questions!
4. Who would you say are your main ~creative influences~?
This is going to sound super lame, but I really like the new writing styles that are coming out of the online community. Because everyone knows the same in-jokes and people are writing for their friends, and no one is editing writing for a mainstream audience, there tends to be a lot more references and slang in stuff. It makes prose a lot more interesting to read, and I’ve tried to copy that a bit and make it more relevant, rather than just being used to describe couples kissing in a way that hasn’t been done twenty four times in just this fandom. ANYWAY, YES. I’m not going to say fanfiction is my influence, but bringing Internet into real fiction is a Thing for me.
So Sarah gave me some questions, a while ago but I HAVE A BUSY LIFE OKAY, so here’s me answering those. Because she has a hard time being nice, she gave me some mean questions first:
1. why do you suck so bad
2. why aren't you awesome like me
3. is it hard knowing you'll never be as cool as i am
4. what are the best things about being my friend TRICK QUESTION everything is the best thing
So take a moment to appreciate those for the high humour they are so Sarah can feel happy with herself. Now, the REAL STUFF.
1. What was your favourite thing to research for The Red Earth Rolls? Or your favourite part about writing it generally?
I did a LOT of research because I chose the worst kind of novel; a historical one set in MULTIPLE TIME PERIODS, URGGGGGGH, past!Lauren you are a crazy, heartless slave driver. Here are a few of my bookmarks, to give you an idea:
That is only a small selection, mainly because most of the others are Wikipedia links and it’s far too embarrassing to share with the world how lazy my research techniques are.
My favourite bits are the diaries from the Crimean war, because some of the anecdotes are so crazy I could barely believe they were true. At one point the soldiers were marching on the Russians, who were firing at them from the other side of the riverbank. The Brits stopped on the riveredge to pick grapes, IN THE MIDDLE OF A BATTLE, RIGHT, GUYS, and then waded through the river, shooting at the Russians, with bunches of grapes clenched between their teeth. Soldiers were dying, clutching bunches of grapes. THAT IS A THING THAT HAPPENED, HISTORICALLY. If that was in a film people would think it was too farfetched to be accurate.
My favourite part of writing in general was probably the diary entries, because that gave me a chance to show off my well-honed Blogging for Tumblr skills. Basically they were extracts from a diary written in 2012, so I tried to make them really popculture-y and modern to contrast with the old fashioned parts. It was one of the only parts I felt really confident doing, because WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW, or whatever, and I KNOW blogging, trust me. Apart from that it was just hilarious, because Kate is hilarious and naive and I love writing her a lot. A tiny extract:
Tuesday 5th June 2014
So, I’ve decided to be even more fantastic and mysterious and write in code, partly because Matthew and I have been discussing something recently which I need to write down- but I don’t feel comfortable leaving it around for anyone to read, but mainly because it’s the coolest possible thing in the world. I WANT TO BE A SPY WHY AREN’T I A SPY WHEN DID MY LIFE GO WRONG.
So, despite the deep wrong the universe has given me by making me a paltry research scientist rather than a kick ass spy, I do have something kind of terrifying to discuss. Over dinner last week, Matt told me that he’d been talking to Mick about his work. Shocking, I know. Save some excitement for me, guys.
I’d been thinking he was going to mention the baby thing again, considering he had taken me out for a posh meal and told me to wear the sexy dress he can’t get enough of, but no, apparently he has a life changing and dangerous dilemma he wanted to discuss instead. It looks like babies are going to have to wait until all this has blown over. So YEAH, I wasn’t really paying attention when he started talking about Mick, considering it was an UTTERLY DULL TOPIC OF CONVERSATION, WAY TO SPOIL THE MOOD DUDE, but then he said something so seriously that it completely took me by surprise. Like, he said it as if he wasn’t even sure he could trust me enough to tell me that he’d had a conversation with Mick about the labs.IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED THEN READ MY BOOK. No, seriously, read it, that would be amazing. Only two people have finished it so far, I WANT OPINIONS!
2. How would you describe your sense of humour?
My sense of humour is a really important, defining part of my personality, and something I value in people a lot more than usual, I think. I tend to deal with things by finding the humour in them, and generally I try to make friends with people who have the same sense of humour. If we don’t have much in common, that doesn’t matter so much as being able to joke around with them, I’ve found. Which is why I’ve been hanging around with Brazilians, cause we all have the same insulting way of teasing which a few Americans have been really confused by so far.
