Catching up on some tags today. Which I’ve been really horrible about keeping up with lately. 

So poke me in the comments if you tagged me for something and I didn’t get to it. 😛

Anyway. First off, I was tagged by Olivia over at Learned in the Lore for the Q&A Tag

Here be the rules:

• Thank the blogger who nominated you (Thanks, Olivia! 😀 )
• Answer the questions you were given by that blogger.
•  Nominate 10 bloggers, give them ten new questions, and let them know they’ve been tagged.

Let’s go on this thing.

• The guitar or the piano?

Blaaah…. It’s hard because I like them for different reasons. My grandpa plays the guitar really well and I love listening to it and it just feels like home. But I’ve tried to learn guitar myself countless times and failed miserably. I guess my mind just doesn’t register all the weird string-things and where to press at the right times. Plus it hurts my poor fingers.

So, for playing, I myself prefer piano, because I can do it (sortakinda) and get some nice tunes out.

For listening… I… don’t know.

• Chess or checkers?

I’ll just go with chess because it’s more interesting than just all the checkers doing the same thing.

Though I’m not very good at either.

Othello is better.

• Tolkien or C.S. Lewis?

I’ve…. actually never really read either?

*arms myself and hides* I know, I know… calm down everyone. It’s true. Please don’t lynch me.

• Instrumental soundtracks or songs with lyrics?

*agonizing* It seems like my answer to all the either-ors is “it depends”, but it really does.

I like instrumentals for when I’m writing. And I don’t like songs with lyrics when I’m writing, but their awesome literally any time besides that.

I sing along to both, honestly. Though songs with lyrics are slightly easier to do that with.

…

I can’t choose.

Next question please.

• Cake, ice-cream, or ice-cream-cake?

Well, ice-cream-cake is good. But I’ve only had it twice. I’ve had more time to learn to love cake and ice cream separately. Plus, that way you can choose your cake flavor AND your ice cream flavors and they can be different.

Look at me. I actually chose something.

• Roughly how long does it take you to write a blog post?

The idea stage is the longest for me, I think. Then I just type that all out and stick it up.

Roughly an hour, let’s say?

Unless it’s Blank Mastermind. Then it’s about a day and a half.

• What was the last book that you read?

At the moment with all the moving stuff, all my books are in storage and we have no access to a library system.

I know. Torture.

So I’ve been getting my reading material from my lovely friends on OYAN. I just finished a Robin Hood retelling thing called “Forest of Lies” that was extremely wonderful and tear-jerking and very different. Like it’s from Maid Marian’s point of view and there’s lots of “who’s good and who’s bad” questions going on, because she didn’t know Robin or the Sheriff beforehand.

Also Robin was the best and most heartbreaking character and I love him. ❤

Now I’m reading “The Sebastian Letters” which is WWII mind-bending time-travel stuff.

And “Snark with a Switchblade” (awesome title, I know) which is about a gangster, big-brother guy in the ’80s who gets in a ton of trouble. He simultaneously breaks my heart and makes me laugh quite often.

It’s hard though, because none of these are published so I can’t give them rave review posts and make all you people read them.

*sigh* Someday…

• What is your MBTI type?

I’ve come out as a lot of different things… though I think ISFJ or somewhere around there.

• Why did you start blogging? or, what inspired you to begin writing in general?

Blogging: Schoolwork

Writing: The soundtrack to How To Train Your Dragon. (I made up a different story to go along with the music and really really loved it a lot. I don’t really love it as much now, but maybe it’ll get a rewrite someday.)

• Favorite fantasy book?

STORYBOUND ❤

It gets a bit magic-y, but the story IS SO GOOD. And the concept and plot twists… it’s just… awesome.

I have a review here if you guys want my full rambles: Storybound & Story’s End

• Favorite number?

I’ve always been fond of 8. It’s very round and nice. Also fun to draw.

Also completely even. Also the number of awesome siblings I have.

• Did you notice that I’ve asked twelve questions, not ten?😉

At the precise moment you mentioned it, yes.

Yes I did.

 

My questions:

1. Favorite kind of chocolate?
2. Pepsi or coke?
3. If you had to survive in the wilderness for 2 days and could only bring 3 things, what would you bring?
4. Family member that makes you laugh the most?
5. Holiday you just don’t get?
6. Glitter, sequins or confetti?
7. If you had to dye your hair one crazy color, what would it be?
8. What’s your favorite thing to sing along to?
9. If you were a scent, what would it be?
10. and I’m running out of ideas, so what’s your favorite color?

