Seven Facts Meme

Listening to: The Arcade Fire, "Wake Up"

Jenwriter tagged me for this one--just seven random facts. So you'll probably learn some things about me now that you'd be better off not knowing. Aaaand off we go!

1. This is the fun one. I have different colored eyebrows and eyelashes. Now, when I say that, I mean the right eyebrow (my right) is blond, and the left is brown-black. The eyelashes correspond to the eyebrows. If you look at my profile pic, you can see it somewhat. You can see it some here, here, and there's a good shot of me mascara-less here. I was born this way, or at least I've been this way since I, yanno...grew eyebrows and such. It takes most people a long, long time to see it.
   
   
2. At my last job, in a review, my boss called me "fanatical about planning and organization". Most backhanded compliment I've ever gotten.
   
   
3. I once had a hedgehog named Sydney. Hedgehogs, apparently, are illegal in PA, so a family friend picked it up for us in NY. I believe that my cousins accidentally scared it to death (I suspect they were poking it with the fork I found near his cage/tank thingy) on Thanksgiving one year. Hedgehogs are shy, timid creatures.
   
   
4. Prior to meeting my eventual husband in 2001, my longest relationship lasted about four months. That guy ended up becoming a very close friend, so close, in fact, that he was an usher in our wedding.
   
   
5. I just (like, as I finished writing number 4) got a text from a friend who's taking classes from some of my old profs at the ol' alma mater. One of my all-time favorite profs just found out she and I are friends, and told her to tell me that I was one of the best students he ever had. I'm like, near tears here. Seriously! Best REAL compliment ever.
   
   
6. I grew up in the woods with three siblings. We played in the woods a lot, creating little communities that became the basis for hours of imaginative playing. One year, we decided to surprise our parents by purchasing seeds from the dollar store and planting them. In the woods, of course, so our parents wouldn't see the garden until it was grown. Yeah. That worked really well.
   
   
7. I adore olives, pickles, and cheese. Seriously, I could make a meal out of a relish tray. I look forward to a relish tray more than I do other features of a holiday--like, yanno, the turkey. Although mashed potatoes come in close second. I love potatoes, too. I'll take potato chips over chocolate any day. I drool over home fries. Yes, yes. I know. I'm a freak.

There! Now I must go back to doing actual work. Blah.

Only going to tag a few people, because I'm maverick-y like that, and Jenwriter got to some of mine first.

abkiel
Nancy Dietrich
Eden

Meme Time

I decided to stick around. I like this too much to stop.
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Tia did this meme yesterday, and I thought maybe I would follow suit and do it today.

1. Do you outline?
Not in any great detail, no. If I start feeling stuck or blocked, I might sketch out possible routes, but I generally just write. When I get to the end of a scene, I just ask myself, "Okay, now what?"

2. Do you write straight through a book, or do you sometimes tackle the scenes out of order?
Always straight through. I don't have the kind of brain that can do things out of order.

3. Do you prefer writing with a pen or using a computer?
Oh, dear lord, PEN!! I love handwriting. Love the feel, love the look of the words, love it all. But I'm trying to wean myself off the inky devil and go straight to computer--so much faster, so much less waste.

4. Do you prefer writing in first person or third?
That's a really tough one. It truly depends on the story I'm telling, but both have their highs and lows. I think my voice is stronger in first person, but third allows that narrative disconnect that lets you play with the reader. So, I'm gonna wuss out and say...BOTH.

5. Do you listen to music while you write?
Yes. Music (that I like) energizes me when I'm writing and helps me tune out the world. I even create playlists of songs that I feel "go with" whatever book I'm writing. That, however, might actually be the answer to "Do you procrastinate?"

6. How do you come up with the perfect names for your characters?
Baby name sites + Phone book. And sometimes I use friends' last names for secondary characters.

7. When you're writing, do you ever imagine your book as a television show or movie?
Not really.

8. Have you ever had a character insist on doing something you really didn't want him/her to do?
Well, see. I'm that person who gets really into movies and books, and cringes and cries out when the protagonist does something embarrassing or stupid ("The Office" has given me wrinkles). So I never want my characters to do stupid, embarrassing things...but if they didn't make mistakes, it wouldn't be much of a story, would it? So....yeah. Either the character insists, or the story insists.

9. Do you know how a book is going to end when you start it?
Sort of...not really. I have ideas for the ending, but those are likely to change a lot as I write. My current project seems very fluid...I've come up with about ten possible endings for it. We'll see when we get there, won't we?

10. Where do you write?
Anywhere. Denny's, the dining room table, the porch, the car (when I'm not driving, of course).

11. What do you do when you get writer's block?
Brainstorm. Read. Listen to music.

12. What size increments do you write in (either in terms of word count, or as a percentage of the book as a whole)?
I usually write between 1000-2000 words at a time--when I'm handwriting. The computer, at least now, is different. It's like every freakin' word is painful, and I keep checking the word count to see if I can stop yet. *Sigh*.

13. How many different drafts did you write for your last project?
Let's see...first draft written, second draft typed, revised twice, then revisions based on CP's suggestions, so...A MILLION.

14. Have you ever changed a character's name midway through a draft?
I'm thinking about doing it right now.

15. Do you let anyone read your book while you're working on it, or do you wait until you've completed a draft before letting someone else see it?
Completed draft, usually. And I only discuss the story in detail with my husband until it's finished. Until I write "The End", that baby's MINE.

16. What do you do to celebrate when you finish a draft?
Ha! Strawberry margaritas and The Sims 2. All. Day. Long. I'm hoping to finish this draft right around the time the next expansion pack comes out, like I did with the last book.

17. One project at a time, or multiple projects at once?
I only write one project at a time, but right now I'm writing my third novel and preparing query materials for my second.

18. Do your books grow or shrink in revision?
Grow.

19. Do you have any writing or critique partners?
I have a CP I got through Pennwriters, who is awesome and not afraid to call me out. I also have my husband, who reads through and makes a few notes, and my friend Chris, who does the same. Both of them are awesome, as well. And then there's that friend...the one I give a copy to every time, who promises to read it and give feedback, but never does. You know who you are, even if you're probably not reading this. =P

20. Do you prefer drafting or revising?
That depends. When I near the end of a novel, I can't wait to revise it and make it better. But when I've revised about 20,000 words, I'm sick of it.

That's it. Now I gotta do my short synopsis...finished the long one yesterday, so this is the last step. Tomorrow, I query!

-K.