A Writer Meme, for those of us with a creation-via-words habit

Here's a quick questionaire for all you writers out there. I found it from someone's private blog, so I don't feel comfortable linking her. However, feel free to steal it from me. All writers love talking about writing!

1. What's the last thing you wrote?
For fiction? I was writing an action scene in my current novel. Crazy stuff, lots of explosions and car chases.

2. Was it any good?
Eh. It needs pacing work, and to maybe be detailed out a little more, but the idea is pretty good and the delivery pays off.

3. What's the first thing you ever wrote that you still have?
Some poetry? I have a fiction press account from high school that amuses me. I don't typically share it. Either that, or chapter 1 of my first novel. Don't remember what outdates what.

4. Write poetry?
Very, very rarely. It amuses me, and I kind of wish I could do it more, but it's not really my thing. Requires too much care to do well.

5. Angsty poetry?
Hah. Without irony? Yeah, kinda. It's not super-emo, but it can be pretty down.

6. Favourite genre of writing?
For me to write? Something with a lot of subjectivity. I like things being unresolved and unclear. But no particular 'genre'.

7. Most fun character you ever wrote?
I have a time traveler I really like, but I haven't spent too much time with him. Outside of that, I have a uber-manipulative business guy who pops up in seemingly half my novels that I love. He's so damn likable, and so terribly irredeemable when nobody's looking.

8. Most annoying character you ever wrote?
The most annoying character is whoever I'm currently writing. =D But honestly, the love interest in my third novel, WTC. She's sympathetic, but man do I hate her. I just want her to die. Unfortunately, she doesn't (omg spoilerz!)

9. Write fan fiction?
I've done it once or twice, a long long time ago. I'm always tempted to do it again, just for lulz.

10. Do you type or write by hand?
I dun write anything by hand. My hand cramps signing a check.

11. Do you save everything you write?
Almost. I can tell when I've abandoned something, and when that happens I dump it.

12. Do you ever go back to an old idea long after you abandoned it?
Oh yeah, I have tons of ideas sitting on the back burner and under the heat lamps. And I have a novel that's only 1/6th written that someday I'm going to go and finish.

13. What's your favourite thing that you've written?
My third novel, easily. I think it's the most coherent, and the most 'me'. That said, I don't want to look at it.

14. What's everyone else's favourite thing that you've written?
I don't know. I haven't gotten a ton of feedback on most of my stuff.

15. Do you even show people your work?
Not as much as I'd like. I'm slow about editing.

16. Did you ever write a novel?
I've written several, and will write several more.

17. Have you ever written fantasy, sci-fi, or horror?
My first novel was a fantasy. My fourth had heavy sci-fi elements. Horror creeps up in novels now and then. But no dedicated horror novel ... yet.

18. Ever written romance or teen angsty drama?
Nope. Romance comes into most of the books in some form, but the closest I got to teen angsty drama was books with 20-something angsty drama.

19. What's your favourite setting for your characters?
Any sort of city. Or inside their own heads.

20. What's one genre you have never written, and probably never will?
Young adult? I can't see myself doing a very good job with that. Also, I hope I never write a vampire or werewolf book. Or a legal thriller.

21. How many writing projects are you working on right now?
Two, a novel I'm writing and a novel I'm editing.

22. Do you want to write for a living?
Sweet Jesus yes. Just not yet.

23. Have you ever written something for a magazine or newspaper?
No way. Not my thing.

24. Have you ever won an award for your writing?
Nope. Never entered, though. Gotta play to win.

25. Ever written something in script or play format?
Yeah, one screenplay for Screnzy last year. It was fun. Hoping to do that again this year.

26. What are your five favourite words?
Potato, grey, indignant, ere, what

27. Do you ever write based on yourself?
Kinda. I'm in every character. I think that's inescapable, really.

28. What character that you've written most resembles yourself?
Oof. Hard to say. Max, probably.

29. Where do you get ideas for your other characters?
Where does anyone get ideas? From the ether.

30. Do you ever write based on your dreams?
Nope. I rarely remember my dreams, anyway.

31. Do you favour happy endings, sad endings, or cliff-hangers?
I like the idea of an ending that's satisfying without really coming to a close. The characters resolve the plot, gain or lose something over the arc of the story, but the last beat is always one of uncertainty or possibility. I think every book should end on a minor chord.

32. Have you ever written based on an artwork you've seen?
Um ... artwork I've heard, yes. But every writer channels everything they've experienced into each work.

33. Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write?
I try to be, but I'm bad at both.

34. Ever write something entirely in chatspeak?
I'm tempted.

35. Was that question completely appalling and un-writer like?
Nope. I think there could be an exploration in storytelling via the slang of the times.

36. Does music help you write?
Sometimes. I always have it on, though.

37. Are people surprised and confused when they find out you write well?
Depends on the person. But usually, yes. I don't really give off 'writer vibes' until you crack the shell.

Why blogging's been sparse.

So, I've been getting back into writing lately. I know that I keep saying that, but it's kind of a daily struggle for me. Writing is one of those things that even when I don't want to do it (and sometimes I greatly don't want to do it) I'm almost always compelled to do it.

But for reasons that I'm not going to get into here, I've been having problems with settling down and getting through my personal junk enough to get writing. Thankfully, I have some wonderful friends who indulge my problems in order to help me out. I don't need to link them, they know who they are (and get enough links).

But yeah, I'm still working on my NaNo novel, ITMeat, which is chugging along by about 1000k every day I bother to write. I need to get it done by April when Screnzy starts, but outside of that I'm not really rushing it. I'd rather just build up some good writing habits than rush to hit a deadline.

I'm also editing one of my earlier novels, my NaNo 2007, WTC. That's going slower, mostly because I'm trying to do a good job and mostly because that has way less of a deadline. But ... we'll see. It is going. Just ... slow.

Anyway, that's it for now. Just wanted to let people know that the reason I'm not blogging is because what writing motivation I do have is being thrown at the big projects. Don't hate me too much!

Maybe more here later. About whatever.