Monday Writing Meme.

1.  Tell us about your favorite writing project/universe that you’ve worked with and why.
I really love the world in the WIP I'm revising, MISFITS.  I think it's because there are SO MANY possibilities.  I actually started MISFITS as a creative exercise by just throwing everything at it and it turned into a book!

2.  How many characters do you have?  I normally have one MC and a group around her.  I think the people around an MC make them who they are, so friends and family are important to me when creating characters.


Do you prefer males or females? I've only written from the female POV but I think a lot about writing a male.


3.  How do you come up with names, for characters (and for places if you’re writing about fictional places)? It's a big deal.  I'm very picky about names, although in MISFITS the names are so silly and obvious that I just kind of went with it.  I also tend to give my female MC's names that could also be male.  I don't know why but there it is.  As for places, I pick a place that makes sense for the story.

4.  Tell us about one of your first stories/characters! My first story, which I found not long ago, was about me and a lot of danger.  Like, chocolate was dangerous.  I was five-ish.  I've written kind of dramatic my whole life.


5.  Where are you most comfortable writing? My couch.  I try other places but no matter where I go, I get the most done on the couch.  At what time of day? Whenever it hits me, although I make an effort to write during daylight times because if I write too late, I can't sleep. 

6.  Do you listen to music while you write? What kind? Are there any songs you like to relate/apply to your characters? I need quiet to write.  Or if the TV is on, it's very low and on something that I won't pay attention to.

7.  What’s your favorite genre to write? YA contemp, or fantasy-ish YA.  To read? Same. Although I work in non-YA too.

8.  How do you get ideas for your characters? I start with their personality and quirks.  Charlie, my MC in KILLER CUPCAKES is very driven by what goes on around her and how she wants to change that.  Ali, from MISFITS, doesn't deal with emotions well and uses jokes to lighten things up.  My new MC is a complete headcase but I think I love her.   

9.  What are some really weird situations your characters have been in? Hell.  One has woken up spooning with a guy in front of her grandmother and almost shot a raccoon.  Another has ridden a were animal.  It's complicated.

10.  Who is your favorite character to write? The group of life-long friends in INHERENTLY DANGEROUS is really fun to write.  They have so much complicated history and there really aren't many secrets between them, so the dynamic is fun.

11.  In what story did you feel you did the best job of worldbuilding?
 I kind of suck at worldbuilding, so I'm not sure.  It's definitely not my strongest suit.  I'm working on it.


12.  What’s your favorite culture to write, fictional or not? Any and all.

13.  How do you map out locations, if needed? Honestly?  I've never felt the need to.  I take creative liberties while trying to be realistic about everything around my characters.


14.  Midway question! Tell us about a writer you admire, whether professional or not! Richelle Mead but I'm not talking anymore about it.  If she finds out (doubtful), she'll think I'm obsessed and I'M NOT.

15.  Do you write romantic relationships? Sure do.  How do you deal with those, and how “far” are you willing to go in your writing? Well, I write mainly YA, so I try to be smart about it.  Interestingly enough, if I ever write my second books to KC or MISFITS, I'll have to deal with this more head on, I think.

16.  What are your favorite character interactions to write?  I lurrve awkward scenes.

17.  Do any of your characters have children? No, but boy would that complicate things!

18.  Tell us about one scene between your characters that you’ve never written or told anyone about before! Serious or not. Not sure what this means, but we'll go with I don't have one. :)

19. How long does it usually take you to complete an entire story—from planning to writing to posting (if you post your work)?   
First draft takes about a month, revisions take MY WHOLE LIFE!  Kidding.  But that takes longer.  I would say the whole process takes three months before betas get it.
20.  How willing are you to kill your characters if the plot so demands it? If it needs to happen, then it does.  What’s the most interesting way you’ve killed someone? I don't know if I can answer this.

22.  Do any of your characters have pets? Yes, and they're cats.  Always.  This says a lot about me.

23.  Do appearances play a big role in your stories?  I think so.  In MISFITS especially there are a lot of small details that I thought were important.


24.  Have you ever written a character with physical or mental disabilities?  I think there is something a little bit wrong with all of my characters but nothing that I would classify as a disability.

25.  How often do you think about writing?  All. The. Time.

Whew!  That was longer than I thought it would be.  Fill out at your own risk.  :)

Brandy