Writing Meme
I found an interesting meme for all you writers out there. It's very long, but I hope the rest of you decide to try it because I would love to see your answers. :)
What's the last thing you wrote? A scene in the new chapter of FtTP.
Was it any good? Probably not. I'm afraid to reread it and find out! :P
What's the first thing you ever wrote that you still have? That I still have? Some poetry I wrote when I was fourteen. But I've been writing since I was seven.
Write poetry? At one time, yes. Not anymore.
Angsty poetry? Some of it, yes.
Most fun character you ever wrote? In fanfiction it would have to be William. I had such a great time with him. In my original work ... well, I'm not sure. A few years back I wrote a novella featuring a character named Max, who was sharp and very snarky. I also have a character named Jillian who first came to me when I was sixteen and just recently showed up again in a new story I'm writing; I'm guessing the fact that she keeps reappearing means she's fun to write.
Most annoying character you ever wrote? Archer in FtTP. God, I hate the bastard.
Best plot you ever wrote? Not sure. I'm never really satisfied with anything I write. I have a new one cooking at the moment that I'm having a lot of fun with, but since it's an original work I'm not going into details on the plot.
Coolest plot twist you ever wrote? I can't tell you. It's not posted yet. ;-)
How often do you get writer's block? Ugh, I don't know. I'm almost always able to write something, but sometimes I get blocked on an individual story. It seems like with FtTP I've had writer's block every few weeks or so. It's very frustrating.
How do you fix it? I don't. I wait for it to resolve itself. If anyone has any ideas on how to fix it, please let me know!
Do you type or write by hand? Type. I used to write everything by hand before I got a laptop.
Do you save everything you write? Yes! Even discarded scenes I will probably never use again. I just cannot let them go.
Do you ever go back to an old idea long after you abandoned it? Yes. Actually, it was with FtTP. I went through a bad time in my life and abandoned the story for about six months; I honestly thought I would never go back to it. I was only about fourteen chapters in at the time and once I picked it up again I knew I wouldn't stop again until it was complete.
What's your favorite thing that you've written? If we're talking individual scenes and not stories, then I would probably say chapter twenty-five of FtTP. It is one of the few things I ever wrote that I didn't second guess. It all came out just as I imagined it should.
What's everyone else's favorite thing that you've written? If we're talking stories, there aren't a lot for my readers to choose from; I only post FtTP. As for individual chapters or scenes ... I have no idea. My readers would have to tell me that.
Do you even show people your work? Yes, but only internet friends and my husband.
Who's your favorite constructive critic? slaymesoftly. She's my beta, after all. ;-) Second favorite ... jeez, I have too many to count. I love all the comments I receive.
Did you ever write a novel? God help me, I'm writing two at the moment.
Have you ever written fantasy, sci-fi, or horror? Yes, horror. Right now, I have a vampire novel in mind, as well as a werewolf one, but I've only written down outlines. They will have to wait until I finish the first two.
Ever written romance or teen angsty drama? Mm. Tough one. Technically, I do write romances. FtTP is a romance because if you remove the relationship from the plot ... well ... there is no plot. The same can be said for one of my novels-in-progress. But I hope neither of them would be considered "bodice rippers."
What's one genre you have never written, and probably never will? Fantasy. Dragons and elves are just beyond me, much to the disappointment of my husband. He loves fantasy novels. :)
How many writing projects are you working on right now? Four. As of now, I am writing two novels, a novel-length fanfiction, and a one-shot fanfiction.
Do you want to write for a living? Yes.
Have you ever written something for a magazine or newspaper? No.
Have you ever won an award for your writing? Yes. I won a local writer's group award for poetry, a couple of internet awards for poetry, and twenty-seven internet awards for FtTP.
Ever written something in script or play format? No. I have no talent for that.
What is your favorite word? Wow, that is a tough one. I don't really have a favorite, but I do love the word "nape;" it's short but it evokes such a pleasant image. (Yes, I am very strange!)
Do you ever write based on yourself? No.
Which of your characters most resembles you? None of them are very similar to me, really. But I suppose I can indentify most easily with William in FtTP. Does that count?
Where do you get ideas for your characters? I don't. They just come to me.
Do you ever write based on your dreams? Not that I can remember.
