From Twitter 06-17-2010

• 10:53:24: Am giving serious consideration to scrapping what I've written of Bad Dogs so far and starting again
  
• 10:59:30: I'm really not happy with the first chapter, especially, and am thinking of ways to give it a bit more bang, most of which...
  
• 11:00:40: ... involve starting over. Annoying, but less annoying than if I'd made this decision 10k into the novel instead of 5k
  
• 11:33:46: @janjonesauthor I think three times is my record too. But I ended up rewriting that novel about six times altogether
  
• 13:07:11: Okay, one lunch-time brainstorming session later, I have a plot for Bad Dogs that I'm actually happy with! Will definitely be starting over
  
• 13:07:30: But I know what I'm doing now, so hopefully I can make up the lost time quickly
  

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Writing Meme Day 15 & 16 - Twofer!

Obviously yesterday was a bad day and it should feel bad, and I didn't answer my writing meme question. Le gasp! So, two for one today.

15. Midway question! Tell us about a writer you admire, whether professional or not!

The first name that springs to mind is Richelle Mead, author of the Georgina Kincaid, Dark Swan, and Vampire Academy series. Firstly because I've loved everything she's written without fail. Secondly because to keep on top of three series and have them all be quality, engaging, emotional, beautifully-written books, she must work hella hard. Thirdly because that's the kind of career success I aspire to.

But there are so many other writers I admire. I love my friend rjpayne's  writing, and know she's going to be a massive success herself. Her short story, By Starlight, is one of the most hauntingly beautiful pieces I've ever read, the kind of story that stays with you long after you've finished it. And I know I'm not biased by friendship - By Starlight was placed fourth in the Interzone Readers' Poll 2009. Growing up I read Tamora Pierce's Immortals quartet over and over again, and those were the books that moved me from "I love reading books" to "I want to write books." I adore MR James and HP Lovecraft, and you can't talk about writers you admire without mentioning Shakespeare (well, I can't, anyway).

16. Do you write romantic relationships? How do you do with those, and how “far” are you willing to go in your writing?

Yes, I do. Love is a pretty big part of life, yo, so it would seem strange to me to never have relationships happen in a story, whether it's just hinted at or the main theme, or whatever. I think so far I've never written anything where the relationship was centre stage, always a subplot, but I don't shy away from sex scenes. On the other hand, I don't write particularly graphic scenes or erotica, because that just doesn't interest me as a writer. 

( Questions under the cut )