Let's Dish

Simone has graciously, after I persuaded (tackled) her, tagged me for a meme! There are many questions. Let's get started!

What's the last thing that you wrote? What's the first thing you wrote that you still have? The last thing that I wrote was my poem "Lipstick", written and posted last night (January 6th). The first thing that i wrote, which i still have, is probably some poem from high school. I have them in an envelope in the closet someplace. When i was in tenth grade, my English teacher told me to forget about what the rest of the class was doing and finish a short story I had begun. I finished it and kept it for many years, but unfortunately, it wasn't written on acid-free paper, and at some point a few years ago it all turned to soup. It got an honorable mention in the Detroit News Scholastic Writing competition for the year 1872, or thereabouts. It's been all anticlimactic since then.

Write poetry? .........(long pause)......Well, that's the rumor.

Angsty poetry? I wouldn't characterize it as such, no. My friend Kelly Dickson says i write a certain kind of "sighing" poetry very well. I paid her very well to say so. Thank you, Kelly. Then there is the stuff about cupcakes joining the army and such. I simply describe the reality that i see. (pause). What?

Favorite genre of writing? Technical manuals. Oh all right, I made that up. Love poems, i suppose.

Most annoying character you've ever created? The English Club Gentleman. Now that the aversion therapy has worked, and i have a pathological terror of all things English, he won't ever be coming back.

Best plot you've ever created? The love story of the Succubus and Chloe. Honorable mention: Babs vs. Bitsy at Objets D'art.

Coolest plot twist you've ever created? In "Childish Things", when God turns out to be a giant muffin.

How often do you get writer's block? I never get writer's block. Honestly. I can pretty much create at will.

Write fan fiction? Yes. "Party of Five Vampires Flip This House On Battlestar Galactica." No, I do not write fan fiction.

Do you type or write by hand? I compose my poetry longhand in a series of spiral notebooks. I also carry a small notebook at work, in case inspiration strikes. I write Objets D'art on the computer.

Do you save everything you write? I save almost everything. When I do fail utterly, though, I can't throw the unsuccessful effort away fast enough.

Do you ever go back to an idea after you've abandoned it? Only very very seldom. About once a year I might re-animate something I've abandoned.

What's your favorite thing you've ever written? I always seem to like the most recent stuff best. I can't even begin to be impartial until a month has gone by. Having said that, I love the one i just wrote called "Longing" which is actually about Beatrice. Until I wrote that, my favorites were "Valentina" and "Strippers." My favorite from among my love poems is "The Hill Is Closer To Heaven." I'm also very partial to "Dancer On A Rope Bridge."

What's everyone else's favorite that you've written? Gosh, I don't know. I know there are people who especially love "Maricela Mexicana", "Strippers", and anything with Chloe in it.

Ever written romance or angsty teen drama? No.

What's your favorite setting for your characters? Danny's Coffee Shop in Norman.

How many writing projects are you working on right now? One. This one.

Have you ever won an award for your writing? Just blog awards. My dog admires me. Is that an award?

What are your five favorite words? Lobotomize, palaver, incandescence, mayonnaise and frisson

What character have you created who is most like yourself? The Queen Of The Vampires.

Where do you get ideas for your characters? To quote Helen T.'s six year old daughter, "it is information my brain told me."

Do you ever write based on your dreams? Yes, I love to literally dream up a story. There are scads of dreams-turned-poems on this blog, including "The Burn", "My Drinking Dream Of Helen T." and many others.

Do you favor happy endings? As a reader, yes, very much so. As a writer, sometimes yes, sometimes no.

Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write? No. I just want to get the thing down on paper while I'm in a zone. I don't worry about punctuation, spelling, any of that until later.

Does music help you write? It used to. I would put a song on repeat play and write. I once used AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" to help me write a scary scene, and it worked so well that I have never been able to listen to that song again. For a while, I used foreign language music, so the words wouldn't influence me. But for a while now, I have been writing in silence.

Quote something you've written. Whatever pops into your head. "If they keep on living on the Mobius Strip, they may just find themselves yet." The last line of "Strippers."

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The artwork is The Rokeby Venus by Diego Velazquez. I have it on a card from Kristin.