We are hanging out with Sara Ella this week in our Summer Panels. I mentioned that Sara has published the Unblemished Trilogy and that it’s great (and the covers are gorgeous!), but I didn’t tell you anything about the story. So here is the description for book one, Unblemished:
Eliyana can’t bear to look at her own reflection. But what if that were only one Reflection—one world? What if another world exists where her blemish could become her strength?
Doesn’t that story sound great? Well, it is great. So, if you haven’t read these yet, put them on your To Read list and take care of that!
And now, on with the panels. Here is today’s question:
What are some of your individual writing quirks–things you catch yourself doing again and again, like repeating a word or phrase, making the same typo over and over, always writing heroes with dark hair and blue eyes, or even a habit like not being able to write without jelly beans nearby?
Sara: Oh, man, what a question! I try so hard to not repeat the same words or phrases or tropes, sometimes I just end up staring blankly at a screen, void of inspiration. My comfort zone lies with introverted female heroines. Maybe because I relate to them most? I also tend to write characters that have lost a parent (like I have) or who are protective of a sibling. I never want to repeat the same story, but I also know that part of who I am as a writer is based on my own experiences. The trick is to find a balance between doing the same thing over and over again, and finding a fresh new way to explore these relationships.
Also, I need cold coffee. That is a must!
Stephanie: Iced coffee is my jam!
It seems like each book has its own pet phrase that I overuse. For Within These Lines, emotions kept flitting over characters faces. And my book was full of Italians and Japanese, so everyone had dark hair and dark eyes.
This is one of the reasons that I try to read a variety of books. There are so many clever ways of saying things, and I always need to refresh my inspiration!
Jill: As I was starting to plot my book Captives, I realized that all the other stories I’d published so far (Blood of Kings, Replication, and The Mission League) had starred a very similar type of guy. He was troublesome but a hero at heart. He was brave–not afraid to speak his mind and put himself in danger to help others. He was all about the “Save the Cat” moment. And I was like … oopsy. So it was nice that the Safe Lands series had three point of view guys. It forced me to get into the heads of a different type of character.
Writing-wise, I tend to add way too many metaphors and similes. Another habit is to use lots of triplet sentences like: He walked down the hall, got a drink from the fountain, and went outside. Triplet sentences are something I have to watch for and tweak to create a better rhythm. I also tend to start a lot of sentences with “And.”