Strong suits

[Super Fantasy]

What are your strong suits in writing?

 

[A. E. Lowan]

Well, I'm the drafter on Team Lowan so here we go. We are currently writing and publishing the Books of Binding, which is Urban Fantasy. Some of the genre expectations of UF are action, adventure, varying degrees of spice (erotic material that can often verge on what we'd normally see in the Erotica genre, itself, but in UF can run the full range from zero romance to sweet to wait-what-did-I-just-read? And-why-do-I-think-that's-hot?), and snark.

I hate snark.

So, my natural range falls pretty deep into lyrical. Epic fantasy stuff. Slow down so we can describe another tree type of lyrical. I was trained in poetry - like, literally. I went to an arts high school - and I pull that playbook out pretty much every day. But, lyrical and Urban Fantasy are generally thought to be incompatible. UF is supposed to be action action action, and sudden bouts of lyricism should slow down the pacing and turn the reader off.

And then we have me. Hold my beer.

I take my marching orders from my two cohorts and the 500 idiots living rent-free in my head, and then I take the language dancing. To do that I bring everything I have to the table with enough caffeine to enable me to thread a sewing machine while it's running and then rock out until my keyboard breaks. Then I pull out another keyboard and have at it again. That's my strong suit. Linguistic gymnastics. My wife thinks it's how my autism functions. She believes that all autists have some sort of ability or skill that they excel at. It doesn't have to be world-shattering or wild, but it's usually there somewhere. Mine is writing. Any sort of writing. Unless we're talking about writing transitions, in which case I'll see you next year. I've also got some hypergraphia and I'm hyperlexic, so writing is also a bit of self-defense. I can't not write. When that happens, it isn't pretty.

 

[pmmg]

I dont know. I hope I am a little bit good at all of it

I think I enjoy the rewriting the best, cause that were I get to play with the words and really punch things in. I think I am good at that...saying it in an effective way.

Otherwise....I mean...I'm good at staying dedicated.

 

[pmmg]

 

[pmmg]

To do that I bring everything I have to the table with enough caffeine to enable me to thread a sewing machine while it's running and then rock out until my keyboard breaks.

Caffeine is like airplane fuel to heady pursuits. I try hard to give it up, but always it creeps back and screws with my head. But...it does give me the energy to keep going, even if the rest of me would prefer not to have it. Even now, I need it to stave off the headaches and the slow encroachment of weariness.

 

[Insolent Lad]

I hate snark.

I probably like snark a little too much and have to keep it reined in. I do think my ability to see the humor possibilities in pretty much any situation is one of my strong suits.

 

[pmmg]

Since it comes up Humor is not my thing, and snark is one of those things that will make me turn on a story. Its not a hook for me. /snark comment

 

[Prince of Spires]

Making myself sit down and write. I got 5 novels done that way. I'll leave it to the reader to have an opinion on them.

 

[Super Fantasy]

As for me, I would say creating ambience, perhaps?

 

[dollyt8]

My strong suit is my writing speed and coming up with new ideas.