Inquisitive Souls: Questions for my vlog

Hello, goosies!
    So I've been thinking that I would do another vlog sometime soon but I wanted to open the blog up for questions. Ask me things, and I'll answer them in the video! It can be a question about writing in general, my books, Anon, Sir, Anon, publishing, my personal life, what the circumference of the world may be (don't expect a correct answer for that one) or anything at all! Ask your questions in a comment below and they will be answered by Wednesday in a brand new vlog. Also,  if you like things related to Alice in Wonderland, perhaps you ought to check out author Cerella Sechrist's Unbirthday Giveaway! I promise that mentioning it gains me no points...it just has a seriously good prize and this is one giveaway I hope to win. Only caveat: you must be eighteen or older to win.

So: give me your questions in a comment and enter to win some lovely Mad Hatter-y prizes. And don't forget: if I don't see you in the future, I'll see you in the pasture. ;)

Writing Process Blog Tour (bon voyage!)

I was tagged by Elisabeth G. Foley at The Second Sentence to participate in the Writing Process Blog Tour and I figured I would do this last post before leaving the country for 17 days. Ciao ciao, darlings. The idea of this thing is that participants share a little about their writing process via the tour questions, then nominate other writers to carry the tour on. Simply, effective, community-driven. Voila! So here we go:

1.) What am I working on at the moment? Oh this question had to be on there. If I'm entirely flippantly honest, I'd say nothing. Since beginning my job, I've been figuring out the balance of work and family responsibilities as well as reading quite a bit (PLENILUNE) and preparing for Romania. That being said, my next project is quite probably going to be Mob Ink, though no solid promises. I also have some ideas for a second Vivi & Farnham mystery. :3 In defense of this story-less stage, I am taking it rather as a writing holiday because Anon, Sir, Anon is away at the beta-readers and when it comes home, there'll be a toll to pay, I know. Stocking up on brilliance to pour out later, right? Also, I've been scribbling real-life notes for future Social Caterpillar posts and character inspiration.

2.) How does my work differ from others of its genre? Well that'd be the question for many, wouldn't it? I genre-hop because I prefer to be a good novelist period rather than a good historical novelist or a good romance novelist or a good sci-fi novelist. So this question really must be ammended to: "How does my work differ from other authors'?"
Each of my books is laced with that particular Rachel Heffington flavor that, once tasted, never quite leaves the mind. Or so I'm told. I'm sassier than some but I balance it with a load of sweet. My prose is also ... well, Jenny calls it "cat's-paw". It's light-footed, clever, and water-coloured. I can turn a good character or two (or three or four) and I have been informed that I am good at creating three-dimensional, interesting, unusual characters without making them weird. I tend to dabble in telling familiar things in a way that makes people sit up and take notice.

3.) Why do I write what I do? Because I write what strikes my fancy and like to think that somewhere, it'll strike an answering fancy in a reader. I've experienced the thrill of reading something that seems written specifically with me in mind, and I crave to bestow that gift on another reader or thousand.

4.) How does my writing process work? Oh la. Well, I feel that most of you will have heard this many times over, so I'll be concise: I get a phrase, character, or snippet of something stuck in my mind and it festers and out pops a story. First drafts are the bane of my ever-loving existence because (not being a plotter), I panic midway and feel that I'll never complete the story with any semblance of coherency. I do, though, and then I go through two edits of the entirety. I send this edited version to my beta-readers, take their feedback, and sort it all out. (I apply some criticism, discard others, and generally whip the thing into shape.) This process usually contains at least two more edits, one of which is printed off and marked by hand. Then, when I feel the book is thoroughly whipped and decent, it's time to format, final-edit, and publish.

Well, that was not too terrifying, was it? I nominate Mirriam Neal as the next participant, so do keep an eye out for her post next Monday!

In Which I am Cold and Curious

Oh my stars.
Guys.
It is really cold in here. My nails are painted with Essie "Wicked" and I'm wearing an owl necklace and my hair is warm on my neck and around my face and I'm curling my toes under my feet because it's just that cold.

Not like you cared. I just thought I'd tell someone.

My Lair is a beautiful Lair.

This wall seriously keeps growing

My Lair is a messy Lair.

But I feel like it could host penguins, it's so cold this morning. We've been having snow. Not a lot of snow but more snow than we got last year (which was none). We've also been having fires in the woodstove. I always feel like you've got to have the touch of the faerie-folk in your fingers to be able to make a fire; I can't make one very well. I am good at resurrecting coals, but I generally just gape at the grey ashes of fire-undone and wish for a blaze. Imagination helps not at all in these scenarios. Anyway, we heat our house with wood and my Lair doesn't get any of that heat and that's why it's so chilly in here. It does make for a good exercise room, though, being quite chilly and unheated.

Being cold or tired always leads to funny thoughts, it seems. The other night I was tired and making cinnamon rolls and it's my maxim always to scrub the sugar and cinnamon into the dough by hand and it just felt so good under my palm that I just stood there scrubbing and getting sleepier by the moment until Mom came into the kitchen and laughed at me.

