DJ over at her blog tagged me with a bunch of writing questions. So here are the answers:

What’s the last thing you wrote? Working on my WIP–the second book in the “Under Witch Moon” series. Here’s a brief description of the first book.

Was it any good? Nah, the stuff I’m writing now is just draft level. I throw out paragraphs–maybe some dialogue, description, etc, but it is far from finished prose and will need editing several times. As the book takes form, it may get moved and lots will change as I fit it into other events and the overall timeline.

What’s the first thing you ever wrote that you still have? Wow. I probably have some old starts to novels on my hard drive…no, I think they are actually on diskette. I think one of them is actually in txt format, pre-Word days!

Write poetry? Never. Wrote a few greeting cards for friends that might have had some loosely-related poetry form.

Angsty poetry? Nope. Angst, whiny writing for sure, but not poetry.

Favourite genre of writing? This is tough. I’d say cross-genre; mystery/fantasy, but I write cozies that have no paranormal elements, and I have written fantasy that has no relation to the real world.

Most fun character you ever created? Another tough question. I really like Sedona (link to excerpt) but I also like Max Killian (star of the short story over at www.TheTownDrunk.org). Then there’s Adriel, the star of “Under Witch Moon.” She’s a really great kick-ass character. I guess I love them all!

Best plot you ever created? I’m hoping that is yet to come, just an ever-improving cleverness…

How often do you get writer’s block? Never, really. I get writer’s laziness, I get stuck on plot details, but ideas aren’t usually the bottleneck in my writing.

Write fan fiction? Nope.

Do you type or write by hand? All computer, although when I started, I wrote by hand and typed it in. I liked sitting outside and writing or writing curled up in a chair (this was eons ago). I’m slightly more disiplined these days.

Do you save everything you write? No. I delete entire paragraphs and have been known to delete a few very early versions of a novel. But keep in mind that as I get close to “finishing” the novel, I’m usually on about version 19 or so. The earlier versions don’t contain all the chapters. I don’t houseclean often either, so most of what I write is on the hard drive.

Do you ever go back to an old idea long after you abandoned it? Yes. Especially short stories. I’ll get an idea, jot it into the computer, maybe even write a few paragraphs–a scene or two. For various reasons, I may put it down for months. I may end up using the idea with different characters or sometimes, I just don’t know where I want that particular character to go with the idea, so I let it sit.

Do you ever show people your work? Yes, but I’d probably rather not. Showing my work is work also. I’m also impatient. Sometimes it takes weeks for a friend to finally get around to reading and letting me know what they think.

Did you ever write a novel? Sure. Six or so.

What’s your favourite setting for your characters? Move them around. But I do tend to set things in the mountains.

How many writing projects are you working on right now? Really only one novel. During the coming months I may take a break from it and write a short story or two.

Have you ever won an award for your writing? “Secrets in the Sand” was fourth place in a Writer’s Digest contest in 2003, and “Soul of the Desert” placed in the Crime Writer’s Associate Dagger Debut also in 2003. My Palo Duro story received honorable mention in the Writer’s Work Contest.

Ever written something in script or play format? Nope.

What are your five favourite words? I’m not sure I have favorite words, but if I had to pick, I’d probably say, hope, love and faith.

Do you ever write based on yourself? I’m not quite sure what this means…of course my experiences color my writing, so in that sense, yes, but the characters are obviously not me. As I write, their personalities take on a life of their own, growing and changing. I’ve written male characters, animal characters, and female characters.

What character have you created that most resembles yourself? Probably Sedona (Executive Lunch) and Adriel (Under Witch Moon). But then there’s the little old lady in “Toil, Trouble and Rot” coming out at www.CoyoteWildMag.com this year…she’s a wizard and a gardener…and I’m definitely a gardener!!!

Where do you get ideas for your other characters? Out of the blue.

Do you ever write based on your dreams? Nope. My dreams are like wisps of smoke. Even if I wake up thinking I have an idea from a vaguely remembered dream…I can’t ever really pull it together into a story. In the daylight, it loses its power and turns into the mist of remembered emotions.

Do you favour happy endings, sad endings, or cliff-hangers? I completely favor happy endings, although I have written a cliff-hanger or two.

Have you ever written based on an artwork you’ve seen? No. I’m not a visual person that way. I can and do write based on places I’ve been, especially if I’ve hiked an area and breathed it, lived it, and heard the sounds–experienced it. I love art for the emotions it brings, but that doesn’t translate to an idea for me.

Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write? Yes. I didn’t use to be, but I’ve found it saves me time if I just try to do it correctly the first time.

Ever write something entirely in chatspeak? Nope.

Does music help you write? I love music and it helps me with ideas. I like to ride in the car with loud music on a country road, just thinking and letting thoughts pop about. But when I write, silence is my best friend.

Quote something you’ve written. From my short story, Around the Bend, over at www.CoyoteWildMag.com:

I hadn’t driven the road after dark, because it was so small. The first night I tried it, I realized that maybe it still wasn’t all that safe. In a spot about halfway to the new intersection, a milky-pale presence flashed across my rear-view mirror.

I hit the brakes.