Happy Friday!
Three blog tags in one month? Yes, indeed!1 Blog tag posts are a bit easier to write, so they’ve been a good way for me to stay somewhat active this summer, while also allowing us to get to know each other better! And if we’re being honest, what writer doesn’t like to talk about their own writing sometimes, haha?
This tag was created by Bree at The Long Voyage, and looked too interesting to pass up!
First of all, the rules:
- Link and thank the blogger who tagged you (I got this tag from Jan @The Doodlecrafter)
- Include the graphic somewhere in the post (or make your own!)
- Answer the questions truthfully and honestly.
- Tag 3 bloggers.
And now, onto the fun part!
Never Have I Ever . . .
…started a novel that I didn’t finish.
I…feel very called out and this is only the first question, haha! Over the years, I’ve actually lost count of how many novels I’ve started and have yet to finish. Some I don’t have any intention of going back to, but there are about half a dozen right now that I still want to complete. Sticking with a novel once I’ve started is definitely something I need to work on.
…written a story completely by hand.
Ooh, yes, I’ve done this! My first two and half novels (each about 50,000 words once finished) were written completely by hand. Nowadays, I use my laptop for speed and ease of editing, but I still like to outline and write occasional tricky scenes in notebooks. Something about handwriting seems to help my creativity flow better when I’m stuck.
…changed tenses midway through a story.
Only once, halfway through a short story. I’ve mostly written in present tense for the past couple of years and switching back to past tense for that story threw me off, haha. Otherwise, I’ve switched several other novels from past tense to present, but that was thankfully a deliberate decision after the first draft was finished (not easy to do, but still).
…not researched anything before starting a story.
Research and I have a tricky relationship. Yes, I’ve started several stories without any research . . . usually the ones that really should be heavily researched, and I’m just too lazy. On the flip side, sometimes I’ll get so caught up in researching tiny details that I delay writing the actual book. Depends on what I need to research and if I find it interesting.
…changed my protagonist’s name halfway through a draft.
Not often, but yes. In the latest medieval fantasy novel I wrote, I changed all of the characters’ names partway through chapter five. Which ties back to the previous question about research, because I changed the names to better fit the time period. I also recently changed the spelling of Éirinn’s name to be historically accurate (from Cabin Girl).
…written a story in a month or less.
Not counting short stories, I’ve done this four times! The very first novel I wrote (a Star Wars ‘fanfiction’), a medieval fantasy early last year, a novella last October, and a Cabin Girl prequel last November for NaNoWriMo. It’s exhausting, but sometimes I need the extra push to actually write – i.e. finish – the entire story before my mind moves onto other things.
…fallen asleep while writing
More times than I care to admit, haha. Always late at night (or technically early in the morning), when I’ve had a busy day and still have deadlines to meet. It’s quite jarring to wake up with your fingers still on the keyboard and a blinding white document in front of you, so I try my best not to make it a habit. Sleeping properly – in a bed – is important, folks.
…corrected someone’s grammar IRL/online?
Only if it’s someone who asked me to critique their story, or my siblings being loopy. Otherwise, I usually second-guess that I even know the correct grammar/spelling and just ignore it. Most of the time I can figure out what they mean anyway. And if I can’t, sometimes I’ll ask for clarification, sometimes I’m a coward and act like I understand, ha!
…yelled in all caps at myself in the middle of my novel.
Um, no. Do writers actually do this? I never ‘break the fourth wall’ like that in my novels because I’m always paranoid that I’ll share it with someone and forget to take extra bits out. What I have been known to do however is leave myself snarky comments and notes while I’m editing. The more ridiculous the blusters, the snarkier I get with myself.
…used “I’m writing” as an excuse.
I’ve definitely used this as a ‘reason’, but I can’t say that I’ve used it as an excuse. If I actually am writing or need to write, then I’ll say so. If I’m not, then I’m not, haha. If anything, I tend to procrastinate writing by claiming I’m too busy with other things. Which is usually true. Other times I just don’t feel like going back to plot holes or tricky endings.
…killed a character that was based on someone I know in real life.
Yes, but not because I was thinking of the person I based the character on. I try not to mold characters from just one person I know in real life, for many reasons. But all my characters tend to be combinations of numerous people, so yes, I guess I’ve killed plenty of them off. What makes me feel really bad is when I kill off characters with the same names as family.
…used pop culture references in a story.
So far I haven’t written much contemporary fiction, so not really. And I’m not sure whether I would or not. On one hand, I love the idea of being able to include things that are super popular now, especially if I get to use humor in addressing them. On the other hand, I’ve read stories that took this route and feel very outdated a few years later, so I’m still unsure.
…written between the hours of 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.
More times than I should. Not past 4 a.m. though, and not usually past 2 a.m. I’m not naturally a huge night owl, but sometimes that stage when my brain is too tired to self-edit but can still keep coming up with story is an incredibly productive time. Bonus points since I don’t tend to remember what I’ve written the next morning and get to read it objectively.
