Meme answers:
1. What was the first actual work of creative writing you ever wrote? Preferably the piece that led you to think you would enjoy doing this again, or even for publication.
First ever written, that I remember: In 7th grade we had to write “books”. We wrote and illustrated short stories and assembled them somehow, with laminated covers. Mine might be in a closet somewhere at my parents’ house. It was about aliens conducting an experiment on two orphaned sisters, trying to get one to kill the other. My teacher didn’t much care for it. That’s the only time I remember doing creative writing in school.
The piece that led me to enjoy it: Probably the weird short stories I wrote in English class the last year or so of high school, when I’d do horribly on the timed analysis essays and then go back to my desk and scribble out surreal things.
To think I’d try for publication: I decided that during the book I just finished, when I was on chapter 2 or 1 or in between and had no clue what I was doing.
2. Do you write under your own name?
Yep. I hate making up names. 🙂
3. Why did you start writing seriously?
I started writing because the stories in my head kept morphing and I wanted to have some coherent plot, world, and characters out of it all. I don’t know why I take it seriously.
4. Did you write or try to write in someone else’s style? Whose? Or did you find your own voice from the start?
I have my own voice, I guess. Alas. If I were going to try someone else’s, it’d be McKillip, which is nothing like mine at all.
5. What one artistic work of any media or writer most inspired you to write?
Nothing in particular.
6. Do you have any rituals when you write? Lucky clothing you wear? Music you must listen to? A writing place? Absolute quiet? Tell all.
Heck no. Otherwise I’d never get anything done.
7. Do you reward yourself when you finish a project? How? Do you dole out the rewards at various stages of the project or save them for the end?
I bought a Palm when I finished this draft. That was the first time I rewarded myself. I might throw a party when I submit a book.
8. What word do you most overuse when you write, not counting common words like “had” or “the”?
looked glanced sat walked said was shrugged frowned sighed stared seemed were could nodded smiled
And I just noticed that I’ve lost the macro that highlighted all of those (and a few more), and I’ll have to write it again. (I installed a new macro that wrote itself over some older ones, grrr).