizarre dictates of hypercorrective prescriptivists; starting sentences with conjunctions and ending them with prepositions are both fine.) 1/2
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 11: Are some genres taken more seriously than others? How does this make you feel?
Obviously! Nobody could claim with a straight face that "literary" fiction (which, yes, is a genre) or even biography isn't taken more seriously than romances. (Hell, I think at this point even sci-fi and fantasy may be taken more seriously than romances.)
It's stupid and unfair, and makes me annoyed.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 10: What do you say to people who tell you they're frustrated writers?
I understand. I'm a frustrated musician. I love music, I used to want to be a musician, but I honestly don't have the talent for it. Sometimes, what you *want* to do and what you *can* do well enough to satisfy yourself just aren't the same. And it hurts. I understand.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 8: Which words do you overuse? Be honest.
I suspect "really", "honestly", and "seriously" will be my overuse bugaboos, but honestly, I can't really tell yet. Get back to me once I start seriously writing.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 9: How do you deal with describing specific character ethnicities?
I'm still pondering how to do this best. I have the advantage that, since my work is set in present-day San Francisco, I *can* simply describe people as "a Japanese-American woman", "a Palestinian-American man", "a European-American guy", etc. It's not like, say, Earthsea or Middle-Earth. But I'm not sure if it's the *best* way to do it, or if it's what I'll finally settle on.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 7: Complete this phrase: I write because…
…this seems to be the time in my life when the writing urge in my has finally surfaced, after lying dormant for so long.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 6: If you were to write a sequel centred on one of your SCs, which would you pick?
Jake Mansour and Meredith Romer are two very strong contenders. Alternatively, I think Hazel Kovalenko could make a nice anchor for a series of cozy shorts.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 4: What software do you use to write?
Mostly VS Code, and a Git repository. I keep some tables of stuff in Google Sheets.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 5: Can you feel the emotions of your characters when you write them?
More than just their emotions; I need to inhabit their mind and their thoughts, and often even their bodies, in order to write what they're thinking, feeling, and saying in that moment.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 3: What skills/qualities do you look for in an editor?
Someone who will work with a writer to make the piece be the best it can be. But that's the best that *it* can be; not some other piece. I.e., not turn it into some other work. But someone who has suggestions can be good.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 2: Do you agree with Jodi Picoult who says you should finish writing a book even if you think it might be garbage?
Yes, for 2 reasons:
1) You might be being too hard on yourself.
2) Like Mr. Rogers says at https://wandering.shop/@sarahijackson/110601308851114103, "It feels good to *have made* something" (emphasis added). Even if it does turn out to be garbage, you'll have *fully* accomplished a written book🏆🏅, not "well, I wrote half a book once but stopped midway through.🙁😞"
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 1: Intro: Tell us about yourself, WIP, etc.
I'm Kagan, a web developer working on my 1st novel: an ensemble (multi-MC and -villain) #UrbanFantasy set in #SanFrancisco, about people who can talk to the City. It teaches them to do magic, and they're trying to change the world for the better. But different people have different ideas about what "better" means.
I'm still working on background (magic system, character backgrounds, etc.) and hope to start "real" writing soon.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 30: What genre(s) are not your thing (without insulting other club members)?
I've never been a fan of Westerns or sports stories.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 31: Where do you write?
Mostly at home in a nice, comfy chair. Sometimes in bars, or occasionally at the nearby Center for Fiction.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 29: Describe the saddest moment you’ve written. Share an excerpt.
This is a little weird, because # WordWeavers this month has asked about the scene I'm proudest of, and the hardest one to write, and I answered both of those with *the only* scene I've written so far — by default, it *must* be "the most" anything.
But that scene isn't remotely sad, so I can't use it for this prompt. I haven't written anything sad yet.
Yet. I have some plans for some sad things in my WIP.
Kagan MacTane
My plan right now is to write that flashbacky part in the past perfect tense until it catches up to the main action's simple past tense. I hope that'll work; if not, I'll have to try something else. 2/2
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 28: How do you format a flashback so the reader knows what's going on?
I'm not sure yet, and it's something I'll *need* to do for the opening few pages of chapter 5, as it's going to go back to the end of chapter 2 and pick up on that moment from a different character's POV, moving quickly forward to meet up with the way things stand at the end of chapter 4. (That sounds awkward and confusing here, but I think it'll make sense and work well in the actual book.) 1/2
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 27: Hollywood is filming one of your works. Which actors are playing the main roles?
