A couple of fun questions for you novelists!

N.L. LeBlanc · Mar 12, 2012

Hello all! Bored? Here are a couple of questions I've been pondering over as of late and thought I'd share:

Have you ever been compared to other writers or authors? If so, who, and regarding what aspects of your writing? Did you take it as a compliment or an insult?

What common "writer stereotypes" do you feel you fit? Which ones do you completely disagree with in your case? We all know them. Writing in cafes. Drinking lots of coffee or (I find, especially) tea. Being an English major. And many more.

Can't wait to read your answers!

CrastersBabies · Mar 12, 2012

I haven't been compared to anyone, no. Maybe someday.

I would be flattered if it was someone who wasn't a complete idiot.

Writerly habits. I don't drink huge amounts of coffee or tea, no. I do wear dark-rimmed glasses which may look writerly. I dunno.

I do talk to myself in the car as I drive (trying to work out a story). Maybe that's a weird thing.

backslashbaby · Mar 12, 2012

I've been compared to folks, but it feels weird saying who all

I was very flattered.

I drink tons of coffee, adore cafes, and smoke lots of cigarettes. I made a point to write a bit of my WIP at Les Deuxs Magots, as a matter of fact :ROFL:

I really need to start wearing my 'smart' glasses again

Oh, and I was not an English major, nope. But I minored in 3 foreign languages, so I can tell you more than you ever wanted to know about things like 19th century Latin American fiction!

COchick · Mar 12, 2012

I've been compared to other writers before, which was flattering. I feel weird repeating those kinds of things, though, so I'm not revealing anything.

Stereotypes? I don't really drink, and I only have a cup of coffee in the morning. I am an English major, though.

quicklime · Mar 12, 2012

N.L. LeBlanc said:
Hello all! Bored? Here are a couple of questions I've been pondering over as of late and thought I'd share:

Have you ever been compared to other writers or authors? If so, who, and regarding what aspects of your writing? Did you take it as a compliment or an insult? nobody. people seem to like it but nobody has compared me much, which is fine by me. I wouldn't mind being told I write like King or Hemingway in and of itself, but would be nervous it might prejudice what I wrote after.

What common "writer stereotypes" do you feel you fit? Which ones do you completely disagree with in your case? We all know them. Writing in cafes. Drinking lots of coffee or (I find, especially) tea. Being an English major. And many more.
i am probably more like a "typical" writer and less a "stereotypical"...the folks who spend an inordinate amount of time at coffee shops are there to be seen, so they can then explain they are writers, rather than to write. Probably well under half of all commercial writers, at a guess, have English degrees, and I do not. I write. I'm not there yet, but most of the successful folks I know, they write. No, or very few, self-indulgent quirks and affectations...they get in the way.
Can't wait to read your answers!

collecting info is fine, but if you're looking to "look" like a writer, the ones who are out there making it aren't doing so because of their membership in the Goatee club, or their ability to buy lattes. Write, and learn to write well--trying to look like a writer is a distraction from actually being one. That doesn't mean you can't hang in a coffee shop if that's where you write best, or a library, or a laundromat. It means you do what helps you turn out product. If you're there, typing at quarter-speed because you're people-watching or hoping the barista will come ask what you're doing or whatever, you should probably be somewhere else, even if you don't get to feel writery.

backslashbaby · Mar 12, 2012

I always thought the cafe thing was because it's nice to write while someone else gets you your coffee and muffins or whathaveyou? Anyway, that works nicely about it :ROFL:

And you can watch people and get story or character ideas. Cafes rock.

Ginger Writer · Mar 12, 2012

Me + Writer Stereotypes: I'm a Creative Writing major with glasses and wild hair who carries around notebooks and lots of pens and writes/edits through things like classes. I used to drink coffee every day, but when I couldn't get any I had withdrawal symptoms, which I took as a sign that I should probably stop. Now I just drink diet coke for caffeine, but I try to limit this, too. I'm not broody or angsty, though, and I don't smoke, so there's that.

One writing professor I've had is this burly blond Southern man who lives on top of a mountain, gets up at 5 in the morning every morning, and writes for 5 hours in his writing cabin. He's also been known to indulge in alcohol.

