Because I have nothing else to do...

Posted by Raven M on 8:02 AM in

Thanks for the well wishes everyone. I hope I get better soon too, because I can't really seem to focus on anything. My attention span is short and every time I think about writing, nothing comes out.

Having a concussion sucks.

But I was over at Kristin's blog and she did a survey that had really good questions that I going to attempt to answer. If you want to do this survey as well, post your answers on your blog, and I'll try to take a look at them.

Here we go:

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

The last novel that I wrote was Mirror, Mirror. I gave up on revising it for a while because I have no idea what I'm going to do with it. There is so much to do and I really don't have the patience to do it.

The first novel that I wrote, is one that I still have. It was called The Chronicles of Pyra: Rise of the Phoenix but that is a ridiculously long title so it was later shortened to Pyra. I wrote it when I was nine and it was based off this cartoon I used to watch religiously. Sometimes I read over it to get a good laugh. Other times I read over it when I need to remember that I have come so far with my writing and I can't give up.


2) Write poetry?

I LOVE poetry. Before I fell in love with story writing, I wrote poetry everyday. So, yeah, I definitely write poetry.


3) Angsty poetry?

Definitely. Writing was a way for me to deal with my problems when I was younger. So a lot of poems were written when I was angry or sad or whatever.


4) Favorite genre of writing?

I love stories with a good romance woven in. I really don't care if it's paranormal or contemporary, as long as I have a complicated romance, I'm good.


5) Most annoying character you've ever created?

I'm going to have to say Stacy Coleman from Fighting the Fire. I mean, she just doesn't stop talking and she's easily manipulated and I don't know why I made her so dumb, but it's a contrast to the main character's personality, and it works, I guess.


6) Best plot you've ever created?

With me I love the story I'm working on and then I hate it. And then after awhile I love it again. Honestly the best plot I have ever created would have to be the one for Fighting the Fire, although Mirror, Mirror was amazing, in my opinion, Fighting the Fire took a lot more work because I am building another world, which I haven't done in a long long time. The characters are more complex, they have flaws, and there is a lot of mystery, action, and romance. Therefore, it's possibly the best plot I have ever created.


7) Coolest plot twist you've ever created?

Um, I'm not sure about this one yet. When I finish Fighting the Fire, I'll come back to answer this question.


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

Almost always. Especially around the time I actually want to write. It's annoying, really. I mean, when I have no time to write, I want to write, and I actually can write because the words are flowing in my head. But by the time I get a chance to write them down, they're gone. Writer's block sucks.


9) Write fan fiction?

I won't lie to you. I do have a couple pieces of fan fiction. My first novel technically is fan fiction even though it is different from what I based it off of.

And I do have a Vampire Academy fan fiction somewhere on my computer. Did I finish it? No. Why? Well because there are too many voices in my head already, and if I let in any more, I think my brain would explode.


10) Do you type or write by hand?

I type because writing is over-rated. Really, I have tried writing in a notebook, but I can't do it. My brain is way faster than my hand, and it's really uncomfortable to write with a pen or pencil.


11) Do you save everything you write?

Yep. Every single word. I save. I am a firm believer of recycling.


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

It depends how good the idea is. I have plenty plot ideas saved on my computer and some of them have been there since the beginning of time. Do I plan to write them? Yes, but they have to wait in line.


13) What's your favorite thing you've ever written?

I'm going to say Mirror, Mirror because when I go back to read some of my favorite scenes, I really can't believe that I wrote it because they are just that beautiful. I don't mean to come off as conceited, but there are times when I think that I am not a good writer and really that WIP blows me away. It just needs a good polishing for it to be even more beautiful than it already is.


14) What's everyone else's favorite story you've written?

I would like to say Mirror, Mirror is but I do have a few Shadow fans.


15) Ever written romance or angsty teen drama?

Um, yeah. I mean, I can't live without romance in my novels. There has to be some kind of love triangle going on for me to love the story. And angst? Duh. I am a teenager, you know. I live for angst. Though I don't think I am that angsty, my characters are teens and so they are filled with the stuff.


16) What's your favorite setting for your characters?

I usually don't focus on setting a lot, but I love places that are ugly to some and beautiful to others. Mirror, Mirror takes place in a town that is so small and so empty that you could hear the wind rustling through the trees. Fighting the Fire takes place in a city filled with clubs and a lot of industrial buildings, and it also takes place in a world ruled by folklore and war and magic and beauty and danger.

The setting depends on the characters and what they want. I usually don't form the setting until I know the characters a little bit more.


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

One. Technically. But Shattered is still being planned. Currently I am writing Fighting the Fire, taking notes, making sure the story makes sense and all that other good stuff.


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

In 2nd grade I won a state contest where I had to write an essay about what the Statue of Liberty meant to me.

19) What are your five favorite words?

Incandescent. Elysium. Shiver. Gravid. Devoid.


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

Ooh this is a hard one. I usually try not to make any of my characters like me but I would have to say Kendall Ryan from Mirror, Mirror was most like me because we both care about what other people think.

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

All over. TV. Music. Movies. School. The News. Books. Life.


22) Do you ever write based on your dreams?

Sometimes. If I can remember the dream, when I wake up.


23) Do you favor happy endings?

Yeah, if it fits with the plot. I don't want to make it easy for my characters, because if you want people to relate to your characters, you have to make it real. And let's face it, not everyone gets a happy ending. They get a fair ending. And those are the type of endings I favor.


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

Yes.


25) Does music help you write?

I need music to write. Music is one of my many muses.

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

"After awhile, I stopped caring," he said.

"I try not to care, but..." I shrugged. "I hate for people to leave me."

Duncan didn't say anything for a while and I thought he thought I was just some weird, clingy girl but then his hand curled around mine, and the world stopped spinning. "I won't ever leave you."

For a fraction of a second, everything felt right.

And then the truth of his words hit me.

I should have stayed in class. I should have left him out here to smoke and smoke and smoke, because in the end, he would die of lung cancer, and not because I let myself love him.

~ Eden, Fighting the Fire