Writing meme
Mar. 3rd, 2010 07:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
therumjournalsWhee, talkin' about myself (and my fic)!
Writing meme!
1. How often do you write and how do you feel about your output?
I guess I end up writing almost every weekday, some days more than others. I guess I have kind of a goal of posting a fic a week, but that's harder when I want to work on a longer fic.
2. Where does your inspiration come from? Where do you get your ideas?
EVERYWHERE. Seriously. Looking back over my fics, a lot of them have definitely been inspired by songs. Other times I'll just be somewhere and look around and think "hmm, Kirk and McCoy in this situation, GO!" Other times I purposely try to come up with ideas, like certain AUs. Sometimes I'll have read a lot of fic with a particular theme or approach and want to try something similar. Sometimes I don't even know. I'll just think of something and then I'll think, "What?! Where the hell did that come from?!" I can usually tell you what part of a story the whole thing came from - whether it started with scene or a setting or a bigger idea or what have you. Oh, and once I get started, I often can't quite stop, which leads to a lot of sequels. Maybe I should do one of those memes where people can ask me about how I got inspiration for some of my fics...
3. What are the first things you write? Dialogue? Sex? Something else?
The first things I write are the first bits and pieces that pop into my head. Could be an entire scene of dialogue or two lines of narrative or whatever. Sometimes I sit down and write 5,000 words in one go. Other times, I have two sentences written for a month before I can put a fic around them.
4. How have you improved this past six months/year?
I started writing fanfic in September, so hopefully I've improved a little. I'm a terrible critic though, so I kind of love everything I write. I do hope I'm improving though. I think the way that I end up improving is just based on reading tons of fics that are so well written. I've definitely gotten better at taking things out when I'm editing, which has never been my strong point.
5. Why do you write?
A couple reasons. The first reason is that as an avid consumer of fanfic, I really wanted/want to contribute and give back. I also love being part of the community and having people enjoy what I write. And now, moreso than in the beginning, I write because I have so many ideas and I have so much fun crafting them that I don't think I could stop if I wanted to!
6. Do you go through highs and lows? What are the triggers?
I'm not sure I would say I go through highs and lows. In terms of fic, I definitely write some things that come much more easily and that would definitely be considered a "high", while writing others is like pulling teeth and can be a little frustrating. In life I'm generally a very positive, optimistic person.
7. Do people in RL know you write slash?
Hell no. I've admitted to maybe 2 or 3 people that I read/have read it. My husband knows that I'm obsessed with ST and that I go on Star Trek communities online (and he also knew that I was/am obsessed with Pirates of the Caribbean, my first fandom). But yeah. No.
8. Where do you write?
At work - yeah, I admitted it. Work is pretty slow right now and I get things done quickly, so it's pretty easy for me to manage. I've always been TERRIBLE about procrastinating at work, and it continues - although I am very often plagued with guilt and fear about it, to be honest.
9. Does music help or hinder?
I can't write while listening to music, I've never been able to. I can't really even read with music on (although I can with the TV on for some reason). Music definitely helps to inspire though, and there are now songs on my iPod that remind me of certain fics because I listened to them every day on my walk to/from work while I was working on certain fics.
10. What are your props?
My flash drive where I keep my fics so I can write them at work without keeping them on my computer.
11. How seriously do you take your writing/ the writing process?
I'm not really sure about this question. I guess - not that seriously? I don't really know. I would say I write on the side and I let ideas come to me. I am fascinated by the writing process in terms of how ideas come and how I write - I guess that would be the process? I think about it a lot, but I don't really know what taking it seriously consists of or what that means.
12. What are your strengths?
Dialogue, I think. Banter. Humor, I hope. I don't really know. It's so hard to tell when i'm reading my own fic!!
13. What are your weaknesses?
I think I can get a little repetitive sometimes (again, this might be my own perception or might be something that I usually end up fixing as I edit my writing). I definitely lack the poetic, evocative feel of some fics that I've read and loved. I'm not sure I've ever tried writing that way, but I also think I would feel too silly to even start to try it, so I think it will be a long time coming, if ever. I also tend to prefer dialogue and action over inner contemplation and/or description of feelings/thoughts, but I'm not sure if that's a weakness or a preference.
