eurydicebound (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
eurydicebound) wrote2004-02-04 12:54 pm
eurydicebound) wrote2004-02-04 12:54 pm
Happy Birthday!
Today is my 32nd birthday. I have now successfully aged once again. Ph33r me. :)
In honor of this auspicious occasion, I decided to commit whole-hog to this interview meme that's running around like mad. Over the next few days, I'll be taking valuable time I should be using to work and blowing it off doing this, instead. :)
Today's questions are from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
whisper_jeff.
1) Do you realize how talented you are as a writer? I don't mean this
to sound like a compliment (though feel free to take it that way as
well) - I do mean it as a serious question.
Hmm. Well, I'll resist the temptation to merely blush and dissemble as I fidget with my clothes, and attempt to answer this without the whole compliment side of it.
Yes, and no. See, I know I write better than 75% of the people on the planet. Language is one of the things I'm really good at. Most of those 75% can kick my ass in just about anything else, so it's not as though I'm feeling especially proud of this accomplishment. So, to that extent, I know roughly where I fall on the scale.
But then, the answer is also "no." I don't suffer from writer's remorse, as I've seen it termed, because I really feel like I do the best job I can on any given thing at the time I write it (with one particular project in mind as an exception, but that was during the worst of last year and there wasn't shit I could have done about it, really). That being said, however, I feel I'm competent and servicable in my craft. I have no idea how this falls out on a scale of other published writers. I do know I haven't had a piece of fiction published yet aside from vignette stuff on a web site, and that I can't seem to execute plot to save my life, and I don't know how to fix it -- a serious failing for one who would like to have fiction published one day.
I am confident that I can meet the standards laid before me, but I have no confidence in my ability to excel, I guess. I have very few benchmarks I can use, as my writing career to date has failed to make even the most cursory mark on the consumer consciousness. I will never dazzle, I'm afraid, asprinceofcairo or Rebecca Borgstrom do, and I fear I'll never be able to break out of the gaming industry at all for lack of being anything more than a competent wordsmith. I don't mind being a competent wordsmith, mind you, but I can't help looking at my less than perfect wings sometimes and wondering what it would be like if I could really fly....
2) What sort of project would you love to write if given a blank slate
and total freedom?
Sweet Jesus. I honestly have no idea. I'd love to write a novel, really. I don't know if I could do it, but I'd love to try. As for a gaming project... hmm. I think I do pretty well with licensed properties (and I'm lacking any truly original ideas at the moment), so I'd like to do a game based in Stephen King's Dark Tower/Gunslinger setting. Alternatively, Stephen Brust's Dragaera. Thirdly, I'd go for Damar, Robin McKinley's sometimes setting. The off chance to actually meet any of them and have a good time would be enough to sign me up on the project.
3) How much is gaming a part of your non-work life?
More and less than I'd like. David's best and most useful coping tool is obsession, and it typically takes the form of games and game systems. There are times when it feels like I literally cannot get more than five words of conversation on any other topic. Therefore, it's sort of the glue that holds us together from time to time. This is not the best of solutions, but at least he's trying to share something with me.
Less, because I'd like to actually have a regular gaming group (probably one who could come over to my house, or one with other people who have children, so that I could find a way to make it all work out. I haven't successfully had that since I had children, and I miss it. I really need more social interaction than I get RL (read: almost nil) right now, and a group of friends with whom one can play games or watch movies and hang out is something I dearly, dearly miss. Whenever I move again, it will be somewhere I can have these things. I don't do well without them.
4) Who do you respect the most (and as with James, no cliche answers
like mom and dad)?
Heh. I'm tempted to answer with a quote from Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice,
"I have few people that I love, and even fewer whom I respect."
I respect my friend, Trey, who has had God-knows-what happen to him, but has never used his problems as an excuse and has always found a way to keep them from ruling his life. I respect his wife, Nicole, for being the most together person I've ever met. Elissa reminds me a lot of her, and I think very highly of Elissa as well for very similar reasons. Both have been through their share of ick, and neither has done anything but grow stronger for it. I can only wish to ever have a tenth of their wisdom.
I respect Stephen King, for being the best damn wordsmith I know, not to mention overcoming all manner of ick in doing so.
I respect a lot of people for a lot of reasons, but they're way too numerous to list here.
5) Who would you strangle if you could do so without repercussions?
My husband's parents, for standing by and being too wrapped up in their petty little lives and sick problems to parent their children. They've never really acknowledged what they did, nor will they ever. They are incapable of it at this point, I'd imagine. If I lose my husband and my marriage, it will be directly caused by they shit they pulled and the shit they did nothing to either prevent or remedy, and every step my husband takes toward healing is one step closer to ending our relationship. I hate them both, because they've harmed the people I love, because they refuse to acknowledge it, and because in the end, I may very well lose everything I've ever wanted or dreamed of to their callous indifference and neglect. I would gladly see them both gone from the face of the earth.
