Young Writers Society

1. A lily!

2. Passionfruit. It´s just so tasty and one can feel the good mood and energy in your body after eating one.

3. There are a lot. Really a lot. But great moments were the day I got my motorbike when I finished writing LoaMR or getting the results of my bachelor thesis.

Questions:
1. If you could choose to speak with any animal species in the world, which animal would you choose?
2. What goes through your mind when you go outside at night and watch the stars?
3. Describe the feeling you have when you think intensely about being you. What do you feel?

1. I would love to speak with a cat! I'm sure they would have a lot to say.
2. When I step outside at night to watch the stars all I can say is "thank you God."
3. I almost always feel very comfortable and confident.

Questions:
1. What kind of clothing are you most comfortable in? Baggy clothes? tight clothes? sweaters? dresses?
2. Did you read or watch cartoons as a kid and what was your favorite one?
3. What kind of music do you listen to?

1. There are a few, preferably running around in shorts and a top in the summer, or in my pantsuit or blouse for work. I like loose clothes that radiate colour (here more in light colours, like pink, light blue or white, but sometimes also in deep black, red (I love my red jeans!!!) or purple (even if I somehow look like a bad guy there)) and make me feel like I can show a smile with them. I also like to wear jogging trousers when I'm walking around at home, but I kind of prefer jeans. I'm not such a big fan of a dress, but if I'm in the mood, I like a skirt too. It really depends on my mood.

2. Of course. I watched everything we had on TV, from anime to American shows. I read Tintin et Milou a Belgian comic. I never read something like Marvel and DC (isn´t that the same). But I think one of my favourite cartoons are (of course) Sailor Moon and Kim Possible and Spongebob Squarepants. He´s funny and I like his german voice. Oh and Fairly Godparents? I don´t know if that´s the name of the show, but I like to watch it, because of the babysitter has the same name as my sis. xD

3. Everything! It´s hard to get a glimpse of every genre, but also it depends on my mood. I like classical, film soundtracks, heavy metal, vocal, non-vocals, jazz, pop, etc... At the moment while writing I´m listening to progressive house music, yesterday I was more in the mood to listen to some film soundtrack. There are only three types of music in the world: Good music, Good music you don´t want to listen to, and Good music that is more for special occasions (like Christmas songs).

My questions:

1. Is there a decision in life where you would have given a different answer / taken a different path?
2. Is there somebody you really like? If so, how would you approach them?
3. What is your opinion on modern Hollywood films?

1. Sure. Knowing what I know now, there are many. Mostly having to do with how I handled my relationships. If given the choice, I'd go back and face life again with the correct priorities, more peace and less fear, with faith that everything will be well in the end. :)

2. Yup! I don't expect to meet him again, but if I did, I think I'd be really happy and excited to see him, and I'd show it. I'd be friendly. I'd thank him for the positive impact he made on me, wish him luck in his goals, and maybe ask for advice setting out on the path he (in part) inspired me to pursue.

3. Ehh.. Of (most of) those I've seen lately, I'm not a fan. Thought they were trite, shallow, unfunny, childish, and narrowminded. Even the better ones- the ones I somewhat enjoyed- are missing something important. They feel like a shiny, plastic-wrapped product I'm consuming, rather than a glimpse into another world as real as our own, a story written with heart.

Someone's always saying a snarky one-liner that I can only guess is supposed to impress or amuse me, but silence can be so much more eloquent than words. These movies never allow silence. They never slow down enough to let you absorb and reflect on what's happening. Maybe that's a product of our shortened attention spans. Dunno, it's just something I've noticed in recent movies, and it makes me sad. Not a fan.

Questions for you!

1. What's the last song you listened to that made you smile, and what's the last that made you cry?

2. If you were a fantasy creature, what would you be and why?

3. Who's you favorite OC? Least favorite?

1. The one that made me smile: city girl - sea. Warning: family friendly but there is a 18+ curse word in it.
The one that made me cry / lose some tears: Together we will live forever

2. Oh, cool question. The Firebird from slavic folklore. First because it is a bird, and secondly, because the firebird is good as well as evil and can bring good luck but also doom. And I would be difficult to catch and part of some trials.

3. There are many OCs that are my favourite. But probably Daphne Gessner, a minor character from LoaMR, who always goes into life with an optimius and confidence. I can´t explain everything here because that would be too long, but yeah, I guess it´s her. My least favourite is called Stanley Glocken. He is a main character of another novel and he´s complicated, because he is simply too much still a child and yet adult and dares nothing. I don't like him because he falls too much into the negative.