It is always funny to me to think of what you guys think of me. What I mean by that is, I wonder if I am anything at all (as a person) like the Rachel Heffington you occasionally view in your mind. That being said, (and me being a proponent of getting to know people as people, not just as their career choices) do you have any questions for me personally? We always have gobs of fun doing the little Questions About Our Books, we authors, but what about Question About Us? We don't usually answer those. I mean, I know how it goes. One of my writing-blog acquaintances (Rebecca Williams) whom I actually met in real life (entirely by chance) is probably walking around like:

"Yes. Rachel Heffington. She's the one who almost plowed into me at the PHC coffee shop, right? Yeah...she has a cat named Nickleby, right? And she's plump. Or wait. Skinny. Or...I don't know. And didn't she say she was an introvert? Or and extrovert? Oh who cares."

Well. If you do have questions about Me, why don't you leave them in a comment below and I'll do my level-best to answer you tomorrow or the next day. It gives me laugh to think I'm probably quite different in real life than what you think. :)

"Fraulein, you are obviously many things, not the least of which is repetitious."

I do not want to let slide all the questions you asked me a couple of weeks ago, so I think I'll just go ahead  and answer them all in this post! They are not particularly philosophical questions, so a line or two in answer to each will certainly be adequate and probably less confusing for you readers than trying to devote an entire post to a single inquiry. Got it? Okay.

Bree asked: "To which character in The Baby to you feel most sympathetic? To which can you most relate?" Though there are several characters to whom I feel much sympathy, I believe The Queen would be the one who garners most from me. You want to hate her simply because she's the whole reason a child was stolen, but you just can't. She is the sort of woman who would not have been royalty if she hadn't had a brother ambitious enough for both of them, and though she rules well, she is a little bewildered and only comes out of her bewilderment when in the presence of her baby, the Prince of Crissendumm.
I can most relate, probably, to Jamsie or Smidgen; both are trying to keep the scraps of their family together, both are finding certain aspects of that responsibility a challenge, both have a lot at stake. I can relate not because my family is falling apart, but because if it ever came to that, I'd feel like the responsible party. I can also relate to Starling, though, as far as longing for certain things that seem impossible, and going about the Palace making odd observations and remarks. That is not to say that these three are my favorite, but that I can most relate to them. I think at present The Admiral is my absolute favorite, and now I've got Elisabeth on board with me in that respect which makes me happy.

Bree also asked: "What age-range are you aiming for with this book?" Technically speaking, it is for ages 12 and up. Jamsie and Richmond, the principle characters, are thirteen and twelve respectively (I think? I forget now) so it is a little young to be classified as Y/A fiction. But it's not mid-grade fiction - the themes and complexities are a little advanced for middle-schoolers, I think, though I saw recently that middle-schoolers were being required to read The Scarlet Letter. I mean, honestly? You'll soon tell me that Bleak House is required reading in kindergarten. I have always enjoyed "children's" books, so I think identifying with one age-range (while easier for marketing) lessens the value that an all-encompassing range would have. I think that many readers in many age-ranges will enjoy The Baby. The side-characters are, for the most part, out of their teens, so there are plenty of adults to interest older readers.

And: "Who is The Baby, or is that Top Secret?" The ambiguity of The Baby's identity is purposeful and inevitable. You will have to wait to read the book for a full explanation.

And: How long is the project currently? (and how long to you expect it to be?) Currently, The Baby is a sorry little 21,000 words long. I still have much of the plot to write, but it is not going to be a hefty book. I hope to reach 70-80,000 words.  Lots of work to do. *sigh*. I have been busy with plotting and detailing, but there has not been over-much writing going on. The trouble with building word-count for me seems to be all the alleys I could go down with my fascinating side-characters, and knowing me, I have to be careful not to give them too much of the stage. (good luck with that.)

Esther asked a mash of simple questions that I can answer quickly:

1. Are the Baby, Jamsie, and Richmond the only earth-folk in Crissendum at the moment? One can never be quite sure, can they? The thing is, the citizens of Crissendumm often visit this world, but this world is rather ignorant of the existence of their world, so apart from tumbling down The Puddle or another portal, people seldom go there.

2. In whose household is Starling? The Queen's household. At the start of the book, Starling is an unfortunate undermaid's undermaid.

3. How old are Jamsie, Richmond, Smidgen, and Starling? Jamsie is thirteen, almost fourteen; Richmond is twelve, almost thirteen. Smidgen never exactly tells us his age, but I'd warrant he's in line with Richmond. Starling is sixteen, but very small for her age.

4.  Falling into Crissendum is apparently simple enough, since your characters did it accidentally. Is it as easy to fall out? Does the puddle go both ways? There are several portals in and out of Crissendumm. One would be sailing off the edge of the world, because in Crissendumm, this is still possible. Another method is stepping in the arch formed by the Nodding Twins, two ancient willows. This dumps you out somewhere in a wood in America and is a mischievous way, because you're never sure which wood. There are other ways, like stepping through a certain reflection of a reflection into the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles, which can be a bit awkward. The portals are all marked on the globes made in Crissendumm, and are common knowledge. It is a rule with the portals that they can only work one direction each trip, so you have to exit by a different portal; this keeps traffic to a low. Imagine banging into someone careening down one way while you were shooting up the opposite direction? Road-kill in such instances would be difficult to clean up. 

