An Honest Scrap I Am, I Am… Maybe

Okay, the past few days have been pretty serious here on the Jean-o-blog-o-rama. Thank goodness Yvonne Osborne has stepped in to save you all. Yes, Yvonne very kindly awarded me with the Honest Scrap (Writer’s Edition) Blog Award. Aw. Warm and fuzzy butterflies tickling my tummy’s insides with drizzles of Bailey’s.

Is it too early to drink? Oh, heck. I’m a writer–drinking ‘rules’ don’t apply. (#1)

In accepting this award, and in lieu of sharing my prepared speech, I am to be ‘honest’ and tell you ten things about me and my writing. (But what in the heck am I going to do with this lovely acceptance speech?)

Because it is Friday and I am trying to convince you all that I am a drinking writer, I am going to play this award’s little game, but I am going to tinker with the rules. However, before I do that, I would like to point the finger at Yvonne as she broke the rules first. Those rules about honesty are useless in their shattered state on the floor, their little shards digging into my knitted granny slippers. (#2)

That’s right. Game on.

Your job is to determine what is actually true (or ‘honest,’ if you must) facts about me and my writing. Do I really drink early in the morning? Do I wear granny slippers when I write/blog?

In case you think you ‘got’ me, those are not my feet, carpet, socks, ankles, nor slippers.
(My ankles are shaplier and my legs hairier.)

Hmmm….

Here are 8 more questions to ponder with correct (and incorrect) options provided for your choosing convenience. And I probably don’t need to warn you that these options may be completely misleading or incredibly accurate in many ways, shapes and forms. Good luck!

#3) When I can’t think where I should go next in a story, I:

a) go for a walk
b) stand on my head
c) look at my outline
d) brainstorm in a notebook
e) all of the above

#4) While I write, I like to listen to:

a) my own breathing to ensure I am still alive
b) Frank Sinatra
c) talk radio
d) a variety of music
e) all of the above, or none of the above–your choice

#5) My biggest fan is:

a) my mom
b) my grandma
c) my cat
d) I don’t actually write, it is all a ploy to gain my own reality TV show

#6) I am penning an exposé about aspiring writers and the shenanigans they perform in their misguided efforts of attaining literary agent representation:

a) true
b) false

#7) I love to help out other writers in any way I can:

a) true
b) false

#8) When I put down a first draft, I:

a) crank it out in a few short weeks, errors be damned
b) carefully fix all errors as I go
c) research everything I need to know ahead of time so I don’t have gaps or holes in my story that need to be filled later
d) go slightly insane and find I can’t think of the right word for things when I am living outside my work in progress
e) forget to bathe in anything other than the vodka that dribbles from my slack lips

There you have it. Feel free to leave your guesses in the comment section. I bet you feel as though you know me quite well now. I’m off to go to a different town to pick up a textbook for a student I don’t know. Believe me?

You should.

P.S. In a day or two, I’ll leave my answers in the comment section.

P.P.S. I forgot to pass this on. I’m supposed to pass it to 7 people. Because I am efficient, I am going to award this to the bloggers over at Good Girls, Bad Juju. There are is a lovely group of bloggers over there (Calista Taylor, Erin Kellison, Nancy Holnzer, Nicole Peeler, Rita Vetere, and Sean Cummings) and I feel that they could have a lot of fun with this little game, er, award. Enjoy!

Like Phone Tag, Only More Fun

There’s something going around the Internet tubes. And no, it’s not a virus… it’s a game called (wait for it) Blog Tag! Yes! You can now play tag while sitting, and you won’t even spill your coffee. Does it get any better? (The correct answer is ‘no.’)

I have to admit, I was blindsided. Calista Taylor snuck up on me while I was drinking a chai latte with friends and tagged me. I just about spilled my chai, I was so surprised. I didn’t even know I was playing! (Aren’t those the best kind of games?)

So, having been tagged, I get to answer some writing questions that you didn’t even realize you wanted answers to. There are a lot of them, you might want to take a bathroom break first.

*****

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

Well, I just wrote this. Oh! You mean… Okay, um, the last thing I wrote was part of a work in progress–that was

yesterday. The first thing I wrote that I still have is probably some stories in my grade one notebook.

2) Write poetry?

On occasion, if a poem comes to me.

3) Angsty poetry?

When I was a teenager, but I haven’t been one in awhile, so, no.

4) Favourite genre of writing?

Romance is fun because you get to toy with character’s emotions and bring them down and then ‘wham,’ give them the greastest gift of all–love. Aw. I dapple with other genres, but romance is high-speed fun with the top rolled down.

5) Most annoying character you’ve ever created?

Well, there’s a guy character who always wore his shoes in the house and left mud on his friend’s coffee table. That annoyed the character. I’m not sure about reader’s though. I try not to annoy the reader.

6) Best plot you’ve ever created?

