Tootfinder

#WordWeavers 21. In your current WIP, which character do you relate to the least and why?
I relate to all of them on some level, or I couldn't write them. But the least... the one farthest away from me... might be The Hamster, the indomitable, unstoppable golden hamster. I don't have that kind of tenacity.

#WordWeavers SEP 17: By the end of your story, how many injuries has your MC had?
None actually.

#WordWeavers 8/7 What part of your world-building came together almost effortlessly?
(Talking about fantasy novels, here: real world novels, world building is just checking maps, news reports, weather records, history)
The shape of the world came pretty quickly from the idea that (in the fictional world) there really is a real god, who has at least significantly shaped the geograph…

#WordWeavers Oct. 15: What piece of backstory did you invent just for yourself that readers may never learn?
My WIP is based, as far as possible, on psychology and science so that's more a selection process than an invention so all I did was read about the brain and the development. I am not sure if that qualifies as backstory, though?

#WordWeavers Oct 14: If your MC could ask their future self one question, what would they ask?
Prefrontal Cortex watches their reflection in the mirror with unblinking concentration. 'One question only,' they say. 'Just one.'
The silence grows in the room until they put down the teacup, and look away from the strange mirror.
'From where you stand and to the be…

#WordWeavers 13/10: What is something your MC would risk their life to protect but would struggle to explain why?
Protocol. Prefrontal Cortex won't be able to explain why it's so important, but they will go to great lengths to protect it.
You'd be amazed at what lengths the brain will go to protect itself and the meatwagon that carries it.

#WordWeavers Sept 13: Share a line of dialogue that sounds innocent without context but absolutely isn’t.
Plenty of conversations in my books are not what they seem, but I will let the readers themselves decide where they want to be, what interpretation they would like to believe.
This is from my upcoming book “Management Apologises for the Inconvenience”.

#WordWeavers 12 Sep: If you removed one supporting character from your story, whose absence would change the plot the most?
The Librarian, for sure. The entire plot would fail without them. There would be no story.

#WordWeavers 11 Oct: Share a passage from your WIP where the setting is doing as much storytelling as the characters.
This is a passage from 'Management Apologises for the Inconvenience':
#thementalmansion

#WordWeavers Sep 11: What does your MC believe about themself at the beginning of the story that turns out to be completely wrong?
That they are the boss around The Mansion.
They will learn... Oh, they will learn.

#WordWeavers 10/10: What is one thing your antagonist genuinely admires about your MC?
The question assumes there is an antagonist that can admire anything, when in reality an antagonist can be anything that works against the protagonist's main objective.
If the MC wants to sunbathe, the thunderstorm will be the antagonist.
In the Mansion, the characters themselves are of…

#WordWeavers 10/9: Share a description from your WIP that establishes atmosphere without explicitly naming the emotion.
This is a passage from my upcoming book, “The Management Apologises for the Inconvenience”.
Welcome to #TheMentalMansion

#WordWeavers 10/9 Your MC finds a letter addressed to them that was never meant to be delivered. Who wrote it and what does it say?
To Prefrontal Cortex:
"I'm sorry for putting you through hell. I didn't mean to." /The Observer

#WordWeavers Day 9. What secret would cause the most damage if it were revealed in your story right now?
Considering that the story of my WIP operates on the premises that the damage is caused by misunderstandings and being wrong, not secrets as such ...Or do you mean a secret about my WIP, not inside the story?
I don't think I understand the question?

#WordWeavers 8. Which character is most likely to make a terrible decision for a very good reason?
I love this question!
Prefrontal Cortex is the undisputed champion of good reasons. Incidentally, they're also the heavyweight champion in terrible decisions.
To be fair; decisions is their remit, and they make a lot of them every second, which increases the likelihood that…

#WordWeavers SE 08: "Which character would be the worst person to get trapped in an elevator with?"
The security office in The Mansion, for sure. She's hypervigilant and suspicious of everything, even shadows, and she's not very nice about it either.

