Top Ten Signs a Work of Fiction Was Written by Me:
I saw this on Jill’s and Gena’s blogs this morning, and thought it looked like fun, so I joined in. Then
melissa_writing saw it on my LJ and asked if I could post it here and ask for our other authors to do the same, in individual posts. And I think that’s a fantastic idea. While I’m not a huge fan of memes in general, this one gives readers/fellow writers a glimpse into books and authors they may not have read yet. And, it’s fun. Did I say that already? ;-)
So, in the spirit of making fun of myself, which I can’t seem to resist, here we go!
1. First person POV. I actually can write in third. Did it all the time in college. But so far, all of my novels (seven of them, to date) have come out in first person.
2. Heroine with an attitude. Sometimes (like with Faythe, in the werecat books), that’s because she still has a lot to learn, and she has no idea how difficult she’s being. Or she knows, but doesn’t care. Then, sometimes it’s because a heroine has earned her attitude (like the MC in Book on Spec.). But mostly, that’s just the way they come out.
3. Heroine carries no purse. This is because I don’t carry a purse (except at conferences, because most of my slacks don’t have pockets), and have no idea what to put in them. The one time I wrote a purse for a heroine (in my very first, never-even-queried novel), it was so she could carry a knife, with which to kill the bad guy. And I had to call a friend to find out what else to put in it. Seriously.
4. Men are beautiful, but troubled. Marc was orphaned early. Jace has daddy issues (to be seen in Pride). And it goes on, in books/series you guys haven’t seen yet. ;-)
5. The book is long. Can’t help it. I’ve learned how to cut and tighten dramatically, starting with Rogue, but so far, nearly every book I’ve ever written has come out very long in the rough draft. And the one that didn’t is growing during the re-write.
6. People die. Not just one person. People. And in all but one book, the deaths have been violent and usually messy.
7. Girls have guts, and know how to fight. And if they don’t, they learn.
8. Things “apparently” happen. Just ask Rinda, my CP. I’m more aware of my over-use of that word now, and am trying to curb it. ;-)
9. Guys are very well-built. Because it’s fantasy, people. Come on!
10. A happy ending is not guaranteed. Because even fantasy novels have to relate to real life somehow, and in real life, there are few happy endings. So my books have real endings, because the characters are usually willing to sacrifice their own happiness for the greater good. (Yes, Stray ended with most people happy, but that was only the beginning of the series. Mwa ha ha ha!)
So, if you can come up with ten things that are typically true of your own novels, put your own list in a new post. Thanks for playing along!
Rachel Vincent
melissa_writing saw it on my LJ and asked if I could post it here and ask for our other authors to do the same, in individual posts. And I think that’s a fantastic idea. While I’m not a huge fan of memes in general, this one gives readers/fellow writers a glimpse into books and authors they may not have read yet. And, it’s fun. Did I say that already? ;-)
So, in the spirit of making fun of myself, which I can’t seem to resist, here we go!
1. First person POV. I actually can write in third. Did it all the time in college. But so far, all of my novels (seven of them, to date) have come out in first person.
2. Heroine with an attitude. Sometimes (like with Faythe, in the werecat books), that’s because she still has a lot to learn, and she has no idea how difficult she’s being. Or she knows, but doesn’t care. Then, sometimes it’s because a heroine has earned her attitude (like the MC in Book on Spec.). But mostly, that’s just the way they come out.
3. Heroine carries no purse. This is because I don’t carry a purse (except at conferences, because most of my slacks don’t have pockets), and have no idea what to put in them. The one time I wrote a purse for a heroine (in my very first, never-even-queried novel), it was so she could carry a knife, with which to kill the bad guy. And I had to call a friend to find out what else to put in it. Seriously.
4. Men are beautiful, but troubled. Marc was orphaned early. Jace has daddy issues (to be seen in Pride). And it goes on, in books/series you guys haven’t seen yet. ;-)
5. The book is long. Can’t help it. I’ve learned how to cut and tighten dramatically, starting with Rogue, but so far, nearly every book I’ve ever written has come out very long in the rough draft. And the one that didn’t is growing during the re-write.
6. People die. Not just one person. People. And in all but one book, the deaths have been violent and usually messy.
7. Girls have guts, and know how to fight. And if they don’t, they learn.
8. Things “apparently” happen. Just ask Rinda, my CP. I’m more aware of my over-use of that word now, and am trying to curb it. ;-)
9. Guys are very well-built. Because it’s fantasy, people. Come on!
10. A happy ending is not guaranteed. Because even fantasy novels have to relate to real life somehow, and in real life, there are few happy endings. So my books have real endings, because the characters are usually willing to sacrifice their own happiness for the greater good. (Yes, Stray ended with most people happy, but that was only the beginning of the series. Mwa ha ha ha!)
So, if you can come up with ten things that are typically true of your own novels, put your own list in a new post. Thanks for playing along!
Rachel Vincent