What ho, what ho! A couple of weeks ago I started collecting questions for Ask Me Anything post, and here I am to start answering them. I’ve decided to break my answers into a couple posts so as not to overwhelm you too much…especially since my answers are a bit on the chattier side. But I put it to you, what’s the point of an AMA post if you can’t be chatty? (And on that note, if you had planned to ask me any questions but didn’t get to, there’s still time! Just leave a comment on this post here.)
(And yes, I am going to use these posts as an excuse to use random pictures saved on my computer that I’d probably have little chance to use in any other context. You have been warned.)
Now to start answering all your lovely questions!
1. What was your goal for this blog when you first started three years ago? How has that goal changed over the years?
That’s a good question. When I first started my blog, I was expecting to regularly write about a pretty wide range of topics…you notice how I have categories for “Bookishness,” “Homemaking,” “Spiritual Life,” “Period Dramas,” Vintage-ness,” &c.? Well, when I started my blog I was thinking that I’d frequently write posts about all of those things. Nowadays my blog tends to be more focused on period dramas and books and vintage things, and I only explicitly write about homemaking and spiritual life and such every once in awhile.
I also had hopes of making money from blogging in some way, shape or form when I started. Sounds dreadfully mercenary, but there it is.
Nowadays my goal for my blog is much more relaxed…I want most of all to enjoy it, and if that means only focusing on a couple topics (and not earning a lick of money), that’s okay.
2. What (if possible to choose) is your favourite post you’ve ever written?
Ooh…I’m not sure that it is possible to choose! I do really like my Henry and Mary Crawford post, my post about Stuart Little and parenthood in children’s stories, and my post about Fiddler on the Roof and movie musicals. I’m not sure if I can narrow it down much further than that.
3. What are your hopes for this next year for your blog?
I don’t know that I have any specific hopes, really…I would love to write in-depth posts more often, about characters and storytelling things and whatnot. Those are my favorite kind of post, but since they take a lot of time and effort to write I don’t get to do them very often. I also have several fun dream cast ideas that I’d love to write posts for at some point. Apart from that, my main hope is just to keep having fun with you all, continue to grow my blog, and maybe meet even more friends!
4. You’ve been asked to do PR for a historical figure by managing their social media (or blog). Who do you choose and why?
Man, this is such a good question! Hmm…there are so many people it could have been fun to do PR for, but I think it would make sense to narrow it down to historical figures who really could have used better PR than they got.
That still leaves a lot of options, though, doesn’t it?
Oh wait, I’ve thought of someone! (I was thinking of saying Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, but I mentioned Louis XVI not that long ago for a similar question and wanted to do something a bit different this time.) This is a bit out-of-left-field (as it were), but I’m going to choose the legendary baseball player Ty Cobb. He’s gone down in history as a rather nasty individual, but from what I’ve heard a lot of that is untrue or very exaggerated.
5. Do you find it easier to write with a soundtrack playing in the background, or is silence more conducive to scribbling?
Silence is much more conducive to scribbling for me. I know that some people get into the writing mood through music, but for me it’s just distracting. However, sometimes I listen to music while writing anyway for the simple reason that I Want To. When I do listen to music, something without words is easier to write to – classical, or movie soundtracks, or instrumental jazz, or something of that nature – or if it’s a song with words, it has to be something that I’m really familiar with. It’s near impossible to write while listening to songs that I don’t know that well and that have words, because my brain is too busy trying to make out what’s happening in the song to exert any effort on the writing.
6. Do you have favourite hairstyles to go with the seasons, and if so, what is your go-to for autumn?
I must admit that I don’t have different hairstyles for different seasons, though now that you mention it, it sounds like a lovely idea! I get bursts of energy where I experiment with my hair, but other than that I usually wear the hairstyle I showed in my vintage fashion post, or else (shockingly modern!) just leave my hair loose with only my fringe curled. I’m planning on springing for some foam rollers soon, since I’d like some heat-free way of curling my hair which isn’t as time-consuming as pin curls…so hopefully my favorite hairstyles will get more varied and more interesting shortly.
