Writing meme
location: Tallahassee, FL
mood: 
nostalgic
nostalgic I totally yoinked this from ![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
becky_h because it's a completely awesome meme. It took me 3 hours to do, though, because I was trying to find quotes and an image. ^^;;
What's the last thing you wrote?
I scribbled on Verdant a tiny bit on Friday. That's about the last thing I got to do.
Was it any good?
It was 86 words of filler. Saying if it was good or bad filler... Well, Lizzy's quirky, that's all I'll say.
What's the first thing you ever wrote that you still have?
Err, either The Partner (1992) or The Coven (1993). They're had written, so if the pen hasn't faded or bled, then I still have them somewhere. As for fan fiction, The Never-Ending Crossover is still on my website; I started it back in 1999, I believe.
Write poetry?
I used to and got about four or five of them published, but I quit writing them after I took a Creative Writing class and got reamed for them. This is the same reason I would never write plays.
Angsty poetry?
I guess a couple of them were a bit angsty, looking back.
Most fun character you ever wrote?
I think the most fun I ever had writing a character was either Hekate in Gods and Other Creatures or Toshiko in A New Age Dawns, for completely opposite reasons.
Most annoying character you ever wrote?
Pulling from the same two stories, Quatre or Ianto. I couldn't grab the characterizations on either of them, and it nearly drove me nuts, so they stayed background characters. Quatre got the world's quickest death scene. I couldn't kill Ianto, but the thought crossed my mind a few (dozen) times.
Best plot you ever wrote?
It would have to be one of my crossovers, either where Slayers is the future world of Sailormoon and Usagi is still around as a ghost (bonus for femslash) or Gods and Other Creatures and I turned about half the cast into gods and half into demons (bonus for demon!Relena).
Coolest plot twist you ever wrote?
I like the plot twist in Amaranth: The Preterhumans Book 1, but I'm not saying what it is.
How often do you get writer's block?
Too often. Usually right before and right after NaNoWriMo and JulNoWriMo, but also when I desperately want to write, then no words come.
How do you fix it?
I turn on iTunes, sing at the top of my lungs (unless my roommate is home). I switch computers. I go take a shower (the better to talk the ideas out in private). I go flop on my bed and let the kitten attack the toe monster (also the better to talk the ideas out in private). I used to take my tape recorder and go for a drive; gas is too expensive for that now.
Do you type or write by hand?
Both. It depends on what I have on hand. Sometimes I'm more comfortable with writing by hand; it helps the ideas flow. Sometimes I prefer typing because it goes faster. The downside of typing is, it's very easy to get distracted.
Do you save everything you write?
I am a big fan of the Alt-S and the ⌘-S keys.
Do you ever go back to an old idea long after you abandoned it?
I do want to rewrite some of my old stories -- and I will finish Endless Loop.
What's your favorite thing that you've written?
My favorite fan fiction stories I've ever written are still Gods and Other Creatures and Metal Heart. My favorite original story is currently Amaranth.
What's everyone else's favorite thing that you've written?
Going by hits: Gods and Other Creatures and A New Age Dawns. The latter is quickly catching up to the former, though.
Do you ever show people your work?
My roommate gets to see what's written first usually. Mostly. Sometimes.
Who's your favorite constructive critic?
I shouldn't play favorites, but most of the time, Terra wins that one. She's about the only one who tells me like it is. Kattan will ask questions if I prompt her. Most of the time and with everyone else, it's "That's good", which doesn't help me build stuff.
Did you ever write a novel?
And am waiting on it to be published.
Have you ever written fantasy, sci-fi, or horror?
Yes, ish, and ish. Urban fantasy is my favorite genre. Writing Torchwood and Gundam Wing means writing sci-fi to some extent. Horror, well... I'm working on that with "Whoever Brings the Night".
Ever written romance or teen angsty drama?
More or less -- and no. I can't abide the latter, but for the former, if it has paranormal or supernatural elements in it, then it's kinda cool.
What's one genre you have never written, and probably never will?
Children's stories. Unless acceptable language and content for children change dramatically in the next few years, nothing I write will ever be children-friendly.
How many writing projects are you working on right now?
4: "Whoever Brings the Night" (YGO ff), Verdant (Preter), Arcana (Preter), and Hunter's Path (HuntChron)
Do you want to write for a living?
I guess technically, now I do, but I would love to be able to live off my writing.
Have you ever written something for a magazine or newspaper?
I've had a poem published in a newspaper, but that's it.
Have you ever won an award for your writing?
I've been selected out of about 300 writers to have my short story published in a competition back in 1994. Other than that, I've picked up a few fan fiction awards for my crossovers and Metal Heart.
Ever written something in script or play format?
