The Liebster Award

Recently I received an award (YAY!) from my friend Maeve Murray (http://maevemcmurray.com) called the Liebster Award, which is given to blogs with less than 200 subscribers. She posed eleven questions to me, which I shall now answer. Enjoy! (Also, I'm not sure what's up with the formatting of this thing. It got really screwy after number two. Sorry about that.)

1.  What is the biggest recurring problem you have when writing?

My biggest problem while writing is keeping myself excited about whatever piece I'm working on. If I'm excited, (and disciplined), I can write thousands of words a day. If I'm not excited, if I view getting in my daily word count as just that-- getting in my word count--rather than getting to work on my story, then it can be hard to write more than a sentence or two. I think of it as riding a bicycle up and down hills. If I'm excited, that's like having someone give me a boost up the hill. I still have to pedal, but it's fun. If I'm not excited, it's like having to work against gravity and my own aching muscles, struggling for every inch until I pick up enough momentum to keep going, or fall over.

2. What is your method of editing?

Heh. I'm almost never excited about editing, so I end up relying on other people probably more than I should. one of the things that makes a good writer an excellent one is the number of times they're willing to redraft their work. For me it's not so much a matter of being willing to do that, is that I'm so close to my work, I can't see why certain parts strike me as not working. I can tell they're not working--I don't thing everything I write is awesome from the very first draft--but I have trouble seeing, "Oh, this part doesn't work because he resolves the tension too easily," or "this part is very interesting, but doesn't actually do anything for the story," etc. If I can have someone who's not read the story read it, they're mote likely to see these big picture issues than I am. So, short version, I write, edit once or twice or spelling/awkward sentences, etc. then send it to someone I trust. Getting back those comments, I work on big picture things, then rinse and repeat.

3. If you could write one novel, and ONLY one, what would it be about?

Oh dear, that is a tough one. As much as I force myself to work on short stories, I consider myself to be a novelist at heart, so I'm not sure I could limit myself to just one. I guess if I had to choose, I'd pick my perfect prison idea, a science fiction story that would require a lot of research into America's prisons, and (at least I think) have a lot of literary merit. That'd be pretty cool.

4. What passions did you have before you knew you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve always been a story-teller. It’s only in the past few years that I’ve actually written them down. Plus I’ve always had an active imagination. I can remember staging elaborate battles between my toys, and I’d always bring one of them with me wherever I went, interacting with the world, somehow tying it into the narrative I’d already created.

5. Have you ever read something that took your breath away?  What was it?

The Songs of the Dying Earth. It’s a collection of short stories in Jack Vance’s world “The Dying Earth,” but they’re all written in Vance’s style, which is extremely elaborate and intricate. The whole book is incredibly beautiful and the idea of so many people (including writers like George RR Martin and Neil Gaiman) liking your style so much that they want to write like you too, in your world, it just inspires me. That could be me one day. People might want to write in one of my worlds. And that would be awesome. Also, Jack Vance's short story, "Moon Moth," which includes a line that describes him perfectly, "Intricacy in all things."

6. If you could design the cover to your debut novel, what would it look like?

I’m thinking my debut novel will be my thesis novel, For My First Trick… but I’m not a visually inclined person, so I’d have to say playing cards would need to be involved somewhere. It is about a stage magician after all. Probably a top hat as well.

7. Have you ever written something you immediately erased or otherwise destroyed?

I don’t think I have, truth be told. I have plenty of things I’ve never shown anybody, but nothing I’ve put work into and then demolished.

8. What is your favorite thing about being a writer – that doesn’t have to do with the actual writing itself?

World-building. It’s probably one of my favorite things to do. Coming up with cultures, geography, international relationships, magic systems (where relevant)…It’s like a giant puzzle, and when all the pieces fall into place, it’s very satisfying.

9. Your book is going to be published!  But the day before it’s due to come out, the stock market crashes and your publisher goes out of business.  Your reaction?

That…would…not be good. Honestly, I’m not sure what I’d do. Cry, probably.

10.  Is there anything you would NEVER write for money?

I’m sure there is, probably something really depraved.

11. Are you working on or do you ever plan to write a memoir?

I’m not planning on it. Nonfiction isn’t really my thing. But I might one day. (I should probably journal a lot more than I do, though.)

Thanks again to Ms Murray for sending me these questions, and for the award.