Writerly Ways

[cornerofmadness]

Whelp my stomach is busy making me its bitch again so I'm not up to much writing discussions but let me combine with snowflake and maybe i'll have something.



In your own space, talk About A Creator/Someone Who Inspired You.

From the pro world, Barbara Hambly . I have always been fond of her since my teen years. She writes fantasy, historical mysteries etc. She has always been all over the map, much like I am when it comes to genres. Whenever I see people screaming you MUST have a brand and only that style of story I get snarky. Okay I can see their point but why be limited? Hambly has done it for thirty years without needing multiple pen names to write various genres (maybe gambling that her fans would try something new just based on her name). More currently Charlaine Harris has done the same and now Darynda Jones has too. This has had a positive impact on me.

In the fan world, evil_little_dog and my friend Betty from whom all these links come. Actually I met both of them through ELfquest fandom many moons ago. ELD is my oft-time beta and some time co-author and we've been each other's sounding boards. Not as much these days as we used to but for a long time both of us had died off a bit in fandom. Now we're both back up and running but in different fandoms. You can find her under her blog name on AO3 in the Buffyverse, Fullmetal ALchemist, Lucifer, MCU, X-Files and now Miraculous Ladybug (which I swear I called Ladybird in my last fan post. Oops), just to name a few.

Betty is less active online than ELD or I but she has her geekish etsy here. She makes great art. Somewhere I still have character sketches she did of my characters from years ago. She writes fantasy romances. I think they're very cool and romance isn't much my genre. (I still owe her a read on something. I know I know. I keep forgetting I'm horrible) She's been a great support over the years and I am grateful for it.

Have some links from Betty
The Crucial First Page of Your Novel

5 Common Story Openings to Avoid—If You Can Help It

Time Management for Writers

find writing inspiration

Six Important Differences Between Filmed and Narrated Stories

podcast
257 – Beginning Your Story.

And from around the web

Pages as Mirrors: The Need for Diverse Books by Jennifer J. Chow

My Journey To Publication

What I Learned on Submission

Writing Tips In Perspective

Keeping Going

Inside the Spectacular Implosion at the Romance Writers of America

Comments

[sperrywink]

What wonderful tributes! Barbara Hambly is a name I haven't heard in awhile and I don't think I've read any of her work. Maybe I should check her out.

And I'm glad you could share a fandom many moons ago with your two friends and remain friends as everyone moves on fandom-wise.

Thanks for the links!

[cornerofmadness]

I highly rec her Benjamin January historical mystery series. Yeah she's been around for decades, sort of solidly in the mid-lister range I guess.

It is unusual isn't it? Maybe because it was the paper zine days but there's at least a dozen of them from Elfquest I still talk to 30 years later vs like 2 people from Fullmetal Alchemist from only 10 years ago

[enemytosleep]

You and ELD were the two-headed author.

[cornerofmadness]

We absolutely were. SHe's trying to lure me into Miraculous Ladybug and I'm trying to get her into Prodigal Son (but serial killers wig her out)

[enemytosleep]

Both of you should watch The Witcher instead.

[cornerofmadness]

Neither of us can. Well she might be able to. I'm too rural to stream