Member Snapshot: Eve Lopez

Where do you get your news?

I go to http://news.google.com in the mornings and scan the headlines. The articles are pulled from news sources all day, so I usually always have a Google News window open on my computer. I've also got to confess I'm a regular visitor to Page Six of the New York Post.

What's your order in a coffee shop?

Grande latte with rasberry or vanilla. At work though, it's drip all the way.

If you knew you could not fail, what would you do?

Propose to Vince Vaughn. Or pitch a screenplay based on one of my two novels in progress. Or actually sit down, give myself a deadline, and finish those two novels. They're both sitting in separate drawers in my apartment, haunting me.

Where do you get ideas for your writing?

A lot of my ideas come from free-writing or from writing prompts. Sometimes I see a great movie or read a news article and want to write on a particular concept. Then I just start typing and see if it leads me anywhere interesting.

How did you learn about Writergrrls?

I met Stephanie Shenk, the Zine Facilitating Editor, when we were both contracting for Amazon in 2001. She invited me to a Writergrrls meeting and I've been a part of the group ever since.

Describe your writing routine.

Routine? Well, I haven't been very disciplined recently. When I journal or write about personal things, I write longhand and just vent. When I write articles or poems or short stories, I give myself a writing prompt and then start typing. I don't have a regular routine right now but when I go on one of my writing kicks, I stay up all night in 24-hour diners with my laptop or journal and drink coffee, smoke cigarettes and write until the sun comes up.

What are you currently reading?

Well, I've got my Google News window open and I'm reading about the presidential race and the same-sex marriage thing in San Francisco. I'm also reading the current issue of Vanity Fair. I just finished Leslie Feinberg's "Transgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman" and am re-reading Barbara Ehrenreich's "The Hearts of Men: American Dreams and the Flight from Commitment."

What's your favorite book this week?

Scott Cunningham's "The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews." It's a great resource. But my favorite book of all time is "Gone With the Wind." I read for the first time when I was in the seventh grade and I've read it a hundred times since. For some reason, Scarlett's obsession with Ashley and relationship with Rhett hits my center every time I read that novel. It's an incredible story.

What's your best quality?

I'm dedicated and creative. Also very loyal to my friends. When I'm involved or interested in something, I throw myself into it.

What would you change about yourself?

I'd make myself a little more relaxed and mellow. I'm too high strung sometimes! And I'd definitely make myself more courageous and disciplined in my writing career. Instead of waiting for things to happen, I want to have the balls to make things happen.

Eve Lopez is a freelance writer living in Seattle.