Here are some random questions for you. Answer at will.
1. What's the hardest part of writing for you? Plot? Character? Grammar?
2. What comes most easily for you?
3. Would you rather read a great story with lousy writing, or a meh story with fabulous writing?
4. Is there such thing as a great story with lousy writing?
5. What engages you more as a reader--character or plot?
6. What is the most frustrating part about pursuing your dream to be published?
7. Is your dream worth spending the rest of your life on? Or do you have an endpoint in mind?
8. If your house were in flames, what 3 things would you grab on your way out?
9. As a writer, do you feel supported or unsupported by your family/close circle/spouse?
10. If you could achieve your dream TOMORROW, what would it look like?
(Answer the ones that strike your fancy; you don't have to answer them all. Just number your answers so I know what you're answering.)
BONUS QUESTION: If you knew my real name, would you want to buy the anthology that contains my adult sci-fi short?
(No promises -- I'm just dying of curiosity, is all!)
Have a lovely weekend, beautiful tribe.
1. What's the hardest part of writing for you? Plot? Character? Grammar?
ReplyDeleteDescription. I like dialogue and action. I mean, I can see the pictures in my head, can't you see them too?
2. What comes most easily for you?
See number 1.
3. Would you rather read a great story with lousy writing, or a meh story with fabulous writing?
Neither. A great story with fabulous writing.
4. Is there such thing as a great story with lousy writing? No.
5. What engages you more as a reader--character or plot?
Plot.
6. What is the most frustrating part about pursuing your dream to be published?
Knowing I'm a good writer but can't find an agent. Frustrating when writer friends are signing with agents and I'm not.
7. Is your dream worth spending the rest of your life on? Or do you have an endpoint in mind?
Yeah, I don't have an endpoint in mind. I'm going to keep going as long as it takes.
8. If your house were in flames, what 3 things would you grab on your way out?
Depends on if my kids are home or not. Let's assume they're not so then I'd grab my two cats and my phone/charger. Maybe my laptop if I have time.
9. As a writer, do you feel supported or unsupported by your family/close circle/spouse?
Supported. Very much so.
10. If you could achieve your dream TOMORROW, what would it look like?
A call from an agent who loves my book and wants to sign me, has already sold said book for a huge advance and booked me on Conan along with Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch. Wait, that's Graham Norton in London. Oh, and a writing team-up with JK and a movie deal. Seriously, getting THE CALL would make my day/year/century.
1. Plot is the hardest! [insert angst here]
ReplyDelete2. Description is the easiest.
3/4. Hard to separate these for me... great writing can make a boring topic compelling (and boring writing can sink even the most interesting concept).
8. My 2 cats and my computer
9. Supported by the ones who matter most, fortunately.
Bonus: I'd love to check it out! (Heck, if it's already been published, maybe I already own it!)
3. Great story with lousy writing.
ReplyDelete4. Terry Goodkind. Case in point.
6. When my husband tells me I need to stop writing and eat dinner. And when people give me that smug look, "oh, you're a novelist. How come I never heard of you then?"
7. Yes.
9. Supported! That's why he makes money and I write all day making squat.
Bonus - Yes! I love short stories!
1. What's the hardest part of writing for you? Plot? Character? Grammar?
ReplyDelete*I have a hard time with world-building and with passive voice, but my biggest weakness is that I'm a plot-rusher. I'm so excited about the main story I leave out the details when I write!*
2. What comes most easily for you?
*I'm pretty good at editing, I'd say. Also, as a plot-rusher, I can write really fast, lol!*
3. Would you rather read a great story with lousy writing, or a meh story with fabulous writing?
*Hard question here, but probably the great story with bad writing.*
4. Is there such thing as a great story with lousy writing?
*I'm not sure, to be honest.*
5. What engages you more as a reader--character or plot?
*... both? Probably character. I think.*
6. What is the most frustrating part about pursuing your dream to be published?
*For me, it was always being a young writer and being overlooked because of that. Now I'm older, but I always wince when I send out. Automatic reaction.*
7. Is your dream worth spending the rest of your life on? Or do you have an endpoint in mind?
*Um, yes.*
8. If your house were in flames, what 3 things would you grab on your way out?
*Laptop, cat, diary*
9. As a writer, do you feel supported or unsupported by your family/close circle/spouse?
*Pretty supported, I guess, yeah.*
10. If you could achieve your dream TOMORROW, what would it look like?
*Bestselling author phenomenon yes!*
1) Grammar, usually when deciding tense.
