Meet the Member
by Rebeca Wise
This month I had the pleasure of interviewing our very own treasurer, Cindy Watson. Cindy is one of our youngest members and although she is a very quiet person, this interview will prove that she is quite fascinating. And, by the way, she prefers to be called Cyn.
Where were you born?: I was born here in St. Louis.
What interests do you have?: I have a lot of interests; my primary loves are writing and art. I paint and draw all of the time and I love a lot of different areas of art such as animation, comic books, book illustration, and portraits, just to name a few. I also love sewing, sculpting, baking, contact juggling, and reading, as well as playing with my friends’ hair and make-up.
Where have you traveled to?: Well, I used to ballroom dance competitively, so I’ve been to competitions in Columbus, OH, Nashville, TN, and Miami, FL. Also, I have relatives in Tennessee and Texas, and I’ve been to a few more states, but never out of the country. My favorite place is Spruce Pine, North Carolina. I really love traveling and I hope to be able to travel many places all over the world.
What is the best movie or movies ever made?: The first one that comes to mind is Help! by the Beatles. It’s one of those movies that is so full of jokes and one-liners that you have to watch it quite a few times before you can catch everything. I’m a movie person, so I have a pretty giant list of favorites, but right now, along with Help!, I’d say Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Snow Queen, and Labyrinth.
How long have you been writing?: I’ve always had insomnia, so I remember lying in my bed when I was little making up stories in my head until I would fall asleep hours later. The first time I actually started writing down anything was when I was about eight or nine, and I’ve been in love with it ever since.
How do you write?: I write best when I’m at a computer in a quiet place, and I rarely plan anything out before I write it. I can usually see the scenes going in my head and then can write it down, but more times than not, I write with no idea where I’m going.
What have you written or are currently writing?: I’m pretty much the queen of starting a novel, and then getting distracted with starting another and never going back to finish anything. So I have tons of novels, but very few are in, or even near a rough draft form. I am starting an online weekly series sometime soon where there will be a post every week that’s a continuation of the same fiction story. It’s going to be kind of like a TV show but in writing with illustrations.
What’s it like to have a co-writer? Do you toss ideas back and forth or do you just bicker the whole time?: I like having a co-writer for a few reasons: it’s much easier to brainstorm and come up with ideas when you have someone to talk about it with that is just as involved in it as you are, but it’s also nice to be the only one working on a novel because then you can do whatever you want without having to check with each other first.
Well, in regards to the novel my dad and I are writing together, it started with my idea, and we both just did a lot of talking about everything, throwing around ideas and coming up with whatever we thought would be interesting. We’ve never really argued about anything too seriously because we both want each other to be just as happy with the novel as we ourselves are.
I’ve heard rumours and mythical legends about the novel you and your father are writing. Just how long will it be? And do you foresee it being a series? But most importantly, when do we get to read something from it?: Who on EARTH could be spreading such rumors? Ha ha.
Well, we’re really close to finishing the rough draft, things just keep stealing our attention, but it’s going to be pretty long. Right now it’s at about 82,000 words, and that’s not counting a few chapters. The story we’re working on, as of now, won’t be a series, but who knows if we’ll change our minds. I think we both have ideas for stories that go on with the same people in the same world though, so maybe after this one is done, there will be others. I imagine after we get some revision done on our rough draft, we’ll be happy to let people read it and give us feedback.
What kind of music do you listen to? Do you have a favorite band or singer?: I listen to a lot of different music. I’m almost always listening to music, and I often find myself writing stories because I’ve been inspired by a song or an album. I love the Beatles, and then some of my other favorite bands would include Coldplay, Mat Kearney, Imogen Heap, P.O.D., and Relient K. I also love quite a few Russian pop groups.
What are you currently reading?: I just finished Lemony Snicket’s “Series of Unfortunate Events”, and it was amazing. Now I’m looking around for my next read, but I’ll probably end up reading “The Graveyard Book” by Neil Gaiman next.
What is/are your favorite book or books?: Well, the “Series of Unfortunate Events”, it’s probably my favorite series right now along with the “Belgariad” by David Eddings. I also love the Harry Potter books as well as “Coraline” and “Neverwhere” by Neil Gaiman.
Who is your favorite character from literature?: I really love Silk, from the “Belgariad”, as well as Door from “Neverwhere”. I also have a whole cast of favorites from Harry Potter with Snape and the Weasley twins at the top.
If you could have dinner with any three literary characters or authors, living or dead, who would they be?: Hmm… This one is hard. I look up to a lot of authors, and I love a lot of fictional characters, but when I think about questions I’d have for them and conversations we’d have, I’d have to go with J.K. Rowling, C.S. Lewis, and Neil Gaiman.
What is the best advice you can give your fellow writers?: The best advice I’ve ever heard came from Neil Gaiman, and that was to just do it, and finish what you start. You can’t expect to get published, or your work to even be read if you never finish what you write.
