Tagged: Writing Q & A

 

 



This will be my last post for the week (unless I just think of something I HAVE to share) because of the holiday.  This week has been a "light" blogging week for me since I didn't do any of my "how to" type posts, which usually require some researching time and such.  So I appreciate you all reading and commenting even though I've wandered a bit from my normal repertoire. 


Alright, so Gavin over at Insanity's Musings has tagged me with a few questions on writing and I figured today would be a great time to answer them.  If you haven't stopped by his blog to check out his writing, you're missing out, so go say hi.


Alright, so here goes:


1) What's the last thing you wrote? What's the first thing you wrote that you still have?

 


The last thing I wrote was part of chapter one on my new WIP Constant Craving.  As for the first thing, I still have the first novel I wrote (which was when I was 14).  It's a cringe-worthy love story, but I'm still proud of the fact that I finished 60k words of anything at that age.
2) Write poetry? 

Not anymore, but I have in the past.  And what I did write was pretty awful.  I've always been terrible at writing and interpreting poetry.  I've gotten a bit better after reading How To Read Literature Like a Professor (which I think every high school kid should read because it's like symbolism cliff's notes--plus it's fun to read) but I definitely still end up with a "huh?" expression after reading a lot of poetry.
3) Angsty poetry? 

Oh, that's the only kind I wrote, lol. 

4) Favorite genre of writing?

Romance.  Even when I writing another type of story, romance always sneaks in.  I know, I'm not breaking any female stereotypes, but oh well.

5) Most annoying character you've ever created?

The drummer in Wanderlust can be pretty annoying--he's usually trying to involve my hero in trouble and he says dude a lot.  But I actually find him kind of endearing in his own way because he has good intentions.

6) Best plot you've ever created?

My plot to overtake the world???  Wait, you mean in a book.  Hmm, I'm most proud of Wanderlust.  I started it as a "fun" story, then ended up adding some threads that I think deepened the plot  adding shades of sadness, loss, and forgiveness.

 7) Coolest plot twist you've ever created?

My YA has a number of twists I'm proud of. 
8) How often do you get writer's block?

I try not to call it writer's block because that stresses me out.  I think when I'm struggling to write, it's usually because I haven't had enough quiet time to think through my story problem.  Once I do, I usually can figure out what I need to do and move forward.

9) Write fan fiction?

I honestly had never even heard of fan fic until about a year ago.  I've never written it, but I think the concept is pretty cool.  There are books I've read that I'd definitely be interested in seeing taken further or in a new direction.  And apparently there are a good number of people looking for it.  When I go to Google Analytics for my blog and look at the keywords people search to find me, one that has come up more than once is "Jace and Clary NC-17 fan fiction", lol.  Those are the characters from the Mortal Instruments YA series I reviewed a while back.  (Tina Lynn, my fellow Jace groupie, are you leaving my blog to go google that now?)  


Of course, I also got "ian sommerhalder full frontal nudity" (Damon on The Vampire Diaries) as a search term this week too.  Those people must be so disappointed when they come here and I have no naked men pics, lol.  Okay and now that I just typed those terms, I'm going to get more people coming here for that.  Oh well!

10) Do you type or write by hand?

I outline and sketch out my characters in a notebook, but I always type the actual story.  I'm overwhelmed at the thought of writing out a novel longhand.  My fingers hurt just thinking about it.
11) Do you save everything you write?

I usually save most of it on my computer.  And I've learned the hard way to save scenes I've cut because you never know when you might need them back or need them in a different place.
12) Do you ever go back to an idea after you've abandoned it?

Yes, I have an idea notebook that I sometimes pull from.
13) What's your favorite thing you've ever written?

I really like my romance.  It's the first time I've written something that even though I know what's going to happen, I still get wrapped up when I'm reading through the story.  And I love my characters.
   
 14) What's everyone else's favorite story you've written?

Based on beta reader/critique group feedback and occasional swooning, they agree with my favorite, Wanderlust. 

15) Ever written romance or angsty teen drama?

Romance is my genre and I would say that novel I wrote in high school was DEFINITELY angsty teen drama.
16) What's your favorite setting for your characters?