ReplyDelete2) Plot
3) Meh. Lousy writing twists my insides.
4) Yes. And would be brilliant if they'd take time to edit
5) Plot. The characters are a bonus.
6) Needing more time to write. Life gets busy...and work:-(
7) YES. The end will be when I die.
8) My daughter, my grandson, and my phone to call 911. Everything else is replaceable.
9) Supported by most
10) Buying a plane ticket to the next country to research my new novel.
Bonus: Of course!
On a quick lunch right now, so I'm just gonna answer the burning house one: my son, my dog, and my computer. In the event that my dog could run out on her own, then the nearest framed pics. =)
ReplyDelete1. What's the hardest part of writing for you? Plot? Character? Grammar?
ReplyDeleteCharacter. Many times even if I can see the character plainly, I don't think I possess the ability to convey that to others.
2. What comes most easily for you?
Plot.
3. Would you rather read a great story with lousy writing, or a meh story with fabulous writing?
If the story is great, then I can overlook some bad writing. But if the writing is bad enough, it'll turn me off from reading further.
4. Is there such thing as a great story with lousy writing?
No.
5. What engages you more as a reader--character or plot?
Characters. Characters are what stick in my head long after the story is over.
6. What is the most frustrating part about pursuing your dream to be published?
This whole road to finding an agent. It's been a long, tricky one.
7. Is your dream worth spending the rest of your life on? Or do you have an endpoint in mind?
Writers write. End of story. :-)
8. If your house were in flames, what 3 things would you grab on your way out?
Wife, kids, pets.
9. As a writer, do you feel supported or unsupported by your family/close circle/spouse?
I do feel like they support what I want to do, but I don't think they really understand how.
10. If you could achieve your dream TOMORROW, what would it look like?
I'd have books published. I'd be traveling all over to promote them and share them with others. I'll have more opportunity to discuss stories with people and how they affect people's lives.
BONUS QUESTION: If you knew my real name, would you want to buy the anthology that contains my adult sci-fi short?
Of COURSE! :-)
1.Getting my buns in the chair. Actually, it didn't used to be so hard, but I've been taking classes to become one of those "organized" writers, with outlines and so forth, so now I scribble notes all over the house but procrastinate putting them in any kind of order.
ReplyDelete2. Coming up with ideas is a piece of cake. It's the follow-through I have problems with (see above). Maybe I should work with a partner.
3.They both irritate me, but a great story with lousy writing probably the most (Da Vinci Code, anyone?)
4. Unfortunately, yes (see #3).
5. Character. No, plot. No, character.
6. That I'm the reason it hasn't happened yet.
7. Yes. I've been working up to it all my life; I just needed time and some life experience to appreciate the talent I've been given, I guess. When my writing abilities were cruelly taken away from me by an illness, getting them back was the one thing that kept me going. That and revenge on the sick building that made me ill (so I have a strong revenge streak. What Aries woman doesn't?)
8.Cat, Cat, Husband, not necessarily in that order. If my husband weren't here, I'd grab my computer or at least my little zip file things.
9.My husband is extremely supportive, mainly because I think he has more dreams about my success than I do, so he can retire and do what HE loves full-time (music, photography and motorcycles). My family is extremely supportive and all but some of my closest friends are supportive, which I don't understand, except that they are talented writers but not currently pursuing their writing dreams, which makes me wonder.
10.Me, happy and healthy and back down to my pre-illness weight (hey, it's my dream, I can be a size 6 again), traveling around the world with my husband to take notes and create my scenes for my very successful MG and adult mystery series.
Bonus: You bet your sweet bippy I would!
Bonus Bonus Question for You: What's a bippy?
Thanks for the fun writing exercise! It's good to check in with ourselves every now and then and work on creating our dream. "Thoughts Become Things!"
3. Would you rather read a great story with lousy writing, or a meh story with fabulous writing?
ReplyDeleteThat’s kinda like asking if you’d buy a picture book for the story if you didn't like the illustrations, or if you’d buy one with great pictures but a so-so story. If the writing bugs me too much, I can’t read on. Sometimes, I’ll read a book for the beautiful writing, just like I’m a sucker for gorgeous illustrations.
4. Is there such thing as a great story with lousy writing?
Definitely! I love movies made from a certain writer’s novels, but I gag on her books.
