I’m feeling burned out in my reading this week. So I’m turning to writing. But I’m so out of practice. I realize I need more balance.

Write on Wednesday this week is a writer’s meme, so I’ll start here.

What is your favourite genre of writing?

I fall back on nonfiction. I’ve been focusing on book reviews in the last six months, but I want to get back to personal essay and fictional stories too.

How often do you get writer’s block?

I’ve had writer’s block for six months.

How do you fix it?

Good question. Probably, I need to stop reading so much and actually try to write.

Do you type or write by hand?

I type. I don’t like writing by hand.

Do you save everything you write?

No.

Do you ever go back to an old idea long after you abandoned it?

Yes.

Do you have a constructive critic?

No. My husband doesn’t really care all that much…

Did you ever write a novel?

I wrote half of a novel in seventh grade. It was about kids in the future who time traveled back to the 1990s. But then I was in eighth grade and I decided it was rather dumb so I stopped. I wish I knew what happened to it.

What genre would you love to write but haven’t?

I want to be better with my fiction, and I’d love to focus on historical fiction. But I’m not sure I have the patience to research a historical time.

What is one genre you have never written, and probably never will?

I guess I’m confused: I think of genres as nonfiction and fiction. I’ve written both of those. If you’re talking about kinds of fiction, I’d say I’ll never write horror or murder stories. Psychotic people disturb me and I don’t want to research them to write about them properly.

How many writing projects are you working on right now?

Um, define project.  Does answering a meme count?

Do you write for a living? Do you want to?

No. And no. I actually don’t “work” for a living, unless you count changing poopy diapers and sweeping the floor. I don’t want to have to meet someone’s writing schedule. But I would like to write more, as long as there is no pressure…

Have you ever written something for a magazine or newspaper?

Yes, I answered an editorial-question for a magazine and they sent me $50 for my answer.

Have you ever won an award for your writing?

In third grade I got to go to the Young Writer’s Workshop because of my superior story called “The Boy Who Turned into a Kite” or something like that. I won again in fifth grade (can’t remember my story) and I got to meet Avi.

What are you five favourite words?

When I was writing papers in school, “However” and “Therefore” were among my favorites. Now, I’d have to say I love the basics like “and” and “I.” I’ll think about that and determine what my favorite really is… My favorite punctuation mark is definitely the semi-colon.

Do you ever write based on your dreams?

Yes. I used to dream very vividly, and I tried to capture the dreams in my poems and stories. But it never works properly.

Do you favour happy endings, sad endings, or cliff-hangers?

I guess happy endings, but I’d say the “right” ending is what I’m always looking for.

Have you ever written based on an artwork you’ve seen?

No, but good idea! I’m going to try to do that right now…