Writer's meme

[luxken27]

Yoinked from Tumblr (thanks starzki!):

✍ Finally, an ask-meme for writers! ✍ Tell me which questions you'd like me to answer.

01: When did you first start writing?
02: What was your favorite book growing up?
03: Are you an avid reader?
04: Have you ever thrown a book across the room?
05: Did you take writing courses in school/college?
06: Have you read any writing-advice books?
07: Have you ever been part of a critique group?
08: What’s the best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten?
09: What’s the worst piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten?
10: What’s your biggest writer pet-peeve?
11: What’s your favorite book cover?
12: Who is your favorite author?
13: What’s your favorite writing quote?
14: What’s your favorite writing blog? c;
15: What would you say has inspired you the most?
16: How do you feel about movies based on books?
17: Would you like your books to be turned into TV shows, movies, video games, or none?
18: How do you feel about love triangles?
19: Do you prefer writing on a computer or longhand?
20: What’s your favorite writing program?
21: Do you outline?
22: Do you start with characters or plot?
23: What’s your favorite & least favorite part of making characters?
24: What’s your favorite & least favorite part of plotting?
25: What advice would you give to young writers?
26: Which do you enjoy reading the most: physical, ebook, or both?
27: Which is your favorite genre to write?
28: Which do you find hardest: the beginning, the middle, or the end?
29: Which do you find easiest: writing or editing?
30: Have you ever written fan-fiction?
31: Have you ever been published?
32: How do you feel about friends and close relatives reading your work?
33: Are you interested in having your work published?
34: Describe your writing space.
35: What’s your favorite time of day for writing?
36: Do you listen to music when you write?
37: What’s your oldest WIP?
38: What’s your current WIP?
39: What’s the weirdest story idea you’ve ever had?
40: Which is your favorite original character, and why?
41: What do you do when characters don’t follow the outline?
42: Do you enjoy making your characters suffer?
43: Have you ever killed a main character?
44: What’s the weirdest character concept you’ve ever come up with?
45: What’s your favorite character name?
46: Describe your perfect writing space.
47: If you could steal one character from another author and make then yours, who would it be and why?
48: If you could write the next book of any series, which one would it be, and what would you make the book about?
49: If you could write a collaboration with another author, who would it be and what would you write about?
50: If you could live in any fictional world, which would it be?

This seems especially relevant, given my upcoming fandom anniversary...hmm...

Comments

[starzki]

8, 9, 28, & 39. :D

[luxken27]

08: What’s the best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten?

The best feedback I've personally received has definitely been about my characterization for various characters, especially Sesshoumaru. I treasure those few and far between reviews ♥ The best feedback I've seen (in general) was in Stephen King's On Writing, where he talks about his writing process. I was shocked at how much writing philosophy we share, especially when it comes to conveying scenes. I want your mental picture to match mine as much as possible!

09: What’s the worst piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten?

We all know I have a special ability to attract the crazy, but this one probably takes the cake :P

28: Which do you find hardest: the beginning, the middle, or the end?

Take a long look at my languishing WIP pile and you'll know in an instant. The hardest thing for me is actually finishing the story. The longer I work on something, the more attached to it I become, and the harder it is for me to let it go. Which is why I sort of hate starting anything even remotely multichapter anymore :( Right now, unfortunately, time is NOT on my side - I don't have time to even write anymore, much less make a dent in my pile of languishing fics!!

39: What’s the weirdest story idea you’ve ever had?

Probably the MirSan figure skating AU...

[luxken27]

BTW, I found your answers on Tumblr very intriguing!! You despise love triangles yet love angsty romance? Hmm. While I agree a triangle can be a lazy (and sometimes really shitty) plot device, I'm not sure what other sorts of angsty romance exist? Big Misunderstandings piss me off, personally, especially if its one of those "if they would just TALK there would be no problem here" dramariffic dealies :P

[starzki]

For me, angsty romances kind of began with the X-Files. That romance (and, yes, I definitely call what they had a romance) was in part both encouraged and stymied by their work. Their work created the angst, but they found romance through it.