GFanthome · Mar 12, 2012

A journalist friend of mine, who read a few chapters from my previous novel, said my writing reminded him of Raymond Chandler.
I took it as an insult because the piece was in no way a detective/pulp fiction novel. A couple of years later, when I told my friend I had been insulted by his comparison, he was shocked. He meant it as a compliment.

Still trying to figure that one out.

As for being a typical writer, I like to drink any kind of beverages

driedraspberry · Mar 12, 2012

It's only happened to me once. At time the comparison was made I didn't know very much about the writer and I had never read a novel of hers. But years later when I did get the chance to read her work I understood how some would spot similarities.

I do a lot of my writing in cafes and I do drink a lot of caffeinated beverages, alcoholic ones too, but they're just habits I picked up in college where I definitely wasn't an English major (though I would've been if my parents had let me).

I guess the writer stereotype that's probably true about me is that I always carry a notebook and plenty of pens. I take public transit and have a group of friends who are often late, taking those things into account I find that I have a lot random free time when I can take it out and plan my stories, make notes, write scenes, etc. Aside from that most people wouldn't mistake me for a writer, and I don't mean to say that writers look a certain way, just that in my experience lots of people expect us to.

Plot Device · Mar 12, 2012

I've been compared to Stephen King.

Yes, that's a compliment.

HoneyBadger · Mar 12, 2012

I chain-smoke and drink way too much coffee. Also sometimes I wear those glasses there.

And here's a totally unrelated joke from Mitch Hedberg: I used to do drugs. I still do, but I used to, too.

IDGS · Mar 12, 2012

I also have been compared to King in fan mail, but I have a feeling that's just because I write horror, and for most people who generally read mainstream, he's about as horror as they've gone. My writing's nowhere near that level, but it was still a very, very kind compliment.

As for stereotypes, I fit as many as I break. Unfortunately, as fun as it looks to be Hank Moody from Californication - that character resonates with me a little too well. I smoke too much, drink too much, and well... you can figure out the rest. I'm not praising it in the least, it's just the facts. Nobody wants to be the tortured writer - that's just a myth and an excuse for writer's block, IMHO.

Anyways, good questions OP - can't wait to see more answers.

triceretops · Mar 12, 2012

I've had three editors liken me to somebody else, and this over a period of 23 years. So, it doesn't happen that often, and it sure wasn't who I expected my style/voice to be similar to. During my earliest short story days, it was Stephen King, and then when I transitioned to younger MCs, I was compared to Roald Dahl. And I had no clue whatsoever, who Dahl was. I do now.

Just recently, in several reviews with my latest book out, Robert Heinlein and Phillip Jose Farmer. And several other "Golden Age" comments from reviewers. I guess that's good in a way, but I think it's a signal for me to take my writing a bit further before I slip into Clicheville.

Well I smoke and pour coffee down my neck, for sure. I've been thinking about Monster drink or Red Bull, something to get me mentally motivated/stimulated. I decided to take some brisk walks instead, and although I smoke a half pack a day, I'm going to give it up.

Tri

Polenth · Mar 12, 2012

Someone here thought one of my stories was reminiscent of Ray Bradbury. I took it as a compliment. Even if I didn't like an author used as a comparison, I'd take it as it was intended. What people mean is, "I like this author and I like your work too." So it's not something to get upset over.

I don't drink any more tea than the non-writers around me (this is the UK, so most people drink tea... it's odd to me to consider that a writer-only thing). I don't write in public. I was also never naturally good at language and I don't feel a burning need to write. I'm not neurotic, emotional or otherwise more sensitive than other people. I'm logical, practical and good at science.

So I fail on the whole stereotype thing. To the point I occasionally get told I shouldn't be a writer, because someone like me couldn't possibly learn to write. Outside of my more impressionable child and teen years, my reaction to that is: :tongue

or

SomethingOrOther · Mar 12, 2012

Someone enthusiastically likened some of my stuff to George Saunders'. I was ambivalent about it at the time, in part because it reinforced the (depressing) fact that I was better at absurdism and parody than Serious Fiction. But at that point I hadn't had much practice at either, so I suppose anything better than, "You fucking suck," was a victory.

