Congratulations to our Mommy of the Week, jgobble!
To our special mother, feel free to answer as much or as little as you wish. (Come on, you know you want to write a novel, so here is your chance!)
If there are any questions that you feel uncomfortable answering just leave those blank. This activity is meant to be fun for everyone and will hopefully bring our group closer as writers and friends.
Everyone is welcome to ask questions, whether writing related or life in general questions.
Here are some to get us started!
What is your name?
Were you born with the "write stuff" or did you acquire it?
What is your earliest memory of being a writer? What did you write?
Are you drawn to a certain type of writing?
What inspires you?
Do you have a mentor or an author that has influenced you?
Where and what do you use to write?
What would be your ultimate dream come true as a writer?
What are you working on now?
What is your name? Jessica
Were you born with the "write stuff" or did you acquire it? I think I acquired it mostly. Although when I was younger I liked to write little stories and enjoyed it a lot. I always remember having a vivid imagination which has always inspired whatever I write.
What is your earliest memory of being a writer? What did you write? My earliest memory has always been in 1st grade when we had writing time and we had to write a short 2 or 3 sentence story and then draw a picture with it. I don't remember what I wrote, but I remember enjoying that time of day in school.
Are you drawn to a certain type of writing? I guess I'm really drawn to stories or writing that really speaks out what the author has put into it. I love feeling the sweat of the characters because if I can feel that or the love or the hate they feel toward one another, I know the author felt it at some point too.
What inspires you? Everything and everyone. My hubby is an airline pilot and I've learned that I get inspired by the one person playing on their ipod in the airport. Or something my daughter does, some story she makes up.
Do you have a mentor or an author that has influenced you? I have a few people who've inspired me that I've learned from. One was my English 201 instructor in college--she told me to believe in myself and to not listen to people when they tell me I can't write. Then I had a photography instructor in college that taught me to break out of my boundaries, do things I've never done with my photography and I'm translating that into my writing as well. Authors that have influenced me are many. Cornelia Funke, Brandon Mull, Stephenie Meyer, Emily Bronte, are among a few that I count as favorites and influences in my style of writing.
Where and what do you use to write? I will use a notebook to jot notes down in sometimes or if my hubby has stolen the computer from me or if I am at the airport or park. I really prefer using Microsoft Word on the computer since my computer has most of my music on there and I love listening to it when I write.
What would be your ultimate dream come true as a writer? My ultimate dream as a writer would be to know that I gave someone hope from my stories. Hope that they can find love anywhere, or hope that they can build strength and courage in a situation they never thought they would be in. Besides the obvious of being published and become a bestseller, that would be my accomplishment. To give my readers some kind of hope through my stories.
What are you working on now? A slew of stories really. As of now though, I have been working on my story, Lovely Dreams, which is about a girl who can dream about ghosts and help them move on. But she falls in love with one at the same time she meets a handsome farm boy in the town and falls for him as well. She also gets really sick and has to choose life or death and who she really wants to be with forever. It's my favorite story I'm working on right now. It's kind of my "Twilight" story. It's slow going though because I'm only on Chapter five of the manuscript and I've been working on this story on and off for 2 years in November.
If you've got more questions post away!
Do you have a harder time with writer's block or with having an over abundance of inspiration?
Do you have a guilty pleasure?
If your life was in book form what would the title be? What would be on the book cover for a synopsis? What type of book would it be?
What five words describe you best?
Do you have any pets?
If you were a fruit what would you be and why?
What do you do for "me" time?
If you could only read one book, other than the bible, for the rest of your life what would it be?
Who is your best friend and why?
What superpower would you like to have and why?
Do you have a harder time with writer's block or with having an over abundance of inspiration? I think it's the over abundance of inspiration because when I get inspiration, it hits like a tornado. It comes quickly but moves on as fast as it came. Sometimes I get so frustrated with the inspiration because it comes so quickly and I get it for every story I'm working on at that time so it also makes it difficult to choose which story to work on at that time inspiration hits.
Do you have a guilty pleasure? Oh yes. Many guilty pleasures. I have the TV show, Supernatural as a guilty pleasure--2 hot guys killing demons, yup. Also, hot chocolate and reading books in the bathroom to get away from things. I know, the last one may sound odd...it's for those bad days and I need to get away from hubby and the kiddo for about 10 minutes.