Then, of course is Miroku and Sango. Sango is just so sad and confused at the time she meets Miroku. Then she thinks she SHOULDN'T love him because he's a playboy who is only toying with her. Miroku wonders if he's good enough for Sango and has his own mission to carry out and seems to fall in love with Sango in spite of himself.

I also think Full Metal Panic! has quite a bit of angst, especially on Sousuke's part. When he realizes he loves Kaname, he doesn't quite know how to act properly on it (or even truly realize he's in love at first). He's conflicted because of his duty and the losses he's had so often in his life. Kaname is similar. She's lost her mother and fears losing another loved one, so she denies she's in love (or even interested) to spare herself heartbreak. Then, whey they finally do realize they're in love, they're separated and OMG delicious romantic angst.

This plays out again and again in my OTPs (Hawkeye and Mustang also come to mind). So, for me the angsty stuff I love is people working through their hard life situations to find that love that they crave and almost want to deny themselves. I want to give them that love, so I fanfic.

Sorry, this turned into another essay. For me, angst isn't about "which boy will I pick?" You're right, it's lazy angst and I don't care how they work through it and it's never going to work out for me. I also HATE misunderstandings where they just need to talk to one another. Bleck. I'm overly communicative in my relationships (evidence: this reply), so I can't even identify.

[starzki]

I should have remembered your worst feedback. :P

I'm also a fan of On Writing. I really took his advice on adverbs to heart (but I still overuse them terribly).

I write so few long fics that I don't even know what my issues are. Usually, I'd guess the middle, because that's where I abandon mine if I'm going to leave it. Fingers crossed on the zombie fic, though. I'm almost to the end. I hope to finish it this summer.

[luxken27]

So, for me the angsty stuff I love is people working through their hard life situations to find that love that they crave and almost want to deny themselves.

Mmm, I agree, this is delicious angst ♥

For me, angst isn't about "which boy will I pick?" You're right, it's lazy angst and I don't care how they work through it and it's never going to work out for me.

I think I've grown less tolerant of this sort of thing as I get older. I just don't have the patience for this sort of shallow, petty drama. I sort of love having zero-to-few fucks to give, LOL.

I also HATE misunderstandings where they just need to talk to one another. Bleck. I'm overly communicative in my relationships (evidence: this reply), so I can't even identify.

You're preaching to the choir, LOL!! Brevity is definitely not one of my strong suits.

[luxken27]

On Writing is the best. It was an "a-ha!" moment of validation for me, especially since I've never taken any formal writing classes or workshopped or anything. It is one of the few things that makes me believe I am a writer at my core, because so much of what he talks about as his writing process comes naturally to me and makes complete sense. I would've LOVED to have him as an English teacher!

No, where we differ is most definitely in the motivation department and the ability to hit targeted audiences.

Fingers crossed on the zombie fic, though. I'm almost to the end. I hope to finish it this summer.

You can do it! *waves pompoms* The nice thing about fanfic is that there is no deadline except the ones we impose on ourselves =)

[lucida]

23 and 24?

[luxken27]

23: What’s your favorite & least favorite part of making characters?

Hmm, its been so long since I've created characters from whole cloth... =) My favorite part of dealing with characters is getting to know them. I think the last truly original character I wrote about was Stubbs McKinsey from SiB, and he basically came to me whole cloth: name, face, attitude, the works. But that doesn't usually happen, LOL, so its fun to discover the facets of the characters I need and/or want to write about. I'm fascinated by what makes people tick.

My least favorite part is trying to make them three dimensional and give everyone their due shades of gray. Nobody is totally good or totally evil (that's boring) but sometimes, the plot calls for them to be! Speaking of which...

24: What’s your favorite & least favorite part of plotting?

My favorite part is the research aspect. I come up with some idea and then try to decide how do-able it is, which often leads me out into the thickets of research, LOL. I enjoy learning and this is a great excuse to look up things I don't know much about.

My least favorite part is the filler - how to round out the story as I meander my way through the middle and towards the end. I have what I call a "third chapter curse" - I can usually do a decent intro, but I sometimes struggle with the rest of the set up. My third chapters are usually some of my weakest.