E. G. Bella

Hello and happy Friday!

Another fun activity today, as I’ve been tagged to participate in Lauryn Trimmer’s #WritingCommunity Blog Award! The rules are as follows:

1. Display the award logo on your site
2. Link back to the person who tagged you (I was tagged by Julia Witmer. Her post is here, and I definitely recommend visiting her site!)
3. Answer 5 questions
4. Tag 3 blogs (must be blogs related to writing, not book review blogs) and ask them 5 new questions
5. Follow as many blogs with this award as you can!

So without further ado, on to the questions!

What does your writing routine look like?

Honestly, at this point in my life, I don’t really have a writing routine, as far as a specific time of day or place that I write every time. Right now, I’m just happy to write at all, haha. Whenever I do find the time, I usually try to write for at least an hour each day. Since I’m in the midst of NaNo at the moment, I’m aiming for more like two hours (about 2,000-4,000 words).

When I do sit down to write, I make sure I have all the Word documents I’ll need pulled up (a ‘Fix Later’ document _¹, a rough outline of the chapter I’m working on, and whichever compiled research I want to reference), a mood playlist (music is amazing), a water bottle nearby (hydration!), and a warm blanket over my lap (I get cold sitting in one place). I try to get up and stretch my legs every half hour or so, but if the writing is going really well, I can’t drag myself away and figure I can put up with sore legs for a little while, haha.

Is there a genre you love to read but don’t write?

So far, yes. I really enjoy reading a good dystopian novel, as long as its clean and not overly depressing. Think Maze Runner, or The Hunger Games (although I’ve yet to read The Hunger Games books; just seen the movies). I’m a sucker for the unique ‘what if’ scenarios and captivating action in most dystopians, and also for the explorations of what the world might be like if people acted a certain way. Scary sometimes, but often eye-opening.

I say so far because I have many ideas for writing in that genre, but just haven’t attempted any of them yet. I’m trying to gain a bit more skill first, since most people – me included – have pretty high expectations when it comes to those kinds of stories.

How long have you been writing?

Oh boy…I believe it’s been about twelve years? I learned to read when I was four and started ‘writing’ my own stories shortly afterward. Still, the first story I remember writing was probably when I was about six. Before that, I would draw illustrations for each major scene on pieces of paper, then staple them together, and ‘read’ them to my siblings from the story I had in my head. Even when I started filling notebooks with actual words, I used a lot of illustrations, I think to mask my awful spelling, haha!

Fun fact: that first story I wrote was done in a notebook my dad gave me after I checked out a book from the library and it turned out to be a bit too intense for a six-year-old. My dad brought me one of his own blue notebooks and told me to go ahead and write my own stories. I did – and I’ve been writing ever since. Thanks, Dad!

 What’s the most difficult thing about writing for you?

That’s tricky, because I tend to go through stages of what sounds best to me. After a month of writing, editing is a blast, and after a month of editing, writing practically screams to me. But overall, I’d say the story edits after the first rough draft are the most difficult. I dislike reading through the manuscript I’ve worked so hard on and realizing that something major is wrong, logically. Whether it’s a character that actually can’t be there, a conflict that doesn’t make any sense, or one – or twenty – gaping plot holes, that stage in writing always stresses me out. It’s sorely needed though.

Oh, and in the writing stage itself, probably just staying focused enough to finish. I’ve written too many ‘Chapter 1’s over the years and then fizzled out when a shiny, new idea comes along. Though I’m getting better, trying to stay motivated enough to finish an entire novel – especially when I’m struggling to figure out where the story goes next – can be challenging.

What’s the most fun part of writing for you?

Dialogue! I just talked about this on my post earlier this week _², and I’ll re-iterate: I love dialogue. Writing it is just amazing. If I knew I could write a good novel comprised only of dialogue, I would do it in a heartbeat. Sometimes, if I’m stressed from something and just want to write and relax, but also don’t feel like working on something very challenging, I’ll pick a couple characters, open a new Word document, and just initiate a conversation between them. It’s enjoyable, a good way to get to know my characters better, and helpful in getting a feel for their individual voices.

I also almost always read aloud/act out the dialogue I write in my novels. I’ve found that it really helps me ensure the characters’ words are realistic and flow naturally, and it also tends to help when I’m struggling to figure out what they’d say or do next. Being a former theatre kid, I also just find it fun, haha.  

And those are my answers to the questions!
To continue this, I’d like to tag:

1. SJ Wunderlin at https://sjwunderlinwriting.wordpress.com/
2. Brooke Johnson at https://wingsofawriter.wixsite.com/website
3. Kate at https://katelovesafrica.wixsite.com/katesrandomwritings
4. (YOU, if you have a writing blog and would like to participate!)

Here are my questions for those I’ve tagged:

• Out of all the characters you’ve ever written, which one is your favorite?
• What’s the first fiction book you remember loving?
• Ten years from now, where would you like to be in your writing?
• Where do you find new story ideas?
• Which new genre, if any, do you want to try writing next?

Well, that’s all for now, but I hope you enjoyed the glimpse into my crazy writer’s mind, haha. I had a lot of fun with this activity, so thank you for taking the time to join me! I pray you’ve all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

How would YOU answer these questions? Let me know in the comments below. I’d love to find out!

_^1. Explained in my post: What I’ve Learned From NaNoWriMo: Part 1.

_^2. What I’ve Learned From NaNoWriMo: Part 3

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