My questions:

1. What would you do if you had the power to change weather in the world?
2. What is your least favourite song of all time?
3. Are you enjoying the things you are doing at the moment? Why, why not?

1. What would you do if you had the power to change weather in the world?
I'd try to change the Arctic a bit colder and see if maybe that would help out with global warming. I like seasons so I don't mind too much when it is rainy or snowy as long as I don't have to drive through blizzards or ice.

2. What is your least favourite song of all time?
"Animals" by Maroon 5 was really popular when I was in High School and I think it is a disgusting and wildly problematic song that if you take the lyrics' message is romanticizing stalking and violence against women/partners, the music video for it is also gory and disgusting. Even if you don't take the song literally, it is clearly about the narrator not respecting their prospective lover's boundaries, portrays women as objects to be hunted, and men to be animals.

It makes me really angry to hear it - and the worst part is that this was a song that was super popular and constantly blasted over the radio, played in front of children etc.

3. Are you enjoying the things you are doing at the moment? Why, why not?
At this very moment - just chilling and about to go do some shopping as it is my day-off from work, so I'm sure I will enjoy that!

questions for next person up

1) what's the most impactful book you have read?
2) thoughts on best fruit-smoothie flavor?
3) is there a tv show that your regularly follow?

1. This question took me a while to reply to. I actually had to stop the music, just so I could think in all silence and went through my library in my head to find a book that gave me this impact feeling. And I don´t want to come with my favourite book or something, because that wouldn´t be right. And I went up to the attic, looking for a book that gave me some impact. I was thinking about it for a long time. There were some suggestions that had some impact on me, like Daphne du Maurier´s Rebecca or Olav Gullvåg´s An old song dies away (my translation, because I couldn´t find an English title).

I then thought for a while and I came up with a solution: "The fairy tale of Sagauvela". Probably no one has ever heard of the book, but I wrote it from 2012 to 2013. I think even though the answer is probably a little bit in the wrong direction, I think this work has had the greatest impact. After 16 months of writing, about 450,000 words later and a loss where I had to rewrite several chapters, I took the time to read it. Just to read it, to see how the flow is, if there were errors in thinking or other little things. And there were many. And yet, with each new page I read, it made me feel like I was creating something. I have put something into the world that was created by my actions.

Even though it's definitely not a real book and far from good, it left me with this impact to keep writing. To keep writing, no matter how bad the world is or how good. It gave me this belief that I have to keep going, no matter how far the stone has been pushed in front of the cave. After reading it, I was just speechless to see how difficult and at the same time how easy it is to create something, on a level that other people can and want to read. It gave me goosebumps because it wasn't just simply a work, but also the ulterior motive that with every book there is a life behind it, where you don't immediately see what the author wants to say. Since that day, I perceive books differently. Books have a soul that inspires us to understand the world anew.

2. Strawberry-passionfruit-kiwi. No comment. Something that has that special fresh flavour with some wake-up kick and sweet that is just full of energy and vitamins. You really feel like your body needs it when you drink one.

3. No. I don´t watch TV. But I do follow every episode of StarTalk with Neill deGrasse Tyson on Youtube and every podcast of National Geographic.

My questions:

1. If you had a job interview where you interviewed the candidates, what would be your first question?

2. Have you ever tried to understand an opinion that is completely different from yours? If so, what was it about?

3. Do you eat breakfast?

1. Don't really know if I am qualified to answer this question because I have never given any interviews. The very idea of it terrifies me though and I fear for the day I will have to face one. Therefore I think if I was the one asking the questions, I would be a really kind interviewer and try to put the canditate at ease. I would probably ask them: on a scale of 1 to 10, just how nervous are you about this interview and why?

2. Okay, tough question. My sister always maintains the fact that when she is done with a relationship, she is done with it. It means she will block the person out of her life completely and will erase all traces of the relationship that once existed. I never agreed with her methods and I think it is unfair and harsh and selfish to completely push another person out of your life just because it didn't work out. However, I realized later that for some people, its easier to cut the loses and lose all connection with a person rather than deal with the lingering hurt and pain. I still don't think its fair to the other person, but I think I understand why it becomes so important for her to remove herself from the very possibility of getting hurt by that person again.

