February 23, 2010

random questions for writers 2010

i saw this over at Sara Harricharan's blog In Shades of Scarlet and knew i had to play along. trivia and writing - of course! plus it's another way to put off working on my sequel.

(i answered another one of these last year: the 2009 writer's questions.)

-Do you have a pen/pencil collection? How many of those are chewed?
-- my pen collection consists of some full, some half-full, and some almost empty Pilot Easy Touch medium black pens because i like their grip and the way they write. they're all over my house. pencils are for school but they're all over the house as well, and never chewed.

-Do you prefer handwriting or typing furiously?
-- typing is the easiest way for me to get my thoughts down, even notes, but when i can't use my laptop or my hands are tired of typing, i write plotting notes or story on newsprint pads, and just general free writing in a spiral notebook (the current notebook has clones from Star Wars on it).

-How often do you get inspiration?
-- for new stories, that would be whenever. i find a new picture that interests me, and then i say, "what's this person's story?" sometimes i go looking for them, and sometimes i just find them. as far as inspiration for a story i'm working on, that comes in fits and spurts that i usually can't control.

-Are you blogging this on a computer or laptop?
-- laptop, because the keyboard fits my hands better and the keys aren't as stiff as the keyboard for my desktop.

-Do you get inspiration more in the early morning or late at night?
-- it comes whenever, but i don't like having it come in the middle of the night because if it does, i have to get up and write it down so i won't forget it.

-Do certain movies/books/music inspire you?
-- not really.

-How do you incorporate God into your stories?
-- in my fantasy stories, i usually don't. in the one contemp. romance i wrote, yes.

-Do you kill off your villains or make them repent?
-- my villains really have to die.

-Are the majority of your characters magical beings, humans, or halflings?
-- magical humans or humans who were once something else that was magical.

-What genre of writing are you most comfortable in?
-- fantasy, fantasy, fantasy but always with romance.

-Do you work better alone or with someone else?
-- when i write, i'm better alone. when i need to brainstorm, i work with my son (who is helping me with my villain) or with my writing partner.

-Do your stories make sense, or do they ramble wildly?
-- my first drafts always ramble, but i think they still make sense.

-Are your characters mostly Renegades, Peacekeepers or a mish-mash?
-- my protagonists are always peacekeepers.

-Are you a sucker for good grammar?
-- YES! and bad grammar really distracts me.

-How is your handwriting?
-- great when i'm being careful, legible when i'm in a hurry, but never as bad as a doctor's writing.

-How evil are your villains?
-- so evil they have to die because there's no redeeming them.

-Are you long-winded or succinct?
-- succinct, but almost to the point of being sparse. i have to work on adding description. when i read long descriptions, i get easily bored and usually skip them. Tolkien and i don't get along.

-Do you have typical writer traits such as ink stains on your fingers or a pencil behind your ear?
-- no, just very short fingernails and a tired mouse hand.

-Would someone walking past you on the street consider you normal?
-- yes. "writer" is my secret identity.

-Do you write mostly poetry, stories, novels or a mixture?
-- novels and novellas. my shortest "short" story is 15,000 words, and my others run up to 30,000. poetry and i don't usually get along.

-Do your characters vary in accents, appearance and attitude or are they mostly the same?
-- in Eldala, i have a native people who speak very formally, and i imagine their accent is different, but i don't write the accent into the dialogue.

-Do real people and/or places inspire your writing?
-- Teleria is based on the country of Wales (which i've never visited) and my mermaid stories are inspired by the ocean. models sometimes inspire characters.

-What is your favorite character? Or do you choose to remain unbiased in case of a revolt?
-- probably Kieran since he was my first character, but i love all my main characters. i think that's why i have to finish their stories and not just leave them hanging.

-Do you talk to your characters? Do they talk back?
-- yes to both.

-Are you more comfortable with girl or boy main characters?
-- both, but when i have a guy question i'm not sure about, i go to my husband for answers.

-Do you follow basic overused plot lines with new twists thrown in or do you depart from the norm all the time?
-- boy meets girl... that's used all the time. regular guy or gal discovers that the fate of the world rest on him or her... that's used all the time as well. i try to put my twist on them, but there are no new plots.

-Do you feel God has called you to be a writer/poet?
-- yes, but it's not something i would have asked for and i denied it for a long time. i've finally admitted it and i'm a somewhat happier person now that i have, even though there are still days when i want to walk away from it because it's driving me crazy.

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