7. What is the most-worn colour in your closet?
Probably black, actually. It’s so convenient to pair things with – if you wear a black skirt you have so many options of what color blouse you can wear to match it, and vice versa. Next would probably be pink – mostly in bright or deep shades. Light and pastel colors just don’t work that well on me. (And yellow doesn’t work on me in any way, shape or form. I don’t believe I have one yellow piece of clothing. (Well, except for one rather ostentatious black-and-butter-colored dress that I couldn’t resist picking up from the thrift store once, but it is the exception to the rule.))
8. If you were asked to choose the most fabulous character in English literature, who would it be? (I was just asked this myself, and thought it made for the perfect question😄I halfway wonder if you might not say Bertie Wooster… I can’t wait to see now 😉)
Well, I mean to say, Bertie Wooster just MIGHT be the most fabulous character in English literature. He’s got to be one of them. He’s not only one of the funniest characters you’re ever likely to meet, but I don’t think he gets enough credit for what a really good egg he is. Bertie regularly gets into the most horrific scrapes out of loyalty to his (often undeserving) friends or because he’s too polite to tell a woman he’d rather be dead in a ditch than marry her, and despite this he still maintains an eternal optimism and a nearly unvarying joie de vivre. He should be an inspiration to us all.
But there are so many fabulous English characters… In fact, this question is proving a little impossible. I could probably change this answer anytime, but right now I’ll say it’s a toss-up between Bertie and Jane Eyre. (And now we can all contemplate what on earth a meeting between those two would look like…) I just re-read Jane Eyre recently and was struck afresh by how utterly fantastic Jane is. She’s definitely one of my top fictional role models, along with Agnes Wickfield in David Copperfield.
9. And by the by… What kind of tree WOULD you most enjoy being stuck in?? Also, (and this is entirely out of an excess of curiosity,) in what way would you rather be stuck there? The options being either having a large and unfriendly dog at the foot of it, encouraged by a rising flood to stay there, or only being inextricably caught on something. Provided that, in all these circumstances, you’d had the foresight to bring a picnic lunch with you, and could throw bits of it down to the ravenous canine loitering around underfoot in order to mellow him out a bit.
I was wondering if someone would go ahead and ask that. ;P Well, let’s see. I would want it to be a very sturdy tree, with plenty of thick branches easy to climb around on…but I also wouldn’t want it to be too old a tree, since I don’t want it covered with damp moss and gross bugs and whatnot. After performing some (very cursory) research, I think an oak or an ash tree would probably be good and comfortable and climb-able.
And given those three options of how I’m stuck, being caught on something sounds by far the least irksome. Cowering in terror from a ferocious canine while I cling to my branch sounds highly unpleasant, and nervously watching the rising floodwater and wondering how high it will get sounds even less pleasant. Being stuck on something would just be mundanely annoying and not outright terrifying like the other options.
10. What IS your favourite number over a thousand?? Also, do you like certain numbers more than you do others? Not as ages, mind you, but simply the sound and shape and personal attributes of the numbers themselves…
I like a million. There’s something so satisfying about it. And for a less obvious number…maybe something like 1511. And I do indeed like certain numbers more than others! Some numbers are just more aesthetically pleasing than others, and that’s a fact. Eleven is one of my favorites; isn’t it so tasteful and elegant?
I think I’ll leave it at that for now…(hopefully) before too long I’ll be posting Part 2!
Who do you think is the most fabulous character in English literature? Any hairstyle suggestions for me? And what kind of tree would you most like to be stuck in?
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THIS IS A DELIGHT.
You have excellent taste in random pictures 😜 (I’m owl #2) And that dress is indeed irresistible.
May I suggest Frodo Baggins as a contender for most fabulous character in English Literature–I have come to the conclusion that he is my (current) favorite character in All of Literature. But I am once again reminded of the extreme necessity of my making Bertie’s aquaintance posthaste. I have been a second-hand fan (?) (the absence of a brain is sorely felt right now) for far too long. This must be remedied!
