Writing memes
My legs are very sore today. Yesterday I walked my legs off tramping around the Science Museum (which I was less than impressed with. All I learnt was what the weight of an average brain felt like) and Hamleys. My camera is broken, so alas, there will be no picspam.
Therefore, I shall meme from bed and purge my hard disc of all ones I answered but never finished. I might stick in a snippet of the Black Widow sequel too.
Nicked from ladyoneill:
1. Do you outline?
Not really. Only my WIP. However, I usually have a vague sense of where I’m going.
2. Do you write straight through a book(!), or do you sometimes tackle the scenes out of order?
Out of order, definitely. It’s a big part of what slows me up. If I can get going in a linear fashion, then the story tends to come quite quickly. Getting going is an art in itself for me.
3. Do you prefer writing with a pen or using a computer?
Depends on where I’m sitting. I’ll write the initial paragraph down on paper then get fed up and type it.
4. Do you prefer writing in first person or third?
Third. I hate first person with a passion. With fanfic, presenting the voices of characters we all know well enough to convince the majority of readers over 100% of the text is next to impossible (especially when you’re a 15 year old American girl writing the inner thoughts of a 150 year old English male vampire). The vast majority fail for me. It’s better to stick to the third and then you only have to worry about their spoken words!
5. Do you listen to music while you write? If so, do you create a playlist, listen randomly, or pick a single song that fits the book?
I like having music on, but it’s not always possible. I need music that’s not too familiar to me (I’ll get distracted), not too new to me (I'll listen too hard) and pleasant enough to wash over me but not be too sugary (the Cocteau Twins are good but make my teeth grate after a while). I find early Suede useful for creating that vibe, also Slowdive and Pale Saints.
6. How do you come up with the perfect names for your characters?
They name themselves usually.
7. When you're writing, do you ever imagine your book as a television show or movie?
Not specifically, but I visualise the action like it’s being filmed.
8. Have you ever had a character insist on doing something you really didn't want him/her to do?
Not really, more the other way round. They refuse to do the stuff I want them to do.
9. Do you know how a book is going to end when you start it?
Not always.
10. Where do you write?
Somewhere I’m not supposed to.
11. What do you do when you get writer's block?
Complain to all and sundry. Then sulk and worry a lot.
12. What size increments do you write in (either in terms of word count, or as a percentage of the book as a whole)?
About 75-500 words-ish a time even on a good day. Not good.
13. How many different drafts did you write for your last project?
2? I tend to edit as I go, so they don’t tend to make full drafts.
14. Have you ever changed a character's name midway through a draft?
I can’t do that. Their names are theirs.I don't think any of my OCs (going back to my writing year zero) have ever been known by another name.
15. Do you let anyone read your book while you're working on it, or do you wait until you've completed a draft before letting someone else see it?
Only betas. No one else is interested.
16. What do you do to celebrate when you finish a draft?
Start something else.
17. One project at a time, or multiple projects at once?
Oh multiples are sitting around, but if I’m deep in, it can only be one.
18. Do your books grow or shrink in revision?
Grow definitely.
19. Do you have any writing or critique partners?
They all seem to have vanished...
20. Do you prefer drafting or revising?
Revising, the hard bit is done.
Next!
The Fanfic Writers Meme
Keyboard or biro?
Both. Each have their limitations, but I find writing by hand kickstarts my muse better than staring at a keyboard (I still can't touch-type). However, I get bored with that very quickly and I have to type it up.
Beta or no beta?
At least two. And I still have a load of small errors. I like the process of having someone there to moan at, work out kinks and suggest stuff (which while I tend to disagee with suggestions, always help me focus my own ideas).
Plot?
Somehow they manage to appear.
Title?
Most of the time I find titles easy - usually the story will tell me what it wants to be called whether I like it or not.
Smushy or smutty?
Neither really. Smutty on occasion.
Summary?
Not so good at these.
Funniest fic?
Santa's Grotty (maybe titles aren't my forte).
Most popular fic?
Black Widow.
Most fun to write?
Fun? Writing is fun and not a need?
Best and Worst?
Best: The Heartstone
Worst: The ones I don't let people see. Of the ones I've posted... I don't really want to say any of them - if I put them out there, then it meant I had faith in them. I don't like the drabble The Stain Was Still There much though.
Coulda been Contenders?
I'm not sure I understand this question. Contenders for what?
Strengths
Description.
Perfectionism.
Weaknesses
Lack of output.
Perfectionism.
Dirty Little Secrets?
No idea what's being fished for here either. So instead I'll offer a snippet of Black Widow part 2. Buffy's having difficulty adjusting to life post-Intiative:
“What colour polish would you like?” the woman asks.
Buffy looks at the choices. “Blood Red,” she says with little hesitation.
Dawn looks at her askance as the woman searches the bottles. Buffy realises her mistake.
“I’m sorry,” she says quickly. “Pink please. I meant pink.”
But the woman already has a bottle in her hand. “Are you sure? Venom is a very popular colour.”
Buffy rolls the name around her mind. Tastes the syllables. Absorbs it’s meaning. Venom. Just the thing for the girl with poison running through her veins.
She leaves the salon with savage red nails to go with her pretty cream sundress.
Next!
Post a list of your top five favourite fics you've written, regardless of fandom or the reason you love them. This isn't about the BEST things you've written, but what you LOVE most.
The Heartstone
I like this one because it proves that if I can sit down and concentrate (a deadline really helps) I can manage to write a decent length story.
Black Widow
Because I'm proud of it.
Bloodbath
I really savoured writing the descriptions for this.
Prism
It's the only one of my stories I never get the urge to tinker with. It was also very easy to write (okay, it's very short, but even short stuff can take me a long time).
