#WritersLife Tag: the scary inner workings of my brain

Thank you, Cait @ Paper Fury for tagging me! If you haven't read Cait's post #WritersLife Tag you should go do so! If you've not read her blog, then what are you doing with your life? Go acquaint thyself. Thou shall love her.

I don't know where that archaic came from.

Shall we begin?

 Write Fuel: What do you eat/drink while writing?

Anything I find worthy of consumption at the moment. Although, it might go untouched once I get in "the zone."

Write Sounds: What do you listen to while writing?

Excellent question. I do hear music. I don't listen unless I come out of "the zone" to breathe. So I have an Oddball playlist with songs that make me think of the characters and/or story.

I insist that you have a listen to this one, Anthem Lights' version of Wake Me Up/Brother. It's pretty the theme of the whole trilogy and sums up the foursome well. I don't know how it can be done to such perfection.

Write Vices: What is your most debilitating distraction?

EVERYTHING!

This is why the earbuds go in and the lights go off. All that's left is me and the staring blank light of the laptop.

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1) It's the best way to immerse myself in the world of my book. Being wrapped in darkness.

2) Sometimes my family plays the electronics loud. Again I'm easily distracted.

3) When my light is off, my parents either don't realize I'm inhabiting my room, or they know I'm writing and beware.

4) In the dark, there is nothing I can "Oo, shiny" at.

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Writer Horror: What is the worst thing that's ever happened to you while writing?

Um, one of my family members once panicked and thought I had written him into a story (I was like twelve). Another reason why I do not share my writing often with my family. I do not write people into my stories. They seem to dislike that. Yet they still pretend to see themselves in there and get upset with me?

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Also, there's the usual occurrence when I search for a scene and I end up loosing said scene. Because I didn't actually write it.

I mental wrote it. My imagination is apparently so vivid, that I thought I had written it and read it over a couple of times, since I could see it so clearly in my head.

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Write Joy: What's the best thing that's ever happened to you while writing, or how do you celebrate small victories?

The Best Thing:

1) Uh, finishing?

2) That moment when everything comes together.

3) Even better, when you realize you subconsciously wrote symbolism into a scene or some aspect of the book and you didn't even know it and now you're plotting how to make it come out more in the rewrite! (That run-on sentence is killing me.)

Celebratory Celebrations:

Small victories only get an inner happy dance. (I'm not much into doing happy dances on the outside. The only thing you'll catch on the outside is maybe a really stupid grin that won't go away.)

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Now big victories are another story. Finishing a draft, or halfway through a draft, I might:

1) Get a snow cone (do not underestimate the yummy celebratory power in a snow cone).

2) Or even better, buy some books.

3) Other times I wear a hat.

Although, heh, I wear a hat at least once a week. . . What? Hats make me happy. I've been thinking I need to invest in a Hatter hat. A Hatter hat is the best kind of hat. OH! Then I could wear my Hatter hat while I'm writing! This just gets better and better. Must haves Hatter hat.

All in favor of the buying of the book and the having of the snow cones and the wearing of the Hatter hats, raise your hand.

Excellent! Now go finish a draft then we'll make it happen.

Write Crew: Who do you communicate with or not communicate with while writing?

While I'm writing, I'm writing. Not much talking goes on. Except I do talk to the characters, unless they are giving me a hard time. In which case, I write them letters asking them to behave. I know how to avoid conflict like that.

The only people I talk about my writing to, is you all. This is the onlyest place I really talk about writing, with the small exception of instagram.

If you have an insta, let me know! I will stalk follow you.

Write Secret: What is your writing secret to success or hidden flaw?

The Secrets

1) Just write. Don't edit until you're finished.

2) Acquire the blessing of the blue fairy.

3) Make no deals with Rumpelstiltskin. He wants your words like Ursala wants Ariel's voice.