5. What engages you more as a reader--character or plot?
Depends. I couldn't put The DaVinci Code down—definitely plot-driven. But I love spending time with well-drawn characters in a big thick book.
1. Hardest part of writing? Finishing something.
ReplyDelete2. What comes most easily? Character.
3. I'd rather read a meh story with fabulous writing. A great voice or a couple of amazing turns of phrase can make a so-so story really memorable for me.
4. Yep, I've definitely read some great stories told poorly.
5. Character engages me more as a reader. Always has!
6. The most frustrating part has been learning to get out of my own way. I've had to learn when to put things aside that are not working, and learn to stop pouting about other people's successes and get back to work. Even though I've been researching agents, going to conferences, learning about the publishing world, and working on manuscripts since 2005, it's really only been the past year that I've felt like I've gone about the writing-toward-publication process in a productive way.
7. Yep, I'll keep at it.
8. Since this question says "things," I'll assume the people are already with me. I'll grab my big box o' journals, my external hard drive, and my son's baby book.
9. Very supported. Sadly, the least supportive person in my writing life is ME.
10. Sending out the 1st query for my novel and getting a full manuscript request. That's as far as I dare to dream right now!
I have chosen to answer the last three questions because they are the ones closer to my heart.
ReplyDelete8. If your house were in flames, what 3 things would you grab on your way out?
I was tempted to say my two kids and my husband, but they do not really qualify as things. I would say my bag (which has a copy of my stories in it and my phone to call 911)and my kids' memory boxes because they are important to them.
9. As a writer, do you feel supported or unsupported by your family/close circle/spouse?
I feel highly supported by my kids, but not by my husband. He does not like fiction so it is more about not understanding why you have such a hobby kind of thing.
10. If you could achieve your dream TOMORROW, what would it look like?
My dream is to have an independent lab to give an opportunity to my kids and husband to work on humanitarian projects. My husband has a lot of cool projects he never has time to devote time to. I would also like to write stories that encourage people to be more open to people who are different. It would be stories that would promote world peace and understanding.
DJ -- according to Dictionary.com:
ReplyDeletebip·py [bip-ee] Show IPA
noun, plural bip·pies. Slang.
an unspecified part of the anatomy (usually used in the phrase You bet your ( sweet ) bippy ).
(I couldn't resist! :D)
1. What's the hardest part of writing for you? Plot? Character? Grammar?
ReplyDeleteProbably weird details in the vein of grammar. For example, I'm a comma-whore, so I tend to admonish myself resist putting commas in, and subsequently leave them out where they truly ought to be.
2. What comes most easily for you?
The stories themselves, and the characters that fill them. The ideas.
3. Would you rather read a great story with lousy writing, or a meh story with fabulous writing?
*Usually* I'd rather read a meh story with great writing. Example: I really don't love the Hunger Games. But I love how Suzanne wrote them.
4. Is there such thing as a great story with lousy writing?
Undecided. There are stories I've read that I knew I would have love if they'd been better written. But I don't know that I'd say they were great stories because it was hard to see the story through the crappy writing.
5. What engages you more as a reader--character or plot?
The writing itself more than either of those.
6. What is the most frustrating part about pursuing your dream to be published?
That sensation of sitting on the front porch waiting for my dream prom date (read agent) but when they drive up I get egged (read rejected) and then they move on, like in Never Been Kissed. I don't take it as personally as that, because I know they're looking at me as a career/business partner but that sensation is there.
7. Is your dream worth spending the rest of your life on? Or do you have an endpoint in mind?
I will write until they pry the pen from my cold dead fingers. I desperately want to be published so my stories can go out and affect people who encounter them. But I'll write forever, even if I never get published.
8. If your house were in flames, what 3 things would you grab on your way out?
My Mom, my Dad, and ALL my cats. All the cats count as one unit, so that's only three things, right? If we're talking inanimate objects, it'd be my backup hard drive, my ancient (1800s) copy of The Scarlet Letter, and the braided tail hair from my beloved black pony who died suddenly last year, because it's all I have that was hers.
9. As a writer, do you feel supported or unsupported by your family/close circle/spouse?
Totally supported.
10. If you could achieve your dream TOMORROW, what would it look like?
An offer for representation by an agent I totally jive with, followed immediately by an offer of publication from an house that includes an advance just large enough to be something and a multiple (read maybe two) book deal.