*Note: I don't hate easily. I have never hated anyone else in my life. It took me years to hate them... it was not some overnight sensation. They've had to earn it, and earn it they have.
THE RULES:
1 - Leave a comment, saying you want to be interviewed.
2 - I will respond; I'll ask you five questions.
3 - You'll update your journal with my five questions, and your five answers.
4 - You'll include this explanation.
5 - You'll ask other people five questions when they want to be interviewed.
In honor of this auspicious occasion, I decided to commit whole-hog to this interview meme that's running around like mad. Over the next few days, I'll be taking valuable time I should be using to work and blowing it off doing this, instead. :)
Today's questions are from
whisper_jeff.1) Do you realize how talented you are as a writer? I don't mean this
to sound like a compliment (though feel free to take it that way as
well) - I do mean it as a serious question.
Hmm. Well, I'll resist the temptation to merely blush and dissemble as I fidget with my clothes, and attempt to answer this without the whole compliment side of it.
Yes, and no. See, I know I write better than 75% of the people on the planet. Language is one of the things I'm really good at. Most of those 75% can kick my ass in just about anything else, so it's not as though I'm feeling especially proud of this accomplishment. So, to that extent, I know roughly where I fall on the scale.
But then, the answer is also "no." I don't suffer from writer's remorse, as I've seen it termed, because I really feel like I do the best job I can on any given thing at the time I write it (with one particular project in mind as an exception, but that was during the worst of last year and there wasn't shit I could have done about it, really). That being said, however, I feel I'm competent and servicable in my craft. I have no idea how this falls out on a scale of other published writers. I do know I haven't had a piece of fiction published yet aside from vignette stuff on a web site, and that I can't seem to execute plot to save my life, and I don't know how to fix it -- a serious failing for one who would like to have fiction published one day.
I am confident that I can meet the standards laid before me, but I have no confidence in my ability to excel, I guess. I have very few benchmarks I can use, as my writing career to date has failed to make even the most cursory mark on the consumer consciousness. I will never dazzle, I'm afraid, as
princeofcairo or Rebecca Borgstrom do, and I fear I'll never be able to break out of the gaming industry at all for lack of being anything more than a competent wordsmith. I don't mind being a competent wordsmith, mind you, but I can't help looking at my less than perfect wings sometimes and wondering what it would be like if I could really fly....2) What sort of project would you love to write if given a blank slate
and total freedom?
Sweet Jesus. I honestly have no idea. I'd love to write a novel, really. I don't know if I could do it, but I'd love to try. As for a gaming project... hmm. I think I do pretty well with licensed properties (and I'm lacking any truly original ideas at the moment), so I'd like to do a game based in Stephen King's Dark Tower/Gunslinger setting. Alternatively, Stephen Brust's Dragaera. Thirdly, I'd go for Damar, Robin McKinley's sometimes setting. The off chance to actually meet any of them and have a good time would be enough to sign me up on the project.
3) How much is gaming a part of your non-work life?
More and less than I'd like. David's best and most useful coping tool is obsession, and it typically takes the form of games and game systems. There are times when it feels like I literally cannot get more than five words of conversation on any other topic. Therefore, it's sort of the glue that holds us together from time to time. This is not the best of solutions, but at least he's trying to share something with me.
Less, because I'd like to actually have a regular gaming group (probably one who could come over to my house, or one with other people who have children, so that I could find a way to make it all work out. I haven't successfully had that since I had children, and I miss it. I really need more social interaction than I get RL (read: almost nil) right now, and a group of friends with whom one can play games or watch movies and hang out is something I dearly, dearly miss. Whenever I move again, it will be somewhere I can have these things. I don't do well without them.
4) Who do you respect the most (and as with James, no cliche answers
like mom and dad)?
Heh. I'm tempted to answer with a quote from Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice,
"I have few people that I love, and even fewer whom I respect."
I respect my friend, Trey, who has had God-knows-what happen to him, but has never used his problems as an excuse and has always found a way to keep them from ruling his life. I respect his wife, Nicole, for being the most together person I've ever met. Elissa reminds me a lot of her, and I think very highly of Elissa as well for very similar reasons. Both have been through their share of ick, and neither has done anything but grow stronger for it. I can only wish to ever have a tenth of their wisdom.
I respect Stephen King, for being the best damn wordsmith I know, not to mention overcoming all manner of ick in doing so.
I respect a lot of people for a lot of reasons, but they're way too numerous to list here.
5) Who would you strangle if you could do so without repercussions?
My husband's parents, for standing by and being too wrapped up in their petty little lives and sick problems to parent their children. They've never really acknowledged what they did, nor will they ever. They are incapable of it at this point, I'd imagine. If I lose my husband and my marriage, it will be directly caused by they shit they pulled and the shit they did nothing to either prevent or remedy, and every step my husband takes toward healing is one step closer to ending our relationship. I hate them both, because they've harmed the people I love, because they refuse to acknowledge it, and because in the end, I may very well lose everything I've ever wanted or dreamed of to their callous indifference and neglect. I would gladly see them both gone from the face of the earth.
