#wcc

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.09.28 — Could you work without the [I]nternet? What would change? I wrote using a computer from 1975 through 1997—though the early years were timeshare—without the aid of the Internet. Spellcheckers and grammar checkers appeared well before they became Internet-based, though I have hardcopy (remember books?) dictionaries, reverse dictionaries, spell-check books, and thesauri. I do have encyclopedias of science, engineering, and other knowledge lookup books, but realistically, research without a good librarian would be very much more difficult without the Internet, and would have taken days instead of minutes. I look up a lot of things. Writing my Mars-colonization novel would have been very difficult without being able to look up facts, photos, a discussions at the time of need. Moreover, I would not have written it at all, since the feminist story is based on a #writever month of feminist prompts—31 of them, one for each chapter—posted on Mastodon. I am thankful for the Internet. [Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.] #BoostingIsSharing #gender #fiction #writer #author #writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers #RSdiscussion #RSstory #RSMarsNeededWomen

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC March 16: What's the largest cast you've ever written? What made it challenging? I think my #WIP has the most personae of any work so far. The biggest challenge I'm seeing is remembering who is in the room in a given scene and what they should be doing. #Writing #WritingCommunity

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC March 9: Do you prefer to write complex, intricate plots, or more straightforward ones? I prefer to write complex, indicate plots, but usually all I can actually manage is something simple and straightforward. #Writing

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC March 7: What have you given up in order to write? I don't take on apprentices anymore. Which generally means that I have to cook, clean, and feed the monsters myself. #Writing #WritingCommunity

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC March 7: Is there a local writing community near you? Do you participate in it? The closest regularly convening in-person writing community requires planar travel for me to attend. I show up every now and then. #Writing

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC March 5: How do you make sure you don’t leave plot holes? The easiest way I have found is to avoid anything resembling a plot. #Writing #WritingCommunity

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC March 2: Does your overall goal differ from project to project? I certainly have a different, and different kind, of story to tell. Sometimes I have other goals as well. But just as often important parts of the project grow organically, not from initial goals. #Writing #WritingCommunity

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC March 1: What is the fundamental goal you seek to achieve with your current WIP? I have important plot, world, and character arcs to close off. #Writing

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC February 27: Do you edit while you write? What are the pros and cons? No, editing is a separate task that requires a different mindset. Besides, scraping ink off of paper manually is very tiresome and laborious. #Writing #WritingCommunity #handwriting

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC February 26: Does your current WIP have an antagonist? Why or why not? My last work did not have an antagonist, so I feel like I owe my readers one. Maybe more than one. However, it probably won't be who they think it is. #Writing #WritingCommunity

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC February 24: What’s your greatest challenge in fleshing out your setting? I like to give readers a flavor of regional culture, cuisine, and mores. It is sometimes difficult to do so while keeping it relevant to the narrative. #Writing #WritingCommunity

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC February 22: Are there types of settings you avoid writing? Why? I haven't yet had a reason to visit an underwater setting. I think describing the movements of surface-dwellers in the unfamiliar environment would be tough to pull off without it just being slow motion. #Writing

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC February 17: How do you write about ecstacy, in a spiritual, artistic, or sensual context? I try to focus on people's physical/physiological responses. Heartbeats, breath, muscle tightness or relaxation, that sort of feeling. #Writing #WritingCommunity

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC February 15: How big are your settings? Current WIP is a far future space opera. FTL via wormhole has led to human descended species expanding throughout the Virgo supercluster of galaxies (the local group is just one small corner). Over 10 million star systems on the wormhole grid and 10x to 100x that connected via (rare) STL ship. Current setting is a "tiny" empire of some 8000 star systems (so 10,000-30,000 planets and 10x that many moons/large habitats).

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC February 12: How unique is the setting of your current #WIP? Not unique at all. Book # 3 of a series, and we're not even exploring new lands, but revisiting places from 1 and 2. #Writing

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC February 11: What time of day is most productive for you? Why? For #magic, first thing in the morning. Everything is sharp and ready. For #Writing, just after sunset. Things are calmer then and more conducive to flow. #WritingCommunity

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC February 8: How imperfect is your pacing? Do you consider imperfection a sign of your humanity? My pacing is borderline inhuman. Not that it's a good thing. #Writing

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC February 5: What’s a trait of other written works you admire, but don’t seek to incorporate in your own works? I think that every trait of writing that I admire I wish to emulate in some fashion. #Writing

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC February 2: How satisfied are you with the rhythm of your works? I think I've achieved a pleasant ebb and flow so far. This will be harder to achieve in the current WIP. #Writing

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC February 1: How satisfied are you with your current writerly ‘voice’? I would say that I am perfectly satisfied. My readers, on the other hand ... #Writing