5. Who is this John character? John Brady is Leona's love interest, and Leona is Smidgen's sister. John is a teacher at Whiskin's Abbey at the beginning of his contracted term of four years, and thus tied to life as a monk for the interim. 

And for the very last question, Bree asked if I could give you a proper introduction to Crissendumm. I shall refer all of you who are curious to Crissendumm: A World Inside a World where I explain lots and lots about this strange place. I hope my answers satisfied you, and thank you so much for asking; I love to delve into the whys and wherefores thereof. :)

Irresponsible things like engagements of state..

  When people ask what inspires a certain story, there is generally a list of things that spring to mind on a basic level. Elisabeth Grace Foley's question started me thinking about what really did inspire The Baby, and to be sure I did not give a pat, off-the-cuff-links answer. She admitted that this is a question she has great difficulty answering, so I am sure she will have grace with me for being a bit abstract, perhaps.


      As far as strictly commonplace things that inspired The Baby (or helped me come up with it, or whathaveyou), the first that comes to mind is a man I know. I do not especially like this man (which is why he showed up as Darron Ap-Brainard, bwa-ha), but since the very first of my acquaintance with him, he made me cock my head and try to figure him out (which is also how he swaggered his way into the novel). There is a strange mix of charm and double-faced-ness about the real man which lends itself well to making a good antagonist. I do not think the man himself is a villain, so you will not find complete villainy in Ap-Brainard. (But honestly, a complete villain with no shred of ruined goodness about him is not much of a character to read about.)
     The other commonplace thing that gave me the idea for this story was the peculiar thing that happens to me with many of my novels: the first line. Usually I end up changing the first line in the final draft, but it is usually a first line that gives me the idea for a whole story. I'm a big one for starting different Microsoft Word files for bits of writing that probably won't go anywhere. But occasionally they do, and The Baby is one such. At the start of it, you have a little shred of dialog:

 "We could mutiny!"

 And that's all. But from that bit of dialog came the whole of the story as you know it now. Wonderful, how the mind ends up making mountains out of molehills. Please don't ask how a lost baby came out of a line about mutiny. I couldn't tell you.
  But sometimes inspiration can be retroactive, meaning that some of the less-obvious things that prove as inspiration for The Baby were not even recognizable as inspiration for anything when I first became acquainted with them. Oftentimes they are things from years back. Or, even if recent, the items that inspire seem to have very little to do with the matter under inspection; upon seeing a pin-board for a new novel idea, Jenny suggested I read Rosemary Sutcliff's The Shield Ring for inspiration, though it is "off by a thousand years." In the same way, the names of the Balder children sprang from nothingness: they are both named after their father's shipping firm; Jamsie's real name is 'Jamaica', from the sugar-plantation that has been in her family's possession for several generations. Richmond was named for the great city in America where their father's company has a sister shipping-office. The ideas for the family business were inspired in some part by Amazing Grace (quite opposite an effect than Wilberforce must have been thinking), as well as The Witch of Blackbird Pond. In both cases the source had very little to do with why I retained some little impression about plantations, but...I did. Something about slaves and sugar and Barbados and Jamaica. I dunno.
    The whole idea for The Puddle came from a nighttime walk to the mailbox when the eery idea whispered in my head as I sloshed through a murky pool of water in bare feet: "What if you stepped into a puddle and it had no bottom?"  Starling and Leona (And hence, Smidgen) came out of two separate dreams I had that, at the time, I thought I ought to write down because there had to be a story in there somewhere; I didn't write them down, but I remembered all the same and got two playing-pieces from it. The Admiral and his Fleet came from a hyphenated scrawl I had down for inclusion in Cottleston Pie: "Passenger-Pigeons." But all at once this story needed The Fleet and they had to be black and voila: you have mail-carrying crows.

So in a very long and roundabout way, Elisabeth Grace, I hope I've answered your question to your satisfaction. I find that there is almost never one single thing that influences my stories. They just are or they are not, and the ones that are end up making it to "The End" and the others rarely even make a debut on this blog. Just as my life is a mash of everything including the kitchen sink, so my stories grasp ideas from anywhere and everywhere ranging from sugarcane to excursions to get the mail.

 
"My brother thinks the king should not have gone on the trip himself, especially when I was so near my time; irresponsible things like engagements of state are better left to members of the House of Polaris who like to go sailing."

-The Baby

The Rummaging: when plot must be yanked by the hair

Over on Google+ (yeah, who uses that?), I often keep people updated with bits and pieces of things that never quite make it to the blog. After all, some things don't warrant an entire post of their own and are much better left to a short, snappy, 140-character status. But when I posted this photo (below) with a mention of character-profiling, Bree Holloway inquired further as to how this system works. What faith that child has: asking for instruction when I'd only posted the picture to show how few I'd got done, and how many more I had left.

 

However, there is a certain satisfaction in these closely-written sheets, and they have actually become life-savers for me so I will oblige Bree and the rest of you by explaining this method of Character Profiling. I like to call it "The Rummaging" and you may do the same. Surely another author-or-thousand has done this same method, but since as far as I'm concerned I made it up, I will take the time to post about it for your enlightenment.