Do you prefer happy endings, sad endings, or cliff-hangers? Depends on the story. I tend to be a little annoyed by cliff-hangers though.
Have you ever written anything based on an artwork you've seen? No.
Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write? Yes - for all the good it does me. :P
Ever write something entirely in chatspeak? Oh, God no. Who does that?!
Does music help you write? Yes. I almost always listen to music while I write.
Are people surprised and confused when they find out you write well? I'm not sure. Most people don't know whether I write well or not because most people don't know that I write. I'm very shy about it in my everyday life.
Quote something you've written. All righty then. I won't bore you with quotes you already know from FtTP and I don't believe in spoilers ... so here is a snippet from one of my original novels. A note to those who don't already know this: the male protagonist of this story hijacked the name "William," but he won't keep it after the novel is finished. The plot is (very) loosely based on FtTP and I want to avoid any copyright issues with a Victorian soon-to-be vampire named William. However, this is not even remotely the William you guys know from FtTP. ;-) Keep in mind - this has never been touched by an editor.
James had warned her that William was deaf in his left ear and, because of that, Elisa thought she should speak loudly when she was introduced to him in case he had a hard time hearing her. When he smiled at her and murmured an appropriate greeting, she bellowed kindly, “HOW DO YOU DO?”
He looked taken aback and glanced quickly at his sister and mother as if in the hope of receiving some explanation. Hannah elbowed Elisa in her side and muttered out of the corner of her mouth: “He is well able to hear you if you speak in an ordinary tone!”
“Oh.” Elisa blushed, mortified by her mistake. She quickly apologized, but he shook his head.
“Pray don’t. It is apparent that you take your manners very seriously, which I think will serve you in good stead. Though, perhaps if you decide to display them with such intensity again, you will remember to call me ‘sir.’”
Was she being upbraided or was he making fun of her? Elisa couldn’t tell. The words sounded harsh, but there was a hint of amusement in the dark eyes and one corner of his mouth was twitching. She had no idea how to respond.
No matter. William had already turned to his mother.
“She is too thin. Why on earth is she so thin?”
His tone was almost accusatory, as if it were Margaret’s fault for not feeding the new domestic enough. Margaret answered defensively, “She came to us that way!”
--Looking Glass, chapter five
What's the last thing you wrote? A scene in the new chapter of FtTP.
Was it any good? Probably not. I'm afraid to reread it and find out! :P
What's the first thing you ever wrote that you still have? That I still have? Some poetry I wrote when I was fourteen. But I've been writing since I was seven.
Write poetry? At one time, yes. Not anymore.
Angsty poetry? Some of it, yes.
Most fun character you ever wrote? In fanfiction it would have to be William. I had such a great time with him. In my original work ... well, I'm not sure. A few years back I wrote a novella featuring a character named Max, who was sharp and very snarky. I also have a character named Jillian who first came to me when I was sixteen and just recently showed up again in a new story I'm writing; I'm guessing the fact that she keeps reappearing means she's fun to write.
Most annoying character you ever wrote? Archer in FtTP. God, I hate the bastard.
Best plot you ever wrote? Not sure. I'm never really satisfied with anything I write. I have a new one cooking at the moment that I'm having a lot of fun with, but since it's an original work I'm not going into details on the plot.
Coolest plot twist you ever wrote? I can't tell you. It's not posted yet. ;-)
How often do you get writer's block? Ugh, I don't know. I'm almost always able to write something, but sometimes I get blocked on an individual story. It seems like with FtTP I've had writer's block every few weeks or so. It's very frustrating.
How do you fix it? I don't. I wait for it to resolve itself. If anyone has any ideas on how to fix it, please let me know!
Do you type or write by hand? Type. I used to write everything by hand before I got a laptop.
Do you save everything you write? Yes! Even discarded scenes I will probably never use again. I just cannot let them go.
Do you ever go back to an old idea long after you abandoned it? Yes. Actually, it was with FtTP. I went through a bad time in my life and abandoned the story for about six months; I honestly thought I would never go back to it. I was only about fourteen chapters in at the time and once I picked it up again I knew I wouldn't stop again until it was complete.
What's your favorite thing that you've written? If we're talking individual scenes and not stories, then I would probably say chapter twenty-five of FtTP. It is one of the few things I ever wrote that I didn't second guess. It all came out just as I imagined it should.