(Answer the ones that strike your fancy; you don't have to answer them all. Just number your answers so I know what you're answering.)
BONUS QUESTION: If you knew my real name, would you want to buy the anthology that contains my adult sci-fi short?
YES
ReplyDeleteThe hardest part for me is just getting the story out of my head and translating it onto the page in a way that is coherent and not lacking any essential content. Sometimes I think I said something because it's in my head, but then it's not there!
2. Character development. ^_^ It's also my favorite thing so it's gotten the most attention over the years.
3. Can't I have both? I guess I rather have a great story. It really depends on how distracting the lousy writing is though.
4. I think so. Sometimes the story is just so good you don't care.
5. Interesting characters! Great plots are the icing. ^_^
6. Trying to maintain hope and keep trying under the weight of constant rejection.
7. I'm not sure I think it's worth it, but for now, I don't think I would forgive myself if I quit trying. That said, I think 10 more years of this would kill me.
8. Old teddy bear, my iPad, and my phone. All my stories are backed up to the cloud and accessible through the iPad. ^_^
9. Definitely unsupported, but they try sometimes to be supportive. They don't understand how hard it is though, so I end up looking lazy most of the time.
10. I would be a full time writer! ^_^ And this would give me more time for my poor neglected hobbies. And I would get a lot more sleep! That would be awesome.
BONUS QUESTION: Depends on what kind of sci-fi it is. As long as it isn't super complicated space wars, Yes!
1. Character is the toughest - particularly the art of revealing character throughout a story.
ReplyDelete2. Grammar is the easiest. Although fighting about the Oxford Comma (not a supporter) gets old.
6. Most frustrating is not the writing nor the constant push, push, push to agents and editors but to read a traditionally published book and wonder how the hell a publisher said yes to it. (Usually the answer is clear: an established author with built-in sales.) It's depressing to read inferior writing that was published merely for sales when I know other writers who are struggling to get published even though they are doing better work.
8. House in flames? I'm grabbing my wife, our dog, a couple of key folders from the filing cabinet.
9. I feel somewhat supported. I get a lot of unintended (but real) pressure to self-publish even though I know something is not ready to be put out there. And, like others, I get: How long until that book is done?
10. The dream is to be able to wake up every day and work on my novels without having to worry about paying the mortgage. To be able to dedicated more than an hour a day to getting stories and characters out of my head and onto a page.
1. Plot. My sister jokes that all writers either have 'beautiful language genes' or 'clever plotting genes', but not both. And I was definitely blessed with the 'beautiful language gene', so...
ReplyDelete2. Gorgeous description.
3. Fabulous writing trumps everything for me.
4. Not really, unless you can sift the story out and put it into another medium, such as film. Lousy writing will push me out of the story and become so distracting and annoying that it makes it impossible to enjoy the story itself.
5. Character over plot every time.
6. Discovering that there doesn't appear to be much demand for the kind of books I love most, and that so many agents seem to be all about 'concept'; from what I've seen, many are very tolerant of things like grammar and punctuation errors and seem to place little or no value on beautiful, skillful writing.
8. It's funny that you asked this because we have a fire that's really close right now and I was just talking to someone about this issue. :( Assuming that family (two-legged and four-legged) are not 'things', I would say manuscripts (including artwork), stuffed animals, and photographs. The scary part is that I have boxes and filing cabinet drawers filled with manuscripts that don't exist in any other format, so grabbing them all would not be a quick and easy thing...!!!
To answer your bonus question, I would certainly be curious to read your story! :) However, to be honest I probably wouldn't buy an anthology unless it looked like most of the stories in the collection were the style of SF that appeals to me and there were several I was particularly interested in reading.
ReplyDelete1. Hardest part of writing is plot. Getting a coherent story that's interesting, and where all the parts mesh properly.
ReplyDelete2. "What comes most easily for you?"
Dialogue.
3. and 4. I'd rather read a meh story with fabulous writing, but then I don't think you can really do a great story with lousy writing. Sure as heck you won't sell one.
5. "What engages you more as a reader--character or plot?"
Character. I'll follow an interesting character through some pretty silly stuff. This does not conflict with previous answer: lousy writing does not have great characters.
6. "What is the most frustrating part about pursuing your dream to be published?"
Trying to get someone to read the whole damn book from start to finish.
7. "Is your dream worth spending the rest of your life on? Or do you have an endpoint in mind?"
