Every Good Word {Link up!}

 So. I'm a bit late on this, but I decided to save it for my regular blogging day! (Speaking of which I'm considering adding another day to my schedule, but we'll see what happens.)

 This is the Every Good Word linkup! Every writer is tagged to answer twelve questions, so I've decided to join in and try it.
                                                                                                                                                    

1. What was your first-ever piece of writing? This is a hard one since I've been writing almost as long as I can remember. It was either a little Thanksgiving book based on one I had, or a little story called Princess Bethany. :P
2. How old were you when you first began writing? I was about six years old when I started writing little stories, but who knows when I made them up in my head?
3. Name two writing goals. One short term & one long term. Short term would be finishing my current projects, especially The Pauper's Masquerade which I want to finish this month. Long term would be to become published, and hopefully be able to share my stories with others. 
4. Do you write fiction or non-fiction? Mainly fiction as far as writing books go. But I blog here, and at A Pinch of Classy, so I write some non-fiction as well.
5. Bouncing off of question 4, what's your favorite genre to write in? I'd have to say... it's probably Christian spec fic. I love being able to use my imagination to create worlds, and characters, and strange, interesting situations. But I've written some suspense, and would love to try my hand at historical.
6. One writing lesson you've learned since 2013 began. Don't procrastinate. I learned a harsh lesson by procrastinating typing up my handwritten novel, so now I have to re-write a bulk of the story because the large binder containing it went missing. This also applies to actually writing, because if you procrastinate, you'll never move forward. 
7. Favorite author, off the top of your head! There are so many. I can't really name one. Francine Rivers, most definitely, Jill Williamson, and Wayne Thomas Batson? But there are so many.
8. Three current favorite books. Uh... The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers, Band of Sisters by Cathy Gohlke, and either Chasing Jupiter by Rachel Coker, or Replication by Jill Williamson. 
9. Biggest influence on your writing {person}: That's hard. Wayne Thomas Batson was the first Christian fantasy author I read and that really interested me. In the last year, though, through Go Teen Writers, Stephanie Morrill and Jill Williamson have really impacted me. Also, my family is supportive.
10. What's your go-to writing music? I enjoy listening to instrumental music if I think of it. Haha. Two Steps From Hell is good. I need to discover more music! Today during school... not technically writing... but... I may write to it in the future, I listened to my friend Leah's original writing compositions.
11. List three to five writing quirks of yours! Little habits, must-haves as you write, etc. Um. Word wars. They're a habit, but I don't always have it. Eating... I always seem to write when it's some kind of meal/snack time. :P One word sentences/sentence fragments that I think actually sound good. (Not all of my sentences are fragments! I avoid them except when they add to the story.) My grammar check hates me. Like... I can't breathe. Death. All around me.
12. What, in three sentences or less, does your writing mean to you? My writing is one of the most important things in my life. It is a way of sharing a gift God gave me. It is a way for me to reach out to others, while enjoying myself.