What's everyone else's favorite thing that you've written? If we're talking stories, there aren't a lot for my readers to choose from; I only post FtTP. As for individual chapters or scenes ... I have no idea. My readers would have to tell me that.
Do you even show people your work? Yes, but only internet friends and my husband.
Who's your favorite constructive critic? slaymesoftly. She's my beta, after all. ;-) Second favorite ... jeez, I have too many to count. I love all the comments I receive.
Did you ever write a novel? God help me, I'm writing two at the moment.
Have you ever written fantasy, sci-fi, or horror? Yes, horror. Right now, I have a vampire novel in mind, as well as a werewolf one, but I've only written down outlines. They will have to wait until I finish the first two.
Ever written romance or teen angsty drama? Mm. Tough one. Technically, I do write romances. FtTP is a romance because if you remove the relationship from the plot ... well ... there is no plot. The same can be said for one of my novels-in-progress. But I hope neither of them would be considered "bodice rippers."
What's one genre you have never written, and probably never will? Fantasy. Dragons and elves are just beyond me, much to the disappointment of my husband. He loves fantasy novels. :)
How many writing projects are you working on right now? Four. As of now, I am writing two novels, a novel-length fanfiction, and a one-shot fanfiction.
Do you want to write for a living? Yes.
Have you ever written something for a magazine or newspaper? No.
Have you ever won an award for your writing? Yes. I won a local writer's group award for poetry, a couple of internet awards for poetry, and twenty-seven internet awards for FtTP.
Ever written something in script or play format? No. I have no talent for that.
What is your favorite word? Wow, that is a tough one. I don't really have a favorite, but I do love the word "nape;" it's short but it evokes such a pleasant image. (Yes, I am very strange!)
Do you ever write based on yourself? No.
Which of your characters most resembles you? None of them are very similar to me, really. But I suppose I can indentify most easily with William in FtTP. Does that count?
Where do you get ideas for your characters? I don't. They just come to me.
Do you ever write based on your dreams? Not that I can remember.
Do you prefer happy endings, sad endings, or cliff-hangers? Depends on the story. I tend to be a little annoyed by cliff-hangers though.
Have you ever written anything based on an artwork you've seen? No.
Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write? Yes - for all the good it does me. :P
Ever write something entirely in chatspeak? Oh, God no. Who does that?!
Does music help you write? Yes. I almost always listen to music while I write.
Are people surprised and confused when they find out you write well? I'm not sure. Most people don't know whether I write well or not because most people don't know that I write. I'm very shy about it in my everyday life.
Quote something you've written. All righty then. I won't bore you with quotes you already know from FtTP and I don't believe in spoilers ... so here is a snippet from one of my original novels. A note to those who don't already know this: the male protagonist of this story hijacked the name "William," but he won't keep it after the novel is finished. The plot is (very) loosely based on FtTP and I want to avoid any copyright issues with a Victorian soon-to-be vampire named William. However, this is not even remotely the William you guys know from FtTP. ;-) Keep in mind - this has never been touched by an editor.
James had warned her that William was deaf in his left ear and, because of that, Elisa thought she should speak loudly when she was introduced to him in case he had a hard time hearing her. When he smiled at her and murmured an appropriate greeting, she bellowed kindly, “HOW DO YOU DO?”
He looked taken aback and glanced quickly at his sister and mother as if in the hope of receiving some explanation. Hannah elbowed Elisa in her side and muttered out of the corner of her mouth: “He is well able to hear you if you speak in an ordinary tone!”
“Oh.” Elisa blushed, mortified by her mistake. She quickly apologized, but he shook his head.
“Pray don’t. It is apparent that you take your manners very seriously, which I think will serve you in good stead. Though, perhaps if you decide to display them with such intensity again, you will remember to call me ‘sir.’”
Was she being upbraided or was he making fun of her? Elisa couldn’t tell. The words sounded harsh, but there was a hint of amusement in the dark eyes and one corner of his mouth was twitching. She had no idea how to respond.
No matter. William had already turned to his mother.
“She is too thin. Why on earth is she so thin?”
His tone was almost accusatory, as if it were Margaret’s fault for not feeding the new domestic enough. Margaret answered defensively, “She came to us that way!”
--Looking Glass, chapter five