Anyway! I think my humour is very dry, sarcastic, and insulting. Alice summed it up perfectly the other day when she said “English people are horrible to their friends and extremely polite to their enemies.” If I insult you, then I’m comfortable around you.
I’ve been thinking a lot about humour this summer, especially on rereading Draft Zero. The style of writing changed a lot as I wrote and discovered my own abilities, and one of the things that changed the most is the humour. I’ve found a good way of writing humour that isn’t oneliners; in the words. I’m not really sure how to describe it, so here’s an example.
“I’m going to ask Colonel Durand!” Katherine exclaimed, running into the stables midsentence. Matthew was cleaning the wheels of the carriage. He dropped a washcloth into a bucket with a heavy sigh before turning to her.
“Kathy,” he replied, in a long-suffering tone. “Do you remember me telling you that I have to present for the entire conversation- you can’t just filter me in at the end?”
“Sure, of course,” she said, not really listening. “I said I’m going to ask him. I want to learn to fire the cannons!”
“What? Is this a joke?” he hedged.
“No! Every morning we get more and more news of the Jacobites fighting their way closer to Carlisle. They are going to be here any week now, and despite Durand’s fine speeches, we aren’t ready. There isn’t enough time. There aren’t enough soldiers!”
“That doesn’t mean you have to become one, Kathy, you are being ridiculous.”
She could feel her expression souring dramatically. “I’m not! You’ve heard the militia talk- more of them are leaving to go back to their families than are arriving. By the time the Highlanders get here there is going to be no one left to defend us! I’m willing and able to help fight, and I want to offer to help. Don’t you?”
“You can’t fire the cannons, Kathy.”
“Wha- Why not?” she spluttered indignantly. She’d been planning that speech all afternoon as she worked on her embroidery with Elizabeth, and Matthew’s resolute disapproval wasn’t the reaction she’d expected. She had thought he would approve of her plan. “Matthew, you can’t stop me.”
Matthew started a brief staring contest, which was apparently his new method of persuading Katherine to agree to his point of view without the hassle of actually yelling. She deflated slightly, squirming under his steady gaze.
I really like using uncommon words to bring a bit of humour to the situation, and I’ve gotten better at doing that. It’s also really good for succinctly describing a person’s attitude in an unexpected way, like ‘deflated’ used to describe Katherine giving in. I don’t know, I guess I like the subtle ways of lightly saying something that is matter of fact. This ended up less about my sense of humour and more about my writing, but whatever. They are linked; and I think in the next draft I’m going to do more of this style of prose- a bit informal, but more relatable. Sour expressions and indignant splutters are so much more fun than dramatic arguments, I think.
3. What are your top 5 favourite TV shows and why?
Doctor Who, Spaced, Green Wing, Merlin, Black Books.
Those are all British, which was unintentional. I do watch American stuff too, but my favourites are all homegrown. They are all my favourites because of the sense of humour (except for Merlin, which, not gonna lie, I like because of the blatant fan service. I’m hardly there for the writing, anyway. Arthur’s bare chest is its own character at this point.), the actors, the way they make me feel instantly calm even though I know episode off by heart. They are my comfort zone, I guess.
4. Who would you say are your main ~creative influences~?
My mum. She is the funniest person I know, and I try to make her laugh. If I can do that, then I’m on the right track. This is going to sound super lame, but I really like the new writing styles that are coming out of the online community. Because everyone knows the same in-jokes and people are writing for their friends, and no one is editing writing for a mainstream audience, there tends to be a lot more references and Dinosaur comic, slang type sentences in stuff. It makes prose a lot more interesting to read, and I’ve tried to copy that a bit and make it more relevant, rather than just being used to describe couples kissing in a way that hasn’t been done twenty four times in just this fandom. ANYWAY, YES. I’m not going to say fanfiction is my influence, but bringing Internet into real fiction is a Thing for me. Real authors: Terry Pratchett, obviously, because he has comic humour down to an art. In terms of plots, I love Moffat. He’s got a few problems but I do love the stuff he does with time travel in DW, and how that effect character interactions, rather than just the current OMG! ADVENTURE plotline. I want to do a bit more research into cultural differences across time in the next draft, so I can really get some comparisons in there about the separate timelines. I’ve left all that stuff for now so I can get the plot down; I haven’t even put in accents yet (Matt is Scottish but his dialogue is still pure English, it really frustrates my mum, hah).
