Q&A with the Writers of "In the Characters Shadow."

We decided to do a little question and answer session with some of the writers of the Blog, giving our readers a chance to know us a little better! So here are the questions and answers that our writers so kindly filled out. :)

If you were any character from any book, who would you be?

Oh, my. This is hard. :P I think I can be really similar to Iko from The Lunar Chronicles. I share her enthusiasm and fangirly-ness. XD I think I’m also kind of like Lizzie from Gallagher Girls, in that I’m clumsy and have similar strengths and weaknesses as her. I’m going to leave it at that even though there are probably more I could compare myself to. :P

If you could live in any book’s world, which would you choose?

Well, this is the question, isn’t it? Considering I read a lot of dystopian/sci-fi…. Hmm… I think the Harry Potter world is pretty cool (of course. :P) and also The Lunar Chronicles world… you know, before the world war and all that… The plague would be frightening and awful, but compared to other dystopian worlds, I think this one’s a little less violent to start off with. XD

Favorite genre to write in?

Oh, boy. It used to be sci-fi/dystopian, but now, I think it’s leaning more towards contemporary.

Favorite writing snack?

FOOD. That is all I have to say about that. Kidding. I think a spoonful of peanut butter is a pretty good writing snack, accompanied by Dr. Pepper, Big Red, or (if I’m feeling healthier) water.

Plotter? Pantser? Or Plantser?

Plantser, I think leaning more towards the pantsing side. I’ve determined if I try to be a full-on plotter I get bored with the story before I even begin writing it. (I have a short attention span- don’t judge. :P) But I like to have some idea of the plot and at least mostly know my main characters before I start writing. Of course, the two first drafts I’ve actually completed are almost completely pantsed, sooo… I’m starting to lean more to the pantsing side of plantsing…

What is your favorite kind of character?

I have two favorite kinds of characters. First, the funny, sarcastic guy (or girl). I just say guy because the main characters I’m thinking of when it comes to this category are all guys. First, I’m thinking of Roar, from Under the Never Sky, who is probably one of my favorite fictional characters of all time. Then, I’m thinking of Uriah from Divergent and Doug from the Christy Miller series.

My second kind of favorite character is the really complex character. I’m thinking Snape and Draco from Harry Potter and Peter and Caleb from Divergent.

Favorite book?

*glares at question* That. That right there is the forbidden question. *sighs* But fine, I guess I’ll attempt to answer that evil thing. Some of my favorites are Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi, We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, and The Selection by Kiera Cass.

What do you want someone to think or say when they finish the last page of your novel?

I really just want readers to feel inspired. I want them to fall in love with the characters that I’ve fallen in love with, remember them, and I want them to have gone on the emotional roller coaster that I’ve gone on with said characters. I want them to find beauty in my words, and in some way, shape, or form simply think (hopefully positively, or at least, not negatively) about my novel after closing it.

~Katheline Hansen

If you were any character from any book, who would you be?

 

I don't know. Maybe Nancy Drew. I think I read so many of her books that she rubbed off on me haha :D

If you could live in any book’s world, which would you choose?

The Boxcar Children's 'world'. America in the 1950's. I think that would be pretty cool.

Favorite genre to write in?

I enjoy writing about things I know a lot about, so that's usually Christian Contemporary for young adults.

Favorite writing snack?

I like to make myself a protein shake to drink while I'm writing. My favorite is a banana coffee one I came up with.

Plotter? Pantser? Or Plantser? I

'm usually a plotter for long stories but a pantser for short ones.

What is your favorite kind of character?

I like the almost perfect characters. Like Polly in An Old Fashioned Girl. I like the ones I can look up to and strive to be like.

Favorite book?

I have so many. I'm gonna say Pride and Prejudice at this moment.

What do you want someone to think or say when they finish the last page of your novel?

"I enjoyed that. It was pleasant and I think I learned some from it."

~Eliza Noel

If you were any character from any book, who would you be?

That is a hard one for me since there are so many good characters and books! I think maybe I would be Arya from the Inheritance Cycle. Being able to wield magic, fight and ride a Dragon would be awesome.

If you could live in any book’s world, which would you choose?

Oh dear....probably Alagasia or the Inkworld. Or Middle Earth. Or my own Fantasy World. :)

Favorite genre to write in?

Not quite sure about that, since I write just about anything I feel like.

Favorite writing snack?

I actually don't snack a lot while writing but it would probably be BBQ chips.

Plotter? Pantser? Or Plantser?

Pantser. :)

What is your favorite kind of character?