For creative writing class, yes. For some ungodly reason, I also posted it on my website. And I hated it.
What is your favorite word?
"Albeit" is a fun word. "Amaranthine" is also a very nice word.
Do you ever write based on yourself?
Not if I can help it, no.
Which of your characters most resembles you?
Of all the character I've ever written, the one who is the most like me is Toshiko.
Where do you get ideas for your characters?
For fan fiction characters, I strive to stay as close to the series concepts as possible, since Out Of Character is a big pet peeve of mine. But for my own characters, there are bits of people I know around me in them. Rafe's girlfriend, for example, is based on someone I used to know.
Do you ever write based on your dreams?
More times than I would like to admit to.
Do you prefer happy endings, sad endings, or cliff-hangers?
I prefer to write cliffhangers or sad endings. My readers, apparently, vastly prefer happy endings. That's all I ever get requests for. And I still occasionally get nasty emails regarding some of my other endings.
Have you ever written anything based on an artwork you've seen?
Yes, as a matter of fact, I have. The original idea for my 2nd Yu-Gi-Oh novella, Our Farewell, came from this fanart.
Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write?
YES. YES, YES, YES, YES. I cannot write unless I have the grammar and spelling as close to correct as possible. Likewise, I won't read a story with bad grammar or spelling -- or that randomly change characters' names (see my rantings elsewhere on calling Thief King Bakura "Akefia").
Ever write something entirely in chatspeak?
Not just no, but hell no.
Does music help you write?
Sometimes. Sometimes it distracts me. Most of the time, though, it inspires me. (If nothing else, it gives me titles.)
Are people surprised and confused when they find out you write well?
Not really. I've been writing all my life, so people have known that I've been working on improving my craft since at least 1988 or so.
Quote something you've written.
From Where Angels:
A cool wind seemed to brush through his hair. No, not a wind: a hand, ethereal and a bit chilly (or was he just that hot?), but damn, it felt so good where it touched skin that felt fevered from the pain. His hands moved without his prompting to reach up and grab it, holding it to his face. Odd... It felt like a familiar gesture, one he'd perhaps done before, but he couldn't remember ever doing it before. The ghost-like hand he held felt familiar in a way too, and he pried his eyes open to look at it: a bit on the transparent side, but dark-skinned and a bit broad, with long fingers, nicks and scars littering the surface. He followed it up a maroon cloth-covered arm to Bakura's wary and somewhat confused face.
becky_h because it's a completely awesome meme. It took me 3 hours to do, though, because I was trying to find quotes and an image. ^^;;What's the last thing you wrote?
I scribbled on Verdant a tiny bit on Friday. That's about the last thing I got to do.
Was it any good?
It was 86 words of filler. Saying if it was good or bad filler... Well, Lizzy's quirky, that's all I'll say.
What's the first thing you ever wrote that you still have?
Err, either The Partner (1992) or The Coven (1993). They're had written, so if the pen hasn't faded or bled, then I still have them somewhere. As for fan fiction, The Never-Ending Crossover is still on my website; I started it back in 1999, I believe.
Write poetry?
I used to and got about four or five of them published, but I quit writing them after I took a Creative Writing class and got reamed for them. This is the same reason I would never write plays.
Angsty poetry?
I guess a couple of them were a bit angsty, looking back.
Most fun character you ever wrote?
I think the most fun I ever had writing a character was either Hekate in Gods and Other Creatures or Toshiko in A New Age Dawns, for completely opposite reasons.
Most annoying character you ever wrote?
Pulling from the same two stories, Quatre or Ianto. I couldn't grab the characterizations on either of them, and it nearly drove me nuts, so they stayed background characters. Quatre got the world's quickest death scene. I couldn't kill Ianto, but the thought crossed my mind a few (dozen) times.
Best plot you ever wrote?
It would have to be one of my crossovers, either where Slayers is the future world of Sailormoon and Usagi is still around as a ghost (bonus for femslash) or Gods and Other Creatures and I turned about half the cast into gods and half into demons (bonus for demon!Relena).
Coolest plot twist you ever wrote?
I like the plot twist in Amaranth: The Preterhumans Book 1, but I'm not saying what it is.
How often do you get writer's block?
Too often. Usually right before and right after NaNoWriMo and JulNoWriMo, but also when I desperately want to write, then no words come.
How do you fix it?
I turn on iTunes, sing at the top of my lungs (unless my roommate is home). I switch computers. I go take a shower (the better to talk the ideas out in private). I go flop on my bed and let the kitten attack the toe monster (also the better to talk the ideas out in private). I used to take my tape recorder and go for a drive; gas is too expensive for that now.
Do you type or write by hand?