5. How did YOU end up on Livejournal?
Ooh, no idea. It was 2007, so I was fourteen? I think I was looking for Harry/Ginny fanfic, actually. Hah! What bad taste I had in those days. I don’t think I’d discovered non-canon pairings yet.
6. Why is everyone on about Teen Wolf?
Ok, I have two reasons for watching this programme, which is mainly kind of terrible.
Number one: Stiles.
Stiles, guys. STILES.
Number two: this is probably the first time the popular slash ship has a chance of becoming canon. And it really, really does. This explains it a lot better than I ever could, but basically the network is MTV, so they only have to worry about what teenage girls want, and they have a tumblr account, so they know. They showed Sterek fanart on tv and ask fans for their fic. They tag posts as sterek, and make promos where the actors are cuddling on a 'ship', are you even serious with this right now. One of the actors made a joke about Sterek not actually being real and the network EDITED IT OUT of the clip so people wouldn’t get confused about whether it was happening or not. The writer is gay, and the actors said that there was a 50/50 chance of it actually happening. So....it’s a pretty big deal, for the LGBT community and for fangirls in general. If it happens the main pairing on a mainstream show is going to be a gay couple. Guys!
Also, the couple are perfect and I want it to happen so much, guys, I can’t even explain. IT’S SO GOOD.
.
7. What's your favourite thing so far about American culture as opposed to British culture?
Everyone is a lot friendlier, and more willing to help. I like air conditioning. A lot. I like the ease with which I can get to New York or Washington DC for the day (going to NYC in ten days!). I like the cheap prices of clothes. I like the mountains and scenery.
Good question, I’ve been moaning about all the things that I don’t like, but not so much the good things.
Urgh, so many words. If you want some questions, hit me up.
This is going to sound super lame, but I really like the new writing styles that are coming out of the online community. Because everyone knows the same in-jokes and people are writing for their friends, and no one is editing writing for a mainstream audience, there tends to be a lot more references and slang in stuff. It makes prose a lot more interesting to read, and I’ve tried to copy that a bit and make it more relevant, rather than just being used to describe couples kissing in a way that hasn’t been done twenty four times in just this fandom. ANYWAY, YES. I’m not going to say fanfiction is my influence, but bringing Internet into real fiction is a Thing for me.
So Sarah gave me some questions, a while ago but I HAVE A BUSY LIFE OKAY, so here’s me answering those. Because she has a hard time being nice, she gave me some mean questions first:
1. why do you suck so bad
2. why aren't you awesome like me
3. is it hard knowing you'll never be as cool as i am
4. what are the best things about being my friend TRICK QUESTION everything is the best thing
So take a moment to appreciate those for the high humour they are so Sarah can feel happy with herself. Now, the REAL STUFF.
1. What was your favourite thing to research for The Red Earth Rolls? Or your favourite part about writing it generally?
I did a LOT of research because I chose the worst kind of novel; a historical one set in MULTIPLE TIME PERIODS, URGGGGGGH, past!Lauren you are a crazy, heartless slave driver. Here are a few of my bookmarks, to give you an idea:
That is only a small selection, mainly because most of the others are Wikipedia links and it’s far too embarrassing to share with the world how lazy my research techniques are.
My favourite bits are the diaries from the Crimean war, because some of the anecdotes are so crazy I could barely believe they were true. At one point the soldiers were marching on the Russians, who were firing at them from the other side of the riverbank. The Brits stopped on the riveredge to pick grapes, IN THE MIDDLE OF A BATTLE, RIGHT, GUYS, and then waded through the river, shooting at the Russians, with bunches of grapes clenched between their teeth. Soldiers were dying, clutching bunches of grapes. THAT IS A THING THAT HAPPENED, HISTORICALLY. If that was in a film people would think it was too farfetched to be accurate.
