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‘Never Have I Ever’ Writer Tag – My Take on It
Hi, readers! I spotted this writer tag on C.G. Drews’ blog, and I thought I’d jump in too! š This also helps readers see if any of us are guilty of falling into these stereotypes.
Photo by Hannah Grace on Unsplash
Let’s get started, shall we?
Started a novel that I didnāt finish…
Who, me? š³ Does having over 100 works in progress count? Dude, there’s not enough time in the world to get them all done, but I’ll do my best.
Written a story completely by hand…
Yep! Probably several. I used to be pretty old school, writing everything on paper. I still like to write some scenes that way, but I’m just as comfortable composing on the keyboard.
Changed tenses midway through a story…
Definitely! For my older stories, a lot were told from 1st person POV. Needless to say, it is so difficult to switch from saying ‘I’ to ‘He/She’. More in the sentence will be changed than you can even imagine, just for the whole thing to sound right. That’s why these days, I rarely ever do anything that’s not third person perspective.
Not researched anything before starting a story…
I’ve done both! Mostly, I am guilty of launching into a story full blast, and then getting caught up in the details somewhere. Then I must force myself to slow down so I can look something up and it makes more sense afterward.
Changed my protagonist’s name halfway through a draft…
Oops! That happens sometimes with the use of common names. My memory isn’t what it used to be either, so sometimes I have to really battle through the brain fog and check to see if I am reusing a name. Minor characters I don’t worry so much about, unless there’s some obvious confusion. But I don’t necessarily want to repeat a main character’s name.
Written a project in a month or less…
Actually, I did, with A Little Magick, a kid’s fantasy story and book two of The Magick Series. Since the tale is shorter anyway, it wasn’t too difficult for me to keep focused on it and finish it in two or three weeks. The editing went fast too.
Fallen asleep while writing…
š Guilty! My stamina isn’t what it once was, plus you add in the side effects of medication, and you’re completely screwed. I just need to learn to start writing a new story idea a bit earlier in the evening, and not wait so late.
Corrected someone else’s grammar IRL/online…
Oh, I have, with both. Though it still drives me nuts to see mistakes anywhere, I’ve learned to curb the urge to say anything. Not everyone is a grammar freak like me. Now, when it comes to a manuscript? That better be as polished as humanly possible! š
Yelled in all caps at myself in the middle of a novel…
I think I did, maybe a couple times. I don’t remember all the details clearly, but I recall writing this:
WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING HERE? CHANGE THIS!!!
š
Used āIām writingā as an excuseā¦
An excuse for what? Is there any other excuse? Since most of my peeps at home don’t take my writing all that seriously, I consider it a good excuse, but they probably don’t. LOL. Though, there have been times I meant to do editing or write a chapter on new project, and then I got too tired or sick to put much effort into it. A writer’s life can get exhausting! š
Killed a character that was based off someone I know in real lifeā¦
Hmm…do I have to admit it? Okay, I may have put some of my horrible ex in the villain, Lamonte, in book two of my historical romance trilogy. And a bit in the first book’s villain too! (Shrugs.) He was a major influence in how I developed as a person. Why wouldn’t that bleed into my stories?
Used pop culture references in a storyā¦
Definitely! Sometimes I also do that to ground a contemporary work further in reality. The problem is that, as time passes, some references become outdated. For example, a newer generation may not recognize all of my comments.
Written between the hours of 1 a.m. and 6 a.mā¦
I’m a night owl, so I usually won’t let anything except absolute exhaustion slow me down if I’m on the trail of a good story.
Drank an entire pot of coffee while writingā¦
Nope, not coffee. But I’ve been guilty of water and soda, maybe even large amounts of tea.
Written down dreams to use in potential novelsā¦
Now and then, a dream will inspire a story. Not often, though, because I don’t always remember my dreams.
Published an unedited story on the internet/blog/Wattpadā¦
š® Unfortunately, yes. I do my best to edit my work as well as possible now. In the earlier days of this career, however, I just had no concept of editing my own work in various ways, besides doing one read-through. Now I cringe to think of the old stuff out there somewhere. This is another reason why I’m revamping my backlist (books released under former pen names) and re-releasing them in collections via this brand.