*evil laugh*. Oh boy, this is seriously one of my favorite subjects. (just ask my BFF she'll roll her eyes and groan, haha). I love the Characters that can pull the most emotion out of me. If a Character is making me scream “FEELS!!!!!!!!” while gripping a box of tissues, stuffing chocolate in my face and sobbing to my friends, then I love it=In a morbid, bittersweet kind of way. I love the ones who have broken backgrounds, painful secrets, emotional and psychological scars. Why? I haven't the slightest idea.

Favorite book?

Definitely difficult. Probably “Divergent”.

What do you want someone to think or say when they finish the last page of your novel?

I want them to love the characters as much as I do, but when they close the book, I really want them to say; “Wow...that affected me.” Whether it be emotionally, or it made them think about something, (like a situation or a choice or a scenario my characters make or face), made them dig deeper into the things I write about, find small things to admire and remember about my characters. I just want them to say they were affected, and think they want to read it again. :)

~Ria Faith

 

 

1. If you were any character from any book, who would you be?

Tricky, but I suppose I’d either be Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables, or Max from Maximum Ride series, or maybe Tris from Divergent.

2. If you could live in any book’s world, which would you choose?

Oh, book. That’s definitely different from TV show… ummm.. can I say mine? I love my fantasy world I came up with. :-)

3. Favorite genre to write in?

Fantasy.

4. Favorite writing snack?

Not sure if this counts, but cocoa or coffee with lots of creamer. I don’t really like snacking while writing, because then I’ll eat more then I type. ;-P

5. Plotter? Pantser? Or Plantser?

Umm… Planster. I do both occasionally, sometimes for the same story. I”ll pants parts, and then plot others. It really depends on my mood and the story.

6.What is your favorite kind of character?

The fiery one who can’t keep their mouth shut. I’m also partial to the quiet and intellectual ones who get put down or over-looked. Also… umm… maybe some villians.

7. Favorite book?

I’m going to be vain for once and say mine.

8. What do you want someone to think or say when they finish the last page of your novel?

Wow. That’s all they can say, is Wow. Or What. What is good too.

~G.M. Brown

 

If you were any character from any book, who would you be?  

Hmm… if we’re going by the character I’m most like, then probably Emily Byrd Starr in the Emily series by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Emily is a dreamy writer with *coughs* a streak of pride.  If we’re going by the character I’d most like to be, then probably Lucy Pevensie from Narnia with her adventures in Narnia and trust in Aslan, or one of those olden-day Christian fiction heroines with unshakeable faith and boundless love for Jesus, friends, foes, and the poor.

If you could live in any book’s world, which would you choose?

Maybe the Hundred Acre Wood (Winne the Pooh). Or Narnia (Rather self-explanatory). Or Avonlea (Anne of Green Gables). Or, hey, I’ll go with  the land of Story in Storybound by Marissa Burt, because then I could see them all.

Favorite genre to write in?

I’m not entirely sure. My characters’ journeys tend to be more of the type you find in a Christian YA contemporary -- “Well, there’s this girl, and she has this family problem/ the sort of past that must be italicized/a lie about life she believes, and then there’s God, and then there’s this guy or guys…” -- but most of the time crazy fantasy and sci-fi elements sneak in.  What I see myself writing consistently is Christian YA Sci-fi Romance.  

Favorite writing snack?

Uh...well, most of the time, I don’t eat while I’m writing, but my favorite procrastinating-on-writing snack would be either blue corn chips or whatever leftover holiday candy I happen to have sitting around in my room.

Plotter? Pantser? Or Plantser?

I think I’ll end up as a Planster. For my first novel I had a vague outline with dramatic but unhelpful things like tame a baby dragon and  save the world from doom with princessly etiquette, and after a meandering messy bear of a manuscript that eventually involved magical glass and a man impersonating a chicken, it dawned on me that perhaps pantsing isn’t among my most prominent of natural gifts. Fast forward to my second but never finished novel, where I outlined every blessed scene and then.... decided to overhaul the plot, change the setting to a boarding school, and eventually shelve the book. So. I’m basically coming to accept that my process is more  along the lines of “I explore an idea, start writing, and mild to horrific chaos ensues.” XD

In other more concise words, “Plantser.”

Favorite kind of character?

A character who feels real. ‘Nuff said. Actually, there’s much much more that could be said, but if I let myself I doubtless wouldn’t get to my math homework.

Favorite book?

That’s easy.

*grins at the gasps and outcries*

The Bible.

But other than that, I couldn’t choose if my life depended on it.  Okay, perhaps if my life literally depended on it, as in there’s a guy holding a gun to my head demanding that I name a favorite book,  but otherwise, no way.

What do you want someone to think or say when they finish the last page of your novel?

Say? Nothing at all. I want to leave them speechless.  Thinking is allowed, though, especially if they’re revelling in how moved and edified they feel.

~Miri Williams