I thought it would be fun for the four of us to answer some sort of question once a week so that our readers can have a chance to get to know us. So the question for this week is:
I decided to start writing initially because one day I was sitting in my car and I had the feeling someone was watching me. I looked around and of course no one was watching me but my mind started spinning questions like 'What if someone really were watching me, why would they be?' 'Who would be the person watching me?' 'Who would I have to be for them to feel it necessary to watch me?' I went in my house and just started writing all these ideas down and it just snowballed.
I started writing my current novel "The Lottery" because one night I had a very vivid dream (now this sounds so cliche, thanks a lot Stephanie Meyer) and I just couldn't stop thinking about it. I decided to write it down and get it out of my head so I could keep writing my other book but it just wasn't enough. I had to know more about them and their situation so I wrote a detailed outline, then just the first chapter, then the second. Before I knew it I had 50,000 words written and have accepted the fact that they will not let me rest until I've finished their story.
Before I answer this question (and yes, I realize I'm the one who asked it :o) ), I need to give a little bit of background. Apologies in advance for the lengthiness of this story.
I used to hate books. I read the books I was forced to read through school, even going so far as using the same book reports through the years so that I didn't have to crack open any new ones. After I graduated, I probably went five years without reading a single book--it just wasn't important to me, and I honestly thought it was a major waste of time.
Soon, I had an urge to read, so I bought a book. I started reading and hated it. I forced my self to read about halfway through the book and I still hated it, so I stopped. I tried this two other times and just couldn't get into them, so I gave up altogether.
A few years later, the whole Twilight phenonemon was (and still is) going on. A woman in her forties that I worked with was always gushing about the books, and couldn't wait for the final one to come out--and couldn't wait for the movie. She even tried to talk me into reading the books and going with her to the movie. Let's just say I refused. I didn't want to get caught up in all of it, so I refused to read them.
That didn't last long.
I finally bought the first one, figuring 'what the heck, why not?' It was pretty good, so I bought the rest of them and finished the whole series in a week. A few weeks after I finished them, I decided that I'd give reading another try since I'd successfully finished not only an entire book, but an entire series (yeah, there was pride there). So I went to the bookstore and thought I'd try a little romance. I picked up the first novel in a series and decided that I would probably read it while we were at my family's cabin that weekend.
I was a good girl, I didn't crack it open until we were up there and the guys were out shooting targets. I opened the book and couldn't put it down. I finished it before we were packing up to go back home. Needless to say I bought two more in the series, finished them, and kept buying two more (each time I went to the bookstore) until there were none left.
But that series had brought my imagination to life. I started having dreams. Not about the characters in that series, but of other characters. Different names, different attitudes, etc. I ignored them for the most part, even though they were recurring (now I realize its because they're persistent). I didn't do anything with them for weeks.
Then I couldn't ignore it anymore...
I was driving to work one day and I had just bought a CD the day before. Anyone who knows me knows just how much I adore Muse. Well, that was the CD I had just purchased. Exogenesis Part 1 was playing on my stereo and I was so moved by it that I had to play it again. Well, that started my imagination up yet again. An entire scene played out as I drove to work. Every detail was in high-def, and I just couldn't ignore it. I played it again on my way home from work, and the scene played out again. As if the song belonged to the scene (or vice versa). So that night I started writing.
Once I started writing, I couldn't quit. The reason I decided to become an author is because I love the characters and the stories that are constantly playing through my head. The boys push me to keep going, and I'm grateful that they chose me to write about their stories.
I've always loved reading. That's been one of my most defining traits: bookworm. I grew up on the classics and loved the language, the stories, the length (if it was less than 1000 pages, it wasn't worth reading) everything. Then I began emerging into modern literature. Once I discovered YA, my book collection grew enormously. So reading has been my favorite thing to do always. I never considered writing until I began telling Jamie my dreams. One particular dream was so well developed that she convinced me I needed to write it down. That's where my first book came from and now I make note of all my dream, whether they be unconscious or day dreams...My imagination is powerfully vivid (which explains why I'm still nervous about the dark and why I can't sleep with a tv in my bedroom because the girl from The Ring might come out after me...) so reading and writing is my world come to life. I love it.
What made me decide to start writing? Well, nothing really made me decide, I just sort of did it. From when I was like 8 or 9 I remember writing stories down. I have dozens of notebooks and saved computer files with random stories and attempts at stories. I have an extremely over active imagination and so I would create these events or stories and then just want to get them out of my head...thus began the writing. What made me want to actually write a story and do the whole "lets write and book and hope to sell it to people" thing is that I actually had a message to share that meant something to me and the characters. That may sound a little cheesy, but fellow writers will understand :) For me, writing is about who I am and offering a bit of that to others. Plus, it is such a soothing, almost cathardic process for me in which I am able to express myself. And I love it!