Stereotypes? In real life, I'm quiet and brooding.

HoneyBadger said:
I chain-smoke and drink way too much coffee. Also sometimes I wear those glasses there.

And here's a totally unrelated joke from Mitch Hedberg: I used to do drugs. I still do, but I used to, too.

That's a picture of you when you were younger.

DeleyanLee · Mar 12, 2012

N.L. LeBlanc said:
Have you ever been compared to other writers or authors? If so, who, and regarding what aspects of your writing? Did you take it as a compliment or an insult?

Katherine Kurtz (because of a high political under/overtones) and Anne McCaffrey (no clue). I took both as compliments (though I was totally confused by the comparisons both times), knowing how much those authors were adored by the people making the comments. I admit to having never read Kurtz because I'm actually turned off by the amount of politics in her Deryni series. *shrug*

What common "writer stereotypes" do you feel you fit? Which ones do you completely disagree with in your case? We all know them. Writing in cafes. Drinking lots of coffee or (I find, especially) tea. Being an English major. And many more.

I have a cat. That's it.

backslashbaby · Mar 12, 2012

I forgot to say that I do drink too much, too. Obviously and very publicly Too Much. I don't do it often, so I figure it's sort of like going to an amusement park

I can pretend it's a broody thing, though, if that makes anyone feel better.

Nobody mentioned turtlenecks. I really do love black turtlenecks. Oh, and I used to actually smoke clove cigarettes, as difficult as the damned things are to smoke.

I'm telling you, it's why folks understand that I'm neurotic. Don't burst my bubble

Tom from UK · Mar 13, 2012

My agent (when I had one

) sent 'The White Rajah' to a major publisher and got a reply saying it reminded them of William Golding. I almost didn't care that they still didn't take the book.

seun · Mar 13, 2012

My wife compares me to Dr Cox from Scrubs. Does that count?

As for the stereotypes, I drink a lot of coffee and have been known to have a few ales now and then. I don't write in coffee shops (can't think of anywhere I'd like to write in less than a coffee shop). I wear glasses when I'm not wearing my contacts and I have a beard in the winter.

jaksen · Mar 13, 2012

Ima gonna answer your first question. No.

That word is not allowed. I tell my kids you can be b----- when you die. It is the only word in the English language I scream out loud at.

As for the rest, no, no and no.

Stereotypes, I drink lots of coffee. I have a Biology degree. I'm retired. I write all sorts of stuff and in diff. genres but only am published in mystery and fantasy.

Some day I'll be published in my true love, SF.

EarlyBird · Mar 13, 2012

N.L. LeBlanc said:
Have you ever been compared to other writers or authors? If so, who, and regarding what aspects of your writing? Did you take it as a compliment or an insult?

My agent showed my first novel, historical fiction, to a publisher who commented I wrote very well, "like Dan Brown". At first I was flattered, but when they turned down the manuscript because the genre had been done to death (their words), I felt a bit deflated.

What common "writer stereotypes" do you feel you fit?

I don't think I know any, unless constantly doubting your ability and second-guessing everything you write is a stereotype, in which case I fit right in. :Thumbs:

MKrys · Mar 13, 2012

I've never been compared to anyone, but as for sterotypes...I'm a 4 cup of coffee/day girl. That, and I'm a hermit. Well, I try not to be a hermit but mostly I don't socialize nearly enough. I prefer my own company

N.L. LeBlanc · Mar 13, 2012

Loving these answers! To the few people who said they've been compared to Stephen King: I don't write horror (well... full-on horror, anyway), but that would be the biggest compliment ever! I love Stephen King. To Polenth: I suppose that's true regarding tea! I live in Atlantic Canada, where drinking tea usually means you're either a hipster or some kind of arts enthusiast, or both. So drinking tea is definitely a writer/artist stereotype here.

I suppose I should probably answer the questions, too, huh?

