30 Day Writing Meme: Days 23-25
23. How long does it usually take you to complete an entire story-from planning to writing to posting (if you post your work)?
Forever. No, seriously. I start a story, I get distracted by a new, shiny story idea about midway through, and I start THAT story, rinse, repeat. My YA novel has been in revision for three years now. I do eventually finish short stories when I'm actively writing every week, but my output is low, so I never catch up to all my ideas. I'm trying to change that.
24. How willing are you to kill your characters if the plot so demands it? What's the most interesting way you've killed someone?
I think it depends on the character and the story. I've only killed off one character so far (well, no, another story has a character that isn't dead at the end but soon will be) and I had no trouble doing it, because that was the story. There are other characters I would have a hard time killing off, however, but I think I could do it if the demands of the story were clear. Mostly I think that's a good thing. You should never love your characters so much you can't kill them if needed. On the other hand, one of my favorite authors killed off a beloved character in a middle book of her series, and I was so upset I quit reading the series entirely (not the author, though). So, killing someone can backfire, too.
I don't want to say the most interesting way I killed someone, because it's a total spoiler for the ending of a short story of mine and I hope to publish it (as soon as I can find some more markets for long horror stories). But it involves an evil, mind-controlling pet.
25. Do any of your characters have pets? Tell us about them.
Mwahahahaha. One character has a pet and it is involved heavily in his demise.
Forever. No, seriously. I start a story, I get distracted by a new, shiny story idea about midway through, and I start THAT story, rinse, repeat. My YA novel has been in revision for three years now. I do eventually finish short stories when I'm actively writing every week, but my output is low, so I never catch up to all my ideas. I'm trying to change that.
24. How willing are you to kill your characters if the plot so demands it? What's the most interesting way you've killed someone?
I think it depends on the character and the story. I've only killed off one character so far (well, no, another story has a character that isn't dead at the end but soon will be) and I had no trouble doing it, because that was the story. There are other characters I would have a hard time killing off, however, but I think I could do it if the demands of the story were clear. Mostly I think that's a good thing. You should never love your characters so much you can't kill them if needed. On the other hand, one of my favorite authors killed off a beloved character in a middle book of her series, and I was so upset I quit reading the series entirely (not the author, though). So, killing someone can backfire, too.
I don't want to say the most interesting way I killed someone, because it's a total spoiler for the ending of a short story of mine and I hope to publish it (as soon as I can find some more markets for long horror stories). But it involves an evil, mind-controlling pet.
25. Do any of your characters have pets? Tell us about them.
Mwahahahaha. One character has a pet and it is involved heavily in his demise.