#mvtaz — Public Fediverse posts

☕ #WritersCoffeeClub — Sep. 1 — Introduction!

I’m Madi—behavior analyst by day, mom by night, writer whenever I can find a spare minute (which isn't nearly as often as I would like). Playing a little bit of catch-up here!

My main WIP -- #MVTaz -- has been stewing around in my brain for longer than I'd care to admit and has existed in various forms and iterations over the past 15 years or so. It's always been some form of supernatural / fantasy / romance, but this time around I'm leaning a little heavier into the romance instead of the fantasy / supernatural aspect, so we'll see what happens!

🌟 #WritingWonders — #MVTaz — Aug. 31 — Has your MC or antagonist ever approved of what the other does?

In the words of Virginia Lewis in the cinematic masterpiece THE 10TH KINGDOM: "Well, a bit more than that, your honor." 😏

🌟 #WritingWonders — #MVTaz — Aug. 30 — Have you ever planned to kill a character and then not done it?

I'm sure I have, although my Tumblr followers that were around for that iteration of this current WIP would probably be a little skeptical. None are specifically coming to mind right now!

🌟 #WritingWonders — #MVTaz — Aug. 29 — Does your antagonist believe your hero has a chance of succeeding?

For these prompts, I've been labeling Adia as the "antagonist," but she's not actively trying to prevent Taz from "succeeding" (with narrative "success" being a happy ending for Taz and Gretta), and fully believes that he could find "success" (i.e., a happy ending for Taz and his chosen romantic partner[s]).

While she's definitely an OBSTACLE to Taz and Gretta's happily ever after (at least, the "happily ever after" that Gretta wants), Adia isn't trying to actively sabotage the relationship between them; she doesn't have the same long-term romance goals that Gretta does (i.e., she's not particularly interested in long-term monogamy), so as far as she's concerned, their happy endings with Taz don't have to be mutually exclusive.

🌟 #WritingWonders — #MVTaz — Aug. 28 — Who is the first character you created for this work?

Taz! Although he had a different name back then and has evolved quite a bit (but then, so has the work itself). Back in the day, he was heavily influenced by Bartimaeus from the Bartimaeus Trilogy and Crowley from Good Omens, but I don't know if I still see them in him. Regardless, he's still a ton of fun to write!

🌟 #WritingWonders — #MVTaz — Aug. 27 — Antagonist POV: What do you like the least about the place you live?

ADIA: "Too. Many. People. I love my loft apartment and I love the art district, but I could do without the crowds."

🌟 #WritingWonders — #MVTaz — Aug. 26 — If your MC wrote books, what genre would they write?

Taz is much more of a reader than a writer (although you wouldn't guess he's a reader by looking at him), but if he were to sit down and write something, it would probably be some kind of spec fic to do with zombies.

🌟 #WritingWonders — #MVTaz — Aug. 25 — What does your MC never want their parental figure or mentor to know?

That he actually really likes some of the traditions from his hometown!

🌟 #WritingWonders — #MVTaz — Aug. 24 — Antagonist POV: What do you like the most about the place where you live?

ADIA: "The view, definitely. My loft has a great view of the city park, and the windows let in tons of natural light!"

🌟 #WritingWonders — #MVTaz — Aug. 23 — In your MC's mind, what's the worst thing they've ever done?

Taz likes to tell himself he's blameless for most things -- he's not responsible for how others feel about his actions, but lying to Gretta about his relationship with Adia is the one thing he genuinely regrets and takes responsibility for.

🌟 #WritingWonders — #MVTaz — Aug. 22 — What makes your hero feel weak?

(Playing a little bit of catch-up here -- bad brain days and general work craziness got the better of me this week!)

The thing that makes Taz feel weak is being out of control of his own destiny -- sometimes things just happen, and all you can do is deal with it, but being helpless to change the outcome of situations is what really gets to him!

🌟 #WritingWonders — #MVTaz — Aug. 21 — MC POV: A stranger makes a crude comment about your SO or BFF. How do you react?

TAZ: "Honestly, Gretta would be giving them a piece of her mind before I could even react. She doesn't need me to stick up for her -- but if she wasn't there to defend herself, I'd... probably just make a snarky jab back at them. I'm not exactly the confrontational type."

✍️ #PennedPossibilities — #MVTaz — 12 — MC POV: How clean is your home right now?

TAZ: “I’m living my best bachelor life, so I’ve gotta keep things looking respectable for the ladies. My apartment is *immaculate.*”

🌟 #WritingWonders — #MVTaz — Aug. 20 — Does your villain ever cry or show sadness?

Despite being the artsy, creative type, Adia keeps most of her emotions pretty guarded. Rather than cry about something when she’s hurt, her toxic trait is to make everyone she cares about hurt, too.

🌟 #WritingWonders — #MVTaz — Aug. 19 — Antagonist POV: How do you like to have fun?

ADIA: “Oh, you know, the usual introverted-creative-type hobbies — reading, baking, writing my novel… nothing too crazy.”

✍️ #PennedPossibilities — #MVTaz — 11 — Does your MC prefer taking risks or having a safety net?

While Taz is certainly impulsive, he wouldn't typically describe himself as a risk-taker -- that is, he doesn't often make the conscious decision to take risks, but he doesn't always think through the consequences of his actions and frequently leaps without looking.

🌟 #WritingWonders — #MVTaz — Aug. 18 — Is your MC good at flirting?

Considering his troubles stem from him having one too many girlfriends -- yes, I think it's safe to say he is!

✍️ #PennedPossibilities — #MVTaz — 10 — MC POV: When was the last time you felt needed?

TAZ: "Depends on what kind of 'need' you mean, I guess. I mean, those 1am texts from Adia make me feel 'needed,' but not the same way I feel 'needed' when I'm with Gretta, you know?"

🌟 #WritingWonders — #MVTaz — Aug. 17 — MC POV: What’s a deal-breaker in a friendship and/or relationship?

TAZ: "...hypocritical as it may be for me to say: lying to your partner. That said, we're all human—okay, we're not all *human*, but we all make mistakes. We live and we learn. Everyone deserves a second chance to get it right."

🌟 #WritingWonders — #MVTaz — Aug. 16 — Give an example of a popular activity or tradition in your world.

The human world outside of the Hollow is much like our own, with the city boasting a variety of festivals and events across its districts.

Within the Hollow, coming-of-age ceremonies are always big events for the community because they are so few and far between, and these celebrations are typically very formal and steeped in tradition.

🌟 #WritingWonders — #MVTaz — Aug. 15 — What parts of your world would you advise tourists to stay away from?

…also the Hollow — as beautiful and secluded (and magical) as it is, the daemons that live there are very proud of their way of life and aren’t particularly keen on outsiders. Few enough people venture into the Hollow that it’s unclear if it would actually be *dangerous* to outsiders, but the uncertainty is enough to keep most would-be visitors away.

🌟 #WritingWonders — #MVTaz — Aug. 14 — What parts of your world would you recommend a tourist to visit? Why?

The Hollow -- assuming the council deigned to allow tourists across the border. It's secluded and mysterious (and a little bit magical), and the daemons that inhabit it are proud of the culture they've built there with its strict rules governing day-to-day life in their society, wholly separate from (and if you ask them, superior to) the rest of the world outside Hollow's borders.

🌟 #WritingWonders — #MVTaz — Aug. 13 — Antagonist POV: How many people are you close with?

ADIA: "I'm 'quality over quantity' when it comes to friends, and when it comes down to it, an introvert, so I don't exactly go out of my way to meet new people very often. I'd say there are fewer than five people I'm 'close' to."