I've been compared to Chuck Palahniuk (regarding the topics I write about), Charles Dickens (regarding the chapter structure of my main WIP - I actually haven't yet read Dickens's work, but according to the member of my critique team who made the comparison his chapters are kind of like pseudo short stories, which is basically exactly how I intended the structure of my own chapters to be), and Jodi Picoult (writing style). I take all three as a compliment because I don't think my work is anywhere near to any of their levels yet. I write in exactly the same genre as Picoult, though, and I can kind of see the similarities in writing style as I have read quite a bit of her work. However, I think she has a way with handling multiple subplots and tying up all her loose ends that I haven't mastered yet.

I do fit a few common writer stereotypes:

- I have a 15-year-old cat who is my baby
- I write in cafes. Not because I want attention - in fact I'd prefer if people minded their own business and didn't ask me what I was doing. No one does, and I'm more than cool with that. I actually write, do my homework, study, read, etc. at the local Starbucks because I love the atmosphere and concentrate much better here than I do at home. I'm one of those people who needs something going on in the background while I'm working.
- I drink Starbucks coffee (Veranda blonde roast) at least once a day - all the baristas know me and several give me drinks for free because that's how often I'm there. I'm like, part of their barista family or something.
- I drink BOATLOADS of tea. This is because I work for the largest loose tea retailer in Canada, not because I'm a writer, but like I said, in Atlantic Canada that stereotype is quite prominent.
- I wear glasses.

But I don't take public transit, I don't dress or look like a hipster, I don't look artsy AT ALL, and I'm definitely NOT an English major (I do attend university, but in pre-med/psych). I consider myself largely a science person, not an arts person, although I do enjoy certain types of arts (and writing is clearly among them).

Jamesaritchie · Mar 13, 2012

I tend to get compared to Louis L'Amour, Mark Twain, and Robert B. Parker, depending on what I'm writing. It makes sense because these three writers largely taught me how to write, and what goes in the eyes often comes out the fingers.

As for stereotypes, I do drink an awful lot of coffee, at least a couple of pots per day, and I do chain smoke when writing. But I did both before I ever thought about being a writer. Before becoming a writer, I drank even more coffee, and nothing makes me chain smoke like a high stakes poker game.

Hmmm, come to think of it, playing poker and writing mysteries is also a stereotype.

I also like to write in coffee shops (But not a Starbucks), and libraries. Even more, I like to write in seedy, redneck bars. But it has nothing to do with being seen. I go during hours when the places are mostly empty. I like to write anywhere I'm comfortable, where I like the people, where I fit in and feel at home.

How do you know which stereotypes you fit? I do what I do because it comes natural, and I like doing it. How others see this doesn't matter.

I love seedy, redneck bars, ones that actually have bar fights, where once a year or so, someone gets stabbed or shot, that has pool tables, back room, highly illegal, poker games, and where the conversation rarely goes beyond cars, women, sports (Football, basketball, auto racing, hunting and fishing), and how the politicians, whatever the party, are screwing us all.

I also usually carry a handgun and a knife, and so do many others in the bars I like. I don't know whether this makes me a stereotype mystery/western writer, or a stereotype, hard-boiled mystery character, or just another redneck from flyover country, but it's who I am.

But what's wrong with being a stereotype? What's wrong with affecting how you dress, where you write, what you drink, or anything else? If it makes you feel more like a writer, go for it.

Kitty27 · Mar 13, 2012

My beta said I was Anne Rice crossed with a gory lunatic. I was quite pleased.

Writer Stereotypes:

I talk aloud when I am writing. I carry on entire conversations.
With Myself.
Repeatedly.

I am cuckoo. Yep,I'm out of my flipping mind.

I drink a lot of coffee.

I go into my writing space and don't emerge for hours.

A couple of fun questions for you novelists!

Running with Pens

Burninator!

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in a holding pattern

all out of fucks to give

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Writing like a madwoman

At the computer, opening a vein

A woman said to write like a man.

terribly loud, emotionally distant

@LeaveItToIan

Mushroom

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Writing Anarchist

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Horror Man

Caped Codder

Grinding it out

Quietly obsessing

Running with Pens

So Goth That I Was Born Black

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