cheshiregrin

I've been involved in writing online off and on, in a variety of ways, for the past 10 years or so. I started out in highly collaborative styles, which were a great way to experience lots of styles of writing and get lots of practice. I still enjoy collaboration because it gives me a chance to play off someone else's writing and have them work from mine. Lately I am also enjoying writing stories by myself also, seeing where I will take an idea.

I'm a big fan of fantasy, the stereotypical swords, magic, armor sort of thing,  but most of my writing has been urban horror/dark fantasy. I am also a fan of humour, be it silly, witty, sarcastic, satirical, etc. I enjoy a good laugh, what can I say? I also like just getting inside the minds of characters. I enjoy the psychological side of writing and figuring out how someone other than me would think or feel, how they would react to situations.

Mostly I enjoy the feeling of spur of the moment writing, the sense of letting it flow, letting it out, and just letting it be what it is. I blame that feeling on the fact that I am a grad student and spend quite enough time editing papers and fixing my writing. When I write for fun sometimes it is nice not to do a ton of editing. Then again, if I look back at something I can edit I often start to itch to fix it. I am so glad there is a limit on how long we have to edit work on this site!

Mostly I'm just enjoying doing some writing, working on my skills, and collaborating on things with interested writers. Giving me more ways to procrastinate from work I should be doing is always good. Ok, by "good" I mean "very bad for my ability to get work done" but "good for my sanity, what little is left."

Nobody wants a character's life to be perfect forever, so throwing some wrenches into the deal is always a good thing. They don't have to be big wrenches, but sometimes tormenting a character is a fun way to deal with stress and the wrenches life throws at me!

I like to improve my writing and hope I'll continue to become a better writer. It is a never-ending task, like so much in life. If you have some suggestions or constructive criticism, I am open to finding out what needs work. And I always like praise!

Favourite Authors

• Elizabeth Moon
• Jane Austen
• Charlaine Harris
• Charles de Lint
• Tamora Pierce
• Kathy Reichs
• Patricia Briggs
• C. E. Murphy

Books I Love

• The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
• Deed of Paksennarion by Elizabeth Moon
• Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
• Terrier by Tamora Pierce