Do your stories have recurring details?

[Thorn Wilde]

I started thinking about this because I was rereading some of the things I've written, and I noticed that my characters eat a lot of Italian food. My diet is like 75% pasta, so I guess it's not so strange that my characters eat it a lot. But then I realised that, in at least three different works of mine, someone cooks bolognese, and in two of them I describe what's in it and how it's made, and it's my bolognese recipe. And generally speaking, my characters just cook and eat a lot of food. They also drink Hemingway daiquiris and Valpolicella wines. There are also recurring words and expressions which are not common idioms but which my characters repeat. I don't think these things are even necessarily noticeable to readers, though I'm sure it contributes to my style. None of this is really on purpose, it just happens, so I started to wonder if other writers do this as well.

 

Have you noticed any recurring details in your stories? A mannerism that you end up giving to a lot of characters? Something they often eat? Something they often say?

Edited December 14, 2018 by Thorn Wilde

[Mikiesboy]

Food is a big thing in a lot of my stories. It's a big thing for me.  Comes i think from eating a lot of crap for many years, including stuff we rescued from the garbage. When i got off the street i swore i'd learn to cook and eat right .. so that is passed on to my characters.

 

I have characters that do the same things, for instance, James (of Faris and James) will say at some point in each story: Oh for Pete's sake.

But does that merge between different stories; no.

[MacGreg]

Whiskey and self-loathing. Hmm. 

[Thorn Wilde]

21 minutes ago, MacGreg said:

Whiskey and self-loathing. Hmm. 

 

Yeah, I do this one, too.  

[Carlos Hazday]

Motorcycles, marijuana & fur

[Brayon]

Big Muscular Jocks being the sensitive ones, while the twinks are more stoic.

 

EDIT: And food and coffee.

Edited December 29, 2018 by BHopper2

[Superpride]

A recurring theme in my stories is the inclusion of Filipino mythology and culture.  For example, Hero Wanted includes aspects of Filipino mythology like the fairy-like diwata named Maria Makiling which explains how the characters obtained their superhuman abilities, and Sweetheart, West Virginia includes a Filipino woman who is the aunt/tita of one of the main characters who cooks a lot of Filipino cuisines like pancit and adobo.  I want to spread my fascination with my own heritage since I believe the Filipino people are not represented as much as other Asian cultures which is interesting since the country is heavily influenced by Western society, specifically American.  Another recurring theme is the relationship between the two main characters, one being more confident, while the other is more of the shy one.  However, I try to change it up a little since I don't want to write the same relationship dynamic just in a different setting.

[Thorn Wilde]

30 minutes ago, Superpride said:

A recurring theme in my stories is the inclusion of Filipino mythology and culture.  For example, Hero Wanted includes aspects of Filipino mythology like the fairy-like diwata named Maria Makiling which explains how the characters obtained their superhuman abilities, and Sweetheart, West Virginia includes a Filipino woman who is the aunt/tita of one of the main characters who cooks a lot of Filipino cuisines like pancit and adobo.  I want to spread my fascination with my own heritage since I believe the Filipino people are not represented as much as other Asian cultures which is interesting since the country is heavily influenced by Western society, specifically American.  Another recurring theme is the relationship between the two main characters, one being more confident, while the other is more of the shy one.  However, I try to change it up a little since I don't want to write the same relationship dynamic just in a different setting.

 

I grew up knowing a lot of Filipino kids. I went to Catholic school, and so did the kids of half the city’s Filipino population, it seems. My first boyfriend was half Filipino.  

[Superpride]

1 hour ago, Thorn Wilde said:

 

I grew up knowing a lot of Filipino kids. I went to Catholic school, and so did the kids of half the city’s Filipino population, it seems. My first boyfriend was half Filipino.  