Essentially, it all came down to this: my strengths are my character-interactions and their behavior on-page. My weakness is plot. I could banter and spar and cockawhoop all day long, but you might never get to that crucial scene that you're aching to read. And I go into my novels knowing that I will need to focus specifically on the plot. I've learned that and now it's not quite so much of a pain as it used to be - I'm growing used to having to drag plot from myself. Isn't that ridiculous? Some people have plots squirming out of their heads constantly; I have people. Que sera, sera. When I got temporarily out of temper with The Baby, I knew it was only because I had used up what plot details I'd thought up at the start of the project. I always have a beginning and an ending, but I seldom know the in-between. I had a handful of amazing characters but nothing for them to do.

That's when "The Rummaging" began. It started as a way for me to ask my own questions about Lord Darron Ap-Brainard, and to answer those questions in the best way I could. Questions like:

Who is he?

Where does he live?

Why not the House of Polaris?

What is he prepared to do in order to keep a member of the House of Rushes on the throne?

- Things like that; questions I didn't know the answers to myself, but that I knew would be vital to me understanding and portraying Ap-Brainard correctly. The funny thing is, in a way it's like a Beautiful People exercise, only...different. See, I Rummage: I ask myself sensible, pertinent questions and answer those questions with as much detail as I can, and the results are striking. I didn't stop at Ap-Brainard: I moved on to Smidgen and Starling and The Admiral and Leona and John Brady and Richmond, and there are still many more left to Rummage out. The best part of this exercise is that it builds plot on its own... I cannot set up a series of cause-and-effect and plug people into it. That does not work for me in the slightest; I have to dig and delve in my people and figure out what they do. That builds the plot quite apart from me. I found out certain characters have duplicity with which they certainly didn't start. Others have heroes who are part of Crissendumm's mythology that has a direct effect on their political tendencies in the current story. I don't use  completely the same questions for each character. Some are similar (i.e. I often note where they live) but others vary widely. Smidgen is one of the only characters who has a defined hero. Starling has a dream that is complicated and multiplied by a certain friendship. The Admiral has more responsibility and depth than many realize. But there was one question that helped with plotting more than any of the others:

How did they get involved with The Baby?

This question sets me up perfectly because I have to be able to provide an answer, and that links people to each other and then to events and all of a sudden, through this stack of question-and-answer sheets, I have the plot I was searching for. I spent most of yesterday afternoon finishing off most of the profiles, and my sense of direction with this story came back as I trusted it would. The only thing left to do is to go back through all the sheets and assemble the various details into one long timeline so I don't leave out any of the important details that have made "The Rummaging" a thing of beauty and a joy forever.

One of the best things you can do for your own writing is to know your strengths and weaknesses and watch those weaknesses with a close eye, doing things like "The Rummaging" when need be. I promise it is worth any of the extra work; I can't tell you enough how pleasant it is to sit down, pull Smidgen's sheet out of the stack and know exactly where he is supposed to be at what point in the plot. Bones, people. Bones. You've got to have a skeleton or all the skin in the world isn't going to bring the thing to life. Now that all its bones are in order, The Baby is back in business. I cannot wait to show you the thing in its entirety someday.

If you must be Quixotic...

I like to hand myself a hard question now and then and stretch the all too lax abstract/logic muscles of my mind into trying to give a suitable answer. As I sat down this evening and thought about what to write, the question came to me:

Why do I like to write?

In forming my answers for this question, I laid certain parameters upon myself: 1) I could not use "I just love it" to explain. 2) I could not mention Epic by John Eldridge. There. Pact made, and no backsies. 

So why do I like to write?

In a pale, mortal way my answer is a mirroring of 1 John 4:19 which speaks of why we love God: "We love because He first loved us." The question "Why do you like to write" is one of a capricious nature that has no beginning and no end. It simply is. {which, incidentally, is not breaking my pact. No fear on that account. I will explain myself.} I love to write because I love to read, and as I've grown older I believe I love to read because I love to write. The things are inverse and adverse and companions and fools. A love of reading came before an acknowledged love of writing, but I would not say you were incorrect in wondering if the love of writing was always there waiting for an outlet it could not find until I first took up a pen with the intention of forming my own words on paper.

Asking a writer why they like to write {in the theoretical sense of the question} is like asking a person why they breathe. For me, writing is a natural reflex to the beauty, the events, and the people I see around me. As Anais Nin put it, "We write to taste life twice." I live and then I write. The one transfers to the other, for me, in a gentle, necessary way. As prosaic as it sounds, I believe I process by writing. Part of the way I deal with stressful situations, catty people, or great joy or great trials in my own life is by conjuring it onto paper in some way; a journal entry, a blog post, my writing notebook, or my latest story. While I am a fair conversationalist, my real forte is expressing myself in words on paper. If I leave it all chasing round my head like rabbits in a warren, I'm apt to become a bug-bear to live with and my family would not thank me. Some people need counselors. Some people need long, drawn-out phone-calls with a trusted friend. Some people need to go out for a run. I need to get away to a quiet, lonesome corner--preferably on the front steps at gloaming with the North Star trembling against the darkening blue. I need to set my pen fiercely against the page {for at such moments I must be writing--not typing.} and I need to convert the stress or excitement or happiness into something to be shared with another person.

