Writer's Life Tag

I've been tagged for the Writer's Life tag by my friend Tracey @ Adventure AwaitsAnd, since I am trying to be a bit better about blogging consistently, I thought I should join in the fun!Write-Fuel: what do you eat/drink while writing?Not much, actually. Though when I'm not pregnant I usually have a can of Dr. Pepper nearby when I'm writing. Lately, I've been enjoying a cup of hot cocoa when I sit down to write. Ah... fall/winter!Write-Sounds: what do you listen to while writing?Again, I don't have a set-in-stone answer for this one. Sometimes I'll throw on some headphones and try to find some music that goes with the scene I'm writing. Other times I'll just type in silence (lately with the ambient sound of construction going on next door). I tend to enjoy soundtracks. There's a Hobbit Soundtrack that went with an old video game on Youtube I like, and I have some beautiful CDs full of Irish and Celtic music. Sometimes Sarah Brightman is inspiring, and other times I need something more upbeat like the Cellboy Imperial March remix... a lot of the time I do tend to fall back on Christmas music, especially if I'm having severe writer's block.Write-Vice: what's your most debilitating distraction?Um... life? When you have three small children running around, finding any time to write can be nigh impossible. Social media is also a serious issue. I get a lot more writing done when I refuse to let myself access the internet for certain periods of time.Write-Horror: what's the worst thing that ever happened to you while writing?I'm wracking my brain here, but I really can't think of anything awful ever happening to me while writing.Write-Joy: what's the best thing that's ever happened to you while writing? Or how do you celebrate small victories?I think whenever the story just takes off and starts to write itself, that is the best part of writing, period. When I feel like I'm getting swept up in the story and taken along for the ride... hanging onto the coat-tails of my characters with no idea where we'll end up but it doesn't matter because the words are flowing and I'm enjoying every minute of the adventure... yeah, that's the best part of writing. Also, getting little notes or personal comments from readers - especially from readers I don't know or don't expect to hear from, that makes so much of the tedium and frustration that inevitably goes along with writing more than worth it.Write-Crew: who do you communicate with when you're writing?My husband is definitely the person I bounce the most ideas off of during the entire creative process. He is essential to my writing process. My friend, Ally is another one I can enjoy bouncing ideas off of, or just having a skype-writing-session, where we're on skype and just working on our own stories... with intermittent, "Hey, what's a word that means _______?" or "How would a person respond in _____________ situation?" type interjections. My parents and siblings are also extremely supportive and always involved in various stages of my writing process.Write-Secret: what's your writing secret to success or hidden flaw?Flaw: I tend to draft very slowly. This is mostly due to the fact that I have tons of other things going on in my life besides writing (namely, three small children and homeschooling) so I often feel a bit overwhelmed as I look towards the future and try to figure out exactly when projects might be completed or ready for release.Success: Never give up. The Cubs' mantra this year, and mine pretty much all the time. Sticking with it and making progress where I can is the only way any of this writing stuff gets done, and nobody else can tell my stories. Also, the enormous support structure I have in amazing family and friends who cheer me on constantly helps keep me chipping away at this dream.Write-spiration: what always makes you productive?Whenever I get some unexpected blocks of time to just spend on writing. Like when my husband sends me to the library on Saturday afternoon with strict instructions to "go write for a couple of hours" those are always times when a lot of work gets done. Also, lack of internet access always helps, because the distractions are minimized!Write-Peeve: what's one thing writers do (or you do) that's annoying?Hmmm, I think the writing trend I've noticed in recent days that kind of drives me up the wall is a tendency to write a fantastic opening novel, and then recycle the exact same plot for the next two books in the trilogy.... with zero character development or growth along the way. One thing I do that is annoying is tend to overuse various words in my rough draft and then have to do tons of editing later!I am not going to tag anyone, but if this looks like fun, feel free to consider yourself tagged! Hope you enjoyed reading! Have a beautiful and happy Thanksgiving, dear Reader!