Writing Questionnaire!

I! Use! A! Lot! Of! Exclaimation! Points!!
Over at her blog, Anne-girl is having a Scribblers Conference, sort of a writers thing. Anyway, she had up a questionnaire that looked like a lot of fun, so... I thought I'd give it a dig.

1. Do you think it's more important to listen to your characters or to follow the idea of the book as originally conceived?
I don't know, maybe a little bit of both? Having a complex and mind-bending plot is great, but the characters actions have got to make sense. I usually start out with a premise, and go from there. When I start a book, I actually don't have a particular ending in mind, and by the time I finish it, it could be a completely different resolution than I initially imagined. So... characters, I 'spose.

2. If you could pick a fictional man to become alive and marry you who would you pick? {note: this is not asking whom you consider the greatest hero but whom you would be the most comfortable spending the rest of your life with}
Um... I'm not comfortable answering this question!

3. What is your favorite protagonist and antagonist pair?
Oh my goodnesses, that's a hard one! I really like Westley and Vizzini from The Princess Bride, even if they only have a few pages to battle wits.

4. If you had to do without one of the following in your story which would it be?
A. The Dark Moment when the hero is at rock bottom and can't do anything
B. The Moment of Decision when the hero makes an actual goal and starts following it{leading thereby to the story itself}
C. The Resolution the reconciliation of the hero with his or her inner struggles and outer struggles
Hmmmm... I'm thinking B. Not sure why.

5. In modern fiction which genre do you think shows the most tendency toward good character development?
Well, I'll tell ya. I don't know (Hehe, Fiddler on the Roof.). I like thrillers and speculative fiction, because they're sort of off the beaten path, so to speak. I feel like stories with a lot of tension and suspence dig deep into the minds of the characters, but then again, maybe I just really like Dean Koontz.

6. Have you ever "fallen for" the villain? {Note I do not mean thought he was a good gut but rather WISHED he was the good guy and rooted for him}
Yeah. But I don't think Inspector Javert counts as a villian, per se. Sure, he's kind of an obstacle to Jean Valjean, but he's not a bad man. And I never wanted him to catch Valjean, but I do feel quite sympathetic to the guy.

7. Do you prefer writing about your protagonist or side characters?
I love side characters. Writing the protangonist is really interesting, but nothing expands and makes your world more 'real' than having really interesting, realistic side characters.

8. What do you think is the most cliched and overdone character in fiction?
There are quite a few archetypes that get used way more than they should be, but special mention goes to the girl with unrequited love, old mentor who eventually dies, and The Chosen One.

9. Which do you think is more important, making your reader feel or making him think?
Oooh, good question. I'd love to write a book that makes the reader stay up until 2 am sobbing, but feelings are kind of a fleeting thing, and I'd like my books to leave a bigger impression than an ephemeral sensation. I'd like to write the kind of story that your brain just doens't want to leave. The kind of story that you keep turning over and over in your head!

10. And lastly what do you think are three most important elements to being a hero?
Oof, tricky... I'd say that first and foremost, the hero must be humble. To me, the most noble hero is the one nobody remembers, or rather, is willing to not be remembered.
Secondly, a good hero isn't the guy/girl who goes out trying to be a hero. A hero has heroism dropped on his head. Not to say that the Adventure-Seeker type character isn't good. After all, adventure-seeker heroes are usually quite fun!
Thirdly.... I don't know. All heroes are different, and there is no mold. Or maybe I'm just copping out of a difficult question.

Whew! That was fun. :)
Talk to you later,
-Monica (formerly known as Xochitl XD)