#authors interview

1. What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Maybe it's that I perform all of my scenes to myself as I'm writing (also before and after) because it helps me to feel immersed and figure out how natural the dialogue sounds? I do the voices and all. I have different mannerisms for different people. It's a bizarre and tragic disaster.

2. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your stories?

That I actually can tackle serious subjects and write less-than-happy if I want to, and that I'm good for more than just comedy and witty banter, but also that it's okay for me to write exactly what I want and not what I think my readers want.

3. Do you have any suggestions to help others become a better writer? If so, what are they?

I always say this, but the best tip I can offer is to read your dialogue aloud to ensure it sounds like something that an actual human being would say. There's nothing more off-putting than stiff, stilted or unnatural dialogue, especially if you're writing a romance because relationship-building is one of the most (possibly the most) vital aspects of the story, and dialogue is a huge component of that. Also that a little bit of research into what you're writing (example, you're not from the UK but James and Lily are, or you're writing one of them into a job that you're not familiar with) can go a long way towards establishing your own sense of comfort within the world you're inventing, and in bringing your readers into that world.

4. What do you think makes a good story?

For me, and to put it simply, stories are about people, and a good story is a story with characters that I can get a strong sense of and feel invested in. Obviously there's a lot more that goes into a good story, but just sayin', I can forgive a lot of plot nonsense if the characters are holding my attention.

5. What is the first book that made you cry?

I read Little Women when I was too young to fully understand it, and I vaguely remember having a cry when Beth came down with scarlet fever, then spending several months living in fear of getting it and dying because I had no comprehension of the fact that medical science has advanced pretty significantly since the 1860s.

6. Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Both in equal measure, depending on the day. Writing is fun, but it's still work, at the end of the day. After about sixteen years of doing this regularly I still haven't mastered giving myself permission to get up and walk away on the days that it does exhaust me, even though those are the days when I can only churn out about 100 words in three hours.

7. Have you ever gotten reader’s block? If so, what are your tips to overcome it?

I feel like I've had reader's block for about a decade, although it's less of a "block" for me, more "being so busy with work and my house and my kid and my partner and various health issues and the never-ending drama of my family that something had to go to keep me from mental burnout and that something was reading." I really miss curling up on the sofa with a good book, but there always seems to be something more pressing to do, so it rarely occurs to me. If anyone else has tips to overcome it, send them my way by all means, I'd be very grateful.

8. Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly?

I think that anyone can be a writer if they have the desire and the will for it. How strongly you feel emotions has very little to do with how effectively you can communicate your observations and ideas, in fact I think it would be pretty gatekeepy of me to suggest otherwise.

9. If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Don't start so many new stories without finishing the ones you're already working on! You do not have limitless time!

10. What was your hardest scene to write?

It's difficult to pinpoint one, so I'll have to say all of chapter 3 of The Fight Before Christmas because I was about 5000 words into it when I decided to delete and rewrite the entire thing. That whole fic was so impossible to write that I'm still a bit amazed that I finished it in the first place.

11. What is your favorite childhood book?

Not a single book, but it's a dead tie between the Adrian Mole series and the Anne of Green Gables series, and honestly I think my love for both shows in my own writing.

12. How long on average does it take you to write a one shot or a chapter of a fic?

Anything between a couple of hours to several years, I am not a reliable updater. I'm on form maybe 15% of the time, so most of what you see me post is something that I rustled up very quickly after an exceptionally long dry spell.