#WordWeavers Oct 7: Share a line of dialogue that tells us everything we need to know about a character's personality.
This is from quite early in my upcoming book 'Management Apologises for the Inconvenience':
#writersofmastodon

#WordWeavers Sept 7: Describe a moment when one of your characters realizes they’ve made a terrible mistake.
The protagonist is so afraid of making things worse, of ‘rocking the boat’ or disturbing anything, that their refusal to act almost brings the whole house down on their heads. Problems do not go away just because you want them to. You can't solve things by ignoring them.
T…

#WordWeavers Oct 6. What is considered completely normal in your story's world that would seem bizarre to us?
Runts. Small, annoying Runts. Some are ratlike animals, others look like an unfortunate hybrid between a raccoon and a porcupine with a t-shirt and sneakers. They are sticky, steal pages from the Library, and they breed in the dust bunnies.

#WordWeavers Sep 6: What is your protagonist hilariously bad at?
Making the right call.
Being passive didn't help, but taking action worsened it because they didn't stop to consider what was the correct course of action — buying into the lie that any action is better than none. That can backfire spectacularly. When they take action, it looks right at the moment because they …

#WordWeavers 5/10: If your characters had to swap lives for a week, which pairing would create the most chaos?
I think the Mansion staff had better stick to their jobs. The brain is incredibly malleable, and regions can, in some cases, adapt to perform functions they weren't originally assigned. But I fear that if Amygdala and Prefrontal Cortex switched places—or Hippocampus and Ventra…

#WordWeavers 2. Which character knows your MC better than your MC knows themselves?
That is a hard question because the MC doesn't know themselves as good as they think they do, and almost everyone in The Mansion know them very well. I'm almost inclined to say 'Who doesn't know them better than they do themselves?' actually, though Fronty Front Brain bark might take off…

#WordWeavers 9/30: What stereotypes do your MCs deal with in their world?
This one made me realise that my MC doesn't really deal with stereotypes in the conventional sense.
The Mansion is populated by personified brain functions, so everyone has very strong expectations about everyone else's role.
Prefrontal Cortex is expected to be rational, Hippocampus is the abs…

#WordWeavers 29 Sep: Is your character more likely to enjoy a sunrise or sunset, and why?
Which one of them? Because this question could start a fight in The Mansion: Hippocampus stands by the sunrise and Ventral Striatum by the sunset, and Herr Cingulate, Anterior Division, has enough conflict monitoring to do for today.

#WordWeavers 28 Sep
Tell us about your MC’s religious or spiritual beliefs
Prefrontal Cortex is about as spiritual as a Rolodex. They believe in protocol, order, and procedure. In their opinion, everything can be solved by thinking things through and consulting the clipboard.

#WordWeavers 27/9:What interesting quirks do your characters have?
The Manager likes rules and proper procedure. What makes them shine for me is their tenacity. The Mansion can be crumbling around them, they'll still be standing with their clipboard, trying to follow procedure and keep everyone doing their jobs. Their rigidity can be ridiculous, but the same trait becomes admirable und…

#WordWeavers Sep 26: Authors talk about how smart their MCs or villains are, but have you ever written a slow-witted character?
This sits a little ill with me, because someone can be ‘slow-witted’ in one area and bloody brilliant in another. I'm probably rather dimly lit compared with plenty of people in plenty of ways; everyone I meet is, in some aspect, my better. So no, I don't …

#WordWeavers Sep 25: Do illicit drugs or alcohol play a role in your story?
That depends... do you consider massive doses of chocolate and dopamine illicit drugs?

#WordWeavers 24/9: If your MC made a grand entrance, what fitting song would accompany them?
'Baby Shark'. I'd put it on only to annoy them.

#WordWeavers Sep. 23: Have your characters' journeys affected your own life? If so, how?
In a manner of speaking, yes. I would like to think I've realised, through them, how short a life really is, and how valuable it is.
Each and every one of us brings something to this world that nobody else can. A light that is unique, and once it's gone, it's gone forever. It is p…

#WordWeavers 22. 1f you wrote a memoir on your writing journey so far, what would it be called?
My favourite title, 'Management Apologises for the Inconvenience', is taken, but 'The Art of Breaking Down' is not too bad either.