Writing meme

Soilman has tagged me to do a writing meme. I’ll try and keep it short, sweet and vaguely interesting:

Which words do you use too much in your writing?

“You might be surprised”, “it’s worth noting”. The article writing side of things vaguely resembles factory farming in that it’s all about production and not necessarily about high quality. Sometimes you have to churn out articles so quickly that you turn on the autopilot. Shame, really.

Which words do you consider overused in stuff you read?

Nothing springs to mind. The sad fact is that at the moment I don’t really get much of a chance to read other people’s work very often.

What’s your favourite piece of writing by you?

It’s a toughie. I wrote a few things in upper school when I was 13 that were pretty good. Some of my stories from childhood were GENIUS considering my age. But I think my talents plateaued somewhat and now I’m never really pleased with anything I write. My article for Home Farmer magazine was fun to write though, I enjoyed that.

What blog post do you wish you’d written?

Not so much a particular post, more blog style - I love Fanciful Alice’s take on things. She makes me want to try harder.

Regrets, do you have a few? Is there anything you wish you hadn’t written?

Not particularly. I did have to write some acne treatment spiel which was really hard going and schmaltzy.

How has your writing made a difference?

I’ve actually had a few emails from people saying that I’ve inspired them to go ahead and adopt/rehome ex-battery hens. That makes me feel SO GOOD. Also a few people have emailed or commented on my blog to say things like their daughter read about me and now feels happy with the fact that she likes animals, getting muddy but also sparkly makeup and being ‘girly’. The fact that people see my stuff and either feel inspired or give me a nod of appreciation/i-know-where-you’re-coming from is brilliant.

Name three favourite words

Purely for the way they sound “Conglomerate” “cork” “bugger”

…And three words you’re not so keen on

Anything ‘ised’, for example I was once asked to ‘diarise’ something.  I also read an article with the word ‘joblessness’ in it the other day too. And the ‘c’ word (see-you-next-tuesday) I cannot stand. It’s filthy and I’ve only ever used it twice in my life when so angry that my head was threatening to explode.

Do you have a writing mentor, role model or inspiration?

John Lennon’s stuff is really kooky. I like the way he plays with language. Of course, JK Rowling’s ability to weave a hugely entertaining story with twists and turns you don’t expect, and to build a whole world in such fine detail is just genius. And Soilman, who tagged me to do this meme, has been a personal mentor too.

What’s your writing ambition?

Just to write full time, enjoy it and make a comfortable living from it. If I could achieve half of what JKR has achieved in terms of her storytelling abilities, I’d be happy.

Plug alert! List any work you would like to tell your readers about:

I’m ashamed to say that my brain has gone blank. I’m currently drinking wine from a mug so I will blame it on that.

Tag time:

Here are my nominations for pro or semi-pro writers to take part:

Fanciful Alice

… and anyone else that wants to have a bash, consider yourself invited by me

Tags: writing meme