Archive for » July, 2009 «
Yeah, I decided to take another week for myself. I think I deserve it! I’ll start the final edit on Monday. I already feel refreshed!
And I have a new obsession – Dragon Cave Eggs. Dangerous, I tell you. You’re welcome.
I found this one here.
What’s the last thing you wrote?
I finished the third chapter of a Lost Boys fanfiction I’m writing.
Was it any good?
I’m pretty sure it could be better. It’s fanfiction. I’m not shooting for any awards.
What’s the first thing you ever wrote that you still have?
In a binder under my bed I have some writings from high school. Mainly pieces of flash, some poetry and a dream description or two. I think my mom might have some stuff from elementary school.
Write poetry?
Many moons ago.
Angtsy poetry?
Not by today’s definition, no.
Favorite genre of writing.
YA, fantasy and still horror even though it’s a weak spot
Most fun character you ever wrote.
Right now that would probably have to be either Michael from Earth Shatterer or Layla from Coney Island Psychic. That’s a really close call. Layla might have a leg up on Michael.
Most annoying character you ever wrote.
I’ve never found any of my characters annoying.
Best plot you ever wrote.
I still think it’s Diamond Crier even though that book needs a serious Fleeting.
Coolest plot twist you ever wrote.
In Earth Shatterer, with the dog, Crater. Even I didn’t see that one coming and I wrote the damn thing. Like I’m going to tell you what it is.
Who often do you get writers’ block?
Never. I don’t believe it exists.
How do you fix it?
Can’t fix what isn’t broken.
Write fanfiction?
I believe I already admitted that.
Do you type or write by hand?
Long hand. It’s the only way for me to write. I’m waiting for the day where I can just press my papers to my computer screen and the words transfer to the processor automatically.
Do you save everything you write?
For the most part.
Do you ever go back to an old idea long after you’ve abandoned it?
Um, not really. Depends on what you consider old. Like my Dawn story about vampires in Egypt. I want to get back to that but, like DC, it needs an enema.
What’s your favorite thing that you’ve written?
I honestly don’t know. I think I’m leaning towards CIP right now.
Do you ever show people your work?
Of course. God knows I can’t recognize my own pitfalls.
Who’s your favorite constructive critic?
Uh, is that a job title? I guess anyone that can give it to me straight and help me fix the issues.
Did you ever write a novel?
Two. Three if you want to count my novel-length fanfiction.
Have you ever written fantasy, sci-fi or horror?
I feel a redundant redundancy coming on.
Ever written a romance or teen angsty drama?
The latter, no. The former, to an extent in my fanfiction.
What’s your favorite setting for your characters?
Thinking about it, I seem to have a water thing running in all of my stories, or an outside thing. I guess I’ve spawned some outside characters that happen to live near water.
What’s one genre you’ve never written and probably never will?
Sci-fi. I just don’t like it.
How many writing projects are you working on right now?
Editing ES and writing a fanfic. I’m not a big multitasker when it comes to writing. I can’t split my brain like that.
Do you want to write for a living?
Do bears shit in the woods?
Have you ever written something for a magazine or a newspaper?
Do obituaries count? I actually wrote an article on Banned Books Week for a community college newspaper a few years ago.
Have you ever won an award for your writing?
Yes! I placed third in the Rosalie Fleming Memorial Humor Prize in 2007. I got to go out to San Francisco, make a room filled with literary strangers laugh and binge on Ghirardelli chocolate.
Ever written something in script or play format?
I tried and still have those 30 or so pages. Humorous chick lit. It’s not all that bad, even having written it when I was 20 or something like that.
What are your five favorite words?
Asshat, deuce, shenanigans, monkey, shitters. I’m sure you just got a good look at my maturity level there.
Do you ever write based on yourself?
Everyone does, to some extent. It can’t be helped.
What character that you’ve written most resembles yourself?
Layla from CIP.
Where do you get ideas for your other characters?
Other characters to what? They just appear in my head and start talking like the voices are supposed to.
Do you ever write based on your dreams?
A few times. But if they were to involve glitter, I’d take some Represitol. Note: I’ve never dreamed of anything that glittered.
Do you favor happy endings, sad endings or cliff hangers?
I prefer some kind of resolution. I don’t really care what kind of emotion it invokes so long as the major plot comes full circle. Nothing pisses me off more than cutting the celluoid halfway through the damn movie. *coughPOTC2cough*
Have you ever written based on an artwork you’ve seen?
No.
Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write?
I’m just happy if I can read my own handwriting when I’m done.
Ever write something entirely in chatspeak?
I prefer to keep my IQ where it is. Thanks.
Entirely in L337?
See previous answer. Now stop assaulting my brain.
Was that question appalling and completely un-writer-like?
I do believe I just died a little on the inside. Thanks again.
Does music help you write?
No. It’s just another distraction.
Are people surprised and confused when they find out you write well?
Should I be insulted by that question? I can’t tell. What’s confusing about being a good writer? Why would someone be confused by that? Do they eat glue? Being a good writer is only surprising if you’re 6 and can write like Tolstoy.
Quote something you’ve written. The first thing to pop into your mind.
