Writers Do Lunch Interview Meme -- Part 3
Apr. 6th, 2004 06:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sun_set_bravelyBehind the cut, we have questions 11-20. I'm on fire!
11. Inspiration or perspiration?
Both, please. Inspiration will only get you so far without the perspiration of actually sitting down and writing it. And perspiration is made wonderful by that grace of inspiration.
12. What form(s) do you prefer - past, present, future, genre, time period, style?
I'm not sure about this question. I tend to write in past tense, in the modern day. I suddenly feel like I don't have enough writing behind me to even answer the question about style. I'm still discovering my style. As of now, I like to think it's simple, clear, with lots of delicious words that illuminate everyday things in new ways. And having written that sentence, I hope that if my writing is not that style yet, it will be one day.
13. When writing, do you outline first or just begin and see where it takes you?
For the screenplay, we did an outline first, but for my own fiction, I like to go on that unknown journey to see where I'll end up.
14. How do you develop your characters? Settings? Plot?
Again, I just begin and see where it takes me. Also, lots of people watching.
15. How much do you take from real life and does a writer have the right to tell the stories of people they know?
I often take seeds of real life and then plant them in completely different circumstances, so I end up telling stories of people I know, but in situations that they'd never recognize. And sometimes I just write straight-up non-fiction. I think that a writer should be respectful of the stories that she's given. At the same time, I think that the process of writing out someone's story transforms it beyond the actual experience. Perhaps if she ends up using a large piece of a true story that is not her own in her work, she should at least warn the story's source.
16. What kind of research do you do for your writing?
I read a lot in the form that I'm currently writing in, or if I'm working on a screenplay, I watch movies and think about how the screenplay works. As far as factual research, I do a little bit here and there on the internet, or in books. In the first draft, I just write like I know it all, and then when I edit, I might do more in-depth research and fill in the factual holes.
17. Do you have a process for re-writing?
I look over the piece, make notes on what I want to fix, and then tackle each section. I put a star by the part that needs to be fixed, and then I turn the page over and start writing new words there. Then I try to integrate the two later. When re-writing, I try very hard not to doubt my first instincts. I try to use the re-writing process to get closer and closer to what I'm really trying to say.
18. What is your writing schedule?
I write best in the morning, so in the past year and a half, I've woken up an hour early so I can come downstairs and write. When I'm collaborating, I do my scene writing in the mornings, and then I meet with my co-writers at night and we edit and brainstorm together. But for pure, pen-to-page-without-stopping writing, mornings are my prime time.
19. What are your writing weaknesses and strengths?
Strengths: I am not afraid to go wild, to take characters and scenes to crazy places, and let them say and do outrageous things. I have a great natural sense for where words go, grammatically, and I also love breaking all the rules. I love words. I say things in ways that you wouldn't expect. I can paint vivid pictures with words.
Weaknesses: Realistic dialogue is still a challenge for me. Because I love words so much, I often give my characters a mouthful to say, which isn't always realistic.
20. Who, if anyone, do you let edit your work?
My co-writers edit my screenplay work, as I edit theirs. My creative stuff is different. I honestly haven't asked anyone to edit my work in ages, probably because I've been working so much on the screenplay. The person who edits my work must A) be honest, B) be interested in helping me tell my story the way I want to, and/or C) have a great sense of grammar and structure.
11. Inspiration or perspiration?
Both, please. Inspiration will only get you so far without the perspiration of actually sitting down and writing it. And perspiration is made wonderful by that grace of inspiration.
12. What form(s) do you prefer - past, present, future, genre, time period, style?
I'm not sure about this question. I tend to write in past tense, in the modern day. I suddenly feel like I don't have enough writing behind me to even answer the question about style. I'm still discovering my style. As of now, I like to think it's simple, clear, with lots of delicious words that illuminate everyday things in new ways. And having written that sentence, I hope that if my writing is not that style yet, it will be one day.
13. When writing, do you outline first or just begin and see where it takes you?
For the screenplay, we did an outline first, but for my own fiction, I like to go on that unknown journey to see where I'll end up.
14. How do you develop your characters? Settings? Plot?
Again, I just begin and see where it takes me. Also, lots of people watching.
15. How much do you take from real life and does a writer have the right to tell the stories of people they know?
I often take seeds of real life and then plant them in completely different circumstances, so I end up telling stories of people I know, but in situations that they'd never recognize. And sometimes I just write straight-up non-fiction. I think that a writer should be respectful of the stories that she's given. At the same time, I think that the process of writing out someone's story transforms it beyond the actual experience. Perhaps if she ends up using a large piece of a true story that is not her own in her work, she should at least warn the story's source.
16. What kind of research do you do for your writing?
I read a lot in the form that I'm currently writing in, or if I'm working on a screenplay, I watch movies and think about how the screenplay works. As far as factual research, I do a little bit here and there on the internet, or in books. In the first draft, I just write like I know it all, and then when I edit, I might do more in-depth research and fill in the factual holes.
17. Do you have a process for re-writing?
I look over the piece, make notes on what I want to fix, and then tackle each section. I put a star by the part that needs to be fixed, and then I turn the page over and start writing new words there. Then I try to integrate the two later. When re-writing, I try very hard not to doubt my first instincts. I try to use the re-writing process to get closer and closer to what I'm really trying to say.
18. What is your writing schedule?
I write best in the morning, so in the past year and a half, I've woken up an hour early so I can come downstairs and write. When I'm collaborating, I do my scene writing in the mornings, and then I meet with my co-writers at night and we edit and brainstorm together. But for pure, pen-to-page-without-stopping writing, mornings are my prime time.
19. What are your writing weaknesses and strengths?
Strengths: I am not afraid to go wild, to take characters and scenes to crazy places, and let them say and do outrageous things. I have a great natural sense for where words go, grammatically, and I also love breaking all the rules. I love words. I say things in ways that you wouldn't expect. I can paint vivid pictures with words.
Weaknesses: Realistic dialogue is still a challenge for me. Because I love words so much, I often give my characters a mouthful to say, which isn't always realistic.
20. Who, if anyone, do you let edit your work?
My co-writers edit my screenplay work, as I edit theirs. My creative stuff is different. I honestly haven't asked anyone to edit my work in ages, probably because I've been working so much on the screenplay. The person who edits my work must A) be honest, B) be interested in helping me tell my story the way I want to, and/or C) have a great sense of grammar and structure.
