Questions That Annoy Me as a Writer

My good friend, Shteen (her blog is talesoftheunpublished), posted a blog post about questions an author might get asked and how she feels about each of those questions.

Our answers are actually quite different! That's not a bad thing by any means, but if definitely makes me look at my answers and think, "I'm a bit of a wet blanket." that being said-- I don't care. I'm going to do what makes me most comfortable, and that includes my writing. I couldn't think of any other questions to put in this (Shteen hit most of them on the head). But if I think of any others I'll be sure to add them.


"Can you make me a character in your book?"
NO I will not write about you and your friends because I can't (or rather refuse) to write you in as a character that I feel would be inappropriate to manipulate. Basically: I don't want to write you out of character or possibly insult you or limit myself to how a character could react.

"What are you writing about?"
I actually hate this question because now I have to explain my weird ideas to you-- and my ideas are awesome, but trying to find a way to tell you about them in as little time as possible while still conveying their badassery is difficult for me. I feel like I usually answer with "It's kind of hard to explain." and I know that they aren't wanting a long answer. I guess I assume that a lot of people aren't genuinely interested and that they just want to start small talk.

"What do you want to do after college?"
"I want to write."
"That doesn't have a lot of calling."
I don't need to hear your bullcrap. I have been told by too many people the same damn thing, so what makes you think you telling me if going to change my mind? I realize that there isn't a 'calling' for it. But I'm gonna do something that makes me happy instead of something that makes me miserable. How about you support what I want to do instead of trying to pull me down?

"You should write a story about ___!"
No. No. No. No. Because I want to write what I want to write about. More than likely whatever anyone has given me is out of my range of interest. That being said-- I guess I'm still open to the ideas if someone wants to pitch them, but they shouldn't expect me to write it. Also, I feel a bit phony whenever I take ideas from someone else-- even if they are offering it up to me. I guess I just like to come up with my own things and not feel as though I'm stealing them.

Music Speaks

And so it is

Just like you said it should be

We'll both forget the breeze

Most of the time

And so it is

The colder water

The blower's daughter

The pupil in denial

- Damien Rice (The Blower's Daughter)

Music has always been a huge inspiration and motivator for me when it comes to writing. I build worlds with music. I imagine emotion and what it looks like in a character's face and how it must feel. I construct moments of anticipation and actions when I hear the tempos pick up-- the climax of the song reaching into my heart and brain and sparking ideas within me.

That sounded sexual.

Anyway, ever since I was 11 I have heavily relied on music to keep the juices flowing (alright, enough with the sexual jokes). Back when I was eleven and writing in a journal, curled up in an ugly burnt orange chair I often listened to songs such as Let's Get it Started by Black Eyed Peas and Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson just to name a few. I would sit in that ugly chair, next to my lit closet in a darkened room with the bedside fan blowing in my direction.

Back in those days (I reckon in 2004-2005) I jammed out to Radio Disney and gagged every time 1985 by Bowling for Soup came on, and jumped for joy when One Week by Bare Naked Ladies blared from my poor radio speakers.

Nowadays I can barley write with any music playing. It distracts me, and if the song that comes on is jarringly different in sound from the last one it tips off my mood and I lose the great steady stream of thought I was on. I usually have to listen to softer stuff-- guitar, songwriter, and piano respectfully.

When I started walking in 2006 (To alleviate some of the stress during my parents' divorce) I took a CD player (teenagers today will probably barely remember these) with me and listened to random cds I had accumulated over my twelve years of life.

The First Pokemon Movie and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron are just two cds I jammed to. Honestly, I had a small collection, so that's probably just about all I really listened to. Walking stimulated my brain and kept it going-- more ideas flooded in and got me more and more excited about my stories and fan fictions.

Today I still take my walks pretty frequently. I plug in my iPod and walk around the apartments, completely forgetting the world around me. Immersing myself into the worlds I've created over the years-- exploring the things I've already established and the things I have yet to create. They blossom into thought and are often envisioned in astronomical music-video like montages that send goose bumps up my spine. They provoke me to walk even more in hopes of maintaining that creative high and coming up with more ideas!

My cd collection is still pitiful. Once the iPod came out most of my music is randomly collected from other soundtracks and labeled artists. I have over 600 songs to choose from though!

Imagine all of the places those beautiful lyrics and sounds can take me! Oh the ideas!