Wandering Adventure Party

#WritersCoffeeClub 6.Do you write daily? Why or why not?Not. I have a busy day job and a few other hobby interests, so I cannot dedicate as much time as I would like.However, I have still managed to deliver at least 1,000 words of translations and commentary to my Patreon supporters every Monday, for more than six years - so it's not as if I take a lot of breaks as such.https://www.patreon.com/sunkencastles

#WritersCoffeeClub 5 September. How much should a writer read?I generally recommend reading as much as you are able - on any conceivable subject, and certainly outside of your genre. Inspiration can be gained from _anywhere_, and the more you read - the more you know - the more will you be able to develop your own style and your own unique ideas and plots.One of my major regrets in life is that I do no longer have as much time to read as I did in my youth, but I nevertheless try to keep at it.

#WritersCoffeeClub Sep 4. How do you handle nudity or sex in your writing? Subtly, graphically, not at all?I handle it exactly as in the German folk tales I translate.Which is to say, normally they don't dwell on the details, but when the story explicitly says that a dwarf is copulating with the castle cook on the wedding carpet, then I will translate this as literally as possible too.

#WritersCoffeeClub 2 September. Describe your aesthetic.Opinionated textbook with lengthy citations of primary sources.

@oblomov @fishidwardrobe Yes. In 2014-ish I got about 30K words into an experimental novel, showed it to my agent, and she said, "this wants to be two different books". She was right, so I abandoned it, but 5-7 years later I dusted off the subplots and they're now part of "Dead Lies Dreaming" and "Quantum of Nightmares".

#WritersCoffeeClub  1: What’s the most number of revisions you’ve gone through for a work?Six:1: First draft2: First round of self-editing3: Incorporating alpha reader feedback4: Second round of self-editing5: Incorporating beta reader feedback6: Incorporating copywriter feedbackSince I don't have deadlines, and I want my books to be used as reference works for decades, there is no reason not to make them as polished as possible.

#WritersCoffeeClub 8/31. How was this month for you, writing-wise?Not too bad, although it could have been better. I didn't nearly get as many translations done as I hoped I would, although I did plot my next translations out until the end of the year. I also didn't do any work on my current manuscript-in-limbo although I managed to nearly finish reading the book that was strongly recommended to me as research material by an alpha reader:https://bookrastinating.com/book/531192/s/cloven-country

#WritersCoffeeClub 30 August. Have you ever written as a commission? If not, would you?Not commissions as such, but I _have_ been asked to write blog essays on folkloric topics. Which I am amenable to, since I see them as advertising for my folklore topic.I also have once been asked to write an article including translations for a scholarly book, but unfortunately had to decline - publishers usually want pesky things like "exclusive publishing rights", while I want to release by translations under a #CreativeCommons license so that they can never go out of print.

#WritersCoffeeClub day 29: Talk about an experience you've had with plagiarism.I always cite my sources (my books have a massive bibliography), and I release my translations under a #CreativeCommons Zero licence, so there has been no cause for plagiarism in my recent work.That being said, I did learn that #Meta used some very old snippets I wrote for "Teralogos News" - that is, in-setting news for the #GURPS #TranshumanSpace line - to train their #AI , which counts.If you want to check if your own work was used to train Meta's AI without permission, and want to know how to check the class action lawsuit, check this post by @Richard_Littler :https://mastodon.social/@Richard_Littler/115105862107138339

#WritersCoffeeClub 8/28 What's the highest praise you've received as a writer?Hard to say, but the time I got reviewed by an actual folklore journal might qualify.It was in Russian, but still.https://folklore.elpub.ru/jour/article/view/345/303

@pentup Among other things, I do not want to burden the spirits of German folklore with any preconceptions involving British "faeries". There's not much talk about a "vulnerability to iron" in German folklore, to pick just one example.

@lbheuschkel Well, it did exist in some intellectual circles in the cities, but it was notably absent in the mindscape of the rural peasantry of 19th century Germany.And to understand folk tales, you need to understand the mindset of the people telling them. While I do have plenty of scathing criticisms for _some_ of their beliefs, base beliefs in Christianity and souls is not among them.

#WritersCoffeeClub 24. Have you ever written a work that was a retelling of another work?Not exactly a "retelling" than "translation with added commentary".But I observe all the time how folk tales got retold in different guises and context, and many - possibly the majority - count as #fanfiction in my view. Some of them are just more blatant about it than others.The #Bible fanfiction stories in particular are a hoot.

#WritersCoffeeClub 23 AugDo you tend towards writing personal or universal cataclysms? Why?People come to death or ruin in German folk tales all the time, usually through some personal failing.Universal cataclysms are rarer in German folk tales, but they do show up, since biblical eschatology has influenced German folklore similar to many other religious elements. A lot of tales talk about a prophesized "Final Battle" just before Judgment Day - usually, the Turks have overrun most of the world, except for some last remnants in Germany. And then the Day Will Be Saved by some long-lost emperor or army sleeping under a mountain somewhere. And after that, the curtains fail and the End Times have arrived.

@cstross Well, I get about €200 a month from my Patron, which is a good start, although it is still far away from "quite your day job" levels.Although it _was_ nice to get a review from an actual folklore journal. It was in Russian, but still.

#WritersCoffeeClub 22/8: Talk about an affirming experience you've had amongst your writing peers.I don't have much in the way of real world encounters with fellow writers, but I _do_ have a number of nice reviews from fellow writers:https://sunkencastles.com/the-books/

#WritersCoffeeClub Aug 21 - What's something essential to your process you think other writers should try?Beta readers and editing?I mean, that should be stating the obvious, but there are apparently still some beginning authors who decide that they can do without.(I also use alpha readers, though that's not quite as essential. Still improves the finished work, though.)

@dianaprobst Ah, okay, it was one of the tales I had not replaced yet - that explains it.I will add it eventually, for my hypothetical future "Reckless Child Endangerment" book.

@wallacewords It is! German folklore is far stranger than most people are aware of, and rather different from modern fantasy narrative conventions.And it gives me a fascinating view into the minds of Germans of prior centuries.

#WritersCoffeeClub 18/8: Have you ever hidden the fact that you're a writer?Nope. While my status as an author hasn't gotten me any actual dates, so far (more's the pity - I suspect that aspect of the author's life is exaggerated), the response has been overwhelmingly positive and even impressed.It helps that my #folklore books have some pretensions of scholarship, and it does help with preserving and spreading German cultural heritage and so forth - so they don't have the same stigma that #fantasy and #ScienceFiction have in certain circles. Even my aging father, who otherwise doesn't really "get" most of my hobbies, is impressed and occasionally asks me for my latest sales numbers.