Tagged!

Again! Thanks, Cait. :)

I'm serious, now....this is the last time I'm going to do a tag. I'll bet my readers are bored stiff (is that a phrase?) but I couldn't resist Cait's questions. =)

But, honestly. I won't tag anyone, and I won't write any questions of my own, buuuuut.....Cait's questions are awesome. So, here goes:

Rules

(Oh, this is a Liebster award thingy, by the way, but I don't feel like posting the picture. :D)

Post eleven random facts about yourself, answer the eleven questions the awarder has given you and make up eleven questions for your awardees to answer in return. Tag eleven fellow bloggers, and notify them of the award. 

Okay. I'm going to break like almost all of those rules, but hey.

Eleven Random Facts

1. I am on Facebook and Pinterest.

2. I have three wild, competitive younger brothers. (Which happen to be running around the kitchen right now in the middle of a race, one of them cheating, but denying it repeatedly)

3. I'm better coming up with cool girl names than cool boy names. (Ack.)

4. I want to be a stay at home mom with a bunch of kids when I grow up. And a writer, duh. :P

5. I'm homeschooled - never been to public school in my life.

6. I don't like public speaking. Yet Drama is my favorite class. I'm confusing....(:

7. Sci-fi is my favorite genre --- for everything, books, movies, TV shows.....

8. I think it would be fun to make a movie. Or be on the set of a movie.

9. Though I LOVE writing a lot, it still would be really awesome to be able to draw well. (I can't.)

10. ^It would also be awesome to be able to sing well. (I sound like a dying frog.)

11. I'm good (most of the time) at coming up with titles, but the backs of dust covers? Forget it.

Now for Cait's questions!!!!! :D

1. When did you start writing?

Oh....um, Mom says kindergarten. :) She says: "I had to write it down, but you told me what to say." But I think that I actually started started writing novels around age 10 or 11, when I co-wrote a book series with my friend called Princess Quest. It was horrible (my writing was so bad!) but, hey, you live and learn.

2. Do you have a soft spot for a particular character? (Come now, be honest!)

Ehhh....as of right now, for The Shadow Conspiracy, I think it's Sophie. :) She's a lot like me in the fact that she's "half and half" -- tomboy and girly girl. She also has the same personality (ish) as me, so we have a lot in common. Because of that, it's easier to write from her perspective, so I tend to do so a lot. I need to get out of the habit ... The Shadow Conspiracy will turn into the Sophie Show. :) (Not that she'd be against that, of course.)

3. If you had to choose between writing or reading, which would you pick?

I don't know, this is tough. I like them both --- with reading, you get to experience different worlds; with writing, you get to create them. They both have pros and cons. One thing I like about reading, though, is it's portable (I write on my home computer, and I can't lug that everywhere), perfect for boredom, and you learn techniques from it. Not to mention that it brings awesome fandoms. (HP rules!)

But, I have to say I like them equally. :)

4. How often do you have to "rush off" to write down an idea before it escapes?

ALL. THE. TIME. My brain isn't the best at retaining my brilliant ideas (*chuckle chuckle*) so I try to always have a notebook handy. At the moment, I tend to have most of my ideas in my Composition and Science classes at school, so my class notebooks are filled with random scribblings.

5. Do you plot and outline your books or wing it?

I do both. Normally, I'll sketch a basic outline for a chapter (I want this and this to happen, etc.) and things are open to being changed. I'm never set on an outline --- it's just a way to keep my scattered brain focused on what I need to have done. I normally break my guidelines, but it's nice to have them.

6. Are you a sucker for a happy ending or do you leave your readers in misery?

Well, real life is hard --- not every person has a happy ending. I believe in telling it like it is, but I always try to aim for a "heroes triumph" ending. Though I DO NOT believe in serious cliffhanger book endings. (There's the reader coming through.)

7. How protective are you of your baby novel?

Kind of protective, I suppose. :") I won't let anyone read over my shoulder while I write (unless it's a parent, then I have no choice) because it's distracting and I don't want to give anything away. :) But as for posting bits and pieces, I'm fairly open. :)

8. Plans for publishing eventually? Are you going to self-publish or go traditional?

Definitely want to get published someday --- it's every writer's dream. ;) I would prefer to go traditional ... if I get turned down, I'll just keep trying. Scholastic and Disney/Hyperion are my favorites right now. 

9. Are you guilty of using the odd cliche plot element? How are you trying to make it fresh?

Not really ... I mean, I'd rather not be cliched. Nobody wants to, but sometimes it just happens. I try to make it fresh by not having a strict, solid, "filled in" outline. I like to color outside the lines. :) I'm always open to suggestions and random fancies that would spark something strange and fresh. 

10. Tell a little about a character you're currently fleshing out.

The Stranger that I posted about last --- Falcon, a.k.a the Clockwork Master (Jack, you're awesome.) He's very sketchy right now....I might make him a cyborg. Still deciding on that, though. But, he's supposed to be mysterious, maybe evil, maybe good, totally untrustworthy, yet he's the leader of the Fallen (the Resistance against the Raven King). He's seen better times --- he's scarred, outside and inside. By what, I'm not sure yet. But I know he's been made stronger by his rough times.

11. Which is the better type of chocolate? White and milky or 75% dark? (This has a lot to do with writing.)

Agreed. I like milky ... if I eat a lot of dark, it doesn't agree with me. :S But I am in love with Sarris's chocolate pretzel candy bar. Reese's, Nestle Crunch, and Swedish Fish are good too. (The cool thing is, Sarris Chocolate Factory is only a half an hour from my house. They have the best ice cream. <3)

Thanks Cait for the AMAZING questions. I won't ask any (sorry, guys!) because I already did, several posts before. Feel free to go back and do them if you want(: