Blog Hop! Write On!

(Source)

I was recently asked to participate in a writing-themed blog hop by my coworker and fellow blogger, Lori, over at Palmer's Page Turners (show her some love, she's fairly new to the blogging world), and felt it was a great opportunity to link up with some other great bloggers. 



What am I working on?
 I'm always working on something, or at least I have grand ideas of what I would like to be working on.  I've participated in NaNoWriMo for the past three years, but have never been able to accomplish the 50,000 words that are the goal.  I make a valiant effort though.  As of now, I'm working on my last NaNo project and hoping to complete it eventually.  Essentially, it's a compilation of personal travel stories gone awry...all true.  For this project, I actually have a general outline/episode for each chapter (totaling thirteen-ish) and have slowly been chiseling holes into its unyielding surface.  I'll finish it one day!

How does my work differ from others of its genre?
The genre of fictional short stories is quite varied, so I can't exactly pinpoint what makes mine different from others written in the same vein.  I almost always set the piece in a location that I am familiar with which lends it an air of authenticity.  Because of this, I guess you could say that my fictional pieces are almost always slightly biographical because of some of the aspects that crop up in the stories.  Write what you know, right? 

Why do I write what I do?
I normally write fictional pieces, short stories mainly.   I do, however, have two works-in-progress that will eventually be full novels...hopefully.  As of now I'm working on a non-fictional compilation of travel stories, as mentioned above, so this is new territory for me.  I've never written something "true" before this.  I find that fictional writing gives me the opportunity to explore worlds that I don't or am unable to inhabit on a daily basis or in the "real" world.  I like the uncertainty that can come about in the fictional world.  I also like that, oftentimes, your characters can guide you in a direction that previously wasn't in the realm of possibilities.  The uncertainty is thrilling.

How does my writing process work?
Verbal vomit on paper.  Seriously.  I don't like to do outlines for the most part.  If I do draft up an outline, it is extremely minimal with headings and maybe a few keywords about what should go in that particular section.  But in general outlines are not part of my repertoire.  I also prefer to hand write whatever project I'm working on prior to typing it up because I feel like it's more personal that way.  Unless it's for academic purpose, then I type and correct as I go (I can't stand to see underlined errors on the page).

Nominate:  Mandy over at The Sassy Starfish