The bedroom?  Kidding.  ;)  I don't really have a favorite setting.  My romance takes place in New Orleans (where I'm from) and I enjoyed writing that setting.  My YA was in the mountains of North Carolina and that was a good mysterious setting that I enjoyed.

17) How many writing projects are you working on right now?

I'm focusing on Constant Craving right now, but I have Exposure Therapy simmering on the back burner.

18) Have you ever won an award for your writing?

Nothing official, but I did have to win a contest (based on excerpts) to get into my crit group.

19) What are your five favorite words?

Based on Wordle's analysis of my manuscripts, these are my word addictions...
 Eyes
 Just
 Back
 Hands
Looked
20) What character have you created that is most like yourself?

Hmm, probably my MC in Wanderlust.  She handles a rockstar way better than I would.  I'd be a bumbling mess.  And she looks nothing like me.  However, her snarky sense of humor and view on the world is very similar to mine.
21) Where do you get your ideas for your characters?

Everywhere, people I know, clients I've worked with, songs, celebrities (in the case of my romance), and sometimes just out of the ether.

22) Do you ever write based on your dreams?

Not yet.  My dreams are usually too screwy to work with.  But I'm still hoping for a Stephenie Meyer-like dream epiphany.
23) Do you favor happy endings?

Yes, I'm a sucker for happy endings.  I read to escape, not to be depressed.  However, if a story calls for a not happy ending and is done well, I'm okay with it.  

24) Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write?

Yes, although it's mostly second nature now so doesn't slow me down.  And thank God for spellchecker.
25) Does music help you write?

Music is very inspiring to me, especially in my romance since it's about a musician.  I have the whole soundtrack for the book picked out, lol.  And that's also why I put a song at the bottom of every blog post.

26) Quote something you've written. Whatever pops in your head.
I wrote this yesterday for my new WIP (it's very very rough draft, mind you, and see I told you hands were one of my favorite words):



The musician stopped in front of her, and she had to tilt her head up to see his face.  He gave her an easy smile, one that said he expected her to turn into a driveling mess—which was probably standard operating procedure for most of the women who met him.  “Derrick told me you’re going to be my partner in crime.”
Quinn attempted to match his smile and put her hand out, amazed that it didn’t shake.  “Quinn Jeffries, I’m the social worker for the upper classmen.”
His warm hand grasped hers, his skin a bit rough—no doubt from years of strumming guitar strings.  Quinn imagined what those course fingers would feel like if he brushed them across her face, her mouth.  Stop. Stop. Stop.
“Sean North, here to corrupt young minds,” he said.
Quinn smirked, thinking of her earlier meeting with Gabe.  “The young minds here are already corrupt enough, I’m afraid.”
He pushed a wisp of blond hair off his forehead, and his eyes twinkled with amusement.  “Guess I’ll just have to settle for corrupting yours then.”
A rush of heat flooded Quinn’s cheeks, and she dropped her hand from his.  Had her illicit thoughts been evident on her face?  Was he teasing her?  She cleared her throat.  “Right, uh, well, I guess we should work out a time to get together.”
His eyebrow arched.
 “I mean to talk about the project.  Not to corrupt me.”  She cringed inwardly.  Staggering flirting skills, Quinn.  Gold star.
That's all for now!


Alright, now I'm supposed to tag three people, but I'm going to be lazy and say that anyone who reads this and wants to do a blog post on it, consider yourself tagged!


Also, I have now added the widgety facebook thing in my sidebar, so if anyone wants to befriend me over there, just click on over.


So, feel free to answer any of the above questions in the comments below.  I'd love to know more about you guys as writers.  And I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!




**Today's Theme Song**
"All I Want For Christmas Is You" - Vince Vance & The Valients
(player in sidebar if you'd like a listen)





 

People Read That? The About Me Section



As she usually does, Sierra Godfrey got me thinking with a post she did a while back on the About Me section of a website. She argued that bloggers and writers should really give this section some thought because it could make or break someone's interest in you or your site.

I honestly had never considered that. I figured no one really reads that anyway. And I absolutely hate writing about myself. Plus, if you write a big long paragraph about yourself, it pushes all the rest of the information further down on the page on your Blogger profile page and can move your blog link (the most important component) "below the fold"--meaning the person would have to scroll down to see it.

