BoM/TWS Message Forum

> It's very hard, for me at least, to write the usual suspects.

Oh boy do I identify with that. There are a lot of characters—the ones that rugal writes, like Sienna Goldman and Jelena Petrovic, especially—that I go out of my avoid, because I feel like I don't know them well enough and don't want to screw them up.

I wish I could fix it for you by saying, "Don't worry about it, just have fun with whoever." And I will say that. But if you're like me, I know it won't do much good to be told that--I'd still feel shy. Like, by now I'm not sure I have the guts to write for Shelly because you've done so much to create this really great character.

In terms of story consistency, I know I've fussed at you some about that behind the scenes, but I *think* it's mostly been with mechanics, which is where I tend to be most obsessive/compulsive. AFAIC, you (and anyone else who adds to the story) has a lot more leeway with the characters. If you're really shy and uncertain, you can always bounce ideas off me privately, or even send a chapter draft.

I'm really enjoying your branch. I especially liked the scene between Ian and Shelly in "Paranoid World" on a technical level. It looked like a POV break, and then you so smartly whipped it around to show it was all being reported by a our hitherto-unheard-from protagonist who was eavesdropping. That was a really great way of handling it!

Also, I'm really glad to hear that people are sending you GPs. You deserve them!