3. I am a really late riser and therefore, I have to skip my breakfasts most days!

Questions:

1. What is your idea of a perfect birthday? How would you celebrate it if you were the one planning it?

2. Has there been any defining moment in your life? A moment that led to some deep realization about yourself? If so, then how did it come about?

3. If you could go back to any one day in your childhood, which would it be and why?

1. It depends a lot on my mood, whether I want to celebrate my birthday or not. But I like it when friends come over in the evening, where you drink a little and have fun before going to a club somewhere to party and then come out of the club the next day having made great memories. But the birthday shouldn't be the direct focus but should slip away during the hours of dancing so that everyone can become the focus.

2. There are already some that have opened my eyes a little bit, and given me a little bit of this feeling that no matter how close you are in a family, love is nothing more than an emotion that can change.

My parents divorced when I was 8 years old. My father was a museum curator and lost his job because the museum was closed. He started drinking alcohol, (which never had any direct incidents in the family, like violence or anything) and couldn't find a job anymore. He fell into alcoholism. My mother then wanted a divorce and in the meantime, she met a new man (my stepfather). He didn't like my sister and me. We were literally the wicked stepsisters from some Brothers Grimm fairy tale.

Since my sister didn't want to stay with our mother because of the stepfather and father himself wasn't able to support us, my sister (she was 12 back then) made things clear to our mother and explained that we would stay with her, but stepfather would have to leave because he didn't want us and always showed it. Since this was not the case - mother chose her future husband, thus abandoning us, we ran away from home and lived with our grandparents (father's parents) ever since. That was that moment when I saw for the first time that a bond, whether it is by blood or anything else, can never be a guarantee of trust and love. It´s something I still keep in many ways, I trust people but I prefer to do everything by myself because I am the only person I can rely on upon without being stabbed in the back.

3. Another tough question... Probably on one of the days when we flew to Berlin with the school class and I experienced for the first time what it means to be in a big city, a literal metropolis, where so many opinions come together, so many cultures and people. Where art, music and many things meet. The day we came back was this realisation for me that I am so ignorant, and always thought I was so smart, but never understood what real life actually means. I would just go back there to get that feeling again of hatching from a naïve egg and becoming a fledgling. I think I was 15 at the time.

My questions.

1. If you had the opportunity to discover an animal that no one before you had discovered, would you name it after yourself? Why? Why not?

2. What is a story you always want to write?

3. If you could be in a film, what would be your favourite role? Why?

1. Probably not. I don't know why, I just never got the naming-after-yourself thing. While it would be awesome to be remembered by the world in any way, I would still rather let that animal establish its own identity and name it after its personality or physical features. That way it gets to be unique in its own personal way.

2. A big question. I don't know really. I don't have any bug important WIP in closet, or any big ideas that are really novel worthy. But I do want to write a novel someday, simply because I have let the impossibility of the idea stop me too many times. I guess that is why I have mostly stuck to writing short stories, the idea of a bigger project is kind of intimidating for me, be it for lack of confidence, ideas or talent. But I guess, I would want to write a story that makes the world feel something. That makes someone stop for a moment and just think and feel. I don't care about making a difference, I just want my story to mean something to someone, so that they can make it theirs and feel like they belong. I remember how I felt every time when I just finished a great book - that rush of exhilaration, the quiet contentment and the almost euphoric feeling of a sense of belonging. I guess, if I could give any of those feelings to my readers, I would feel pretty proud of myself.

3. Depends on the genre I guess. But to be on the safe side, I would prefer being the best friend or the friendly neighbor. Mostly, I would not want to be the protagonist and would care more to have a drama free life, than go through any deep realizations or world-altering experience. If its a feel-good movie though, I would love to be a family member and have some taste of that positivity these types of movies are mostly focused on.

My questions:

1. What is one regret of your life? (can be big or small, wherever you want to take this really)

2. What is a quality of yours that you are rather proud of?

3. Do you like children (below ten)? Why or why not?

1) I have some 1000 regrets in my life... One of them being not using my very childhood in a decent manner..
2) Isn't that inexistent? I have never really felt proud of anything.
3) Depends on the child. I really like seeing videos of naughty children but I am very bad at tolerating them in real life. I like those very disciplined children who don't talk much and don't disturb me.

Questions:

1) What's your favourite food?
2) Who is your favourite anti-hero?
3) What is the most beautiful place you have ever seen?

