Writing Tag!

I fully intended to do another Influential Worlds post. Honest. But then Kendra and Melody did this delightful Writing Tag (hosted by Alyson of Every Good Word), and…well, you know the story. ;-)

Alyson says: “Below there are twelve questions I've answered for myself, & if you feel so inclined,

copy & paste them onto your blog, replacing my answers with yours, & link up at the bottom of the post so I can get to know all you great writers 

& we can really start building our community here!

1. What was your first-ever piece of writing? A little piece of fiction called A Friend for Max, in which the title character rescues a girl named Maxine from some bad guys by driving a crane and dropping an anvil on the head of one, and chaining the other to a larger anvil. Perhaps it’s a good thing it’s gone “where the woodbine twines and the Whangdoodle mourns for its firstborn”…. :-P
2. How old were you when you first began writing? I began at the ripe old age of eight, writing two more “Max” books in as many years, then branching out to other stories, which got better by leaps and bounds until I hit eighteen. Then I got in a slump that I’m still trying to work out of. :-(
3. Name two writing goals. One short term & one long term. 
   ~Short-term: Finish the Tale of Prince Nácil by New Year, or the First Day of Spring (which I consider the “real” New Year anyway) at the latest.
   ~Long-term: Finish (or start!) writing the rest of the Tales of the Young World! And illustrate them using a special process…which is another story entirely.
4. Do you write fiction or non-fiction? My first love will always be fiction, although I’ve branched out into non-fiction via blogging and project diaries over the last decade or so.
5. Bouncing off of question 4, what's your favorite genre to write in? Fiction in general and fantasy in particular. Especially fantasy, because frankly, I hate having to do a truckload of research just to find out if people ate ice cream in 1880, or if anyone actually lived in the Ural Mountains during the Renaissance. :-P With fantasy, I can make up my own history, geography, cultures—even fashion!
   I also enjoy blogging (when I have time to write something coherent), as well as keeping diaries of my creative projects.
6. One writing lesson you've learned since 2013 began. Ummm…that I’ve been slacking off and giving in to fear waaaaaay too long and need to get my lazy bum in gear and write!
7. Favorite author, off the top of your head! I’m going to say L.M. Montgomery. While I don’t agree with her theology, and some of her books are now on my Do Not Read list, her better works—especially the Anne Books—have a wonderful way of describing things and people. It was Anne that taught me to appreciate the wonders of God’s creation.
8.  Three current favorite books. Jane Eyre, The Hobbit and The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood of Great Renown in Nottinghamshire.
9. Biggest influence on your writing {person}: I’m going to be a copycat and say my mother. She saw my God-given talent and arranged my [home] schooling to help encourage and develop it. She’s also been willing to listen to my writing conundrums and give advice. Also my brother (who could also be a writer if he really wanted to), with whom I can discuss some of my stickier puzzles, and who has come up with some brilliant suggestions. He’s the one who can do a truckload of research and actually enjoy it! Not only that, but he can process and make sense of it all, so he’s the one I go to when I need information. :-P
10. What's your go-to writing music? I actually don’t do well listening to music while I’m writing, especially if the song has words. I get caught up in listening to the words (or the melody, if it’s a familiar piece), and my writing freezes up. Sad but true.
11. List three to five writing quirks of yours! Little habits, must-haves as you write, etc.
    ~Quirk: I tend to think more about what my characters—and the places they’ll visit in the story—will look like more than the actual story. (Probably something to do with my Book Illustrations idea….)
    ~Quirk: Sometimes I’ll act out (or just “recite” dialogue from) a scene involving two characters. It usually changes a lot before being translated into cold, hard text, but it sometimes helps just to talk it out. One of these days I’ll get brave enough to “recite” into my voice recorder so it doesn’t lose so much in translation. :-P
    ~Must-have: A glass or thermos of water handy and in sight. I’m really bad at keeping hydrated—just plain forget to drink water throughout the day—so if it’s in view, I’m more likely to remember.
    ~Must-have: My memo-corder, a notebook, or something in which to record inspirations, interesting names or words, etc.
12. What, in three sentences or less, does your writing mean to you? My writing is firstly a gift from God. He’s given me an active imagination, and the ability to write it down…when Inspiration strikes and the motivation is there. It’s my way of expressing things I’d probably feel silly or awkward doing or saying in Real Life, and in the case of the Young World (working title), a way to interact with “Creatures that are but myth and legend in the World of Men”…and put my own spin on them (MY Centaurs wear clothes!). My goal is ultimately to put Truth into all my writing—even the most fantastical—and thereby glorify God and hopefully point others to Him.

Until next time, Gentle Readers,

God bless,

~“Tom”~