However, Sierra made some good points that made me question my stance. She said that if she goes to a site and can get no sense of who the person is, she's less inclined to stick around. Also, agents and editors you're querying could stop by (it's been known to happen). If they are truly interested in you, then they most likely will want to click on that About Me or profile section. And if that happened to me, what would they find out about me? That I'm a "mom, book junkie, and writer of romantic fiction." Wow, that's real enlightening. It can apply to just about any blogging writer out there.

So, I have given in and followed Sierra's advice. Using one of her examples from a published author's website, I used a fun history style format. And instead of filling up my blogger profile page, I made a separate page (and reserved the site for my name at the same time) then included the link in my About Me section called the TMI (too much information) file. So here's the link: The TMI File. Click over and let me know what you think. It's long, but well, it is supposed to be TMI. And then when you're done with that, go visit Sierra's post where she gives more detailed info about the About Me section.

So have you given your About Me section a lot of thought? Do you think agents/editors/readers will pay attention to that part? When you go to a new blogger's site, do you read that section? Does it sway your decision whether or not to follow them?



**Today's Theme Song**
"About A Girl" - Nirvana

(player in sidebar if you'd like a listen)


The Truth Revealed!

 

Thank you to everyone who took the time to ask questions yesterday. Ya'll really came up with some that made me think! Alright so here goes...
Susan asked:
Who is Hooked written by?
I meant to link to it. It's written by Les Edgerton (link in my good reads box in sidebar).
What's the funniest thing that ever happened to you?
My husband and I met on the internet. Not on a dating site, those weren't really a big thing then. He was looking for someone to chat with about LSU football because he was homesick and living in TX, and I was going to LSU, so he IMed me not even knowing if I was a chick or guy. Anyway, we ended up connecting immediately and chatted nightly. We talked about everything--music, interests, our families, our hopes and dreams. The only thing we never approached was the topic that everybody else on the internet was always talking about--sex. I was a good southern girl and he was a gentleman.
So, when we eventually decided to meet, which let me tell you was totally out of character for me. If it were in a book, the reader would have been like "this cautious girl would NEVER meet some stranger off the internet." But anyway, I picked him up from the airport (with mace and a secret code word to use on a phone call to my mother if necessary, lol) and we went to dinner. We were both beyond nervous. Even though we were now talking regularly on the phone, face to face is way different. So we stumbled through dinner, then I drove him to his hotel room.
The plan was to chat for a while there before I went home. I was home for the summer staying with my parents, so I didn't want to bring him there yet. Well, we show up at the hotel and he runs in to get his key. He walks out with an ashen face, tells me that his room's a/c was broken so they upgraded him. We walk into his room and there's a hot tub next to the bed and mints on the pillows. Yeah. The honeymoon suite. I thought the poor guy was going to throw up. He insisted on showing me his reservation to prove that he didn't set this up, lol. I tried to play it off and act like I wasn't nervous as hell. We ended up sitting on opposite sides of the room while we talked. The bed was like this beacon of sexual tension in between us. I think I lasted fifteen minutes before I made some excuse to leave. He looked more than relieved. Of course, then I went home, called him, and we talked for two hours. Looking back now, it was one of the funniest things ever.
Two years later we rented out that same room for our actual honeymoon night. :)
Eight years later, I still can't help but laugh every time we go home and pass that hotel.
Deb asked:
Have you ever missed a great opportunity that you now regret?
I'm sure there were many. I was well on my way in college to getting into a great PhD psychology program. I was working under one of the leading psychology of sexuality professors at the time and he was going to recommend me to one of his colleagues for her program. I started getting burned out on the research part after doing an undergraduate thesis (on the brain differences between sexually coercive and non-coercive men, in case anyone wants to know), so I switched my plans to go to a social work masters program instead of the psyc one. I thought I was more interested in the clinical applications vs. the research. Looking back, the research was more my cuppa.
BUT having said that, I have the philosophy of not regretting decisions because each one got me here, and here is pretty sweet. :)
Amber asked:
How old is my kiddo?
I have one son who will turn two years old in two weeks.
What's up with my Shadow Falls manuscript?
I have one partial left out, but I am not holding out much hope. I've learned so much since I started querying that novel that now I can see many problems in it. It's in need of major surgery. I'm currently deciding whether it's worth completely tearing it apart to rebuild it or if it just needs to be tucked in a drawer as my "learning" novel.
Stephanie asked:
I see you are an RWA member. I have thought of joining but wasn't sure if it was worth it. One of the members of my writers group is a member of RWA and she told me out local RWA chapter concentrates on writing Harlequin type books...very formulated. I'm more of a write what I want type. So back to my question.....is it worth it to you???
First, I'll say that I think it's a bit of a misconception that Harlequins are formulated these days. My romance falls under the Harlequin Blaze style and the only "formula" they require is--has to be between 55-60k words, has to primarily focus on the romantic relationship, has to have fully described sensual scenes, and has to have happily ever after. Those guidelines outside of word count could apply to most mainstream romance novels. Okay (stepping off my soapbox now :) )
Each chapter group is different, but mine has a wide variety of authors writing all kinds of things--romantic suspense, young adult, erotic romance, paranormal, mystery, etc. Only a few are writing category (harlequin) length. And I've only just joined, but I really enjoyed the last meeting I attended. Plus, I think the support members give to each other will be worth it alone. I would suggest attending a meeting (most will let you attend without joining for a meeting or two to see if you like it.) That way you can see if you mesh with the group.
Beth asked:
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you want to live?
I love the rain, the mountains, and water. Plus, I've always lived in blazing hot places, so I'd probably say someplace like Lake Tahoe where you get the scenery and all the seasons. I think anywhere in the Northwest--Seattle, Portland, etc. would work for me too.
Are you doing NaNoWriMo?
No, with a toddler at home, I think 50k words in a month would be setting myself up for failure. I'll be cheerleading the rest of you guys though.
Betty asked:
If you could be the best at anything in the world what would you choose?
I'd just like to be the best version of myself I can be.
Melane asked:
My question is what is the first thing you will do when you get an agent? How about the first thing you do when you have your first book deal?
Remember in Wayne's World when they dance around and sing "We've got five thousand dollars, we've got five thousand dollars!"? Okay, picture that, insert "an agent or a book deal" for anywhere they say "5000 dollars". I tried to find the video but youtube let me down.