“Next time don’t come downstairs until you’ve rubbed the bitch out of your eyes.”
So one day when I was really bored at work and had to make it look like I was doing something, I dug into the whole show vs. tell thing because I had two of my betas come back and tell me I had too much telling going on. Realizing that I was shit as recognizing such things in my own work, I decided to seek out some exercises to try and help me get through it. What I had to do what take these telling sentences and turn them into showing. Let me know how I did.
1. My boyfriend acted like a jerk.
He laughed when his buddy told a joke about my new haircut. He even threw one in himself and just kept drinking. I don’t know what was redder; my face or my sweatshirt.
2. She wears really strange outfits.
A tutu over jeans with Converse sneakers and a Misfits t-shirt. Don’t forget the studded leather bracelets and the twelves necklaces she always wore too. You couldn’t help but stare at her.
3. The scenery in the mountains was beautiful.
The sun dried the fog away and when it lifted, it unveiled the crispest green leaves swinging softly in the light breeze, water droplets hanging onto the last bits of dew before they faded away completely. The glass-like lake reflected the peaks and blue sky overhead. The mirror rippled when a deer on the other side touched its mouth to the surface.
4. My roommate is very inconsiderate.
Is it really so hard for her to wash her own dishes? Or put away the milk? Blech. It’s curdled. Great. It’s been sitting out all day. And I swear if I step on another pair of her nasty thongs again, I’m going to choke her with it.
Now if only I could apply this! Gah!
Da na na na na, na na, na na. (<—Hammer Time, can’t touch this!)
Yeah, don’t mind me. I’m in a funky mood. I have a forum member of a site I’m on going absolutely batshitty on me, this time completely unprovoked (not like the last time as provoked, it was a discussion which she turned completely back asswards) and I’m just, ha! Funky. And funky. I’ve gone to the gym and haven’t showered yet. Yum.
But alas, my type-in of the second round of edits was finally finished over the weekend (yay!) and I’m taking a well-deserved break. I’m not sure if I’m going to take one week or two. I’ll see how I feel on Sunday. But I need a little distance before I do that third and final (hopefully) edit. And resting is always a plus. When it takes you days to unwind from a rigid schedule, you know you’re wound too tight. Chill time is awesome and I’m greatly deserving, especially since I’m not going to be taking a vacation until next year so I really need to pace myself or I just might go insane.
Plus I just switched from T-Mobile to Verizon and I got a purdy new phone that’s charging on the table next to my bed. It’s all touch-screeny and phone-slidey and the best part? It was free! I love special promotions.
I know this is just a turn of phrase and usually, when people say this, they mean they want to be published, but where did it come from? A writer is just something you are. Like a runner or a bowler. You don’t dream of becoming a bowler. You just drive to the bowling lane, rent some shoes and start bowling. Just like writing but without the loud crashing. You just pick up a pen and start writing. Bam! Instant writer.
I think it might be because some people view those that are already published as writers, which is true. But it is not the only way to be called a writer. An author, yes. Not a writer. This is like the phrase, “I could care less.” It needs to be corrected. I dream of becoming an author but I’m already a writer. I couldn’t care less about Britney Spears’s bald head. If I could care less, then there’s a small piece of me that does care, which just isn’t true. For most people that dream of becoming a writer (read: being published), the wording is wrong because, technically, they’ve already reached that dream. Damn those socially acceptable colloquialisms.
So remember, if you write . . . anything . . . poems, short stories, novels, fanfiction, whatever . . . you are a writer. Don’t let any pretentious ass take that away from you. I think that might be it too. Some schmucks see publication as the only validation for someone being a writer. Get over yourselves, dudes. The second you put pen to paper and start scribbling, you’re a writer. Nothing is going to take that away from you. The real work comes in making that leap to author. Therein lies the hard part . . . and the dream.
But there are some people out there that actually dream of becoming writers, meaning they’ve never written anything before, don’t do it at all, and want to some day write something. To them I go O_O and say just pick up the damn pen already. It’s not hard to become a writer. It’s a bitch to become an author.
Negative reviews come with being an author. Really, you’re not going to please everyone. But whatever you do, don’t Tweet yourself into idiocy by trying to rally your fans to bombard said negative reviewer (by posting her email and phone number, you psycho) regarding the negative review. You’ll just look unbalanced and unable to withstand criticism.
Maybe it was a bad day. Maybe the review hit you just right. Whatever. Take it out on your punching bag. Scream into a pillow. Rip the shit out of a stress ball. But don’t go public with it. Don’t even comment on it. Why? It’ll just draw more attention to a negative review, something you don’t want to do. Granted, if it’s a review that makes the reviewer look like they ever even read the book (getting names, plot, settings, etc. wrong), I might not be able to help myself but I’d still go through my agent for the ok, which might not be given.
Just, seriously, suck it up. You have to. What happens next time? Even more Tweets? A wig-out vlog? Come on. Walk away from the computer, exert some energy and come back to the situation refreshed. Take the criticism and move on. Maybe you can garner some good information from that review you can put to use in your next book. Maybe not. Either way, just chill. Trigger happy is not a title anyone wants.
