#sprinklecloud

YAY! A fellow Little House lover! That series forever occupies a fond place in my heart, not just because of the show (which is adorable), but also because it was one of the first book series I read and loved as a kid. I think that’s where my period drama fascination began…all the way back in elementary school haha. So, naturally, when I saw that post, I had to reblog!

I was tagged by @conquer-at-length. Thanks for the tag ^_^  Name: Kathryn

Nickname: Kat!e, Kate, Fred, Randolph, Katie-Bug (that’s what I was called when I was little, and I have some friends who never dropped it) 

Birthday: December 29

Astrological Sign: Capricorn

Gender: Female

Height: 5′8″ ish

Favorite Color: golden sunlight distilled through green summer leaves. Or just yellow’s good, too.

Time right now: 8:21 PM

Average hours of sleep: “Average” and “sleep” don’t really go together for me. I think I really need about ten hours, and I get that a lot, but sometimes I get, like, three, and sometimes I sleep for about fourteen. It just depends on the day and how I feel. 

Lucky Number: I’m partial to 13, but I don’t really believe in luck and I’m fond of most numbers

Last thing I googled: “Capricorn” (I always second-guess if that’s what it’s called)

Number of blankets: Ok, well, I have three fuzzy blankets, a comforter, and a sheet, and I kind of sleep with various combinations of the five depending on the night. Last night I slept under the comforter and used two of the fuzzy blankets as pillows. 

Favorite fictional character: Seriously? How the even heck am I supposed to decide? Maybe... Childermass? Fakir? Uncle Iroh? Bertie Wooster? Jane Eyre? Sophie from Howl’s Moving Castle? Lupin? Yeah, too many to choose from. 

Favorite book/manga: My favorite book will probably always be Harry Potter. My current favorite book that I’ve read recently is Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (I’m currently rereading it, because I have an obsession.)

Favorite TV show/movie/anime: Hogan’s Heroes / RED / Princess Tutu (yeah, I know I cheated. So sue me.) 

Favorite famous person: Uh... another one that it’s too hard to choose. I don’t really follow celebrities avidly. 

Favorite bands/music/artists: Lately I’ve just been listening to Disney soundtracks and Broadway musicals... 

Dream job: Mother and Novelist

What are you doing right now: Sitting on top of my kitchen table, thinking about eating but also thinking that food is gross, and roleplaying with my friend, and petting a cat. And also filling out this questionnaire, but I probably don’t need to specify that.

What I’m wearing: Black yoga pants and a grey shirt with three pixelated hearts, one of them half-filled, because I’m a Zelda geek.

Thank you! And thanks for convincing me to reblog this; it’s lots of fun! 

J - What does writing mean to you?

I am an intensely creative person and I have a lot of outlets for that (including music and photography) but writing is the one thing that I focus on constantly–it resides in the front of my mind even when I put my camera and guitar aside. It’s with me every waking moment and sometimes in my dreams. Whenever I see something beautiful, my instant thought is that I wish to bring it to life in words. Writing is how I make sense of the world and how the world will eventually make sense of me. 

H - How long have you been writing? 

My earliest remembrance of writing is when I wrote a story for my little brother’s birthday present. I was about 6, and the story featured two dinosaurs who used a rock as a ball (I know now that throwing rocks around isn’t the best idea, but what else could a couple of prehistoric pals play with?) and I can’t remember much else. It was illustrated by me, as well. 

L - What advice would you give to other writers?

As a perfectionist, the best writing advice that I ever internalized is that first drafts are literally always bad, and you just have to push through them so that you can get to better things. The first draft is really only daunting if you think of it as your final work–it’s not. Just get it written. First drafts are freedom. Explore all those tantalizing directions the story could go (even if they sound ridiculous at first), craft your ideal characters, and have fun. 

E - Have you ever participated in National Novel Writing Month or any of its variations?

Yes! I have written a novel every year for NaNoWriMo since 2010 (which is when I wrote my first novel ever). NaNo has a very special place in my heart because it made me realize that noveling is what I want to do with my life. The comradery and the creative energy present during that event is amazing. 

I’m planning on participating this year, as well. If anybody wants to add me as a writing buddy, my username on NaNo is just “Quinlyn”. 

Thanks for the ask! 

N: Which writing blogs and writing help blogs do you follow?Not a lot, actually. I get most of my writing stuff on Facebook – Character Lounge, Inspiration for Writers, and Writers Write are probably my favorite Facebook writing pages. I follow some blogger blogs, like Something Delicious and Hannah Heath. Of course, Max Kirin’s writing blog is amazing. And I follow a lot of fellow aspiring authors. But I don’t really follow a lot on Tumblr. I should probably remedy this. 

U: What’s your least favorite part of the writing process?  Why?Part of my process is routinely feeling like I suck and wanting to set everything I’ve ever written on fire. That’s probably the worst.

L: What advice would you give to other writers?Just write. Write and write and write and keep on writing. Explore ideas that may not work. Respond to prompts. Keep a journal. Pick a project and write it all the way through to the end, even if you think it sucks. Fill notebooks and blogs and word documents with words. You’ll only get better through practice. You’ll only get published if you actually write something. Writers write, that is our defining characteristic. So just keep on writing. Ok, and read a boatload. Read even more than you write. Read classics and contemporaries and dumb dime store novels that no one’s ever heard of. Read what you love, and read outside your comfort zone. Read the genre you’re writing, and things that are completely different. Read non fiction and poetry and plays as well as novels. Fill your life with words and stories. Listen to stories that people tell – whether it’s your friend telling you what happened in math class today, or your grandmother telling you what life was like when she was a little girl. Play video games, watch intelligent television and movies, and analyze the stories you take in. Dedicate your life to stories so you will understand how to craft them yourself. 

Hi there! :-D Yes, I do watch that show! I absolutely adore it, tbh. I definitely liveblogged it last night I’m a liveblogging TV-nut, so it’s a good chance it was me blowing up your dash with JTV things haha. 

I’m pretty friendly and am always up for conversation, especially about TV shows. If she’d like, I’d definitely love to chat with her about JTV. :)