I've Been Tagged

I started blogging for two reasons: One, to talk nonstop about writing where no one could cut me off halfway through because my God do they not care. Two, to develop a relationship with an online community who I could talk to nonstop about writing with because my God there’s a lot of jackasses in writing.

So when I was tagged by the writer of Writing and the Road to Publication, I found myself glad that I actually read the blogs I follow. (Yet, apparently not my comments section.)

These were the posted rules of our chain agenda:

•           Link back to the person who tagged you.
•           Tag 5 blogs with less than 200 followers.
•           Get them to tag more bloggers and keep this thing going.

The Questions: 

5 Things You Need Every Day

I. Productivity. This is the sort of thing that, while I admit to not actually getting it every day, when I don’t have it, I feel sick and sad and grungy; kind of like how eating is. I don’t do that every day either, and it is a big, fat mistake.

II. Dimitri. This is a cat. He is the only one who can get away with acting like a selfish ass and still have me go out of my way for his happiness and approval.

III. “Dancing.” This is in quotes because what I call dancing might look more like pacing to the outside viewer. Pacing and talking to myself. I plan out stories by means of acting them out with loud music to hide the fact that I am actually pacing and talking to myself. While in college I couldn’t do this without my roommate watching, and I guarantee it’s what helped my depression.

IV. Food. Unfortunately. See number I. This seems like something that needn’t be said, but it is specific to me in a peculiar way. I am a very picky eater with limited appetite. I have been called anorexic, which is frustrating. It has nothing to do with weight. Not as frustrating, however, as starving and not wanting to eat anything. Meal time often takes a lot of thought and energy, more than writing, I believe.

V. Getting ticked off at least once. One of the main reasons I read the blogs I follow is because I’m searching for some of those jackasses I talked about. I hope I’ll get over this.

5 Books You Would Recommend

               

I. The Complete Calvin and Hobbes. I’m not one much for idols; Bill Waterson is my idol. Over the course of 12 books I have attempted to achieve one or more of the elements and styles of the comic, and only recently have I managed to be satisfied in one aspect. I am constantly attempting to take the relationship of Calvin and Hobbes and duplicate it through the not-so platonic relationship of my male and female characters. My most recent book has finally achieved the male protagonist I was looking for, and though he has a very different personality than Hobbes, it’s that watchful, calm, and sarcastic nature that made my Raiden exactly what I was looking for. Having a female Calvin, however, is much harder. Probably because we take women too seriously when they commit to a rant.

II. Gulliver’s Travels. I include this here because it was the first classic I was forced to read that I actually enjoyed. Something about fantasy and sarcasm mixed together is exactly what I need to be in love with a book.

So on that note:

III. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Because it’s damn funny.

IV. Howl’s Moving Castle. What’s great about this book is that the movie is very different, yet it makes it just another story which allows me to love them both without issue of competition. While the first three books listed lack the romance that I want (Sure, Gulliver’s wife is loyal and doting, but you  never really get to see them together), Howl’s Moving Castle has fantasy, sarcasm, and love.

V. Ella Enchanted. I wouldn’t necessarily call this book sarcastic. I wasn’t in love with Ella, I wasn’t in love with the prince, the world was fine and the writing easy, and yet, with all that in mind, it is the book I have read the most of and can never forget about. Why? Who the hell knows.

5 Materialistic Wishes for Christmas Presents

                                                  

I. Macromedia Flash. I think there should be easier programs to draw comics than my out of date Adobe Photoshop. I’m hoping this is one of them.

II. Dungeons and Dragons models. I don’t even have a group to play with anymore. I can’t stop buying them.

III. Advertising space. I have a lot of projects that need advertising and even more impatience for doing it, or forking over the money it would take.

IV. An Xbox. I gave up on video games about seven years ago because it was too hard to write when I could be sucking up my time with them. Then I stole my boyfriend’s old Xbox and played Skyrim for three months straight. I don’t want to buy any Xbox games, I only want to play Skyrim, and I’ll be damned if I pay for something to only play one game. But I would accept it as a gift. If I needed to.

V. A gift certificate to a bookstore. I love looking at books, but I hate spending money (as if that hasn’t been made obvious.) Having a gift certificate takes away the feeling of guilt.

5 Places You Wish to Visit

I. Tokyo. This is held over from my anime obsession days. I still like it, I still emulate it, but I’m now focused on other things. Still would like to go to Tokyo though.

II. Iran. This one is weird, even to me. But I like the diversity of culture and the fact that you have to have life insurance to go makes me giggle.

II. I’ve already been to Greece. Nearly starved myself because I refused to eat anything but gelato (traveling is hard when you don’t even like the food of your own culture.) But I loved it there; it was my favorite place out of everywhere I visited. Mostly because no one can drive. And by “can drive” I mean “gives a shit.”

IV. London. I’m a theatre person. I am a stage manager. I teach acting to kids. I was a theatre major. London is like New York or LA with all sorts of theatrical options, except by its exotic nature, I can pretend that the innate snobbery isn’t the same thing as what we have here in America.

V. Yale. I have been trying to get into their playwriting school every year sense I graduated; they only allow 10 out of 3,000 applicants, but I want it bad enough, I don’t see a reason to give up. I would love to go on a tour there and see the school.

5 Adjectives That Describe You

I was just thinking about this. While talking to a guy about how the difference between the Nice Guy and a nice person was that a person who is nice would never describe himself as nice, but the quintessential Nice Guy is constantly spewing the word as though he’s a web banner getting a nickel every time someone sees it. Then, having just made that determination on the spot, I began to consider how I would describe myself. I think I’ve thought about it too hard and I don’t know.

I. Shy.

II. Cynical.

III. Sarcastic.

IV. Optimistic.

(For those of you wondering, my cynicism comes into play when I’m looking at how things are. My optimism comes out when I’m thinking of how things will be.)

V. Empathetic.

5 Things You'd Say to People About Life 

I. The person speaking the loudest isn’t necessarily the voice of the people.

In fact, he probably isn’t. Most people stop talking when they want to disagree, and pipe up when they have a similar viewpoint. So just because someone is loudly telling you you’re a terrible author, it doesn’t mean everyone feels that way.

II. If you were born with the short end of the stick, it’s unfortunate, but that’s all you got. Show people how you can use it.

III. Let dreams die in their sleep. There’s no reason to put them out of their misery.

IV. Change reality or use reality to your benefit, don’t deny how things really are just because you don’t want them to be that way.

V. You’re abnormal and normal, each in different ways. Figure out how. Use them both to the benefit you.

Other blogs you should read:

I. Failing Up
 

II. Circus Sized

III. 2Unpublished Girls

IV. BJ Kurtz

V. Silence and Noise