The Jolly Genre Jubilee Tag + The HonsTEA Tag

So, I decided to do another double tag post. Because both these tags involve writing or have questions about it, I thought it made sense to include them in the same post.

For the first tag: The Jolly Genre Jubilee Tag, I was tagged by McKayla at Tales of a Triple Threat. Thank you, McKayla. :D 

The Rules-

-Thank the person who tagged you

-Leave a link back to the creator 

-Answer the questions honestly, and include at least one gif of a pelican 

-Tag 3+ friends to do this tag on their blog 

(Gif from Giphy) 

I misread the rule at first and for some reason thought you wanted to find a gif of a seagull (and was going to reference "Seagulls Stop It Now"). Then I realized after I had found a really cute seagull gif that you actually wanted one of a pelican....

                                                       So, anyway let's begin: 

What is your favorite genre of fiction to write?

I have two genres I write in a lot: Fantasy and Gothic.

 

I have been writing Fantasy for a very long time. My first novels were in this genre. Specifically, the sub-genre of Fantasy I tend to write the most is High Fantasy. I love spending time creating different worlds, species, and magic systems. 

I started writing Gothic more recently, and I am enjoying it very much. I am writing my first Gothic novel right now, titled Dolls of Wax, Eyes of Glass. 

What genre would you NEVER get caught writing.....EVER?

(Felix is against the genre of Gothic (even though he is in a Gothic novel)...So, I felt this was fitting for this question)

I think YA fiction. Not that I have anything against it, but right now I can't imagine myself writing a story in that genre. Partly because I tend to write stories with older protagonists (or younger protagonists). However, one day I could write a story with young adult main characters, but at the moment I don't have plans to. 

I also don't want to write a book that is romance only. I usually like books that have a subplot of romance, but don't have the book centered completely on that.

What fictional genre feels most like home to you?

It's a mix of High Fantasy and Gothic for me. I like them both for different reasons, and I find them comforting for different reasons. 

I like High Fantasy because I can escape into different worlds of my own imagination, and I can imagine what it would be like to have magic or be another creature (that isn't human). 

What I find comforting about Gothic literature is that I can make myself scared in a fun way, and not scared or stressed in a real way. This is important to me with the world being so unpredictable right now.

If you could transform your life into any genre of your choosing, what would it be?

(Elm (left) and Oak (right) who are characters from a Fantasy story of mine)

High Fantasy for sure! I want to live in a world where I am a shapeshifter or an elf, where magic is everywhere, and where adventures await. It just seems super fun and something I would really like to do. (At this point, this answer probably isn't surprising to you.)

What genre does your real life resemble at the moment?

Interestingly, my life is like a Gothic novel at the moment. There is a lot of fear regarding the unknown, and everything is a little bit unpredictable, so of course it would fall into the gothic genre.  

(Image from Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/89724.We_Have_Always_Lived_in_the_Castle?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=3jautJsjTN&rank=1)

 I would say in terms of Gothic stories We Have Always Lived in the Castle is what it closely resembles.  I would have preferred it to be like The Picture of Dorian Gray or Frankenstein. But nope, my life happens to be like We Have Always Lived in the Castle. 

What's a genre you're interested in writing, even though you've never written it before?

Science fiction, I like Star Trek so I've always wanted to write a novel in that genre, however, I haven't gotten around to writing one yet. 

What genre is your most recent plot bunny and where did it come from?

I have two plot bunnies that have been hanging around. They are...

The third book in the Lady Annabelle Mystery Series. I had an idea for a third book in my head for a while, and now I finally know what is going to happen in it. It is a Fantasy/Murder Mystery. The novel was inspired by a mixture of different songs, though I had a bit of an idea in my head for what should happen before inspiration struck. 

The second is The Haunted Sketchbook, which is Gothic and Historical Fiction. It (like Dolls of Wax, Eyes of Glass) was inspired by a nightmare. And I plan to write it once I finish Dolls of Wax, Eyes of Glass. I also plan to delve more into the details of the story in later posts. 

How many genres have you written thus far in your writing journey?

Be prepared, the list is long...

Fantasy, murder mysteries/crime fiction, fan fiction (in comic form), super hero (also in comic form), gothic, historical fiction, romance (as a subplot), contemporary, humor/satire, retellings, poetry, a little bit of science fiction (if we count my numerous fanfics of star trek), ghost stories, spiritual (All Is Not Lost For All Begin Again is in that genre) and so many more. 

