So, lovely readers. This week is the last week of the absolutely nuts scheduling I have going on. And I only have one post for this week (and it needs to be heavily re-written before I post it on Thursday).
But I was thinking, instead of just not having a post for Tuesday, we could use the time for you guys to ask me questions about the story. There seems to be a lot of confusion with certain characters and story lines and I think that's probably just because the blog has been around for so long and a lot of the confusion regards the older story lines, it's also because I have evolved as a writer since those first posts (or I'd like to think I have!) and the writing isn't as strong nor was I expecting to make this a long-term writing commitment so it wasn't as planned out.
So, in the comments, feel free to ask me your questions. I'll be around to answer them (as long as they don't spoil any future story lines) and even drop some fun facts about old story lines and what I'd originally had planned. I know it sucks a lot when I have to skip posts and you all hate it but I thought this might be a fun compromise to just not having anything at all. You can ask questions about whatever you want; the story, what I do when I'm not writing about Faith's world, the characters, etc.
Also, we will be going to three times a week very soon! And I am almost done with the character index. Expect that next week!
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When are we going to delve into the fire story?
ReplyDeleteIt'll be completed within a year. (That's a super broad timeline and I'm being vague on purpose :D). The truth is, it'll be sooner than the end of the year.
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Will Mike be back! I thought he was great =] and Brad is a creep and needs to be gone
ReplyDeleteMike will probably be back but not for awhile and not in the same capacity as he was. At least, not for when he returns next. That's all I'm going to say on that.
Delete:)
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He coming back to tell about the fire? I just recently caught up on your blog I stayed up til 5am one night! You are very talented :)
DeleteMike's reappearance is sort of connected to the fire but also not.
Delete:)
Thank you! I'm glad you like it! Now go to bed and get your REM sleep LOL!
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You've mentioned school quite a few times and I was wondering what you are studying and what your career aspirations are. I am also interested in seeing if Mike shows up again!
ReplyDeleteHi Kelly!
DeleteI'm currently a pre-med student. I want to be an emergency pediatrician. Part of the reason my schedule has been so hectic is because Ii'm been studying for the MCAT and have started the process of applying for medical school this year.
I answered your Mike question up above!
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You said at the very start of this blog that this was for a school project years ago right? When this blog is finely over; are you going to start something new? Will you try your writeing in other books? Or will this be it for you?
ReplyDeleteAnd has writeing about Faith help you with any real problems?
It was! I started this blog for an English class project while in college and I found that having this as a creative outlet was something I really needed and enjoyed so I kept doing it.
DeleteWhen this blog is over I probably won't start anything new. But I already know how I want to end the blog and I hope it will be a satisfying close. Don't worry, though! That doesn't mean the end is close, it's years down the road. When I decided to keep this blog after my class ended, I wrote out a timeline for how I wanted things to go for Faith, and while it's been edited quite a bit and had things added or spaced out, the ending has always been essentially the same story.
I don't think this will become a professional career for me, so no books are planned.
Actually, it has! Just generally, having this blog as an outlet for me to write has been a way for me to cope with a lot of stress and stuff. But more specifically, I've used this blog to keep my love for theatre alive. I have a degree in theatre, I worked as a stage manager and have lots of funny stories from that time but now that I've decided to pursue medicine instead, this blog gives me the chance to sort of still live my stage management experiences because Faith's experiences are also my experiences. So are some of her bad date stories. And to get fairly personal, I have also been sexually assaulted and while what happened to me resembles nothing in Faith's story, writing that confrontation and the results of it was very therapeutic for me and helped me get to a healthier place regarding my own history.
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I've been reading since the beginning but don't post a lot but you have a faithful reader in me. Thank you for sharing with us about being sexually assaulted. I too have had that happen to me in my past and I'm so happy for you that writing that out was therapeutic for you. It takes a strong person to live through it and share it with others. My hats off to you - Christine :)P.S. If you don't mind Del.. How old are you?
DeleteI actually just turned 25 on the 4th, Christine!
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Happy late birthday :)
Deletewho sent faith the black or dead roses? will faith ever stop being a trainwreck or dating them? even tho i know some girls never grow out of it. they don't tend to keep the same friends while being so dysfunctional.
ReplyDeleteRenee Marie
Hi Renee Marie!
DeleteYes, Faith will get her life together! I promise! And she will have a much healthier dating life as well.
As for your first question...that story line is still alive and well even though it might not seem like it. So, unfortunately, I can't answer it!
