Questions? Questions?

It's Question and Answer Time! I give you, Day One. Questions provided by my beloved readers. Stupid, funky formatting provided, as always, by Blogger.

Natalie said...

What are you cooking for dinner? And how do you get your kids to eat it?

Dinner? Ah, crap, thanks a lot for reminding me. Now I get to stress out about that, too...

As far as eating it, Dojo eats anything as long as it's on our plates and he can climb on us and make us spill things and be a pest in general. Nayna eats it if she likes it, and if she doesn't, she politely informs us she would like a waffle instead.

Favorite wonder of the world?

Hot Stuff. Come on, he's SO wonderful.

If you wrote a historical, where and when would you set it?

Ugh...I mean, uh, hmmm...I actually have no desire to write a historical. I think I would start researching and never, ever stop. Plus I would obsess so much over the language that I would get stuck. It wouldn't be healthy. That being said, and considering in past posts I have said a) I wouldn't write first person, b) I wouldn't write something with vampires in it, and c) I wouldn't write present tense, odds are I'll be writing a historical soon. Heaven help us.

Kayleigh said..

How do you develop your characters? I always find it so fascinating how you talk about how they have a mind of their own (and a lot of writers say that) and I was just wondering how you got to a point with writing where some characters came in your head and just had so much personality.

That's an excellent question, Kayleigh. I usually start with a situation--something happening, something going to happen, and then stick a character in. Immediately they kind of take on a life of their own, and pretty soon they're fully fleshed out. Sometimes when I finish a manuscript I'll have to go back to the beginning and tweak things a little bit, since I know my characters better at that point. Characters are some of the strangest and most entertaining things about writing because they always surprise you.

sraasch said...

Semi-serious:
Is there anything (movies, music, TV shows, locations) that always inspires you, no matter what mood you're in?

No one thing jumps to mind except long car rides. Those lend themselves very well to forcing me to imagine things, which usually leads to story ideas.

I also have to have a soundtrack for everything that I write. I have Pandora stations settings for each book. I'm sure someday when I'm published it will be a charming bit of trivia: Which band did Kiersten White listen to while writing Flash? At which point you will jump up and down, waving your arm and saying, Oooh! Oooh! I know this one! Snow Patrol!!

Do people from your past (or present) ever end up as characters in your novels? Inadvertently or on purpose?

I definitely pull characteristics and anecdotes from people that I have known, but as far as a character based entirely on someone I know, no. Like I said about characters developing themselves, I just don't think it would work. Plus, then I couldn't put that little "Any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental" line at the beginnings of my books.

Not serious:
Paper or plastic?

Either way I'm a jerk, right? I'd love to say I'm one of those wonderful people who uses cloth bags, but I'm just not that organized. Also, I have no money. Someday I will (use those bags AND have money).

Cotton candy or funnel cake?

Chocolate chip cookies.

Kevin, Joe, or Nick?

The other night Hot Stuff and I went to see Coraline. Alas, it had been bumped out of the 3D theater by some sort of teenage horror movie. For some reason those three names reminded me of it...can't remember the title...

JaneyV said...

So it's March - and there is an American institution that I am absurdly interested in - marching bands. Were you ever in Band and if so which instrument did you play (with all my heart I hope it's the bass drum or tuba) - or were you, perhaps a baton twirly girly??

Alas, Janey, I was neither. I'm sorry. In Junior High I decided that band was geeky. Looking back, I realize those kids were probably the nicest, funnest kids in the school. But if you want to imagine me marching around playing the tuba while twirling around a baton, please do. I was in choir.

My little brother, however, is in symphonic band, two jazz bands, AND the marching band. He plays the trumpet, piano, and guitar, and is one cool kid.

Do you have any other March-related trivia you'd like to share?

Only that Hot Stuff has been talking about St. Patrick's Day since the beginning of February. He loves it.

And our last one for today...

lotusgirl said...

Have you already started shopping your ms around to publishers?

Yes. More on this tomorrow.

How many times through a ms does it take you to get it right?

I'll let you know when I get there.

Seriously though, my stories and scenes are pretty set in the first draft. I think my plots come out strong. After that I fix details and tweak anything that needs to change. After that, language. Sometimes after a manuscript has been sitting a while I'll realize a new scene I need to add.

However, I never, ever go through any sections of any of my manuscripts without finding something that I want to change. I don't think I'll be able to read my books when they are published--I'd freak out that the fourth line on page 184 has an adverb that's just plain awkward and why oh why didn't I catch it and how horrifying and humiliating and oh my gosh I'm just so embarrassed.

Yes, I'm one of those people.

And that concludes today's round. Stay tuned for the rest of the questions tomorrow!