I'm trying to use the May Blitz to challenge some of my normal writing habits, not that I feel these habits are necessarily bad, but rather that I want to "spread my wings" a bit as it were.

I tend to latch on to fantasy as a genre.
In Apprentice, I started the first segment with the intention of it taking place in a modern office building, where the girl, then named Rose, worked. It was going to be about a conflict between home and work, where the guy was not only at her work, but also her husband, or something along those lines.

Then after the first break, where she left his office (later revised into a library, as her name was changed to Arielle), I couldn't decide where she was going. As I was writing, it ends up she is learning magic, and has enough magic in her to save the world. Crap, there goes the office drama. So I made revisions, and set a goal. During the May Blitz, for each fantasy story I turn out, I must write one that is fiction (*not* speculative fiction) So far, it seemed to work out. But in pursuing this goal, I have noticed something else...

My fiction tends to be about depressing topics
I haven't verified this as a definitive trend, since I can only base it on 2 stories for the May Blitz, but I think it's a habit I need to watch out for. With the prompt "Songs from the depth of the sea" I was thinking something along the lines of mermaids, or a city under the sea. But, crap, that's speculative. So I changed the focus to a girl who is seeking out these songs that only she can hear. It ends up happy / tragic. (I'll write more about the style I used on this piece in a minute). Then, for my other fiction, I chose a prompt that was not the most cheerful in the world (A thanks here to nano_katie for the prompts). I thought I'd use a twist on the phrase "We've received word from the outside. It doesn't look good.", and make it story about children playing a game. However, that also ended up darker than I thought it would, with the last segment, especially (Outside the Bunker).

I use a lot of letters and descriptions of the past during present moments in my writing
I noticed the trend for letters when I was participating in a write-in with my writing group. WE had a prompt (someone was lied to) and a set time limit (15 or 20 minutes?), and I started out with a girl finding her mother's journal. As I was writing I was about to start writing journal entries where the girl would find out the past, and was struck with a since of "This is familiar". In my Dreamwalker story that I wrote for the short story book, I have a letter sent from Kellen to Arlyn updating her on his situation. In Charlie's Place Charlotte finds a journal her Aunt writes, explaining why she died.

Not only do I use letters as a writing convention, but also cuts where I slip in the past into the present. I even used it in Apprentice, which is not even 2000 words long. As she is working on potions, Arielle remembers what her mother says about her mentor. You also get the history of how Javid arrived in town, and how Arielle came to be his apprentice. In Protection I flash back to the fight, almost as an after thought, as a technique to bring clarity to the scene, of why the tension is there. (More on the plot twists in a minute).

Anyway, with the realization that I don't write "in the moment" a lot, I decided that on my second Blitz story Songs of the Sea, I would keep all my action in the present. When Kyra is thinking about Dustin, it is never in the past, or events that have happened, it is either what he is/ would be doing right now, or will do in the future. It was an interesting writing exercise for me, and quite a challenge to keep focus on what was going on. I had to find creative ways to explain the situation without actually flashing back to previous moments in Kyra's life.

I love writing plot twists
In almost all of my stories, you will find a plot twist. I frequently lead my readers one direction, or purposefully conceal information to reveal later, that will then surprise the reader, or make them go "oh, so that's what it was. My entire 2004-5 Nano Novel Total Eclipse is built around such a big plot twist, that I am having trouble writing the final scene where it is revealed. The whole point to that story is that something is not as the reader's expected it to be, and I can't get the revelation of hidden information out so easily. I do provide hints through the story, and that is tricky, too, but rewarding.

Looking at some more recent (and shorter) works as examples, in Dreamwalker all of Arlyn's actions have an unexpected effect, which is revealed in the last sentence of the piece (also another example of a "not so happy" ending). In Apprentice the reason Arielle can't focus at work, and why she is being scolded, again, revealed at the end, after some misdirection by Arielle's own thoughts. In Protection the reason Logan is upset is revealed at the end. The piece where I first introduced Logan and Drake Deciet was written in such a way that I don't mention a gender for Logan until it is revealed by Drake. (I have another short story where I don't mention the gender of the main character The News, and I don't specify the relationship of the characters, leaving the readers to make their own assumptions. I did the same thing in another story What Love Means.)

I don't know that this is a habit that I particularly mind. I actually enjoy writing like this, and enjoy reading stories that have such twists. I think it's an important habit to be aware of, though, to make sure I can challenge myself to write things that are more straight forward, but still interesting to read.

My preferred tense is the omniscient third person
I like being God to my characters, knowing what they know (and sometimes what they don't know) and sharing that with the readers. I also tell their story in the past tense ("she walked to the door" rather than "she walks to the door") I have tried to stray from this a little (The News is first person, present tense, and Outside the Bunker is in third person present. It's difficult for me to write in present tense, and I find it difficult to read in first person, so I don't know that I'll make any major shifts in either of those directions. This is just another habit I need to be aware of, so that I CAN challenge myself to write differently every once and a while.