 

That makes sense.  The Philippines is predominantly Catholic due to the Spanish colonizing the land centuries ago, and that’s why many Filipinos have Spanish surnames.  The Philippines even got its name from the Spanish, specifically from King Philip II.  Just a little history lesson of the Philippines that was also considered a melting pot of other Asian cultures.  I’ll stop now 😅

[Thorn Wilde]

39 minutes ago, Superpride said:

 

That makes sense.  The Philippines is predominantly Catholic due to the Spanish colonizing the land centuries ago, and that’s why many Filipinos have Spanish surnames.  The Philippines even got its name from the Spanish, specifically from King Philip II.  Just a little history lesson of the Philippines that was also considered a melting pot of other Asian cultures.  I’ll stop now 😅

 

Hey, I rant about my country, too, it’s cool.  

[Superpride]

The last thing I want to say is that my fairytale-inspired series, Charming, doesn’t have any Filipino influences yet, but I’m planning on including the history of Filipino women who participated in the guerrilla warfare against the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II, several even becoming leaders of the movement.  Definitely a sharp contrast to the damsel in distress trope seen in the classic European fairy tales.

Edited December 29, 2018 by Superpride

[Aditus]

I should ask my readers or  @Valkyrie, but there is a lot of food including recipes, coffee, coffee, coffee, erratic behavior, cheese, and   eye-rolling every five minutes , although I do that a lot myself. And a lot, I say that a lot. 

[Thorn Wilde]

3 hours ago, aditus said:

I should ask my readers or  @Valkyrie, but there is a lot of food including recipes, coffee, coffee, coffee, erratic behavior, cheese, and   eye-rolling every five minutes , although I do that a lot myself. And a lot, I say that a lot. 

 

Yeah, I think it's inevitable that our characters adopt at least some of our mannerisms. 

[CassieQ]

On 12/14/2018 at 9:04 AM, Thorn Wilde said:

I started thinking about this because I was rereading some of the things I've written, and I noticed that my characters eat a lot of Italian food. My diet is like 75% pasta, so I guess it's not so strange that my characters eat it a lot. But then I realised that, in at least three different works of mine, someone cooks bolognese, and in two of them I describe what's in it and how it's made, and it's my bolognese recipe. And generally speaking, my characters just cook and eat a lot of food. They also drink Hemingway daiquiris and Valpolicella wines. There are also recurring words and expressions which are not common idioms but which my characters repeat. I don't think these things are even necessarily noticeable to readers, though I'm sure it contributes to my style. None of this is really on purpose, it just happens, so I started to wonder if other writers do this as well.

 

Have you noticed any recurring details in your stories? A mannerism that you end up giving to a lot of characters? Something they often eat? Something they often say?

I have recently started to put a lot of food and drinks into my stories.  I'm not sure why.  

[Thorn Wilde]

12 minutes ago, CassieQ said:

I have recently started to put a lot of food and drinks into my stories.  I'm not sure why.  

 

I personally think food and drink makes the story come alive. Long as you don't go overboard. If you get to Tolkien levels, you've gone too far.

[CassieQ]

13 minutes ago, Thorn Wilde said:

 

I personally think food and drink makes the story come alive. Long as you don't go overboard. If you get to Tolkien levels, you've gone too far.

It might be because I think about food more often.  I used to regard food as something that I didn't like, but had to deal with to fuel my body and stay alive.  Now I enjoy food much more and I think my characters do too.  

[Thorn Wilde]

9 minutes ago, CassieQ said:

It might be because I think about food more often.  I used to regard food as something that I didn't like, but had to deal with to fuel my body and stay alive.  Now I enjoy food much more and I think my characters do too.  

 

I've always loved food. It was a big deal in my family, and my parents never let me say I didn't like something until I'd tried it. I always ate the same things they did (sometimes just less spicy versions) and when we went to restaurants and stuff I never ordered off the children's menu. When I was eight I was a child extra in a play, and at the party on opening night there was this huge buffet with all kinds of lovely food, fish and meats and all sorts. Then there was a buffet for the kids and it was all pizza and hot dogs and stuff. I was so disappointed and asked if I had to eat pizza. They let me eat from the 'adult' table. lol!