The beauty of the relationship between reading and writing is its give-and-take dynamic. For years I gathered and read every book in the near vicinity and absorbed tale upon tale, story upon story, adventures and sagas and dramas and classics. I fed my fancy, my tastes, and my ideas upon good books and thus those aspects of myself grew up to be none too shabby. When I began to employ my fancy, tastes, and ideas in writing my own books, the dawning of a strange and wonderful idea tinged the horizon of thought with blush-rose colors: If I persisted and worked hard and poured myself into the craft, I could create one of those books. One of the heart-books that foster a love of reading and even writing in another person somewhere. I could have a hand in forming another person's mind. A great responsibility and a great privilege that, and one I would love to be a party to. Books can change a person. I am a firm believer in that. I cannot tell you how many sentiments or noble ideas or parts of my own personality are woven from threads of things I've read over the years. I hoard quotations and shadows of quotations and general impressions of books like a tzar of Russia hoards his icy treasures. They make up a large part of who I am. I think it's worth saying again: books can change a person. For better or for worse. As a writer it's my two-edged gift to be able to slay or heal where I will. It's my responsibility to wield that weapon aright and do only good with my words. Or only purposeful cutting. I am not set against the surgeon's method of butchery--the nicking of a person's spirit, the rubbing in of a salty, stinging salve, and the ultimate healing-over of that wound that makes for a healthier person in the end. It's the bitter herbs that heal the best, so now and again you might be called upon to write something with more cayenne than honey about it. But the end must be good. We cannot let the Light fade from our words.

My last answer for this self-imposed question is a bit shallower, a bit meaner, a bit more like the saucy miss I'm apt to become now and again when the mood is upon me: I like to write because I savor the power. I like to draw a person in and attach them to fictional people. I like to transport them places they've never been, introduce them to observations they'd never have seen were it not for me. Presumptuousness, I know. I like to implant a bit of Rachel in them that may stick there like a cockle-bur the rest of their lives, never to drop away. I like to entrance a reader in my intricate, gossamer web of story and spin them out to the other side, breathless and dew-damp; a little bewildered, a deal pleased. So these, dear friends, are my answers to that wonderfully quixotic question of why I like to write. I'd like to see sister-posts of your own reasons if you so had the time or the inclination. But for now I'll leave you and trot off the practicality of fetching my dinner.

"...He had begun writing again—fierce, warring words she could tell, by the bold black strokes."

-The Scarlet-Gypsy Song

You Wanted to Know, You Know.

Oh look ^ a barnacle vase! I think it's kinda pretty, actually!

The Circumlocution Office received all your inquiries with open arms--I was quite surprised at how those Barnacles scooted over when I commanded them. And now time for a brief interlude while Rachel trots off to hang up the laundry like the sweet little housewife she is...Okay! I'm back and the clothes are flapping in the jaunty April breezes! :)

Now for the answers! :) Felicity wanted To Know: "What inspired you to write this post?" Truthfully? I was tired of hearing my own voice and wanted to hear from someone else for a change so I thought I'd enlist the help of a Barnacle or two to extract questions. ;)

Blossom's Choice Girl asked: "Have you ever won any sort of writing contest?" I have...once I believe. It was a poetry contest and m'thinks I won tops for "Here Runneth the Path of Fairy Feet." :)

"Can you sing or play an instrument?" I can sing well enough. I don't have an exceptionally strong voice--it wouldn't carry past the footlights and that's why I wouldn't make it as a Broadway actress, but it is a sweet little voice, I suppose. :) But I can't play anything. I wish I could, and several of my siblings do, but the time devoted to study would have to be carved off of my other interests such as writing...ahem...and that is utterly impossible! :D

"Who told you about God/ why did you decide to follow Christ?" Ooh. Good question. I have grown up in a Christ-centered home all my life so I suppose it was my parents who first started it all. I was drawn to Christ..I hardly think it was a decision at first--I loved him and wanted to obey him as long as I can remember. It was only when my brother pointed out to me (when I was 5 or 6) that just because my family were Christians didn't make me one, I realized it needed to be a personal commitment. And I've kept learning that ever since. :)

Maria Elisabeth wanted To Know: "What was your first poem like?" In short? Hor.ri.ble. I can't even begin to describe the utter stupidity of it.

"What kind of music do you generally listen to?" It depends. I listen to some Christian contemporary, but my favorite style of music is the old 40's and 50's musicals/crooners and Celtic folk music. :) I really like it when artists combine all those styles (at least, Celtic and Christian) like Keith and Kristen Getty! :)

"How were you first introduced to Dickens, Lewis, and all those other amazing authors?" Well, the Narnia books were some of the first Mama read to me as a young lass. They have always held a special place in my heart. I got started on Dickens through a mutual friend. Little Women, actually. :D I hated not knowing why Jo had started the Pickwick Society. Therefore, Pickwick was my first peep into Dickens and I've never turned back since. :)

"And I save the best for last: Where did you get your genius?" Well my dear girl--you quite flabbergast me. I feel rather like Margaret Hale when she said, "As much as I would like to own up to being remarkably handsome...I was not there." ;) Answering this question in a normal manner would indicate that it was genius burning up in my noggin and not something else. But I will take your question to be a very pretty way of asking, How Did I Learn To Write? My "talent" was "born of fire, bred of dew." which is as much as to say, I Caught it. I caught it from reading and loving and absorbing fine literature. I was never allowed to read "twoddly" books, and therefore my diet of literature was only the best. If you are what you eat, then that must be why I write things worth reading: because I read things worth writing. :)

The Anne-girl made several inquires as well:

"Where did you get your inspiration for Gypsy-Song?" It actually came quite unexpectedly in a simple little phrase: "There was Nannykins to begin with..." and built up rapidly from there! Also, as usual, my siblings gave me robust inspiration for the various children. :)

"Do you think of names or do your characters come named?" Depends...I usually name my characters, as in I suggest the names, but they name themselves in the sense that if the name is not right, it never sticks. :)

And last but certainly not least: "Do you ever dream about your characters?" Actually, no. That has never happened, though I think it'd be amazing. I did dream in Shakespearean English though! :)

Thanks so much, gals! The Circumlocution office will now resume normal activity of Thwarting Progress. No More Wanting to Know. ;)

Circumlocution--the office is open

Dear Friends-and-relations and other Barnacle Types,

         Long has it been a standing rule that one cannot come into the Circumlocution office wanting to know, you know, but that is about to change. It seemed to me and my inner editor and everyone else concerned that there was, perhaps, something you did not yet Know about me that you wished To Know. I do not approve of mysteriousness. I could not be mysterious to save my life, and though I hear the gentleman like a good enigma, I fall woefully depleted in the face of anything Sherlockian. I have to rely on my odds and ends of wit to carry me through.

But I digress. You may therefore leave a comment asking me one or two or three or a dozen questions if you like, and I shall answer them all! Tally-ho and all that rot!

                        I am your 'umble,

                                           Rachel

A Taste of Anne-spelled-with-an-E

Miss Dashwood is having an Anne of Green Gables week over at her blog, and as Anne and I are almost twins, I thought I'd better join in the fun! :)

                                                                

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1. How many of the Anne books have you read, and how many of the films have you seen?

I've read all eight of the Anne books and both of the movies...somehow I can't find it in myself to count that third one as part of the Anne-series...they ought to have just gone ahead with all the Ingleside bunch and made movies about them. :)
 
2. If someone yanked your hair and called you carrots, what would you do to him?


Let me think about this. First off, I would probably laugh--I mean, seriously, why call a brunette "carrots"? I would laugh, but I know I'd be embarrassed that he'd humiliated me in that way in front of a lot of people...I don't think I'd break my slate over his head, but you never know. My wit would probably eventually come to my rescue and I'd say something scathing to him that would redeem the moment in my favor. ;)

3. What would you do if Josie Pye dared you to walk the ridgepole of a roof?

You know...I'd probably try. I'd not get past the first few shingles, I daresay, but I would try. I'm not particularly scared of heights, you know.

4. If you had the opportunity to play any AGG (I'm abbreviating from now on because I am a lazy typist) character in an AGG play, which role would you choose?

Ooh! Well, I suppose physical characteristics must be thought about and I would not fit the part of Anne, though I'd love to play her. Let's see...I think it'd be fun to play either Mrs. Lynde, or (if I could choose from some of the other Anne books) one of the girls in Patty's Place...I've always loved the notion of that sweet little four-some living in that house and going off to college. :) I might choose Phillipa Gordon, though I'm not as pretty as she.

5. If you were marooned on a desert island, which AGG character would you want to have as a companion? (Anne, Gilbert and Diana are not options.  Let's keep this thing interesting.  Not that they're not interesting.... oh, yay, now the disclaimer to this question is longer than the question itself.  Lovely lovely lovely.)

Haha! Davy Keith. He'd know what to do, and even if he didn't, he'd keep me laughing and probably invent some way to get us out of our predicament.

6. If there was going to be a new adaptation of the Anne books and you could have any part in making the movie, what would you choose to do? (screenwriting, acting, casting, costume-making are a few possibilities)

Casting and costume-making...also set-finder-person-who-travels-all-over-and-sees-gorgeous-places. :)

7. What are, in your opinion, the funniest AGG book/movie scenes? (choose one from the books and one from the movies)

Funniest book scene? Oy vay. Um...I've always loved the part when Anne is talking to Mr. Harris and finding herself contradicted at every point. Also when she and Diana are soliciting for their A.V.I.S. society and Anne gets stuck half-way through the roof of the duck-house and has to stay there. She starts scribbling down a story while waiting for help--I love it! It sounds like something I might do in a desperate moment. :D

 

In the movies? I do love her argument with Mrs. Lynde over Dolly. Also the scene where she and Diana hop onto Miss Josephine Barry in the bed, and where she and Diana are walking through the Haunted Wood and faint. :D

8. What are, in your opinion, the saddest AGG book/movie scenes? (choose one of each again) 

In the movie, the scene where Anne realizes she loves Gilbert and he is in mortal danger...the might-have-been in that scene is so sad!