Both. It depends on what I have on hand. Sometimes I'm more comfortable with writing by hand; it helps the ideas flow. Sometimes I prefer typing because it goes faster. The downside of typing is, it's very easy to get distracted.
Do you save everything you write?
I am a big fan of the Alt-S and the ⌘-S keys.
Do you ever go back to an old idea long after you abandoned it?
I do want to rewrite some of my old stories -- and I will finish Endless Loop.
What's your favorite thing that you've written?
My favorite fan fiction stories I've ever written are still Gods and Other Creatures and Metal Heart. My favorite original story is currently Amaranth.
What's everyone else's favorite thing that you've written?
Going by hits: Gods and Other Creatures and A New Age Dawns. The latter is quickly catching up to the former, though.
Do you ever show people your work?
My roommate gets to see what's written first usually. Mostly. Sometimes.
Who's your favorite constructive critic?
I shouldn't play favorites, but most of the time, Terra wins that one. She's about the only one who tells me like it is. Kattan will ask questions if I prompt her. Most of the time and with everyone else, it's "That's good", which doesn't help me build stuff.
Did you ever write a novel?
And am waiting on it to be published.
Have you ever written fantasy, sci-fi, or horror?
Yes, ish, and ish. Urban fantasy is my favorite genre. Writing Torchwood and Gundam Wing means writing sci-fi to some extent. Horror, well... I'm working on that with "Whoever Brings the Night".
Ever written romance or teen angsty drama?
More or less -- and no. I can't abide the latter, but for the former, if it has paranormal or supernatural elements in it, then it's kinda cool.
What's one genre you have never written, and probably never will?
Children's stories. Unless acceptable language and content for children change dramatically in the next few years, nothing I write will ever be children-friendly.
How many writing projects are you working on right now?
4: "Whoever Brings the Night" (YGO ff), Verdant (Preter), Arcana (Preter), and Hunter's Path (HuntChron)
Do you want to write for a living?
I guess technically, now I do, but I would love to be able to live off my writing.
Have you ever written something for a magazine or newspaper?
I've had a poem published in a newspaper, but that's it.
Have you ever won an award for your writing?
I've been selected out of about 300 writers to have my short story published in a competition back in 1994. Other than that, I've picked up a few fan fiction awards for my crossovers and Metal Heart.
Ever written something in script or play format?
For creative writing class, yes. For some ungodly reason, I also posted it on my website. And I hated it.
What is your favorite word?
"Albeit" is a fun word. "Amaranthine" is also a very nice word.
Do you ever write based on yourself?
Not if I can help it, no.
Which of your characters most resembles you?
Of all the character I've ever written, the one who is the most like me is Toshiko.
Where do you get ideas for your characters?
For fan fiction characters, I strive to stay as close to the series concepts as possible, since Out Of Character is a big pet peeve of mine. But for my own characters, there are bits of people I know around me in them. Rafe's girlfriend, for example, is based on someone I used to know.
Do you ever write based on your dreams?
More times than I would like to admit to.
Do you prefer happy endings, sad endings, or cliff-hangers?
I prefer to write cliffhangers or sad endings. My readers, apparently, vastly prefer happy endings. That's all I ever get requests for. And I still occasionally get nasty emails regarding some of my other endings.
Have you ever written anything based on an artwork you've seen?
Yes, as a matter of fact, I have. The original idea for my 2nd Yu-Gi-Oh novella, Our Farewell, came from this fanart.
Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write?
YES. YES, YES, YES, YES. I cannot write unless I have the grammar and spelling as close to correct as possible. Likewise, I won't read a story with bad grammar or spelling -- or that randomly change characters' names (see my rantings elsewhere on calling Thief King Bakura "Akefia").
Ever write something entirely in chatspeak?
Not just no, but hell no.
Does music help you write?
Sometimes. Sometimes it distracts me. Most of the time, though, it inspires me. (If nothing else, it gives me titles.)
Are people surprised and confused when they find out you write well?
Not really. I've been writing all my life, so people have known that I've been working on improving my craft since at least 1988 or so.
Quote something you've written.
From Where Angels:
A cool wind seemed to brush through his hair. No, not a wind: a hand, ethereal and a bit chilly (or was he just that hot?), but damn, it felt so good where it touched skin that felt fevered from the pain. His hands moved without his prompting to reach up and grab it, holding it to his face. Odd... It felt like a familiar gesture, one he'd perhaps done before, but he couldn't remember ever doing it before. The ghost-like hand he held felt familiar in a way too, and he pried his eyes open to look at it: a bit on the transparent side, but dark-skinned and a bit broad, with long fingers, nicks and scars littering the surface. He followed it up a maroon cloth-covered arm to Bakura's wary and somewhat confused face.
exhausted
silly
blah
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