Why Carrie Harris rocks

Well, there are many reasons, some of which concern zombies, but today Carrie rocks for tagging me so I don’t have to come up with a blog topic all on my own. Okay, okay…I think her exact words were, “Do you know what you’re posting on your blog next? If not, you’re officially tagged. You’re welcome.”

Well, thank you Carrie! ‘Cause heavens forbid I have to, yanno, think up my own blog ideas this close to Christmas.

AND…this meme is all about writing, so it is totally applicable for the blog (just go with it people). Here we go!

1. What’s the last thing you wrote? What’s the first thing you wrote that you still have? Aside from this blog post? The last thing I wrote was the instructions for the gross-collection script Bubba wrote for my office. It is really user friendly, but I had to write out some pretty detailed instructions so even my technophobe boss can handle it when I am gone for the holidays. On a more fun note, I added some to Darken. That would probably be the last fun thing I wrote.

I am sure my ode to The Blob is still kicking around somewhere (my mom keeps EVERYTHING). As far as stuff I still have, I am sure the oldest would probably be some poetry.

2. Write poetry? I used to (see above). I am not opposed to writing more, but it doesn’t come to me the way prose does. Plus, novels are more fun for me, so I will just focus on those.

3. Angsty poetry? Ummm….I don’t believe I have. I would have to read back through some old poems to make sure, but I am almost certain that angsty poetry was never my thing. My poetry was more lighthearted, as evidenced by this limerick I wrote for my freshman year (of high school) English class:

There once was a man named Bill
Who went hunting just to kill.
Well, one day he shot
and hit the wrong spot;
now people know him as Jill.

My teacher loved it, but thought we should maybe not share it outside of the classroom. Something about an uptight associate principal…

4. Favorite genre of writing? Young adult, natch. This would explain why I WRITE IT. Durr. (Note: this is actually Carrie’s answer. But it is great, and applies, so I am just going to steal it.)

5. Most annoying character you’ve ever created? Hmmm…this is a tough one. I think my most annoying character has not been fully formed yet. She is an unnamed (as of yet) secondary character in an unnamed (as of yet) little baby idea I came up with while we were driving back home to see the family this weekend. I have a lot of full-fledged ideas to write (as well as a couple books to edit) before I even think of writing this idea (besides, I need to let it stew awhile first), so she won’t be put on paper for a while. But even now her voice in my head makes me want to smack her a little bit.

6. Best plot you’ve ever created? Incubus,  no Darken, no Jack the Reaper, no….I don’t know. Every plot I come up with is the best one for a while at least. It really depends on what mood I am in what plot I think is the best. Usually the newer the idea is, the better it is. Then, after I work on it for a while, I start to see the flaws, or I get a little burned out, or I think of another that is just nagging at me and insists it is the best plot ever.

7. Coolest plot twist you’ve ever created? Umm, have I mentioned that I would like my blog readers to read my books someday? Why on Earth would I give away the plot twists? Stupid question.

8. How often do you get writer’s block? I don’t believe in writer’s block, so I would have to say I never get it. Sure, there are times when moving forward in a story is the hardest possible thing for me to do, but that is not because of some ominous evil known as Writer’s Block. Sometimes it is just because I have focus issues, in which case I just find something that uses up my excess energy and then try again. Most often, though, it is a case of something wrong with the plot. Once I figure out what I have broken and how to fix it, the writing is a breeze again.

9. Write fan fiction? Um, no. I don’t really get fan fiction. Sure, it is a great way to practice writing without having to create characters and a world, but let’s just be honest here: creating characters and a world–that’s SUPER fun! I just can’t see myself writing someone else’s characters. More power to those that do, but it is not for me.

10. Do you type or write by hand? I am a typist for the most part. I have written by hand in the past, but I struggle with that. I type much faster than I write, and my brain works too fast for my wee little hand to keep up. I loose too much of what I want to write when I write by hand, so I try to keep things on the computer. This is why I love my little baby netbook, Roger, so much. It is SUPER portable (seriously, it fits into a mid-sized purse) so I can write anywhere.

11. Do you save everything you write? Only the good stuff. Which means yes.

I am very modest.

(Another of Carrie’s answers that was just too good not to steal. But, my answer really is yes anyway.)

