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#WordWeavers Day 6: When was the last time you wrote a character facing a difficult choice? Have they made the right decision?

Not positive it's the last thing I wrote that first the criterion, but it's the one that came to mind: Jessie Nakamura was agonizing about how, and where, to come out to her parents. She wound up going with "the restaurant they took her out to dinner at" as sort of a Hobson's choice, but in retrospect, she thinks it was the best possible option. 1/2

It was someplace she'd never go back to again, so she didn't have memories of that incredibly stressful event attached to, say, her college dorm room.

(N.B.: This is very unlikely to show up in the novel itself. It's a background-material vignette. But I might make it available as some kind of extra somehow, after the book's published.) 2/2

#WordWeavers Day 7: What's the biggest threat your world is facing?

The world as a whole? Nah, you mean *my* world, right? The world of the city shamans in San Francisco. Just the City, not the whole world. Okay.

Then it could be anything from economic problems and corporations pulling jobs out of the city to homelessness to drug abuse, but my MCs are pretty sure the Big Bad's plan to fight those things is an even bigger threat.

#WordWeavers Day 8: How do you create characters who have depth?

By treating them as real people who just happen to be getting involved in a story, not as playing pieces that serve the needs of the plot. By diving into their past histories, their daily lives, their internal lives, their hopes and dreams and fears. By trying to inhabit their skins.

#WordWeavers Day 10: Antagonist POV: Do you have any flaws?

Travis Winter says: Yeah, of course. I mean, who doesn't?

Some people would probably say I'm too interested in money, but I don't think so. I mean, that just goes with the territory¹, right?

I do let my temper get the better of me sometimes. But I'm working on that.

1. N.B.: He runs a multibillion-dollar private equity fund. That's "the territory" he's talking about.

#WordWeavers Day 11: Fight, flight, freeze, or fawn? How do your MCs react to danger?

David: Flee.

Jessie: Freeze.

Margot: She's a trained martial artist. Take a guess.

Angel: Fight, though not nearly as effectively as Margot.

Carlos: Like many disabled people, fighting and fleeing aren't viable options for him. He resorts to fawning, because his mind races a hundred miles an hour and won't let him freeze. But he's not at all happy about it.

#WordWeavers Day 12: If you needed companions to start a rebellion, which of your characters would you choose?

Curiously enough, what Angel and Margot (and to a good extent, Kevin Wingard) are doing in the book *is* pretty much forming the core of a rebellion against some of the Powers That Be. I'd happily take all three of them, and also the people they recruit, like Carlos.

#WordWeavers Day 13: If you met a person like your antagonists in real life, what would you do?

Be cordial and superficially polite, but not exchange any deep interactions with them.

Okay, Donna Kuang is a political consultant, so with her or someone like her, I *would* discuss issues and make my views on them very clear... but I doubt I'd change their mind. (If they were open to progressive views, they wouldn't be antagonists.)

#WordWeavers Day 14: What was the weather like in the last scene you wrote? Did it play a role in the story?

Not sure if it counts as "last wrote" or "am still writing" (there was no *explicit* scene-break between it and what I'm currently working on, but it feels a little like a new scene, because a bunch of people arrived...). Anyway, that scene was indoors, and the weather had no effect on it at all. 1/2

If I look at the one before that... again, a few scenes kind of flowed from one into the next, but in at least one, the weather was cool enough that Angel Castillo was bummed about having to put the top up on their convertible when they were cruising around town.

N.B: This is "as of when I wrote this answer", back at the beginning of the month. I've written more since, but am leaving the answer as-is. 2/2

#WordWeavers Day 15: How long is your longest work?

My longest vignette so far is 10,846 words, for "A Day in the Life: David Hartmann ('Good Day' version)". (There's also a "bad day" version, which is shorter.)

#WordWeavers Day 16: How long is your shortest work?

My shortest completed vignette (so far, but I doubt any will be any shorter than that) is "Jessie [Nakamura] Comes Out to [her brother] George", at 956 words.

#WordWeavers Day 17: Do you prefer long or short works? What's your sweet spot?

Oh, I'd prefer to be writing an entire novel! As it is, my vignettes keep creeping up in length, past what I expect them to do.

#WordWeavers Day 18: Have you ever wanted to write a story but lacked the skills for it? What skill would you need?

Sort of? There's a story I want to write in the future, and I know I'll have to develop some prose storytelling chops that I currently don't have. And I know there's at least one major novel that I should read first.

