What are your quirky consistent writing habits?

[king-goldfish]

Like a lot of people in this thread, I consistently write main characters of one specific gender. That's actually what helped me figure out I was trans—my strong preference for male main characters. I love writing women, but my main character is almost always going to be a man.

I have an unfortunate drive to make things not work out in the end. I love making things go wrong and wrong and wrong... and then I struggle to figure out how to pull it back for a happy ending. So a lot of the time, there just is no happy ending.

That said, I also struggle to not insert inappropriate humor in everything I write. Things are gonna be at least 35% silly all the time.

I insert my interest in real-life cultures and languages into my writing, so you can expect a lot of real-world languages and aspects of culture popping up in my fantasy settings. I love Slavic naming systems so much that I have used them in multiple stories and settings.

My main characters are also almost always some kind of rebel or criminal or otherwise alienated from mainstream society.

Oh and gay! My main characters are always some kind of gay.

[ThunderChicken]

Another here for the gay character thing. They say to write what you know, and since I have no idea how a traditional “straight” relationship works (yes, I know the mechanics of it) I don’t write them.

WNHCD was easy to write because it was a true story. Writing LGBTQ fiction caused me a bit of a problem with Defining Daecon, though. I wanted all of my shapeshifter characters to be men. That left me with the “so how do they reproduce” problem, and so I came up with a plausible (if not actually possible) solution. And then I decided that a certain part of that reproduction was going to be unethical in the eyes of the reader (as it is to Daecon himself when he hears how it’s done) and so I’ve decided to make that a major plot point later in the story.

Oh, and don’t feel left out, ladies. There’s another magical race in the Defining Daecon universe that is entirely female, and they play a very important part in the story.

[aceofdandelions]

my writing sessions are classified into three difficulty modes:

1. normal - can be done with half a mind and mild coffee, usually for weekdays. can be in-between work or after. not much critical thinking needed because im probably just throwing shit around and seeing what sticks

2. hard - requires 75% of brain power, gotta have my gacha games in the bkg as i grind. if not gacha then multiple tabs abt different shit. work emails on another window, so im forced to contend with a. procrastinate work or b. procrastinate writing. whatever i choose, i get one done.

3. expert - usually on weekends/holidays. must start with meditative session re: meaning of life and why i do the shit i do. gather snacks and camp by the pc. laptop wont work because i will sleep 100%. doze out and perform gdocs sorcery where shit just appears the moment i regain cognition.

but narrative wise, like actual writing shit, i guess its the wild POV switches. like, i know in writing they tell you do be consistent but the only consistency in my life is the lack of it so i kind of accepted that this is how i roll. wild stuff!

[NickRowler]

• Main characters who struggle with mental health
• Main lead is a bi/gay man
• Characters who are not living with their biological parents
• Mixed race families
• No high school teenagers.

[MelancholicOtaku]

A main character who may or may not be the ‘ chosen one’

A group characters who end up being family

Two awkward teens falling in love for the first time

Cool weapons

Add in random characters and moments at the last second

[vapidink]

Gonna join the gay characters club.

Death and loss as a theme. Three of my WIP deal with death and/or loss in some way including a recently orphaned teen, a half-dead necromancer, and a mage who's foreseen his death.

Dreams! I have three stories where dreams play a big part, but they sneak into most of my stories.

Bickering/teasing as a relationship dynamic, whether it be a romantic or platonic relationship.

Slow-burn romance because I just find it more interesting than love at first sight.

[ArtGremlin]

I think I have a problem of making all my MCs either “short” or “tall” or look somewhat older/younger than they actually are. Ex: August lil guy- looks 10 but actually 16 because alien. Xivian is just a bit taller than average but he’s 25 and looks like he could be 40 for no particular reason. His face is just built like that. Probably caused by too much scowling. There’s also Victor- very short, Fernando- looks older, Chester is the worst case- he has three different heights because magic​ so he’s short, a little taller than average, and massive. not to mention he’s in his early 30’s but looks 40.
The only story I have that’s safe from this phenomenon is Star Hunters and its sequel. Agent Flower and his grandson are just average guys.

Also all my MCs are guys- but that’s just because I like writing men.

[Leyelle]

Dreams! I have three stories where dreams play a big part, but they sneak into most of my stories.

i like doing this often too. I feel like dreams and visions give you a lot of creative freedom

I think I have a problem of making all my MCs either “short” or “tall”

same either a 5'10 girlie or a 4'9 girlie. no in between it would seem lol