14. If you beta, what do you get out of it?
I've only betaed a few times. I am very confident in my ability to edit when it comes to grammar/punctuation, etc. When I have a fic beta'd I am really looking for comments about flow, specific things like "this line is not funny" or "how did they get from here to there" - but I am less comfortable actually making those comments on people's fics.
15. What do you write? Aus, crack, PWP, threesomes, crossovers etc
Yes...? Where to even start here!? Let me first just say that if you had asked me what type of fic I would write before I started, my answer would have been wrong. I would never have imagined that I would write (and love) AUs, or angst, or all dialogue fics, or a Kirk/Spock/Bones fic consisting of drabbles, ha ha! The Pinto series that I've written is probably most like what I would have predicted I'd write - first time, takes place in an apartment, 100% angst-free, etc. I'm apparently more ambitious than I thought I would be, which is awesome.
16. Which fic have you written that felt like bungee-jumping – you really had to feel the fear and jump?
Oh god, well, I guess Beyond Measure is the most obvious. It was my first fic, first of all, and such a weird format and a threesome and ???? To be honest, it's the kind of fic I would not read, but I really loved writing it, even though it was emotionally draining.
17. How do you feel about comments?
Comments are my lifeblood. I refresh my inbox 1,000 times a day after I post a fic. I love detailed comments and flaily comments, but every comment is awesome. It makes me sad that I know so many people read my fics and don't comment (although I can't criticize that AT ALL - and I don't - because I was once guilty of that very same thing). I especially wish people would comment when they read my older stuff, but again, that is something I don't do even to this day when I read older fics, so I can't really talk.
18. Do you give other writers feed-back? Why/why not?
YES I DO, even when it is hard, and the reason for that is because - well, karma i guess, because I want people to comment on my fic and I don't want to be a hypocrite, so I comment on almost every fic I read. Sometimes I email fic to myself to read during the day, and when I read it, I write some comments and email them back so I can post them to LJ when I get home. The only time I don't comment is if I really didn't like the fic (VERY RARE), or it's an old fic that no one's commented on in a month or more (and i know this is TERRIBLE of me!) All of my comments are positive, I never give concrit or even point out typos :-/ Oh well.
19. What is the indicator for you that your fic was a success/worked?
Comments, of course, both the number of comments, but also the enthusiasm of the comments and what some people say about them. When I get comments by authors whose fic I love, that just sends me to the moon :-D Recs are amazing, I love it when people rec my fics (and again I try to return the favor by posting recs when I get a chance). I am an overwhelmingly positive and non-critical person, so I almost always LOVE the fics that I write and post, even if they don't get too many comments, I still love them and feel that they worked for me. When I post a fic I don't feel is my absolute best and still get comments on it, that really bolsters my confidence.
20. Do you write in the genre you like reading the most, ie crack, AU, angst etc?
Actually, not really? This is the weird thing. If someone else wrote Beyond Measure, I probably wouldn't have read it, to be honest. I was a lot more discriminating about what I read a few months or a year ago, though, so now I read almost anything. But before this I would not have read, much less written, things like tentacle fic (ha!), a lot of AUs, anything rated less than NC-17, angst/darker stuff, etc. My favorite genre is first time, so I do try to write some of that, again, kind of feeling like I want to "give back" to the fandom the things that I've enjoyed.
21. Do you write a straight through draft or is your first attempt bits and pieces?
Almost always bits and pieces, though I've written a few straight through recently. I come up with random scenes and write them, and then figure out how to put it all together. I rarely outline although I will jot down some plot pieces if I think it's going to be a while until I get to actually writing that fic.
22. What is it about this fandom that is eating your brain?
I don't even know!!!! First of all, as I've said before, it seems that the ST characters/fandom can fit neatly into EVERY SINGLE AU OR PLOT IDEA EVER INVENTED, so there's that. I think it's something to do with the pure number of characters and something about their personalities. I think one of the best things about it (I just thought of this) is that if you are writiing just based on ST:XI, their characters have so much wiggle-room while at the same time being distinct personalities. Then again, if you are writing with the whole background of TOS and the other movies, there is just so much to draw from there. And as for Pinto/RPF, I couldn't even tell you. It's similar, I guess. See also: EPIC BROMANCES AND HOTNESS ABOUND!