I feel like Owl #2 many mornings. That is an owl who has not yet had his morning coffee. 😛
Frodo is an absolutely excellent choice as well. I feel like Frodo really doesn’t get all the credit he deserves…partly because people are distracted by how fantastic Sam is (which he is, of course) and partly because the movies don’t do him full justice. And you should indeed make Bertie’s acquaintance posthaste. He is a guaranteed day-brightener, and we could all do with one of those 😀
Ohh, what marvellous fun, and to think, we shall be having more of it in instalments! This is too, too delicious… And the pictures are the veritable icing on the cake, they really are. And imagine my surprise at recognizing the one of Eponine with a pistol in each hand…
I have GOT to read Jane Eyre. She is popping up positively everywhere this past while, and that must be a sign, don’t you think?? Of a good book, if nothing else😜😄 I will take this as a recommendation, put it on top of my stack of TBR books at a jaunty angle, and hopefully settle down to reading it sometime this winter 😛
(I think I’m at about a number 5 owl, myself 😉
Okay, the thing about the numbers is so exciting to me, because sooo same. Which you may have guessed from me asking XD (And yes, 11 is undeniably tasteful and elegant, especially written out as a word. It makes me think a little of swans…)
THE BUNNY CUDDLING WITH WINNIE THE POOH😍😍😍
I can’t wait for the next one, this is so much fun😄
Well,
Heh, what fun that you already knew that Eponine picture…it is simultaneously not applicable to many applications while also dying to be used. xD
You DO have to read it. It’s marvelous. And Jane is marvelous. And I’d like to be able to talk about it with you 😀
(Good for you, because I have rarely if ever been as alert as Owl 5 xP)
I did, rather 😉 (Isn’t it? I can see that. It is a swan-like word.)
I KNOW. IT’S SO PRECIOUS. <3
Right?? I can’t think of any myself, except maybe a holdup in some western or other😄
That clinches it, it’s right at the top of my TBR now XD (Er, right after I finish the other two books waiting for me atm, anyway 😛 Poor Nicholas Nickleby is being so patient with me…) Because isn’t that half the fun of a book, getting to talk it over?? I can’t wait😜
Heh, on second thought, maybe I better pick another owl, because Alert is not the best of descriptions of me lately😆🤣 Which one looks like it would be prone to abandoning a thought mid-sentence??
Also Corinthian Columns. And it thrills me that you see the swans in it too XD
IT IS.
Hehe, I know what that feels like…TBRs just have a way of growing, and that’s a fact. And yes, talking over books after/while you read is an essential part of the experience, and that, too, is a fact ;P
And that is understandable as well…perhaps a 4, then? But 4 looks so very haggard, I do hope you’re not feeling THAT tired xD
You know how people create aesthetic picture montages, like I’ve done for seasonal stories sometimes? I feel like you could do that for numbers…and eleven would be full of swans and columns and trees drooping elegantly over ponds and things like that. 😀
Isn’t it half the fun?? Especially when you get to have the occasional amiable argument over them with someone every once in a while😄At least with my sisters that’s how it works…
Well, not quite a four either, then. I am slightly better caught up on my beauty sleep than it is, and a little less prone to exhausted stares, thankfully XD
And ladies in long white Edwardian dresses… Elevenish has become a very descriptive word, suddenly😄Oh my goodness, that would be so much fun!! And seeing how many times one’s own mental image matched the next person’s…
Hehe, that does happen sometimes…I mean to say, you can’t ALWAYS agree in Literary Discussions, can you?
I am very glad to hear it – I did hope that your tiredness didn’t extend to THAT level xD
Yes! Wouldn’t that be a fun blog challenge, to have different bloggers make picture montages for numbers? Then you could compare so many different people’s mental images!
Wooster really is an indomitably cheerful chappie (and oh-so-quotable), but he has no survival skills. None. Which is probably why I prefer Dorothy Sayers’ Peter Wimsey, who has Wooster’s buoyancy but Jeeves’ brain.
