Keep calm, fabulous writers, because Beautiful People is back!
YES. You may flail now! Flail copiously, for you have missed this.
As you know, we took a 3-month break from Beautiful People for a NaNoWriMo themed Beautiful Books linkup.
What is Beautiful People?
If you’re new (greetings, mortal) this is a linkup hosted by Sky @ Further Up and Further in and I, where writers answer questions about their books/characters. It’s designed to help you get to know your book better! (And also give us a sneak peek of your works-in-progresses.)
The linkup is open all month. Just a) grab the questions, b) answer them on your own blog, c) either link to our blogs or take the official button, and d) linkup below!
You can check out the official page (FAQs and examples) if you wish it.
But PS. This week is a special edition.
Instead of interviewing characters…we’re interviewing authors.
YES, HUMANOIDS, THIS MEANS YOU.
Get ready to talk about your awesomeness.
Q U E S T I O N S
1. How many years have you been writing? When did you officially consider yourself a ‘writer’?
2. How/why did you start writing?
3. What’s your favorite part of writing?
4. What’s your biggest writing struggle?
5. Do you write best at night or day?
6. What does your writing space look like? (Feel free to show us pictures!)
7. How long does it typically take you to write a complete draft?
8. How many projects do you work on at once?
9. Do you prefer writing happy endings, sad ones, or somewhere in between?
10. List a few authors who’ve influenced your writing journey.
11. Do you let people read your writing? Why or why not?
12. What’s your ultimate writing goal or dream?
13. If you didn’t write, what would you want to do?
14. Do you have a book you’d like to write one day but don’t feel you’re ready to attempt it yet?
15. Which story has your heart and won’t let go?
Woooo! I have been waiting for this next edition. By the way, this one sounds awesome. In answer to your question, though… I am most definitely a a writer that dabbles in literally EVERYTHING. I don’t limit myself to only one genre; it’s fine if some writers do, but I like to explore different genres to see what I like best. Like, I’ve discovered that there are some genres that I probably wouldn’t be interested in writing in again, and others which I love love love love. *cough* high fantasy *cough* But yeah. I’ll write in any genre. 🙂
Kara @ Diary of a Teen Writer recently posted…Mini Reviews – The Protected & The Sky So Heavy by Claire Zorn (In Which Kara Seriously Wonders Whether there is Something Wrong With Her)
We were a bit late, right?! Both of us forgot. XD
I DABBLE IN ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING TOO. *hi fives* I haven\’t decided what my favourite genre is….I like sci-fi but I suck at it. I\’m probably best at urban fantasy. At least I feel comfy there. The only thing I HAVEN\’T tried is steampunk. I just….nope.
Oh yay! I’ve been waiting for this since I found your blog via Beautiful Books. Also, I think I broke my post-writing speed record; wrote this post in twenty minutes. Thanks for hosting this event so I can ramble about myself! 😉
Alyssa recently posted…Beautiful People [5]: My Darkest Writing Secrets
Yaaay! I loved reading your post!
All genres. ALL. I want to do everything. I did high fantasy for NaNoWriMo, I’m doing a…I’m not really sure what to call it…um…fluffy coming of age contemporary? Or something like that now. I have a sci-fi idea in reserve, an old high fantsy idea which I’d still like to try, an urban myth fantasy thing that I want to do next, and another urban myth fantasy thing that I’m either going to merge with it or do stand alone (mainly because I have a set of Japanese twins in both and I don’t know if that’ll look like I’m writing the same characters twice because they look very similar even if their personalities and societal positions are very different). I’ve done short stories in the genres of historical, dystopian, high fantasy and romance/contemporary.
So yeah, when I say all… Well, why have one chocolate when you can have the box?
YOU ARE AMAZING. I\’m in awe of these fabulous genres and seriously, it\’s soooo fun to dabble. I\’m a dabbler. I love sci-fi but I suck at it. >.> It\’s the terms I get stuck on. I\’ll be like \”and then they did complicated stuff with machine thingies\” and yes, this is why I have problems.