[Cia]

Honestly, other than the fact that most of my stories are "new romances" because I don't tend to do second-chance stories or stories featuring established relationships, I don't think I use any reoccurring plot themes/elements or character traits. I try to vary the characters and the stories every time I write something new. I have certain elements I try to always hold true to like always maintaining realistic medical information and ensuring an injured character can't magically recover (unless it's a magical story, lol) and not using a real location as my setting unless I either know it myself or do extensive research. But I don't think that's quite the same thing as including food as a focal element in scenes or using repeat physical traits or habits. Maybe that is what I include in each story... the fact I'm always trying to do something different. 🤷‍♀️

[Timothy M.]

I've been trying to come up with something interesting for this topic, but so far I've only managed to compile this embarrassing list:

blond guys, uncut dicks, no 'unprepared' anal sex, a dislike of emotional characters, and cravings for (hot) chocolate

I guess this is a case of 'write what you know / like'

Edited January 6, 2019 by Timothy M.

[Thorn Wilde]

44 minutes ago, Timothy M. said:

I've been trying to come up with something interesting for this topic, but so far I've only managed to compile this embarrassing list:

blond guys, uncut dicks, no 'unprepared' anal sex, a dislike of emotional characters, and cravings for (hot) chocolate

I guess this is a case of 'write what you know / like'

 

Lol! I don't think that list is embarrassing at all.  I think especially the way we write sex will always be recurring in one way or another. The characters are different, the scenes are different, but most writers have a way of writing sex that's specific to them, be it word choices, build-up, or description.

 

Also, to the extent that I even describe it, my characters also tend to be uncut. Which makes sense in our case given that we're Scandinavian and circumcision is essentially a religious thing only here.

[Carlos Hazday]

9 hours ago, Cia said:

I don't tend to do second-chance stories or stories featuring established relationships,

 

And we like that!!!!!!!!

 

Two recurring items in my new book are music references (more than usual) and wine descriptions. But the second one's just for the benefit of @Defiance19

[Thorn Wilde]

3 hours ago, Carlos Hazday said:

 

And we like that!!!!!!!!

 

Two recurring items in my new book are music references (more than usual) and wine descriptions. But the second one's just for the benefit of @Defiance19

 

I do a lot of music too. A lot of my characters are musicians of one kind or another, and I reference a lot of real bands and artists. All this for obvious reasons, I think.

Edited January 6, 2019 by Thorn Wilde

[Carlos Hazday]

2 minutes ago, Thorn Wilde said:

 

I do a lot of music too. A lot of my characters are musicians of one kind or another, and I reference a lot of real bands and artists. All this for obvious reasons, I think.

 

Mine are mostly references to music from performances my MCs attend, or what one of the gang members performs since he's at music school and wants to be a singer. I was fun trying to find music to fit each chapter. Easiest ones were songs about New York City where my guys spend a lot of time.

[Cia]

6 hours ago, Carlos Hazday said:

And we like that!!!!!!!!

Does that mean you like that I don't feature stories with second-chance romances or established romances or that people do like stories with second-chance romances and established romances already existing in them (and maybe I should explore that as an author)? I guess that does factor into my life as well. I met my husband back when I was 16. I've been with him for 21 years. Maybe, in this case, I like writing what I "don't know" instead of what I do because I write a lot of speculative fiction as well. Then again, I'm also a bisexual woman in a heterosexual relationship who is typically writing gay/bi/pansexual men in gay relationships. I like visualizing outside of my day-to-day world, lol.

[Carlos Hazday]

@Cia The former. Maybe because of my own experiences, second-chance romances I lump with the National Enquirer as things to avoid reading. Is your husband older? The reason I ask is my MC met his future husband at 16 and married him 5 years later. The husband is 6 years older than the MC. I guess I'm looking at validation that the age difference doesn't matter. No matter how much my editor likes to give me crap about cradle robbing.