Writer's Trademarks Meme

[jedibuttercup]

OK. So, I'm not-- unless, Heaven forfend, my Yuletide story decides to sprout like a crazy weed-- going to participate in NaNoWriMo this year. The most I've ever managed in one month before was in the 25,000 word range, which left me wiped out for weeks afterward and feeling hugely disappointed, so-- no.

I do, however, still have ficathons and promised stories stacked up to work on. And when I saw this meme go 'round, it got me thinking, too. I'm a fairly self-aware writer, but no one is perfectly so, and I'm always interested in improving.

Gacked from st_aurafina:

What would you say are the trademarks of my writing? What themes or quirks or turns of phrase have you noticed? What is it that makes a story by me -- well, a story by me?
~

Comments

[jedibuttercup]

Wow. Great comments; thank you for replying.

I do try very hard to keep characterization consistent; if I can't "see" and "hear" them as I write, I feel like I'm failing. And I always love to hear that I'm succeeding at it. I want my stories to feel like they're just a half-step out of canon, that no matter how weird the premise it rings true to the characters and the world(s) they come from.

The other bit, though, the reveal-- Hmm. That probably comes out of an early prof of mine who insisted that "in medias res" was the best way to start any story; never infodump, just drop the reader right in with the character, and drop details in slow but steady. Now that I think of it, that probably is a technique I use more often than not, especially in short-fic. (I love the surprised "oh, of course!" reactions I tend to get to those, like the identity of Buffy's boyfriend in the most recent Buffy/Pirates crossover I did). Thank you for pointing that out.