Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Me, as a Writer

I got these questions off Miriam Neal's blog, Wishful Thinking. I used to follow her when she was on Blogger {as opposed to Wordpress}. Now she has a book out called, "Monster." I think you can buy it online? Anyway, I stole these writing-related questions from her blog.

What was your first-ever piece of writing? I illustrated and dictated my stories to Mom before I could write myself. When I was about five, I had a series called "The Brave Little Briar" stories. Brave Little Briar was an adventurous girl like myself who liked to carry a big sword with which she fought dragons and chopped through briar thickets.

How old were you when you first began writing? I started telling stories on paper as soon as I could hold a writing implement. It got serious around...well, let's be real, I've always taken myself {too} seriously XD But I finished my first "full-length" story when I was twelve.

Name two writing goals. One short term & one long term. Short term...*thinks lots of rude, degrading, unhelpful thoughts about personal productivity and potential...clears throat* I'd like to write some every day this semester. I know that's a very small goal, and not one that will necessarily yield me a "finished" story, but right now I just need to get back into the writing habit.

A long term goal is to be a published and popular author. Yes, I said it. I'd like to receive some level of recognition. Not necessarily win an award or have my books turned into movies, but I want people to have heard of me.

Do you write fiction or non-fiction? Exclusively non-fiction, unless you count blogging and journaling.

Bouncing off of question 4, what’s your favorite genre to write in? Either fantasy or realistic fiction. Usually a combination of the two. It fascinates me when magic/the supernatural collides with the world as we know it.

Favorite author, off the top of your head! -_- Don't do this to me. Like actually. F. Scott Fitzgerald came to mind first though, so I'll go with him.

Three current favorite books. Unfortunately I haven't read any books recently that would qualify as favorites, so all these are old:  "Tex," The Farsala trilogy, and "Inkheart."

Biggest influence on your writing. I don't have an answer to this. Honestly, people I know don't influence my writing. Other authors do {like if I'm currently reading "Inkheart," my phrasing takes on a Cornelia Funke slant}, but even that fades after a couple of weeks.

What’s your go-to writing music? As a general rule, I can't write while listening to music. It distracts me. Every once in a while, though, I'll be listening to a song and *BAM!!* an idea smacks me in the face. When that happens, I put the song on repeat and go at it for hours. {Songs I can remember this happening with:  "American Secrets," by Parachute; "Safe and Sound," by Taylor Swift; "Orchard of Mines," by Globus; "Young and Beautiful," by Lana Del Ray; and "Headache Music," by Expedition.}

List three to five writing quirks of yours! Little habits, must-haves as you write, etc.
1) I hold my breath and bite my knuckles when I'm struggling to break through or writing an intensely emotional scene.
2) I get really hung up on names and point of view. I cannot be satisfied with a stand-in name, and I cannot so much as jot down a single sentence without deciding on a final POV.
3) If interrupted during a burst of inspiration, I completely deflate and become deeply furious and woefully depressed and cannot continue the story. Possibly ever again, but at least for the day.

{Wow. I'm even more high-maintenance than I thought.}

What, in three sentences or less, does your writing mean to you? Writing is a manifestation of the mental power, creativity, and acuity that I treasure. Writing is how I harness, explore, and reconcile my intense emotions. Writing is a way to inspire and persuade the public.

I tag anyone who wants to answer these :)

~Stephanie

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