In the book, I would have to say when the Ingleside bunch finds out that Walter was killed in the war...or else when Anne's baby dies. :(

9. Which AGG character would you most like to spend an afternoon with? (again, Anne and Gilbert and Diana are not options for this one--think secondary characters)

Phillipa Gordon--she and I would get along brilliantly, I think. :)

10.  What is your definition of a kindred spirit?

A kindred spirit is the person you can just look at and know they are a friend. There is something electric in their manner that captivates you. I have a blood-hound's nose for finding kindred spirits. When you meet a person you will know they are a kindred spirit by the way they laugh or talk or stand...I can't describe it, but it's there. If you doubt this definition, you have not heard the story of one of my dearest friends and I. I saw her at a mutual friend's graduation. She fascinated me but I was too shy to meet her. We never exchanged a single word. I went home and wrote about the graduation in my journal and mentioned her as a girl who I knew I would love and I said I wished I'd summoned my courage and introduced myself. Over a year later we began emailing (through a series of events) and finally officially met at the same friend's barn-dance. We have been inseparable ever since. :) It was my greatest success! ;)

The End of the Inquisition

Hey Everyone! I write this post from a hotel room in a shady hotel in a shady section of town in a shady sort of spot in a state that is generally beloved by me. That being said, I will say that the purpose of being here is perfectly sound and I am well in body and spirit. But as this has nothing at all to do with writing, I will keep along with the finishing-up questions in my Spanish Inquisition. Ready?
1. What is the best place, in our Writer's opinion, to write at? Hmm... Henry B. Baxter, doth she mean in my writing Utopia, or in reality? In my perfect world, I would have a desk, worn and beautiful, cuddled up to a casement window, trimmed in white that looks over a cottage garden. The window would be cracked open and a faint breeze, scented with summer would wander inside and ruffle my hair. I would have my watercolors pinned to the wall to remind me of my other artistic attempts. Now, stepping back into reality, I would have to say that the best place to write is anywhere one can be alone. I can't do the whole people-looking-over-my-shoulder thing, as I have already stated. Somewhere near a window, preferably.

2. Do you ever listen to music while you write, or do you like complete silence, or a nice din from the kids? Haha! Music on softly, ideally 40's or 50's music or soundtracks. :)

3. What do you write on? (As in, do you use Microsoft Word, Google docs, etc.) I use Microsoft word. :) A very old version that I am doing my best wishing to replace. :D

4. When do you write most? (i.e. Winter, Summer, evening, morning?) Winter definitely due to gardening and other responsibilities the warm season demands, and probably in the afternoons. That's when we usually take our "free-time."

5. Do you like writing better dressed, ready for the day, with your hair up and everything, or in your pj's? Ah! Dressed and ready by all means--my brain works better on such terms, and I feel like much more of an authoress.

6. How many writing notebooks do you have currently? Two that are strictly writing. Beyond that I have scraps of paper all over creation that house my brain dribbles. ;)

7. Do you keep a journal or diary? If so how often do you write in it and what format do you use? I do have a journal and I write in it...a several times a month. In seasons where there's a lot going on, more often than that. :) I used to write in a log format...you know, list-form. But then I decided to go all out with the details, and since then my diary has been ever so much better. :D

8. What is your favorite kind of tea? [YAY!] I would have to say P.G. Tips and English Breakfast are vying for the top position, then Black Currant in second place and....Earl Grey third. :) Tea is my one weakness.

Thanks so much for all the questions you girls asked! It was so much fun answering these little inquiries, and I hope I answered your questions to your satisfaction. If anything wasn't clear enough you know you can email me anytime. ~Rachel

...The Spanish Inquisition Pt. 2

My very helpful [ahem!] editor, Henry B. Baxter gave me the next batch of questions today. He neglected to  categorize the questions and thus left that to me. So bear with me if this is a bit of a whirlwind answer session! :D
I guess I'll address the pre-writing, mid-writing, post-writing questions. Ready?
Ashley asked, "Does she handwrite any of her novels before transferring them to the computer/ a word document?" Once upon a time she did. But then she discovered her pen was not capable of keeping up with her brain, and her fingers were, so she switched medias. But in all seriousness, now and then I do find solace in the scratching of a pen's tip against a sheet of lined paper. That is my favorite way to write, I just don't find it practical.
Ashley also asked, "Has she ever tried to write mystery or Sci-fi?" :D  Don't mention this to my sister, Sarah. It makes her go mad with rage. But yes, I started a mystery set in the Great Depression...and got myself so entwined in the mystery I never did find my way out. I abandoned ship after 100 pages. :D Okay. Don't blame me. Who can keep track of details when your villain has an alias inside an alias, maybe even inside an alias? It just doesn't work so well. :P

Katie S. dived right in with a bing-bang-boom sort of Spanish Inquisition: 
1. Do you keep a daily writing schedule? How long, or how much, do you write a day?
2. How extensively do you plot-n-plan your stories before you begin writing them?
3. Do you edit while writing, or keep the writing and editing processes completely separate?

