- Post the award on your blog.
- Thank the blogger who presented the award and link back to their blog.
- Nominate 5-11 bloggers whom you feel deserve this award and have fewer than or equal to 3,000 followers.
- Answer 11 questions posted by the nominator, and ask your nominees 11 questions.
My Nominees
- The Insane Dubois Legacy by Simcomix aka MrsOogieBoogie
- Another Life to Live by MsMidnightBlonde aka RaeNic
- Different Winters by LilyShadowWriter
- Perfection by littlesims2chick aka alexandrea
- Summerdream by caterpillarsims
Questions from MrsOogieBoogie
1] In everyday life, how often do you find yourself thinking about your story or your characters (when you’re not working on it)?
Quite often, actually. It's not constant, like all day, but I will usually think about my story or characters at least once every day, and what scenarios I want to put them in, or what things I might need to download, what sets I need to create, any additional Sims I need to make, basically things that will need to happen before I can post the next chapter. I will also think about the chapter itself and where I want to go with it and how it will tie into everything else, both having it make sense with the chapter before it, and the chapter that will be written. There are times during the day when I'm focused on doing something else that needs my full attention, when I will purposely not think about my story, but I'd say if I'm just doing something random that doesn't take much brain power, like cooking, Sims stuff will not be far from my mind.
2] How did you come up with your idea to start your story/legacy? Was it something you wanted to do for a while, or did it just come to you out of the blue?
The idea for The Compound came initially when I watched the television show, The Following, which is about a cult. It was chilling, and it resonated with me because I had been in a cult-like experience when I was in college. I had been wanting to try to write about my experience in a fictional atmosphere for some time, I had some Word drafts where I was trying out different styles of writing, but I wasn't entirely sure I was going to publish until I saw The Following. Cults are not exactly very popular, so I wasn't sure how many people would be interested. When I saw the show on tv, though, it made me think that 'hey there's someone else who wrote about a cult, and I find it incredibly interesting, so maybe I should just go for it,' and so I did. Thus, The Compound came to be.
3] What’s your process in bringing in new characters? How do you choose their traits and their personality?
I will bring in new characters usually when I feel like the story line I have written for the existing characters needs to be expanded upon. When I first started The Compound, the four main characters were established, and as I got into the meat of the story, I felt like two of the characters, Verona, and Absolon, needed more of their story told, so I introduced some new characters at that time, which were Verona's parents, and Absolon's parents. I choose their traits and personality from a back story that I give them in my head, based on the existing story line at the time. This way, everything flows together and the new characters make sense within the story, as if they were always supposed to be there.
4] What’s your favorite view to write? First, Second, or Third person?
My favorite view is First Person, hands down. I feel like I tend to be really passionate, and immerse myself in a character when I write them, so first person is the most effective view for that. If I need to show another character's perspective, I will just switch to first person for the other character, and then go just as passionate and immersive for the other character too. However, for The Compound, I wanted to try a different writing style, so I mixed First Person with Third Person, and threw in an interview as well. It sounds complicated when I describe it, even to me, but I had everything sectioned off in the story, and I've had readers tell me it's a very effective form of storytelling. Basically, two of the main characters were in the cult, and two were in the real world. When I talked about the cult, I used Third Person, and when I talked about the real world, I used First Person. I wanted the cult to seem robotic and a bit detached from reality, so I felt like Third Person would portray that the best. The interview style was because the story starts off with readers seeing that the two main characters who were in the cult are no longer in it. The story is a series of flashbacks, but I'll say nothing more, if you're curious go read it, and I'll be glad to answer any comments you have. LOL.
5] What are your favorite worlds to play in?
Ahh. Favorite worlds. I love Starlight Shores (Showtime EP), Sunlit Tides (EA Store), Roaring Heights (EA Store), and this isn't a world, but a venue from the EA Store, The Last Venue of Amore. I love Starlight because it reminds me of one of my favorite cities, Los Angeles. Roaring Heights reminds me of my hometown, Chicago, and the 1920s atmosphere makes me happy, plus it comes with an old 1920s/30s car which is just perfect. Sunlit Tides because I love beaches and oceans. Amore because it's absolutely breathtaking for just being a bunch of pixels, and also because I was overcome by romance when I was playing in it. I am not a very romantic person, so I often need to find inspiration when I need to write a romantic scene, and Amore does just that. LOL.
6] What are your favorite types of stories to read? What interests you the most?
I really like stories that are heavy on the plot lines, and realistic. it doesn't matter if it's a legacy, standalone story, or a Sims challenge, as long as there's a good plot line. I'm most interested in stories rated R, or ones even if they don't give an R rating, just if they're not afraid of delving into topics that aren't as "accepted" in society. I like those the most because I think it takes great courage to write about things like that, and I like the idea of fearless individuals who are willing to write what they want to write without fear of offending someone. I also really like when I can tell the author puts a lot of effort into their story and when I can see that they are very passionate about it. It's much easier for me to like something if I can feel that the author cares about their story a lot as well.
