Tag! Meme Questions

I was tagged by my writing buddy, Kara to answer a few meme questions. For those wondering what meme is, I thought I’d give you a little definition. "Meme is an idea or element of social behavior passed on through generations in a culture, especially by imitation." So I will answer these repeated questions and pass them along to others.

1) If you could have any superpower, what would you have? Why?

Interesting question, but I’ve always known what superpower I’d want—invisibility. Being invisible would allow me to move around without notice and listen in on conversations. If I submitted any works for publishing, I could hear what they thought about my writing. I could sneak into friends and families houses and listen to their conversations, and find out if they’re talking good or bad about me. Invisibility opens up possibilities, such as blackmail. Just kidding.

2) Who is your style icon?

I read Kara’s blog about writing and/or fashion style icon. I’d have to go with writing icon, since I don’t have any fashion sense to talk about.

My big writing icon is Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I read his book, The Shadow of the Wind, and was literally enraptured by his story, and devoted to his characters. It was the first book I ever read and said, “I want to write like that.” The dialogue in his book is so real, and I have to point that out because many books move away from real dialogue. Dialogue strengthens your characters, which ultimately strengthens the story.

3) What is your favorite quote?

This is a tough question because there are so many wonderful quotes out there. My bedroom walls are full of phrases and quotes from books, movies and authors. Many of these come from Shakespeare, one who feeds inspiration from his works. To be fair, I have to quote from a book, movie, and authors. These are not the only quotes I love, but ones I’ve voiced before.

Book: This is from another one of my favorite books, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. This quote comes from the narrator, Death when he talks about Liesel, the main character.

“She was the book thief without the words. The words were on their way, and when they arrived, Liesel would hold them in her hands like the clouds, and she would wring them out like the rain.”

Movie: This is from one of my favorite movies, It’s a Wonderful Life. Clarence, the angel writes it in a book he leaves for George Bailey.

“Dear George, Remember no man is a failure who has friends. Thanks for the wings, Love, Clarence.”

Author(s): I must quote two authors since I am trying to become one myself.

Shakespeare – “All hearts in love use their own tongues; Let every eye negotiate itself and trust no agent.”

Samuel Johnson – “It is always a writer’s duty to make the world better.”

4) What is the best compliment you’ve ever received?

In my days of bartending, I was talking to one of my bar regulars about life. It was early on in the day, so no, he wasn’t drunk yet. We were discussing our pasts and presents, and things we would like in life, and he turned to me with this serious face and said, “If I had a daughter, I’d want her to be just like you.” I actually got tears in my eyes when he said it.

5) What playlist/CD is in your CD Player/iPod right now?

I don’t have a particular CD on my iPod. I have a favorites playlist and the last song I listened to on it was “Back to the Earth” by Rusted Root.

6) Are you a night owl or a morning person?

Up until two years ago, I was a night owl. Now I wake early—carpe diem.

7) Do you prefer dogs or cats?

Definitely dogs and definitely at someone else’s house. I’m not the typical writer, who owns a dog, cat, or both. I’m use to flying solo.

8) What is the meaning behind your blog name?

I picked Skipping Stone Memories because what I post here are memories. Skipping Stones is from a pastime of throwing stones across a body of water and trying to make the stone skip on top. Since I am not posting all of my memories, meaning I’m skipping many, I decided to go with Skipping Stone Memories. And my alias, Bea Sempere, is a character from The Shadow of the Wind.

So now I will tag my blog buddies!

June “Bug” Kramin

Written Not With Ink

What Do you mean, I should start a blog?

And I tag you, my readers. Please answer the above questions and either post them as comments or send in an email from my profile.