I tag... 

Elena 

Maya

Skye

Lanie  

And anyone who wants to do it. 

the questions (for copy and pasting purposes): 

1. What is your favorite genre of fiction to write?

2. What genre would you NEVER get caught writing.....EVER?

3. What fictional genre feels most like home to you?

4. If you could transform your life into any genre of your choosing, what would it be?

5. What genre does your real life resemble at the moment?

6. What's a genre you're interested in writing, even though you've never written it before?

7. What genre is your most recent plot bunny and where did it come from?

8. How many genres have you written thus far in your writing journey?

For the Second Tag: The HonsTEA Tag, I was tagged by McKayla at Tales From a Triple Threat and by Elizabeth from Autumn Ink. Thank you, McKayla and Elizabeth. :) The tag was created by Nie at From Nie.  

                                                                         The badge: 

                                                                     The rules- 

- no lies allowed. if an answer is too shameful to expose you may substitute the answer with a gif/image of someone drinking tea. 

- there are optional bonus additions to questions but these are not for the faint of heart. if you complete the tag having answered every question + the bonus additions (no gifs used), you are dubbed a certified tea chugger, and you deserve a badge to show the world that you are not afraid of a steaming hot cup of TRUTH. tag at least one other person (a tea party with just one is not very fun. trust me.) untagged persons are more than welcome to fill it out as well (nothing cooler than crashing a tea party). 

     what is a 'bad' (generally disliked) movie that you actually love?

(Image from Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantastic_Beasts%3A_The_Crimes_of_Grindelwald#/media/File:Fantastic_Beasts_-_The_Crimes_of_Grindelwald_Poster.png)

This is generally disliked movie because the lore of Harry Potter was altered and distorted. Since I had only read the first five books of Harry Potter, it didn't bother me or affect my enjoyment of the film.  In fact, I viewed the movies as a series unrelated to Harry Potter franchise. (I also enjoyed the first Fantastic Beasts film, which is why I wanted to see the second). 

In regards to the issues involving the characters and lore, I didn't even know who Nagini was until I looked the character up later, so  I was unaware of the controversy about what Rowling did to the character. My first thought was that she was a new character, who happened to be able to turn into a snake, not that she was going to be Voldemort's (evil) pet later...😬  But if you think about it hard, there are so many things wrong with Rowling's choice to do that with Nagini....

(Image from Pinterest, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/the-niffler-is-back-as-you-saw-in-the-trailer-and-the-niffler-may-have-babies-eddie-redmayne--459719074460137904/)

But ignoring those elements, I honestly only watched (and rewatched) the movie for Newt Scamander (who is one of my favorite fictional characters), the (baby) Nifflers, and the other beasts. There were some things about the movie that did bother me, but it is very fun to watch nonetheless. But I should say, I don't agree with or support Rowling's recent controversial behavior. I just like the Fantastic Beast movie series.

                             what is your most shocking reading habit?

     Eating snacks while reading. However, I only do this with books I own, and I make sure to wipe off my hands before turning a page. Annotating could also be considered a shocking habit. In academic settings it is accepted, but not everyone approves of writing in a book. 

                              tell us the number one lie you write in your posts.

        I...don't have an answer for that. Not that it is too revealing to share what lie I could have had. But the only lie (which wasn't really a lie) I can think of, is me saying "it reminds me of something that happened to me last summer" in this post as opposed to saying "it reminds me of my surgery that happened last summer." So not really a lie. 🤷 Just me being overly ambiguous about what happened that summer. (I wonder if the readers who read that post when it first came out had wild ideas as to what actually happened when they read it because I was so ambiguous about it, just curious...) 

(Ophelia drinking tea to wake up in the morning)

                          So I shall have to post a drawing of someone drinking tea...

tell us the worst character name you've ever thought up. {bonus: share a character name you find ridiculous in a book/movie}

(Lauralas and George...Totally not Legolas and Gimli)

This isn't so much the worst name as a purposeful play on the name Legolas Greenleaf. But it still sounds silly. It's Lauralas Greenfield. The character, was a comic relief character within a group of comic relief characters in my first (finished) novel, Tess Short (book one). They were created both to be a parody of the Fellowship of the Ring and to be comic relief from the stressful action. 

