Writing questions for YOU

Posted on by inkbiotic

So I got nominated for a blogger award by the talented short story writer Gifted and Chilling – Thank you G and C! And I’m going to use this as an opportunity to ask you, dear reader, lots of questions. I’ll answer Gifted and Chillings questions below mine.

My questions are all writer based, but that can be for a blog as well as something bigger. So if anyone is inspired the following, then please write in the comments below or your own blog 🙂 :

  • Do your dreams ever give you inspiration for stories? If so can you describe one that has?
  • Do you feel comfortable writing characters of other races/ genders or with extreme experiences you’ve never had? What are your no go areas for characters?
  • Have you ever written anything that you wouldn’t write now? What was it and what’s changed?
  • Do you ever work on a style? Or do you simply write and a style happens?
  • How about a genre? Do you always stick to the same one? Is there a genre you’d like to work in, but don’t know how?
  • If you’ve written a novel, what was your method? did you plan it all out beforehand with flow charts and lists? Or did you have a vague idea of what would happen and just start writing?

And the questions for me

Gifted and Chilling writes stories, often heartbreaking and poetic, so go and check out her blog if you haven’t before. Here are her questions:

What inspired you to creating your blog and choosing your niche?

I just wanted somewhere to write. Writing was always important to me, but I did too much of it in isolation. I wanted to write stories that people read, to have it as a form of communication instead of just capturing images out of my head and trapping them on the page because I like it.

Which blogs inspire and entertain you?

This story from Getting On is just great, (and he has many other fine posts too)

I love the nature pictures from Fish-Eye Perspective

Samantha Henthorn just published a book here. But check out any chapter of Curmudgeon Avenue for a a very funny read.

What is the greatest lesson you’ve learnt so far?

From the blog? That I can write many different stories at once. And that’s good, because if I get sick of one, I can move straight onto another.

How would you like your life to be different (or the same) in a year?

At the moment my biggest fear is losing all the good things in my life. So mostly, I want my life to stay the same. At least for a little bit longer. Oh and I want some kittens.

What piece of work are you proud of the most and which are you itching to finish?

I’m weird about pride. When I’m still writing something, it is the most important writing I’ve ever done. and then when it’s finished I cease to care. So the truth is, I’m not proud of anything I’ve written – not in a bad way, I simply don’t think about it. I’m itching to finish The Catford Catastrophe Project, which is set in a dystopian future filled with killer plants and mutant insects. The characters are sociopathic twins, a spy and a super hero with PTSD. It’s fun to write in a complicated and mind-twisty way.

17 thoughts on “Writing questions for YOU”

  1. Wonderful answers, it was a joy to read! And thank you so much for your kind words 🙂 Can relate to your fear of losing all the good things in life. Fingers crossed you get your kittens soon! Looking forward to more of your writing and your stories

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  3. Congrats on the award Petra. Its deserved. Your writing questions are fantastic! Id like to answer one – Question: Have you ever written anything that you wouldn’t write now? What was it and what’s changed?

    To learn different writing styles I’ve written some stories that border on erotica. I wouldn’t write new ones because that changes your audience. It’s like a good movie. Most repeat viewings have a PG rating. You lose half an audience with an R rating, still more with an NC-17 rating. So in general, I try to write most flash that everyone can read.

    Love the questions. I may come back to answer more on my blog. Congrats again.

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    1. Thank you 🙂 And an interesting answer! It’s good learning practice to try out different genres and styles. And a chance to find out what you enjoy writing too. I should have done more of that, I think.

      I hope you do answer a few more, I enjoyed the answers you gave in an interview you posted recently. You’re someone who thinks about the process of writing itself, so that always provides an insightful perspective.

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  5. Many congratulations on your award. Well deserved, if only for entertaining me constantly. And thank you too for the mention – I am very honoured. I cherish the people who read my blog. I think about individuals – what they would like etc – as I write at times. Thank you for being one such reader and thank you for making my day every time you publish a post.

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  6. Gah, that’s a wonderful skill, the ability to switch to another project. I was trying to draft one story while editing my current, but alas. I think I’m so afraid I won’t finish that I can’t work on something else for fear I’ll abandon the WIP.

    I like your last answer. That’s fascinating. It’s a good way to be able to move on and concentrate on something new. I’m always going back to old projects and asking more “what ifs.” I have this spiderweb of possibilities that I might work on once I’m finished something, but usually once I have it written as is I can at least move on.

    I feel like your questions are something I can yammer about :p

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    1. I always like to hear you yammer! The switching projects skill is totally new one since starting the blog. I used to be like you and be scared if I left one project I’d never get the focus back. But then, you do work on a few different projects right? Just they’re all very different, so you don’t get mixed up. That’s probably a similar mindset.
      The last few weeks switching hasn’t helped at all though. I’ve only written a few small ideas. Hopefully today I’ll do some proper writing!

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      1. I do! I’ve found I can work on projects that are slightly different, so I can edit one story and work on the audio recording of another since it’s a different methodology. Blogging is “slightly” different, too, plus if I have something on my to do list, I’m much more likely to get it done. I have put a hiatus on essays since they take longer, but I do still work on book and game reviews. I think I just have to limit how much I’m doing at a time. It’s weird though, some days I’ll finish up and be surprised I’m done then I wonder/worry that I’m not doing enough and could add more lol.

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  7. Congratulations, Petra! Thank you for mentioning me on your blog…specially because you are one of my favourite bloggers who feels like a friend.
    I like these questions and I’ll try to get some answers together soon!
    Trying new genres opens new windows, if not doors and lets in a fresh breath of air. So keep experimenting.

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