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Friday, August 31, 2012

GUTGAA Meet and Greet!

I am very excited to be participating in the 2012 Gearing Up To Get An Agent blogfest and pitch contest! Our first task is to get to know some fellow participants, which might be the most exciting part for me. I am only now foraying into the writerly community, and I completely geek out at the connections I've made with other writers. So without further blabbery, I will get on with the questions Deana posted for us!



Questions for the Meet and Greet

-Where do you write?
I write on my laptop, which means just about anywhere I go. I mainly write in my room (usually on my bed, neglecting my cute little corner desk and testing the limits of my wrists with my poor writing posture) or in coffee shops if I am feeling stereotypical that day. 

-Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see?
My cute neglected corner desk that has a bunch of crap piled on it.

-Favorite time to write?
Night time. I'm not sure why, but I just write better at night than I do during the day. The internet is still there to distract me at whatever hour I choose to write, but for some reason I tend to stay away from it after dark. 

-Drink of choice while writing?
 Water or juice. I'm a liar, what I meant to say was soda or coffee. Something with caffeine.

-When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?
It depends on my mood. Sometimes my soundtrack playlist (songs that inspire me--not limited to songs from actual soundtracks) gets on my nerves, so I'll just turn it off. Other times I feel like I need to have a certain song on repeat to finish a particular scene.

-What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?
I am going to answer this one in terms of series since the last MS I completed was actually the second book in my series. I first came up with the concept of five girls magically linked together by more than just their familial bonds but by the elements themselves because of the relationship I have with my family. At the time, we all considered ourselves to be Pagan and very much so on the same spiritual path. We all seemed to represent one of the elements. My sister was earth. I was air. My cousin was fire. My other cousin was water. And my aunt topped it all off as Spirit. The concept grew so much over the coming years that the initial plot and characters aren't even really the same, but merely whispers of their original forms. 

-What's your most valuable writing tip?
Pretty much the standard, I think: Keep writing and keep reading. Beta readers are a terrifying idea but so incredibly helpful. Critiquing other people's works can help too because you can spot flaws with your own prose and try to improve. Also a standard bit of advice: Write what you want to read, not what you think will sell. And most importantly: Never give up. 
And now for the biography:
I'm going to preface this biography by saying I hate writing my own biography. I tend to go all tongue-in-cheek and self-deprecating because otherwise it just feels like you are tooting your own horn, even if your horn deserves to be tooted. But I will try to keep from doing that too much as I tell you a little bit about myself. Beyond the fact that I am, obviously, a writer.

Mara Valderran a fantasy writer working on her very first series, Heirs of War. She grew up in the south but somehow managed to get by without inheriting a southern accent. She has been writing since age twelve, juggling that with her love of acting. She now focuses her creative efforts only on writing while studying for her bachelor's degree in exercise science. When she is not working, studying, or writing, you can usually find her curled up with a good book or snuggling with her cat while watching her favorite television shows. She enjoys most things having to do with science fiction or fantasy and likes to spend her weekends singing karaoke with her friends.

18 comments:

  1. "Other times I feel like I need to have a certain song on repeat to finish a particular scene." I do this all the time :) And I agree with your writing tip, very true. Enjoy GUTGAA!

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  2. Thanks for stopping by my blog! I'd be curious to know what stuff you've acted in! Sometimes my wrists (and back) get sore from writing too.

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    1. I've mainly done local theatre stuff when I was much younger. I like to say I retired early but I guess I just didn't have the passion to pursue it further. :)

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  3. I whimped out on the bio and just gave some info about myself. Haha. But I love writing at night too and I seem less distracted by the internet then. Weird! Nice to meet you! I'm loving this Meet and Greet thing. :) New follower, by the way.

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  4. Hi, Mara! Looking forward to hearing more about you and your writing during the blogfest!It won't accept my Wordpress so I'm Dawn. Write On is my blog.

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    1. Nice to meet you! I am still going through the meet and greets, so I will definitely look for yours in my random clicking. :)

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  5. Caffeine definitely helps with the writing, doesn't it? I'm your newest follower! *waves* Very nice to meet you!

    AA
    http://anallegedauthor.blogspot.com/

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  6. Hello! *waves* So nice to meet you!

    I need soda when I write. I have an IV ;) haha

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  7. Nice to meet you, and good luck with GUTGAA!

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  8. Nice to meet you. *takes a sip of coffee, not juice, lol* Good luck with GUTGAA. http://anjeasandro.blogspot.com/

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    1. Haha! I am working on a Sprite right now. I am already over-caffeinated so I decided to be good!

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  9. Hmmm how did you survive the south without getting a southern accent? Your story idea sounds cool.

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    1. I have no idea. People usually think I'm from up north but my whole family is from the south. Heck, I was born in Tennessee. The accent comes out sometimes, usually when I'm around people with particularly thick ones. Thank you--glad you like the story idea. :)

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  10. I put some songs on repeat, too. I can't tell you how many times I listened to "Americano" by Lady Gaga while writing my last MS :) Diet Dr. Pepper came in handy, too.

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  11. I like your story idea -- I like stories that explore family bonds along with some other element (paranormal, mystical etc). I agree, beta readers can be terrifying, but definitely necessary. I've received more quality feedback from someone reading a larger excerpt than when I post the first 250 words on a blog for mass critique. I'm struggling now with reworking my opening page.

    Good luck with GUTGAA and thanks for stopping by my blog.

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  12. You story idea is so good for women! We sure do love our family bonds and whatever helps us tune in more to that...is a good thing! I say this as a doctor, too. I trained at Stanford anesthesiology and critical care, so I have worked with dying patients a lot. I usually try to get their families in ASAP when I think they are gong to leave us, and that is a painful but rewarding thing to do. Working on getting women to have "The Second Talk" about menopause, so we don't have to age away! Muaaah!

    Dr Margaret Aranda

    www.girlpowerinamm.blogspot.com

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  13. Glad to meet you Mara. Sounds like you've accomplished a lot for being a young woman. Good luck with your writing.

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  14. Hi Mara, welcome to the writing community. Sounds like we have a lot in common. Good luck and I look forward to seeing you around more.

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