Alex Burton

#WritersCoffeeClub 27 Feb: Do you edit while you write? What are the pros and cons?

Always. The pros: clean first draft. No war with the internal editor (to bust a myth, what gurus call an internal editor and demand you shut it down is actually your **instinct**). What remains when the draft is completed is a simply a matter of tinkering and fine tuning not re-writes of dozens or hundreds of pages.

The cons: 🤔 🤔 🤔 🤔 🤔 🤔

#ScribesAndMakers 2/26. Do you abandon creative projects? If so, how do you determine when to abandon them?

Not so much abandon, but rip down the scaffold and start again because something is calling the work to stall (perhaps due to over-complication which I'm renown for).

#WordWeavers 26/2: Who in your book is most like a real person you’ve loved IRL?

Mason Quinn. He's based on a Mormon missionary I knew, also called Mason. I need a model to draw from, and the RL Mason was so confused over his faith it kind of made sense to draw from him.

#WritersCoffeeClub 26 Feb: Does your current WIP have an antagonist? Why or why not?

At the moment, yes, as in the "popular" antagonist (Vader, Belloq, etc). But I'm looking to erase them. She's in a war zone, which is antagonistic enough. There's Saudi, Houthi, terrorist cells hiding in the east of Yemen. As my lass points out, there's enough conflict **without** a regular antagonist.

#PennedPossibilities 941 — MC POV: Name one thing you lied to yourself about. Why did you do this?

Kali: Had nough lies in me life. Why do it to meself? Mebbe tad over-harsh on meself to be honest. That ain't lyin, it's knowin who this lass is, what she's capable of. If y' have to lie to y'self, high time y' stopped bein a coward and faced the cack in y' life.

#ScribesAndMakers 25/02: Would you stream your creative process/ the creation of your work? Why or why not?

Who the hell would be interested in a fat, middle-aged bloke typing and rambling about words? Besides it would take an ego and a fair bit of narcissism. I have little of the former and none of the latter.

#WritersCoffeeClub 25/02/26: What’s a unique habit you have while writing?

Concentration?

#WordWeavers 25/02/26: How is light created in your book? Candles, electricity, magic, or what?

To a Neanderthal a light switch is magic. I write in the modern day so it's electricity, smartphones, torches, headlights, 🎵 by the light of the silvery moon 🎵

The culmination of an hour's work is "A scream." It's going to be one of those days.

#amwriting #writing #writingcommunity

#PennedPossibilities 940 — Do you regret anything about the creation of your WIP?

The fact it's taken ten years? if there's one thing, is that basing it on real places, there's the geopolitical angle. If I were to keep up with developments in Yemen, this damn thing would never get written. So, that's one thing I regret, not being able to be "current" when it's finally done.

#WritersCoffeeClub 24/02/24— What’s your greatest challenge in fleshing out your setting?

I always hear "padding" when folk talk about "fleshing out". I think it's better to say "come alive", which is a culmination of research, a few tight metaphors, and the five senses. And since I write about real places (except one which is a stew of various other towns), so they tend to come alive without much assistance from me.

#ScribesAndMakers 20/02: The alpha male is a misconception perpetuated in popular media that our featured creator works against in her wolf books. What's a misconception that bothers you in popular media?

That all heroes have to be thin and attractive, capable of martial arts, extreme sports, sharpshooters, and can drive, fly anything. And archaeologists who can read every language and know every bit of history. (My genre's worse for all the above---so I'm here to destroy you😁 )