23. Is this your first time, or are you a serial monogomar with fandoms?
First time writing, but I spent the previous year absolutely consumed with reading Pirates of the Caribbean fanfic. I have two Glee fics started, but I can't even imagine writiing in a fandom other than ST right now. First of all there is not enough time in the day to devote myself to another fandom. I have yet to be bored with ST and adding RPF just strengthened my love of this particular fandom.
24. Do you do drabbles, comment fic, challenges with deadlines – and how do you get on with these?
Argh, challenges are a challenge! I took a Pintofest fic because I was already hoping to write a Pinto camping fic, so it was perfect. Otherwise, I have so many ideas that I am hesitant to add more by signing up for prompts, etc. I would much rather write what I want than feel constrained to a prompt (although prompts can definitely inspire when other ideas are lacking). Other than that, deadlines for challenges can make me bummed that it takes away from writing other stuff that is on my mind at the time. And yet, I have a feeling I will keep going back for more. I've never done comment-fic because I don't think I can think fast enough. And as for drabbles, I don't feel creative enough to put something interesting in 100 words, and my brain is still kind of broken from writing 100 drabbles of exactly 100 words each for Beyond Measure that I'm not quite ready to go back to that place :-)
25. Anything else?
I wanted to say a few things about the writing process. As I've mentioned it's definitely caught me off guard, and I'm still so fascinated by it. For instance, I'll have the most vague idea for a fic, and I'll be walking along, and I'll suddenly get an idea for a scene, then another scene, then how to tie them together, and then it's like - boom, i just knocked half of that fic out. The other thing is that sometimes I'll start writing a scene and it just comes flying out and afterwards, I feel kinda dizzy and it really feels like something just took over my brain and wrote that for me, and it's like "whoa, where did that come from?" It's like a writer's high or something. The other thing is that sometimes I'll write something - a whole fic or a line or something - and later I'll look over it and realize that there is totally a theme or symbolism that could be perceived there, even if it was totally unintentional. And then I realize, wow, this is what entire high school English classes are based on :-D Okay, I could talk a lot more about these aspects of the writing process, but I need to give my brain a break :-)
Oh wait, here are a few questions from another writing meme:
Clean up duty: Do you like editing?
I love editing. I read my fics so many times before I post them and end up making little changes every time. I do most of my major editing throughout the process since I write in bits and pieces and move things around, etc. So at the end I'm mostly changing little words or phrases.
The ending: Is it hard for you to find the ending?
This was one thing that really intimidated me about writing in the beginning, but has ended up coming very easily to me. Which is awesome. I really think writing all those drabbles for Beyond Measure really helped me in that sense because each one had to be a coherent little scene with a beginning and an end (kind of).
The title: Where do you get yours? Do you have yours when you start the story?
Who even knows. Sometimes it starts with the title, sometimes I just think of the perfect phrase, a lot of times I'll read song lyrics until I find a good title. I like themes, so that really helps sometimes. Sometimes I have a title at the beginning and sometimes not until right before I post it.
Plot: If you plot out your stories first, raise your hand.
As I said earlier, I usually start out with key phrases or scenes and the plot develops around that. So usually I've already started writing when significant portions of the plot come to me. When I do have a plot it's usually either very general or based on something external like a song.
POV: How do you choose your POV for a scene? For a story?
This one I have no idea. I usually just start writing and then I'm like "Hey, apparently I'm writing from this person's perspective." For my Christmas story, it was so very much from Bones's perspective that I ended up changing it to first person, and apparently it worked.
Sex: Do you like writing sex?
Another area that I was extremely intimidated by when I began writing. At first I would write the sex last and it was sometimes tough. It can definitely still be tough sometimes in that I have to think harder (heh) about every word and sentence instead of it just flowing out of me like other types of scenes sometimes do. I also feel a lot of pressure because sex that's not hot is not cool. Or something. So it's not my favorite part to write, but I do try to put sex into my fics because I like reading it and I usually don't want to disappoint by fading to black.
