thank you @neurtsy for the tag!
1. how do you choose titles or chapter headers? (or do they choose you?)
truth be told, i don’t use chapter titles or headers much. unfortunately, i’m terrible at titling (and that goes for all types of titling - i’ve gotten slightly better at titling poems, through hard work and practice), so i find it works better for me if i don’t bother with chapter headers.
2. what are some pieces of literature that have heavily influenced you?
definitely stephen king’s work. if i had to pick a specific book, i’d pick the shining, but his body of work as a whole has taught me a lot and has had a hand in the formation of my style.
the harry potter series influenced my writing style and syntax style.
the work of poets here on tumblr (like @americansport and @exit152), as well as crush by richard siken, caused a gradual but extremely significant shift in my style of poetry and expression.
3. what certain themes do you find yourself more strongly drawn to?
in fiction, i find myself often turning to the theme of twisted/soured religion - either religion used as manipulation or religion taken too far (i.e., cults). in poetry, i often draw on heartbreak or emotional turmoil (but what poet doesn’t?).
4. do you underline in books you read? how do you feel about this?
i don’t underline, but i do highlight and jot notes in the margins. i don’t mind people marking books as long as they own the book and as long as they don’t plan to give them away or sell them in the future. personally, i don’t ever get rid of books that i care about or write in books i don’t enjoy, so i feel like i have a good system going.
5. if someone were to design a cover for one of your stories, how do you imagine it looking?
i honestly think it varies with each story, because each of the stories i’ve ever worked on to a significant extent vary widely in genre and general vibe. however, one thing i do think they’d have in common is an element of mystery and danger, so i’d like their covers to convey that. in addition, i really enjoy book covers that focus on one object or character in particular that ends up having significance in the story, so that would probably play a large part in my cover(s) as well.
6. do visuals influence your writing?
typically my writing is more influenced by action. i imagine things pretty vividly, but i transcribe them pretty loosely and leave much to the reader’s imagination as far as appearances go. i’m more descriptive with settings than i am with characters’ appearances, but even then i only mention important things or single details that enhance the reality of the setting. i guess visuals don’t inspire me much, typically, so they don’t influence my writing much either.
7. do you draw inspiration more from the people and happenings around you, or the writing and media you consume?
definitely both! but i think i typically draw it more from media i consume, in the sense that after experiencing media that tells a particularly good story or is very well-executed, i feel inspired to create something on the same level.
8. what film(s) would you love to see fic adaptations/references of?
i would love to read the dead poet’s society as a work of fiction.
9. what is one trope you think is overused, and one that is underused?
i think “woman dies as a plot point” is drastically overused, and i’m tired of reading it. i hate it when one of the only women characters (if not the only) is made to be badass and likable, seemingly with her own autonomy, and is then killed so that her death can grieve/motivate the main male character. as for an underused trope, i’d really like to see more comedic tropes used in narration (such as unreliable narrators that tell events in an obviously contrived or biased way, or narrators breaking the fourth wall and adding commentary).
10. what book/story has absolutely rattled you to your core?
here are a couple of faves that have really stuck with me:
the shining by stephen king
the alienist by caleb carr
bone by bone by bone by tony johnston
lord of the flies by william golding
11. when was the last time you felt truly moved by a piece of writing?
yesterday, when i read LONELY BODIES by adrian bouvier ( @slaughtervoid ).
now, for my eleven questions:
1. where do you often find yourself turning for inspiration?
2. what genre is easiest for you to write? what genre is your favorite to write?
3. what literary work(s) have been major inspirations to you?
4. what was the event that set you on your journey to become a writer (if you can remember one in particular)?
5. what were some of your favorite books growing up?
6. what are some of your favorite books now?
7. is there any specific writing skill you’d like to become better at or master?
8. what is your greatest creative strength?
9. do you generally feel more inspired during the day or at night?
10. what are your long-term writing goals? (e.g. being published, just having fun, etc.)
11. what piece of your writing are you most proud of? (if you’d like, provide links!)
i’d like to tag @americansport, @anonymous-hoper, @victoria-writes-sometimes, and @christinawritesfiction! (ofc, only do this if you have time and would like to!)