:)
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I'm curious, on average how long does it take to write a post? I'm guessing some might be quick and others much longer depending on if you're feeling in a writing mood or if you know the direction of that post? I'm not a writer at all but admire those who are creative and inspired enough to. What do you do for fun? Also, curious what you are studying and your plans after school as someone asked above. :)
ReplyDeleteIt depends on my mood and how heavy the subject matter is. For example, sometimes when I would sit down to write about Faith's relationship with Sean, I just hated it so it felt like it took forever. The subject matter isn't always an issue, though, the posts that revolved around Mike's mom dying were some of the easiest posts I've ever written. Sorry to say but Betty was doomed from the second I introduced Mike into the story the night of the fire. I tried out a couple different ways for her to die and eventually settled on the brain aneurysm.
DeleteFun Fact! Probably one of the more dramatic options I had in mind was that Betty and Faith were going to go Christmas shopping (this idea eventually became the post where Frank and Faith go shopping instead) and they were going to be struck by another car and Betty was going to die in the car accident. But I ultimately decided against that because it seemed way too over the top and I didn't think the relationship with Mike would have even lasted long enough to get them to New Year's.
And the sex with Brad is/was integral to the story, so I nixed it.
The sex posts are actually the hardest for me to write because I really need to be in a certain mood/mindset for those, and, no, I don't mean THAT kind of mood/mindset! LOL Those posts tend to be more visual and descriptive because there isn't as much dialogue so I have to be in the mood to write with a higher emphasis on visuals. And that's actually hard for me because I'm not really into the fancy purple prose stuff, so I tend to be overly critical when I use a lot of descriptions and end up editing those posts multiple times because I don't want it to read like it's one of those books with an airbrushed painting of Fabio on the cover dressed in some weird pirate costume.
The time it takes for me to complete a post also depends on how much of it is based on past posts or how much of it requires some research on my part. For example, for posts that refer to the past, I often have to go back and read my posts and that can take a long time, it can also cause me to lose focus, which is why I've sort of started ignoring the birthdays, they're just too hard for me to keep track of in the grander scheme of the timeline I've written. And I've been really sloppy about that in certain areas (like Mike's sisters' names, which changed three different times in posts I actually published and had up for MONTHS! They're all fixed now so if anyone starts reading this blog from the beginning, they won't get to see those).
Another example is the most recent post. I tried really hard to make that as accurate of a post as I could; I really wanted Faith's abortion experience to reflect the average experience. I had to do a lot of research for it and it was extremely hard to piece through and find a story that wasn't distorted in some way to make it seem like something it wasn't. I wanted that post to be honest.
For fun? I play A LOT of video games. I also just started trying to cook more and I'm trying to get into running (although I've been dealing with a knee injury since January so, you know, that's going about as well as you'd expect). A Fun Fact about Faith is that I took a hula hooping class just like she did. And I LOVE my hula hopping class.
DeleteI'm a pre-med student! So, this May I will be graduating (again) with a BA in biology this time (last time it was a BA in Theatre) and I am submitting my application for medical school this week, which is why everything has been so hectic lately. If that doesn't work out, I'm going to go to grad school for anatomy and physiology and then teach it at the college level. I took anatomy and physiology this past year and absolutely adored it and then I got a really selective internship at school through the anatomy program and that starts in the fall, so the passion is certainly there. But, ideally, I'd like to be an emergency pediatrician. I just really like the vibe in the ER and I like making sick kids feel better.
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Hello Del! First, I wanted to say that I just love your blog. It has been such a lovely addition to my week. Will you bring back the newspaper/new cast people? Like Stormy and friends? We don't hear about Faith's family that much. Are they around? Where are they when she is dealing with such turmoil in her life?
ReplyDeleteDel, I also want to say that I am a 30 year old pharmacy auditor who has an awesome social life and have many hobbies such as painting and mosaics. And...I am a gamer as well. It is nice to find a fellow gamer who carries out a "normal" life. :)
Hi Scattered Thoughts!
DeleteThank you!
Faith's old co-workers will be making a reappearance. Her work buddies are going to re-emerge in the story fairly soon. Stormy/Adam will also be around.
Faith's family, in my mind, live in Omaha. And they're involved in her life when Faith lets them be. For example, when Faith's apartment building burned down, her parents were being supportive and helpful but for this most recent story line, her parents will never know about the abortion. Faith will never tell them, at least. They would be too disappointed in Faith and she wouldn't feel comfortable being around them and being the reason they're so disappointed. Also, Faith's mother isn't very good at keeping her mouth shut so if Faith told her parents, everyone in her family would know within days and I don't think anyone would want that kind of personal business aired to cousins you see once a year.
The way I view Faith's family relationship is that it's a strong family foundation but now that Faith lives far away, she's become more independent and doesn't keep her parents in the loop with her life as often as she probably could.