Writing meme!
1. How often do you write and how do you feel about your output?
I guess I end up writing almost every weekday, some days more than others. I guess I have kind of a goal of posting a fic a week, but that's harder when I want to work on a longer fic.
2. Where does your inspiration come from? Where do you get your ideas?
EVERYWHERE. Seriously. Looking back over my fics, a lot of them have definitely been inspired by songs. Other times I'll just be somewhere and look around and think "hmm, Kirk and McCoy in this situation, GO!" Other times I purposely try to come up with ideas, like certain AUs. Sometimes I'll have read a lot of fic with a particular theme or approach and want to try something similar. Sometimes I don't even know. I'll just think of something and then I'll think, "What?! Where the hell did that come from?!" I can usually tell you what part of a story the whole thing came from - whether it started with scene or a setting or a bigger idea or what have you. Oh, and once I get started, I often can't quite stop, which leads to a lot of sequels. Maybe I should do one of those memes where people can ask me about how I got inspiration for some of my fics...
3. What are the first things you write? Dialogue? Sex? Something else?
The first things I write are the first bits and pieces that pop into my head. Could be an entire scene of dialogue or two lines of narrative or whatever. Sometimes I sit down and write 5,000 words in one go. Other times, I have two sentences written for a month before I can put a fic around them.
4. How have you improved this past six months/year?
I started writing fanfic in September, so hopefully I've improved a little. I'm a terrible critic though, so I kind of love everything I write. I do hope I'm improving though. I think the way that I end up improving is just based on reading tons of fics that are so well written. I've definitely gotten better at taking things out when I'm editing, which has never been my strong point.
5. Why do you write?
A couple reasons. The first reason is that as an avid consumer of fanfic, I really wanted/want to contribute and give back. I also love being part of the community and having people enjoy what I write. And now, moreso than in the beginning, I write because I have so many ideas and I have so much fun crafting them that I don't think I could stop if I wanted to!
6. Do you go through highs and lows? What are the triggers?
I'm not sure I would say I go through highs and lows. In terms of fic, I definitely write some things that come much more easily and that would definitely be considered a "high", while writing others is like pulling teeth and can be a little frustrating. In life I'm generally a very positive, optimistic person.
7. Do people in RL know you write slash?
Hell no. I've admitted to maybe 2 or 3 people that I read/have read it. My husband knows that I'm obsessed with ST and that I go on Star Trek communities online (and he also knew that I was/am obsessed with Pirates of the Caribbean, my first fandom). But yeah. No.
8. Where do you write?
At work - yeah, I admitted it. Work is pretty slow right now and I get things done quickly, so it's pretty easy for me to manage. I've always been TERRIBLE about procrastinating at work, and it continues - although I am very often plagued with guilt and fear about it, to be honest.
9. Does music help or hinder?
I can't write while listening to music, I've never been able to. I can't really even read with music on (although I can with the TV on for some reason). Music definitely helps to inspire though, and there are now songs on my iPod that remind me of certain fics because I listened to them every day on my walk to/from work while I was working on certain fics.
10. What are your props?
My flash drive where I keep my fics so I can write them at work without keeping them on my computer.
11. How seriously do you take your writing/ the writing process?
I'm not really sure about this question. I guess - not that seriously? I don't really know. I would say I write on the side and I let ideas come to me. I am fascinated by the writing process in terms of how ideas come and how I write - I guess that would be the process? I think about it a lot, but I don't really know what taking it seriously consists of or what that means.
12. What are your strengths?
Dialogue, I think. Banter. Humor, I hope. I don't really know. It's so hard to tell when i'm reading my own fic!!
13. What are your weaknesses?
I think I can get a little repetitive sometimes (again, this might be my own perception or might be something that I usually end up fixing as I edit my writing). I definitely lack the poetic, evocative feel of some fics that I've read and loved. I'm not sure I've ever tried writing that way, but I also think I would feel too silly to even start to try it, so I think it will be a long time coming, if ever. I also tend to prefer dialogue and action over inner contemplation and/or description of feelings/thoughts, but I'm not sure if that's a weakness or a preference.
