Post by celebkiriedhel on Apr 4, 2011 7:28:49 GMT -5
MOSAIC QUESTIONS
1. First Name = Milena. Is Czech and means beloved. It's pronounced Milliner (as in the person who makes hats)
2. Favourite Colour = Red
3. Favourite Drink = Coffee. Although I love alcohol my liver doesn't, so I've had to give it up. Back when I drank my favourite tipple was Gin and Tonic.
4. Favourite Food = Chocolate.
5. Activities apart from Writing = um... reading! (I also do drawing, embroidery, piano, guitar, singing, making up stories with children, playing computer games, cooking, eating.
6. Favourite Weather = Autumn in Sydney. Autumn in Sydney is dryish, cooling, temperate and pleasant. Days are getting shorter, but not wet or windy yet.
7. Favourite Book in Childhood = Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan. I read this book over 30 times in one year. I was a strange child. Don't ask.
8. Book I am currently reading = The Mammoth Book of Best New Science Fiction: v. 23 edited by Gardiner Dozois. I read more Science Fiction and Fantasy than anything else. This is perfect for me at the moment cause I have no concentration span - and it's all short stories.
9. What do I do for a living = Currently on a Seachange. That is, after decades in the Finance Industry as a Computer professional (Analyst/Programmer and Business Analyst) which is unsatisfying from both a moral and an emotional basis, I'm retraining to be an adult trainer. And hoping to get a job teaching adults how to learn new skills that enhance their lives.
10. Where do you live = In Melbourne Australia which has 4 seasons in one day. But the picture relates to the fact that I'm currently homeless. Staying with friends until I can find somewhere to live.
11. Dream Vacation = France. In particular, I want to go back to Normandie and Bretagne where the Bayeux Tapestry was made (and is displayed). I'm a bit of a Francophile without the rose glasses.
12. One word that describes me = Curious. I asked my friends and they also came up with Clever, Insane, Loyal and Loving. But they all agreed on Curious.
Other Questions
13. How did you start writing? How did you realise that writing is your thing?
I started writing stories in my primary years, but went for a long period of time desperately trying to find 'the' story rather than trying to write it through my teen and early adult years.
When I was 34, I decided to do a Creative Writing course, just to give me something to do because I was bored. It made me realise that I was never going to find 'the' story - I was going to have to write it myself. I also discovered that I had a way with words that would strike people speechless. (I'm not sure if that's because they're gob-smacked at what I'm writing about or if it's the presentation). I did another course about 12 years ago now, which helped me to focus on writing, and plotting - which is still my weakest skill. It was at that point, seeing what other people wrote that made me think I could publish if I wanted to (because frankly mine was best in class).
I stopped writing again, until this year because of life circumstances, and have started writing again now that some things have changed. I'm hoping to keep writing.
I'm not convinced that writing IS my thing. Don't get me wrong - I do think I can write. But writing is not the only way I express myself, and the thing that I'm driven to do when all else fails is Read, not write. I'm primarily a reader, who is writing their own reading material.
14. Why did you start creating and posting sim stories?
My Sims2 stories are posted at Simthing for Everyone
I started creating stories the moment that I started playing sims. So back in 2000 when I started with Sims1, I was captured by the storytelling capacity of the game. I posted up my Sims1 stories in a couple of forums. Unfortunately they don't exist anywhere anymore. I loved playing them though.
I mostly posted my stories for Sims2 on forums as well, but decided to post them on my site when the main forum I belonged to was involved in the big EZBoard hack, and we lost almost the whole forum.
Even in Sims2, the stories were play-led. It wasn't until the Chapter 9 (No Rubicon) in James Phoenix' story that it became more story-led.
Sims3 - I've been playing, and making up stories but just haven't getting the urge to post them up... until now. I'm hoping to get Sunrise Island up this year.
My non-Sims Stories are posted up at Five Families
I know it's not 20 questions - I'm not sure what you guys would actually want to know about me or my writing. Feel free to choose questions for me!
Image Credits:
Red: Tim in Ohio
Coffee: Stepheye
Chocolates: Hills.Josh
Books: David Masters
Autumn: i_love_naples
Pilgrim's Progress: landschaft
Seachange: catt1788
Homeless: Beverly & Pack
Curious: nattysesh