This is true…but I don’t know, I feel like Bertie’s cluelessness adds to his overall endearingness. I’ve yet to properly meet Lord Peter, but while I’m sure he’s delightful in his own right I don’t think he could take Bertie’s place for me.
First, isn’t the squirrel’s little sword adorable?? Though, I think the artist (or resident rodent armorer) missed a chance to include a squirrel on the shield’s insignia, rather than the usual lion.
Same, I started my blog planning to post on all sorts of things, but I find myself confined to some recurring topics lol. I’m going to try to expand more in these coming months haha
I’m relating to owl 1 today (crazy hair included).
Although their illustrations are crude and sometimes physically impossible, medieval artists have this uncanny ability of capturing emotion somehow…
I agree with Jane Eyre (sadly I have never seen Bertie Wooster in action). No description can do her justice.
Oh, you’re right, what a missed opportunity…that would have been perfect!
Heh, well, that’s not necessarily a bad thing either…it’s nice to branch out, but if there are certain types of post that you especially enjoy, there’s also nothing wrong with focusing on those 😀
It’s true! They’re not very realistic, perhaps, but very vivid and evocative nonetheless.
No description *can* do her justice. (And I definitely recommend making Bertie Wooster’s acquaintance.)
This was so fun to read, Lizzie!
Those pictures are very fun. I love the owl picture (I’m about a 6 right now) and the squirrel is adorable.
Now, I have to ask, who is the woman with the pistols? At first, I saw it and thought it might be you! Though it probably isn’t… is it? And aww, the rabbit with Winnie the Pooh…
That dress is so fun! Do you get to wear it to places, or is it more of a keeping-in-your-wardrobe-to-coo-over sort of dress?
I completely agree with you about Bertie, and I am now feeling the urge to reread Jane Eyre… I would posit that Elinor Dashwood is up there with Jane, too. I’m rereading Sense and Sensibility at the moment and have been meaning to discuss it with you. She is so amazing.
The pistol-wielding lady is Eponine from the movie of Les Miserables (though this is a behind-the-scenes picture. She never does that in the movie, sadly). She actually does look kind of similar to me, though! (Except that she’s prettier, haha.) (Do you ever think about what actresses you’d want to play you in a movie, by the way? Or am I just weird that way? :P)
I don’t think I’ve ever worn the dress out anywhere, but I do wear it at home sometimes for special occasions, like New Year’s. I hope that someday I’ll get the chance to wear it somewhere in public…but that chance has not yet arisen.
Elinor is wonderful too! I should reread S&S too…I was just about to start rereading Mansfield Park, actually. There’s just too many good things to read. 😀
Ooh what excellent answers, what excellent pictures, and what excellent boiled potatoes! (Alas, not the last one, actually 😂) This post was a wonderful idea and I may have to steal it at some point.
Being stuck in a tree actually sounds wonderful. Maybe a treehouse with a particularly excellent book? 😛
Oh hairstyles you want? Hairstyles you shall get 😉 If you want it all up, either a braided bun, two space buns, or a bun donut. If only partially up, two mini french braids that don’t use all the hair. Or if you want it down, heatless curlers or a braid overnight are great options!
I’m excited to read your next answers!!
Why thank you! (Though ’twas indeed sadly potato-less – please apologize to Mr. Collins for me.) Please, by all means steal away – I stole the idea from others myself. 😛
Just *being* in a tree could be great fun, particularly in a tree-house – but I find myself recoiling at the idea of being *stuck* there. It would depend on context, though. If I knew that someone would be coming along soon to help me down, for instance, I might enjoy myself more.
Ooh, thank you for all the suggestions! I really should try to get better at buns – I can never manage to make them stay together somehow. 😛
This was fun! And what thought you put into your answer to my question. Admittedly, I’m not familiar with Ty Cobb.
Thank you for your question; it was a great one! I don’t think he’s terribly well-known outside of sports circles…I’ll admit, I only knew about him because a couple of my brothers were interested in him!
I’m sorry I never read these answers. They are very good! Thank you for doing them! <3
Thank you, for your lovely questions! <3