Q.6 #momswritersclub We choose to how much descriptie detail to include as writers, but h ow much does your MC care about their appearance?

Q. 5 #momswritersclub Food is one of those great details that also says a lot about a character. What is your MC's favorite food and/or drink?

Q. 4 #momswritersclub Clothes say a lot about a character. What is your MC's favorite article of clothing?

Q.3 #momswritersclub What is your MC's lowest point? (I can't be the only one who feels guilty at what I put my characters through).

Q.2 #momswritersclub Fears tell us a lot about a character. What does your MC fear most?

Q.1 #momswritersclub A lot of information goes into building a character. Do you use character templates, spreadsheets, character bios, keep it in your head?

Hi I'm Tracy #momwritersclub co-host, joining with my daughter & fellow writer Mélanie from my office at @cantareconvivo.bsky.social in Oakland, CA. T is in the middle of a novella in her Regency spy mystery series. M is happily recovering from a production of Once Upon a Mattress.

Welcome to #MomsWritersClub night, parent writers of BlueSky! Tonight we're talking about main characters. First tell us a bit about yourself! Chat goes on 24 hours to accommodate for schedules and time zones! #amwriting #momwriters #parentwriters #writingcommunity #momswhowrite #MomsWritersClub

Hi! I'm Tracy, #momswritersclub co-host, joining for once from home in the Bay Area, with my daughter and fellow writer Mélanie. T is closing in on being 1/2 through a draft of a new novella in her Regency spy mystery series. M is working on many projects!

Q.6 #momswritersclub I love analyzing how other writers do things. What catches your attention in the opening of someone else's book?

Q.5 #momswritersclub Book openings can feel particularly crucial. Do you tend to rewrite your opening chapter a lot? Change the setting or POV or even where the story starts? Or does the opening tend to stay the same?

Q.4 #momswritersclub Whether you plot everything out in advance or dive in with just a vague idea, there's something different when one puts a story into words. How much does your idea for a book change as you start writing?

Q.3 #momswritersclub Starting a new book has challenges - but hopefully it's also fun. What's most fun about starting a new book?

Q.2 #momswritersclub Jumping into a new book means establishing a lot of things - characters, setting, theme, tone - what do you find hardest?

Q.1 #momswritersclub Do you start a book with a burst of creative energy and then get bogged down in the middle? Or struggle for every word early on? Or sail through a whole draft?

Hi! I'm Tracy, #momswritersclub co-host, for once joining from home in West Marin, CA, with my daughter & fellow writer Mélanie. T is in the first act of a novella in her Regency spy mystery series. M is working on lots of projects (one of which T is editing).

Hi! I'm Tracy, #momswritersclub co-host, joining from my office at @cantareconvivo.bsky.social after a long day of summer music camp in Oakland, CA. The latest in my Regency spy mystery series just came out, and I'm starting a new novella in the series. My daughter Mélanie will do her own intro.

Q.6 #momswritersclub Do you write in layers as you work through a scene or a draft? If so, which details do you tend to layer in last?

Q.5 #momswritersclub You've settled on an idea for a book. How much do you think through the opening scene before you start writing?

Q.4 #momswritersclub Have you ever written a scene inspired by a song?

Q.3 #momswritersclub If your book was a musical, who would write the score?

Q.2 #momswritersclub Do you listen to music as you write? If not, do you listen to it for inspiration?

Q.1 #momswritersclub We all mull ideas and I think most of us have notebooks and lists full of them. What makes you decide to run with a specific idea for a new book?

Hi! I'm Tracy, #momswritersclub co-host, joining from my office at @cantareconvivo.bsky.social in Oakland, CA with my daughter and fellow writer Mélanie. T is starting a new novella in her Regency spymystery series. I'm also editing one of M's books!

Hi! I'm Tracy, #momswritersclub cohost, joining really late with my daughter Mélanie because M had a choir rehearsal last night for a big concert w/ 300 kids. T just finished galleys on her latest Regency mystery & is mulling a novella, M is working on too many projects but some are coming together.

Q.6 #momswritersclub A last pass through a manuscript is exciting and nerve wracking. What do you focus?

Q.5 #momswritersclub This one is from Mélanie. If you write romantic relationships, do you prefer lines (2 people, conflict is between them), triangles (2 people in love with the same third person), or knots/squares (multiple people in love with different people, leading to endless complications)

Q.4 #momswritersclub Do you follow online discussions/groups for books/series you enjoy? Do you have any for your own books? Would you like to?

Q.3 #momswritersclub Revisions often involve cutting and adding. Do you tend to overwrite and then need to cut in the the revision process? Or do you underwrite and need to flesh things out as you revise?

Q.2 #momswritersclub Do you start thinking about your next project as you're finishing a book? In which case, when? If you wait until your prior book is finished, how long do you tend to wait?