Ava Eldred
@avaeldred.bsky.social
Writer and producer. Mostly novels, sometimes theatre.
Punchdrunk by day
Punchdrunk by day
I definitely will! Thank you! ๐ฅฐ
June 3, 2025 at 8:06 PM
I definitely will! Thank you! ๐ฅฐ
Thank you so much for chatting! Really enjoyed it!
June 3, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Thank you so much for chatting! Really enjoyed it!
Thank you so much for having me! An absolutely pleasure, really enjoyed that! ๐ #ukteenchat
What a fun hour that has been, thank you so much for being such a wonderful guest @avaeldred.bsky.social , you're more than welcome anytime on #ukteenchat ๐
a man with a bandage on his forehead says yarp !
ALT: a man with a bandage on his forehead says yarp !
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June 3, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Thank you so much for having me! An absolutely pleasure, really enjoyed that! ๐ #ukteenchat
I'm just wondering if there's any chocolate in my house I've forgotten about! I fancy some now! #ukteenchat
June 3, 2025 at 8:03 PM
I'm just wondering if there's any chocolate in my house I've forgotten about! I fancy some now! #ukteenchat
Exactly! And if you accidentally pick up 3 at a time, probably fate telling you you're doing really well and deserve a treat! #ukteenchat
June 3, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Exactly! And if you accidentally pick up 3 at a time, probably fate telling you you're doing really well and deserve a treat! #ukteenchat
I love this framing! Makes me feel like a much faster drafter! #ukteenchat
June 3, 2025 at 7:59 PM
I love this framing! Makes me feel like a much faster drafter! #ukteenchat
(And obviously the mini egg thing. That's the main one ๐) #ukteenchat
June 3, 2025 at 7:59 PM
(And obviously the mini egg thing. That's the main one ๐) #ukteenchat
My other favourite is to 'arrive late, leave early - essentially, join the scene as close as you can to the climax, write only what *needs* to happen, then get out of there! It might not work particularly well for literary fic, but for YA mysteries it's so helpful for keeping the pace. #ukteenchat
June 3, 2025 at 7:59 PM
My other favourite is to 'arrive late, leave early - essentially, join the scene as close as you can to the climax, write only what *needs* to happen, then get out of there! It might not work particularly well for literary fic, but for YA mysteries it's so helpful for keeping the pace. #ukteenchat
If I'm stuck, I like to go through a scene and just write the dialogue. It tells me a lot about how the characters get from the start to the end point. With ESD, it worked so well that I thought... huh. I think this might be something! That's (sort of!) how the scripted voice was born! #ukteenchat
10, Do you have any writing advice or tips youโd like to share? @avaeldred.bsky.social #ukteenchat
a man in a hat talking on a cell phone with the words no tips only solid advice below him
ALT: a man in a hat talking on a cell phone with the words no tips only solid advice below him
media.tenor.com
June 3, 2025 at 7:59 PM
If I'm stuck, I like to go through a scene and just write the dialogue. It tells me a lot about how the characters get from the start to the end point. With ESD, it worked so well that I thought... huh. I think this might be something! That's (sort of!) how the scripted voice was born! #ukteenchat
HAhaha that is true! Maybe that's why it worked! The panster in my soul was still getting what she wanted! ๐ #ukteenchat
June 3, 2025 at 7:53 PM
HAhaha that is true! Maybe that's why it worked! The panster in my soul was still getting what she wanted! ๐ #ukteenchat
It's a first draft, so I can't tell you much with confidence because I don't know myself! I will say it's another theatre-set novel, but aside from that it's different to ESD in almost every way - not YA and no murder! I first had the idea 6 years ago, so it's been a long time coming! #ukteenchat
June 3, 2025 at 7:53 PM
It's a first draft, so I can't tell you much with confidence because I don't know myself! I will say it's another theatre-set novel, but aside from that it's different to ESD in almost every way - not YA and no murder! I first had the idea 6 years ago, so it's been a long time coming! #ukteenchat
And in terms of rituals, I stole this one from my friend @annazoequirke.bsky.social but it really works - set your word count (say, 5000 words) and grab an easily dividable snack (a bag of mini eggs). After every 500 words, eat a mini egg. Is that a ritual? Either way, works a treat! #ukteenchat
a woman in a black shirt is holding a bowl of candy in her hands
ALT: a woman in a black shirt is holding a bowl of candy in her hands
media.tenor.com
June 3, 2025 at 7:51 PM
And in terms of rituals, I stole this one from my friend @annazoequirke.bsky.social but it really works - set your word count (say, 5000 words) and grab an easily dividable snack (a bag of mini eggs). After every 500 words, eat a mini egg. Is that a ritual? Either way, works a treat! #ukteenchat
I've been a fan of writing at The Barbican for a little while now, but what I *did not* know about until recently was the library there! It's so quiet and studious, then when you need a break, you can go out to the main arts centre and soak up all the vibes. It's a game changer. #ukteenchat
June 3, 2025 at 7:51 PM
I've been a fan of writing at The Barbican for a little while now, but what I *did not* know about until recently was the library there! It's so quiet and studious, then when you need a break, you can go out to the main arts centre and soak up all the vibes. It's a game changer. #ukteenchat
I know. It was extreme. I don't recommend it ๐ #ukteenchat
June 3, 2025 at 7:48 PM
I know. It was extreme. I don't recommend it ๐ #ukteenchat
