I need your opinion...

So, what do you think about pennames?

My mom thinks they're silly, but I'm still undecided.

Of course, it has it's obvious ups and downs.

Ups:
It would give me a chance to come up with something really cool to 'name' myself.  I mean, how many times does a person get to choose their own name?

If I had one, my name would have to have a nice ring to it... like Jessica Kay or something.  That way it's still sorta my name.

And, it would totally make me feel like a spy, or an undercover agent.  It's like you can be two different people!  The nerd with glasses (lol, yes, I really do have glasses), until you take them off and become..........

The superwriter!!!!!!!

Downs:
No one would know who you are.  I mean, if you're buying food at a store and my name comes up as Jessica McKendry when my penname is Jessica Kay, that's no big dealio.  Because no one knows who Jessica McKendry is.

The thing is... I'm not even done editing yet.  I'm not a published author, moreover a well-known one.  So... why exactly am I worrying about this?

Uh because... I have nothing better to do.


What do you guys think?  Do you use a penname?  Do you think it's silly to use a penname?  Or is it weird for me to be thinking about this at all?


Happy Monday!

--Jess

11 Random Questions... Go!!!

Thanks Lady Gwen for tagging me in the Platform Building tag of 11 questions! Here are the questions she gave to me:

1. What is your secret weapon of choice?
Definitely a lightsaber ;)

2. If you could sit down for coffee with any historical figure, who would it be?
Hmm... that's a tough one. There's so many people to choose from!! I guess I'd have to go with the Egyptian queen Nefertiti.

3. Any "famous" figures in your ancestry? Who and what did they do?
Maybe Alexander Hamilton but we aren't sure, lol. He was the Secretary of the Treasury when the U.S. became a country.

4. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Either China or Italy.

5. What was the #1 song the day you were born?
Um, I have no idea.

6. What is your favorite genre to read and why?
Hmm, I think for me it mostly depends on the book. It's hard for me to choose any one genre! But I guess it would have to be dystopian or sci-fi.

7. Who is your favorite literary character and why?
Anakin Skywalker. In the books, not the movies. He's my favorite because he's a very deep character who struggles with the pain of losing his mother and the fear that others he loves will die. In real life this isn't such a good thing but for an author, turning your MC to 'the dark side' to save the ones they love is a pretty brave thing to do. It might destroy your character but it makes them very realistic!

8. Besides reading and writing, what is your favorite pastime or hobby?
Figure skating or playing the violin. Ooh, or Image Editing and Design. I use this free program called GIMP to create/edit pictures and that's always fun :)

9. If you could switch places with one person for 24 hours, who would it be? Why?
I was going to say the President of the U.S. but by the time my 24 hours would be up, I'm afraid the world would be destroyed. So instead, I'd like to be some neurological scientist. I guess I can't name any names (because I don't know any) but it sounds like a cool thing to be.

10. What is the area you live in most famous for?
Probably the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

11. What are the top 5 programs you watch on television?
Um... we don't have cable. We got rid of it four years ago so we'd have more time to read and do other things. But the TV shows we watch through Netflix and Apple TV are:
LOST, GLEE, THE OFFICE, 30 ROCK and last but definitely not least, STAR WARS THE CLONE WARS.

So there we go! Okay, now here are some Campaigners I'm tagging:

1. Melanie Stanford @ Daydreamer to Writer
2. Alexandra Shostak
3. Andrew @ Lost Realms
4. The Golden Eagle @ The Eagle's Aerial Perspective
5. Alyssa McKendry @ Life is Good
6. Megan @ Paws, Fangs & Smiles
7. Stephanie Allen @ My Personal Fairytale
8. Sarah F. @ Inklined
9. Jay Noel @ Writer on Fire
10. Kate @ The Scribbling SeaSerpent
11. Marcy @ Creation and Compassion

Now here are my 11 questions:

1. What's your favorite song?
2. How old were you when you started writing?
3. What's your favorite movie/book?
4. If you could be any animal in the world, what would you be? Why?
5. If you were the main character of a book, what genre would it be?
6. What is the coolest thing you've ever done?
7. If you could be a character from any book, who would you be? Why?
8. What genre do you write in?
9. What's your favorite thing to do, other than write?
10. If you could meet one historical figure, who would it be?
11. Is there anything else we should know about you?

Feel free to leave a link to your answers in the comments! Have fun :)

--Jess

Meme Q&A Thing

Hello everyone! First of all, I can't believe the last time I posted was Monday!! Jeez I'm really behind! Now before I get too far into this post, let me just clarify one thing. I have no idea what a Meme is. If anyone else knows what it means, please tell me because I feel really stupid!

Okay, so recently my lovely friend Laura, over at The Daily Dodo gave me this Meme thingy to answer. Thanks so much Laura!!

So here are the questions and my answers.

If you could go back in time and relive one moment, what would it be?

I was taking a three week summer program at Northwestern University in Creative Writing two years ago. I'd relive the night where my roommate and I stayed up all night long laughing and trying to avoid getting caught by the hall monitor. It was scary, but fun :)

If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?

It would be to focus on writing at an earlier age.

What movie/TV character do you most resemble in personality?

I'm not sure if it's up to me to say but I'd like to go with Princess Leia. I'm strong willed, and passionate and hopefully just as pretty!

If you could push one person off a cliff and get away with it, who would you choose?

Hmm... this is a toughie... hate to be cheating this question but I honestly have no idea.

Name one habit you want to change in yourself.

Not be so messy. I mean really. My room doesn't stay clean for a day and neither does my desk. What's up with that?

Why do you blog? (Answer in one sentence)

Because anything that has to do with writing is completely awesome!

Name at least 3 people to send this to:

1. Nick Height over at Writing Fire
2. Liz over at Laws of Gravity
3. Angela over at Live To Write

All three people I met through Rachael Harrie's Third Campaign Challenge. I have really enjoyed reading everyone's posts (yes, I have actually read everyone's, and I'm trying to stay up to date)! So, go visit their blogs and give them a nice big 'Follow'! Because they are all really awesome!

So have a great weekend!

--Jess

P.S.

Actually, all of you guys are awesome!