I think I might be creating it in my work in progress, but I’m not sure. It’s too soon to tell.

7) Coolest plot twist you’ve ever created?

Uh… huh. Hmmm… ummmm. I dunno. It’s hard to answer these questions because it’s hard to pull it out of your own writing, because it just is. Either that, or I’ve never written a cool plot twist, in which case, that’s just sad and depressing and I thank you for bringing me down.

8 ) How often do you get writer’s block?

Never. There are times when I have to step back, go for a walk and let the next scene or move come to me.

9) Write fan fiction?

Nope. I’m not avid about a show or series enough to feel the desire to pen myself some fan fiction.

10) Do you type or write by hand?

I can type faster than I can write now, so brainstorming and here-and-there notes are by hand, the rest is a la computer.

11) Do you save everything you write?

Yeah, pretty much. I’m a natural packrat.

12) Do you ever go back to an idea after you’ve abandoned it?

Define abandon. These are my kids, they might get neglected, but never truly abandoned.

13) What’s your favourite thing you’ve ever written?

That would be The 15 Date Rule. Not because it is the best, but because it was the most fun to write.

14) What’s everyone else’s favourite story you’ve written?

What? It isn’t The 15 Date Rule? Come on! Seriously though, people seem to love Caviar and Lemon Drops. It is pretty good, but it wasn’t quite as much fun to write as 15DR. (It came after 15DR and plotting it, etc, wasn’t as ridden with challenges to keep me on my toes.)

15) Ever written romance or angsty teen drama?

Romance, yes. Teen drama, no.

16) What’s your favourite setting for your characters?

Honestly, I forget about setting a lot of the time. I’m more concerned with the mood, emotion, motivations, etc. I have to remind myself to add setting into each scene.

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

Of my own–just one. It’s a first draft, so everything else of mine gets to hang back for a bit. I am doing some editing work for other people’s projects. (You can contract me to edit, coach, critique, and more! I do queries, synopses, manuscripts, and proposals.)

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

Nope. I placed in a contest, but I’m not much of a contest hound. I won first in a province-wide art contest once, does
that count? No, no it doesn’t. I just wanted to feel special.

19) What are your five favourite words?

Leave me alone, I’m writing.

Not really–I don’t think I’ve ever said that. How about ‘pristine’. That’s a good word. Now, I need four more…

20) What character have you created that is most like yourself?

They all have pieces of me.

21) Where do you get your ideas for your characters?

They just show up, ready to kick a$$ (or whatever they are there to do).

22) Do you ever write based on your dreams?

Nope.

23) Do you favour happy endings?

Sure. If it fits the story. It has to be satisfying for the audience, that’s the number one requirement.

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

Sorta. I’ll backtrack to fix spelling. Mostly, it’s full steam ahead in the first draft. My first concern is the get the idea down before it disappears. I can make it flow or grammatically correct on the second pass.

25) Does music help you write?

It depends. Sometimes music interrupts, which is really annoying.

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

“Cynthia tossed her wavy hair, leaving it tousled, sexy, and perfect in a way that made Beth think of champagne and movie stars.” I wrote that line in one of my edits of Caviar and Lemon Drops and then forgot about it. I reread it months later and got all pissed off. I thought someone had been messing with my manuscript. But the worst part was that they were better than I was. It was an interesting moment when I figured out I wrote it.

*****

That’s it. You made it to the end. I hope I didn’t bore you too much.

Now… I get to tag another three writers!

I’m going to chase after Yvonne Osborne, snag TK Richardson, and grab J. Lea. Lopez because she posted an interview the other day with moi and some of these questions weren’t covered in her interview with herself back in June.

Hmmm… I’m noticing a trend here… I’ve been a guest on all three of these blogs! It’s tag nepotism at its best. Love it!

A Book Discussion About ‘The Giver’

A few days ago, Yvonne Osborne (aspiring writer) posed a list of questions to Jemi Fraser (aspiring writer and teacher) and me about Lois Lowry’s young adult book The Giver. Yvonne has posted our replies to her thought-provoking questions on her blog, The Organic Writer. I recommend you stop by her blog to read the discussion, say hello, and weigh in on what you think about The Giver. If you haven’t read The Giver, our discussion just might prod you to do so.

A bit of background on The Giver (taken from my book review):

This is a soft science fiction young adult novel that has been challenged and/or banned in schools due to some of its content. Jonas, a 12-year-old living in a Utopian society, is chosen to become a receiver of memories. In the past, Jonas’ community decided to go to ’sameness’ and to remove emotion and emotional memories from their lives in order to live pain-free. Naturally, that comes at a cost. As Jonas learns more about his new job (he accepts the memories of the past that include war, hunger, and much, much more in order to serve as an adviser to the community) the more the illusion of innocence slips from the way he views his world, separating him from his friends.