Procrastinated homework because I wanted to writeā¦
Maybe now and then this happened while I was in school. But I had a pretty good work ethic, and I would push myself to the point of obsession to get assignments done. Only then would I stop to work on my writing. It was easier to do both when I had writing classes. I had so many that weren’t related to that. Even though learning about those studies made me a more well-rounded student and person in general, that’s why it took so long for me to finish writing the first book of my historical series.
Typed so long that my wrists hurtā¦
YES! Actually, if I’m immersed in a story for long enough, my entire hands hurt. Bad. Of course, it probably doesn’t help that I have fibromyalgia (and arthritis is hereditary).
Spilled a drink on my laptop while writingā¦
Definitely! And food several times. I am already a clumsy person, but I have to be careful having anything around my computer that isn’t, um…technology-friendly.
Forgotten to save my work/draftā¦
OMG, yes. š„ I’ve kicked myself several times for that bad habit. Now (after almost losing two full novel-length manuscripts), I try to make sure I save everything as often as possible, and have my drafts stored in a safe place.
Finished a novelā¦
I have finished many, thank you very much. No one could ever call me a lazy writer, and it still boggles the mind why people assume every Libra is guilty of being lazy. That’s a silly stereotype.
Cried while writing a sceneā¦
For sure! I haven’t done my job well until I’ve connected with a character on that level.
Created maps of my fictional worldsā¦
I guess I draw the line at that. I have a vivid image in my head of how everything looks, but I can’t call myself an ‘artist’. Not only would it take forever (the Libra in me doesn’t have the patience for that crap! LOL), I just prefer to paint a picture with words instead.
Researched something shady for a novelā¦
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Two research topics which I did for a couple projects that you might find disturbing:
What is the chemical makeup of said drug so I can use it to add a bio-weapon in my story?
How long does it take for a dead body to decompose in the water?
Not to mention I think I scared myself when I wrote from a killer’s point of view a few times…
Feel free to use the questions for your own blog! So, what about you? Ever researched anything questionable for the purpose of creativity? Ever written a story or novel so fast that you amazed yourself? Let’s find out everyone else’s angle on this…I look forward to reading your comments! š
Big Giveaway
Don’t miss our massive giveaway, filled with books of different formats, and various swag, over on my alternate blog, Writing in the Modern Age. All genres covered! š
Check out the festivities here. Hurry, and enter the Rafflecopter contests before it’s too late! ā„
How Shopping Correlates with Dating and Relationships: a romance blogger post by multi-genre author Marie Lavender
Not about books, but you can see how I funnel romance into my writing…
Ā How Shopping Correlates with Dating and Relationships
I love, love, love shoppingā¦well, for almost anything! I can never be trusted with a credit card. š Most of the time I resist temptation, but now and then, especially if I have some extra money on my hands, I indulge in one of my hobbies ā shopping for clothes, or even books.
Created by benzoix ā http://www.freepik.com
But whether youāre browsing online or in the store, shopping for clothing items is a whole other animal. At least with a book, you can be sure you will usually end up a satisfied reader. The only issue, for me at least, might be a bunch of glaring grammatical errors, or so much head-hopping that I get fictional whiplash.
Amanda Jones, Unsplash
Shopping for clothes, however, is a different story.
Created by freepik ā http://www.freepik.com
If youāre looking at stores on the internet, you haveā¦
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Mystery Blogger Award Nomination!
_Okoto Enigma is the creator of this award.
A FUN BLOG HOP
Iād like to thank the awesome Juneta Key at the Writer’s Gambit blog, for this nomination!Ā Thank you, thank you, thank you, Juneta! ā„ I do have a few mystery books out and some in progress, so I’ll play. I was lucky enough to be interviewed by Juneta – such a talented lady – twice, for two books in my historical series. Here is her blog nomination. You should really check out her great blog!