7] Which character in your story can you say you relate to the most?
As I am today, I would say probably Camo. He's feisty, and he asks questions, without just bending over and being gullible. I will say in general, however, the four main characters of The Compound were all representative of parts of my personality at certain stages during my time in the cult. There was a time when I was completely brainwashed, times when I was starting to question things, times when I was scared about being punished, yet still trying to question things, and times when I backtracked.
8] What are the five traits that worst describe you?
Hot-Headed: I have a short fuse for certain things, and I can get really worked up over stuff I feel strongly about, sometimes to the point that I scare people, LOL. Sometimes I can also be misunderstood as bitchy because of this trait.
Couch Potato: Sometimes I have no motivation to do shit when I really, really should
Commitment Issues: I am married now, but I was never one to daydream about it as a young girl, and I didn't really give a fuck if I ever got married, if it happened, it happened, if it didn't, whatever. Before I got married, my longest lasting relationship was two to four weeks. I just dumped people the second they pissed me off because I didn't need that shit in my life. LOL.
Absent-Minded: I sometimes have the attention span of a fruit fly. LOL. I'll have something in mind I want to do, and then do it halfway, but then get distracted by something else and forget what the fuck I was doing in the first place. It can be something as big as forgetting that I was writing a forum post and then going to write my story, or something as little as looking at my wedding ring and seeing all the shinies in it. I always have too many tabs open in my browser, and often that is why I get distracted as well.
Heavy Sleeper: I like this about myself, but I have heard from hubs that I can be extremely hard to wake up. Also once I'm physically up, I'm such a heavy sleeper that it can take like up to 3 hours for my brain to wake up, so if you have something important to tell me in the morning, I probably either won't remember it or comprehend it in the first place. It takes me a long time to understand things in the morning, LOL, with some effort I can, but it takes like ten times the effort in the morning for me than it does during the rest of the day or at night.
9] If you could go back and change how you wrote your story, so that it would've gone in a completely different direction, would you? Why/Why not?
Nope. I wouldn't change a thing writing wise about The Compound. Since it came from such a personal place in my heart, and from my life, I felt like when I wrote it, it was exactly what I wanted to say at the time. Also, writing The Compound was healing for me, as I wrote each chapter, I felt like I was releasing a little bit of my burdens from the damage the cult instilled in me, and I wouldn't change that for the world.
10] Does your style of clothing ever some through in your characters? Or do you dress them how you think they themselves would dress?
Yeah, definitely. I often don't dress my female Sims in things I wouldn't wear, unless I have a specific style for their character already in mind. I'm not a huge fan of the modesty thing where everything is covered up and shorts are the devil, so I'll often have my female Sims wearing mid-neckline shirts where a little cleavage is happening, but I won't make them go hooker unless they're a hooker in the story. LOL. For guys, it's the same thing, except for instead of dressing them how I would dress myself, I dress them in clothes I would find attractive on a male. For some characters, I will have a defined personality for them, where their clothing plays a part in their personality, and then yes, I will dress them how they think they should dress.
11] What is something in game that your Sim does to others that you wish you could do in real life? No consequences or repercussions?
Ooh, no consequences? Hmm in game, that's harder. I'm going to have to think about this. LOL. The thing I wanted to do, the Sims can't actually do in game, so maybe I'll have to think about this in a different direction. XD I find it funny when the Sims scare each other, but I already do that to my hubs in real life, so that doesn't count... hmm... pointing and laughing is fun too, but again, I do that to my hubs. I wish I could swim in real life, and I like how the Sims can just automatically swim when they get into water, and they didn't need to be taught. LOL. In actuality, I wanted to do some real evil stuff since there were no consequences, like off some people who really made my life hell for no damn reason other than they were assholes. XD
EDIT: OoooOoo! I would love to slap the shit out of someone on the street if I felt like they were being a giant asshole for no reason. LOL.
Questions from lovesstorms
1. When you write, do you choose the computer or paper/pen?
I always use my computer. I write directly in my Blogger editor because it makes for easy editing, and organization. I don't have to worry about 'now where did I put that page for that chapter?' LOL, knowing me, and how much I leave shit everywhere in my house, no doubt I would lose pages from my drafts if I didn't have it all in my computer.
2. Do you write your story ahead of time, then take photos (if you have any)? Or do you take photos, then write?
Neither. LOL. What I do is open Blogger, and then open my game. I'll write a paragraph or two, and then go in game to get the pictures for those paragraphs. Then I hit the "Windows button" and go back to Blogger, write some more, and then get pictures. I'm way too scatterbrained to take pictures before hand because I would probably not even know what I got the pictures for anymore if I didn't work on it right away. I'm a very visual person, so if I just write and write with no pictures, it's easier for me to get distracted, or get stuck.
3. What made you want to start writing? A book? Life? A person? Other?
The Sims. I never wrote anything until I bought the Sims3 other than school reports, but I never wrote for fun. I feel like Sims really opened my creativity as far as writing goes. Honestly, I didn't even know I liked writing that much until I discovered Sims. LOL.