If your life was in book form what would the title be? What would be on the book cover for a synopsis? What type of book would it be? Hmm...I guess the working title would be, "I Got the Time, What Did I Do With It?" The synopsis would probably be, "She had the trials and lived through them, what did she learn though?" Something like that. I am thinking this up on the spot here so forgive my lameness there. But the book, and I've thought about doing a fictional autobiography where I change the names of live people and turn them into characters but also using real events in my life that changed me to who I am now.
What five words describe you best? Smart, Relaxed, Loyal, Hard-Working, Student
Do you have any pets? We have 3 fish. They are my daughters: Cow, Sheep and Horse are their names.
If you were a fruit what would you be and why? I would have to be a kiwi because just a little dose of my "wackiness" is sweet and tangy and healthy but too much can wear you out quickly.
What do you do for "me" time? My "me" time usually consists of me watching my favorite TV shows or reading a book I've been dying to get my hands on.
If you could only read one book, other than the bible, for the rest of your life what would it be? Well, I don't know if I'd really want to read the bible. It's got good stuff and all, but it's really long. I'm Mormon, so I'd probably have to say that I would pick The Book of Mormon because it's got good stuff like the bible but some parts are more story like and I learn something new from it every time I read it.
Who is your best friend and why? My best friend is my daughter. She is my life, my world, my very source for breathing and I'm sure everyone here can say that for each of our children. She is the one who knows if I'm not feeling good or too tired and tucks me in for a nap. She is the one who teaches me not to take things for granted and to live my life to the fullest and stay as the little child I once was. I love my hubby, but my daughter is my greatest gift and my best of friends.
What superpower would you like to have and why? Oh, toughy. I would pick to have the power of telekinesis. It'd be like having more than two hands, being able to move things with my mind and getting things done more quickly than before.
Happy Thursday! Here are your questions for the day. :)
If you could invite three famous people to dinner (living or dead) who would they be and why?
What was your first job? Were you good at it? Did you love it?
What did you want to be when you grew up?
How did you and your husband meet?
If you could change one thing about your personality what would it be?
What was your favorite childhood toy?
If you could take a trip to any place in the world, where would you go?
If you had to live in another country which one would you choose?
What would you rather do, give a speech in front of 200 people or bungee jump?
If you could only eat one food, and nothing else, for three days in a row, what would it be?
What was your favorite grade in school and why? Describe the preschool you, elementary school you, middle school you and high school you.
What are your three favorite movies of all time?
What's the one thing you'd like to be remembered for?
What is your dream job?
If you could invite three famous people to dinner (living or dead) who would they be and why? Well, I would pick, Josh Groban because he's my favorite music artist, King Henry VIII because I know it's weird, but I'm a big fan of his and would love to know more of why he did the things he did, and Louisa May Alcott so I can talk novels and why some of her genres differ, etc.
What was your first job? Were you good at it? Did you love it? My first job lasted for two weeks at a company where people call you to take their survey. I was pretty good at it when someone didn't hang up the phone on me or yell in my ear and I did not love it. It was a horrible job where you weren't really allowed to talk to the person next to you. And it paid about $30/week which wasn't enough to survive on in high school.
What did you want to be when you grew up? Oh many things. Dancer, teacher, librarian, astronaut, historian, mother. I am one of those things and as a mom I get to be all the above really. Which is also why I love writing and am now aspiring to be an author because it can make me whatever I want in my stories. I can be a neurosurgeon or an airline pilot for the sake of my story (theoretically speaking, all research stuff because some of it I cannot go out and do--I don't think anyone would want me picking their brain apart with scalpels, etc.)
How did you and your husband meet? My husband and I met at a church activity for single adults and he made fun of the boots I was wearing because it was frisbee golf for the activity at a park. It just kind of went from there.
If you could change one thing about your personality what would it be? That I wasn't so stubborn in my ways. That's what causes the most head butting with me is stubbornness.
What was your favorite childhood toy? My favorite toy when I was a kid would probably be my books. I loved My Little Pony, Barbie, and Cabbage Patch but in the end I loved my books more and they showed more wear and tear than any of my toys did.
