Craft Questions #5: Style

[Philip Overby]

This is the last installment of Craft Questions and I want to thank everyone for sharing insight into their writing process. If you'd like me to do more of these type of things later on, I'd be happy to do more. I'd hoped there would be more discussion of other people's answers, but we can always go back and look at our answers later.

1. What genre of fantasy do you like to read? High? Low? Sword and sorcery? Urban? Others?
2. What genre of fantasy do you like to write?
3. What point of view techniques do you typically employ? 3rd Person Limited? 3rd Omniscient? 1st Person? Shifting POVS?
4. What kind of imagery do you employ? Do you often use poetic language or try a more literal approach?
5. What is the tone or mood of most of your stories? Dark or light? Serious or humorous? Would you consider your stories to be G, PG, PG-13, or R-rated?
6. Do you prefer to have more active characters or more introspective characters? Does your style reflect this?
7. Do you consciously use symbolism, allegory, or allusions in your work, or use them subconsciously?
8. What authors have influenced you stylistically?

9. (Bonus Question) What is your idea of the "perfect novel?" A work that brought all the elements of fiction together to tell a great story that your couldn't put down.

1. I prefer "low" fantasy, but I love monsters and such. I can't really read high fantasy, mostly just because I haven't found anything that has really made me want to read more. Most of the writers I like have grittier writing styles. Sword and sorcery is definitely my favorite sub-genre.

2. Same as above, but with a more humorous slant. I think there is a big gap in the fantasy market for more "playful" writers. I know they exist, but when people think of funny fantasy they often only mention Terry Pratchett but there are others. I want to write "dark comic fantasy."

3. I really like novels that have many POVs from different characters. I can just stick with those stories longer. So I like to write that way as well. I try to limit my POV characters, but I'm fine with trying different things. My POVs are typically 3rd Person Limited. I don't like getting in the heads of multiple characters at the same time.

4. I try to use imagery that I think is evocative. Meaning I want my characters and settings to stand out because of their weirdness. I employ poetic language on occasion, but my writing is mostly pretty sparse.

5. My stories tend to be "black comedy." Meaning horrible things happen, but they're funny because they're so horrible. I like to keep a balance though. Meaning I don't want things to be too funny and I don't want them to be too serious. My writing is definitely R-rated more often than not, but I can do PG-13 as well.

6. A mixture of both. I don't like too much introspection though because that means I just have characters sitting around.

7. I don't use symbols and such consciously. Not usually anyway. I do tend to like to link things in my story to real events in some way, but I mask that as best as I can. I have a fascination with introducing some modern conventions into a typical fantasy world.

8. Robert E. Howard, Fritz Lieber, Joe Abercrombie, Terry Pratchett, Andrzej Sapkowski, Steve Erikson, George R.R. Martin, a dash of Tolkien, China Mieville, Jack Ketchum, Stephen King, Tim Lebbon.

Most of these writers tend to deal with darker material and have unconventional worlds. These are things I try to emulate in my own work.

9. A Game of Thrones has to be the closest I've found to a "perfect" novel. Great characters, great voice, the setting is captivating, and the plot keeps you on the edge of your seat. I remember getting anxious and immediately going out and buying the next two books in the series. I can't think of any other novel that has had such an effect on me. However, I think of all the authors I listed above, my writing is probably least like Martin's. I still admire him greatly though.

 

[Ophiucha]

1. What genre of fantasy do you like to read? High? Low? Sword and sorcery? Urban? Others?
Oh, I'll read most genres. Dying Earth is perhaps my favourite subgenre, and Urban is likely my least favourite. I also quite like low fantasy, the miscellaneous *punk subgenres, and Weird West, and I think my weariness of the more standard medieval fantasy story is well known at this point. But I like stories in every subgenre, so I wouldn't dismiss any of them outright.

2. What genre of fantasy do you like to write?
See question 1.

3. What point of view techniques do you typically employ? 3rd Person Limited? 3rd Omniscient? 1st Person? Shifting POVS?
I have a fondness for the first person, but third person limited is one I use quite a bit, too. I rarely use omniscient, at least not intentionally (I fix that in the post-production, if I do), and I'm not fond of shifting POVs, though I will sometimes use 'documents' as a way of splitting up a narrative, like a newspaper article or something.

4. What kind of imagery do you employ? Do you often use poetic language or try a more literal approach?
Depends on the story. And the sentence. I can go both ways. My two favourite authors are Cormac McCarthy and China Mieville, so in terms of description, my inspirations are on opposite sides of the scale. I have one story which is very minimalistic, save for the moments before the character's death. Another story has a lot of waxing poetic and going on. So I'm not overly consistent in that regard.

