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Meet the Writer

Intro

My first post on this account was a Meet the Writer post, but I archived it and then forgot about making another, basically a year later. I say “forgot,” but mostly I just have no idea what to put in a post like this. Even now, as I’m editing this, I’m still overthinking and trying way too hard. Maybe I just don’t like talking about myself, I don’t know. Anyway, I’m going to stop rambling now and get on with the post!

Basics

What I look like:

Name/Nickname: Calliope/Calli. Because of Internet safety, I don’t reveal my real name on this account, although I may in the future. I chose Calliope because 1.) I like it, 2.) it has a connection to Greek mythology, which I really like, and 3.) Calliope is the Muse of epic poetry, which seemed appropriate for a writing account!

Pronouns: She/her

Age: I’ve revealed my real age to some people, but I’m no longer disclosing that information, again due to Internet safety. I’ll only say that I’m a minor and a high schooler :)

Based in: USA

Misc: I’m a Virgo, an ESTJ, and a Cabin 7 camper

Reading/writing tastes: I write MG/YA fantasy almost exclusively, and my reading taste reflects that, although I like books in many different genres! I’m a plantser, I like writing in first and third person, and I typically write in past tense.

Likes: Reading, writing, singing, daydreaming, swimming, tea, mythology, aesthetics, the season of spring

Dislikes: Self-centered people, cold weather, walking in the rain, waking up early

Favorites

Color: Sage green

Books: I could give you an entire list, but I’m just going to limit it to some of my all time best reads. I recommend all of them!

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

Blood Heir by Amelie Wen Zhao

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

Tropes: Rivals to lovers, slowburn romance, found family, enemies to friends

Artists: Avril Lavigne, Sara Bareilles, Maggie Rogers, and Taylor Swift

Writing journey and WIPs

I’ve always loved reading, and it seemed natural to me that I should want to create my own stories as well!

I started writing in the third grade, but I didn’t actually get serious about it until I was in eighth grade. In 2020 I tried my first major project, which sadly crashed and burned within the first 10,000 words due to a lack of planning and inspiration. After that, I realized I was better suited to being a plantser than a pantser.

In November 2020, I had the idea for my first novel, Of Souls and Swords. Months later, I picked up that old idea, dusted it off, and began to plan. It took me a little more than two months to write, from July to September, and it was--and still is--the longest thing I’ve ever written, at nearly 50,000 words. 

At the moment, I’m planning a new WIP! Those of you who are on my close friends list know what I’m talking about, and those who aren’t will soon ;)

Random facts

I'm hard of hearing

I sing in choir (I’m an alto)

I believe in Oxford comma and em dash superiority

I dislike geometry with a passion

I’m extremely directionally challenged (meaning I’m terrible at finding my way around places, even in my own hometown)

I only write poetry when I’m feeling angry, sad, or both

The willow woman.

Photo taken by The Henge Shop, Avebury.

Overcoming Perfectionism

Writing sprints

One of my biggest problems as a perfectionist and a writer is editing while I write. It slows me down way too much. Objectively, I know that grammar and spelling don’t matter in the first draft, but my inconsiderate brain is trained to argue that it does matter. If you spend more time fixing your typos than writing, then the best solution is to just do a writing sprint. 

It’s pretty self-explanatory: set a timer and then write for a certain amount of time. The goal of a writing sprint is to write as many words as possible in the time you have. Your writing does not have to be perfect. Let me repeat that: Your writing does not have to be perfect. The whole point of a writing sprint is to churn out words. Whether they’re “good” words is something to worry about later. If you still find yourself returning to that perfectionist mindset, then put your writing out of view for a while and take your mind off it.

First Draft Perfectionism Syndrome

Yes, I’ve decided to give this a name: First Draft Perfectionism Syndrome, or FDPS for short. If you’re on the first draft--I feel your pain. It’s tempting to make the first draft as neat as possible so you have less work to do later on. That’s the way it works, right? Well, yes and no. 

Yes, you might save yourself work later, but at what cost? You’ll be constantly obsessing over the tiny details and slowing yourself down. A first draft is supposed to be messy. It’s one big brain dump for the main structure and ideas of your story. It should not be of a published quality. That comes many drafts later. The first draft is all about just getting your ideas down.

Having fun with writing

Writing isn’t supposed to be a chore, but perfectionism can often make it seem like one. If you’re not having fun with your writing, take a step back and ask yourself why. If you’re not enjoying yourself, is it because of you, your idea, or both? Pinpoint the problem and then think of ways to solve it. Writing is supposed to be fun, not something to dread.

The perfectionist standard

Many times, perfectionists hold themselves to a standard of perfection. But what is perfect in writing? Good grammar and spelling? The complete absence of plot holes? Flowing and unstilted dialogue? Trying to have all of these qualities and more is simply unachievable. Every single published work out there has some kind of flaw. Your favorite media most likely has flaws, but does that make you completely hate it? No! So don’t burn yourself out trying to reach a standard that is literally unreachable. Your writing is not defined by its flaws. You might look at your writing and only see flaws, but another person won’t read your writing the same way.

Better done than perfect

It’s really important to remember that in the end, all that matters is that you have something. You can edit “garbage,” but you can’t edit a blank page. So don’t be afraid to show up. It’s okay to feel like your writing is bad and it’s okay to be imperfect. Every single writer ever has felt this way. If they haven’t, they’re probably lying. Honestly, I’d be extremely worried if a writer said that they think their first draft was ready for publication. It’s not. And that is more than okay.

How to put “wrote fan-fiction” on your résumé:

Leveraged an inventory of established fictional character and setting elements to generate a disruptive custom-curated narrative entertainment asset.

I had a writing professor who told us how he was sitting at a window seat in a coffee shop when somebody fell from the roof to the sidewalk. He was horrified, yet nobody else in the shop even looked up from their coffee. Some of us were appalled right away and others jumped to questioning the validity of the story. We never got a straight answer from him on if he was telling the truth but he had us discuss the entire class time whether it matters if people looked up or not. What story is told either way and why are we focusing on those in the coffee shop rather than the man who fell from the roof? How many stories can we tell from a singular event that may not have ever happened and what’s the goal in telling each one? Does there ever have to be a point in telling a story?

That one class reshaped how I think about reading and writing, and I’ll never forget it

I love the phrase "they get along like a house on fire". It's perfect. You and me have perfect chemistry and it's setting off the carbon monoxide detectors. People are calling emergency services to get us to stop being so chummy. Someone died

It's not an "abandoned" WIP, I didn't intentionally leave it in the forest to die and forget about it, it is a lost wip who wandered into the forest despite my pleas not to. I sit at the edge of the forest every day and hear it calling for help but there is nothing I can do. It is a haunting wip