But that's not so much "have wanted to" but rather "plan to someday". (Maybe it's just knowing my limits?)

#WordWeavers Day 19: How honest are your MCs when honesty will get them into trouble?

They all have some level of marginalized background, and people like that realize that there are times when you need to *lie* to power, rather than speaking truth to it. Quick, extremely clear example: As a gay Jew, David Hartmann knows that there are times when you *do not* tell the truth about yourself to people with badges. 1/3

Similarly, Angel Castillo knew better than to let their parents know about their high school lesbianism. Again, that's a case where the "will get them into trouble" part of the question comes from someone who's in a position of power or authority over them. 2/3

But sometimes you can get into trouble with a peer. A friend or lover, for example.

Most of my MCs know better than to lie in cases like that. But Angel is still trying to figure out how to break the news to their boyfriend that magic is real, and the City is alive, and they can do one and talk to the other.

[Addendum: I'd already written this answer when I saw this, yesterday: https://mastodon.social/@jgilbert/113847758124368411 Feels relevant.] 3/3

#WordWeavers Day 20: Do you feel the Covid pandemic has affected your writing or stories? If so, how?

It's made me more cynical. Before Covid, I didn't realize just how callous and eugenics-driven most people are.

That has absolutely got to come out in my writing, in ways that wouldn't have happened if I'd started writing before the pandemic.

#WordWeavers Day 21: How do your MCs feel about the ocean?

None of them have any particularly noteworthy feelings about it.

None of them hate it, which is good, given that San Francisco is surrounded on three sides by water, but none of them are like, avid boaters, surfers, or swimmers, or anything like that.

#WordWeavers Day 22: Does the thought of dying one day scare your characters?

Mostly, yes. Margot's the main deviation from that; both her goth outlook and her martial arts training have given her a certain comfort with, or acceptance of, death. Or maybe just heightened what was already there. 1/2

The others certainly don't spend much time worrying about it, but if you asked them in the small hours of the late night? Yes, even Carlos (who has absolute faith that there is eternal salvation) would tell you that he's not ready to die. 2/2

#WordWeavers Day 23: In their world, are your MCs more traditional or more interested in change?

My MCs are definitely trying to change things.

#WordWeavers Day 24: What about your antagonists?

Even though he'd say he's "trying to change the City", Travis Winter is very much on the side of conservatism — the "changes" he wants to make are basically all in the service of making the rich and comfortable richer and more comfortable.

Derrick Devereaux would actively admit that he wants to keep San Francisco the way he remembers it when he arrived, a few decades ago.

#WordWeavers Day 25: When shopping, what do your MCs look for? (Prices, brands, ethical sourcing, quality?)

Generally a combination of those, with the particular ratios varying by MC. It also varies depending on what they're shopping *for*; some things, you want to get the low-budget option, while there are other things where price is no object. 1/2

Basically, this question would be awfully broad even with only 1 MC, and with 5, it becomes way too much for me to answer without an entire essay including multiple tables and charts. 2/2

#WordWeavers Day 26: Does your SC value academics?

Aisha Quinn values them very highly. Her greatest regret in life is that she never got the chance to go to college — but she's studied hard and learned on her own, anyway.

#WordWeavers Day 27: Are your MCs usually hot or freezing?

They live in San Francisco, which has a wonderfully moderate, temperate climate.* They're usually pretty comfortable.

* I just know someone's going to jump in with something about how cold the summers are, but seriously: 1) If you mean June? That's spring. Summer in San Francisco doesn't come until September. Really, September and October are the summer months; if you want to feel a warm San Francisco, go then. 1/2

2) Even the June temperatures are usually in the 60s. That is *not that cold!* It's just that you were expecting the 80s. If you'd dressed for 60-degree weather, you'd have been okay.

(All temperatures in Fahrenheit rather than Celsius because that's what they use there.) 2/2

#WordWeavers Day 28: Did any specific world history inspire parts of your story?

There are lots of things I could say here, but I'll go for the fun one:

The life and times of Joshua A. Norton, aka Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico, inspire one of the ways that the City can manifest when it wants to *really* get its shamans' attention.

#WordWeavers Day 29: What's a mistake your MCs would make twice without realizing it?

Underestimating some of the lengths some of the villains will go to in order to complete their plans.

#WordWeavers Day 30: What about your antagonists? [I.e., what mistake would they make twice without realizing it?]