5. What is the tone or mood of most of your stories? Dark or light? Serious or humorous? Would you consider your stories to be G, PG, PG-13, or R-rated?
Serious, if I have to choose between it and humorous. I can switch between dark and light on the drop of a hat, but I suppose I prefer dark stories overall. As for rating, I guess it depends on how liberal you are about that. You know how "suggestive themes" can knock a movie up to PG-13? I reckon that alone would knock mine up to an R in MPAA's mind. There's probably two cuss words a chapter, most - if not all - of my stories have some sort of societal taboo. Age gap relationships: 48 and 21, in my summer WriMo from last year. Implications of paedophilia (or at least, hebephilia): in one of my old projects, one of the characters gets called a "wing chaser", and most people lose their wings before they're sixteen. And I think all but one of my stories has a bit of polyamory in it. And for those who are still stuck in the last century, homosexuality tends to be present, too. At least one of my stories gave a passing mention of how necrophilia was A-OK in that society. On the same note, though, only one of my stories has even had a sex scene in it, and maybe half have some graphic violence, but probably enough to only get a PG-13 were it not for the rest. I certainly am not writing with children or young adults in mind, regardless.

6. Do you prefer to have more active characters or more introspective characters? Does your style reflect this?
Introspective, definitely. My tendency for the first person certainly favours that sort of character, though one of my stories heavily focuses on a relationship, so that is introspective with the third person. I think the waxing poetic bits come out a bit more with this sort of lead character.

7. Do you consciously use symbolism, allegory, or allusions in your work, or use them subconsciously?
Both, I suppose. I've certainly done it intentionally before, but I don't doubt that a few more slip in without my notice. Certain things are just sort of ingrained into you, you know? I may not be thinking of the implications of purple when I choose to give a character a purple dress, but perhaps somewhere in the back of my mind there was a reason I chose it over red.

8. What authors have influenced you stylistically?
Mieville and McCarthy, as mentioned above. Also, Vladimir Nabokov.



9. (Bonus Question) What is your idea of the "perfect novel?" A work that brought all the elements of fiction together to tell a great story that your couldn't put down.
I don't think any single novel has ever been perfect, to me, but I think I have four that stand out when you say the words "perfect novel". Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy. Dark, dark, dark stuff there. Probably the greatest atmosphere of any novel I've ever read. Pale Fire, by Vladimir Nabokov. Let's be straight, this is probably my favourite book ever. It's a tough run, with Marquez close behind, but damn, I love this book. This one gets its points for style. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson. Given my last two choices were pretentious and literary, this may seem odd, but as far as speculative fiction is concerned, this is the one with a setting and story that captured me. And if they miscast this movie I'll burn their houses down, I swear to God... And The Iron Dragon's Daughter, by Michael Swanwick, is the "novel I wish I'd written" if there ever was one.

 

[Philip Overby]

I have Blood Meridian and I really like what I've read so far. I'd love to read a fantasy story that has some of the same elements as it does. Some say it's McCarthy's masterpiece.

 

[Penpilot]

1. What genre of fantasy do you like to read? High? Low? Sword and sorcery? Urban? Others?

Yes. Not picky as long as it's good.

2. What genre of fantasy do you like to write?

A little bit of this, a little bit of that, in terms of short stories. It's great to try different stuff. My two novels I've written, the first was epic with a mix of grit and my WIP is urban.

3. What point of view techniques do you typically employ? 3rd Person Limited? 3rd Omniscient? 1st Person? Shifting POVS?

Usually 3rd Limited and first. Although playing with the idea of 1st omniscient.

4. What kind of imagery do you employ? Do you often use poetic language or try a more literal approach?

I try to balance things. Wax a little when I want a certain effect, or go straight forward for other effects. It depends on the pace I want, the character and their POV on things,

5. What is the tone or mood of most of your stories? Dark or light? Serious or humorous? Would you consider your stories to be G, PG, PG-13, or R-rated?

Somewhere between PG-13 and R. In terms of mood, I try to mix it up. I try to find the dark in the light and light in the dark. I try to find the funny in the sad and the sad in the funny.

6. Do you prefer to have more active characters or more introspective characters? Does your style reflect this?

I like both types, again, as long as the story is good. I try to balance things, introspection when it's needed and action when it's needed, but inevitably it depends on the story and the characters themselves. They sway things to one side or the other based on who they are.

7. Do you consciously use symbolism, allegory, or allusions in your work, or use them subconsciously?

Sometimes it's subconscious, sometimes it's on purpose, depends on how I see things and where my head space is when I write and edit the work.

8. What authors have influenced you stylistically?

Oh gosh, too many, John Berger, William Gibson, JM Cotezee, Cormac McCarthy, Tim O'brien, Elmore Leonard ... I try to learn an take from every author I admire, mix it all up into and hopefully come out with me. I don't consciously try to be like anyone other than me.

9. (Bonus Question) What is your idea of the "perfect novel?" A work that brought all the elements of fiction together to tell a great story that your couldn't put down.

Oh gosh tough, hard to say, but one of the last novels I just couldn't put down, that hit me in the sweet spots of character, world, writing style, and depth was The Road. Dark but a novel that made me think, "Dam I wish I wrote that."