My favourite part of writing in general was probably the diary entries, because that gave me a chance to show off my well-honed Blogging for Tumblr skills. Basically they were extracts from a diary written in 2012, so I tried to make them really popculture-y and modern to contrast with the old fashioned parts. It was one of the only parts I felt really confident doing, because WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW, or whatever, and I KNOW blogging, trust me. Apart from that it was just hilarious, because Kate is hilarious and naive and I love writing her a lot. A tiny extract:
Tuesday 5th June 2014
So, I’ve decided to be even more fantastic and mysterious and write in code, partly because Matthew and I have been discussing something recently which I need to write down- but I don’t feel comfortable leaving it around for anyone to read, but mainly because it’s the coolest possible thing in the world. I WANT TO BE A SPY WHY AREN’T I A SPY WHEN DID MY LIFE GO WRONG.
So, despite the deep wrong the universe has given me by making me a paltry research scientist rather than a kick ass spy, I do have something kind of terrifying to discuss. Over dinner last week, Matt told me that he’d been talking to Mick about his work. Shocking, I know. Save some excitement for me, guys.
I’d been thinking he was going to mention the baby thing again, considering he had taken me out for a posh meal and told me to wear the sexy dress he can’t get enough of, but no, apparently he has a life changing and dangerous dilemma he wanted to discuss instead. It looks like babies are going to have to wait until all this has blown over. So YEAH, I wasn’t really paying attention when he started talking about Mick, considering it was an UTTERLY DULL TOPIC OF CONVERSATION, WAY TO SPOIL THE MOOD DUDE, but then he said something so seriously that it completely took me by surprise. Like, he said it as if he wasn’t even sure he could trust me enough to tell me that he’d had a conversation with Mick about the labs.IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED THEN READ MY BOOK. No, seriously, read it, that would be amazing. Only two people have finished it so far, I WANT OPINIONS!
2. How would you describe your sense of humour?
My sense of humour is a really important, defining part of my personality, and something I value in people a lot more than usual, I think. I tend to deal with things by finding the humour in them, and generally I try to make friends with people who have the same sense of humour. If we don’t have much in common, that doesn’t matter so much as being able to joke around with them, I’ve found. Which is why I’ve been hanging around with Brazilians, cause we all have the same insulting way of teasing which a few Americans have been really confused by so far.
Anyway! I think my humour is very dry, sarcastic, and insulting. Alice summed it up perfectly the other day when she said “English people are horrible to their friends and extremely polite to their enemies.” If I insult you, then I’m comfortable around you.
I’ve been thinking a lot about humour this summer, especially on rereading Draft Zero. The style of writing changed a lot as I wrote and discovered my own abilities, and one of the things that changed the most is the humour. I’ve found a good way of writing humour that isn’t oneliners; in the words. I’m not really sure how to describe it, so here’s an example.
“I’m going to ask Colonel Durand!” Katherine exclaimed, running into the stables midsentence. Matthew was cleaning the wheels of the carriage. He dropped a washcloth into a bucket with a heavy sigh before turning to her.
“Kathy,” he replied, in a long-suffering tone. “Do you remember me telling you that I have to present for the entire conversation- you can’t just filter me in at the end?”
“Sure, of course,” she said, not really listening. “I said I’m going to ask him. I want to learn to fire the cannons!”
“What? Is this a joke?” he hedged.
“No! Every morning we get more and more news of the Jacobites fighting their way closer to Carlisle. They are going to be here any week now, and despite Durand’s fine speeches, we aren’t ready. There isn’t enough time. There aren’t enough soldiers!”
“That doesn’t mean you have to become one, Kathy, you are being ridiculous.”
She could feel her expression souring dramatically. “I’m not! You’ve heard the militia talk- more of them are leaving to go back to their families than are arriving. By the time the Highlanders get here there is going to be no one left to defend us! I’m willing and able to help fight, and I want to offer to help. Don’t you?”
“You can’t fire the cannons, Kathy.”
“Wha- Why not?” she spluttered indignantly. She’d been planning that speech all afternoon as she worked on her embroidery with Elizabeth, and Matthew’s resolute disapproval wasn’t the reaction she’d expected. She had thought he would approve of her plan. “Matthew, you can’t stop me.”
