25? Really?

           When I started this blog, I didn't think much would come of it. Most of what I post is, after all, common sense for writers, and other bloggers have done it better. What I didn't figure on was my liking this blogging game. There is something about learning something, applying it, and then teaching it that appeals to me. Despite my ideas of closing shop after post ten, I somehow produced twenty-five posts that I only seldom alter afterwards. Whether or not my readers agree with that decision is another story.

            I thought I'd do something off the beaten track to celebrate my twenty-fifth post in addition to redecorating the place (does anyone like the new look?). As I've seen other bloggers do something like this (by the way, does anybody know what tagging means?), I thought I'd throw out ten questions, answer them, and ask all my blogging friends to do the same. Lord willing, I'll do something similar when I hit post number 50, 75, 100, etc.

            This should be fun.

Frindlesmith's Amazing Ten Questions

1.  Do you listen to music when you write? If so, what kind?
2.  In 100 words or less, explain what you want people to "take away" from your writing.
3.  Do you have a handy list of ten must-read books? Which three are on the top even if they're books you don't like?
4.  If you were to paint a picture (even if you'd rather eat iron nails), what would it be about and why?
5.  Would you define yourself as a random, spontaneous person, or someone who plans things out before hand?
6.  Do you think the perfect story can be written? What elements are necessary for the perfect story?
7.  Which makes more sense to you, prose or poetry?
8.  Should fiction have a theme or message? Why or why not?
9.  If an author wrote a story with a character modeled after you, what traits would that character unarguably need to have?
10.  Which posts, if any, have you found most entertaining/engaging/enjoyable on The Wordsmith Alphabetical and why?

         Here are my ten answers.

1.  It depends on the type of writing, but I've noticed that certain tracks put me in different writing moods. For example, Caro Emerald's Riviera Life seems to make me want to write in my work-in-progress thriller novel (go figure).
2.  In a nutshell, I want believers to appreciate the underlying Christian worldview, and I want unbelievers to appreciate a good story that doesn't preach Christian values to them (28 words).
3.  This is my current list, but in some years it will doubtlessly change (top three at the top): 

• The Bible
• The Count of Monte Cristo
• Over the Northern Border
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
• The Guns of Navaronne
• The Hound of the Baskervilles
• Rebecca
• The Bedouin's Gazelle
• Parker's Back (technically this is a short story, but I'm adding an exception)
• Wieland, or The Transformation

     4.   I'd paint a picture of a nutcracker staring with a puzzled expression at a pen in his hand. Probably because I think that's how I feel sometimes. I've been given gifts, so how do I use them?
     5.   I try to plan things out first, but usually things don't go along with my plans and I have to act as the situation requires.
     6.   Probably not because nobody will really agree on what makes a perfect book. Even my favorite short novel, Over the Northern Border, had things I would rather not have been there. What would make a perfect story for me are memorable characters, an original plot, and a subtle Christian message that is true today as it was when it was written.
     7.   Prose makes more immediate sense, but I think poetry is meant to be chewed on thoughtfully and considered for a while.
     8.   I think fiction should have a theme, but it should only be apparent with some careful contemplation.
     9.    He should struggle with having an inflated opinion of himself and should repeatedly question how he relates to people.
    10.   I don't really have a most enjoyable, entertaining, or engaging post, having written them all. If I was to choose a favorite post, I'd choose Bible Readings and Reasoning because I try to choose lesser known Bible verses and reasoning I've never heard before. That way, everybody learns something new.

     That's one writer's opinion, what do you all think?