The Writer's Tag!

Instead of a Paperback's Pondering's today, I decided to complete a tag I saw on Jillian @ Jillian's Books blog, all about young writer's experiences. I thought it would be fitting since I've started writing again for NaNoWriMo!

What do you drink or eat while writing? 

Nothing really, as eating provides a distraction. I try to limit the stuff around me, so I'm more obligated to write and not pick up other things. Although, if I had to pick, probably chocolate as it would make me happy and more motivated.

What do you listen to while writing? 

Any albums on my phone that I'm loving at the time! I'm currently really enjoying James Bay, as his voice is so magically relaxing.

What's your most debilitating distraction? 

Twitter and Instagram! I get some celebrities tweets sent as notifications to my phone, so when I hear it buzz then I really want to go see what they've tweeted. Let's just say that I take a lot of "internet" breaks.

What's the worst thing that's ever happened to you while writing? 

My sister reading it!! I must have been about 11, when I was writing a short story that I kept in a notebook hidden in my drawer, and she found it one day and read it aloud. It wasn't a great story to begin with, so I was very embarassed :(

What's the best thing that's happened to you while writing? How do you celebrate small victories? 

I love it when I'm "on a roll" with writing. I haven't been in a block, and the words are flowing so easily. I celebrate the small victories by giving myself a break, because let's be honest, you start to go a bit insane after staring at a screen for so long!

Who do you communicate with, or not communicate with when writing? 

Absolutely no one. Like I said in the incident with my sister, I get very self-conscious over my writing and so I try not to share it with anyone. I think my biggest fear for NaNoWriMo is that the book is essentially public and that some may read it.

What's your writing secret to success? Hidden flaw? 

My secret to success is to think outside the box. Cliche, I know, but I feel like it really helps to make you more likely to enjoy writing the book, if you have to research a lot about things and learn new concepts that you are not familiar with.

My flaw is that I can get too carried away with description sometimes, that things can just get boring to read.

What makes you productive? 

Looking at a word count and knowing that with every word, you are one step closer to your goal.

What's one thing that writers do, or you do, that annoys you? 

I don't like it when writers use cookie-cutter characters and plots. I love diverse cultures, relationships and ways of life.

Share one sentence from a project. Past or present. 

This is the excerpt from my NaNo novel! It is a YA dystopia surrounding the life of a girl who has just woken up from a dream of a perfect world which she thought was real:

They say that right before you die, your whole life flashes before your eyes. All of your mistakes, stuggles, and happiness, come flooding back to you for one final moment. Then, everything just stops. That’s what everyone thought had happened to me. The poor little girl about to be unplugged after being in a coma for nearly a decade. They thought that I was already dead, no senses left in me. Although no one could have prepared them for a day that was supposed to be a solemn one. The day when I was to officially die, turned into the day when I woke up. 

That's it!! I'm tagging all of you writers out there!

Emily @ Paperback Princess