Matthew started a brief staring contest, which was apparently his new method of persuading Katherine to agree to his point of view without the hassle of actually yelling. She deflated slightly, squirming under his steady gaze.
I really like using uncommon words to bring a bit of humour to the situation, and I’ve gotten better at doing that. It’s also really good for succinctly describing a person’s attitude in an unexpected way, like ‘deflated’ used to describe Katherine giving in. I don’t know, I guess I like the subtle ways of lightly saying something that is matter of fact. This ended up less about my sense of humour and more about my writing, but whatever. They are linked; and I think in the next draft I’m going to do more of this style of prose- a bit informal, but more relatable. Sour expressions and indignant splutters are so much more fun than dramatic arguments, I think.
3. What are your top 5 favourite TV shows and why?
Doctor Who, Spaced, Green Wing, Merlin, Black Books.
Those are all British, which was unintentional. I do watch American stuff too, but my favourites are all homegrown. They are all my favourites because of the sense of humour (except for Merlin, which, not gonna lie, I like because of the blatant fan service. I’m hardly there for the writing, anyway. Arthur’s bare chest is its own character at this point.), the actors, the way they make me feel instantly calm even though I know episode off by heart. They are my comfort zone, I guess.
4. Who would you say are your main ~creative influences~?
My mum. She is the funniest person I know, and I try to make her laugh. If I can do that, then I’m on the right track. This is going to sound super lame, but I really like the new writing styles that are coming out of the online community. Because everyone knows the same in-jokes and people are writing for their friends, and no one is editing writing for a mainstream audience, there tends to be a lot more references and Dinosaur comic, slang type sentences in stuff. It makes prose a lot more interesting to read, and I’ve tried to copy that a bit and make it more relevant, rather than just being used to describe couples kissing in a way that hasn’t been done twenty four times in just this fandom. ANYWAY, YES. I’m not going to say fanfiction is my influence, but bringing Internet into real fiction is a Thing for me. Real authors: Terry Pratchett, obviously, because he has comic humour down to an art. In terms of plots, I love Moffat. He’s got a few problems but I do love the stuff he does with time travel in DW, and how that effect character interactions, rather than just the current OMG! ADVENTURE plotline. I want to do a bit more research into cultural differences across time in the next draft, so I can really get some comparisons in there about the separate timelines. I’ve left all that stuff for now so I can get the plot down; I haven’t even put in accents yet (Matt is Scottish but his dialogue is still pure English, it really frustrates my mum, hah).
5. How did YOU end up on Livejournal?
Ooh, no idea. It was 2007, so I was fourteen? I think I was looking for Harry/Ginny fanfic, actually. Hah! What bad taste I had in those days. I don’t think I’d discovered non-canon pairings yet.
6. Why is everyone on about Teen Wolf?
Ok, I have two reasons for watching this programme, which is mainly kind of terrible.
Number one: Stiles.
Stiles, guys. STILES.
Number two: this is probably the first time the popular slash ship has a chance of becoming canon. And it really, really does. This explains it a lot better than I ever could, but basically the network is MTV, so they only have to worry about what teenage girls want, and they have a tumblr account, so they know. They showed Sterek fanart on tv and ask fans for their fic. They tag posts as sterek, and make promos where the actors are cuddling on a 'ship', are you even serious with this right now. One of the actors made a joke about Sterek not actually being real and the network EDITED IT OUT of the clip so people wouldn’t get confused about whether it was happening or not. The writer is gay, and the actors said that there was a 50/50 chance of it actually happening. So....it’s a pretty big deal, for the LGBT community and for fangirls in general. If it happens the main pairing on a mainstream show is going to be a gay couple. Guys!
Also, the couple are perfect and I want it to happen so much, guys, I can’t even explain. IT’S SO GOOD.
.
7. What's your favourite thing so far about American culture as opposed to British culture?
Everyone is a lot friendlier, and more willing to help. I like air conditioning. A lot. I like the ease with which I can get to New York or Washington DC for the day (going to NYC in ten days!). I like the cheap prices of clothes. I like the mountains and scenery.
Good question, I’ve been moaning about all the things that I don’t like, but not so much the good things.
Urgh, so many words. If you want some questions, hit me up.