If you could take a trip to any place in the world, where would you go? It's really a toss up between Florence, Italy because one of my stories is mainly set in that city and the history is so violent that is why I chose it for my setting but I would love to see the architecture and the places I've only described in writing. And the other place would be Stockholm, Sweden. My grandmother is from Sweden and I would love to take a trip with her to Sweden before her time and spend the time to learn where she grew up and possibly learn some of the language from her as well. I grew up with all the Swedish traditions and love them so much.
If you had to live in another country which one would you choose? Sweden. Yeah, they have socialist healthcare but the way they run it--it works well. And I know it gets cold there, but to be in the country where family comes from--priceless.
What would you rather do, give a speech in front of 200 people or bungee jump? Speech. I would hate every second of the speech, but I would choose that because I really don't like the idea of jumping from heights where they is a remote possibility that the bungee cord would break and I'd fall to my death. I'll choose death by tomato thank you very much.
If you could only eat one food, and nothing else, for three days in a row, what would it be? Oh, I think it would have to be
What was your favorite grade in school and why? Describe the preschool you, elementary school you, middle school you and high school you.
My favorite grade in school was my 11th grade year in high school. I learned a lot and at that time I learned of different possible career choices and really had a support system from teachers, friends and family that year.
The preschool me--followed directions to a "T". And very sensitive if I did something wrong. The elementary school me--I was a smart cookie. Always ahead of the class in my coursework and asking for more. Very active and very popular (I don't know why I was popular but I was). The middle school/junior high school me--very reserved and shy. The change happened because of parents divorce. I was very self concious of myself, but still had really good grades and stayed ahead of the teacher in most classes. The high school me--grades were okay, I apparently was one of the "beauties" in high school--I didn't realize that until 1/2 the boy population in the school was excited I broke up with my first boyfriend. I was very active in soccer and dance and enjoyed every second I could doing some kind of extracurricular activity. Oh, and was very active in the school choir as singer and pianist.
What are your three favorite movies of all time? First--Ever After. Second--Bridget Jones' Diary. Third--Stargate.
What's the one thing you'd like to be remembered for? I would like to be remembered as the "perfect" mom for my kids. I want them to remember the fun times with me and that I did the right things with discipline for them--that I wasn't too harsh at them.
What is your dream job? My dream job now is to become a published author at some point in time. I have many other aspirations but this is the most realistic one. I want to also be a film composer--but I lack the schooling and funding I need for that one. I also want to be a photographer for a magazine like Vanity Fair and work with Annie Leibovitz and Mario Testino but that one is because I lack equipment and the extra schooling I need as well for it. So, I'm sticking with author.
If you had more time, what hobby would you like to pursue?
Would you rather be in the spotlight or behind the scenes?
If you could have anything for dinner in the world, what would you have?
What is your favorite place in the whole wide world and why?
What is your favorite smell in the whole wide world and why?
Lots of people eat "weird" things. What is the one kind of food that you know you will never even try once? What is the most unusual food you have ever tried?
What is the best present you've ever received from someone?
What is the one thing you think they should invent to make your life easier or more enjoyable?
If you were allowed to go anywhere for your next vacation, where would you go and what would you do there?
What is your most precious treasure/sentimental item that you own and why?
When are you (or have been) most afraid?
What has been the happiest day of your life?
If you could change one thing in the world what would you change?
What is the most important thing in your life? (Materialistically and emotionally)
What is the one thing you couldn't live without?
What cartoon character would you most like to be?
What is the hardest thing about being _____ years old?
What is the best thing about being ______ years old?
Describe your perfect day.
If you had more time, what hobby would you like to pursue? I think I'd like to pursue more of a hobby of dance. Ballet, Irish, Jazz, etc. I love the cardio endurance and the flexibility from dancing and just being able to express yourself in movement really is a good stress release.
Would you rather be in the spotlight or behind the scenes? Behind the scenes definitely.
If you could have anything for dinner in the world, what would you have? Oh, I think I would have to pick baked potatoes with a nice barbecued sirloin steak, corn on the cob and some fruit salad.
