09-04-2015, 04:06 PM
Hello! I'm Nealaphh! You know this!
uh...
Anyway, I was thinking about how authors (or writers, if you wanna be humble) all have their own quirks that truly identify their work as their own; both specialties and their personal writing vices. So I made this thread where people can self-examine and learn more about their own and other authors' styles. Just to compare. There's no specific amount you need to write; just be honest!
So...something like this!
-------
Name: Aaron W.
Characters: Nealaphh, Kopaka
Writing Experience: 13 years, Avocational
Is there an author that influences you?
Yes, though they wouldn't get along at a dinner table. Robert Heinlein, Howard Lovecraft, Alan Steele and Iaian Banks have all contributed to my written voice. They all have a penchant for realism and realistic dialogue. Three out of four of them also wrote female protagonists to a few novels! To me they embody dedication to immersion and the thrill of a a desperate struggle.
Is there a genre you emulate?
Not in particular. Strange Fiction definitely permeates my writing as Nealaphh, but otherwise I adapt my tone and themes to the situation and character.
What do you feel defines your work?
To me, the world is a harsh and unpredictable place, so when I'm writing I always try to make it seem that a situation can go from good to bad, or vice versa, at the drop of a hat. I adore action sequences, and I try to capture the sweaty sort of panic that accompanies such scenes. As such, I like to beat my characters up. Though they usually succeed initially, hubris and complacency often come back to bite them.
Attention to realism and detail is another thing I tend to focus on. Being of a scientific mind, I try to maintain awareness of my own written environment. If something doesn't seem like it would make sense, I don't rely on suspension of disbelief to hand wave the issue. I explain the hows and whys in the story, usually through a character's internal monologue, to make sure the read understands my own logic.
What are your five main rules when you write?
1. Describe everything. We all have powerful minds eyes, but the more effort you put into setting a scene, the easier it is for the reader to follow the ensuing action. Use all of the senses to describe it: Taste, Touch, Smell, Sound, Color, Luminosity, Feeling of Paranoia, etc.
2. Don't repeat words. Obviously, words used to pull sentences together such as 'is' or 'the' are hard to avoid, but I always try to make sure I use consistently different adjectives and nouns, at least within a paragraph, in order to bring depth to the description...even if I'm describing the same thing over and over.
3. Give your character an inner voice. This doesn't mean to write constant soliloquys, but short interjections such as 'Of course' or 'Dammit' can really help a read bond with a character.
4. Be clever! Life (and writing) is not a videogame. We don't have to follow specific patterns or push specific buttons to get specific results. If there's a problem to solve, don't force your character to solve it a certain way when you yourself can think of a better one.
5. Don't be academic. We aren't writing for our teachers here. It's fine to break the mold of proper formatting and sentence structure if it benefits the emotional impact of a scene. One of my favorite things to do is have a flow of dialogue without always saying who said what. This can't be done for long conversations, but for short exchanges, it brings a sense of realism.
Do you have any recurring issues you work on?
I hardly ever proof read anything, so my work tends to be rife with typos. This is only exacerbated when I'm on my phone.
Sometimes I also dwindle too long on certain scenes, and pad out things that might be interesting to me but not the average reader. In turn, I also occasionally gloss over things that should be explained more in detail.
Do you have a few posts you're particularly proud of?
Leviathan is born:
<!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://omniverse-rpg.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=2799#p29005">viewtopic.php?f=21&t=2799#p29005</a><!-- l -->
Nealaphh kills its first dragon:
<!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://omniverse-rpg.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=2523#p22659">viewtopic.php?f=23&t=2523#p22659</a><!-- l -->
Nealaphh dreams of past conquests:
<!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://omniverse-rpg.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2853#p28595">viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2853#p28595</a><!-- l -->
uh...
Anyway, I was thinking about how authors (or writers, if you wanna be humble) all have their own quirks that truly identify their work as their own; both specialties and their personal writing vices. So I made this thread where people can self-examine and learn more about their own and other authors' styles. Just to compare. There's no specific amount you need to write; just be honest!
So...something like this!
-------
Name: Aaron W.
Characters: Nealaphh, Kopaka
Writing Experience: 13 years, Avocational
Is there an author that influences you?
Yes, though they wouldn't get along at a dinner table. Robert Heinlein, Howard Lovecraft, Alan Steele and Iaian Banks have all contributed to my written voice. They all have a penchant for realism and realistic dialogue. Three out of four of them also wrote female protagonists to a few novels! To me they embody dedication to immersion and the thrill of a a desperate struggle.
Is there a genre you emulate?
Not in particular. Strange Fiction definitely permeates my writing as Nealaphh, but otherwise I adapt my tone and themes to the situation and character.
What do you feel defines your work?
To me, the world is a harsh and unpredictable place, so when I'm writing I always try to make it seem that a situation can go from good to bad, or vice versa, at the drop of a hat. I adore action sequences, and I try to capture the sweaty sort of panic that accompanies such scenes. As such, I like to beat my characters up. Though they usually succeed initially, hubris and complacency often come back to bite them.
Attention to realism and detail is another thing I tend to focus on. Being of a scientific mind, I try to maintain awareness of my own written environment. If something doesn't seem like it would make sense, I don't rely on suspension of disbelief to hand wave the issue. I explain the hows and whys in the story, usually through a character's internal monologue, to make sure the read understands my own logic.
What are your five main rules when you write?
1. Describe everything. We all have powerful minds eyes, but the more effort you put into setting a scene, the easier it is for the reader to follow the ensuing action. Use all of the senses to describe it: Taste, Touch, Smell, Sound, Color, Luminosity, Feeling of Paranoia, etc.
2. Don't repeat words. Obviously, words used to pull sentences together such as 'is' or 'the' are hard to avoid, but I always try to make sure I use consistently different adjectives and nouns, at least within a paragraph, in order to bring depth to the description...even if I'm describing the same thing over and over.
3. Give your character an inner voice. This doesn't mean to write constant soliloquys, but short interjections such as 'Of course' or 'Dammit' can really help a read bond with a character.
4. Be clever! Life (and writing) is not a videogame. We don't have to follow specific patterns or push specific buttons to get specific results. If there's a problem to solve, don't force your character to solve it a certain way when you yourself can think of a better one.
5. Don't be academic. We aren't writing for our teachers here. It's fine to break the mold of proper formatting and sentence structure if it benefits the emotional impact of a scene. One of my favorite things to do is have a flow of dialogue without always saying who said what. This can't be done for long conversations, but for short exchanges, it brings a sense of realism.
Do you have any recurring issues you work on?
I hardly ever proof read anything, so my work tends to be rife with typos. This is only exacerbated when I'm on my phone.
Sometimes I also dwindle too long on certain scenes, and pad out things that might be interesting to me but not the average reader. In turn, I also occasionally gloss over things that should be explained more in detail.
Do you have a few posts you're particularly proud of?
Leviathan is born:
<!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://omniverse-rpg.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=2799#p29005">viewtopic.php?f=21&t=2799#p29005</a><!-- l -->
Nealaphh kills its first dragon:
<!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://omniverse-rpg.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=2523#p22659">viewtopic.php?f=23&t=2523#p22659</a><!-- l -->
Nealaphh dreams of past conquests:
<!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://omniverse-rpg.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2853#p28595">viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2853#p28595</a><!-- l -->
And, we dream of home I dream of life out of here Their dreams are small My dreams don't know fear I got my heart full of hope I will change everything No matter what I'm told How impossible it seems We did it before And we'll do it again We're indestructible Even when we're tired And we've been here before Just you and I
Don't try to rescue me I don't need to be rescued
Don't try to rescue me I don't need to be rescued