I filled out a survey for the nano forums. Since I don’t know if anyone will see it there I’m putting it here too. Oh and if you wonder why I never post, it’s because of nano right now.
- What age range are you?
30s
- Male, female, other?
Female
- Country and/or Ethnicity (if you are comfortable telling this)?
Average white girl from the USA
- Myers Briggs Typology? (Take the test here)
INFP What are the well-paying jobs for this group that are hiring right now?
- What number of years have you participated in Nanowrimo?
One
- Do you write books outside of Nanowrimo?
Yes, I shelved one just for this going back to it in December.
- Did you write before you participated in your first Nanowrimo?
I wrote a book called Rock’N’Roll in Locker Seventeen. It’s for sale on amazon and other places online. The book I am writing now is a sequel. I also have a first draft of a prequel.
- How long have you been writing fiction for? And if before Nanowrimo, what forms? (Poetry, short stories etc)
About 10 years
- Are you published officially (Large magazine, non-local) and books (non-self-published/POD)? You are allowed to do a modest plug here for published novels. =D
This question is snobby and kind of hurtful. If you publish a book you are an officially published author. The publishing industry is changing so fast that the publishers are not taking new authors. They say they are but you need to be very well connected. Readers don’t care who published the book, they just care that the story is well written and it’s not full of errors. Also local anthologies count as a publishing credit.
- What genre(s) do you usually write?
Young Adult and New adult
- What genre did you write for Nanowrimo?
New Adult because my Young Adult charcters grew up.
- Do you treat your characters as real/do they talk to you?
Yes and No. I wouldn’t say they talk but I have been known to daydream about them.
- Are you an Improviser/Discovery Writer, a Milestone writer (set out certain important events to hit without the detail) or an Outliner?
Discovery writer but I do some outlines when I get stuck.
b. What method did you use for Nanowrimo?
Discovery.
- Do you believe in plot-driven, character-driven or story-driven? (
I think they are story Driven, because I do a balance of things, and my stories are unique. I know of no other books revolving around what happened to a missing rock star 30 years after he disappeared.
- In what direction do you write? Forwards for the first draft. Then I go back and edit.
- Do you determine the ending first, later, or when you get there?
When I get there.
- What do you feel is your weakest and strongest point in writing?
Strongest- My books are funny with good characters and dialog.
Weakest-Sometimes I have too much dialog, and it feels like my characters are always eating, because I find restaurant settings are a good place to have everyone engage in a conversation.
- What are you best and weakest at: beginnings, middles, endings?
I’m best at the middle it’s the point where I hit my stride. I’m worst at the endings.
- What materials/programs do you like to use when writing?
MS word and an ipod. I just got the new ipod touch because my old regular ipod runs out of battery juice after 2 or 3 songs.
- How many writing project do you have at one time?
Usually 1 at a time, or I get distracted. I have another one waiting for when I am done with NANO.
- Where do you get your ideas? (The dreaded question writers frequently get.)
When I was a kid we got a storage space because we were moving. It looked like people lived there too. I wondered what it would be like to live there and what was inside all the lockers. This was way before Storage Wars so I didn’t know people were storing ancient Incan gold ingots and their extra Stradivarius violins. I just assumed they were storing old lawnmowers like we were.
- Why do you write? (The other frequently asked question to writers)
Because I am terrible at MS Excel. Ugh little boxes with numbers in them. Kill me now. I am 99.4% creative and I need outlets.
- Do you research? If so when? before, during or after? If so, how much time will you spend on it?
When I don’t know the answer to something, I look it up in a few places on the web. I think story is way more important the research. It depends on the story itself. I did more research for my prequel because it takes place in 1966. I wanted my main character to have a love hate relationship with the Archies because they were a cartoon but their music was catchy. Then I discovered they came out in 1969. Sometimes research sucks. Especially because the Archies sound way more 1966 than 1969 to me.
- Do you use primary, secondary or third-hand research? or mixed? If so, how much and how do you do it? (i.e. books, internet, interviews, etc.)
