30 Day Writing Meme: Day #15.

15. Midway question! Tell us about a writer you admire, whether professional or not!

There are so many authors I admire! Jane Austen! Arthur Conan Doyle! P.G. Wodehouse! Cornelia Funke! C.S. Lewis! L.M. Montgomery! Louisa May Alcott! Joan Aiken! The list goes on and on! Which one shall I talk about? I guess L. M. Montgomery since that is who I'm reading at the moment...at least, I'm reading her "Emily of New Moon".
L. M. Montgomery's books are all very very similar, but they're so wonderful (mostly...) that one can't help but read them over and over. This line alone from "Jane of Lantern Hill" holds a certain magic for me:

"He taught her the loveliness of words...dad read words as if he tasted them."

Oh, I love that...words that taste. Words that are lovely.

Okay, yes, yes, let's all cry "NERD!" at me. :P

L. M. Montgomery has a dreamy sort of style to her books...dreamy and light and beautiful. She draws such pictures in your mind so that you can see everything that she wrote down. Words were not just words with her. Words were...as she said in that sentence...lovely. They have a grand taste to them. It just inspires me all the more...and reminds me how much I love words, how words form the pictures inside my head, and how I want my words to be lovely.

30 Day Writing Meme: Day #14.

14. How do you map out locations, if needed? Do you have any to show us?

I don't really map out locations other than in my own head...but sometimes I have to draw little sketches down just so that I can keep track of details...like this pic. I drew of the Senator's home in "Pearls in Her Hair"...I quickly drew it one night while I was writing, that way, I could keep track of how many windows there were (yes, the windows were important. :P)...and noooooooooooo, I do not even THINK I'm any good at drawing. lol. I'm horrible at it, but this was just for my own reference and was just scribbled down as quickly as I could get it down.



And, hey, you get to see a sample of my extra-horrible handwriting when I'm writing in a rush. :P

And, here's another for "Switched"...that way I could keep track of which sleeping compartment was next to which on the train...And just because I'm weird...you can see Brandon's body lying in front of the compartment that says "Brandon's" but is really Leighton's compartment and Leighton's is Brandon's. Yes, so confusing. That's why I drew it out. ;)

30 Day Writing Meme: Day #13.

13. What’s your favorite culture to write, fictional or not?
*shrugs* Should I have a favorite? lol. Seeing as nearly all my stories are set during WWII...mainly in New England and England...that should answer the question. :P

I have to decide if I actually like writing modern-day stories. Hm.

What a boring question. :P

Randomity.

*gasp* Would you look at this! A blog post that's not part of the 30 Day Writing Meme! Ohmahgeekers.

Yeah. My blog. My rules.

So. Me feeling random tonight, decide (randomly) to do a random blog post on here. How random, hm?

~

To start out with...the highlights of my day:

Yogurt. I love my yogurt. *shrugs* What can I say? It doesn't take much to make this gal happy.
Laughing with co-workers. And I seriously have the best co-workers. They've always got my back.
Listening to Hans Zimmer. Okay. Seriously. ZIMMER IS MY MUSICAL HERO. The "Inception" soundtrack?? Nothing less of a.w.e.s.o.m.e. Hoping to actually see the movie soon.
Getting to call a best friend and squee excitedly about something. Though I didn't actually get to do a real squee...just talk excitedly. Ah, well.
Working on "Those Who Wait". Haha. I get to write any wacky stuff I want to, just because it's a comedy. Brilliant, no? Yeah...okay, it's not working. Drat. Backspace anyone?
Flirting. Okay, so it really was just peek-a-boo with a 1 year old. But, peeps! He had the most GORGEOUS blue eyes ever. Enough to melt even the hardest of hearts. Awwwwwwwwww.
Going barefoot. I hate shoes. My feet want to be "free! free! free! Fly away feet! Fly away!" (Yeah, okay, too much "Love Crazy" in my life...*shrugs*)

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The downsides to my day:

Crabby patrons. 'nuff said.
No oreos.
No coffee. Not even decaf!!!
No chocolate. :'(
The humidity. My hair hates me.

Okay, now I'm making myself depressed...no more sad stuff.

~

Today I was told:

That I am awesome. "Course I am, sir...why do you think I wear a cape?"
That ants stink. I wouldn't know...I've never actually smelled an ant. "I'll take your word on it, kiddo."
That Gabe has bad hair. *GASP* "Don't mock the hair!"
I should wait a while before I get engaged. "Oh, darn, and I was so planning on next week...I spose I should find a guy first. That might help. Hm."

~

And today I discovered:

My eyes hate me. That or the mascara. Evil mascara.
If I sit back and relax at work someone's bound to walk in the door. "Quick! She's sitting down! Let's ask her another question!"
I smile fake way too much. Repeat to one's self: Crinkle the eyes. Crinkle the eyes.
I hate the board puzzles. "Yeah, kid, let's just use the pieces as confetti! That's right! I don't mind picking them up after you!"
I miss baby smiles. Dimples and first tooth showing. Definitely miss that. :)

~

Favorite word of the day?

Coffee.

30 Day Writing Meme: Day #12.

12. In what story did you feel you did the best job of worldbuilding? Any side-notes on it you’d like to share?

Well, gee...I mean, it's not like I actually came up with my own world! All my stories have been placed in the real world. I do love writing about the time during WWII...try to make it as accurate as possible...in what little I actually write about the surroundings. ;) I had a blast writing about England during WWII in "Death Because of Amber" (haven't quite gotten to France yet...but I'll get there...) and I LOVED writing about the Great Hurricane of '38 in "Pearls in Her Hair"...that was a blast...especially the research. Fascinating. :D

But as for creating a world from scratch...haven't done that. Not yet, at least. If I ever do, I shall get back to you. ;)

30 Day Writing Meme: Day #11.

11. Who is your favorite character to write? Least favorite?

Favorite? Easy!

*drumroll*

Mark Ingleford!! Is that so shocking? ;) lol. But I must say, I am REALLY enjoying writing Teagan Harper, and I love writing Karrie Ingleford too. Oh, and Leighton in "Switched" was VERY interesting to write! Oh! Oh! And Nathaniel in my "Beauty & the Beast" retelling! He was hysterical. :D

My least favorite character to write? Probably...well, I started out loving Arabella Knightley, but by the end of the story I was sick of her. lol. But a character I really disliked writing? Hm...probably Judy's aunt in "Pearls in Her Hair"...OH! OH! That girl in the "Emma Atwood" novel I started. Darn. I forget her name...shows how much I remember her. lol. Anyways, she was a stupid idiot and drove me CRAZY. I literally hated her two paragraphs into the story. Yup. :D

30 Day Writing Meme: Day #10.

10. What are some really weird situations your characters have been in? Everything from serious canon scenes to meme questions counts!

Really weird situations...hmm...

Weird??

Gosh. Well, there is the scene where a poor young man is trapped in a car with Karrie when she goes into labor. That was...more awkward than weird. lol. Mark gets trapped inside a house. Another character falls through some floor boards...Teagan gets stuck in a telephone booth! Does that count?

Tell you what...how about I add more weird scenes to "Those Who Wait"? That satisfy you? Okay. Good. :P