She stepped into a dark, moist cave, where the only light was that from the entryway. There she felt her heartbeat deepen, quicken, and take on a life of its own. Armed with nothing more than her pen, and a single sheet of paper, she knelt on the floor of the cave, set the paper on a rock and began to read. It was a list of questions handed down from the Trifecta Council of Elders, designed to peek beyond the protective layer of flesh that covered her bones. Who were these people? Why did they want to know more about her?The voice of one of the elders whispered from deep within the cave "We won't hurt you, we just want to get to know you," it said.
"Will you not know enough when you read the words I've written?" she asked.
"Consider this a shortcut that you can either choose to take, or not. It really is up to you." the voice continued.
She muttered under her breath, "Well, no one is forcing me, and this is a pretty, purple pen."
She quieted herself and began to write…
1. What is your name (real or otherwise)?
"Rain", November Rain, Celestial Rain and k~
2. Describe your writing style in three words.
Versatile, Emotive, Contemplative.
3. How long have you been writing online?
As long as I have had access to the Internet! Bulletin Boards, IRC and chat since the early 90's.
4. Which, if any, other writing challenges do you participate in?
Whichever challenges my muse nags me to complete. I started out attempting to be "loyal" to a group, but that's not possible if it clogs the flow of inspiration. I do what feels right at the time, and I do it as long as it feels right, then I move on.
5. Describe one way in which you could improve your writing.
Follow through with one of the novels I have started. Finishing ONE of them would push me past a block that is necessary to overcome.
6. What is the best writing advice you’ve ever been given?
"You can do this," from my father when I was eight.
7. Who is your favorite author?
Joyce Carol Oates, Ayn Rand, Flannery O'Connor, Edgar Allen Poe, Shirley Jackson, J.K.Rowling, e.e. cummings, Nora Roberts, Robert Frost; this could become an exhaustive list… perhaps it is best to just end here. I will tell you that one of my LEAST favorite authors is Ernest Hemingway, his style bores me.
8. How do you make time to write?
I write because the words demand to be put outside of my head, it's not so much how I "make time" but how I appease the drive before it keeps me up at night.
9. Give us one word we
rapacious
10. Direct us to one blog post of yours that we
Try this one:
Haha, very clever. Thanks for linking up with us and I'll have a word with the Elders -- they can be a bit pushy at times. I'm glad you have a pretty purple pen...
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your answers to our questions and I especially love the advice your dad gave you. I've just been over to read the post about your Aunt Jo - it's a really special post, thanks for sharing with us.
Looking forward to you sharing some more of your writing with us over the coming weeks.
Thank you ;-) I look forward to enjoying the words shared!
DeleteHappy to meet you.
ReplyDeleteThank You... it's nice to meet you too!
DeleteVery interesting. It's always fun to me to get a glimpse into what makes other writers tick.
ReplyDeleteWell howdy Kat! :-) Me too (peeks out from under a rock with a grin like a Cheshire).
DeleteFirst of all, brilliant opening to this. Unexpected. (And entertaining. :D)
ReplyDeleteAlso, we share Poe and Rowling in common, though for mine I was more specific to narrow it down. I should have thought of Poe though, because he's yet another who I can appreciate in not just one famous work, which is what I based my specific answer on.
http://littlewonder2.wordpress.com/2012/04/02/joining-the-trifecta-community/
The breaking of the mold is one of my favorite things to do. I'm glad it was entertaining for you :-)
DeleteI do love Poe... the painstaking measures he took when constructing his poetry to make the endings sound a certain way, so that it might be more alluring to the ear, fascinates me. Rowling, I feel like she climbed inside my head and ran off with some of my bedtime stories. For years I told them to siblings and my son, neighbors kids and the likes, with a similar type of fantastical realm to engage in. It was like stepping into a second skin.
Thank you for leaving your link, I enjoyed reading about you too. It made me wonder... how are Japanese is to learn :-)
Thank you for letting us know about "Letter to Collie". It's full of thoughts, memories, and emotions. It's what we all want to feel when we think of loved ones who pass on.
ReplyDeleteTo help decide which novel to complete, just put all of them on the table aand say to yourself, "This is the novel I want to be remembered for." Then pick that novel from the choices and run with it.
Did you know that the words you chose to describe your writing style also describes your name? I'd also add soothing.
Thank you for the wonderful idea on how to choose which novel to finish first. Without even looking I know it has to be the bedtime series. My son asked me to finish that one, so that he could share it with his kids. He doesn't have any yet, but it is one that most of my siblings will enjoy (because they have heard them orally) and it can be shared with each generation of children from here forward. Thank you, that really made me think about it differently. I can continue to write on the others when the characters demand my attention, but my focus will be with this bedtime series.
DeleteI had not thought about the words that describe my style of writing also describing my name, but I can see that now. You are an insightful spirit. Thank you for stopping in and leaving a response that inspired me.