I like leaving things up to my readers
In writing this overview of my writing style, I touched on this a little, but realized it should have a point of it's own. I like leaving things open for interpretation by my readers, especially in short stories. In Apprentice, Songs of the Sea, and Outside the Bunker I imply what the ending will be, but don't spell it out, like I did in Dreamwalker. With short stories, especially, I find it easier to leave things open for interpretation (like the relationships in The News, Deceit and What Love Means). I also like reading stories that don't spell things out one by one, because it leaves me as the reader, with something to think about, and also the notion that the author thinks I'm intelligent enough that I don't have to have my hand held through all the details.

I write like I have an audience
It is very rare that I write something, anything, without the thought of "someone else is going to read this." In most cases this is true, because I post what I write here in my writing journal, or on the writing communities that provided the challenge (May Blitz community, 400 words community, NaNo WriMo) and also, in most cases, I post them the writing section of this website. I also share most of what I write with the co-workers who have expressed interest in my writing.

By not writing for myself, I do edit what I write, to make sure not to offend any audience. I avoid curse words, unless it is absolutely necessary, and I sometimes change the tone of things (lessen the sexuality of a scene, or choose less violent imagery) than I might if I didn't have the audience I do. For instance, I toned down a bit in Charlie's Place Michael is reading a journal entry about sexual relations Charlotte had with another woman when I found out my dad was reading the story as I posted it on my website. Some of my short stories have become more innuendo than not because I know my co-workers read them. That also cleans up the language, in some cases.

I think knowing your audience is an important part in writing, but I am coming to the conclusion (as I write this) that I need to be able to write for myself, how the story needs to be written, and not worry if it's going to offend someone. Someone will always find something to be offended over. This is not saying I should abandon my idea of audience, but rather realize sometimes I can write and pretend there is going to be no audience, and write how the story flows the first time. To do that, I need to know that there IS no audience, and that I am writing only for myself, and see what that opens up in me. This is tricky because of the next habit I have...

I share my work so I can get attention / praise
Almost everything I write is shared with others. Journals, websites, passed around to co-workers, read aloud at write-ins. It is in me to share what I have written. I have come to the conclusion that I like the attention. In most cases the people I share my writing with are people I know. I know of only one person who randomly came across my writing journal and asked to be added so they could read my story. Everyone else who is on my journal, I know. I don't know who visits my website to read my writings, but I'd wager it's also people I know. I of course know my co-workers, my family and my writing group. In most cases people I know will say "this is great", or "I like it", general praise and good feelings. Treating my ego like it's getting a pat on the head and a cookie.

I know that I'll keep sharing my work, because my audiences keep saying they like it. I am at the same time wary of the praise, as I know how easy it is to say "I like it" or "good job" when you consider something that a friend has created. How much more difficult it is to say "This isn't so good" or "I don't like it". I know my regular audience wouldn't really say such things. They read because it is a favor to me, it seems, without really an eye for critique.

I don't know if I could find an audience that would readily critique my writings, and I don't know if I'm ready to handle that. I did sign up for a short story writing workshop as a leisure course, and there the classmates and teachers actually provided critical feedback. I got a little defense over it, but learned that I needed to listen, and not defend. It's a hard lesson to internalize. It's also hard to critique work of a person you barely know. I feel like I'm in a now win situation, friends don't critique because they know me, people in writing communities don't critique (nor do strangers) because they DON'T know me. I feel the same, who am I to critique their work, even though they list "crit please" on their stories?

With all the praise I receive, and pats on the ego for good and interesting writing, I have come to the conclusion that I am a good writer. I don't know if this is true or not, but with nothing but praise, that is all I can conclude. The good thing is I am aware that this could be an erroneous assumption based on the praise of people who know me. The bad thing is, I don't know how to get honest feedback, how to find out if my image of myself as a good writer reflects a nugget of truth, or is merely an ego stuffed on those cookies it has been fed by friends and family.

I like writing
And my final conclusion, not really a habit per se, is that I like writing. I like creating characters and stories that engage, I like using the plot twists and unexpected events to lead readers to amazing discoveries. I like making my readers think, and getting feedback from my stories. Even though very little of the writing I do is for myself, I find it writing a rewarding thing. I am always excited when I come up with a new story line, and love sharing stories with my sister, and anyone who will listen, as they are done or as they develop.

Well, this was a little walking tour of my writing styles and habits. Hopefully I'll be able to challenge myself to try new things in writing this month (an in the future). And while this journal entry was written to help me clarify things for myself, it was also written like most of my work, to be read.

The views of this article are absolutely the views of the creator of this website, but they are just personal opinion. If you don’t agree with the views expressed here, tough cookies. Ain’t freedom of speech great?   If you have another perspective on the topic above, you may feel free to e-mail me. (Please include a name so I can give proper credit for the submission.)  I may, depending on the number of responses, time constraints, and how I feel on any given day, post other people’s opinions on the topic.