FA+
Shop
21 Writer Questions
16 years ago
General
1. When did you start writing?
I remember sitting in a second grade computer class where each student had to write about a pet. I had a dog and wrote eagerly about him. After I finished, I looked around the room and noticed everyone else barely had half as much writing as I did. Later, one of the teachers told my parents "It's like he was the only one in the room who actually tried to write about the subject." That's double-edged, cause although they praised me, it's like saying the others didn't try when they probably were. I was just more interested in expressing myself through writing.
2. First drafts: Handwritten, typed, or some combination?
My first drafts are handwritten 99% of the time. The pen and paper are extensions of myself that I find very soothing. The computer, although a good friend, is not quite at home with my unfinished work like pen and paper are. The flourish of the pen is far more immersive to me than the typing of keys.
3. Do you keep any kind of notebook or writer's journal, and if so, what kinds of things go into it?
I write on anything possible. Writer's notebooks help, but I'll write on anything. People too. :)
4. Do you set any quotas for your work (number of words per day, number of hours per day, etc.)? Why or why not?
Oh no, unless it's part of a contest like the Anthro Fiction Network contest: https://www.anthrofiction.net In that case, I have to follow word quotas and that's okay. It helps me focus down my ideas into minimalistic versions.
5. Are you most comfortable writing short stories, novels, or something else?
I've written shorts stories and novels around 75-90 pages. I'm not sure what I'm most comfortable writing. I've always loved Choose Your Own Adventure (C.Y.O.A.) works, especially when I was younger: http://www.cyoa.com/public/index.html The idea of choosing my own path has always intrigued me. I've done a lot to work to change up the simple nature of most C.Y.O.A. stories in an effort to make them more interactive and a lot more realistic.
6. What's your favorite kind of story to write?
My favorite kind of story to write is the kind where I address the reader directly, either through a custom story made for them, a C.Y.O.A. story meant to be interactive, or through a surprise in the narrative where second-person perspective catches the reader off-guard (and in a good way. Murakami did it best in Kafka on the Shore http://www.randomhouse.com/features.....i/site.php?id= Listen to the music on the site. Perfect writing music for me).
7. Talk about a story of yours that was easy to write and one that was difficult to write, and why.
They are both the same story. I once wrote a therapeutic novella called Fallen Mind. It was a modern-day take on the style of Dante Alighieri's The Inferno. Strange thing was, I hadn't read the Inferno yet. It was only halfway through the story that I read Dante's work and realized how close we were in spirit. It was easy for me because the story flowed from me like a dream that needed to be retold but it was hard for me because I had to face a lot of my writing fears along the way. I succeeded.
8. Which of your characters is closest to your sense of self? In other words, who do you most identify with in your own work to date?
Fallen Mind has a character named Elijah. He is me in many ways. He has persevered through many stories in different situations just like me. That's why his triumphs are my triumphs and why he can always overcome.
9. What work are you most proud of right now?
The Spirit of Christmas was a work I completed for Joecifur's 2007 Christmas contest. It was a mixed-media contest with at least 30 entries, all ranging from animation to digital art to sewing and writing. I set to work for six hard days creating something beautiful. I handwrote during the day and typed at night so I could force myself into a fast second-draft. To this day, it is my favorite story of all works. Others have enjoyed it as well and I will post it here on FA within the week.
10. What do you feel your strengths and weaknesses are as a writer?
Strengths:
Dialogue--my characters love to express themselves.
Surrealism--my worlds are like living dreams that help you become a part of them.
Romantic--my desire to let emotion soar has created endearing characters and helped me learn: there is nothing wrong with shedding tears.
Weaknesses:
Description-- My worlds are summoned quickly. Perhaps too quickly.
Story-Length-- My stories are never quite super-giants. They barely overcome the "white dwarf" stage.
Romantic--Not everyone likes emotion.
11. Name a few writers who have influenced you or your work in some way.
K.A. Applegate: The Animorphs series was like a best friend during my formative years. Teenage kids learning how to fight an unfathomable cosmic enemy with the ability to harness the powers of animals? That was deep at the time and in some ways, still is.
H.P. Lovercraft: The Cthulhu Mythos displays that fear of the unknown is one of the strongest drives of humanity. Lovecraft did it right and his characters paid for it with their sanity.
Todd G. Sutherland: If you haven't read Wings then stop reading this and go do so: http://www.claws-and-paws.com/furry.....ion/wings.html You will cry.
12. Talk about something you've written that you later found embarrassing for some reason.
Change the word "embarassing" to "painful" and I'll tell you: It was a love letter.
13. Talk about the earliest stories you remember writing. What were they about?
My first major novel was a fan fiction about Sonic: The Hedgehog. He was a positive role model for all my beginning characters. The handwritten story went on to 200+ pages and still didn't finish. I have the copy somewhere.