 

YAY I DID IT! *confetti*

Now for something that the wise, completely sane and fantastic Jonathan over at Fishing for Ideas tagged me for.

The Wisteria Writer’s Tag.

And here we go again.

Rules: 

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you. (Thanks, Jonny!)
2. Answer the ten questions asked. 
3. Add ten (writing or book related) questions of your own. 
4. Nominate people. 

 

Which of your writing projects is your favorite and why? 

I have to say, I’m having quite a lot of fun with Blank Mastermind. The serial format is fun to work with and the narrative voice is really awesome to write.

Plus, I get to hear back from all you guys while I’m writing and get suggestions and stuff, so that’s always good. 😉

Though, quite honestly, whatever I’m writing at the moment happens to be my favorite project, so I’m biased. It depends, really. 😛

2. Can you share some snippets from your favorite project? (and no you cannot say no to this IT IS MANDATORY) 

Weeeeeellll you guys kind of have like… all the snippets to Blank Mastermind. (except for next week’s part, of course) But, sure. I’ll share some bits.

Also some snippets from my project I’m technically still working on… Odd Team Out: The Impersonator Problem.

Three from each, so we can be fair.

Blank Mastermind:

#1

I let out my breath, “Look, kid . . . we both need a hospital pretty bad. I’d say being in the same boat calls for somewhat of a truce, doesn’t it?”

 

His expression didn’t change.

 

I hauled myself to my feet again, propped one arm on the wall and held out a hand to him. “C’mon. I came to help you out.”

 

He looked at it like I had claws. “You’re lying.”

 

“And you’re dying.”

 

#2

I didn’t have too much time to appreciate my fresh jeans and tee shirt before I found a bed and crashed out. I literally couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a good sleep. And passing out a couple of times didn’t count as restful.

 

I slept like a dead brick.

 

Cardboard came bouncing over and woke me up at eleven, though. Early bird.

 

I lay in bed, blinking at the ceiling for a good ten seconds before remembering what that knot in my stomach was about.

 

I’m a villain. And today I’m going to plant a bomb.

 

Right.

 

Big day.

 

#3

I just stood there. I think I was holding my breath for some reason.

 

His footsteps stopped for a second and turned on his heel to look at me. “Coming, Wolfgang?”

 

“D-down there?” I stuttered. Visions of torture chambers filled my mind.

 

“Yes, of course.” Mansley frowned, “Is everything alright?”

 

Stupid. I probably went down there all the time. And now he was suspicious.

 

“Yeah, great. Fine. Wonderful.” I smiled and rubbed my shaky hands on my jeans before following him. “Just asking.”

 

Mansley raised an eyebrow, but shook his head and just closed the bookshelf behind us as I caught up.

 

Suspicion averted.

 

Yeah, right.

 

I was an idiot.

 

Odd Team Out

#1

Just the thought of food still made his stomach flip, but out of curiosity he glanced at the tray.

Mmm . . . barf colored soup. Never mind.

Wincing, Cobalt looked up at the man. “Do I have to?”

The guard nodded and pushed it towards him

“But I’m really not that hungry.”

“You should be,” his words twisted with a strange accent, “You haven’t eaten in almost a week.”

Cobalt stared, “A week?”

The guard shrugged, “Almost. You have been out for a while.”

“Wow. Okay,” Cobalt glanced down at the soup, which still didn’t look any tastier. “I should really be hungry, in that case.”

The guard nodded.

   “But, I’m not,” Cobalt pointed out.

   The man pushed the bowl even closer, looking annoyed.

   “I might throw up on you,” Cobalt threatened.

   The chair was quickly scootched back out of Cobalt’s range.

   Sighing, Cobalt picked up the spoon and began eating, much to his stomach’s horror. But, after the first few bites, it seemed to remember how long it had been and Cobalt felt hungry again.

 

#2

“The fluid motion and the way the joints move? See that?”

   Jean had seen it before and nodded to humor him. It was a bit hard to admire an advance in technology when it worked so cruelly against them.

   “The people that made these had to be geniuses,” Wally pulled the screen back to himself and shook his head.

   Jean sighed.

   “Evil geniuses,” admitted Wally, “but geniuses, nonetheless.”

   “Are you finding anything useful?”

 

#3

   “And what’s your name, sir?” The man at the entrance of the bus frowned at Cobalt, looking over his grubby jeans and hoodie.

   Cobalt opened his mouth to say, but caught himself.

