Lani's Blog

A Questionnaire

I hate those chain emails. You know the ones. They have long questionnaires about silly stuff.





What’s your favorite color?





What’s your favorite TV character?





What favorite movie character do you most resemble?





And for Christians, “What is God doing for you today?”





The emails promise 99 years of bad luck and the wrath of God if you don’t fill it out and send to 50 friends. I hate them and delete them immediately.  So I was a little annoyed to see a questionnaire filled out in Ken’s new blog.(Thoughts of A Wayfarer is listed on my blog roll)  However, this particular Q&A is all about writing. I found it an interesting and at times a difficult exercise.  Give it a try. I would love to read your answers








What’s the last thing you wrote?





A poem called "Cut the rope" 





Was it any good?  It’s good.





What’s the first thing you ever wrote that you still have?


 


Yes.  A poem called "It is Dark" . It describes how my depression felt at age 16 and how it still feels if I’m not careful with my spiritual life.





Write poetry?





Of course. Doesn’t everyone? Whether it’s any good or not remains for the reader to decide.





Favorite genre of writing?





I’m not sure I have a favorite genre. I write mostly micro stories and poetry. I have just started to take my writing seriously in the last year and a half. I’m still finding my feet.





Favorite setting for your characters?





Everyday situations with a twist.





Most fun character you ever wrote?





This is terrible. I don’t really think I’ve written a “fun” character per se. I wrote a 100 word story about a woman who gets revenge in a rather interesting way. Revenge is always fun to imagine. "Megan's Revenge " 





I also wrote a story about the coming of age of a son of Santa. The character was stock, but it was fun to try to add to the legend. It was part of a blog challenge I participated in in December. I'm not posting the link as it needs a lot of work.





One of the most fun things I wrote for me and I hope the readers was the "The Lani Awards" .





Most annoying character you ever wrote? 





You mean besides my own annoying autobiographical narration?





Best plot you ever wrote





The 55 word story called "The Betrayal" 





Coolest plot twist you ever wrote? 





A story called "First day of School" . I’ve only had one complaint that they saw the twist coming.  Of course now I’ll get more.





How often do you get writer’s block?





Often 





How do you fix it? 





I try to write through it or walk away.





Write fan fiction?





Not really. I’ve written a couple of scenes of Star Trek but they felt phony. I’ll stick with what I know





Do you type or write by hand?





I type poorly and slowly, but it’s easier to read than my handwriting





Do you save everything you write? 





Now I do.





Do you ever go back to an old idea long after you abandoned it?





Of course, to paraphrase the cliché, another time’s trash could be some other time’s treasure. New insights or information may make and old idea work.





What’s your favorite thing you’ve written?





How can I choose? Today, this minute:


Favorite poem:"An Apology" 


Favorite story: "The Conversation" . It’s about what a comatose woman overhears.





What’s one genre you’ve never written, and probably never will?


 


Never say never, but I cannot see me writing a western novel.





How many writing projects are you working on right now?





My blog and my poems. Pretty boring. I can't tell if it's writer's block or lack of inspiration or......





Do you want to write for a living?





Of course. Who wouldn’t want to write for a living? But unless the Good Lord blesses me with some unforeseen opportunities and talent, I’ll just keep plugging along.





I have to say, I’ve never envisioned myself becoming a famous author.  I always thought that after I died, someone would find my journals of poetry a la E. Dickinson. I never really expected to share my stuff. I didn’t think anyone would call it poetry or would be interested. This was pre PCs and laptops. (Yes I’m that old.) Writing communities are a wonderful thing.





Have you ever won an award for your writing?


Does third place in a poetry contest in a Nursing tech magazine count? It was published in the magazine





What are your five favorite words?





Slide, free, velvet, okay and (God forgive me) the f bomb. I like words that sound like what they mean.





What character that you’ve written most resembles you?





Almost all of them since most of what I write is autobiographical. 





Do you ever write based on your dreams?





Not really. I don’t dream much with insomnia.





Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write?





Yes, because if I don’t correct it as I type, I may not see it later.





Does music help you write?


 


No it’s distracting.





How do people react when they find out you write?


 


“That’s nice.”





Quote something you’ve written—the first thing that pops into your mind.





“Perfection may not be required, but fewer cringe worthy moments would be nice.”


This is my response to a comment about grammar in the blog not needing to be perfect. I like the quote now that I see it free of context. It could be applied broader.