ERK! I hear you about possibly writing the same characters! I have mute little boy and an older protector figure in one book…and then in a new book I have a little/older brother duo, and I feel like I CAN\’T write that because I\’ll be copying myself. *cries*
I always say the box.
YAY THIS LOOKS LIKE FUN. I loved being interviewed by Gabrielle Tozer and now there’s more questions to answer! Although I guess I’ll have to clean my room if I’m showing pictures of my writing space 😛
I dabble. I mainly stick to contemporary (as you know), but Wanderland was EVER so much fun and I think I might like writing more in fantasy or even thriller/mystery or something like that 🙂
Emily @ The Loony Teen Writer recently posted…Hope in a Ballet Shoe: for fans of Mao’s Last Dancer
Oh my gawsh, that was the BEST interview with Gabrielle Tozer. And you. I giggled insanely. XD
Ah, yes, cleaning rooms. I did think of that too when I started drafting my post. Meh.
I definitely dabble. Even if I end up not finishing or sharing or sending out my dabblings, I like trying different things. It keeps me from getting stuck and keeps my imagination going.
Jordyn recently posted…Free speech is more important than ever after Charlie Hebdo attack
I LOVE trying different things too! And, the way I see it, how do we know we\’re not insanely good at something secretly unless we try it, right?!
Exactly! I really want to write more fantasy stuff but am currently kind of shit at it haha. One day, though, I will be amazing!
Jordyn recently posted…Why 2014 was a fantastic year for feminism
Yay! I’m so excited to do this Beautiful People linkup. I am definitely a many genre writer. I’ve only written one and a half first drafts, but I have a million novel ideas all in different genres. I just want to try them all. Maybe eventually I’ll narrow it down, but for now I’m just trying different things out.
Ana @ Butterflies of the Imagination recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Novels For 2015
Millions of ideas is a fabulous way to live, imo. XD I loved reading your post!
YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS LINKY. It’s . . . linktacular (thank god I don’t make a living writing puns). My novel has actually evolved so much in the past couple of months, so I’m dead excited to answer these!
Allie @ Little Birdie recently posted…Review: Defy {Sara B. Larson}
YAY ALLIE IS BACK!!! And of course it\’s awesome and lintacular. I helped invent it. *smiles modestly*
My WIPs are all different genres…I even surprised myself by coming up with a contemporary romance idea! But my one published novella is a fantasy. I generally veer towards fantasy with a steampunk/Victorian era flair.
Yay! Can’t wait to go link up to Beautiful People again!
Emma Clifton recently posted…Say Hello to My Bookshelf
I surprised myself by actually writing a contemporary romance. Although, to be fair, it ended in death and tears BUT STILL! Cake for me! x) I can\’t wait to read your post!
I’ve never done Beautiful People before, but I just might today. I consider myself an “all genres” writer, but right now I’m focusing my writing strength on sci-fi and fantasy novels. We’ll see where the future brings me.
~Sarah Faulkner
P.S. Thanks for your comments on Inklined.
Sarah Faulkner recently posted…In 2015, I Will
WELL I JUST READ YOUR POST AND IT WAS WONDERFULLY BRILLIANT. JUST SAYIN\’.
AAHHHHHHH (I might have whisper-screamed when I saw this in my inbox)
I’ve done fantasy, sci-fi, pre-apocalyptic(took me forever to figure out a genre-name for my WIP XD), modern contemporary, fairy-tale rewrite, dystopian… well, I haven’t actually written all of those but the novel ideas that are simmering and waiting for their turn come from all these genres XD So yeah, I basically like to do everything. Writing in only one genre seems boring XD
Lisa Canfield recently posted…Mini-views
DUDE, YOU HAVE EVERYTHING. okay, well, nearly everything. And you muuuust write them all, okay?! Because that would be awesome and fairy tale rewrites are my favourite JUST SO YOU KNOW. I\’ve actually written 2 of them. Although one is so skewed people wouldn\’t be able to tell, but so is Throne of Glass and it still counts. XD
I know right XD And I’m REWRITING my Beauty and the Beast rewrite and it’s gonna be even less like B&B, but who cares XD AND YES I WILL WRITE THEM and I will show you snippets and stuffins, especially of my fairy tales, kay?