14. If you beta, what do you get out of it?
I've only betaed a few times. I am very confident in my ability to edit when it comes to grammar/punctuation, etc. When I have a fic beta'd I am really looking for comments about flow, specific things like "this line is not funny" or "how did they get from here to there" - but I am less comfortable actually making those comments on people's fics.
15. What do you write? Aus, crack, PWP, threesomes, crossovers etc
Yes...? Where to even start here!? Let me first just say that if you had asked me what type of fic I would write before I started, my answer would have been wrong. I would never have imagined that I would write (and love) AUs, or angst, or all dialogue fics, or a Kirk/Spock/Bones fic consisting of drabbles, ha ha! The Pinto series that I've written is probably most like what I would have predicted I'd write - first time, takes place in an apartment, 100% angst-free, etc. I'm apparently more ambitious than I thought I would be, which is awesome.
16. Which fic have you written that felt like bungee-jumping – you really had to feel the fear and jump?
Oh god, well, I guess Beyond Measure is the most obvious. It was my first fic, first of all, and such a weird format and a threesome and ???? To be honest, it's the kind of fic I would not read, but I really loved writing it, even though it was emotionally draining.
17. How do you feel about comments?
Comments are my lifeblood. I refresh my inbox 1,000 times a day after I post a fic. I love detailed comments and flaily comments, but every comment is awesome. It makes me sad that I know so many people read my fics and don't comment (although I can't criticize that AT ALL - and I don't - because I was once guilty of that very same thing). I especially wish people would comment when they read my older stuff, but again, that is something I don't do even to this day when I read older fics, so I can't really talk.
18. Do you give other writers feed-back? Why/why not?
YES I DO, even when it is hard, and the reason for that is because - well, karma i guess, because I want people to comment on my fic and I don't want to be a hypocrite, so I comment on almost every fic I read. Sometimes I email fic to myself to read during the day, and when I read it, I write some comments and email them back so I can post them to LJ when I get home. The only time I don't comment is if I really didn't like the fic (VERY RARE), or it's an old fic that no one's commented on in a month or more (and i know this is TERRIBLE of me!) All of my comments are positive, I never give concrit or even point out typos :-/ Oh well.
19. What is the indicator for you that your fic was a success/worked?
Comments, of course, both the number of comments, but also the enthusiasm of the comments and what some people say about them. When I get comments by authors whose fic I love, that just sends me to the moon :-D Recs are amazing, I love it when people rec my fics (and again I try to return the favor by posting recs when I get a chance). I am an overwhelmingly positive and non-critical person, so I almost always LOVE the fics that I write and post, even if they don't get too many comments, I still love them and feel that they worked for me. When I post a fic I don't feel is my absolute best and still get comments on it, that really bolsters my confidence.
20. Do you write in the genre you like reading the most, ie crack, AU, angst etc?
Actually, not really? This is the weird thing. If someone else wrote Beyond Measure, I probably wouldn't have read it, to be honest. I was a lot more discriminating about what I read a few months or a year ago, though, so now I read almost anything. But before this I would not have read, much less written, things like tentacle fic (ha!), a lot of AUs, anything rated less than NC-17, angst/darker stuff, etc. My favorite genre is first time, so I do try to write some of that, again, kind of feeling like I want to "give back" to the fandom the things that I've enjoyed.
21. Do you write a straight through draft or is your first attempt bits and pieces?
Almost always bits and pieces, though I've written a few straight through recently. I come up with random scenes and write them, and then figure out how to put it all together. I rarely outline although I will jot down some plot pieces if I think it's going to be a while until I get to actually writing that fic.
22. What is it about this fandom that is eating your brain?
I don't even know!!!! First of all, as I've said before, it seems that the ST characters/fandom can fit neatly into EVERY SINGLE AU OR PLOT IDEA EVER INVENTED, so there's that. I think it's something to do with the pure number of characters and something about their personalities. I think one of the best things about it (I just thought of this) is that if you are writiing just based on ST:XI, their characters have so much wiggle-room while at the same time being distinct personalities. Then again, if you are writing with the whole background of TOS and the other movies, there is just so much to draw from there. And as for Pinto/RPF, I couldn't even tell you. It's similar, I guess. See also: EPIC BROMANCES AND HOTNESS ABOUND!