I think Sara Ramírez might be a really good choice for Ángel Castillo. Not sure about the others.
Kagan MacTane
Most settings are too diverse to allow a writer to make everyone match their own demographics.
And isn't this part of why writers are supposed to observe people? To learn about people who aren't like themselves, so that we can be sure to depict them accurately? 2/2
(Note: This post has been edited to add the final clause, starting from the comma.)
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 26: How do you ensure that you don't infringe copyright in your work?
Mostly by writing it myself? I'm not sure how I'd infringe someone's copyright, except for by having a character quote something.
And that's a bit of a problem, because I do want my characters to reference things, particularly certain songs. I expect I'll have to seek permissions before I try to get published, or else rewrite to carefully avoid the issue while still making the idea clear.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 25: How do you feel about writers who write outside their gender/sexuality/race etc?
I think it's *necessary*, unless you have a reason why all your characters can be the same gender/race/etc. as you are. Like, back in the '50s, setting _Twelve Angry Men_ in a jury room meant it made sense for all characters to male, and white, and presumed-straight — but that was gross and wrong (of society), and it's good that modern productions include women and people of color. 1/2
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 24: How often do you ignore your editor/proofreader?
Haven't gotten to that point yet. We'll see... someday.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 23: Who do you publish through or aim to publish with? How's it going?
It's far too early for me to look at stuff like that; right now, I need to concentrate on the manuscript, not what comes after.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 21: Do you know the ending before you start writing?
I only know a few small things about the ending yet. The amount of stuff I don't know far outweighs the bits that I do.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 22: Have you ever used storyboarding? When and how?
Certainly not yet, and I'm unsure how useful storyboarding would be to a novel. If I were writing a screenplay, maybe, but I'm not.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 20: Do you have a blog? Tell us about it and share a link.
I used to have one for technical stuff (software development, tech policy, stuff like that). Near the end, it branched out a little into plain old politics and geek stuff, but then I dropped it entirely because nobody read blogs anymore, they just posted long threads on Twitter.
I've been thinking of reviving it, but am not sure how I'll balance the software professional vs. writer vs. "all the other stuff".
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 19: How do you decide on character names?
I go by a combination of sound/feel, meaning, and if it's a given name rather than surname, I also look at how common it was in the year the character was born.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 17: Do you think about your WIP every waking moment?
No. When I'm working, I'm concentrating on work. When I'm hanging out with my partner or friends, I'm trying to be present with them.
But I'll admit, it does creep in *a lot* if I have any time where there's nothing specifically using my focus!
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 18: Does your work feature on BookTok? How do you feel about the platform?
I am not on TikTok, and have no desire to be. The things I've heard about its algorithm, and who it favors (conventionally pretty people) and disfavors (people with disabilities, overweight people, etc.) turned me off to it even before I heard about how it's a surveillance app.
No. Thank. You.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 16: How do you feel about an ISBN? Is it important to have them?
Do I have the option not to? I haven't even thought about this before. I have to admit, my immediate thought is that it wouldn't feel like "a real book" without one.
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 14: Regardless of the genre you write in, do you bring in ideas from other genres?
Well, I'm writing an urban fantasy, but I plan to have a romance subplot...
Kagan MacTane
#WritersCoffeeClub Day 15: Is it worthwhile buying professional cover art?
Absolutely. I've already heard people are starting to get turned off by computer-generated art, finding it cheap and formulaic. If you want something done right, get a professional.
(Seriously, how would you answer someone asking, "Is it worth it to hire a professional writer?")
Jennifer de Guzman 🪲🦋🐝🐞
@kagan @aral This is a development editor, not a copy editor. I'm happy to make a copy editor's life easier by being as close to the house manuscript format as possible.
Kagan MacTane
@aral Yeah, this is what I'd agree with. Particularly the last sentence! I'm rather bummed on @JenniferdeGuzman's behalf that her editor doesn't.
Jennifer de Guzman 🪲🦋🐝🐞
@kagan @aral I think y'all may be underestimating what authors are responsible for in the publishing process!
０７６萌ＳＮＳ is a social network, courtesy of ０７６. It runs on GNU social, version 2.0.2-beta0, available under the GNU Affero General Public License.
All ０７６萌ＳＮＳ content and data are available under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.