   I’m a wanted mental patient. They’ll turn me in if they know.

   “I’m . . . Angus . . . Mac . . . Campbell.” He pulled up the first fragments of names that came to his mind.

   Hey, Scottish. I could work with that.

   “Angus MacCampbell?” the man looked extremely skeptical.

   “Aye,” Cobalt nodded, shifting over to his Scottish accent.

The man gave him one last look over, rolled his eyes and let him on.

   Grinning widely, Cobalt climbed aboard and made his way to the back.

 

3. What is your favorite tense (past, present, future) and voice (first, third; I don’t think it’s actually called that but I’m using that word because it makes sense to me and I can’t think of the right one. XD) to write in? 

Past tense is generally what I slip into for most stories, so that’s probably my favorite. Though present is good too. I can work with either.

Future tense won’t be happening though. It will never be happening. (*pokepoke* seeee what I did there?)

And my favorite person to write in (because that’s the term, Jonny. First, second and third person)…

Wellll I hated first-person when I first started writing because it was so limited and I couldn’t hop off to some random other character and see what they were doing without having my POV character do it too. 

But after a ton of third-person writing, I did a couple of short, first-person things and brought one of them for a critique session at a conference last year. The lady I was with there said that it seemed like the humorous first-person thing seemed to be my strength and I should write more of it.

And so I got back into that POV a bit more and actually started to enjoy all the seamless thoughts and observations I could put in this way.

But I still do like character jumping in third-person….

So yeah.

All together now… it depends.

4. When is your favorite time to write?

When I have ideas and funny things I want to write. That may be any time of the day or night.

Though I seem to have this thing about getting on a roll with my writing right before I have to go to bed...

5. What is the the most unpleasant thing you’ve put one of your characters through? 

I’m really more of a “stick my character in an awkward situation and laugh about how they react” sort of writer than a “beat the pulp out of everyone” writer.

Though I’ve had my moments. Poor, sweet Cobalt got shot. But then all the unpleasantness of trekking, wounded, cross-country with no shoes and a bad cold while being chased by bad guys was sort of self-inflicted. He seems to enjoy stuff like that. Especially when he makes up a Scottish alias to go with it.

But my Blank Mastermind characters probably take the cake. 

Dallas got shot and taken hostage (sortakinda) and given to the tender care of gang members for his medical treatment.

And Wolfgang got head-trauma-inflicted amnesia, then proceeded to keep bumping his head and getting beat up and bleeding all over his precious leather jacket.

And I’m not allowed to say future things, so it stops there.

But I think Wolfgang wins.

6. Are you a more character-driven writer or a more plot-driven writer? 

Generally character driven. I can get pretty excited about plot stuff every now and then, but characters usually do it for me. ❤

7. Are you a plotter or a pantser? 

Not hardcore either, but I’d probably fall under the umbrella of plotter.

8. What is your favorite word processing system to write in and why do you like it? (SCRIVENER FOR THE WIN) 

Excuse me, Jonny, stop imposing your answers on me. Rude.

*ahem* Microsoft Word. Because it’s all I’ve ever used and the only thing I know how to work.

Thank you.

9. If you were left on an abandoned island with the last character you wrote about, how would that go for you? 

I don’t know. How do you guys think I’d do on an abandoned island with Wolfgang Dankworth?

10. What is your favorite writing resource? (this could be a blog, website, newsletter, writing book, that one pet who listens to all your writerly ramblings, anything basically XP)

Just a little list because I can’t decide a favorite:

• OYAN
• Kingdom Pen
• Helping Writers Become Authors
• Save The Cat! website

My questions:

1. Which character of yours would you get along with best?
2. Which character would you get along with worst?
3. How does music apply to your writing?
4. Your opinion on NaNoWriMo?
5. Who would you call the biggest fans of your writing?
6. Do you like writing description or dialog better?
7. What font do you write in?
8. Do you snack while you’re writing?
9. Computer in your lap or on a desk?
10. If your projects were your kids, what would those kids be like?

 

As far as tagging people… any of you people I tag can choose which one of these tags to do.

ErinKenobi

Tworoadsdivergedinyellowwood (man, have a cake for a difficult username…)

Rubix Cube

writinganyone

Hope Ann

Kathyscottage

wintersfallingfast

Sarah

Katherine

Victoria

And anyone wearing yellow.

Aaand that’s it for today!

Hope you enjoyed and please tell me if I haven’t done something you tagged me for. 🙂

~writefury