Thinking that what they're doing is good, and for the good of all, and that folks will understand and approve once it's done.

#WordWeavers Day 31: What would warm your antagonists' hearts?

That's a really good question. They *think* they'd like to "make San Francisco a nice, happy, safe place to be", but if they actually succeeded in their aims, they'd wind up leaching all the soul and delight out of the city. It would become a barren, sterile enclave of mediocrity, and they'd be unable not to see that, and it would not make them happy.

It's possible that they cannot be satisfied.

#WordWeavers Day 1: Let an interesting/unusual character from your story introduce themselves.

Naturally, I think all of my characters are interesting. It's like, you wouldn't ask a parent if you thought one of their children were boring, would you?

I can't have them introduce themself to *youse*, to readers; they don't know they're in a book, and I'm keeping it that way. 1/3

But here's how one particular established magician might introduce herself to one of my newly-awakened learners when their mentor shows them around (which is a standard part of training):

Hi, I'm Zoë Broadstreet! Good to meet you. I've been awake for… holy shit, I guess it must be coming up on 15 years, this summer. Well anyway, I know your mentor's gotta be taking good care of you, but if you want to hang out, just have a little fun, just let me know. I can bring you to some good parties. 2/3

(In actuality, that information would probably be conveyed over a few paragraphs, interspersed with questions to and about her interlocutor — Zoë's friendly and polite, and wants to get to know other people, not just go on about herself! But that would've required picking whether she was talking to Jessie or David, and then there'd be loads of not-Zoë information going into this answer, and... Okay, look, I think my answer to this question just doesn't fit the format well. Sorry.) 3/3

#WordWeavers Day 2: Do any of your characters have creative jobs?

Loads! Angel is an architect. Carmen Lockhart is a sculptor and playwright. Kevin Wingard is a craft bartender and also plays in a pop-rock band. Derrick Devereaux is a drag queen, and Deonte King leads a jazz quintet.

#WordWeavers Day 3: SC POV: You get to swap bodies with another character for a day. Who do you choose and why?

Denise Carrera (who's 77) says: I'd spend a day in the body of that Meredith Romer girl. I'd love to have just one more day of being young and full of energy like that.

[N.B.: Meredith is 26, able-bodied, and fairly energetic.]

#WordWeavers Day 4: How would you describe your MCs' lifestyles?

Jessie's is kind of marginal. She's living on savings while unemployed, and terrified of what's going to happen when that money runs out.

David's enjoying the life of a single, gay guy in San Francisco. He's got a couple of flatmates, he goes out clubbing and cruising a lot, and is generally comfortable and happy. 1/2

The other three are more settled. Margot and Carlos are both married with kids; Angel has a partner that they live with, and they're both fine with being unmarried and not having kids at this time. They (as well as David) all have steady jobs and are as financially secure as most middle-class Americans (for what that's worth). 2/2

#WordWeavers Day 5: Share an interesting fact about the society your characters live in.

I'll take this one as the magical sub-society, rather than our own society. So: Every city shaman has a mentor, chosen for them by the City when the new shaman awakens. All the way back to the first one, Juana Lucia Hernandez Argüello, who awoke in 1850. The City mentored her on its own.

It tries to choose people who will get along well together, but results vary.

#WordWeavers Day 7: MC POV: What are you angry about?

Angel Castillo says:

#WordWeavers Day 8: Share the first thing your characters would see, feel, and hear if they went outside in the last outdoor scene you wrote.

That'd be the denizens of Jungleland¹ on their way to a Concrete Eden party thrown by Kathryn Behr, in Laurel Heights. So:

The street slopes at an angle that many would consider "steep", but which is only moderate by San Francisco standards. Both sides are...

1. A flat with a name. Some folks name their houses/apartments/abodes. (Don't you?)

1/2

...lined by well-kept, expensive Victorian houses and broad sidewalks interrupted every so often by green and pleasant trees. The wind is picking up, as it's early evening, but it's not too cold; September is one of San Francisco's summer months, and Karl the Fog is on vacation tonight. You can hear the traffic on Sacramento Street behind you, but this street is quiet.

2/2

#WordWeavers Day 9: How many people can your MCs call their support systems?

