The wonderful and talented Christine Rains, author of the fantastic 13th Floor series, tagged me for one of the writing memes that has been making its way around the blogosphere. Thanks to Christine for the tag!
The rules of this tag are very simple. All I had to do was answer four of the following nine questions, link back to Christine, and then tag four writers myself.
The questions:
1. What are you working on right now?
2. How does it differ from other works in its genre?
3. What experiences have influenced you?
4. Why do you write what you do?
5. How does your writing process work?
6. What is the hardest part about writing?
7. What would you like to try as a writer that you haven't yet?
8. Who are the authors you most admire?
9. What scares you?
My answers:
1. I am working on revising and polishing my upcoming novel The Ghosts of Aquinnah. Every time I think I'm done I start playing with it again! The novel will be released in December of this year and I'm very excited about it.
7. I would like to try writing short stories. I have written some flash fiction but have never written a longer short story and that's something I'd really like to do. I have some ideas and hope to flesh them out and get some stories written - that's a goal for 2014.
8. There are so many authors I admire that it would be impossible to list all of them. But when I read this question I thought about two author friends I have come to really admire for more than just their writing as I've gotten to know them. One is M. Pax, who is the author of The Backworlds Series, among other works. I admire Mary because she created a business plan for her writing and she's stuck with it, and she is now seeing the fruits of her labor. I am very impressed with her determination and resolve. I also admire Lisa Regan, author of Finding Claire Fletcher and Aberration. If you know Lisa, you know how many times she was rejected by agents (238!) before she finally got a "yes" on Claire Fletcher. Her perseverance is an inspiration to everyone who has ever thought about giving up and throwing in the towel.
9. Public speaking! Just the thought of having to stand up in front of people and talk is enough to make me break out into a cold sweat.
Thanks again to Christine for tagging me for this fun meme. I am tagging Yolanda Renee, Susan Oloier, S.K. Anthony, and Murees Dupé.
I'm not much for public speaking either.
ReplyDeleteYou chose some fine authors!
Public speaking is something I avoid too, but I've always wanted to work on getting over it. Maybe someday.
ReplyDeleteThanks Julie, I'll let you know when I post the answers. And thanks again for hosting me yesterday!
I hear you on the public speaking!
ReplyDeleteAnd go ahead and give the short stories a shot. You can do it! :)
It's great you want to expand as a writer and best of luck with your 2014 goals and revisions.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm terrified of public speaking! I've lost my voice a few times. Short stories are fun to do, and you learn so much about writing with them. Can't wait for your next book! :)
ReplyDeleteBeing an avid reader, I appreciate the efforts of every single writer who tried to get published. Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteI used to not care for public speaking, but I've done it unknowingly the pst 6 summers at the observatory. Talking to people in the dark took the fear out of it, and I practiced reading at open mic at the library. Now I don't mind it so much. I still get nervous, but I'm much better.
ReplyDeleteAww, thank you. And I love short stories. If you can tie them into your novels and post them for free, it can help novel sales. :)
@Alex, it's always so hard to pick people for these things because there are just so many great authors to choose from.
ReplyDelete@Yolanda, you're welcome, I'll be anxious to read your answers whenever you have time to post.
@Madeline, it seems like it's very common for writers to not like public speaking!
@Christine, thanks and thanks again for tagging me, this was a fun meme to do.
@Inger, that's so nice of you to say!
@Mary, you're very welcome! And that's kind of what I was thinking about the short stories, I'd like to try that.
@Sheena, I'm sorry I missed your comment - thanks for the good wishes!
ReplyDeleteI've never gotten the public speaking fear--I mean, sure, there are jitters if you don't know what to say, but the reality is there are a bunch of people who are people. Yup. Not executioners or the judges of your eternal salvation.
ReplyDeleteAwesome goal for 2014. I haven't written a short story since high school, and I kind of miss it. There's such an ease to telling a story without the expectation of a novel or parameters of Flash Fiction.
Oh my goodness, I'm scared of public speaking too!
