More Than You Ever Wanted to Know: Eight Things About My Writing and Me
October 5, 2007 by Lillie
Misti Sandefur at Life of a Writer tagged me to share eight random things about myself. Since I participate in memes only when they fit my purposes for my blog, I told Misti I would respond to the tag but relate the eight things to writing.
Then David Bowles at Writing the Westward Sagas tagged me to write eight things others might not know about my writing and me.
Although I’m not sure any of this is new, here are eight random things about my writing and me:
1. The first time I remember being proud of something I wrote was in high school. Our school was very small, and there was only one English teacher. She read a humorous short story I had written to every English class - the entire (tiny) student body. When she read the story to my class, I basked in the sound of the other student’s laughter.
2. Looking back, I find it strange that my first writing was humorous. My mother always told me I was born old and serious. I’ve never considered myself funny, though my husband and I laugh a lot, and one of my friends in particular tells me I crack her up.
3. Although I know the most successful writers stick to a genre, my writing is all over the place. The four books published or to-be-published are a romance novel, the inspirational true story of victims of workplace violence, a network marketing guide, and my upcoming romantic suspense novel.
4. I’ve also written a humorous romance (there’s that humor again) that I’ve never submitted anywhere and have two partially completed manuscripts: a novel and a motivational nonfiction book.
5. The unfinished novel is really the book of my heart - the first story I dreamed of writing, long before I had the stroke which led me to write a romance about a woman who has a stroke. I still hope to finish it someday, but I’m too busy with other projects to get back to it.
6. I focused on fiction when a small critique group met in my home every week. I never wanted to be the only one without a chapter to share, so I wrote a chapter a week. However, when our group split up because no one seemed to have the time anymore, I quit writing fiction.
7. I consider myself a better editor than writer and a better nonfiction writer than fiction writer. However, when I re-read Dream or Destiny after it had been collecting dust on a CD for years, I was pleasantly surprised - it was better than I thought (she said modestly).
8. Like Helen Ginger and David Bowles, I work best when it’s quiet. In fact, I prefer to work at night so I’m not interrupted, even by phone calls. However, some of my clients and friends keep strange hours, also, so my phone often rings late at night. Sometimes I’m on the phone with a client who gets up early before I’ve gone to bed.
There you have it - more than you ever wanted to know about my writing and me. I’m not tagging anyone because these eight things (or five things or whatever) memes have been going around awhile and many writers have already participated. However, I’d love to learn more about each of you. So if you’d like to share eight things - either eight random things or eight things about you and your writing - please do so. Leave a comment so I learn eight things about you.
Related Posts:
Eight Random Things about Lillie
Seven Random Things
Five Things
[tags]meme, eight things, writing, Lillie Ammann[/tags]
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I totally relate to your joy the first time your work was recognized by others. Like you, this happened to me in high school. I was in VOE (Vocational Office Education) and wrote a play which was performed for the school. It was based on Alice in Wonderland, except the perpetually late rabbit, in my play, was late for a job interview.
Thank you for sharing. I enjoyed learning more about you and your writing.
Helen,
You actually had your play performed in high school - how exciting!
Lillie, you say you aren’t a natural networker but see how gracefully you invite us all in for a conversation around your table. That’s networking in my book
8 writing-ish type things about me:
1. I have one published book, of short walks in Skye, which has been out of print for the last year (to my great frustration)
2. I’m toying with the idea of writing up and self-publishing my letters and blogs from three months I spent in Mexico last year
3. My first published work was a poem about fairies in the “Brownie” magazine (part of the scouts/guides movement)
4. My favourite format for writing is without doubt the blog. I think I’m addicted
5. When I was young I used to think of writing historical romantic fiction. I don’t have those dreams any more - or any desire to write fiction actually - but maybe they’ll come back with time
6. Although I write a lot I don’t think of myself as a writer. It seems a more serious word than something I could apply to myself somehow!
7. I’ve met a lot of kindred spirits in recent months by sharing spaces created on blogs by people like yourself and Yvonne with the writers’ cafe. It’s great to see how much support we can offer each other
8. Writing 8 things about myself is proving remarkably hard!
Joanna
PS I can tell this is an editor’s blog because it automatically shows what you’ve written in preview mode - most places you have to ask to preview and I guess a lot of people don’t - but comments are writing too and should be previewed and edited before published - I’m sure you agree
Joanna,
Thanks for the lovely compliment. I enjoy chatting with my blog friends but am less comfortable with social networking sites or formal networking events in the real world.
I enjoyed reading your 8 things and agree with you about being addicted to blogging and finding kindred spirits.
The live preview is a plugin I discovered recently along with a plugin that allows commenters to edit comments within a 15-minute timeframe. I’m embarrassed at how many comments I’ve left all over blogosphere with errors that I didn’t see reviewing the comment in the text box … but that jumped out at me as soon as the comment went live.
1. Like Lillie I also had a teacher read one of my funny stories to the class. I wish I had the story, I’d love to read it now.
2. I adore poetry, reading it and writing it.
3. I blog about writing so I can honestly say I write every day and like JoAnna I am addicted.
4. I’m writing a chick-lit novel where my main character is a chef.
5. I self published my first book with my cousin, The Princesses of Gugalachi, when we were in grade school and I still have a copy.
6. I’ve written 65 poems this summer.
7. My first published article was on accountability.
8. I just started a card company with three girlfriends.
Writing Nag,
Like you, I wish I had that first story I wrote. It’s great you have a copy of your first book - you started young!
I’ve written only two or three poems in my life, and those were difficult for me. I’m amazed that you have written 65 poems ever - much less in one summer!
Tell us more about this card company. Do you mean greeting cards? One of my clients is known as the “greatest card mechanic in the world” - after working with him so much, when I hear the word cards now, I think of a pack of 52 playing cards.
we just started a greeting card company. It’s slow going but we have big plans!
Writing Nag,
Congratulations on the new business and best wishes. Hope it’s a resounding success!
If it’s okay with you, I’ll just share one. My number one fan is my mom. Without her, I wouldn’t be motivated to scribble more. I know that she’ll be there even if I don’t have anything more to write.
Thanks for sharing your 8 things.
I doubt I’d be able to think of 8 things, so instead I’ll list 2 things I have in common with you.
1. My family also considers me old and serious. I’ve never considered myself to be a funny person, but in the past year a few people have said I’m really funny. They thought an essay I wrote was very humorous.
2. I also work best at night when it is quiet.
8 things about my writing and me:
1. I have just began writing a personal blog about my experiences, tips, happenings and dreams as a woman, as a mom.
2. Writing is a new path for me to be creative and purpose-driven as I turn 50 in November.
3. Since writing/editing is a creative pursuit which evolves over time, I’d love to learn more about - how to write to be able to bring out the best in me as I help improve others lives (and later, have extra funds for meeting my other dreams).
4. Though I may not be a born writer, I believe there are avenues in writing which I can take given my analytical, entrepreneurial, and life skills.
5. I was mainly a technical writer: as called for by my job as a utility planner 15 years ago.
6. I wrote mainly annual reports, economic briefings, corporate communications and special research papers in the past. I have a published work in power/energy management - part of UPenn energy center’s requirement for a course I took 2 decades ago.
7. After retiring early, I stopped writing to focus on my children (who are about to graduate in college) and microbusiness ventures (which earned for sometime) which left me cash strapped now.
8. In my new journey at 50, I will take “writing” as one path to my dreams.
Thank you Lillie for giving me this chance to think about writing and myself.
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