…drank an entire pot of coffee while writing.
I’ve never drank an entire pot of coffee in one day and would like to keep it that way. One to two cups a day is great, but more than that just sounds like too much, haha. Most of the time, the only liquid I have near when I’m writing anyway is water, in a sealed water bottle. I’m way too paranoid that I’ll spill and ruin my laptop otherwise. Mugs are too dangerous.
…written down dreams to use in potential novels.
Occasionally. My dreams rarely make enough sense to even consider writing a novel from. And when they might, when I’m still dreaming and think, “Hey, this would make a good story,” I wake up with vague, emotion-tinted memories and not nearly enough to write a story from. So whether it would have been a good novel or not, I guess we’ll never know!
…published an unedited story on the internet/blog/Wattpad.
Never completely unedited. I’ve shared some stories that have only been lightly edited (even the short stories here on my site could probably use some more), but it’s far too embarrassing to find typos and plot holes after lots of people have read my works. So, I try to prevent that as much as possible. Nothing’s perfect, but still, I’m a perfectionist.
…procrastinated homework because I wanted to write.
Absolutely. When I need to do home(or house)work, I procrastinate by writing (and often, when I need to write, I procrastinate by doing that work from before). But yes, I’ve often shoved tasks aside because I’m eager to write more. I certainly won’t stop if the story’s flowing well. That kind of inspiration is not easy to come by, and I want to use it!
…typed so long that my wrists hurt.
Yes. I struggle with tendonitis, so it doesn’t take long for my wrists to hurt whether I’m typing, writing, playing piano, turning book pages, washing dishes, weeding, etc. etc. Thankfully it’s rarely so bad that I can’t continue typing. And breaks for stretches and ice are always a good way to loosen up the tendons again.
…spilled a drink on my laptop while writing.
Thankfully, no! As mentioned above, that’s one of my nightmares, haha. I take as many precautions as possible to prevent that from happening. Once, I think some kind of snack was spilled on the keyboard but I must have blocked it from memory because I can’t remember what it was. Dropping my mouse is a regular occurrence, however . . .
…forgotten to save my work/draft.
Let’s just say there’s a very good reason I’m in the habit of hitting Control+S on my keyboard any time I stop typing. It hasn’t been a problem lately (although internet issues did steal one of my blog posts recently that I had to completely rewrite), but back when I first started typing my stories, I lost quite a few sessions of work before I learned better.
…finished a novel.
Happily, yes, I’ve finished around six novels now – a pretty even split between historical fiction, medieval fantasy, and Star Wars fanfictions that I don’t even want to call fanfictions because they center around completely original characters, haha. Next, I’d like to finish a couple dystopians and another historical/pirate novel to add to the count.
…laughed like an evil villain while writing a scene.
I really wish I could say yes. Now I kind of want to, but no, that’s never crossed my mind before. My family might be kind of concerned, and I wouldn’t blame them. There are plenty of times I’ve been glad knowing readers will feel intensely or possibly even be upset at me for doing something to a character, but a full-on evil villain laugh just hasn’t occurred yet.
…cried while writing a scene.
Okay, this I have done. Not very often, but especially if I’m really into the scene, I’ve been known to make myself tear up. Never sobbing, but tearing up definitely. I wouldn’t want it to happen in public, but I take it as a good sign when a plot twist or character’s death, etc. makes me cry. As long as it’s supposed to be an emotional scene anyway!
…created maps of my fictional worlds.
Just once, this past June! I took a map-making class as part of a writing conference and seized the opportunity to create a map for a recent fantasy plot bunny. Unlike my sister (who has talent) I’m no artist, but it’s neat to be able to sketch out the different landmarks and cities from my story. Hopefully it’ll help my writing be more consistent too.
…researched something shady for a novel.
This seems like a rite of passage for authors. Yes, I’ve researched my fair share of shady things, haha. Poison, methods for receiving certain types of wounds, how long someone can last after such wounds, psychological manipulation . . . yikes, that sounds horrible, but I promise it’s just for my villains. You’re supposed to be creeped out by them, not me.
Wow, this has been even more fun than I thought! Thanks to Bree for coming up with this unique and entertaining tag – and to you for sticking around for it!
I’d like to tag the following people, in case they’re interested:
1. Kristianne, at Whimsical Wanderings
2. Vanessa Hall
3. Kristina Hall
4. And YOU, if you’d like to join in!
Once again, thank you for joining me today! I really enjoyed answering these questions, and I hope you enjoyed reading through them as well.
I’d love to find out how YOU would answer these questions! Let me know on your own blog, or in the comments below. I look forward to hearing from you!
1. The other blog tags I’ve done this month are the Jolly Genre Jubilee tag, and the All About You Around the Blogosphere tag!
Recent Posts: