So, I’m a part of the Like A Virgin Contest– it’s for new writers working on manuscripts. Below are some questions and answers– looking forward to the rest of the contest. Xo.
- How do you remember your first kiss?
My first kiss was at my girlfriend’s birthday party in early elemental school. (The details are fuzzy. Second grade? First?) Anyway, she had a bunch of us over at her house and she pulled me up to her room under some flimsy pretext. Next thing you know, we were making out and stuff.
It was a fun party.
- What was your first favorite love song?
My first favorite love song was probably “Lovin’ You.” It was a ritual: my mother would play Minnie Riperton every Saturday when we cleaned the house, so it was programmed into my head very early. I still play it when I clean my apartment.
- What’s the first thing you do when you begin writing for the day?
I usually lock myself into an enclosed space: my bedroom, my office at work, or some other study/work room. I generally like to lock myself into a room before I start writing anything.
- Who’s the first writer who truly inspired you to become a writer?
Tough questions. If you mean novel-writing, that would be James Baldwin. Before that, I found most writing (other than blogging and poetry) frustrating—I was more of a Math/Science guy. It was James Baldwin that made me realize I wanted to write a novel. Blogging came organically—a friend of mine used to run an amazing blog on growing up Black and queer. I decided I had a lot to say on the topic (and on others) and started blogging in my early teen years.
- Did the final revision of your first book have the same first chapter it started with?
It does. It’s much different from how I’d originally written it (pacing, voice, tone, exposition), but the scenes themselves are the same.
- For your first book, which came first: major characters, plot or setting?
Major characters, definitely. I usually start my process with an image—I see a character doing something. So, I get a character first. Then I get the setting from their surroundings in the image. Finally, I think about a plotline and create other characters and a storyline connecting them.
- What’s the first word you want to roll off the tip of someone’s tongue when they think of your writing?
Engaging!
Check out the other blogs as well to check out the other participants.
StevenJHanton 