12. Do you ever go back to an idea after you’ve abandoned it? I sure do! I am ashamed to admit how many times poor Incubus was abandoned for a shiny new idea. But I always come back (and I make myself finish one book before jumping into another now).

13. What’s your favorite thing you’ve ever written? Right now I would have to say Incubus (yep–poor, abandoned Incubus). Ask me again tomorrow; the answer will probably be different then.

14. What’s everyone else’s favorite story that you’ve written? Uhhh…really Incubus is the only one that has seen other people yet. And even then it was completely different than it is now. Jessie Sin really likes the premise and plot of Jack the Reaper the best (last time I checked at least) and Bubba’s favorite plot is one that has yet to be explored (or even mentioned on this blog). Maybe I will have to answer this one again after I get through a round of edits and beta readers on a couple of my books.

15. Ever written romance or angsty teen drama? Well, I write young adult, which lends itself well to angsty drama. I usually keep it pretty mild though, probably because my teenage years were pretty angst free. Maybe I should spend more time observing my baby sister and her friends. I could definitely write an angst-fest after that.

Pretty much all of my books have some romantic element in them–it is more prominent in some than it is in others.

16. What’s your favorite setting for your characters? The American South. The culture is so fun and it is such a good setting! All of my books so far (and all of my to-be-writtens, except for one that will be in the Idaho panhandle) are set somewhere in the south. I have been having a love affair with the south for many years, but Bubba is not a fan, so I just live vicariously through my characters.

17. How many writing projects are you working on right now? Right now I am technically only working on one, Darken. But, in the back of my mind, I am stewing my next project, which I will start once I finish Darken (read: really soon!). Also, I am gearing up to start edits once the holidays are done, so I am thinking about Jack the Reaper and Glass a LOT these days.

18. Have you ever won an award for your writing? Back in high school, but I don’t know how much weight an award from Cow Pie High in Montana carries.

19. What are your five favorite words? Pontificate. Poodle. Fork. Guacamole. Critter.

20. What character have you created that is most like yourself? I am going to let y’all in on a little secret: I am boring. Seriously. But I don’t like to write boring characters, ’cause who would want to read that? So my characters aren’t so much like me. If I had to pick one, I would say the main character from Unnamed, the project I will be starting after Darken, has the most similarities.

21. Where do you get ideas for your characters? Who knows where thoughts come from? They just appear.* Seriously though, the human brain is an amazing thing. That is where my characters come from. Sorry there is not a better answer than that.

22. Do you ever write based on your dreams? Incubus started with a dream, though the book as it is now is nothing like the dream. A few elements stayed, but it is not the same story I dreamed.

Normally my dreams are just too weird to inspire a book. Take last night: I dreamed that I was trying to console my friend Dan (who really is more of an acquaintance than an actual friend) who was devastated because a new director had ruined his original image for all his plays, which were all just play versions of Ed Wood films. I mean, as great as that is, there is no book material there!

23. Do you favor happy endings? I like my endings to be realistic. If it is real for the book to end on a happy note, then that is great. But I won’t go out of my way to force happiness if it is not what works with the book. I like things to be real.

24. Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write? I try not to be, but I am. If I were to edit as I wrote I would never finish a book, so I try my hardest to just plow through and fix things up later. I do find myself editing a bit as I go anyway. Sometimes I just can’t get the Grammar Nazi in me to go away.

25. Does music help you write? For the most part. Music will generally help me leave the outside world behind and get into my writing. It also really helps set the mood for what I am working on. Some days though, when I am having an especially hard time focusing, music just distracts me. I can’t write if I am singing along to all the songs.

26. Quote something you’ve written. Whatever pops into your head.

I can’t answer questions like this. Can. Not. I think it is a weird genetic disorder or something. Whenever someone tells me to just say (or write) whatever pops into my head, my mind goes completely blank. We are talking newly cleaned whiteboard here. For all that I could think of right now, you would think I have never written anything in my life.

Phew. That does it for the meme. And in other news:

Congratulations to BIG B little r for being the first to follow via Google Friend Connect. Remember how I said GFC would give you perks for future giveaways? Well, here is the start. As the first GFC follower, BIG B little r wins a free book!

So, Britt: if you have a book you have just been dying to read, let me know. Otherwise, I will pick one I think you will enjoy and send it your way. Also, you should probably send me your new address, since you just moved. Again.