I hear a lot about "never giving up" and "persistence," but at some point reality does have to set in. Haven't reached that point yet. I don't think.
9. "As a writer, do you feel supported or unsupported by your family/close circle/spouse?"
I get tremendous support from my loved ones. Couldn't keep going without them.
10. "If you could achieve your dream TOMORROW, what would it look like?"
As some scruffy guy once said, "I don't know. I can imagine quite a bit."
(On Question 8:)
ReplyDeleteNanny started downward, and as the shadows danced around her she heard Walter say: “You know she asked me a very silly question Mrs. Ogg! It was a silly question any fool knows the answer!”
“Oh, yes,” said Nanny, peering at the walls. “About houses on fire, I expect…”
“Yes! What would I take out of our house if it was on fire!”
“I expect you were a good boy and said you’d take your mum,” said Nanny.
“No! My mum would take herself!”
Nanny ran her hands over the nearest wall. Doors had been nailed shut when the staircase had been abandoned. Someone walking up and down here, with a keen pair of ears, could hear a lot of things…
“What would you take out then, Walter?” she said.
“The fire!”
Nanny stared unseeing at the wall, and then her face slowly broke into a grin.
- From "Maskerade" by Terry Pratchett
That's very clever, Tom! This is a story I haven't read. Thanks for posting.
Delete2. Writing query letters and synopsis.
ReplyDelete3. I rather read a meh story with fabulous writing.
5. Character
6. When people say "your not published yet" they think it happens over night.
7. I'm dream is worth everything!
9. I feel unsupported.
10. Getting a call from an agent.
Bonus Question: Yes!
ReplyDelete1. Plot
2. Characters
3. Meh story with fabulous writing
6. The waiting game...that and rewrites.
8. Hmm. The Cat, Water Cat, my shoes. Explanation: I have everything backed up onto the Internet, and I'm putting a flash drive (with my stories) into a safety deposit box at the bank. As for the shoes, who wants to run for help/pick through rubble in stocking feet?
9. I feel supported for the most part. As in, the family leaves me to my own devices, but doesn't ask a lot of questions. Friends are more vocal, without prompting.
10. Signing all the books I've written and published for eager young fans ;)
ReplyDelete1. "Showing" who my characters are.
3. The story is more important. Can you write fabulously about nothing?
4. To be contrary, I think modern readers consider a lot of great stories to have lousy writing because older stories were written for people with better attention spans, hence Cliff Notes and movies. Many of my favorite stories would never get an agent request today.
6. Juggling all the demands on my time.
8. Assuming these are possessions and not people, my violin, the picture my great-grandmother painted, and the memory stick that has all my computer back ups on it. (Not necessarily in that order.)
Bonus: Absolutely!
1. What's the hardest part of writing for you? Plot? Character? Grammar? The synopsis. In fact, I should be writing one now, and instead I'm answering these questions.
ReplyDelete2. What comes most easily for you? Dialog.
4. Is there such thing as a great story with lousy writing? There is! I've read a number of self-pub stories that had punctuation and grammar issues galore, wild leaps of logic, and totally out there characters, yet there was this intangible THING that made me devour the story anyway.
5. What engages you more as a reader--character or plot? Characters. I'll read a story with a so-so plot if the characters are great, but if the characters are flat, no amount of fabulous plot will entice me to read on.
8. If your house were in flames, what 3 things would you grab on your way out? Cat, laptop, and phone.
9. As a writer, do you feel supported or unsupported by your family/close circle/spouse? Completely! My coworkers ask on a regular basis about what I'm working on now. It's a great feeling.
10. If you could achieve your dream TOMORROW, what would it look like? Not going back to work on Tuesday :)
ReplyDelete1. What's the hardest part of writing for you? Plot? Character? Grammar?
Procrastination.
2. What comes most easily for you?
Procrastination.
3. Would you rather read a great story with lousy writing, or a lousy story with fabulous writing?
Dan Brown Da Vinci Code. Great story lousy writing. 50 Shades. Writing okay but it was smut and I couldn't finish it. Didn't last beyond 50 pages.
I love good writing. I can enjoy a story because of the writing - I forgive easily. But that means I have to like the characters too. A good writer can make you like them even if they annoy the hell out of you.
5. What engages you more as a reader--character or plot?
Good writing really should include both.
6. What is the most frustrating part about pursuing your dream to be published?
Motivation.
