It’s been a while since I’ve done a blog tag, and when I saw this one on Katja’s blog recently, I saved it! I’ll gladly take any excuse to talk about writing. Thanks, Katja!
Rules
- Link back to creator’s blog.
- Follow the prompts.
- Tag three people and provide them with a blank set of questions to paste into their post and answer!
- Use the Bonus Question, or make up your own for your tags to answer!
And now for the best part!
Questions
What’s your favorite genre to write?
Lately, it’s been anything that falls within the medieval fantasy adventure umbrella. My last two releases have been non-magical fairy tale retellings, and my works in progress are a mix of more fairy tale retellings, pirate fantasies, and a medieval fantasy with magical beings. I really just love adventure stories in general, and world-building is not one of my strengths, so a world still loosely based on earth where there’s plenty of room for imaginative quests seems to be where I write best.
What’s your least favorite genre to write?
Out of the ones I’ve tried, I’d probably have to say mystery. I like writing books with threads of mystery, but the genre itself involves more than I can keep track of. So many threads and clues and logic needed, and none are my strong suit, haha.
What are your favorite tropes to write?
I have a complicated relationship with tropes and don’t set out trying to write them, but ones I do consistently notice in my stories include second chances, gruff but secretly softhearted mentor characters, forced proximity, quests/journeys, and grumpy and sunshine duos (in many forms: romantic, friends, mentor and mentee, etc.).
What are your favorite archetypes to write?
This is similar to tropes, so I obviously do enjoy writing mentor characters. Especially ones that have gone through so much that they’re guarded and isolated, until the well-meaning protagonist inevitably draws them out and helps them see the good in life again. I also enjoy writing snarky and fiercely loyal friends, and reluctant heroes.
Do you prefer to write novels, novellas, or short stories?
I like all of them, but I think I’d say novels. My novels tend to naturally end up around 80,000 words, so not super long, but it feels like a good length for me. That said, novellas and short stories can be such good ways to experiment with stories or settings that I’m not sure whether they’d make a good full novel.
Do you prefer to write series or standalones? (Or episodic series?)
Usually standalones, but episodic series are also fun! I have yet to write a full arcing series, but hopefully I’ll try that out in the next year or two.
Who do you like to write for?
The Lord, certainly. He’s given me the ability to craft these stories, so it’s only right to give them back to Him. In addition, I definitely write the stories that I like to read. And the fun part of that is that as I’m writing stories that I love, I’m getting to meet other readers who love the same kinds of books that I do!
What’s your favourite Point of View to write in?
I used to write exclusively in third-person, but right now, I mostly write in first-person. I think both have their strengths and weaknesses, so it really just depends on the specific story I’m trying to tell, and what I think will be most beneficial to it.
What’s your favorite tense to write in?
Same case here — it really just depends on the specific story. It’s been a fairly even mix of past-tense and present-tense so far, although I’ve discovered there are a lot of readers who struggle to read books in present-tense, so unless I think present-tense will be significantly helpful to a story, I think I’ll be defaulting to past-tense going forward.
What’s your favorite mood to write in?
A good one? But I think this is probably asking about the mood of the story I’m writing, and in that case, I like writing stories that fall solidly between dark and fluffy. The phrase I’ve been using lately is “honest and hopeful”. I like to tell stories that can be hard and sad because they portray the tough stuff of life without sugarcoating, but in the end, there’s always some form of redemption, because I believe the Lord uses even the darkest parts of our lives and weaves beauty from them. I like my stories to reflect that.
What are your favorite settings to set a story in?
Oops, I already dove into this earlier, but definitely medieval fantasy settings. I’ve enjoyed experimenting with settings inspired by England, France, Norway, Ireland, and some of my favorites include forests, castles, and oceans. After Cabin Girl, I’ve learned that historical fiction isn’t my favorite to write, so now I’m lazy (haha) and stick with “inspired-by” settings, rather than specific ones.
What are your favorite eras to set a story in?
I guess this is kind of the same answer for me, since I don’t write historical or contemporary, so very much medieval-inspired. King Arthur, Lord of the Rings, fairy tales, etc. My most recent would be some of my pirate stories, where they’d be just a hare “older” than the settings of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
What’s your favorite kind of character arc to write?
Good question! I like when characters hold a firm lie about themselves, and over the course of the story, they learn the truth. I also love stories where characters are struggling with life, and finding any kind of joy or satisfaction in it, but they slowly learn to navigate their struggles, and are exposed to the beauties of life, until they’re thankful for it, even when it’s hard.
What’s your favorite “aspect” of a story to create and write? (Dialogue or prose; characters, setting, plot, themes, etc.)
Dialogue is always my favorite. I’m not entirely sure why, but it’s always been that way. After that, definitely characters. I struggle with settings, descriptions, and really elaborate plots, but I’m a super character-focused author, and the themes seem to flow from them as I take them on a journey.
What’s your favorite part of character creation?
I don’t actually have much of a character creation process. They just tend to appear in my brain already at least partially “developed”, and I get the fun of asking questions like “why are you afraid of that?” or “where might you have lived”, etc. to flesh them out. And of course, the superficial things like finding names, and scrolling Pinterest to get ideas on appearances.
What’s your favorite part of the writing process? (Brainstorming, drafting, revising, research, etc.)
Drafting is my favorite! My brain really enjoys seeing the words add up, and it helps me feel productive in a way that editing doesn’t quite. With the exception of line editing — I do really enjoy the nitty gritty of choosing the right words, structuring sentences, etc. Brainstorming is fun too, but I do find I need to cap myself at a certain point, or else I’ll just keep brainstorming until my interest in the story has run out and I’ll never get to drafting.
What are your favorite literary devices? (Whether it be story-wise, or wordplay, etc.)
Honestly, I had to go look up examples of literary devices to remember what these are. I really enjoy personification (“the wind whispered”, etc.), and of course, good foreshadowing. It’s so satisfying to read a book for the second time and realize there’s so many tiny clues that I didn’t pick up on the first time. It almost makes it a new story!
BONUS QUESTION: What authors and books have most inspired you in your writing journey?
This is always such a hard question. Some off the top of my head are Bridge to Terabithia (for the honest, heart-wrenching themes), and the writing styles of Maggie Stiefvater and Nadine Brandes. I’ve also always admired the writing of the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling (specifically the foreshadowing and the vivid characters). Honestly though, there are so many, and I’m probably not even aware of all the books I read growing up that have influenced my own journey and style.
What a fun tag!
I’m a bit out of the blogging habit and am not sure who else who has done this, so I’m just going to leave this tag open. If you want to jump in, I hope you do!
Here are the blank questions for your convenience:
- What’s your favorite genre to write?
- What’s your least favorite genre to write?
- What are your favorite tropes to write?
- What are your favorite archetypes to write?
- Do you prefer to write novels, novellas, or short stories?
- Do you prefer to write series or standalone? (Or episodic series?)
- Who do you like to write for?
- What’s your favorite Point of View to write in?
- What’s your favorite tense to write in?
- What’s your favorite mood to write in?
- What are your favorite settings to set a story in?
- What are your favorite eras to set a story in?
- What’s your favorite kind of character arc to write?
- What’s your favorite “aspect” of a story to create and write? (dialogue or prose; characters, setting, plot, themes, etc.)
- What’s your favorite part of character creation?
- What’s your favorite part of the writing process? (brainstorming, drafting, revising, research, etc.)
- What are your favorite literary devices? (whether it be story-wise, or wordplay, etc.)
- BONUS QUESTION: What authors and books have most inspired you in your writing journey?
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This is so fun! I definitely relate on the worldbuilding thing, haha.