Ask the Author: Elizabeth McCoy
Answered Questions (5)
Elizabeth McCoy
1: Good question. Probably the next person they saw OR the next person who *looked like them*. (Or they might become obsessed with staring at themselves in the mirror, like the mythical Narcissus.)
2: She's a dramswife. The question of "love" becomes... tangled. Possibly moot. She's not *unhappily* devoted, though, which is probably about as good as you can get in a political marriage like that.
2: She's a dramswife. The question of "love" becomes... tangled. Possibly moot. She's not *unhappily* devoted, though, which is probably about as good as you can get in a political marriage like that.
Elizabeth McCoy
Oh, I would pick one of the Star Trek books (probably one of Duane's, or Kagan's...), and the first thing I'd do is get myself to sickbay and have a few things fixed up... ;)
Elizabeth McCoy
The usual, mostly: read a lot, figure out what works, read decently-edited stuff so you don't absorb bad grammar, write as much as you can, practice "stunt writing" in fanfic and/or short stories to get it out of your system (*or* figure out when it is absolutely the right choice), etc.
Also, don't get hooked on the idea that some other writer's Process is perfect and what you should emulate. I'm one of those "pantsers" who can't outline (except in my head) and can barely talk about something in-progress without killing it; for years, I thought the Only True Way of Writing required Outlines. Turns out there are a lot of seat-of-the-pants authors out there. Some people have to outline, some can't, sometimes it depends on the story, etc. Give different ideas a try, certainly, but don't obsess on something that sounds great and isn't working for you.
(...maybe if I make *my spouse* write the outline...?)
Also, don't get hooked on the idea that some other writer's Process is perfect and what you should emulate. I'm one of those "pantsers" who can't outline (except in my head) and can barely talk about something in-progress without killing it; for years, I thought the Only True Way of Writing required Outlines. Turns out there are a lot of seat-of-the-pants authors out there. Some people have to outline, some can't, sometimes it depends on the story, etc. Give different ideas a try, certainly, but don't obsess on something that sounds great and isn't working for you.
(...maybe if I make *my spouse* write the outline...?)
Elizabeth McCoy
Badly.
GR won't let me leave it at that, no matter how thematically appropriate a one-word answer is, so I shall elaborate. There is never a shortage of rocks I can crawl under, and they are very comfy. (That said, most of the time I have "writer's block," it's at least partly brought on by external stress.)
GR won't let me leave it at that, no matter how thematically appropriate a one-word answer is, so I shall elaborate. There is never a shortage of rocks I can crawl under, and they are very comfy. (That said, most of the time I have "writer's block," it's at least partly brought on by external stress.)
Elizabeth McCoy
I am currently focusing on Copper Leaf Bargains, in the Lord Alchemist universe. I also have a SF short story and a fantasy "Thing" on the back burner.
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Jun 03, 2020 07:35AM · flag