Top Ten Ways You Know You're Reading My Stories
Chances are excellent that you're reading a story written by Branwyn if one or more of the following things are true about it:
10.) The title of the story is a phrase from a poem that isn't capitalized (and part of it's in parentheses.) [1], [2], [3].
9.) The main character lulls you into a false sense of security for the space of a thousand words or more before doing something absolutely horrifying (or having something horrifying done to them.) [1], [2], [3].
8.) The subject of the story is 1) not in their proper place, 2) not in their proper time, 3) not with their customary friends and/or lovers, or 4) not their usual gender. [1], [2], [3], [4].
7.) There is a fairly significant age gap between lovers, and the elder party probably had some kind of complicated relationship with the younger person's parents. [1], [2], [3], [4].
6.) The main character is being menaced throughout by someone or something dangerous, mysterious, and insubstantial. [1], [2], [3], [4].
5.) One or more of the characters has a, um, complicated relationship with God. [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6].
4.) There's hardly any dialogue in the story. Or, occasionally, the story is nothing but dialogue. [1], [2], [3].
3.) The story basically boils down to being a meta explanation for some mysterious quality about the character that's never fully explained or addressed in canon. [1], [2], [3], [4], [5].
2.) The reliability or sanity of the narrator is slightly dubious. [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6].
1.) And finally, the number one way you know you're reading a story by Branwyn: if it's a novel-length story, it's bound to be a WiP---for all time. [1], [2], [3].
10.) The title of the story is a phrase from a poem that isn't capitalized (and part of it's in parentheses.) [1], [2], [3].
9.) The main character lulls you into a false sense of security for the space of a thousand words or more before doing something absolutely horrifying (or having something horrifying done to them.) [1], [2], [3].
8.) The subject of the story is 1) not in their proper place, 2) not in their proper time, 3) not with their customary friends and/or lovers, or 4) not their usual gender. [1], [2], [3], [4].
7.) There is a fairly significant age gap between lovers, and the elder party probably had some kind of complicated relationship with the younger person's parents. [1], [2], [3], [4].
6.) The main character is being menaced throughout by someone or something dangerous, mysterious, and insubstantial. [1], [2], [3], [4].
5.) One or more of the characters has a, um, complicated relationship with God. [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6].
4.) There's hardly any dialogue in the story. Or, occasionally, the story is nothing but dialogue. [1], [2], [3].
3.) The story basically boils down to being a meta explanation for some mysterious quality about the character that's never fully explained or addressed in canon. [1], [2], [3], [4], [5].
2.) The reliability or sanity of the narrator is slightly dubious. [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6].
1.) And finally, the number one way you know you're reading a story by Branwyn: if it's a novel-length story, it's bound to be a WiP---for all time. [1], [2], [3].