You might’ve played a game called “Never Have I Ever” at some point in your life. Usually, the goal is to make other people admit embarrassing things about themselves. I’m told it’s fun, though I’ve never played.
…Until today, that is. Today, I’m participating in the “Never Have I Ever” writer’s tag so I can finally come clean about all of the ways in which I’m a Bad Writer. Okay, maybe not bad, but I definitely realized I fall into fewer author stereotypes than I thought.
I got this tag from Paper Fury, so be sure to visit her post as well!
And without further ado, on to the questions!
started a novel that I didn’t finish
✔️ OH YEAH, definitely. There are several projects from my younger/high school years that will never see the light of day. More recently, my senior seminar novel remains unfinished, but that one I at least hope to revisit someday.
written a story completely by hand
❌ Haha, nope. I’ve written some scenes by hand, usually when I need a break from my computer screen. But a whole story? My hand would probably cramp up halfway through.
changed tenses midway through a story
✔️ Probably, but not on purpose. It usually happens when I’m just writing something for myself or I’m very sleep-deprived. I’ve definitely changed POV in the middle of a novel – not just from one character to another, but from third-person to first-person. It was a mess.
not researched anything before starting a story
❌ I would NEVER. I procrastinate on writing by doing research… oops. I don’t actually do a whole lot of research when prepping and writing a first draft, but there are usually a couple of things I need to read up on while I’m outlining. It saves time later.
changed my protagonist’s name halfway through a draft
❌ Nope, I’m too easily attached to names. I’ve changed the names of secondary characters though.
written a story in a month or less
❌ I don’t think so. I’ve done a few month-long writing challenges, and even though I usually meet my goal, I don’t think I’ve ever completed the story. I usually have a few more chapters to write after the month is over.
fallen asleep while writing
❌ No, but I’ve come very, very close. I’ve got the bad typos and nonsense sentences to prove it. My desk chair just isn’t comfortable enough for me to fall asleep in it.
corrected someone’s grammar irl/online
❌ I’ve been tempted, but no. I went through a phase once where I was just “PEOPLE SHOULD USE GRAMMAR RIGHT!!!” but I no longer care. The only exception is when someone gives me a story or a paper to review, in which case I will correct the h*ck out of it if necessary.
yelled in all caps at myself in the middle of a novel
✔️ Yes, though I try to leave all of the yelling at myself for my outline. Most of my comments to myself in novels is stuff like “WHAT DOES THIS MEAN??” and “FIX THIS LATER!!”
used “I’m writing” as an excuse
✔️ Yes, but not as often as I probably could. I also haven’t had the chance to decline any social events lately, so…
killed a character that was based on someone I know in real life
❌ Not yet. I definitely have some characters who were inspired by people I know IRL, but I never killed any of them. I don’t actually kill characters as much as I thought… or do I?
used pop culture references in a story
✔️ Yep. I have a few contemporary stories that I’ve referred to pop culture in, usually with music. I try to keep them at a minimum though, because I don’t want to accidently turn into the next Ready Player One.
written between the hours of 1am and 6am
❌ I’m pretty sure I haven’t. I’m not a very good writer that late (early?) in the day.
drank an entire pot of coffee while writing
❌ I don’t drink coffee, so no. I’ve definitely gone through several mugs of tea and (reusable) bottles of water during a long writing session though.
written down dreams to use in potential novels
❌ If I do dream, I forget them almost as soon as I wake up. So that’s a no on that one too.
published an unedited story on the internet/blog/wattpad
✔️ I never used Wattpad, but Back In The Day, I was a member of Figment.com (which I guess is called Underlined now?) I posted a couple of “edited” (i.e. not edited) stories there, but they usually weren’t anything to be proud of. I did make it onto the front page of the website a few times though!
forgotten to save my work/draft
❌ Nope, because autosave. I have misplaced writing drafts though, because until I was in college, my “system” for organizing my writing was abysmal. Somehow, it’s almost worse because I know I wrote it, I just can’t find it, and I start second guessing myself… maybe I didn’t actually write it? It’s a real mess.
typed so long that my wrists hurt
✔️ Yeah. Less because of the typing and more because my hands sit on my keyboard weird. I have bad posture, I’m probably gonna need to see a chiropractor by the time I’m twenty-five.
spilled a drink on my laptop while writing
❌ Thank goodness no. I did fry my motherboard once, but I wasn’t writing at the time, so I don’t think that counts.
finished a novel
❌ I am ashamed to admit it… but no. I’ve completed a few novella-length stories, but not anything I’d consider a novel. I hope 2020 is the year I finally change that!
laughed like an evil villain while writing a scene
❌ Nah. If I’m alone, I’ll sometimes talk to myself when I’m writing, but otherwise, I’m pretty expressionless while writing.
cried while writing a scene
❌ I do get teary-eyed sometimes, but never full-on crying. I find it hard to make myself sad, which I guess is a good thing?
created maps of my fictional worlds
✔️ YEP. I need them though! Or else I don’t know who is where or what is happening! I would probably make even more maps if I had to patience to do so.
researched something shady for a novel
❔ Maybe? I’ve definitely researched some weird stuff, usually related to things like injuries, but I don’t know if that’s especially shady. Just… weird.
Leave a Reply