Which canon character would you start writing for?
I would pick Rumpelstiltskin from Once Upon a Time because I really hate the direction the show has taken with his character this season.

Which original one would you create?
I would like to create a character someday who has autism or ptsd, to write about issues I myself have and explore them in a character.

Which old character would you revive?
I would revive my rougaru http://deliagone.livejournal.com/ and port her to DW. I feel like I didn't get to finish telling her story before the people I was playing her with buggered off, so hopefully I could work on her again someday.

What's stopping me at the moment - one, I have a hard time playing canon characters. I just feel a lot more comfortable with my own worlds. I worry I would miss some important detail of a world that someone else created. Two, I don't want to make a character that's too self-inserty so I worry about making one with the issues I have. Three, primarily laziness in making a new journal and also not knowing if I could find a place to fit a Louisiana bayou girl in - or if I should just stick to prompts. But I will likely do the revival and move her over eventually. The other two are just speculation.

What first got you into writing out the lives of your characters? Was it part of roleplaying with others, a desire to tell your own stories, a wish to get something out of your head, or something more?


Way back when I was a little L, I used to create all sorts of storylines for my Barbies and stuffed animals. I guess it has always been in me, the desire to plot and plan and storytell. I do a lot less roleplaying now than I used to back in my younger days, but I do still enjoy the thrill of taking a character I've created and exploring their world. They always surprise me when they reveal new bits of information about themselves.

Currently I am trying to get my sheeeet together enough to write a YA novel featuring the world ofso_necromantic . And I would love to finally compile an EBook for my michael_malone stories. I'm taking a YA/Children's writing course to try and learn some of the details of how to write for that age group, as it's been a long time since I've fallen into the YA age myself :) I'm more like MA - middle age lol.

1) Are there any romances in your story/canon/fanon/universe? [If the answer is none, go to question 4]
Yes, a lot of my characters have romance in their lives.

2) How central are these romances to the story in terms of plot?
It depends on the story but in most cases romance is a sub-plot, not the main plot. With Pete, the story is mostly about him adjusting to middle-aged empty nester life. Part of that is finding romance with a lady named Tatja. In Iggy's story, his romance with Christian and his sexuality over all drives several plot points. Heck doesn't get a romance in his story - but his ex girlfriend Katrina is part of a major plot point. Val's relationship with Ellis changes his overall path in life, so I would say his is probably the romance that has the most influence over the direction of the character's story. Ambria's continual romantic mishaps are part of her story. Etc. So it varies for each character and story.

3) How important are these romances to the characters themselves?
In most cases, very important. I have a few characters who don't date or who do so only casually, but a lot of them enter into a romantic bond with serious intent and do their best to maintain that relationship.

4) Do you like 'romantic plotlines' in the fiction you enjoy, even if the genre itself may not be specifically romantic?
I admit, I'm a romantic at heart. I love a good romantic sub-plot, though I don't like that to be the entire focus of a story. There have to be other things going on for it to hold my interest - I don't want to read about two people getting it on for an entire book (sorry romance novel fans!). I also don't like the 'love triangle' sub-plot that seems to be such a trend in recent fiction. I don't think it happens all that often in real life, and when it does, it isn't always the source of Big Drama that it seems to be in these books and shows.

5) Do you feel love stories between characters are used too much, not enough, or just right in the stories you enjoy most?
Too much in the case of things like mentioned above with love triangles. There's also too much of the breakup/makeup serial dating plotline I think, and about in-dating in groups of friends. I think that they're just used (over used really) to drive the drama of a show or book and don't often feel natural to the characters or story. In the stories I enjoy most, the romance is handled right- that's why I enjoy them. =) I like it most when it's a sub-plot, or if it's a driving main plot, for there to be other points of interest to the characters and story.

This was an interesting exercise! I went through the dramatic situations one by one and thought about which of my characters fit into that.

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I tend to be a restless reader - I need to read two or three different books at a time. I'm currently reading -

Crawfish Mountain by Ken Wells , Felonious Jazz by Bryan Gilmer, 19 Varieties of Gazelle by Naomi Shaib Nye and Winning American Mah Jongg Strategies by Elaine Sandberg.

Crawfish Mountain is a novel about the Louisiana Bayou and an environmental struggle there, Felonious Jazz is a about a failed jazz bassist who turns to crime, 19 Varieties of Gazelle is poetry about the Middle East, and the Mah Jongg strategy book is just that - a non-fiction about strategy in Mah Jongg (the actual tile game, not the computer version).

Every book I read helps my writing in some way, I think - I learn something from every book whether it's a a new word, a turn of phrase, a way to develop a character, or just a fact I didn't know before. I write short stories and poems and non-fiction articles as well as the character pieces for roleplaying or just-fun.

vavarner
1. Is an Aquarius.
2. Owns over 800 vinyl records.
3. Will graduate from Columbia University in just a few months.
4. Gets freckles when he's out in the sun- he even has some on the soles of his feet.
5. Goes for a run in the morning almost every day.

ambria_hanover
1. Had an abortion while in college and believes strongly in woman's reproductive rights.
2. Has a large family, most of whom she's close with.
3. Met her metrosexual biker housemate Quincy way back in elementary school.
4. Has a metal sculpture garden in her backyard.
5. Lets her son weld things with her, under careful supervision.

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I would love to have the elegant simplicity of Hemingway, and the gift for pointing out society's ills in a humorous way that Vonnegut has. Please put a bullet in my brainpan if I ever write like Stephanie Myer or Laurel K. Hamilton.

Currently I should be am working on -

re-reading a old novel rough draft that I will be revising into a second draft
finding places to submit two completed short stories (A Price to Play and Pulling Weeds)

Also -
writing an adventure for charloft_rpg
working on getting some book reviews / other non-fiction writing done
getting something up at my domain instead of a placeholder

--
Also ye completers of 100 Drabbles, we have not forgotten you! I know it's fall now, but we will hopefully get a little something together soon-ish.

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So I guess this has been a really long way of saying that I read and write a little of this, a little of that.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes :) Here's some things I'd really like...

1) Some decent icons for dj_davis and/or a link to a place that has Treme screencaps so I can make my own. It's really hard to find any.
2) More folks to come play at charloft_rpg . Don't be shy to start posts there, and/or reply to them. It's there to use.
3) More prompt suggestions in the suggestion box.
4) Come visit us in chat, we're always hanging in the OOC and there's play various times during the week.
5) Some author's choice suggestions for vavarner 's 100 Drabbles of Summer. What would you like to see me write about?