26 Days to go until rough drafts are due for the Perseia Big Bang!
We’re back with our writer interviews and, this week, we're excited to be interviewing @anxioustofu, a fandom veteran and one of my (Sunsets12) personal favorite fanfic authors! Anxious_tofu is known for a variety of Perpollo fics, as well as her current long fics these violent games (A Percy x Ares fic), from these black waters (A Percy is a legacy of the Styx AU), and Temptation (I Can't Escape You) (A god/merman!Percy perpollo AU).
What’s your typical writing process look like?
Typically, I start with an idea and then I have to write it down after I’ve developed it in my mind a bit more. I almost always start with an outline of some kind, even if I’m only writing a one shot. Then, I just write as much as I can in one go. That used to be a problem for me because I’d always want to have my fic finished as soon as possible, so if I only ever had short amounts of time to write, I would avoid it. Something I’ve been trying to work on! But I try to make a relatively clean first draft because I hate editing, and will read through the finished fic once or twice for anything glaring. I used to just post immediately, but now I have been converted to the dark side and have been prewriting and posting on a schedule, which does allow me to confront my nemesis (editing) and do a bit more of that later on.
Where do you fall on the plotter/pantser scale?
Heavy plotter! I def allow myself to write developmentally and go with the flow in individual scenes and chapters but I typically have checkpoints and definitely an end goal in mind.
What draws you to your fic ideas? How do you come up with them?
Honestly, just random associations, talking with friends, or listening to music that inspires me.
Definitely Ascension and Deity Percy Jackson for PJO. In general, I love humor, enemies-to-lovers, found family, angst with a happy ending.
Was there a specific inspo for your current long fics (from these black waters and these violent games)?
from these black waters it was mainly because I was fixated on the idea that Percy could control the rivers of the underworld in canon and coming up with my own answer to how he could do that. From there, it was like, how would this change canon? This story was meant to be much shorter than it was, but I found myself changing enough that I needed to write everything out…
For these violent games…well, I blame my beta violettavonviolet (whose stuff you should def check out!) for the percares inspiration. And unless I’m going really AU, I like to keep the character dynamics grounded somewhat in their characterizations and see how it goes from there…In this case, there could never be anything other than enemies-to-slightly less enemies for this premise haha.
Favorite and least favorite parts of the writing process?
Favorite part is actually writing. Least favorite part is also actually writing XD. But all jokes aside, I think my favorite part is actually plotting/outlining and my least favorite is developmental editing.
How do you keep your characterisations consistent?
TBH it’s kinda just going by feel as I’m writing and also as I’m reading it back. Sometimes, I’ll have some kind of nagging doubt in my head that this is the right choice for a character to make so I will tend to listen to that. Having a beta reader def helps too.
What do you do when you struggle getting into a character’s head?
I just start writing honestly. From there it might take a lot of writing and backspacing but working through it is the only way for me.
How do you give your characters a distinct voice? In dialogue or otherwise?
I think for my style it is definitely reliant on dialogue for sure. I do try to give specific POV their own voice (for example, Percy with more dry and sarcastic observations, while Apollo is more overdramatic or Ares more blunt etc.) However, I lean heavily on dialogue for all my fic.
Favorite characters/pairings to write
Percy of course! Then my OG was perpollo. I also love Grover & Percy and Percy & Clarisse which I don’t write nearly as much as I should. Recently I have been loving percares. Oh! Can’t forget my fav Dionysus & Percy.
How do you tweak the characterizations of characters to fit each fic?
Just depends on the circumstances and how AU it is. Would it be cheating to say I just go on vibes haha? I think if there is a specific point of divergence from canon that is easier to pinpoint and make a ripple effect of changes. Like definitely by starting with the base (which to be clear is already biased as it’s my own interpretation of a canon character through my own eyes), then tweaking things here and there based on circumstances in a kinda A→B→C way. Though, I think some things can be attributed to general feelings rather than a logical progression and still work.
You’ve recently returned to the fandom, what drew you back?
PJO is near and dear to me! I tend to cycle through different fandoms based on my mood and interests and I just happened to come back to PJO. But joining some different servers and making friends has been a great way to really ground myself as I have a lot of plans that I want to fulfill for my time in PJO this go around!
What have you learned over your time in the PJO fandom?
There are so many different ways to tell a story and even the same character between writers. There is no one entirely correct way and it’s important to just have fun with it. Not everyone will like my fic, but I do and that’s what keeps me writing at the end of the day. The stories either stay in my head or they end up posted, so I’d rather it be the latter.
Do you ever make playlists for your fics? If so, what?
Never done it! I do have some songs that inspire certain scenes etc. but never had the patience to go through and make a playlist for any of them.
Do you have any advice for other Big Bang fanfic authors at this stage in the writing process (closing in to the 60% due date)?
Just write it! I know it’s easier said than done, but something on the page is more than nothing on the page. It doesn’t have to be perfect from the first draft. That’s something that I do tend to struggle with so just getting past that hump of perfectionism will help your words fly.