I love playing my video games, I just wish I had more time! It's hard to find free time to play them with school and stuff.
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The Q&A post is a fun idea. Most of my questions have already been asked & answered, but here goes: 1) Physically speaking, I've always wondered if Faith is blonde, brunette, or red/auburn-haired. If it's been covered in the story somewhere, I don't remember; I really like to get a physical "picture" in my mind of characters I read about. Also, do you resemble Faith at all, Del?
ReplyDelete2) On a more spiritual/mental note, if you could only describe yourself in one of 2 ways (1. a humanist, or 2. a feminist), which would you have to choose - and why? What about Faith? If there's qualifiers, exceptions, or whatever, feel free to elaborate for clarity if you want to share. I know it's tough to try and pigeon-hole yourself into just one category; I'm speaking in an overall sense. We're all walking contradictions at times, after all. You said ask anything...but I get it if my last question is too personal. Those are just the types of things I wonder about regarding individuals when I stop to think about it, or when someone stokes my curiosity either with or without invitation. Take care, Del.
Hey Witchy!
DeleteFaith is a brunette and has green eyes. She has a slightly athletic build and her hair length goes to just above the middle of her back. She doesn't have bangs, and her ears are pierced. She has a very small, practically un-noticeable scar on her nose from an old nose ring she got as a freshman in college. Her favorite color is pale green and her favorite flowers are daisies. Otters are her favorite animals and she looks best in cobalt blue clothing (it brings out her eyes and compliments her skin tone; she is definitely a winter).
Faith and I really only look alike in that we have long brown hair. Pretty much everything else is different.
As for your second question, personally, I'm a feminist. I believe we live in a patriarchy and that sexism is alive and well and that it's just a more subtle, acceptable form of sexism that exists (but not always, sometimes it's overt), trying to work in medicine has, unfortunately, made that painfully clear to me. I also believe that living in a patriarchy hurts everyone, regardless of sex (for example, living in a patriarchy encourages the idea of men needing to maintain masculinity at all times and that hurts men because it teaches them that they aren't allowed to feel their very natural/normal feelings).
I don't really see myself as a third wave feminist, I try to approach my feminist views in a way that takes into account other people's experiences and tries not to apply generalizations to everyone who fits into a certain category because someone might not experience the same kind of things that I do as a middle class, educated white woman.
As for Faith? I see her more as a feminist-lite kinda girl. This blog is not a feminism-themed blog in the general scope and so Faith's views don't take on that theme in a super huge way (Molly on the other hand....). I certainly don't want to make it a bigger theme in the blog, either, because I know that could alienate readers and that's not what the expectation for this blog is; people just want to read about Faith on their lunch break and have a good time, I get that. But I try to keep Faith's story realistic/believable and part of that includes the every day, subtle kind of sexism that women face. Dealing with skeevy co-workers, getting hit on when you clearly aren't interested, and dealing with men you trust who don't necessarily treat you with respect are all things I think most women have experienced in some form or another and Faith isn't exempt from that in her story because I'm not and I use a lot of my experiences to either inspire certain story lines or color Faith's worldview. It's unavoidable, really. Faith has become an extension of me at this point.
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Thanks, Del. You come across as a very talented & interesting, multi-faceted person; I've always thought that, starting back in the days of the Bedroom Blog Debates. I always enjoy reading whatever you've got to say. Take care.
DeleteDid you go through different story ideas about the pregnancy?
ReplyDeleteI did! I had five different story lines I was considering before I finally settled on Faith actually being pregnant.
DeleteFor the record, none of the story lines ever involved Faith going through a pregnancy. I considered a false positive option and actually committed to that until the last minute. I also considered a miscarriage option and nixed that pretty early on. Actually going through a pregnancy was never an option when I was toying with this idea, Faith was never going to have a kid with Brad. She will have a kid, a long time from now, with someone else. Sort of.
And I chose the story line I did because I really felt like I wanted to raise the stakes with the characters. I wanted to make it clear that just because Faith is the main character, it doesn't mean that she is above having serious stuff happen to her. I also needed something to make Faith think about her choices and I felt this was the best way to do it.
It's one thing to think you're pregnant, find out you're not, and then be in the clear to continue making bad choices without any real introspection, it's a completely different thing to find out you're pregnant and actually have to face the reality of the choices you've made. And that's what Faith needed.
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Wow your writing is amazing. I check back every day to see if there's a new post lol.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to know if we will hear more about Sean and if Stormy comes back in the picture?
Also since you are the writer which things that faith has gone through that has happened to you? Is it a comparison to similar events in your life?
Keep up the amazing work. ( I've been thinking about starting to write. I love reading and my husband suggested I write either a fictional or real life story and possibly get it published. .. I'm just afraid to take the first step lol )
~ Michelle
Thank you!