It depends. For the most part I look up stuff on the web. Not just wikipedia, but it’s a good jumping off place.
- For the Speculative Fiction/ Historical Fiction Crowd: If you world build, how much, when and how?
I’m not in this crowd but I had fun making up the town I set my other book in. I like coming up with names like Summa Cum Latte for the town coffee shop, The Crazy Castle Mini Golf, and Bettie’s Beads and Things. You need to make things sound like they could be real. I also made up a bunch of fake newspapers and TV shows and a couple of fake movies about my character. Too bad you can’t find the movies Rock’N’Roll Runaway, Beach Blanket Barbecue and The Greatest Hoax in Rock and Roll History in the IMDB.
- Are you a hobbyist, or doing this for publication? Or in the crowd of if you get an edited book that you’ll try to publish it? Would you like a career as an author?
I want to be paid for my creative endeavors. I’m trying but marketing is next to impossible.
- Would you publish your Nanowrimo for this year if you got it cleaned up?
That’s the plan daddy-o.
- What books do you read inside of your genre? (Include authors please)
I read a ton of YA when I was a teen. I try to read it now but there are a lot that doesn’t have much to do with my style of writing. The Hunger Games was good, but people don’t kill each other in my books. Suzanne Collins wrote the Hunger Games, but you already knew that, probably. Back in the day I read Judy Blume, Paula Danziger, Lois Duncan, and others.
b. How many do you roughly own/read in your genre?
Lots. I can’t count because most I have sold or returned to the library. I read a lot of quirky books no one has ever heard of.
c. What is the oldest book (as in publication date) you’ve read in your genre?
Is Henry Higgins considered YA, because that came out in the 50s. I think it’s straight up children’s lit though. I remember when I was a teen a lot of the books I picked up seemed to be from the 70’s. There was this one with a crazy title about the moon and marigolds. I remember it kept mentioning the drink Harvey Wallbanger and I wondered what that was. I still have never had one. I should go make one now. Though it’s probably best if you drink one while wearing some rust colored super bell courdoroys. I need to get myself a pair.
- What _Literature (Call them classics, if you like) have you read and enjoyed and disliked (outside of classes, or at least list which ones with classes)?
Les Miserables by Hugo was good.
Don Quixote was ponderous, and I wasn’t feeling it when I started so one to go back to someday.
I should read more classics my tastes just run more to the modern.
- What books do you read outside of your genre? (include authors)
Tons. I’m always reading something. Mysteries, horror, chick lit, mainstream, biographies, weird free books I got for my kindle. Lots of authors you know and many you don’t. I’m not in the mood to go over to my bookcase and type a bunch of names you won’t know. The book I’m reading now is The Hard Way by Julie Luongo.
- Would you have written this novel without Nanowrimo?
Yes, but I needed some encouragement to finally get to writing this one.
- And What does Nanowrimo mean to you?
It’s a chance to really focus on a project. I didn’t really know much about it before I decided to try it. I like the write-ins but my laptop sucks.
- What have you learned from Nanowrimo (so Far)?
That everyone but me is writing a fantasy novel. Also that there a lot of writers in my area who don’t go to my class or my writing club.
- Has writing a novel changed how you view authors and read novels?
A little bit. I do get annoyed when I read a bad novel that has gotten published by a big publisher. There are a lot of great books out there that were DIY, why did that one get so lucky?
- If you were at a book signing and a person said to you, “Hey! I have a great idea for a book–you write it, edit it and all of that and then we go 50/50 on the profits. So what do you think?“
I would hand them some bookmarks for my book and tell them to go out and get me some sales. If they were successful at getting me 2 million sales then I would take them up on their offer.
- Do you know where your towel is? And do you happen to know the connection between a towel and that blue thing on your lawn that’s bigger on the inside than the outside?
My towel is in the dryer, nice and warm. The only thing on the lawn is my cat, Maybe she is feeling blue so I will make her happy by letting her cuddle with a nice warm towel. If you ever see her eat you will realize she must be bigger on the inside than the outside.