*Note: I don't hate easily. I have never hated anyone else in my life. It took me years to hate them... it was not some overnight sensation. They've had to earn it, and earn it they have.
THE RULES:
1 - Leave a comment, saying you want to be interviewed.
2 - I will respond; I'll ask you five questions.
3 - You'll update your journal with my five questions, and your five answers.
4 - You'll include this explanation.
5 - You'll ask other people five questions when they want to be interviewed.
no subject
And I'm all a-blush. Tell you what: let's interview each other. Yeah!
Re:
2)Why is Neverland so attractive to you, do you think?
3) What's the biggest unresolved quandry in your life right now?
4) What's the surest means of pissing you off?
5) Do you consider yourself to have more male friends or female friends? If so, why is that, do you think?
no subject
no subject
I'll go for an interview. :)
Re:
2) What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?
3) Who's your favorite character? (yes, this is a "tell us about your character" question. :))
4) Are there any other game lines you'd like to write for?
5) If you and Dan could go anywhere in the world for a vacation, where would it be?
no subject
Oh, and winning the lottery, peace on earth, and annihilation of crappy in-laws.
no subject
no subject
no subject
Hope that your day works out as well as you hope and by all means I am up for questioning!
Re:
1) Who are you? (I mean, I've looked at your LJ info, but a more personal intro would be lovely).
2) Given that we don't otherwise know each other, what led you to befriend my journal?
3)If you could live anywhere other than where you live right now, where would it be?
4) I saw on your mini-bio that you've worked for Mongoose. How was that? Did you enjoy it?
Re:
Sorry, missed that last one. :)
Re: Five Questions
Starting with the big one then? I am a male Englishman living in Birmingham in the United Kingdom. I am 5' 8", 150 lbs. and have hair down to my waist and green yes. I am thirty-six and the absent patent of an eleven year old daughter, who lives 150 miles away. I live with my partner of seven years, Louise, and our two cats. Plus a foolishly large games collection.
As to what I do -- very little at the moment, as I am unemployed, after being redundant from working as a projectionist for three years. I hold a BA in Journalism Studies and would have progressed further but for a lack of funds.
For the past three years, I have turned my hobby, roleplaying games into something productive. Being a projectionist ruins your social life, so I had this collection of games doing nothing and I wondered if I could turn my knowledge to something else. Since then, I have written over three hundred reviews, had many of them published and added greatly to the collection.
2) Given that we don't otherwise know each other, what led you to befriend my journal?
Simply I was poking around other the details of Live Journal writers and saw your name. I recognised from your extensive time at FASA. Since I have reviewed several Shadowrun supplements in the last three years, I suppose your name aroused my innate game "Geekery" and my curiousity.
3) If you could live anywhere other than where you live right now, where would it be?
Two choices. One is London, in part so that I could play in Patrick Brady's Empire of the Petal Throne campaign. One of the best games I have ever been privileged to participate in. The other is Dorset, my home county. I miss the vividness of the green countryside and the clarity of the sky at night. Whenever I return, it always feels like home. Also my sisters live close by and I do miss them.
4) I saw on your mini-bio that you've worked for Mongoose. How was that? Did you enjoy it?
Actually I worked for Hogshead Publishing -- though I have reviewed some of Mongoose Publishing's releases. I enjoyed my time at Hogshead, where I got to meet a lot of interesting and nice people. The best thing that I achieved there was suggesting that Hogshead publish the SLA Industries RPG.
Re: Five Questions
If you would like, you may return the interview favor. After all, it's hardly fair to make it one sided, is it?
no subject
no subject
You can interview me if you want. :)
Re:
2) Are there any possible plans for a Bunster 2.0?
3) What's your favorite type/period of literature?
4) If your fairy godmother granted you one wish, where you could do any one thing in the world, what would it be?
5) When are you planning to go back and take the One Class you need to graduate?
no subject
no subject
no subject
Happy Happy Birthday!
Re:
Happy belated birthday to you too, m'dear. I can't remember if I actually said it or not previously, so consider it said now. :)
no subject
You can interview me, if you'd like. Or not if you don't. :)
Re:
2) What's your favorite period/genre of literature?
3) If you could do that whole wedding thing over again, how/where/what would you change?
4) Picked out any colors/decorating schemes for Boltie's nursery yet?
5) What sort of dog would you get, if you could get any kind in the world?
no subject
Re:
2) What do you feel is the single most important thing you've learned in your life?
3) How long do you see yourself staying at WK? Any ideas what the future would hold for you afterward?
4) What are your ideal qualities in a mate?
5) What's your favorite movie of all time, and why?
no subject
no subject
And now that I've got an LJ (and put you on my friends list), how about an interview? :)
Re:
2) What's your biggest pet peeve about working in this industry?
3) If you could work on one non-D20 project, what would it be?
4) How long have you been engaged, and have you picked a date yet?
5) What's the one thing you love the most about your fiance?