A Novel Idea...

Here's a little questionnaire from my lovely fellow blogger Nappy Valley Girl, all about writing.

Which words do you use too much in your writing?
So, though and annoying. Oh, and I use far too many, er, Hmmm, Mmm, etc etc.

Which words do you consider overused in stuff you read?
The words recession and Jordan seem to be cropping up a lot in the things I read, which hints at my kind of reading habits.

What's your favourite piece of writing by you?
Hmmm, I am quite critical of things I write and am always astounded that anyone reads them. Although this is not my funniest, it means a lot to me as it's about the first day my daughter started big school.

What blog post do you wish you'd written?
There are so many I LOVE, including Nappy Valley who passed this Meme on. Not Enough Mud and her tales of single life and dating is a blog that pulls me in every time. Many blogs have reduced me to tears. But the one I have chosen is Millennium Housewife. Her lists are funny and original. The post I have picked is about hormones and having another baby. Hilarious and touching at the same time. She also gets 40 odd comments for her blogs, so I bow down to her.

What is the strangest thing you have ever been asked to write about?
The joys of quickie sex by Arena when I had a six week old baby. It never made it to press...my first ever kill fee. Sob.

Name three favourite words...
Enlighten, Mummy, fabulous.

And three words you're not so keen on?
Pubic, discharge, moist (writing sex features has obviously haunted me!)

Do you have a writing mentor, role model or inspiration?
Helen Fielding, you have to admit Bridget Jones summed up the feeling of millions of women at exactly that time. Louisa M Alcott because Little Women was the first book I read over and over again. I wanted to be Jo. Lynn Barber writes fantastic interviews in The Observer, Shane Watson always seems to say what I'm thinking in her columns, Andrew Clover makes me laugh out loud in bed every Sunday when I read his parenting column in the Sunday Times Style magazine, he also has a great book out called Dad Rules. Judy Blume writes fantastically for teenagers. Are You There God? It's Me Margaret, was my saviour when my parents were going through a divorce and I'd started my periods. Truman Capote, his writing style is known as 'new journalism' a cross between modern journalism and literature. He wrote the wonderful Breakfast At Tiffany's and In Cold Blood. There are so many more I could list, but I fear I am boring you now...

What is your writing ambition?
Doesn't everyone want to write a novel? To be able to tell a long story, structure it correctly, use perfect grammar, be entertaining, funny and get a whopping life changing advance. We can all dream.

I am going to pass this on to Millennium Housewife, as she is pretty rubbish at these things, but you never know. My friend Mom or Mum Wars if she has time to do it when she's in Spain, and finally Not Enough Mud, if she has enough time as she is jetting off to the US in a quest to marry eternal bachelor George Clooney. Good luck girl!