7. Is your dream worth spending the rest of your life on? Or do you have an endpoint in mind?
I'm on automatic pilot. I can't stop so there's never an endpoint. Fame and fortune is only a bonus point.
8. If your house were in flames, what 3 things would you grab on your way out?
The dog, the external drive on which the M/s are all stored, argh the list is long...
9. As a writer, do you feel supported or unsupported by your family/close circle/spouse?
Supported.
10. If you could achieve your dream TOMORROW, what would it look like?
A new apartment in Manhattan,
(Answer the ones that strike your fancy; you don't have to answer them all. Just number your answers so I know what you're answering.)
BONUS QUESTION: If you knew my real name, would you want to buy the anthology that contains my adult sci-fi short?
Of course :-) I can't wait for you to come out of the phone booth in your supergirl outfit :-)
(Zara Penney)
Authoress: I can't believe you looked it up-- that is so funny! Groovy as a movie, baby!
ReplyDeleteI hope dictionary.com also gave you Laugh-In links on youtube to see where the bippy was born. :)
1. What's the hardest part of writing for you? Plot? Character? Grammar?
ReplyDeleteMy main character always seems to show up last. I feel guilty and lame about it, but have accepted it for now. I may have to address it someday--or at least try.
2. What comes most easily for you?
Endings for some reason
5. What engages you more as a reader--character or plot?
Hm. Probably character first, but I'm quickly learning that the plot better move, too. Especially as I digest more and more stories.
6. What is the most frustrating part about pursuing your dream to be published?
Actually, I think I'm coming more to terms with the fact that I just love to write. Whatever else comes after is a bonus. It's a nice place to be.
9. As a writer, do you feel supported or unsupported by your family/close circle/spouse?
Absolutely supported, except when I ask for her opinion on a query letter or scene for the four thousandth time. Then I just need to do some dishes and shut up.
10. If you could achieve your dream TOMORROW, what would it look like?
I would breathe a large sigh of satisfaction, then get back to work.
1. Squeezing the time out of my day to write.
ReplyDelete2. Characters
3. A meh story. Lousy writing is so distracting, I'd miss the great story.
4. Yes. Plenty of story ideas are fabulous, but the writing just doesn't get the job done.
5. Characters are the life of a novel. Plot can carry a short.
6. The waiting.
7. Yes. Not every waking moment, but making small steps whenever I can. There is no end, only upward.
8. Kids, photo albums and laptop
9. Meh on the support of family and friends. My writing buddies: a big yes.
10. My book in a stranger's hand at a checkout counter.
Bonus: Probably, because I'm curious about your writing. :)
1) The middle. Or, as Jim Butcher put it, the Great Swampy Middle.
ReplyDelete2) Plotting everything out.
3) Probably the latter; I can't get past bad writing no matter how great the story is.
4) *cough*LOTR*cough
5) Character. If I can't care about anyone, why should I care about what happens?
6) Seeing people with little to no talent not only getting published but making thousands or millions off their crappy work.
7) Yes. You'll have to pry my pen from my cold, dead fingers to make me stop.
8) My guinea pigs and my jump drive. Also, if my guinea pigs don't count as separate things, my binder of ideas.
9) I feel supported. My mom and grandma were bragging about the short story I got published in my college lit magazine.
10) I would have my entire series published with plans to adapt it into an animated show and I would be making enough for me to quit my job.
Bonus Question: I'm not really into sci-fi, so probably not.
1. Hardest part? Without a doubt, plot.
ReplyDelete2. Most easily? Character development.
3. A meh story with fabulous writing.
5. Engages me as a reader? A balance of both. I like characters best, though.
6. Most frustrating part? Constantly feeling like I'm at a high school dance watching the cool kids (published authors) have fun and waiting for it to be my turn to dance...oh, and people automatically assuming something's wrong with me when, three weeks after they learn I write novels, my books still haven't hit the shelves.
7. Worth spending the rest of your life on? I'm a pragmatist, not a romantic. If it won't pay the bills, I won't drop everything to do it.
8. 3 things? I'm going with five: Husband, daughter, cats 1, 2, and 3.
9. Feel supported? Utterly alone. I wish (among other things) their "if's" were "when's."
BONUS QUESTION Probably not. I don't really enjoy short stories, and most anthologies I buy, I never crack open. If I had read a few books of yours and decided you were my super favorite author, or I knew you personally and wanted to support you, then I probably would. But without knowing you or your work, an anthology wouldn't appeal to me.