7: I very very seldom listen to music when I write. I find it distracting. There have been a few cases, however, when it helped me get into a mood for something (Cross Wired was one—I made up a playlist for that; another was my lone Devil May Cry fic, which I wrote with Shroud’s ‘Where the Wind Blows’ on repeat).
15: A writer I admire… Geez, how do I pick just one? C J Cherryh made a huge impact on me, with her amazing world-building. I’m in awe of the way she fastens culture and psychology into the species, races, and ethnicities she creates for her worlds, and the way she conjures such a solid atmosphere for each setting she writes in.
Non-professional writers have a huge impact on me too, because they feel more like ‘people like me.’ When I see a fellow fanficcer or ‘hobby writer’ accomplishing something amazing, I feel more like it’s something I have a shot at doing. Bendingsignpost does the same thing C J Cherryh does (oh heck, Ben, that’s who Stranger at the Gate reminds me of!). Ivy Blossom does such a phenomenal job with character voice and POV. Gins/Greywash is phenomenal at growing plot organically from the characters’ motivations and choices, at writing in a very natural speaking voice, and at putting characters through hell realistically. QuipQuipQuip does such a fantastic job of getting into her characters’ heads that it makes me want to bang my head off a wall just so I can think again.
Those are a few off the top of my head.