Enough is Enough
I like several of my drabbles a lot - Strong, Turbulence, Fascination all come to mind - but I think this is my favourite one.
.
Therefore, I shall meme from bed and purge my hard disc of all ones I answered but never finished. I might stick in a snippet of the Black Widow sequel too.
Nicked from ladyoneill:
1. Do you outline?
Not really. Only my WIP. However, I usually have a vague sense of where I’m going.
2. Do you write straight through a book(!), or do you sometimes tackle the scenes out of order?
Out of order, definitely. It’s a big part of what slows me up. If I can get going in a linear fashion, then the story tends to come quite quickly. Getting going is an art in itself for me.
3. Do you prefer writing with a pen or using a computer?
Depends on where I’m sitting. I’ll write the initial paragraph down on paper then get fed up and type it.
4. Do you prefer writing in first person or third?
Third. I hate first person with a passion. With fanfic, presenting the voices of characters we all know well enough to convince the majority of readers over 100% of the text is next to impossible (especially when you’re a 15 year old American girl writing the inner thoughts of a 150 year old English male vampire). The vast majority fail for me. It’s better to stick to the third and then you only have to worry about their spoken words!
5. Do you listen to music while you write? If so, do you create a playlist, listen randomly, or pick a single song that fits the book?
I like having music on, but it’s not always possible. I need music that’s not too familiar to me (I’ll get distracted), not too new to me (I'll listen too hard) and pleasant enough to wash over me but not be too sugary (the Cocteau Twins are good but make my teeth grate after a while). I find early Suede useful for creating that vibe, also Slowdive and Pale Saints.
6. How do you come up with the perfect names for your characters?
They name themselves usually.
7. When you're writing, do you ever imagine your book as a television show or movie?
Not specifically, but I visualise the action like it’s being filmed.
8. Have you ever had a character insist on doing something you really didn't want him/her to do?
Not really, more the other way round. They refuse to do the stuff I want them to do.
9. Do you know how a book is going to end when you start it?
Not always.
10. Where do you write?
Somewhere I’m not supposed to.
11. What do you do when you get writer's block?
Complain to all and sundry. Then sulk and worry a lot.
12. What size increments do you write in (either in terms of word count, or as a percentage of the book as a whole)?
About 75-500 words-ish a time even on a good day. Not good.
13. How many different drafts did you write for your last project?
2? I tend to edit as I go, so they don’t tend to make full drafts.
14. Have you ever changed a character's name midway through a draft?
I can’t do that. Their names are theirs.I don't think any of my OCs (going back to my writing year zero) have ever been known by another name.
15. Do you let anyone read your book while you're working on it, or do you wait until you've completed a draft before letting someone else see it?
Only betas. No one else is interested.
16. What do you do to celebrate when you finish a draft?
Start something else.
17. One project at a time, or multiple projects at once?
Oh multiples are sitting around, but if I’m deep in, it can only be one.
18. Do your books grow or shrink in revision?
Grow definitely.
19. Do you have any writing or critique partners?
They all seem to have vanished...
20. Do you prefer drafting or revising?
Revising, the hard bit is done.
Next!
The Fanfic Writers Meme
Keyboard or biro?
Both. Each have their limitations, but I find writing by hand kickstarts my muse better than staring at a keyboard (I still can't touch-type). However, I get bored with that very quickly and I have to type it up.
Beta or no beta?
At least two. And I still have a load of small errors. I like the process of having someone there to moan at, work out kinks and suggest stuff (which while I tend to disagee with suggestions, always help me focus my own ideas).
Plot?
Somehow they manage to appear.
Title?
Most of the time I find titles easy - usually the story will tell me what it wants to be called whether I like it or not.
Smushy or smutty?
Neither really. Smutty on occasion.
Summary?
Not so good at these.
Funniest fic?
Santa's Grotty (maybe titles aren't my forte).
Most popular fic?
Black Widow.
Most fun to write?
Fun? Writing is fun and not a need?
Best and Worst?
Best: The Heartstone
Worst: The ones I don't let people see. Of the ones I've posted... I don't really want to say any of them - if I put them out there, then it meant I had faith in them. I don't like the drabble The Stain Was Still There much though.
Coulda been Contenders?
I'm not sure I understand this question. Contenders for what?
Strengths
Description.
Perfectionism.
Weaknesses
Lack of output.
Perfectionism.
Dirty Little Secrets?
No idea what's being fished for here either. So instead I'll offer a snippet of Black Widow part 2. Buffy's having difficulty adjusting to life post-Intiative:
“What colour polish would you like?” the woman asks.
Buffy looks at the choices. “Blood Red,” she says with little hesitation.
Dawn looks at her askance as the woman searches the bottles. Buffy realises her mistake.
“I’m sorry,” she says quickly. “Pink please. I meant pink.”
But the woman already has a bottle in her hand. “Are you sure? Venom is a very popular colour.”
Buffy rolls the name around her mind. Tastes the syllables. Absorbs it’s meaning. Venom. Just the thing for the girl with poison running through her veins.
She leaves the salon with savage red nails to go with her pretty cream sundress.
Next!
Post a list of your top five favourite fics you've written, regardless of fandom or the reason you love them. This isn't about the BEST things you've written, but what you LOVE most.
The Heartstone
I like this one because it proves that if I can sit down and concentrate (a deadline really helps) I can manage to write a decent length story.
Black Widow
Because I'm proud of it.
Bloodbath
I really savoured writing the descriptions for this.
Prism
It's the only one of my stories I never get the urge to tinker with. It was also very easy to write (okay, it's very short, but even short stuff can take me a long time).
Enough is Enough
I like several of my drabbles a lot - Strong, Turbulence, Fascination all come to mind - but I think this is my favourite one.
.