ReplyDeleteI might have to try out short stories, not too sure I could pull it off lol.
Can't wait to cheer you one when December rolls around and The Ghosts of Aquinnah comes out :D
And thank you for tagging me!!!
@Crystal, I tell myself that about public speaking but it doesn't make any difference for me, I hate it.
ReplyDelete@SK, you're welcome and thanks for the good wishes for December!
Yay for M Pax and Lisa Regan. I admire them both as well for the reasons you mentioned. And I can't believe your next novel will be out in December already!! Congrats on that. :)
ReplyDelete@LG, yeah, Mary and Lisa are just wonderful. Thanks for the congrats, I'm really excited about the novel.
ReplyDeleteCongrats for December :) And 238 rejections, Lisa sounds like an inspiration, I'm not sure I would have been able to continue :) x
ReplyDeleteSuzanne @ Suzannes-Tribe
I used to have to do public speaking as part of my job. I got to quite like it. If you are a shy person, somehow standing in front of a large group is not so bad as one to one!! Interesting post, Julie :)
ReplyDeleteM.Pax is definitely one impressive lady. And yay for Lisa!
ReplyDeletePublic speaking always makes me think of a Seinfeld joke. Public speaking is #1 on people's lists of greatest fears, even higher than death, so he said, "This means that at a funeral, most people would rather be in the casket than delivering the eulogy." Hehe.
@Suzanne, thanks for the congrats! And I agree, I don't know if I would have been able to keep going like Lisa did.
ReplyDelete@Carolyn, I bet you were good at it!
@Nicki, I still repeat that joke LOL. It's perfect for me! I loved Seinfeld. :D
You are so incredibly sweet! Thank you very much.
ReplyDeleteI was always terrified of public speaking but my karate instructor got me over that pretty fast. But then I hadn't done it in almost a decade and had to do it again back in January. It was super scary. I'm still not entirely sure what I said! Hah hah hah
Your answers were fun to read. I have stage fright, but had a job that required me to teach for over 20 years. I got over the worst of it, but have to say it's still not my favorite.
ReplyDeleteGood answers! You should go ahead and try your hand at some short stories. It'll exercise a whole 'nother set of writing skills.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm the exception. I actually enjoy doing presentations and speeches.
@Lisa, you're very welcome! Maybe I should take karate and see if it would help me LOL.
ReplyDelete@Julie, thanks!
@Susan, I can imagine you are really good at it! I have family members who are good at it and enjoy it and I have always been envious of them LOL.
238 rejections! Wow, you're right. That's perseverance. It's amazing and inspiring. Sorry I've been absent for so long. I leave you dragon hugs!
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your answers to the questions, Julie. And I'm totally with you about public speaking. Yikes! :O
ReplyDeleteShort stories are great for experimenting in new genres... and I also hate public speaking, though I have to do it for work.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing a little bit of yourself with us, Julie. Always fun to hear about our blogger friends.
ReplyDeletePublic speaking doesn't freak me too much. My former career as a model really helped me be comfortable in front of people.
I remember at Uni I had to do lots of presentations - oh the horror! My eyeballs literally shake. *shiver.
ReplyDeleteGreat answers, and kudos on your choice of authors.
Shah X
http://bit.ly/13DoY81
@Al, big hugs back to you!
ReplyDelete@Lexa, thanks so much.
@tf, I'm really excited about trying out the short stories, hope I can do some.
@Michael, I can imagine that helped a lot.
@Shah, that's a good way to describe it, mine too!
Hi Julie .. I really am unhappy at public speaking.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with polishing your The Ghosts of Aquinnah novel .. so pleased you've a release date.
Mary's series - I definitely must get .. and I've see Lisa's 'Claire Fletcher' book around .. 238 rejections - good for her staying power ..
Congratulations on all your achievements though .. cheers Hilary
@Hilary, glad I am not alone with the public speaking, it definitely makes me unhappy LOL. Thanks!
ReplyDelete