Lisa Canfield recently posted…Mini-views
Yay! *flails*
*flails with you*
Those are some really cool questions!
Unless depressing fiction counts as a genre, I feel that I must count myself as one who dabbles in all sorts. After all, if an idea pops up and you ain’t writing anything else, one must answer the call…
ponymad2booklover recently posted…Top Ten Books
Pfft, depressing fiction ought to count as a genre. I practically live there. XD
Eep, this month’s questions look great! 🙂 I’ll be posting soon!
The Magic Violinist recently posted…Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future (a book review)
YAY THIS PLEASES ME.
Also, thanks for posting this when you did! I’ve been in a writing slump (not related to my “Supernatural” hangover at ALL, no way . . .), and this was exactly the kick in the right direction I needed. 😛 Editing, here I come!
The Magic Violinist recently posted…Beautiful People Linkup–January
I found your blog recently, so I’ve never gotten to do a beautiful people link up before. I am pretty excited about this. I consider myself a Historical Fiction and Middle Grades writer. However, I wrote my NaNoWriMo book in a fantasy land and I have ideas for realistic fiction and mysteries. I hope to branch out.
Branching is FUNNESS. I do hope you get a chance someday. I started with fantasy and now would like to dabble more with contemporaries or MG. x) One day…
I’ve got ideas for stories in all sorts of genres and I would *like* to write them, but somehow, I always end up writing fantasy or some form of spec fic. Can’t wait to fill this one out!
Tara (T. T. Kesley) recently posted…The Seven Deadly Sins Book Tag
I always end up back in paranormal. It\’s my default! BUT I LOVE ALL THE GENRES!
Ooh, this looks fun! I’ll try to fit it in sometime towards the end of the month. Nice questions! 🙂
nevillegirl recently posted…A Sky Full Of Stars – Top Ten Books I Read In 2014
Yesssss! YOU TOTALLY COULD!
Oh I was WORRIED on the 5th when you didn’t put up a Beautiful People post! I’m excited to do this one. 🙂
I am totally a writer with a finger in every genre-pot. Right now, I’m working on a paranormal thingy, but also have a contemporary novel planned. And I’ve always loved epic fantasy. I’d also love to try a NA. Eventually.
I am SO willing to try it all!
Sophia recently posted…December // The Month of Catch-Up
WE FORGOT. How terrible are we?! Blame the new year. It robs memories.
I write Fantasy. Fantasy is my life! And I think I wouldn’t press myself into other genres if I simply can’t. I’ve got some non-Fantasy projects, but I never write something else just because I think I need to. Fantasy is what I want to write and it’s okay.
Windsprite recently posted…“Puppenmord” /”Wilt” -Tom Sharpe
FANTASY IS LIFE! HUZZAH! I started my writing career with 6 fantasy books before I even dared peek into any other genre. x)
Ooh, what fun! I look forward to answering these questions. (Does that make me narcissistic? OH WELL.)
As for being a one-genre author, the answer is…sort of? Basically, most of my novels and novellas have been realistic fiction; BUT some are historical and some are contemporary, so they’re not QUITE the same genre. I love reading fantasy, and I always think, “Ooh, I should try writing something fantastical!” (especially after I finish reading, like, Maggie Stiefvater or Cornelia Funke or J.K. Rowling or Leigh Bardugo or Laini Taylor or some other freakishly talented fantasy author) but I just never get around to it. I always become discouraged or overwhelmed or something and end up chasing a shiny new contemporary fiction idea. So, no fantasy as of yet, though I love to read it; we’ll see if that changes sometime!