14. If you knew you would be successful, what would you most like to write?
I would write a melding of metafiction and fiction. I would create a story that displayed fictional members of the furry fandom as they each struggled to get by in their day-to-day lives. Along the way, each would express their trials through short stories in the narrative, poems, non-fiction essays, and love letters. If this was guaranteed to be successful, then I'd use the opportunity to bring positive reviews to the furry fandom so the art and writing could finally achieve lasting respect, even if that respect was only given by scholarly individuals and not necessarily the common populace.
15. What inspires you?
Dreams fuel the creative imagery of my surrealistic works. People provide the inspiration to create great things they've always wanted to accomplish but could not. Friends inspire me to write stories that help people understand that friendships are the beauty of life.
16. How many projects do you tend to work on at once?
One. I like to see how well I can write when all resources are focused on one concentrated storyline. But I do other writings on the side, although not as polished.
17. Who reads your work before it's released to the public? Do you have beta readers, a critique group, etc.?
A friend or two reads it. Then maybe an internet critique group, such as yourselves. Then it goes from there.
18. When you're not writing, what do you do for fun?
Make collages where I cut out people and then place a found phrase in the newspaper over their eyes, thus forcing the viewer to confront what may be their deepest thoughts.
19. Advice to other writers?
Writing is not easy: never let anybody tell you that.
Writing takes hard work but no one ever sees the blood, sweat and tears you put into it.
Writing is not about the facts. Writing is about the truth.
20. What are you currently working on?
A story to submit to Will Sanborn's upcoming human/furry anthology. I'm so close to striking oil. I can feel it.
21. Share the first three sentences of a work in progress.
(not sure that I have anything concrete to show at the start of a work, but tell you what: if I meet you, this is the theme song that would be playing in the background: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSWd-uxQ9X0&feature=related Let those three sentences form in your mind as you listen to the music. What did I say to you?)
----
I remember sitting in a second grade computer class where each student had to write about a pet. I had a dog and wrote eagerly about him. After I finished, I looked around the room and noticed everyone else barely had half as much writing as I did. Later, one of the teachers told my parents "It's like he was the only one in the room who actually tried to write about the subject." That's double-edged, cause although they praised me, it's like saying the others didn't try when they probably were. I was just more interested in expressing myself through writing.
2. First drafts: Handwritten, typed, or some combination?
My first drafts are handwritten 99% of the time. The pen and paper are extensions of myself that I find very soothing. The computer, although a good friend, is not quite at home with my unfinished work like pen and paper are. The flourish of the pen is far more immersive to me than the typing of keys.
3. Do you keep any kind of notebook or writer's journal, and if so, what kinds of things go into it?
I write on anything possible. Writer's notebooks help, but I'll write on anything. People too. :)
4. Do you set any quotas for your work (number of words per day, number of hours per day, etc.)? Why or why not?
Oh no, unless it's part of a contest like the Anthro Fiction Network contest: https://www.anthrofiction.net In that case, I have to follow word quotas and that's okay. It helps me focus down my ideas into minimalistic versions.
5. Are you most comfortable writing short stories, novels, or something else?
I've written shorts stories and novels around 75-90 pages. I'm not sure what I'm most comfortable writing. I've always loved Choose Your Own Adventure (C.Y.O.A.) works, especially when I was younger: http://www.cyoa.com/public/index.html The idea of choosing my own path has always intrigued me. I've done a lot to work to change up the simple nature of most C.Y.O.A. stories in an effort to make them more interactive and a lot more realistic.
6. What's your favorite kind of story to write?
My favorite kind of story to write is the kind where I address the reader directly, either through a custom story made for them, a C.Y.O.A. story meant to be interactive, or through a surprise in the narrative where second-person perspective catches the reader off-guard (and in a good way. Murakami did it best in Kafka on the Shore http://www.randomhouse.com/features.....i/site.php?id= Listen to the music on the site. Perfect writing music for me).
7. Talk about a story of yours that was easy to write and one that was difficult to write, and why.
They are both the same story. I once wrote a therapeutic novella called Fallen Mind. It was a modern-day take on the style of Dante Alighieri's The Inferno. Strange thing was, I hadn't read the Inferno yet. It was only halfway through the story that I read Dante's work and realized how close we were in spirit. It was easy for me because the story flowed from me like a dream that needed to be retold but it was hard for me because I had to face a lot of my writing fears along the way. I succeeded.
8. Which of your characters is closest to your sense of self? In other words, who do you most identify with in your own work to date?
Fallen Mind has a character named Elijah. He is me in many ways. He has persevered through many stories in different situations just like me. That's why his triumphs are my triumphs and why he can always overcome.
9. What work are you most proud of right now?
The Spirit of Christmas was a work I completed for Joecifur's 2007 Christmas contest. It was a mixed-media contest with at least 30 entries, all ranging from animation to digital art to sewing and writing. I set to work for six hard days creating something beautiful. I handwrote during the day and typed at night so I could force myself into a fast second-draft. To this day, it is my favorite story of all works. Others have enjoyed it as well and I will post it here on FA within the week.