The Rules:
Rule 1: Ā Put the award logo/image on your blog. (ABOVE)
Rule 2: Ā List the rules. (Youāre Reading Them)
Rule 3: Ā Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog. (Ronel-ABOVE)
Rule 4: Ā Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well. (ABOVE under LOGO)
Rule 5: Ā Tell your readers three things about yourself.
THREE THINGS ABOUT ME
Wait, I have to limit it to three?! All right, I guess I’ll try.
- I am a Libra. Contrary to popular belief about that sign, I’m neither lazy nor indecisive. The toughest issue I have with being a Libra is always seeing both sides to a problem, and only that can make me somewhat cautious about the decision. For example, deciding on a restaurant is the absolute worst for a Libra, unless I know exactly what sounds good that day. LOL.
- I am a shopaholic, especially a bargain shopper. I am crazy about online shopping, but I don’t mind going out now and then to find something either. Credit cards are my weakness, so I have to be good as much as possible. Which is hard, because I’m one of those people who loves to buy for family and friends.
- As a writer, my go-to writing subscriptions are Live Write Thrive, Indies Unlimited and A Writer’s Path. But damnit, there’s just never enough time in the day to read everything. š
Rule 6: Ā You have to nominate a bunch of people (some say 5, while others say 20).
Well…okay. I’ll nominate:
- C.L. Bush (she has a great historical mystery series)
- Ashley Fontainne
- D.J. Swykert
- Margo Bond Collins
- Christopher Davis
- Rachael Stapleton (time travel mystery)
- Anyone that would like to join us, consider yourself nominated.
Rule 7: Ā Notify your nominees. (Done.)
Rule 8: Ā Ask your nominees any five questions of your choice, one weird or funny question.
1. Who is your favorite author and which book is your favorite?
2. If you had three wishes, what would your THIRD wish be?
3. How long have you been blogging?Ā
4. If you could meet anyone in real life (alive, dead or even a fictional character), who would you invite to hang with on a day out in the city?
5. If you could have a superpower, what would it be? And what would your superhero or supervillain name be? Get creative!
Rule 9: Share a link to your best post.
Outside the Lines or On Perseverance or The Other Side of Our Dreams. I have three other blogs, but my author website was chosen, so I had to choose these. They are about equal in views.
ANSWERING JUNETAāSĀ 5 QUESTIONS:
- If you could get a redo on ONE thing in your life without impunity, what would it be? I’d choose to be a little more patient with myself. Putting the pressure on constantly has only harmed me in the long run.
- If you had three wishes, what would your THIRD wish be? I think I’d prefer that we have less hate in the world. People are always talking about other haters, and it’s hard not to see the “hate” which is descending our world into chaos. Hate comes in all forms, and sometimes it even arrives in sheep’s clothing. However, true hate starts at home. So fix yourself first; evaluate and erase the hate in your own life. Be a more honest, kinder person, and then you can worry about trying to help others do the same.
- Describe your ātrue selfā in three words. A little nutty, creative and open-minded.
- If you were a Star Wars character, who would you be? I think maybe I’d choose Luke Skywalker. Sure, he had a long, hard journey, but he usually did the right thing for everyone, including himself. And seriously?!…damn those Ewoks for being so cute! I just want to adopt one and let him baby my cats.
- If you had the opportunity to know your future, would you?Ā Nah, I probably wouldn’t. I think it would ruin the surprise! š
Thanks again, Juneta, for the nomination! Everyone else, feel free to jump into this cool blog hop! š
The Process: A Writer’s Perspective
Guest post by: Marie Lavender
It starts with the seed of an idea. For a writer, itās one of the most exciting parts of the book process. Perhaps itās the flash of a scene in your mind, stemming from current events, something you read or witnessed in life. Or an object caught your interest, a mere speck of dust from the comet streaking across the night sky.
Suddenly, a plant has begun to grow. Scenes materialize in fits and starts, gradually forming a loose storyline. If youāre lucky, you know some of what might occur from the beginning. If thatās not the case, discovering each section of the whole is akin to the exhilaration of an archaeologist on her first dig. Soon enough, however, youāve accumulated sufficient knowledge to get an idea of the overall picture. If the writer has any hope at all of finishing the project, he orā¦
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