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

[painless-j.livejournal.com]

Oh, it's a difficult question. I can't say anything about style (word choices and such), and I can't say anything about *all* of your fics either 'cos they can be very different. I recongize you fic on sheer gut feeling which probably can be analyzed.

Well, if there's something humorous in the story, your humour is most easily recognizable 'cos it's darkish, rather twisted and peculiar. I dunno, when I read, cringe but laugh. Or, like, "oh my, ah-ha-ha, she didn't, *snort*"

You created a Lucius that has become a cliche already but that never is just cliche in your fic, that how good he is :); the one very controlled, smooth, aristocratic, with a lot of torture instruments at his disposal that he loves to and can use.

There's something in your writing that makes me read and love (to an alarming degree!) the things that I don't like at all in other fics. You can make one love non-con and BDSM.

You are a magician, really. I know you didn't ask for compliments, but I'm bad at analyzing things. I only know that when I read a fic of yours (or one that will turn out to be yours), I often squeal "Magic! This is magic!"

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Gut feeling, I can understand! It's hard for me to put "what makes a style a style" into words, when I read. But I'm very pleased that you like the peculiarity of the humor (it's the sort of thing I like, so, I try to emulate it), and I can't disagree about the Lucius-with-torture instruments. :D And your compliments make me blush. Truly truly truly I don't deserve you. *hugs*