Writing About Writing

Wolfgrrrl tagged me. It's been a great way to spend the morning. Unlike most tags (which I dearly love anyway) it made me think, it made me go slowly; it made me write, not just answer.

A note to $$, Rose, CrackerLilo and the Lovely Cats ~ if you've got the time, I would be fascinated to read your answers as well. I guess that means I'm tagging you...but not really. Just curious.

And now, without further ado...

What is the last thing you wrote? Fiction ~ the first paragraph of the new novel; Nonfiction ~ a proposal for a new book

Was it any good? Fiction ~ I think so. I was a little surprised to be writing this one now so I was worried about it. But the scene came to me in the tub and it's a good hook. Nonfiction ~ we'll know after pub board!

What’s the first thing you ever wrote that you still have? Unfortunately, I lost most of my earliest writings in the divorce so probably the initial scenes for the novel I just finished. Interestingly enough, I do still have some of the Lovely Cats' writings from high school. And no, I can't be bribed.

Write poetry? Gack, no.

Angsty poetry? Not since high school (ttg) and even then, not often. I have always been more of an essayist. Although, again, I'm sure the Lovely Cats can vouch for a couple bad poems from my past.

Favorite genre of writing? Fiction ~ I am most comfortable with romance. Nonfiction ~ I love writing essays.

Most fun character you ever created? A wonderful woman named Elaine. She's an agent and delightfully over the top. Gets to say things such as (after grabbing a random server and ordering an espresso and being reminded he wasn't their waiter): He's a waiter. I don't care who he belongs to so long as he brings me my coffee.

Most annoying character you ever created? Lizza. Sadly enough, she is the heroine in the book that includes Elaine. I'm probably going to have to find another place for Elaine to live because Lizza just annoys me with her whining and bitterness.

Best plot you ever created? For a short story ~ the main female character is going insane and never knows if she's going to wake up in a New York City apartment with her actor-lover or her house on the Cape with her banker-husband.

Coolest plot twist you ever created? I can't tell. Buy the book. ;)

How often do you get writers block? Temporarily, as in "Gack, I don't know what comes next; think I'll go take a nap instead" probably once a week. That soul-sucking, can't remember how I ever wrote anything before, have no clue why I claim to be a writer, the others must have been a fluke BLOCK block, has only happened a handful of times. It's a horrible feeling, though.

Write fan fiction? No. Generally speaking, I enjoy giving my own characters life. Even when there are characters I wish I written or think I could add to their lives, they are already there and have their own lives. Who am I to force them into something?

Do you type or write by hand? I write long-hand most often (am actually transcribing this!) but will occasionally find myself typing madly. Generally, though, I write it all out and then use the transcription process as a chance to do some editing. At first, I used my fountain pens but the cartridges get expensive when you're writing hundreds of pages at a time. Flowing ink is a necessity, though, so now I'm fond of the Pilot G-2.

Do you save everything you write? I save the finished product of everything I write. I may delete a scene or a paragraph but the finished (or unfinished) product gets tucked away somewhere.

Do you ever go back to an old idea long after you have abandoned it? I don't really ever consider a project abandoned. Even if haven't come back to it recently, I might one day.

What’s your favorite thing that you’ve written? A short story entitled Revenge of the Brunette. I wrote it for my friend, Coffee Girl, while she was going through a rough patch. It took about an hour and a half but there's something about it that I really love.

What’s everyone else’s favorite story that you’ve written? The novel I just finished.

Do you ever show people your work? Professionally, sure. I have to. Personally, there are only a handful of people who get to see/read what I write before it's ready to go to the professional folks. And then there's the blog. :)

Did you ever write a novel? Why yes. Yes, I have.

Ever written romance or teen angsty drama? Romance is my genre. I've been told it's closer to chick-lit but I'd rather think of it as trashy romance.

What’s your favorite setting for your characters? My characters come to me already living somewhere. I just roll with that.

How many writing projects are you working on right now? Five. Two fiction; one nonfiction; an article for a local paper in which I have a monthly column; and a script for a friend who wants to do a children's play with some local kids.

Do you want to write for a living? And give thanks every day that I do.

Have you ever won an award for your writing? In terms of what this question is really asking, no. However, I have books on the shelves of stores, novels in copy edits and a monthly column in a fun, funky newspaper. That's award enough for me, thankyouverymuch.

Ever written something in script or play format? My Dear One asked for a couple of scripts for horror movies he wanted. I guess they turned out okay. I learned I don't write B-horror movies well, though, because in romance, there's a lot of talking. Not so much in B-horror. The script I'm working on now is an adaptation of The Emperor's New Clothes so it's not really mine.

What are your five favorite words? I don't have them when it comes to my writing ~ although I am fond of Wolfgrrrl's" Here. Is. Your. Pay. Check." (spelling changed for nationality difference.) ;)

Do you ever write based on yourself? Not specifically but I think all of my characters have parts of me in them.

What character have you created that most resembles yourself? Probably David, from my first full novel. He's a hopeless romantic at heart but has a difficult time showing it. I'm better at showing my romantic side ~ but that's because I'm more willing to work on it than he is.

Where do you get your ideas for your other characters? Everywhere. Some are amalgamations of people I know; some are based on people I know (I know great people for loosely fictionalizing!); some say things that I overheard walking through a grocery store. Nemeria and Teach gave me a sweatshirt that reads "Be Careful or You'll End Up in My Novel." That pretty much sums it up.

Do you ever write based on your dreams? My dreams are too bizarre to be anything but my dreams.

Do you favor happy endings, sad endings, or cliff hangers? I like happies. Even the stuff I write that has a cliffhanger or vague ending points to happy in the long run.

Have you ever written based on an artwork you’ve seen? Every Edward Gorey makes me want to write about it ~ but I never have.

Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write? I am. I admit it.

Ever write something entirely in chatspeak? I don't even chat in chatspeak.

Entirely in L337? Hm...considering I'm not even sure what this means, I'll go with no.

Does music help you write? When I'm writing fiction, no. I ignore it, at best, or find it distracting, at worst. With my nonfiction, it is very helpful.

Quote something you’ve written Ugh... Tough but here we go. An excerpt from "Revenge of the Brunette":

I’m from Philadelphia originally. Okay. That’s a lie. I’m not. I’m from Allentown. But who the hell wants to be from Allentown? Remember the Billy Joel song? The really depressing one? He gave the place more credit than it deserves. Now, I know everybody thinks their hometown is too small, too conservative, too stifling, too whatever. But mine really is. So I tell people I’m from Philly. What difference does it make out here in L.A. anyway. I haven’t been back in years.

My earliest memories of my sister are her looking at me and asking “Why are you the way you are?” I must have been six or seven. I couldn’t have been eight because we still lived in the apartment on Vine Street. I would laugh and twirl and run off from her like it didn’t matter.

My earliest memories of my mother are her stroking my hair as I tried to hide the tears on my pillow. Only once my sister couldn’t see, though. Her hearing wasn’t a problem. Even then I could cry silently. Mom would stroke my hair, brush it away from my face and pretend not to notice the wet on my cheeks. “You go right on being just who and how you are, Little One.” Her voice was strength tinged with sad. She was a brunette, too. She died six years ago. I was living in New York and went back for the funeral. By that time I had learned not to cry at all, silently or otherwise. My sister looked at my dry eyes and asked “Why are you the way you are?” The next day, I twirled away, all the way out here to the West Coast, like it didn’t matter. My sister lives in Allentown. She’s not from Philadelphia.

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.