Writing meme

Andi at Andilit posted a writing meme on Jan 14. I just found it, and I thought that for this super-cold Saturday - it's -20c outside right now! - I'd do the meme. It reveals a lot about my writing life, and where I'm at right now:

What’s your favourite genre of writing?
Fantasy and mystery are my favourite genres for writing in. I also write poetry.

How often do you get writer’s block? How do you fix it?
I get writer's block often and it's almost always when i have not made regular time to write, and my life gets so busy I can't turn inward the way I need to in order to listen.

Do you type or write by hand?
My handwriting is so awful I have to type.


Do you save everything you write?
Yes, I save pretty much everything, at least until I'm sure I've finished it. Then all the old drafts go out.

Do you ever go back to an old idea long after you abandoned it?
I never abandon an idea, mostly because I like the one I was with and determined to get a first draft done. I finally did! Now it's getting a good second draft in....

Do you have a constructive critic?
I used to have a constructive writing friend, I no longer do, so I'm pretty much on my own, for now.

Did you ever write a novel?
The first draft I just finished is a novel, a fantasy novel.

What genre would you love to write but haven’t?
This is hard for me to answer, since I write in most that I like - fantasy, mystery, horror. I'd guess I would love to write a science fiction story, but my lack of knowledge of science holds me back - or I should say, understanding of quantum physics etc, means I feel I don't have the grasp I should to be able to write with a solid background. I understand fantasy and horror, so I write instinctively in it.

What’s one genre you have never written, and probably never will?
I'd have to say the religious genre I'll never write in.

How many writing projects are you working on right now?
I have my second draft of my novel to complete, and my poems to put together and try to get published, plus two short stories I'd like to get published (they are mostly done). Hmm, seems to be that sending them out stage I am at!

Do you write for a living? Do you want to?
No, I don't write for a living, and when I tried to, I couldn't - the pressure to make money was too great. I write better with a steady income, at least right now I do.

Have you ever written something for a magazine or newspaper?
I haven't written for a magazine yet, but I think about it.

Have you ever won an award for your writing?
I won an honourable mention in a poetry competition long ago, and won a first and a second place at two science fiction/fantasy conventions, again some years ago.

What are your five favourite words?
I don't have five favourite words. In Ray Bradbury's The Zen of Writing, he suggests making a list of your favourite words, or building a list of words that come to you. I always begin my list with this word: haunting. It is my favourite word, and I use it often, as you, my Gentle Readers of my blog, can attest to!! lol After this, it varies, depending on what I'm writing or what the story is telling me about - which is what Bradbury wants us to do, let the story tell us what it is. If I had to say personally my favourite words in English, they would be what I love: haunting, book, dream, chocolate, ghost, castle, tree, water, joy, love, spell, enchantment, dragon, imagination, free, and of course - book......

Do you ever write based on your dreams?
I have very vivid dreams, and the short story I won the fantasy convention with was using a girl who dreamed nightmares that came true.

Do you favour happy endings, sad endings, or cliff-hangers?
I favor happy endings :-)

Have you ever written based on an artwork you’ve seen?
Yes, I've tried to write based on artwork I've seen, but it's never turned out - although another short story I wrote was based on photographs the main character took, that featured ghosts :-) so I use art in my stories, but don't base it on anything specific in the real world.

I really enjoyed doing this meme. I thank Andi for doing hers on her blog, and she credits Becca at Write on Wednesday, a blog for writers, for this meme. So if you are a secret, a beginning, or experienced writer (and I know there are a few of us out there!) please feel free to do this meme. Please let me know if you do this meme and I'll add the link here. I would love to read your answers if you decide to do this, so any writers out there are tagged to do this one!!

Andilit

Happy Saturday! It's the weekend!