Answer 1. HAH! Oh. Ummm...sorry about that. I amused me that you thought I could be that good. ;) I write something every day, but I have no schedule. I ought to have a schedule. In a distant day in the past I did have a schedule. But I am currently flying by the seat of my skirt. It's a pretty wild ride. I have actually been seriously contemplating getting up an hour earlier to write.
Answer 2: My plot-n-plan varies from novel-to-novel. For The Seasonings I did not research, bare-bones plotting, and found myself missing that important element in the writing process. For Puddleby Lane I started on a whim, kept on on a whim, and never stopped to rethink it...until now. :P But we're overcoming our differences and moving on on a whim. Maybe that's why it's such a whimsical story. I did, however, write a little blurb to keep me going. For this newest novel I am doing a great deal of research, and thus a good deal of pre-plotting. Plus the plot, not the characters, came to me first this time.
Answer 3. I prefer keeping the writing and editing completely separate. I find that my brain and emotions don't work well with constantly back-tracking. I need to work the story out and give myself permission to write things I know I'll cut out. It's just the way I work.

Abigail Hartman asked me about my preparation and whether I did character sketches, researching, and all that fun jazz. :) Yes and no. It depends. Generally I just start writing with a vague idea of a plot and give the story a chance. It either sprouts wings and flies, or flops by chapter 5 or so and I know it wasn't To Be. But this time around I am indulging in "All that jazz" and finding it much to my liking.

And last but not least, Abigail also asked me, "What did happen to Puddleby Lane?" I distanced myself from it for two months and decided I would lay it aside and focus on researching and plotting my French Rev. novel. I did that for awhile and decided to take a good-bye peep at P.L.....and you know what? I discovered it was not so terrifying as I thought. We began our reconciliation by my killing off The Character. Now that's what I call good relationships. :P

Now girls, my editor is still available for questioning. Go ahead and ask whatever's on your mind and I'll finish up with a third Answer Post soon! :)

A Grand and Glorious Thingamajigger

In keeping with the tradition rumbling my corner of the world, the tradition properly begun by...Jenny and followed by Abigail, I have decided to have my own question and answer Thingamajigger. :) You may here and now leave me a comment asking me anything at all about my writing, novels, processes, or even entirely random questions. Is there something pinging around inside your brain? "Why does she complain so much about uninspiration?" "Why does she capitalize things when they aren't supposed to be capitalized?" "What in tarnation happened to Puddleby Lane?" "Who is the protagonist of your newest novel? Jeanclaude or Tremaine?" [Yes, I confused someone with that one.] Something of that nature. I will do my level best to answer the questions honestly and as clearly as I can. Please leave me a comment with any (or all) of your questions and I will answer each and every one. :) I want to write about things you want to read about, so if you want an answer to a why or wherefore thereof, have at it, girls!

You may address all queries to my Editor, below.

Oh. And do me a favor and help me name him. ;)

Elephants Never Forget! (And Neither Should You! ;)

Everyone remember! The "A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words"contest closes on Saturday at midnight, June 4th! (so really the wee hours of Sunday, June Fifth!) Don't forget to enter! And don't forget to go to the post below and leave some questions for me to answer! :) -Rachel
p.s. Isn't this picture beautiful? I wonder how I look when I'm asleep! :P I love the color of her dress! :)

Ask Me The Questions and I'll Tell You No Lies :)

Only 3 more days to enter the A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words contest! :) Details are here! Thanks to everyone who had entered thus far. I appreciate it more than you know--there's nothing more disappointing than hosting a contest and having no one bother to enter. :)
So I wanted to do a post where anyone and everyone can ask me questions, and I'll answer them in another post. They don't necessarily have to be writing-related questions either, although I'd love some of those too! So please leave a comment with your questions for me! -Rachel

Various and Sundries!

Greeting Fellow Writers! I have been gone all week at Daughters of Destiny, so do forgive the lack of posting! I promise to come up with something good to post on here soon! We just jumped back into life running so I'm super busy! But here are some things to hold you till next post...

1. Thanks to my new follower! We are getting a nice, cozy, community over here at last! :)
2. How on earth can any person on earth have time to do NaNaWriMo? (I just finally found out what it was!)
3. DON'T FORGET THAT THERE ARE ONLY A FEW DAYS LEFT TILL THE DEADLINE FOR THE AUTUMN WRITING CONTEST!!!! PLEASE ENTER IF YOU CAN! JUST CLICK ON THE SIDEBAR PICTURE!!!!! :) Thanks to Abigail, Miss Petunia, and Nela for entering!!! :)
4. Anyone read any good classics recently? Any to recommend?
5. One last thing: Please leave a comment answering these four simple questions:

A. What do I need more of: interesting posts, my writing, or tips?
B. Of my writing, what would you like to see more of: poetry, stories, short pieces of any sort?
C. If I had any other contests or blog parties, would you enter?
D. What made you decide to follow my blog?

Okay! I'll be rather sad if some people don't comment, because than I'd know for sure that you all were sick and tired of this blog! :( I cherish each and every one of you girls, so please keep reading! :) Love, Rachel

Help Me If You Can!

Alright everyone! I am very busy at this point in time, so I haven't written anything for a bit, but I decided I'd ask you two questions. Please EVERY PERSON THAT READS THIS, ANSWER THEM! :)
1. What are some tips for poetry writing you use?
2. What are your views on poetry styles? (rhyming, free-style, etc.)

Once ya'll tell me what you think, I'll answer them myself! :) -Rachel