Common threads in your writing

[Chessie2]

I was immersed in deep thought and procrastinating, of course. So I thought hey, why not start a fun thread where we could share all of the little things that make our writing specifically ours? Common threads--like themes, occurrences, plot lines, plot devices, etc.

For example, pretty much all of my heroines end up either kidnapped or in some sort of serious trouble and their heroes always end up having to rescue them. My heroines also tend to be somewhat sassy and occasionally flighty while my heroes are typically sarcastic jokesters.

What about yours?

 

[TheCrystallineEntity]

Ooh, this is fun.

Common to my books are: wings, cats, angelic beings, the heroine transforming into a cosmic entity, [to quote TV Tropes] Tomato-in-the-Mirror style plot twists, no villains, free-style love with everyone being asexual, genderless beings...
Common themes: the power of love, if that can be called a theme

I'll probably come up with more later.

Edit: My heroines are usually pure to a certain extent, but I tend to mess around with it, so they usually end up hiding their true feelings or acting like nothing's wrong. One trait that is notable is how determined they all are.

 

[Heliotrope]

I almost always have a character with disabilities, either cognitive, physical, or both. I tend to almost always have a character with autism.

A theme that is important to me is having faith in dreams and imagination and not getting bogged down by the "man" or "society" or whatever. My MC's tend to be idealist dreamers struggling to find themselves in a world filled with hardship and structure. That old debate between "Dreams or responsibilities?"

"We all have dreams Ms. Rackham.” He said. “I suggest you find yours before it vanishes forever.”

“I’ll try, sir.” But I knew it had vanished already. It vanished when Betsy Skein started tearing my house apart with a crow bar. It vanished when my dad gave our thieving land lady his cash hidden in a peanut butter jar.

I realized for the first time it probably vanished long before any of that, I had just been too naïve to realize it.


I love father figures, especially those who struggle with their fatherly role, or are single dads. Hopper is my favourite character in Stranger Things and I tend to write father figures who are similar to him.

My MC's, because they are idealist dreamers, tend to be very emotionally fragile. They protect themselves in a variety of ways, but on the inside they are kalaidascopes of confusing emotions. They almost always act from their heart instead of their head.

"That was all I needed. A broken hand and a broken brain.

And then, between the ringing in my ears the only thing I could hear was Mr. Radish, telling me to steer my own ship.

“Don’t get blown off course, Rackham,” He had said, sitting so calmly in his shorts and socks and sandals. And now here I was again. Bobbing like a cork. Following the tack off the edge of the earth."

 

[Svrtnsse]

The thing that first comes to mind as a recurring set piece in my stories is alcohol. It's not that my characters are alcoholics, but there have been plenty of scenes where they drink significantly more than what they ought to have done. There's also a fair number of hangover scenes where the characters pay for their excesses.
I try not to glorify alcohol or drunkenness, but as it's something I've got a lot of experience with it's something I keep coming back to as a set piece.
My current WiP is taking a step away from this as werewolves can handle significantly more alcohol than regular humans. I can't picture myself writing about my characters drinking whisky by the pint. It's just not right.

As far as themes go I think loneliness is pretty common - as that's also something I've had a lot of experience with. Loneliness, belonging, friendship. That kind of thing.

 

[Chessie2]

The thing that first comes to mind as a recurring set piece in my stories is alcohol. It's not that my characters are alcoholics, but there have been plenty of scenes where they drink significantly more than what they ought to have done. There's also a fair number of hangover scenes where the characters pay for their excesses.

Come to think of it, this is something I've noticed in your writing as well. Figured it was just what you like to write about.

 

[Svrtnsse]

Come to think of it, this is something I've noticed in your writing as well. Figured it was just what you like to write about.

That too. "Write what you know," as they say.

 

[FifthView]

I just finished a hangover scene. A more general recurring theme is the horribleness of mornings and the desire to stay in bed.

 

[TheCrystallineEntity]

My characters usually go through great personal struggle throughout their journey/life, sometimes even sacrificing themselves or something/someone dear to them in the process.

 

[DragonOfTheAerie]

This is hard! My story ideas are incredibly unique and varied. In fact, maybe that *is* the most common thread. I notice a few though:

-Creepy/weird/horror undertones.
-Usually there's flight/flying machines/wings.
-Lots of libraries.
-A lot of my stories are centered on a dystopian type world built on the ruins of a far more advanced magical one.
-My plots usually involve many layers of secrets, typically horrible ones, the main character must uncover.
-I give my characters way too many injuries. Sometimes I can't keep up with them.

There's so much variation, though, I can't really find much similarity. Maybe if I keep thinking.

 

[Chessie2]

That too. "Write what you know," as they say.

Yes. I think this is often why many of my subplots are betrayal ones, and why my bad guys are narcissistic. I have much experience with these jerks in real life.

