Beautiful People July '17: On The Writer Creature (Take cover before it slays you)
Well, everyone, it's time for another Beautiful People! And this time, it is a post about the writing habits of... moi!!!! *fails miserably at speaking French*
Anyway...
Thanks to Cait and Skye for creating this linkup in the first place! Now, on to the glorious questions.
How do you decide which project to work on?
The one that looks the most imminently likely to Hulk-smash me.
Just kidding. The one that's screaming he loudest for my attention. And the one that hits me right before NaNo. (Or the first book in the Pentegreen series. Hahahaha. I will never get past that book.)
How long does it usually take you to finish a project?
Finishing?
I have never, ever, actually brought a project longer than about 2,000 words to completion. I write first drafts every day. But never anything longer than that.
So while I might say "I finished my book!" it means "I finished a first draft!" No more, no less. I will probably never go back through the thing. Because my first drafts are unworkable. And they are going to murder me if I actually try to devote time to working on them.
Some way of showing gratitude, books. I invest time in making you better and you spit in my face and try to kill me.
Some way of showing gratitude, books. I invest time in making you better and you spit in my face and try to kill me.
Do you have any routines to put you in the writing mood?
I run screaming from my family, shut the door to give myself some semblance of privacy, sit down, wait fifteen minutes for Spotify to load, and then realize I forgot my water bottle so then I have to go get it. When I make it back to my room I discover that it's empty 99% of the time. So then I have to go refill it. Then my mom asks if I'll babysit... or I see my sheet music sitting on the piano... or my phone lets me know that I have a new email or Facebook notification... or maybe the computer is being stupid and decides not to let me use it.
Eventually, I will get around to writing. It will take a while, but I will get there. Eventually.
Eventually, I will get around to writing. It will take a while, but I will get there. Eventually.
What time of day do you write best?
I'd like to think in the morning, but I'm usually busy then. So I usually get around to writing in the late afternoon, when I've got free time, if I'm not hanging out with one of my friends.
Then, when I've just gotten into the swing of things and the words are pouring out, my parents hold their council and come to this evil conclusion:
Are there any authors you think you have a similar style to?
I wish.
I aim to make my writing style similar to Douglas McKelvey's (he wrote a book you've probably never heard of, The Angel Knew Papa and the Dog, which I've actually never read, but he's got a short story in the new Wingfeather Tales Short Story Anthology and it's beautiful. I cried so hard reading it, and it was so complexly written. So... yeah.)
I would also love to be able to write with the density of Anne Elisabeth Stengl. The Tales of Goldstone Wood... they're so beautifully written.
Basically, I want my writing to be a combination of McKelvey's structure, Stengl's description, Andrew Peterson's emotion, and Jane Austen's timelessness. So... yeah.
Why did you start writing, and why do you keep writing?
I started... at the age of four. I disliked my preschool teacher and needed to write a story in which there was a snow day (in North Carolina? In October?) and I didn't have to go to school. XD
I keep writing because the plot bunnies will slay me if I don't. And also because I believe that this is what God called me to do and thus I have to keep doing it. If I don't, I will be going against what God wants me to do, I think.
That got really deep XD Now we go on to
What’s the hardest thing you’ve written?
My novel The Wacky Factor, which will most likely never be published, but is kind of a therapy type thing to get over some of the experiences I had earlier this year and the last. I tried to write it in April, but it needs more time, I think, and the pain of trying to get the words out is still very keen.
Is there a project you want to tackle someday but you don’t feel ready yet?
Same answer as above.
And also, the number of stories I am dying to write (I have a list of twenty works I want to write at some point, complete with synopsis and character charts) but I just don't have time for right now. I had another dream last night that involved driving a fifteen-passenger van, the end of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and getting orange rashes on your toes that gave me this absolutely amazing idea that's somewhere between The 5th Wave (which I didn't finish, but had a very interesting premise) and the aforementioned Planet of the Apes. So... I have a new idea now. Someone please help me.
