Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 16: How do your characters welcome spring?
Jessie definitely makes it a point to go to the Cherry Blossom Festival every year.
Carlos observes Lent, leading up to the celebration of Easter.
Margot often winds up doing a bunch of spring cleaning.
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 15: Do any of your MCs belong to a minority ethnicity in your world?
All of them do, in one way or another. David is white and blond, but he's also Jewish. (Antisemitism is still a very real thing, and on the rise lately). Carlos is white, but Latino.
The other 3 are more obviously non-white: Ángel is a more brown Latine, while Jessie and Margot are both clearly of East Asian descent.
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 14: What role does ethnicity play in your world?
It's a cause for prejudice, racism, misunderstandings, mistreatment... in some cases, it's cause for the police to pull over or hassle people of "the wrong" color, or even kill them, regardless of whether they're unarmed, just for the color of their skin.
In other words, it's San Francisco in 2024.
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 13: What would your MCs hate the most about our world?
It *is* our world. They hate inequality, government corruption, bigotry, selfishness, apathy, and outright resistance to change.
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 12: What would your MCs enjoy most about our world?
It *is* our world. And, much like the antagonists yesterday, the MCs also enjoy living in #SanFrancisco.
Although there are slight differences in exactly what the two groups enjoy about it, and in the ranking of the things. There's more overlap than difference, but the differences are subtly important.
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 11: What do your antagonists appreciate most about the world they live in?
There's a lot to appreciate, but I think the one that they share most of all is an appreciation for living in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, full of scenic views, excellent dining, and good weather. (That is to say, #SanFrancisco.)
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 10: What annoys your antagonists the most about the world they live in?
Homelessness, crime, and urban decay and blight.
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 9: If your MCs don't want to be social, will they be direct or make an excuse?
Jessie would usually make excuses. Margot was raised much the same, but has learned more directness over time. Carlos' upbringing wasn't much like Margot's, but he also was taught to make polite excuses, and has had to learn to just be direct because chronic illness.
Ángel and David will both just be blunt-but-polite about it.
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 8: Would you be welcome? (related to question 7)
I took that into account without even thinking about it in my answer to the previous question, before seeing this one. Not sure what that says about me. 🤔
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 7: If you had to stay with one of your characters for a week, who would you choose?
Lex Bainbridge and his crew seem like they'd be most amenable to having someone crash on their couch for a week. I don't think anyone else has both the space and the inclination to host random strangers. Maybe Hew Morrison? (Many MCs would have the inclination, but not the space. I can think of at least 2 villains off the top of my head who *do* have room, but would refuse unknown guests.)
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 6: What 3 questions would an MC of yours ask to get to know you?
[Edit: Taking this to mean, what would they ask to get to know a person, someone, in general.]
Carlos Velázquez would ask:
1) What's your favorite book?
2) If you could have dinner with any historical, literary, scientific, or other figure of importance, who would you choose and why? (Assume you've got universal translators, so no language barrier.)
3) What superpower would you choose, if you could?
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 3: What food from your fridge or favorite restaurant would your MCs enjoy the most?
There's not a lot in my fridge that's very interesting. Expanding to pantry, David Hartmann might like the everything bagels I've got; decent bagels are hard to find in San Francisco.
Expanding restaurant to include bar, though, Ángel Castillo would *love* sampling the whole menu at my favorite local bar, Fritz.
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 4: If your SC had to describe their world to an alien who knew nothing about it, what would they say?
Aisha Morgan would say: It's a world full of great injustice, but it's also one with great beauty in it, where people are trying to fight the injustice. Where we're trying to learn everything we can, including how to be better to each other.
But that would only be *after* she flipped out and went, "Wait, there are really other intelligent beings in the universe?! Hell, yes!"
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 2: Do you prefer writing series or stand-alone books? Why?
It may be way too early for me to answer this, but what the heck. I suspect I'll find I prefer series(es?). I think that even if I start something off as a standalone book, I'll find I want to explore that world or those people some more, and go back to it later.
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 1: Introduce yourself as if you were a character in your story. What would your role be?
It's funny, "introductions" form a strong portion of the early parts of the book, as my two newly-awakened magicians get introduced by their mentors to the rest of magical society.
So, as the storyteller, I think I'd be in a non-crucial role, one that can watch the story unfold and record it. Here's how the introductions might go if I were to insert myself into the book...
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 29: What's one of the weirdest things that happens in your story?
I really don't know yet. So far, I've plotted out the first 2 chapters fairly thoroughly, then next 3 to a much lesser degree, and then I only know 3 or 4 story beats for the rest of the novel.
I can't have much really weird stuff happen in the early chapters; I'm laying the groundwork to show what's normal! So I'll discover the really weird happenings... later, as I write.
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 28: How often do you back up your work?
My writing directory is in a Dropbox folder, so everything is automatically saved to Dropbox with every Ctrl+S.
That writing directory is also a Git repo, so every time I type "git push" it all also gets copied to the origin repo, which is on my own remote server.
Plus, I have an external drive that I connect up every 2-3 days and run a quick backup script. That backs up huge amounts of my laptop, my writing included.
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 26: Do you draw inspiration from other characters? What are your greatest influences?
I'm drawing very little inspiration for this piece from existing characters. I'm deliberately trying to explore some territory that hasn't been used much.
(To be more specific: I want a lot of marginalized representation in here. I want people who haven't seen themselves in books very much to be able to see themselves in mine.)