1. Sushi, maybe. I love sashimi and any kind of california roll with avocado in it. Otherwise, my favorite meal to make for myself is roasted potatoes, salmon, and a salad heavy on avocado, tomato, cucumber, and feta cheese.

2. Hmmm. Honestly, I've never been a huge fan of anti-heroes. My childhood favorites were pretty clear-cut heroes- almost like saints in how virtuous and self-sacrificial they were (for example, I think Ashitaka from Princess Mononoke will always be my all-time favorite). They very often die at the end of the story due to some big heroic sacrifice, or at least die symbolically. The only anti-hero I love that I can think of off the top of my head is Zuko from ATLA.

Edit: Oops, I forgot a big one! Orual from Till We Have Faces is almost the villain of her story, but her humanity makes her one of my favorite characters. I'll say she ties with Zuko for the spot of my favorite anti-hero. :]

3. I haven't traveled much in my life, but of the few places I've been, I don't think I'll ever forget the view from the top of Pikes Peak in Colorado. I felt like I was looking out over an endless map of Middle Earth and had a fair chance of seeing dragons in the distance. It gave me an awareness of how small and fragile I am, and of how immense and lovely God's world is.

Questions for you:

1. If your life were a book, what would be the theme(s) of your story?

2. You have the power to create a mini world you can travel to whenever you want. What does that world look like?

3. What's your favorite smell?

1. Young Adult or Drama

2. A world full of peace (of course), presumably set in a time inspired by the 1920s and 1930s, when there were already many technological achievements, but not yet so many that they determined life. A time when television and cinema were still in their infancy and the world was beginning to become more open. A world, however, where there was also a possibility of equality, a world where politics consisted of democracy and the economy was transformed by socialist capitalism. Where travel and discovery were still exciting on earth and there were still white spots.

3. That smell when a night slowly turns into morning. That smell you get especially in a big city. A mixture of lukewarm meat, underground exhaust and the smell of tobacco. (Weird, I know) If not that, then the smell on a morning when the air is still cold and in the countryside you can smell the meadow, the cows and nature.

Question Time:

1. if you had a child, what would you want to teach it?

What does a rainy Sunday look like for you?

3. school question! Due to global warming, the Northwest Passage in Canada becomes navigable by ships all year round. Canada sees this as its own territory and not as open waters like the US. Canada could ask for some kind of toll for passing ships. The USA is against this. What do you think about this? What are some advantages / disadvantages about this?

1. Afrikaans, my literal mother tongue, not many people know the language these days which is extremely sad…

2. Running outside in the rain, reading and writing ten poems about the rain.

3. I don’t know much about this shipping route but as I understand this is a good opportunity for Canada’s economics to benefit and the fact that shipping companies have this year round opportunity will also benefit their accessibility. However there is a problem because shipping lines will now have to pay a toll when they normally would not have to. From a Canadian perspective this is incredibly good news, it could also create opportunities for better ports and more cities. However in the perspective of the rest of the world this is negative as paying toll is a cost and could make the route take longer to navigate if ships are forced to stop to pay anything.

—-

1. What are Mondays like for you?

2. What is your dream job?

3. What is you’re position on the indentured labour of Indians in South Africa?

Interesting!

1. When I have to work:

5 am: Get up and workout (jogging)
5.45 am: Shower
6.35 am: Driving to the station
7.05 am: Take the train
8.30 am: Arrive at work
5.30 pm: End of work
7:30pm: Home / Sport / YWS
11:30 pm: Time for bed

2. My dream job would be to be a teacher, or maybe to work in a profession where I can see that I can make a difference. Where I can see that I have achieved something that helps. Children or animals. (Sometimes I just have this thought to drop everything and move to Africa to work in a national park). Or a writer.

3. I did a little research and I assume you are talking about the period from about 1860 to the 10s of the 20th century? I think it's cruel, as well as many other things that happened. In many cases, it was a by-product of colonisation, in this case, the British Empire. It shows that there was a lot of emphasis on maximising profit rather than on culture or human life. I find it inhumane and I hope - even if it is still an issue today - that this kind of deportation can be stopped completely at some point.

Questions:

1. Would you like to travel back in time? If so, to which era?
2. Do you think there should be a restructuring of democracy in terms of having 2 or 3 presidents/heads of states at the time to have a real democracy and always "fight" for changes instead of having one person in charge?
3. What is your opinion on Social Media/ Influencers?