What is your favorite place in the whole wide world and why? My favorite place in the whole wide world is Washington state. I went there for the first time when I was 14 and stayed for 3 weeks. It was so much fun and so beautiful, I knew that was the place I wanted to end up one day to live. Then a couple years ago, I went to Forks after reading Twilight and New Moon because my hubby gave me 5 days vacation to go anywhere I wanted. I have to say that the peninsula has been my favorite place so far there and I would love to live there. Full of hiking, camping, and beautiful Northwest rainforest.
What is your favorite smell in the whole wide world and why? That is the smell of rain or mud whatever you want to call it. I love it. So fresh smelling.
Lots of people eat "weird" things. What is the one kind of food that you know you will never even try once? What is the most unusual food you have ever tried? I get pretty picky about what kind of food to try, but I believe the one food I will never ever try would be escargot (sp?). Snail just really sounds disgusting. And the most unusual food I've tried would have to be calamari. I know, not so exotic, but that's as far as I go on weird food.
What is the best present you've ever received from someone? You know...I really don't know the answer to this. Sorry. :(
What is the one thing you think they should invent to make your life easier or more enjoyable? Someone needs to invent an automatic picker upper machine where if something is out of place, the machine picks it up and puts it away for you.
If you were allowed to go anywhere for your next vacation, where would you go and what would you do there? I think my next vacation I want to go on would be to Washington state in the peninsula again because I really didn't get much time there and I want to do the hiking and spend time at the beach just relaxing.
What is your most precious treasure/sentimental item that you own and why? My most precious item I own is probably my crystal bird from Sweden. My grandmother brought it back from there for me a long time ago and it's irreplaceable since I can't go there and find a new one if it breaks. It means a lot to me since I love the Swedish heritage of mine and I think I'd be angry for weeks about it if it broke.
When are you (or have been) most afraid? You know, I like scaring myself with scary stories and (not so much but sometimes) scary movies or tv shows. But I think the thing that has made me the most afraid is when I was staying in my inlaws house by myself watching the pets and I tried to sleep in their large family room on the couch because I had been watching movies most of the night there. When I tried to fall asleep, a deep scratchy voice came from behind the couch calling my name. No one else was in the home at that time and I kept hearing what sounded like footsteps on the stairs and movement in the family room while I lay still on the couch and the dog was there with me. No other pets were in the house (cats are outside, rabbit in cage and birds in their cage).
What has been the happiest day of your life? Besides getting married to my wonderful husband, and giving birth to my beautiful little girl, I would have to say the day I finished my first draft of my first story. I was giddy and happy for weeks.
If you could change one thing in the world what would you change? If I got to change one thing, I would change the presidency. Not that I mean any disrespect to President Obama, I just don't believe he is doing a good job in office. He said things that did appeal to me at the time of the election, but I have never heard or seen anything come from those words since then. I just really don't like politicians much, but you gotta have someone to bribe to do the dirty work right?
What is the most important thing in your life? (Materialistically and emotionally) The most important emotional thing in my life is my family. My husband, my daughter. They are my world. The most important materialistic thing in my life is the piano. I love playing and also teaching. It's one of those "get out of your routine" day things I love.
What is the one thing you couldn't live without? I don't think I could live without my books. Stories that you can read and reread over and over again and still learn something new.
What cartoon character would you most like to be? Oh, toughy one. I think I would most like to be Stitch from Lilo and Stitch. You know, six arms, good hearing, can see in the dark and lift objects 3000 times my size. Yeah, that would be cool.
What is the hardest thing about being _____ years old? The hardest thing about being 25 is that everyone still thinks I'm 12 or 13. Kind of frustrating when I go somewhere and people are like, "woah, who let that 13 year old girl get married to that 30 year old guy?"
What is the best thing about being ______ years old? The best thing about being 25 is that I don't have any age laws anymore to adhere to. I can drive, drink/buy drinks, buy cigarettes, buy guns and ammo, and not have to pay extra insurance on rental cars. That is if I choose to do any of that stuff which I don't drink, I don't smoke, I do drive--it's how I get around, and I am excited that I don't have to pay that extra $25/day on a rental car because I was under 25.
Describe your perfect day. You know, most of my days are already perfect. Hard sometimes but perfect in their own ways. I love the randomness I get from having a 4 year old wanting to do something different every day.
- Kajenloca
on Aug. 3, 2009 at 7:35 AM