Tuesday, November 15, 2011

A Few More Questions...



Okay, here we are again, at the LAST of the questions in our "Ask Us Anything" series, where Zyra and I answer questions from our awesome readers. Remember, we continue to answer them as long as you continue to ask them.

Today, our question is from Elivagar, who asked: Do you relate more with Han or Leia? When did you "discover" your talent for writing? Least favorite Star Wars movie? What sort of music are you into? Favorite season?


And here are our answers:

We'll start with Zyra: Do you relate more with Han or Leia? This is a funny question because very early on when Push and I started conversing she decided that I was the Leia in our relationship and she was the Han. She had talked about how she tended to prefer to write from Han’s point of view and I think that often I prefer to write from Leia’s. For me personally, that’s not to say I find it difficult to write from Han’s point of view, just that I have an easier time with Leia. And if you notice with me, I think Leia tends to be the more level headed one. Not that Han is all crazy, and this might be a bit unrealistic based on all of the horrible things she’s gone through. But maybe I just feel like if she has Han then it doesn’t matter ;) But yeah, I'm the kind of person you have to pry feelings out of, the one who tries to do the right thing, hides emotions and what not. Unfortunately we do not share the same affinity for attracting men who look like Han Solo.

When did you "discover" your talent for writing? Writing has been a love of mine since I learned how to do it. Somewhere my mom has a “book” I wrote when I was five. I wrote stories for fun growing up and took lots of classes in it. I don’t know when I really first discovered my “talent” for writing but I always liked writing assignments in school (as long as they weren’t research papers) and my teachers seemed happy with what I’d written. In third grade my best friend and I spent every recess writing a book just for the heck of it that we later shared with the class. If we were given unlimited pages to work with I could go on for quite a while. I had a great writing teacher in high school who liked my stuff and I wrote a couple of essays for that class that I can remember showing to my parents and hearing them laugh hysterically. Also took a bunch of writing classes in college and also did well in those. So I don't know that I ever discovered a "talent" for writing, more just that it has always been something I've loved to do.

Least favorite Star Wars movie? Of all six? Too easy, Phantom Menace.

What sort of music are you into? I am very unhip on the music scene and honestly I have mix tapes I made when I was fourteen and my taste hasn't really changed. Not into rap, country (sorry Push) or heavy metal or, like, Beyonce or whatever. I like a lot of 80's stuff. Not that I never hear a new song I like, but I'd be almost clueless watching the Grammys.


Favorite season? Summer! I could wear shorts, t-shirts and flip flops forever and be happy. Except not here because then I'd freeze half the year.

And now for Push: Do you relate more with Han or Leia? I thought for a long time that my answer here would be easy and that it would be Han.  I think I'm more like Han than Leia.  However, all of my stories seem to revolve around Leia.  Even my epic 'From a Certain Point of View', which was written entirely in Han's POV is really alll about Leia.  I find it easier to write in Han's POV, no doubt.  And thinking more about the question, I guess - yes, it is Han that I relate most to but it's Leia that fascinates me (just like Han).  Maybe that's it!  Thanks for letting me work that out in my head.  Whew!  That's a load off.

When did you "discover" your talent for writing? I have always loved to write.  Stationary and pen, pencil sets were always a favorite gift of mine.  I can't say that I wrote anything spectacular, like stories or anything.  I remember writing a lot of poetry with a friend of mine (in high school) and making a binded copy of it.  I wish I still had it.  I enjoyed writing papers in high school and college but hadn't really done any writing for at least 15 years when I discovered fanfic in late 2009.  It felt very natural, once I had exhausted all the reading material I could, to just start writing my own stories.  I'm very glad that I have 're-awoken' this passion that I guess had been slumbering for 2 decades or so.  

Least favorite Star Wars movie? I don't even know the names, but the first one.  The pod racing one.  And then the second one.  The third one is the most tolerable of the prequels for me and only because, I think, I like the battle on Mustafar at the end and Anakin becoming Vader.  I still remember when I heard that first breath, I thought that was pretty cool.  And then he started yelling...and well...now he yells in ROTJ, too - so we've come full circle on that. 

What sort of music are you into? I like all sorts of music.  If I am listening to my satellite radio in the car I am mostly on the '80's station or Classic Vinyl.   As for genre's and bands, let's see.  I do love country music (as Zyra alluded to) but only from the early 1990's when country music was on an upswing and I was young and single and hitting the bars (Travis Tritt, Brooks n Dunn, Garth Brooks, Clint Black, George Strait, Alan Jackson, etc.). 

I do like some rap but nothing too graphic.  I like RunDMC and Snoop Dogg and Kid Rock and Will Smith (if you consider him a real rapper - forgive me if he's not). 

And then I like a lot of rock and Alternative and everything.  REO Speedwagon, Journey, RUSH, Ozzy, Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam and Van Halen.  I like Paul Simon and the Beatles.  James Taylor, Van Morrison and Cat Stevens.  Michael Jackson and Madonna.  Love, love, love Stevie Wonder and old Chicago with the horns.  U2, Creedence, The Cure, The Doors.  Fats Domino and Harry Connick, Jr.  Jimmy Buffet, Jimi Hendrix and Johnny Cash.  KC & The Sunshine Band and Kool & the Gang.  OMD.  R.E.M. and Rage Against the Machine.  The Rolling Stones and the Steve Miller Band.  Oh, and The Who.

See?  I told you I liked most everything.  Like Zyra, though - I don't know a lot of new stuff.  Maybe like the Black eyed Peas is new to me, you know?

Favorite season? Weather wise I don't really get seasons where I live.   Winter lasts for about 2 days and we have no Spring and Fall to speak of.  I've worn shorts and flip flops for one too many Christmas's.  If I had to choose, I'd choose Spring, though.  Mainly because it's like a new beginning.  Blooming flowers, spring cleaning, etc.



And once again...That's it. We have no more questions....so get on over to the Ask Us Anything post and ask 'em if you got 'em!

6 comments:

  1. No Duran Duran or Depeche Mode? =) Man, that's like music critical for writing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My high school best friend was very into those guys, amara. It's funny, Push and I talked music very early on and had similar tastes. Aside from country, but I'll admit there is probably some good country I might actually like but my mind has been tainted with all of the like, seriously, my-dog-died-my-momma-lost-her-job-my-wife-left-me country.

    Rap? No, probably never. I think I did like Will Smith's "Parents Just Don't Understand" and the theme from his show but that's it. I have bad memories of people obnoxiously singing "Gettin' Jiggy With It."

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh, I liked Duran Duran and Depeche Mode. I went to a Duran Duran concert in High School. I couldn't mention everyone!

    I like Gettin Jiggy With It! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Duran Duran has a new album out. They still sound and look pretty good.

    I like Will Smith. My brother adored Depeche.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Push, it must have been you who snuck into my husband;s car and was listening to the 80's station on the satellite radio. Because it couldn't have been me. Nope. No way. I'm busy over on the 70's station and the Bridge. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I can't decide if Episode I or II is worse. They're both really bad for different reasons...one has Jar Jar and the other has the worst on-screen romance I've ever seen in my life...among other things.

    Anyway, woop. Thanks for answering mah questions.

    ReplyDelete