13. A fic that inspires you?

The fact that you're asking me to name just one is cruel, so I'm naming two specific fics because both are examples of masterful storytelling. The first is @fetchalgernon ‘s The Art of Self Defence, which is an immensely complex story about forgiveness, family and what we owe to each other, but handled with Kristina's usual humour, and this uniquely beautiful brevity that I really adore about her writing. James starts that story in an unfavourable position that is entirely his fault, but he wins his way back into Lily's (and our) good favour by making genuine efforts to be a better person, which really speaks to Kristina's values, as well as her skill. The second fic is Elevator Love Song by @bcdaily which I was obviously going to name, not only because she wrote it as a gift for me but because it is a gorgeous self-contained story in which two people meet as strangers and end, mere hours later, so open to being honest and vulnerable with each other that they've already sidled into a healthy, communicative partnership, and at no point is it even a little bit hard to believe, nor is there ever a worry that their attachment to each other is based solely on physical attraction, because the relationship is so wonderfully established and developed.

14. How do you edit your work?

In the worst possible way, as I go, which hinders me greatly because I am compulsively going back and picking at what I've already written instead of writing anything new. I do not recommend it.

15. Where does inspiration come from?

The supermarket. I've had most of my best ideas in the supermarket. That's not me being facetious either, I genuinely have a lot of ideas while I'm strolling around there in search of avocados.

16. Who has been helpful for you as you write for the fandom?

Kristina ( @fetchalgernon ) was the first person I ever co-wrote fic with. We spent hundreds of hours practicing dialogue and aiming to make each other laugh, back in the day, and I look back on those times with so much fondness and warmth, because not only was it utterly essential in my own development as a writer, it was a whole lot of fun to improve my skills with one of my all-time favourite people. I started writing with my beloved @bcdaily years later and of course she is phenomenal and I was an admirer of hers for a literal decade before we became besties and I thrive under her influence, but she also empowered me to advocate for myself when faced with anons and reviewers that are entitled or unkind. Aside from that, my readers in general are so lovely and enthusiastic and generous, and some of the feedback I've gotten from certain readers who have turned to my fic during low points in their own lives have given me such a sense of purpose and accomplishment. This fandom is such a cosy, comforting part of my life, even though I don't have as much time to give to it as I did ten years ago.

17. What is your fav POV to write from?

James when they're teenagers, Lily if I'm writing them as adults.

18. What is a fic you would love to write but are worried you won’t be able to accomplish it/nervous it wouldn’t work out?

I have an idea for a soulmate AU (SO not my thing, I know) that involves parallel universes and certain amounts of tragedy, and in my head it plays out as a beautiful, romantic story, but it's also incredibly sad at points, so I don't think I'd actually have the will to carry it out because I don't like writing sad for too long.

19. Do you ever self insert in fics?

I post a lot of little tributes to friends in my fics, and I definitely draw inspiration from people I've known in my real life for the more unsavoury characters like Helena Hodge, or Lily's crappy co-worker Ed in An October of Unconventional Courtships, but I don't self-insert. I find that pretty weird. Every writer leaves a bit of themselves in their writing because it's impossible not to, for example, I'm pretty sure that some people who have read all of my fics could give you an accurate rundown of what my values are, but I've never inserted myself as a character. There are clearly defined differences between all of my characters and me.

20. What is the story you are proudest of?

I can't pick one! They're my babies! I'm proud of An October of Unconventional Courtships because I actually managed to write that beast in under a month and managed to talk a lot about unhealthy family dynamics in a way that resonated with people even though it's just a text fic. I'm proud of Careless Texter because, for me, it made me feel like I had properly returned to the fandom after a hiatus of idk how many years. I'm proud of Shelf Awareness because it was tough to write in places but I stuck with it and finished it, proud of Wherefore Art Thou because it's my favourite… honestly I could name a few others but I'll stop for the sake of my own ego.

21. Do you prefer writing canon jily or muggle au?

AU by miles. Hogwarts is super antiquated (even by 1970s standards) and canon is restrictive, even when I'm trying to write something completely mundane, like gifts, for example. Whenever I had to write something that involved a character getting a gift, I'd struggle for ages to think of something that wasn't Honeydukes chocolate, or whatever. Plus, that whole "devastating war that killed them far too young" thing really doesn't jibe with this light, happy, comedic world I'm trying to cultivate over here.