DeleteSean will make a reappearance at some point. We will get to learn more about his story when he shows up. He won't be reintroduced for a long time, though.
Faith's life does reflect mine in a few places. For example, when she first adopted Murphy, the illness he had and the way he was treated for it mirrored the cat I adopted when I was four. The stage management stuff she does is related to what I used to do before returning to school. Mostly, though, I try not to make my experiences exactly mirrored in her life. I do use things to inspire the events in Faith's life but a lot of the main story points that have happened over the years are, generally, not related to or even connected to my life since I made the timeline that has those on it (as well as future events) right after I decided to keep writing the blog.
Writing has been a great outlet for me. I don't want to do it professionally so I, unfortunately, don't have any advice for you there but I highly recommend giving yourself a way to write, whether it be a blog like this or something more private like a diary or a fan fiction account (if you're into that). The most important thing, and the hardest, is making yourself write. I try to write every day. Not everything you write will be good and very little of what I write ever makes it to this blog but writing every day keeps me in the right mindset and it helps prevent writer's block. It doesn't have to be about your current story, I write a lot of stuff that has nothing to do with Faith or I do writing exercises that focus on one particular skill that day (writing the description of a landscape in a picture, writing about other books I've read and what I thought about them and why, random character descriptions, etc.).
Take the first step! You'll be glad you did!
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The Planned Parenthood tumblr just posted that antibiotics don't actually interfere with birth control (except rifampin, which seems to be for stuff like TB and Lyme disease--which doesn't seem like what Faith was sick with?) and since your pre-med I figure you know that. So, did Brad sabotage Faith's birth control? I know it's part of an active storyline, but I'll still enjoy reading it unfold if you answer.
ReplyDeleteBrad did not alter Faith's birth control (although I did consider that story line early on).
DeleteRifampin can also be used to treat bacterial infections and because Faith had strep throat and bronchitis (which is actually viral but can exacerbate bacterial infections due to the weakening of the immune system) she was prescribed it to knock the strep throat out quickly. When your immune system is depressed, strep throat can easily spread to your lungs which is the last thing you need when you already have bronchitis.
I never thought anyone would ask me what kind of antibiotics Faith was on. You guys are so awesome!
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I was actually on an antiboitic for a sinus infection two years ago. I was told that it would interfere with my birth control, so i believe yes, certain meds can and do interfere. I was on something else though. not rifampin. i was on a.. amoxicillin type thing.. and the one i had for strep one year and the one i had for pneumonia last year also interfered with my birth control. Just thought I would throw that out there. I believe that they do interfere.
DeleteAmoxicillin is part of the Rifampin family but there's absolutely no evidence that shows amoxicillin (or ampicillin) will affect birth control pills, at least not in humans. Most medical professionals simply tell patients that they should use a back up method of birth control when on antibiotics because it's easier than to try and tell them it's only one specific antibiotic (it also covers the doctor's ass, to be blunt). It also depends on the illness. If it causes vomiting and you need antibiotics, the vomiting can actually cause your birth control to be less effective, not the antibiotic.
DeleteUnfortunately, a lot of things can affect birth control pills. A lot of anti-psychotic meds, like Haldol, can interfere, some migraine meds, St. John's Wort, and eating grapefruit.
Although the grapefruit connection is fairly new and they aren't sure if it's the juice or the actual fruit that does the interfering but grapefruit, for whatever reason, appears to have a pretty huge impact on LOTS of meds, not just birth control pills. Like, a lot of thyroid medications can be affected by drinking grapefruit juice and that connection has been known for a fairly long time but they only really just started looking at the effects grapefruit can have on other meds.
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And now you've made me terrified of grapefruit! ;)
DeleteDon't be afraid of grapefruit! It's SO good for you. If you're concerned about any medications you're taking, a pharmacist can tell you if grapefruit can affect it. That's what my mom did with her thyroid meds!
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My pharmacist mentioned grapefruit as a possibility for things to avoid on the pill, as well as vitamin C. I was taking relatively high doses of Vitamin C supplements, so I stopped right away (even though I really prefer taking it). They (doctors, pharmacists, medical articles, etc.) always tell you that it's not really known for sure exactly what does and doesn't affect the pill's effectiveness. Guessing and suppositions make me pretty uncomfortable; I like to *know* one way or the other.
ReplyDeleteIt depends on the pill. Progesterone-only pills are not affected by antibiotics and as far as I know, not grape fruit either (progesterone-only contraceptives also include the shot). It's if you're on a combination pill (estrogen and progesterone) where things can get kind of screwy from antibiotics or grapefruit (among other things).
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