Twist on the "how you know it's me" meme

[amanuensis1]

I like the "top ten things that tell a reader it's one of my fics" meme, but I'm not so clueful as to recognize these elements in my own stories. You guys are boggling me with how insightful you are towards your own writing style. I mean, sure, I write certain characters a lot, and there are themes like smut and non-con, but I don't think about writing style when I write--I think about the specific story and where it's going and that's pretty much it. I just...write, the way that I do because that's what I do and how it comes out.

So, fine. A number of you have said you were able to peg my stories in the anonymous fic exchanges right away. Help me out here: tell me how. Yes, that's right, I'm asking you to do the meme for me. This is not a roundabout way of asking for compliments; I'd really like to know what I do that not everyone does in order to understand style better. And if it's just, "Well, you write those characters and you write non-con," let me know! That way I can know it's that simple and there's no other magic to it. (Well-meaning negative feedback is certainly welcome as well.)

Comments

[bethbethbeth.livejournal.com]

No, see...I didn't think you were fishing. Unfortunately, you don't really have a lot of writerly "tics" - or at least not ones that are obvious to me - so my knowledge of when a story is yours is sort of like your knowledge of the right answer to the grammar questions.

There may very well be some sort of analytical thought processes going on beneath the surface that helps me (and others) peg you as the author, but it's hard to tell just where those processes stem from, apart from the often-seen non-con.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Actually that helps, a lot. I'm able to look at stories--sometimes--and say, "This feels like so-and-so wrote it," but I can't break it down beyond, "Well, it feels like them." And to have you say that the thought processes are not so easily put into words and examples--well, that makes me feel better not to see them myself. ^_^

[harvest-blue.livejournal.com]

I have to agree with you there. It's not that all of your stories feel the same or read the same or even have the same elements. I can just read a story and say, "Amanuensis wrote this" and there's not a doubt in my mind. It could be because I've read every single one of your stories more than once (okay, definitely more than once) and just know you're stuff. *shrugs* I also did the same things with grammar. Trying to explain that to people blows my mind. ^_^ ~Harvest

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

*gets very blushy*
*hugs you*