15 Random Literary Facts About Me

I was inspired by Sydney at the Elliot Countenance to post some random facts about myself, so here goes!

1.  The first thing I ever remember writing was probably when I was around five or six. It was about a missing blueberry pie, and it was written on several pieces of notebook paper stapled together and charmingly illustrated (not). It was taken from another book which I was infatuated with at the time. For the life of me, I can’t remember the name of the book. I know we still have it. It’ll turn up. I also remember making a few similar illustrated books, one in particular about a fairy.
2.  I was around six when I started writing, but I didn’t really get interested until around age 11 or 12, when I learned to type on my computer. There have been stories floating around in my head for as long as I can remember, though.
3. I write fiction, mostly fantasy and historical fiction. I also love rewriting fairy tales.
4. One of the books that stood out most to me is Little House in the Big Woods. Momma read it to me and my brother when I was around four or five. When we got to the part about the panther, it terrified me. I didn’t want to listen to the rest. But wait – there’s more! I decided maybe it wasn’t so bad after all, and asked her to finish it. (I guess even then, I hated not finishing books.) She didn’t want to scare me, so she wouldn’t read it. So I, at four, read the rest of the book by myself. After that, I was hooked. I’ve loved the series ever since.
5.  I love, love, love buying books secondhand. Why would I pay ten dollars for a book when I could get it for 25 cents? It’s gotten to the point where I don’t want me or anyone else to pay full price for any book, ever, because I’m sure it will turn up at the thrift store one day. Probably. Maybe. Eventually?
6.  I’m a speed-reader. One very extreme example is that I read Pride and Prejudice in one day. However, it took me much longer to read Sense and Sensibility (a few weeks, maybe? A month? I don’t even think I finished it before it was due back at the library…).
7.  I get writers block (a lot) and I have a love-hate relationship with editing. I am currently editing one of the longest stories I’ve ever written.
8.  Hearing my work read aloud is terrifying. It makes me feel sick. Like, actually sick to my stomach.
9.  All of my books are catalogued on Goodreads and organized (mostly) by either genre or author. Even though I have three bookshelves, I still have an overflow of books. Most of my shelves have two rows of books, and there are still piles of books all over my room. I need to get rid of some.
10.  My writing goal for this year is to finish my two WIPs and start another one that I had an amazing idea for. I’m letting it simmer on the back burner now. With some luck, maybe people other than my closest friends will see it. Them. However many I finish. If I finish any at all.
11.  I don’t think I’ve ever had a favorite book. Favorite book in a genre? Maybe. Favorite book? Never.
12.  Probably one of my most read/listened-to books ever is The Horse and His Boy, but the Anne of Green Gables series and the Little House series would give it some competition…
13.  My best writing time is in the morning, after I’ve done the majority of my school and before everyone else wakes up. I either write at my school desk on my computer or in my bed with my Kindle and portable keyboard.
14.  I’m overly secretive about my writing. I never tell anyone specifics until after I’m done with the first draft, and sometimes not even then. I’ve had bad experiences with sharing too soon.
15.  I have currently read 27 out of 150 books on my Goodreads challenge. It’s probably less than what I’ll actually read, but I set it low to give me a little leeway. Last summer, I had a goal to read a book every day – and I did, all the way from April until December. Disclaimer: A good deal of them were children’s books. I like children’s books the most. I think my total last year was around 400…

Anyway, that’s my fifteen random literary facts about myself. If you have any literary facts about yourself, post them in the comments!