That's not a binary proposition; sometimes, a person can be good support for things of Type X but not so good for Type Y. Or they can provide 3 spoons' worth of support, but not 6. 1/2

That said, Carlos and Margot, and to a lesser extent Angel, have larger and stronger local support networks than David and Jessie. David's family are all on the East Coast, and while Jessie's folks are local, she doesn't feel like she can call on them in times of need.

(That's at the beginning of the book, anyway. She builds more of a support system during its course.)

Also, Margot and Angel are each part of the other's support system. 2/2

#WordWeavers Day 10: MC POV: What was your relationship with your parents? Siblings?

TW: homophobia, self-harm, suicide attempt

Angel Castillo says: When I was small, I got along well with my father. I used to love to watch him work on cars — he's a mechanic. And I loved when I was small enough for him to be indulgent about that, and let me help him.

And then I got older, and it became, "No, cars aren't for girls," and then things got worse and worse when I became a teen. 1/4

And it hit the real rock bottom when I was moving out, my sophomore year of college. That was after living with them, hiding myself, had already driven me to try to kill myself once. On top of having cut myself for years. Anyway, that was when I finally came out to my family — well, mostly, and sort of At the time, I was just coming out as a lesbian, because that's all I thought I was then. I didn't yet realize I was non-binary, or that I liked men as well as women. 2/4

And also, I wasn't coming out to _all_ of them. Theresa already knew I was a lesbian, and had been blackmailing me since high school with threats of outing me, so I had to do her chores and some of her homework. But it was news to the others. 3/4

So anyway, my relationship with Theresa is simple: I hate her, and I'll never ever trust her again. My other siblings? They don't understand me, or care about me, and I'm sure they all think I'm going to hell. Except for Diego, my youngest brother. He's the only one of my family who treats me with any kindness. He doesn't understand me, but he admits that, and he loves me anyway.

And I love him back, and he's the only one of them I can honestly say that about. 4/4

#WordWeavers Day 11: Do you belong to any writing organizations? Are they helpful?

I don't. (Yet? Who knows.)

#WordWeavers Day 12: What are your MCs' favorite times of day?

Jessie likes the evening and the night. Margot used to be right there with her, but years of having to get up early to deal with children have rewired her sleep schedule. (She's not thrilled, but accepts it.)

None of the others have particularly strong pulls to an particular times.

#WordWeavers Day 13: MC POV: Do you believe in romantic love? Why or why not?

David Hartmann says: Yes, of course I do! Why? Because I've been in it! That's like asking, "Do you believe in food?", or "Do you believe in air?"

#WordWeavers Day 14: Does your world have romantic commitment?

Yes, just like our world. Really, it's just the world next door (i.e., our world plus magical, sentient cities); romantic commitment is no different.

#WordWeavers Day 15: How well do your MCs handle being in crowds?

Carlos doesn't handle them well. If he's in his wheelchair that day, he's stuck looking at people's chests and backs, and can't get through the crowd very easily at all. And people sometimes trip over parts of his chair, or even try to seize the handles and move him. If he's on a cane, it's too easy to get jostled or knocked over. 1/2

David, OTOH, loves the fun of being in a rave or nightclub crowd. Feeling all the bodies pressed together, people moving as one in harmony... it helps him feel like people can get along.

The others mostly don't care one way or the other, at least no more so than the average person. 2/2

#WordWeavers Day 16: SC POV: Who was your first love/crush?

Jake Mansour says: My first crush? Holy shit, that was a while ago... Okay, that must have been — well, there's real-life crushes and then there's celebrity crushes. They're not really the same.

So my first real-life crush would be Jenna... oh crap, what was her last name? Right, Carruthers. The red-headed girl on the bus, and who also was in 8th grade science class with me. 1/2

#WordWeavers Day 17: Do your MCs prefer to be indoors or outdoors?

I don't think any of them have particularly strong preferences one way or the other.

#WordWeavers Day 18: How is familial love thought of in your world? What is the ideal and the reality?

It's just like in our world: it's thought of very highly, and possibly more highly or with more rose-colored glasses than it deserves.

#WordWeavers Day 19: SC POV: Who is your best friend?

Hazel Kovalenko says: I don't care if it's a cliché. My wife Judy is also my best friend, and has been since before we even got engaged.

#WordWeavers Day 20: Does the society your characters live in take good care of people with disabilities?

Hell, no! It's basically a society built on eugenics, and particularly since Covid. People make fun of people with disabilities, use words for them as slurs, and it's even legal to pay PWDs less than other workers in some cases.

(Sound like our world? It is. )