Post by choco on Apr 29, 2011 18:46:41 GMT -5
First Name: Fabiola (meaning bean grower. Strangely enough I do not like beans. I also don't mind being called Fab or Fabi, since that's what most people call me)
Favorite drink: Water. I think it's such a shame that people don't have access to clean drinking water. It's so simple but it can be so delicious. A very close second would have to be Tropicana Berry Punch
Where do you live: Brooklyn, NY, Contrary to some beliefs I've heard, there isn't ALWAYS something to do here. It might just be me but sometimes New York seems like such a small town.
Favorite Weather: Summer rainstorms
Dream Vacation: Italy. I will say that I was heavily inspired by Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. Ideally, I would love to travel around Europe but if I was forced to pick a place, Italy would be first on the list.
Interests: Learning new (and random) pieces of information
Hobbies (outside of writing): playing video games. I've been playing since I was about 5 years old with my brother and it has been a constant ever since (wow, I just realized it's close to 20 years now. Yikes!). It's a therapuetic way to get out your aggression, particularly with first-person shooters, without having to actually hurt anyone. Not to mention some of the storytelling in really good games is another inspiration in terms of writing.
What is your favorite book?: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
One wish: To get into grad school and show my parents that social work is a respectable job, even if it isn't the most lucrative 6-figure career.
Favorite color: Gray. I actually love black too, since you can almost do no wrong with it, but a lot of my wardrobe is in gray. I guess I have a tendency to lean more towards it. Or I've grown up from the obvious black-is-awesome teenage phase and got myself to a lighter shade of black. =P
Phrase/Word to describe yourself: Curiously observant.
Something else: I wish I wasn't always so tired.
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How did you start writing?: I don't think I ever wrote concrete stories. I had excerpt of ideas floating around in my head either out of boredom or out of life events or just a spark that ignited in my head. I would mostly write in my journal (which I still do to this day) from observing classmates or what I was feeling or just what was happening that day.
Do you create backstories for your characters?: Well, seeing as how I have over 100 playable sims, I haven't (and probably couldn't) create one for every single person. The backstories mostly emerge in my head. I will admit that my sister has helped me with some since we shared the same neighborhood and characters for years. If one of her characters married one of mine, we would actually sit around and talk about the children they may or may not have, parents, friends, jobs, how their relationship would go with each other and their friends and family. I've kept some of those stories around (an example would be Julia Broke's blended family situation) and others I've had to make up as I go along. I go with whatever works.
How emotionally attached are you to your characters?: VERY! I can't imagine when the current amount of young (and not-so-young) people are all gone.
Do you like using aliens, vampire, zombies, or any other non "normal" characters?: No. I've tried with vampires long ago but I found that to be annoying. I don't know why. Maybe it was the ridiculousness of their movements but I couldn't find myself using any supernatural characters. I also don't feel creative enough to use them in a storied sense. I've seen what some people do and I wish my mind would open up enough to use the non "humans".
Why did you start creating and posting sim stories?: I was inspired by reading a lot of the blogs I'm currently reading now. It started around the time Jade Eliott was one the web with her Isle of Thyme blog. Granted, I didn't think I could have put that much work into my neighborhood (I'm letting go of that dream and letting in some Maxis jobs because I can only do so much sometimes). I saw what a lot of the bloggers did and how well they told their stories. Even though just about everyone's stories are vastly different by the way the author writes their posts, it's all unique and gave me just enough influence to decide to push forward, despite my fears. I've had stories in my head with my Sims for years so I guess, after 7 years from the first game being released, I decided now was as good a time as any me to share my stories. If it sucked (or sucks), at least I could say I tried, right?
In your opinion, what makes a good story?: What do you like to read in other people's stories?: Something that makes me so anxious to turn the page, digital or physical. When I can think after hours and hours later about the character's and the storylines and find myself analyzing them and their situations, you've done a fabulous job. I would love to get lost in the world and characters that the author has created, fantasy or not.
Are there any stories in particular that have inspired your storytelling?: Yes. Quite simply The Kingdom of Lothere was so engaging with words and characters, I'm surprised more people aren't reading it. It is in no way like mine. There are elves, magic, and medieval constructs. There are so many posts, so many characters to love (and hate), so much imagery from just the words alone, that it can either make the most confident writer a bit insecure or give someone the motivation to start writing a blog. Or both. The beginning starts off a bit slow, as you get to know the characters and the pregnancy announcements but I guarantee that if you stick around you will not be sorry at all. If you read one the posts on the front page, you'll know what I mean. As you can see, I can't say enough of how great this story is, even if I'm a bit behind on posts.
Anything else?: I'm happy to have gotten encouragement from the writers of the blogs I'm following. It's made me feel as though I just might be doing something right. I would encourage others who might have doubts about starting a blog of any kind to just start. You'll find your own pace and your own way of storytelling. Be patient, as most things aren't a hit right away. You'll have fans of your work and you'll have haters. This is just the way things are. If you love what you do, keep on doing it.