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 27: Have you written poetry?
Yes, but not in a long time. The last poetry I wrote for publication was under my deadname, back in the late '80s.
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 25: What's the most out-of-character fact about your mentor character?
Funny, I have two mentors...
Ángel: They used to do poetry slams, under the stage name "Aggro Duarte".
Margot: Has multiple tattoos, including a tiger and a heart pierced by a stiletto.
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 24: If your love interest were a writer, what sort of books would they write?
Oddly, one of the two love interests in my romantic subplot is a playwright. She originally wrote very observational, slice-of-life kinds of plays, and has later branched out into magical realism.
The other love interest, if he were a writer, would probably want to be a music reviewer/journalist. So, he'd probably write for magazines or blogs or something like that, not so much "books".
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 23: What was the first story you ever wrote?
I think there was something when I was about 5 or 6, about how my friends and I were a bunch of superheroes (and I was the leader of the super-team, of course).
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 22: Does reading your own words bring you joy?
"Joy" might be too strong a word, but mild happiness? Satisfaction? Contentment? Something in there. At least so far, for the very little I've written.
I don't know, maybe all I've written so far was easy stuff, and the harder stuff will make me feel bad when I re-read it. (I expect so, given what I hear other writers say.)
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 21: Is your setting a stratified society or something experimental?
It's the society of San Francisco in 2024. So, pretty stratified. ☹
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 20: How do your antagonists sleep?
Adrian Hardesty: Face down.
Derrick Devereaux: A "rotisserie sleeper", slowly rolling over and over
Donna Kuang: Snuggles up close to her husband
Van Martinez: Starts off curled up on her side, but usually rolls onto her back in the night
Travis Winter: Usually on his side, sometimes spooning his wife
Oh, you mean "how can they sleep at night"? They feel they're right, and are doing good. They sleep perfectly soundly on that score.
Kagan MacTane
Ángel and Margot both would, except that they're currently in a relationship/married (respectively), and thus not on the market.
Carlos has nothing against it in general, but doesn't feel it's for him personally (and he's also married).
Jessie probably *will* sometime after the events of the book, when she feels like dating again.
David is 28, gay, and single. Yes, *of course* he's on Grindr! (Although that's more of a supplement to meeting men in clubs.) 2/2
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 19: Which of your MCs would try online dating?
Most of them *would*; they're all under 40 and realize that online is just as valid a way to meet people as anything else. But to give specifics for each of them: 1/2
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 17: What's the most embarrassing thing your MCs have done?
David Hartmann's undoubtedly done a few things at raves when he was rolling that he's embarrassed about in retrospect.
Jessie Nakamura is still deeply ashamed of the way her first kiss went down.
Ángel Castillo would say the most embarrassing thing they've done was "coming out" to their then-girlfriend as a city wizard.
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 18: Do your antagonists eat healthy?
Van Martinez certainly does; she likes to stay in shape, and is fighting the influence of middle age.
Adrian Hardesty and Travis Winter are both gourmet types; they love fine dining (which can range from very healthy to... very not!).
Donna Kuang eats atrociously (to the consternation of her loved ones), but has one of *those* metabolisms.
Derrick Devereaux gets lots of exercise and tries to eat well, but lets himself cheat occasionally.
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 16: What are your antagonists' pet peeves?
Donna Kuang really doesn't like those little electric scooters that are just like a skateboard with a handle in front, and *especially* on the sidewalk.
Adrian Hardesty *hates it* when you get his steak wrong. Medium-well is a thing, and if he wanted it medium-rare, he'd have ordered it that way.
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 15: What does your character think their greatest achievement is?
Hmmm, not "MC", "SC", or villain? Any character? Okay, heck, have a two-fer!
Donna Kuang is very proud of her work to turn Octavia Boulevard into a walkable plaza.
Zoë Broadstreet still takes pride in some of the code she wrote for SaaSure early on. It was solid work, and helped build something that still stands.
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 13: What's your favorite thing that you have on your desk or in your writing space?
A picture of me and my sweetie.
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 14: If you had to date one of your characters, who would it be?
Almost certainly Lex Bainbridge, if he weren't so busy. We both move in the same kind of leather-wearing, club-going, bi-poly crowds, and he's a compatible age with me. (Jessie Nakamura moves in similar, if less bi-poly, circles, but is way younger.)
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 12: Where do your antagonists feel safe?
Travis Winter *did* feel safe in his office (on a high-up floor of a downtown skyscraper, reachable only by an elevator that requires a key-card, after you've gotten past the front-desk guards... and then the office itself is magically warded, too!). Then in chapter 2, a trio of protagonists broke into his office and took something valuable and important to him.
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 11: Share a scene that gave you lots of joy to write
I'm sorry, I've only written one scene so far — and it *did* give me joy to write — but I'm not ready to share it yet.
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 10: Do your MCs have comfort foods?
(Does anyone *not* have a comfort food? Not even one?!)
David: His mother's potato latkes — just a bit more soft potato inside and a bit less crunchy outside than most
Carlos: Ice cream. French vanilla is best, but most flavors will do
Jessie: The "happy face" crêpes at Belly Good in Japantown
Margot: her father's steamed egg
Ángel: Margot's father's char siu bao
Kagan MacTane
#WordWeavers Day 7: What sound does your antagonist hate?
Van Martinez, like most cops, hates the word "paperwork" in any form.
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