I mentioned this in another thread but I write a lot about marriage. I have my personal reasons for it, but it's perhaps the single greatest reason why I write so many bridal tropes. Marriage is incredibly difficult. It's also incredibly fulfilling. I love love love this dynamic.

 

[skip.knox]

"Write what you know," as they say.

Or, when you get old, "write what you still remember"

 

[Nimue]

Woof, I feel like I do a lot of recycling... My main characters tend towards the quiet, stoic type, and on top of that I seem to write troubled, powerful women and good, incorruptible men, which might be a reaction towards the gender norms in older fantasy books? Perhaps a little bit of wish fulfillment with the guys, heh--they're all total sweethearts. Plot-wise, I love secrets, sacrifice, someone losing control or being harmed by their magic, characters being wronged or exiled, all sorts of heartstring-twangy stuff. And of course putting characters through the wringer, but showing them healing and being comforted because I'm a wuss. Those tender bedside scenes, y'all. Diiid I mention romance yet?

 

[skip.knox]

Strangely, there is a common thread (that's what I get for writing tapestries): it's friendship. I did not set out to write that theme. I was unaware of it as I wrote. But I can look back over the five works (including my wip) and only one, the very first, does not have friendship as a significant element of the story.

Now, at one level I can say well sure. The protagonist needs a second simply to create opportunities for dialog, and to reveal other aspects fo the character. But I find the stories reach deeper than that. One story entails an old friendship long gone stale. Another, an unlikely friendship between a sprite and an ogre. Goblins at the Gates was never about friendship until, deep into the third act, it was. And A Child of Great Promise is about friendships forming and being tested under fire.

So, huh. I'm as surprised as you are.

 

[DragonOfTheAerie]

And of course putting characters through the wringer, but showing them healing and being comforted because I'm a wuss. Those tender bedside scenes, y'all. Diiid I mention romance yet?

Meeeee. Nothing i like better than some hurt/comfort.

except dragons of course. and murder. But you need the sweet, tender scenes, showing vulnerability, to balance that...

 

[DragonOfTheAerie]

Strangely, there is a common thread (that's what I get for writing tapestries): it's friendship. I did not set out to write that theme. I was unaware of it as I wrote. But I can look back over the five works (including my wip) and only one, the very first, does not have friendship as a significant element of the story.

Now, at one level I can say well sure. The protagonist needs a second simply to create opportunities for dialog, and to reveal other aspects fo the character. But I find the stories reach deeper than that. One story entails an old friendship long gone stale. Another, an unlikely friendship between a sprite and an ogre. Goblins at the Gates was never about friendship until, deep into the third act, it was. And A Child of Great Promise is about friendships forming and being tested under fire.

So, huh. I'm as surprised as you are.

It's always fun when you read something you literally wrote yourself and you're like "wait, what?"

 

[Chessie2]

Those tender bedside scenes, y'all. Diiid I mention romance yet?

These have become some of my favorite scenes to write. I like to do a slow burn so by the time the chemistry is really heating up I've had a while to understand and gauge how it'll play out. I'm dying to let them have it by then! It also makes the break up scenes that much more gut wrenching. I've been known to tear up towards the end when they get back together, lol.

 

[Michael K. Eidson]

This is a good exercise. I tend to write two different types of stories: an MC coming to an unpleasant or surprising truth, or the struggles of an underdog. The longer stories tend to be of the struggling underdog type. I'll often start with a randomly generated idea and see what I can develop from it. I like writing about a variety of relationship types, including but not limited to romance. Even if not writing fantasy, I'll emphasize the fantastical in a story, where possible. I'll sometimes purposely try turning a random trope or two upside down.

 

[Insolent Lad]

There's a fair amount of drinking in my tales, too, and lots of stuff goes on over shared meals. Folks are always sitting down to a feast, it seems. Poetry and songs are scattered through many of my books and artsy characters, bards, playwrights, and so on.

Themes/threads—committing to something is rather common; more than a few of my characters are faced with choosing whether to take on duties or commitments, or to chuck it all and go on the way they always have. I guess 'finding' themselves is closely related to that. There is a fair amount of yearning for something more and a fear of going after it. I guess there are questions about free will and the meaning of life and all that stuff, but I try to keep a light touch when I go there, sometimes a humorous one. Humor is definitely common to almost all my writing.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

Angels, demons, and ghosts. Not always literally. In a generic sense, my stories are always about how a character reacts to the good influences (angels) bad influences (demons) and ghosts (past events that haunt them). Throw in exploration of mortality, sin, and forgiveness into that mix.

Most stories are also a bit like the Usual Suspects meets Miller’s Crossing... if you aren’t paying attention to details, you don’t really know what’s going on, but that won’t mean you don’t think you know. This one doesn’t always hold true, some stories are more straight forward.

Other than that, I’ll let other people figure me out, heh heh.

 

[Russ]

.

Other than that, I’ll let other people figure me out, heh heh.

Wait until they start teaching your books at the university level. People will find all sorts of profoundness in your work that you won't remember putting there.