I decided to start writing initially because one day I was sitting in my car and I had the feeling someone was watching me. I looked around and of course no one was watching me but my mind started spinning questions like 'What if someone really were watching me, why would they be?' 'Who would be the person watching me?' 'Who would I have to be for them to feel it necessary to watch me?' I went in my house and just started writing all these ideas down and it just snowballed.
ReplyDeleteI started writing my current novel "The Lottery" because one night I had a very vivid dream (now this sounds so cliche, thanks a lot Stephanie Meyer) and I just couldn't stop thinking about it. I decided to write it down and get it out of my head so I could keep writing my other book but it just wasn't enough. I had to know more about them and their situation so I wrote a detailed outline, then just the first chapter, then the second. Before I knew it I had 50,000 words written and have accepted the fact that they will not let me rest until I've finished their story.
Before I answer this question (and yes, I realize I'm the one who asked it :o) ), I need to give a little bit of background. Apologies in advance for the lengthiness of this story.
ReplyDeleteI used to hate books. I read the books I was forced to read through school, even going so far as using the same book reports through the years so that I didn't have to crack open any new ones. After I graduated, I probably went five years without reading a single book--it just wasn't important to me, and I honestly thought it was a major waste of time.
Soon, I had an urge to read, so I bought a book. I started reading and hated it. I forced my self to read about halfway through the book and I still hated it, so I stopped. I tried this two other times and just couldn't get into them, so I gave up altogether.
A few years later, the whole Twilight phenonemon was (and still is) going on. A woman in her forties that I worked with was always gushing about the books, and couldn't wait for the final one to come out--and couldn't wait for the movie. She even tried to talk me into reading the books and going with her to the movie. Let's just say I refused. I didn't want to get caught up in all of it, so I refused to read them.
That didn't last long.
I finally bought the first one, figuring 'what the heck, why not?' It was pretty good, so I bought the rest of them and finished the whole series in a week. A few weeks after I finished them, I decided that I'd give reading another try since I'd successfully finished not only an entire book, but an entire series (yeah, there was pride there). So I went to the bookstore and thought I'd try a little romance. I picked up the first novel in a series and decided that I would probably read it while we were at my family's cabin that weekend.
I was a good girl, I didn't crack it open until we were up there and the guys were out shooting targets. I opened the book and couldn't put it down. I finished it before we were packing up to go back home. Needless to say I bought two more in the series, finished them, and kept buying two more (each time I went to the bookstore) until there were none left.
But that series had brought my imagination to life. I started having dreams. Not about the characters in that series, but of other characters. Different names, different attitudes, etc. I ignored them for the most part, even though they were recurring (now I realize its because they're persistent). I didn't do anything with them for weeks.
Then I couldn't ignore it anymore...
I was driving to work one day and I had just bought a CD the day before. Anyone who knows me knows just how much I adore Muse. Well, that was the CD I had just purchased. Exogenesis Part 1 was playing on my stereo and I was so moved by it that I had to play it again. Well, that started my imagination up yet again. An entire scene played out as I drove to work. Every detail was in high-def, and I just couldn't ignore it. I played it again on my way home from work, and the scene played out again. As if the song belonged to the scene (or vice versa). So that night I started writing.
Once I started writing, I couldn't quit. The reason I decided to become an author is because I love the characters and the stories that are constantly playing through my head. The boys push me to keep going, and I'm grateful that they chose me to write about their stories.
I've always loved reading. That's been one of my most defining traits: bookworm. I grew up on the classics and loved the language, the stories, the length (if it was less than 1000 pages, it wasn't worth reading) everything. Then I began emerging into modern literature. Once I discovered YA, my book collection grew enormously. So reading has been my favorite thing to do always. I never considered writing until I began telling Jamie my dreams. One particular dream was so well developed that she convinced me I needed to write it down. That's where my first book came from and now I make note of all my dream, whether they be unconscious or day dreams...My imagination is powerfully vivid (which explains why I'm still nervous about the dark and why I can't sleep with a tv in my bedroom because the girl from The Ring might come out after me...) so reading and writing is my world come to life. I love it.
ReplyDeleteWhat made me decide to start writing? Well, nothing really made me decide, I just sort of did it. From when I was like 8 or 9 I remember writing stories down. I have dozens of notebooks and saved computer files with random stories and attempts at stories. I have an extremely over active imagination and so I would create these events or stories and then just want to get them out of my head...thus began the writing. What made me want to actually write a story and do the whole "lets write and book and hope to sell it to people" thing is that I actually had a message to share that meant something to me and the characters. That may sound a little cheesy, but fellow writers will understand :) For me, writing is about who I am and offering a bit of that to others. Plus, it is such a soothing, almost cathardic process for me in which I am able to express myself. And I love it!
ReplyDelete