Cats or dogs?: I like a few breeds of dogs and there are a few dogs I know that I love but I’m definitely a cat person; there have only been a few cats that were mean enough to not gain my affection.
Where were you born?: I was born here in St. Louis.
What interests do you have?: I have a lot of interests; my primary loves are writing and art. I paint and draw all of the time and I love a lot of different areas of art such as animation, comic books, book illustration, and portraits, just to name a few. I also love sewing, sculpting, baking, contact juggling, and reading, as well as playing with my friends’ hair and make-up.
Where have you traveled to?: Well, I used to ballroom dance competitively, so I’ve been to competitions in Columbus, OH, Nashville, TN, and Miami, FL. Also, I have relatives in Tennessee and Texas, and I’ve been to a few more states, but never out of the country. My favorite place is Spruce Pine, North Carolina. I really love traveling and I hope to be able to travel many places all over the world.
What is the best movie or movies ever made?: The first one that comes to mind is Help! by the Beatles. It’s one of those movies that is so full of jokes and one-liners that you have to watch it quite a few times before you can catch everything. I’m a movie person, so I have a pretty giant list of favorites, but right now, along with Help!, I’d say Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Snow Queen, and Labyrinth.
How long have you been writing?: I’ve always had insomnia, so I remember lying in my bed when I was little making up stories in my head until I would fall asleep hours later. The first time I actually started writing down anything was when I was about eight or nine, and I’ve been in love with it ever since.
How do you write?: I write best when I’m at a computer in a quiet place, and I rarely plan anything out before I write it. I can usually see the scenes going in my head and then can write it down, but more times than not, I write with no idea where I’m going.
What have you written or are currently writing?: I’m pretty much the queen of starting a novel, and then getting distracted with starting another and never going back to finish anything. So I have tons of novels, but very few are in, or even near a rough draft form. I am starting an online weekly series sometime soon where there will be a post every week that’s a continuation of the same fiction story. It’s going to be kind of like a TV show but in writing with illustrations.
What’s it like to have a co-writer? Do you toss ideas back and forth or do you just bicker the whole time?: I like having a co-writer for a few reasons: it’s much easier to brainstorm and come up with ideas when you have someone to talk about it with that is just as involved in it as you are, but it’s also nice to be the only one working on a novel because then you can do whatever you want without having to check with each other first.
Well, in regards to the novel my dad and I are writing together, it started with my idea, and we both just did a lot of talking about everything, throwing around ideas and coming up with whatever we thought would be interesting. We’ve never really argued about anything too seriously because we both want each other to be just as happy with the novel as we ourselves are.
I’ve heard rumours and mythical legends about the novel you and your father are writing. Just how long will it be? And do you foresee it being a series? But most importantly, when do we get to read something from it?: Who on EARTH could be spreading such rumors? Ha ha.
Well, we’re really close to finishing the rough draft, things just keep stealing our attention, but it’s going to be pretty long. Right now it’s at about 82,000 words, and that’s not counting a few chapters. The story we’re working on, as of now, won’t be a series, but who knows if we’ll change our minds. I think we both have ideas for stories that go on with the same people in the same world though, so maybe after this one is done, there will be others. I imagine after we get some revision done on our rough draft, we’ll be happy to let people read it and give us feedback.
What kind of music do you listen to? Do you have a favorite band or singer?: I listen to a lot of different music. I’m almost always listening to music, and I often find myself writing stories because I’ve been inspired by a song or an album. I love the Beatles, and then some of my other favorite bands would include Coldplay, Mat Kearney, Imogen Heap, P.O.D., and Relient K. I also love quite a few Russian pop groups.
What are you currently reading?: I just finished Lemony Snicket’s “Series of Unfortunate Events”, and it was amazing. Now I’m looking around for my next read, but I’ll probably end up reading “The Graveyard Book” by Neil Gaiman next.
What is/are your favorite book or books?: Well, the “Series of Unfortunate Events”, it’s probably my favorite series right now along with the “Belgariad” by David Eddings. I also love the Harry Potter books as well as “Coraline” and “Neverwhere” by Neil Gaiman.
Who is your favorite character from literature?: I really love Silk, from the “Belgariad”, as well as Door from “Neverwhere”. I also have a whole cast of favorites from Harry Potter with Snape and the Weasley twins at the top.
If you could have dinner with any three literary characters or authors, living or dead, who would they be?: Hmm… This one is hard. I look up to a lot of authors, and I love a lot of fictional characters, but when I think about questions I’d have for them and conversations we’d have, I’d have to go with J.K. Rowling, C.S. Lewis, and Neil Gaiman.
What is the best advice you can give your fellow writers?: The best advice I’ve ever heard came from Neil Gaiman, and that was to just do it, and finish what you start. You can’t expect to get published, or your work to even be read if you never finish what you write.
Cats or dogs?: I like a few breeds of dogs and there are a few dogs I know that I love but I’m definitely a cat person; there have only been a few cats that were mean enough to not gain my affection.