4. What’s a country you’ve always wanted to visit?
Oh man, this is hard, I want to visit a lot of places, but they're mostly in Europe, which is not a country. LOL. I like Italy, I want to see the Coliseum, France for the Eiffel Tower, England and Scotland for the castles, and Germany for the World War II stuff. I'm a huge history nerd, so seeing anything that's "old world" is fascinating to me.
5. Outside of the Sims, what’s another favorite game you play?
Tomb Raider. Sims is the only game I play on the computer. I play Tomb Raider on my PS2, and I love everything about it, the shooting things, jumping around, finding treasures, riding motorcycles, disarming traps, it's just really fun. XD
6. When you become disinterested in your story/characters, what do you do?
I will change something in my story or characters to spice it up again. Usually if this situation happens, it means I need to start thinking in a different way for the story because what I am doing is clearly not working. LOL. Sometimes I'll question whether I need to add another character, which a lot of times really solves the problem because the new character adds a level to the story that makes it fresh, usually sparking that interest I was missing. Downloading CC helps too, it's probably not the best way to deal with it since I have too much CC as it is LOL, but it does make things more interesting. It's amazing what a new outfit, hairstyle, piece of decor, or car can do for my creativity. It's such a simple thing, but it is incredibly effective. Building a new lot or house helps too because it can give me ideas.
7. When you write, do you prefer quiet or noise in the background?
Noise, noise, noise always. Hahaha. I grew up in Chicago, and although this isn't true of everyone who grows up in cities, I myself can't stand the quiet. The television is usually the noise of choice when I'm writing. I usually watch shows on prime time, so like 7pm, but then I'll write during the commercials. Once the shows I'm interested in are over for the night, the tv still stays on for a few hours after that. I can't use music as my noise though, because I end up singing along to it, and then I can't type or think about the chapter properly. I usually end up typing the lyrics to the song, and then being like, what the fuck did I just type. LOL. It's only me and my hubs in the house, I have no kids, so as far as noise like that, like if my hubs is talking to me, sometimes I can't concentrate.
8. If everyone stopped coming to your blog, would you continue to write and share?
LOL. Yes. I'd definitely keep writing and publishing. I'm proud of what I write, and I always write for myself. Readers are a very welcome perk to my writing, but I don't write for my readers, so if they just disappeared one day, I'd miss interacting with them, but it wouldn't make me stop writing.
9. Do you have a routine for reading other blogs, like reading until your caught up on one, then moving to the next one? Or do you enjoy reading little bits of many stories?
It depends on the story, to be honest. The more I like the story, the more likely it is that I will read until I'm caught up. If I don't like the story as much, but it is still somewhat interesting to me, then I will read a few chapters, and then go on to a different story.
10. Do you keep a notepad & pen/phone/tablet by your bed for those late night ideas? If so, do you actually get up and write them down?
No I don't jot down ideas by my bed. Incidentally, I am usually up at the late night hours, since I'm one of those night owl Simmers who's still up at 2-3am, so I'm already at my computer typing them out. XD
11. When you write, do you just do a quick glance and post? Or do you take a day or two or more and proofread, move things around, delete, re-write, etc, etc?
Oh, god no. LOL Quick glances for me are non-existent. A single chapter will take me at least three days to perfect and publish, depending how motivated I am. I always maintain that even though I am writing for fun, it doesn't mean I should half ass it and put no effort into it. Three days is the quickest I think I've ever completed a chapter, from initial writing to the final completion with pictures. The longest I've ever taken is a few months to perfect one chapter. I proofread as I go because I like to make sure things flow constantly, text, and picture wise. If I change a sentence or a paragraph, I'll proofread from the beginning. I'll only rewrite if I've had a draft in Blogger that I wrote a while ago, which I haven't looked at and sometimes forgot what I wrote. If I reread it and I decide I hate it, then it gets deleted. More often than not, I won't hate the entire draft, so I will write some new stuff, and then move some old stuff into the new stuff, if it fits. If it doesn't fit with the new stuff, then it gets deleted.
My Eleven Questions
Since this is not my first nomination, and I didn't pick new nominees, I'm just going to list my questions here so others can see what I asked. There's no need to answer these again.
1. What got you interested in writing? Have you always been a natural writer, or did some life event spark you to start the hobby?
2. How serious are you about writing? Do you want to be a world famous author someday, or do you just write Sims stories for fun?
3. Is there a time of day that’s the best time for you to write?
4. What do you do to get over writers block?
5. What made you start playing Sims?
6. Do you prefer creating and writing about male or female Sims? Why do you prefer the one you do?
7. Other than Sims and writing, what are some of your other hobbies?
8. What are your favorite and least favorite expansion or stuff packs?
9. What is one of your greatest fears regarding your writing?
10. If you could pick five personality traits for your Simself, what would they be? I know when I do it, there’s always more than five I want to use, but just think of the first five that come to mind.
11. What is your favorite type of CC to download and why?
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