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4) When you think of a scene, but it does not chronologically fit into your book, JUST WRITE IT! For me, I would lose it by the time I get to write it. Open a new doc for those random scenes. It feels great to come up to that scene, copy paste it into the master manuscript, and think, "Yep, done and writ that." Accomplishments all around!

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5) Believe you can do this! After all, if Rumpel wants your words, that means they're magic. Yes?

6) Did I say just write?

The Flaws

1) I am unorganized. I am easily distracted. I am scatter-brained and tunnel-visioned all in one.

2) You know all that "just write" advice? Heh, often I don't take my own advice.

3) I want to write everything and read everything and do everything and know everything and- and-

I get overwhelmed. Overwhelmed me looks a lot like a meaningless lump of life that is not producing anything due to doubt- and brain-overload.

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4) Transitions. Or the lack of actually. Since my brain jumps from thought to thought, sometimes my writing does also. You may have noticed. . .

5) Internal monologue. My writing tends to get introspective. The characters delve into internal monologue way too often. But how much is too much? And what is not enough? Someone tell me!

Write-spiration: What always makes you productive?

Time.

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I can't write for fifteen minutes. I can't even write for thirty minutes.

I will get sucked into "the zone" and I won't come out until at least an hour, more often two hours. And if I only have fifteen minutes of time, I will inevitably be late for something.

Write Peeve: What is one thing that writers do (or you do) that's annoying?

What Others Do

POV. I cannot stand some people's use of POV. There are a lot of different views on the usage of POV, so I try to shove my own pet peeve aside. If I beta-read, I'll not mention the author's use of POV if I dislike it because there are so many different approved ways of doing it. But I really can't stand it when I see published books, ACCLAIMED published books, with lazy POV. It irks me to no end.

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What I Do

My general existence sometimes annoys me.

Kidding.

Um. . .  Probably how when I get overwhelmed, I am the most pathetic and useless being to ever be. Also, I like being an introvert, but sometimes (most times) I am very bad and let it hold me back from  meeting people and talking to people. HOW DO YOU TALK? What do you say? I'm confused.

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And, yes, all of that really does have everything to do with writing. I would justify that statement, but that would make this post heaps longer.

Write Words: Share one sentence from a project past or present.

You asked for it.

And they were going to do this thing! And succeed!

Life was awesome. That's all there was to it.

(That's Rocky, by of way. He's an optimistic lunatic.)

Rocky all but tackled the taller boy to the ground.

"Can't. Breathe. Rocky." Oddball wheezed.

Rocky released him. Then he punched Oddball's arm. "I should kill! Scaring us all like that! And taking Peril with you on this prank too."

Now Peril was found in a bone crushing embracing. She'd only thought Oddball had been kidding when he said he couldn't breathe. "Thanks, Rocky," she said when he relinquished her.

"Well, you and Skyler were doing the pretending-not-to-make-eyes-at-each-other thing," Oddball said. "Peril was the only accomplice left for the escapade."

"We were doing what?" Skyler said.

"Escapade?" Rocky said. "What does that even mean? Can't you bother to use real words?"

"What?" Oddball said.

Skyler laughed. "That is a real word, Rocky!"

Agh! So much editing to do.

"I'm sick of scientists," Rocky said. "They're all 'don't touch this' and 'don't touch that' that pebble or pinch of dirt could be very useful in our research.'"

I had to give a little Rocky highlight. He's been behaving himself much more than the others. *glares at others*

I shall tag:

Jack @ However Improbable

Emily @ Emily Etc. 

Rachel @ Secret Scribblings

Bailey @ The Curiosity Collections 

Sky @ Ink Castles

Bennet @ My Sky of Paper and Ink

Liz @ Out of Coffee, Out of Mind

Gemma @ Chasing Daisies

P.S-- You should totally join in this awesome prompt link-up I'm co-hosting with Emily @ Emily Etc. It gets the creativity flowing! This month's prompt is about tragedy; that's bound to be buckets of fun, yes?