What writing goals did you make for 2017 and how are they going?
HAHAHAHAHAHA.
Yeah. I did a whole post on this one upon a time. THEY JUST KEEP CHANGING. I must rope them in, eventually, but... yeah. Not for right now Right now, we've got the lovely problem of 1. plot bunnies, and 2. books that won't write themselves. Plus reading too much. Someone rein me in before I read all the books.
Describe your writing process in 3 words or a gif!
So there's my (gif-heavy) post on my writing process/habits! What do you think? Can you save me from my brain/give me aid for my onslaught of dream-borne plot bunnies? Please help.
~Faith
15 comments
Your writing routine is super relatable, my family has a habit of pulling me away from my writing to babysit too. Great Post!
ReplyDeleteThanks! It can be annoying, although I do love my sisters a ton :)
DeleteI write best in the afternoon, too. Other writers talk about writing in the middle of the night and I'm like, ain't nobody got time for that.
ReplyDeleteI love the gifs. Especially the Krunk and Yzma one. I loved your answers. 😂
I know! All these people who are like "I write at two in the morning" and I'm like "There's a reason that time exists. It's for SLEEPING."
DeleteThanks!
The gif usage in this post was PERFECTION. I completely lost it at the Yzma one. XDDD
ReplyDeleteYour routine for writing is soooo relatable! All the distractions and thiiings. Ugh. It's so hard to just sit myself down and WRITE.
I adore your story of how you started writing. Writing is the best in that we can fix things we hate. I'm always getting story ideas from things I want to FIX and make better. Nothing like writing to put you in control. XD
The gif for the last question is the BESSSST. And pretty much how I feel about my writing process as well. Tehe.
This whole post was great!
Thanks! I love the gifs. And it's SO easy to get distracted. Writing really does make everything better. :)
DeleteI love that gif. I've been wanting to use it forever. XD
Thank you so much!
You closed the post perfectly with that last gif! I can relate.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteHey Faith!
ReplyDeleteWe have been talking for a while, but this is my first time checking out your blog! It is really cool! I loved all the gifs you used, I was laughing!
Don't worry, Faith, it sounds like you have got a lot of ideas you will get through them one day without the plot bunnies slaying you. :) My problem is I can't come up with ideas! I am really not a creative person, but I'm trying. :)
Have a lovely day!
God bless!
I'm glad you like it! I hope I can get through them someday, although it's likely I'll never run out of ideas :) You just need to keep going, maybe someday I'll do a post on finding inspiration :)
DeleteThanks! You too!
Oy, you write how I used to write a few years ago...starting new drafts all the time. (Honestly, that was lots of fun, and I wish I could still do that now.) Unfortunately, I have put myself under some serious discipline, and now have been forced by my "serious side" to actually finish something.
ReplyDeleteAnd even with all that, I won't be meeting my 2017 goals (to be fair, they were a bit more than I could logically handle, but still...).
I love the "Dinner Time" gif. That is perfect!!
~Julian
Aww, that's the worst. I'm trying to force myself to finish my dystopia right now... it's a LOT of work.
DeleteThat gif is the best thing of ever. I love it!
Thanks for stopping by!
A++ GIF USAGE!! :D
ReplyDeleteAnd don't feel too bad. The farthest I've gotten with one of my books is like a third draft...and it still needs a ton of work. XD
AND YES. I would TOTALLY love to write like Anne Elisabeth Stengl!! So. good. <3
That's further than I've gotten! XD Thanks for the encouragement, though.
DeleteHER STYLE IS JUST TOO GORGEOUS. I LOVE IT SO MUCH.
I've never finished a first draft, so... I beat you! xD How many first drafts have you finished, and what's the worst you've ever been injured by one??
ReplyDeleteExcellent GIF for the last question! (the more I see from it, the more I NEED to watch The Emperor's New Groove...)
Jem Jones
Hello, friends! Do make yourselves comfortable and stay for a while--I'd love to chat with you! I simply ask that you keep it clean. :)