23. Is this your first time, or are you a serial monogomar with fandoms?
First time writing, but I spent the previous year absolutely consumed with reading Pirates of the Caribbean fanfic. I have two Glee fics started, but I can't even imagine writiing in a fandom other than ST right now. First of all there is not enough time in the day to devote myself to another fandom. I have yet to be bored with ST and adding RPF just strengthened my love of this particular fandom.
24. Do you do drabbles, comment fic, challenges with deadlines – and how do you get on with these?
Argh, challenges are a challenge! I took a Pintofest fic because I was already hoping to write a Pinto camping fic, so it was perfect. Otherwise, I have so many ideas that I am hesitant to add more by signing up for prompts, etc. I would much rather write what I want than feel constrained to a prompt (although prompts can definitely inspire when other ideas are lacking). Other than that, deadlines for challenges can make me bummed that it takes away from writing other stuff that is on my mind at the time. And yet, I have a feeling I will keep going back for more. I've never done comment-fic because I don't think I can think fast enough. And as for drabbles, I don't feel creative enough to put something interesting in 100 words, and my brain is still kind of broken from writing 100 drabbles of exactly 100 words each for Beyond Measure that I'm not quite ready to go back to that place :-)
25. Anything else?
I wanted to say a few things about the writing process. As I've mentioned it's definitely caught me off guard, and I'm still so fascinated by it. For instance, I'll have the most vague idea for a fic, and I'll be walking along, and I'll suddenly get an idea for a scene, then another scene, then how to tie them together, and then it's like - boom, i just knocked half of that fic out. The other thing is that sometimes I'll start writing a scene and it just comes flying out and afterwards, I feel kinda dizzy and it really feels like something just took over my brain and wrote that for me, and it's like "whoa, where did that come from?" It's like a writer's high or something. The other thing is that sometimes I'll write something - a whole fic or a line or something - and later I'll look over it and realize that there is totally a theme or symbolism that could be perceived there, even if it was totally unintentional. And then I realize, wow, this is what entire high school English classes are based on :-D Okay, I could talk a lot more about these aspects of the writing process, but I need to give my brain a break :-)
Oh wait, here are a few questions from another writing meme:
Clean up duty: Do you like editing?
I love editing. I read my fics so many times before I post them and end up making little changes every time. I do most of my major editing throughout the process since I write in bits and pieces and move things around, etc. So at the end I'm mostly changing little words or phrases.
The ending: Is it hard for you to find the ending?
This was one thing that really intimidated me about writing in the beginning, but has ended up coming very easily to me. Which is awesome. I really think writing all those drabbles for Beyond Measure really helped me in that sense because each one had to be a coherent little scene with a beginning and an end (kind of).
The title: Where do you get yours? Do you have yours when you start the story?
Who even knows. Sometimes it starts with the title, sometimes I just think of the perfect phrase, a lot of times I'll read song lyrics until I find a good title. I like themes, so that really helps sometimes. Sometimes I have a title at the beginning and sometimes not until right before I post it.
Plot: If you plot out your stories first, raise your hand.
As I said earlier, I usually start out with key phrases or scenes and the plot develops around that. So usually I've already started writing when significant portions of the plot come to me. When I do have a plot it's usually either very general or based on something external like a song.
POV: How do you choose your POV for a scene? For a story?
This one I have no idea. I usually just start writing and then I'm like "Hey, apparently I'm writing from this person's perspective." For my Christmas story, it was so very much from Bones's perspective that I ended up changing it to first person, and apparently it worked.
Sex: Do you like writing sex?
Another area that I was extremely intimidated by when I began writing. At first I would write the sex last and it was sometimes tough. It can definitely still be tough sometimes in that I have to think harder (heh) about every word and sentence instead of it just flowing out of me like other types of scenes sometimes do. I also feel a lot of pressure because sex that's not hot is not cool. Or something. So it's not my favorite part to write, but I do try to put sex into my fics because I like reading it and I usually don't want to disappoint by fading to black.