Taylor Lynn recently posted…My Top 10 Most Anticipated Debuts of 2015
Oh, no, you\’re just acknowledging your fabulousness. I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO ANSWERING THESE! *whispers* And am I the only one who thinks this round will be the easiest? hehe. My characters often are stubborn for interviews. XD
Maggie Stiefvater always makes me want to write about fairies or dead kings or something I have NO knowledge about altogether.
Oh, those pig-headed characters…! Haha, yeah, this round the only person we have to struggle with is ourselves. (Technically some would say it’s the same for ALL these interviews, but shhh…we know better…characters have minds of their own. xD)
Right? Maggie makes me want to write whole books about mythologies I have little to no knowledge of. It’s awful haha.
Yay, it’s back! ^_^ I’m totally a multi-genre author. I even have a a habit of splicing several genres into one story. I’ve done high-fantasy, paranormal, sci-fi, horror, futuristic fantasy, post-apocalyptic, mystery/thriller. I guess the one thing that ties all of those together is that it’s fantastical. I don’t have anything against contemporary, I just find it kind of boring to write about. Even if I attempt, zombies will inevitably show up at some point. *sigh*
Anah recently posted…Why I Haven’t Picked Up Many New Adult Books
I don\’t love contemporary, but I don\’t mind it and I WOULD like to try writing it! But so far…all my attempts end up in explosions that make it thriller or…erm, end-of-the-world. >.>
All kinds of books for definite! Oh, the possibilities. I WANT TO TRY EVERYTHING!
Mawa Mahima recently posted…Beautiful People: Author Edition
ME TOO. WE ARE WRITERLY TWINS ON THIS, MAWA.
Wow!! This looks like fun.. everyone is so ambitious. Will try and fill this out when I get a chance! Thanks Cait 🙂
Erin recently posted…Style Choices: Perfect for Winter
Ahhh forgot to answer the bonus question: I definitely read all diff kinds of books! My favorite genre is obviously YA fiction, but I haven’t been reading as much YA recently as my classes in college have us read things like Socrates/Confucius/Euripides/Ovid/Bacchae and all that classic lit jazz…
Erin recently posted…Style Choices: Perfect for Winter
Woah, I admire you for reading all those heavy books, though! GO YOU. My brain would melt. For all the books I read….I honestly have to stick to the kids aisles or my brain just implodes.
Gah, I want to do this and I feel as though I must do this but I cannot do it today so I will do it later. *sigh*
Heather recently posted…Thursentary: The Reader Grows Up
I WILL LOOK FORWARD TO IT.
Can’t wait to participate! I’m only on my third novel, and my first isn’t finished, so I don’t have that much experience with genres. But I think I’m meant for contemporary. It can easily be funny, teenagery, and serious, all at the same time. However, I want to write this while I’m young so I know what teenagers are like.
I do have many ideas about fantasy and dystopian and stuff, but my dystopian petered out after 65k [sob] so maybe it’s not meant to be? Like my charger is not mean to work? [Sorry that was completely off topic but my computer charger just broke and I’m DYING. I have a blog post, research paper, and novel to write, not to mention commenting on the 5,000 blogs I follow.]
Chloe @ Free As a Girl With Wings recently posted…Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Contemporary is AWESOME. I enjoy reading it….I just suck at writing it. XD Although I did sort of pull of a contemporary that I wrote with my sister…so I tried. XD
65K sounds like a fine length of a book to me!
CHARGERS BREAKING IS LIKE THE WORST THING IN THE UNIVERSE. That happened to me a few years back and I panicked because NO COMPUTER FOR DAYS. It was a hard life trial. I FEEL YOUR PAIN.
YES! I can’t wait to do this, I’ll probably do it tomorrow. Can’t wait!!
I write a BUNCH of genres. Just to give an example, I’m outlining a steampunk, while finishing up a dystopian, and after that I’m planning on doing a historical fiction. The one before that was a contemporary, and before that I think I did a few fantasies and one or two fractured fairytales. For short stories my proudest is probably this little mystery story I did for fun. It was hilarious and a blast to write. I’ve also written two fantasies and one contemporary. So yeah, I dabble a bit.
