Notices by Kagan MacTane (kagan@wandering.shop), page 4

#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.

#WritersCoffeeClub Day 24: Do your family and friends expect one of your books for Christmas?

Hahaha, no. I'm nowhere near published yet.

#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!

#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.

#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.

#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.

#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.)

#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.

#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.

#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.

#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.

#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.

#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.

#WritersCoffeeClub Day 6: Have you ever entered any writing competitions? How did you do?

Nope. I don't have anything to enter yet.

#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?

#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.

#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.

#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!

#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.

#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.