And answer to the bonus question. This is not a bad name, but, I always (even though I hadn't read or watched Game of Thrones) found the name "Jon Snow" to be a little odd, because it's so ordinary. Every time I heard it (from people who liked the show) I always thought it was spelled "John Snow." So there is nothing wrong with the name, it just seems out of place in a Fantasy setting. 

                         what is the real reason you procrastinate writing your work in progress?

         Generally because I have schoolwork or an (academic) deadline I have to complete. It isn't really procrastination, just a need to get the stuff that is more important done first. 

Also sometimes I have other non-writing related projects I'm working on, like videos I film of myself acting (Shakespearian acting, improv, etc.), or animation projects (for example an animated short film), or even writing a song. So once again, it's not really procrastination when it comes to working on those, but, it is sometimes the reason why I am not writing my current novel at the moment. 

                                             what is a genre of music you secretly love?

(Elm (left) and Sebastian (right) performing a song together) 

Everyone on this blog knows I enjoy this music style, but I do not (usually) tell this people who aren't on my blog this. So, this isn't a secret or a surprise to you, but to the rest of the world it is... 

So I like a lot of folk music with Celtic and/or medieval influences. My favorite music tends to be inspired by mythology, folklore, or a fantasy story of some kind. Since it is hard to look up those exact words on a Google Search to find the music I am talking about, I am going to give you examples: 

And that is not to say that I am ashamed that I listen to it, I am happy that I found a music style that I love, but I have gotten some weird reactions from people when I tell them what music I listen to and that it isn't mainstream music. 

if you're a plotter, what do you really think of pansters? and if you're a panster, what do you really think of plotters?

Honestly, I tried pantsing before and failed at it, so I am very amazed and in awe of people who can do that because I cannot. I get really stuck if I do not plan ahead for what is to happen next. Though, I am usually very good at improvising on stage, on paper it's much, much harder. 

share at least three lines of dialogue from one of your first writing projects {bonus: give us the good stuff. your most gruesome butchering of the English language)

I will be sharing two for the first question, from my first ever novels:  One that was just called "my novel" and was never finished and another Tess Short (Book One), which was my first completed novel (first draft-wise not editing wise). Since I have really two first novels, I thought I'd share excerpts from both. Here is the opening (unedited prologue) for Tess Short (Book One): 

Mr.short was considered a normal Hobbit which means not going out on adventures with elves , fairies or dwarfs or any creatures of any sort. Until he did , which I may say is a story for anther day. 

“I don’t understand why he would want to go on a adventure” said Mr.Largefoot. 

“Adventures are a waste of time also” he added. 

“ and You miss a lot of meals…” added Ms.hairyfoot. folding her laundry into a pile. “But I can’t see why he would run away with that elf like that” 

I do actually want to rewrite this novel, given that I really like the characters from it and want to make it less of a...Hobbit rip off. I'm not sure when I will rewrite it, though. Sometime would be nice; maybe in the future. 

And then the novel which I simply called "My Novel" (which was unfinished). I stopped part of the way through (because I had writer's block), but it was the story Oak was originally from. Once again this is unedited: 

the mist was around the rocks of the beach you could hear the soft sound of a flute playing. but out of the peace and quite a dark looking ship came in. the flute playing stopped, the girl who was the holding the flute got up from were she was sitting, 

“What is that doing here?” Delphi said. 

she could hear voices inside, she climbed onto the ship, “Now were should I take over first??” a man who seemed to be wearing a crown, but she couldn’t make it out. 

...The king was not very stealthy in regards to taking over the kingdom...At all. 🤦 (I'm pretty sure he rolled a natural 1 on stealth).  Also question (to my younger writer self): "If Delphi is half siren and there are probably other sirens around, how did the king not get lured to his death?" I mean, if he did get lured to his death, all the characters' problems would be solved...easily. 

                                                            * * * * 

And for the bonus question, even though I shared two, I felt spelling-wise this was hilarious. This is from The Case of Confusion, the novel that didn't end up working but introduced me to the characters who ended up being in my current novel (The Mystery of the Body Thief):

"I thought we had solved it!!” said Phillip. 

“Well..How could I be sure, and it wasn’t me it was Time” said Annabelle. 

“Now your blaming the most famous dective in the world!!” said Phillip.

“Actually I think he is only famous in this kingdom not very much anywhere else” 

“Well still your blaming a famous Dective!!” protested Phillip.