Stacey asked:
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I hope to be published and writing full time. However, if that doesn't happen, I will have to return to work when my son starts school. I'd be a high school English teacher most likely (while writing at night).
Tamika asked:
What made you decide to change your profile picture?
I realized that I really liked being able to put a face with a name for the blogs I read, so I figured I should provide you guys with the same.
Who are your top three Agent choices?
1. The agent who loves my book.
2. The agent who can sell my book
3. The agent that is great to work with
:) I can't pick favorites, lol.
Tina Lynn asked:
I've noticed that you keep posting quotes from The Mortal Instruments, so my question is...If you had to dump Jace for another fictional boyfriend, who would it be? He had better be awesome, because Jace is irreplaceable in my opinion.
Jace is yummy indeed. But Eric from the Sookie Stackhouse books gives him a run for his money. Jamie from the Outlander series is a pretty great candidate too. :)

1- Your two biggest literary crushes show up on your doorstep ready to sweep you off your feet. Who do you go with and why?

Hmm, I'm assuming you mean character crushes and not author crushes right? Let's see, using the question from above, let's say Jace, Eric, and Jamie all showed up at the door. Wait, let me enjoy that visual for a moment. (And since we're in hypothetical world, I'll note I haven't met my hubby yet because he of course trumps them all.) If it's just for a fun night, I'm going with Eric. If it's longer term, probably Jace.
2- Italian or Mexican?
Mexican, no doubt. It's my favorite.
3- What is your favorite accent? The one that makes you swoon every time you hear it?
British, Scottish, and Irish accents really do it for me. I also can't resist a good southern drawl (a la Matthew Mcconaughey) as long as it's not too twangy
Of all the comedians, which two do you consider classic, which two ar the funniest, to you?
Hmm, classic I would say Eddie Murphy and Steve Martin. And as for the funniest--Mike Myers and Ben Stiller can almost always get a laugh out of me.
Whew, that's it! Thanks for such great questions. This was fun. Tomorrow...back to our regularly scheduled programming.
So what are some of your answers to these questions?
**Today's Theme Song**
"That's What You Get" - Paramore
(player in sidebar, go ahead and take a listen)