Elizabeth recently posted…What We Can Learn: Music
You are marvellously diverse! YOU\’VE NEARLY TRIED EVERYTHING! I\’ve done contemporary, apocalyptic, fantasy, and paranormal…oh and sci-fi/space-opera. I admire you for Historical Fiction. That is INSANELY difficult but awesome!
I’m a bit of a dabbler, Though I try to stick to fantasy so that I can be good at one thing and not a mediocre jack of all trades. This looks great, I’m really hoping to do it soon. *sigh* so many posts…
Ashana Lian . recently posted…Ashana Lian Fantasy Challenge || 2015 Link-Up
Fair enough! I like to experiment with everything in case I\’m really really (lol) good at something but don\’t know it yet.
LOL!! Well said!
Ashana Lian . recently posted…Ashana Lian Fantasy Challenge || 2015 Link-Up
Beautiful People is back!! Honestly, I don’t know if I’ve ever actually done Beautiful People before (if I have, it’s only been once) but I’ve been eyeing it (and Beautiful Books) for a while and almost jumping in. Looks like I finally am! But, I won’t be posting it until tomorrow probably.
To answer the question, I’m a dabbler. Yes, the two first drafts I’ve actually completed are both dystopian, but I’m writing a contemporary now, and I have snippets written of historicals, sci-fis, fantasies, and well, almost everything. XD
Katheline Hansen recently posted…The Tyrant’s Daughter Review on In The Character’s Shadow
Yaaaay, I\’m glad you\’re taking the plunge! (And that\’s fine! Linky\’s open all month after all. XD) Dabbling is good. I am a dabbler too. *nods*
FANTASY IS THE BEST BUT YES I DABBLE IN EVERYTHING. Medieval fantasy is my fave, but I’ve been doing more contemporary fantasy. BECAUSE MAH CHARRIE BBIES. <3333 They are adorbz/awesome. ^_^
Also I love this idea of Beautiful People for interviewing us. I JUST DID IT. …Except that I have other things I must post first because I am silly… so I will post it in… a couple of weeks-ish. *shifty eyes*
SKATA GIF! (*cough* I mean Dean gif. BUT MIRRI HAS RUINED ME FOR ALL SUPERNATURAL AND TVD GIFS! *flail*)
Deborah O’Carroll @ The Road of a Writer recently posted…THAW: Fairytale Series Launch! (& Giveaway)
Fantasy is what started me writing so I have HUGE respect for it. But now I just…I just have to try EVERYTHING.
That is not Skata.
Wash your mouth.
DEAN WINCHESTER.
Most of the time, I write fantasy stuff. I just love dragons and swordfights and WIZARDS. But there have been a few instances where I’ve dipped my toes into other fiction. Regular people, regular world, and whatnot. But I always find those a little dry after an otherworldly adventure. And there’s also one humor one (is humor it’s own genre?) that I was writing with friends, and it is stupid and hilarious and idk if anyone but the three of us would enjoy it. It has the barest of bare plots, and everyone keeps dying in utterly ludicrous way, like tripping over an ant, or imploding, or getting run over by a 300-pound man on a tricycle. And everyone has names like Piggly and Miggy and Fizz. And George. He was the one who tripped over the ant.
BUT ANYWAY, I feel like most writers start out by writing fantasy, do they not? Or is that just a thing I heard that has no basis in reality? Either way, I may have to start branching out to different genres more. Maybe that will help me with my chronic unfinish-ness? Or maybe I have to switch from YA style to middle grade style, as my friend said she thinks I’d do well at writing middle grade. Idk man. Idk. XD
Rachel W. recently posted…Beautiful People: The Authors!
Comedy is a genre, so I guess YES humour is kind of a genre, right?! I can understand just writing fantasy. xD I struggle to keep things non-supernatural when I\’m writing. *sigh* It\’s just so FUN to dabble with the impossible. I think most writers DO start with fantasy. Isn\’t everyone inspired by Narnia/LOTR/Harry Potter?!