I spelled "detective" wrong twice. So, anyway that is all the snippets I will be sharing from my past novels for now. 

                        tell us the title & artist of the last song you listened to. 

The last song I listened to was: "No One" by Miracle of Sound ft. Karliene . 

                   which beloved book/movie character do you dislike & why?

                   I have a few book characters I really dislike, but I will go with this one...

(Image from Twitter, https://twitter.com/HorstPhoto/status/540959859043500032)

  Anna Karenina. I really wanted to like the book, because I liked other classic Russian books like Crime and Punishment. But I could not enjoy Anna Karenina, because I loathed the title character (and her adulterous-horse-racing boyfriend, Vronsky) with a burning passion. And I just couldn't sympathize with her at all...I somehow could sympathize with Raskolnikov, who is a murderer, but not her. 

                       tell us the title & topic of a post you have left in draft. 

                                                 "There is no 'correct' way to be creative" 

   This was me basically writing a rant about "set down rules" for creativity, and how there is no one way to do something creative. I may actually revise that post and post it sometime in the future, though in its current state, I can't really post it.  

what is a book you pretend you've read/would like to read but know you never will? {bonus: share a time when claiming you've read a classic/well known book didn't end well}

I do not have an answer for this one because...I tend to read a lot of classic books and I know I am going to eventually read one in the future. I didn't think I would ever read Dracula (when I was younger) and I am currently reading it, so...I can't really make plans for what I won't ever read in the future....

Also I've never really claimed to read a book I hadn't, I've had strong opinions about books even if I hadn't read them (but had read a summary), but never pretended to have read them. 

(Matilda drinking tea)

So I guess, I'll have to post an image of someone drinking tea....Since I didn't quite exactly answer the question. 

tell us the title & topic of the most embarrassing post you've ever written. {bonus: include. the. link.}

I don't really find my old posts embarrassing so much as funny (sometimes). I do look back at my older posts just to see how I viewed different things when I was younger.

(A drawing of a nameless evil villainess which was included in the post) 

 I wrote a post the first year I ever did NaNoWriMo called November Novel writing!! (and other fall things). Not only did I talk about the writing I was doing in it (though never talking about what I was writing, just that I was writing), but I posted a drawing and I also included a short book review in it. In that post I say (I highlighted the repetition): 

"Inkheart by cornelia funke it's very good so far. the story is very interesting and complex. The characters are very interesting and have very interesting characteristics. I also love that the characters talk about books."

I didn't really describe why the characters were interesting, I just repeated that they and the story were interesting over and over again. Also,  I find this line to be so funny (once again, I highlighted the repetition): 

"mostly I have been writing and writing, and more writing." 

I for some reason find this funny. I mean it's not wrong: I was doing a lot of writing. I just wish I had told people what I was writing. Though, I suppose to say it now. I was writing the first attempt at The Lady Annabelle Mystery Series, which I called The Case of Confusion. That attempt didn't really end up working, but in the end I created The Mystery of the Body Thief, which did end up working. 

(The drawing of the nameless villain has nothing to do with the story I was writing. I should add, I just included it in the original post...because).  

I tag: 

Mary Kate

Gauri 

Maith

Annika 

And anyone who wants to do it. 

the questions (for copy and pasting purposes): 

1. what is a 'bad' (generally disliked) movie that you actually love?

2. what is your most shocking reading habit?

3. tell us the number one lie you write in your posts.

4. tell us the worst character name you've ever thought up. {bonus: share a character name you find ridiculous in a book/movie}

5. what is the real reason you procrastinate writing your work in progress?

6. what is a genre of music you secretly love?

7. if you're a plotter, what do you really think of pansters? and if you're a panster, what do you really think of plotters?

8. share at least three lines of dialogue from one of your first writing projects {bonus: give us the good stuff. your most gruesome butchering of the English language)

9.  tell us the title & artist of the last song you listened to. 

10.  which beloved book/movie character do you dislike & why?

11. tell us the title & topic of a post you have left in draft. 

12. what is a book you pretend you've read/would like to read but know you never will? {bonus: share a time when claiming you've read a classic/well known book didn't end well}

13. tell us the title & topic of the most embarrassing post you've ever written. {bonus: include. the. link.}

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is your favorite genre to write (or read)? And do you have a genre of music you secretly love? 

-Quinley