10. What do you feel your strengths and weaknesses are as a writer?
Strengths:
Dialogue--my characters love to express themselves.
Surrealism--my worlds are like living dreams that help you become a part of them.
Romantic--my desire to let emotion soar has created endearing characters and helped me learn: there is nothing wrong with shedding tears.
Weaknesses:
Description-- My worlds are summoned quickly. Perhaps too quickly.
Story-Length-- My stories are never quite super-giants. They barely overcome the "white dwarf" stage.
Romantic--Not everyone likes emotion.
11. Name a few writers who have influenced you or your work in some way.
K.A. Applegate: The Animorphs series was like a best friend during my formative years. Teenage kids learning how to fight an unfathomable cosmic enemy with the ability to harness the powers of animals? That was deep at the time and in some ways, still is.
H.P. Lovercraft: The Cthulhu Mythos displays that fear of the unknown is one of the strongest drives of humanity. Lovecraft did it right and his characters paid for it with their sanity.
Todd G. Sutherland: If you haven't read Wings then stop reading this and go do so: http://www.claws-and-paws.com/furry.....ion/wings.html You will cry.
12. Talk about something you've written that you later found embarrassing for some reason.
Change the word "embarassing" to "painful" and I'll tell you: It was a love letter.
13. Talk about the earliest stories you remember writing. What were they about?
My first major novel was a fan fiction about Sonic: The Hedgehog. He was a positive role model for all my beginning characters. The handwritten story went on to 200+ pages and still didn't finish. I have the copy somewhere.
14. If you knew you would be successful, what would you most like to write?
I would write a melding of metafiction and fiction. I would create a story that displayed fictional members of the furry fandom as they each struggled to get by in their day-to-day lives. Along the way, each would express their trials through short stories in the narrative, poems, non-fiction essays, and love letters. If this was guaranteed to be successful, then I'd use the opportunity to bring positive reviews to the furry fandom so the art and writing could finally achieve lasting respect, even if that respect was only given by scholarly individuals and not necessarily the common populace.
15. What inspires you?
Dreams fuel the creative imagery of my surrealistic works. People provide the inspiration to create great things they've always wanted to accomplish but could not. Friends inspire me to write stories that help people understand that friendships are the beauty of life.
16. How many projects do you tend to work on at once?
One. I like to see how well I can write when all resources are focused on one concentrated storyline. But I do other writings on the side, although not as polished.
17. Who reads your work before it's released to the public? Do you have beta readers, a critique group, etc.?
A friend or two reads it. Then maybe an internet critique group, such as yourselves. Then it goes from there.
18. When you're not writing, what do you do for fun?
Make collages where I cut out people and then place a found phrase in the newspaper over their eyes, thus forcing the viewer to confront what may be their deepest thoughts.
19. Advice to other writers?
Writing is not easy: never let anybody tell you that.
Writing takes hard work but no one ever sees the blood, sweat and tears you put into it.
Writing is not about the facts. Writing is about the truth.
20. What are you currently working on?
A story to submit to Will Sanborn's upcoming human/furry anthology. I'm so close to striking oil. I can feel it.
21. Share the first three sentences of a work in progress.
(not sure that I have anything concrete to show at the start of a work, but tell you what: if I meet you, this is the theme song that would be playing in the background: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSWd-uxQ9X0&feature=related Let those three sentences form in your mind as you listen to the music. What did I say to you?)
----
actually, I enjoyed reading this very much - clear - concise - and the words flowed. That says a lot. And you write by hand... that is so very hard for me.
Christmas story - dang but those are hard to write. I shall watch for it but can't promise much, life being the limiting factor.
That's one of the things I love about the Thursday Prompt - it forces me to read.
*hugs...
V.
Thank you for complimenting me on the word flow and conciseness.
Writing by hand is something I had to do when I was younger because I didn't have access to a computer. I'm guessing if I started writing later in life when a computer was available I'd probably be doing that more, but I enjoy the freedom of taking a notebook to write wherever, whenever. Plus, I can make collages in it, tape interesting articles, and generally make it visually appealing.
The Christmas story was tough to write, but I managed to create something I'm happy with. I'll post it in small sections, so it won't be so intimidating to read all at once. I did design it with a chapter style in mind.
*hugs back* Thanks for the comments!
-Vaperfox
V.
-Vaperfox
The version of "Wings" shown in Furry! The Best Anthropomorphic Fiction by Fred Patten has a writer's note before it that talks about a young boy that inspired the writer. The boy was sick with cancer. When he finished the story, he sent it to the young boy. When he heard the boy died, he went to visit his parents and saw the book with his story in it next to the boy's bed. It was so sad.
Thank you for your comment on the furry metafiction. I can't understand why more furry writers don't do that. A furry lifestyle is perfectly surreal in its own right with the idea of stealth through costuming, multiple personas, the constant mixing of cultural boundaries and species, as well as the dual-lives that people live when dealing with people and then changing that up in their art and writing. The furry community is so ripe for fiction it's incredible!
-Vaperfox