I’ve only tried Historical Romance, Nonsense, and Epic Speculative Adventure/ Political Thriller. I have many plots for Epic Speculative Adventure/Political Thriller Fairy Tale Retelling and one or two Modern Fiction ideas. I tend to mix genres.
annegirl recently posted…Beautiful people: Author’s Edition
Faaaairy tale retellings are my FAVOURITE. I hope you get to try them all. Trying ALL THE THINGS is fun.
Ooh. I may do this or maybe not. Not sure…
I am a mostly fantasy writer, but anything I can fit under the main genre of fantasy I will possibly try. Horror, mystery, urban fantasy, epic fantasy, dystopian… YES PLEASE. XD
Robyn Hoode recently posted…Tagged!
😉 Well, I\’m looking forward to reading it if you do. XD
Well, I don’t know if I can rightly call myself an “author” because I’m one of those people who finishes not even half of the things they start. Furthermore, most of the things I do finish are poems, not stories. XD But the stories I *have* finished (or am actively working on) cover contemporary fiction, historical fiction (mostly about World War II-era Europe), dystopian, and speculative fiction (I guess that’s the proper term, even though it’s awfully vague.) So I guess I’m a little all over the place, at least for now. 🙂
Hanna recently posted…Why We Need Science Fiction
Aw, I understand that feeling, but if you write, you\’re definitely a writer. *nods* Poems means you\’re an author!!
Aw, thanks! Now if I could just get someone to publish those poems. 😉
Eh, I’m currently more of a one-genre type of person, but I think that might eventually change. I’m a major nerd for fantasy (growing up with a Tolkien-loving father definitely helped with that!), so that is currently where I’m at, although I’ve decided to branch out and do a Robin Hood retelling, so this should be interesting!
Sam Smith recently posted…BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE // author edition
The Dean Winchester! Awesomeness, indeed. As well as the special edition. I’m excited.
Hmm… I don’t really have a specific genre. I write what I think of, I suppose. Which usually tends to be random, unusual, and/or …thrilling? Also, cliffhangerishness. I do that. People somewhat hate me for it, I suppose, but I’m afraid I can’t quite help it most of the time (meaning almost always).
(Cliffhangerishness meaning: the writing I post is usually a stand-alone scene that doesn’t exactly stand alone. I thought of a picture, or a phrase/sentence/feeling/something-of-that-sort, and wrote the scene. But where most things have a beginning, middle, and end, and all the other good things inbetween, these scenes that I write usually are missing all but one of those.)
Of course, you could always take a look at the stuff I’ve recently posted, that would be must easier than explaining. 😉
Yes, I do sometimes let some people read what I write. It depends on what it is. Some things I only show certain people, some things I post, and other things I never show anyone. (I have a secret, private blog for those last things so I can keep them handy and look at them if I like. It’s also a convenient way of saving them.)
Jessy Jones recently posted…Awaken Her
It seems I got one of the questions mixed up into the bonus! Ah, well. I suppose that only means I get to answer it twice.
Jessy Jones recently posted…Awaken Her
CATE PLEASE OH PLEASE TELL ME THAT THE FEBRUARY INSTALLATION OF BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE WILL FEATURE OTPS AMONG OUR CHARACTER THAT IS ALL I WANT
YES IT WILL, OLIVIA. REST EASY.
Why have I never done one of your Beautiful People posts before? I looove talking about my writing and just writing in general, so this was a lot of fun to do.
As to your bonus question, I’m a writer who dabbles in ALL THE THINGS. I don’t think I could stick to one genre even if I wanted to try. But I do mostly write contemporaries and fantasies. I write all age groups, though I am currently working harder on my YA stories than others. I have a feeling that when I become an author and start getting better and working harder at writing, I’ll be able to (and WANT to) dabble in more genres and push the boundaries. 🙂
Holly J recently posted…Beautiful People: Author Edition