Same! I think there's probably a perfect middle ground, but I am yet to find it! I'm 80kish in to a draft of something right now, almost totally pantsed, and this afternoon was like 'oooh I should change a massive structural thing!' NO! Make a plan and stick to it! ๐
#ukteenchat
June 3, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Same! I think there's probably a perfect middle ground, but I am yet to find it! I'm 80kish in to a draft of something right now, almost totally pantsed, and this afternoon was like 'oooh I should change a massive structural thing!' NO! Make a plan and stick to it! ๐
#ukteenchat
Usually a pantser, although I always know what I'm writing towards, but Exit Stage Death was *so* plotted. The synopsis alone was 8k words, so when I came to actually write it, it happened quickly! Would I do it that way again? Probs not. ๐
โโ๏ธ Did it work? Sorry, pantsers... it really did! #ukteenchat
7, Are you a plotter or pantser? @avaeldred.bsky.social #ukteenchat
a picture of a badger in the snow with the caption when i start out following the outline but the my brain decides
ALT: a picture of a badger in the snow with the caption when i start out following the outline but the my brain decides
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June 3, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Usually a pantser, although I always know what I'm writing towards, but Exit Stage Death was *so* plotted. The synopsis alone was 8k words, so when I came to actually write it, it happened quickly! Would I do it that way again? Probs not. ๐
โโ๏ธ Did it work? Sorry, pantsers... it really did! #ukteenchat
Totally! It happens so rarely that when it does I'm like... THANK YOU! #ukteenchat
June 3, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Totally! It happens so rarely that when it does I'm like... THANK YOU! #ukteenchat
I'm trying to find a way to talk about this without spoilers and it's hard, but I think it also makes sense once you realise who the second voice is. Even that I'm like... HAVE I SAID TOO MUCH? ๐
#ukteenchat
June 3, 2025 at 7:38 PM
I'm trying to find a way to talk about this without spoilers and it's hard, but I think it also makes sense once you realise who the second voice is. Even that I'm like... HAVE I SAID TOO MUCH? ๐
#ukteenchat
Once they had a voice, it really humanised them (to me, anyway!) I loved having the chance to make them funny, and insecure, and all the other things that I hope come through in that scripting, that wouldn't have if the whole book was Livi POV. #ukteenchat
June 3, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Once they had a voice, it really humanised them (to me, anyway!) I loved having the chance to make them funny, and insecure, and all the other things that I hope come through in that scripting, that wouldn't have if the whole book was Livi POV. #ukteenchat
The main thing it did was let me give the killer a voice without giving away who they were. I could probably have done that in dual POV prose, but once the scripting idea came to me, that voice came *so* easily, and I think in writing, when something is easy, you should run with it! #ukteenchat
June 3, 2025 at 7:38 PM
The main thing it did was let me give the killer a voice without giving away who they were. I could probably have done that in dual POV prose, but once the scripting idea came to me, that voice came *so* easily, and I think in writing, when something is easy, you should run with it! #ukteenchat
Reposted by Ava Eldred
Exactly! They can explode stuff and be in peril while we're living vicariously through them all cosy with chocolate ๐ #ukteenchat
June 3, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Exactly! They can explode stuff and be in peril while we're living vicariously through them all cosy with chocolate ๐ #ukteenchat
(This is my new favourite gif! It's *so* good! I can't believe I've never seen it before!)
June 3, 2025 at 7:31 PM
(This is my new favourite gif! It's *so* good! I can't believe I've never seen it before!)
A bit of both - I knew who the killer was and why they did it before I started, but how they were going to execute it could only come once I knew who the characters were. It was always a 'proper' murder mystery though, so the tropes that come with that were all there from the beginning. #ukteenchat
5, Did the story begin with the idea of the murder mystery, or did the characters come to you first? @avaeldred.bsky.social #ukteenchat
a woman is making a funny face with the word murderrrr written below her
ALT: a woman is making a funny face with the word murderrrr written below her
media.tenor.com
June 3, 2025 at 7:31 PM
A bit of both - I knew who the killer was and why they did it before I started, but how they were going to execute it could only come once I knew who the characters were. It was always a 'proper' murder mystery though, so the tropes that come with that were all there from the beginning. #ukteenchat
Indeed! I actually touch on this in the book, because it was *such* a hard time for theatre, both in terms of people not being able to make it, and for audiences not able to see it. I'm so glad to see it thriving again! #ukteenchat
June 3, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Indeed! I actually touch on this in the book, because it was *such* a hard time for theatre, both in terms of people not being able to make it, and for audiences not able to see it. I'm so glad to see it thriving again! #ukteenchat
Sort of same! I'm definitely not a performer, but I wish I was - that's all coming out in my characters! #ukteenchat
June 3, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Sort of same! I'm definitely not a performer, but I wish I was - that's all coming out in my characters! #ukteenchat