Frequently Asked Questions
What is this blog supposed to be about? Oh, it's about a lot of things, really. When I moved to Taiwan I thought it would be a good idea to document my adventures in a new country, but I hate writing diaries, and nowadays everybody seems to have a blog of some sort, so why not me? I'm also a writer, and I dearly hope to be published in the future. So this blog is also about my adventures in writing, with some book reviews thrown in. Basically, it's about me. That sounds self-centered, and I'm sorry about that, but it's all I think I can blog about at the moment.
You live in Taiwan? Yeah, actually, I do. I've been an expatriate (someone who lives outside their home country) for a long time now - since I was in third grade. To date, I've lived in Korea, China, and here, but I've traveled to more than twenty countries. All at the tender age of sixteen. :)
What is Taiwan like? Awesome. Sometimes frustrating. Sometimes scary. And completely different from America. You should read my adventures to find out. Compared to China, it's different. There's more natural beauty here. The people act different. I don't know.
Isn't Taiwan part of China or something? If it is, everybody's lying to me. D: No, it's not. Far from it. Taiwan is an independent country, and they're proud of it. Don't ask a Taiwanese if they're part of China. They're not. And asking will not make them like you. It's like asking a white person from South Africa why they're not black. Or someone from Columbia if they're Mexican. Or wondering why Justin Bieber won't stop singing grating, annoying songs. At best, people will give you dirty looks. At worst....well, we won't get into that.
You write? Oh yeah, I write. I write in all my spare time, when I should be doing homework, when I should be sleeping, and when I should be having a life. I write a lot. Writing is my life.
What do you write? Fantasy, basically - though my stories vary wildly in that department. Currently (March 2011) I have one that's high fantasy and a bit of a play on Campbell's Hero's Journey, another that I guess would constitute as dark/urban fantasy, and one that's almost like an Arabic fairytale. All are fantasy, and they aren't a bit like each other.
Will you tell me more about your stories? Alas, I've made a vow not to tell anyone on the internet about the details of my stories. Call me paranoid, but I keep imagining someone will steal my idea. Since you can't copyright ideas, this is the only way I can prevent it.
Edit: I'm different now. :P You can read about my books on my main blog (see the writing page) and I'll be posting excerpts occasionally.
How do you write? How do I write? Interesting question. I don't get ideas for stories very often (to date, I've gotten three in the last three years) but when I do, I keep thinking about them. Then I write. I edit while I write, so by the time I finish the story, it's past the first-draft phase.*shrug* I don't know how I write. I just do. Whenever I can, however I can.
Do you have a schedule for writing? Me? Schedule? Surely you jest!
What's the square root of six million? I wish I knew. D:
Do you listen to music while you write? Yes and no - it depends on what I'm focusing on. If I'm focusing on emotion, the story, then usually, yeah. If I'm focusing more on the words, how they feel, the lyrics in the prose, then I can't. Music distracts me. Right now I listen to soundtracks (Lady in the Water, TRON, Doctor Who) and musicians like Zoe Keating and Vienna Teng, as well as several bands.
Will you be my friend? Okay. Let's be friends.
-Ari
