The amazing @dkgwrites is not only a terrific writer, but she's also got a knack for encouraging people and bringing them together. We're extremely thankful for her presence and her many contributions to FtF. Today, she joins us to talk about writing and the importance of finding your people.
Tell us a little about yourself. How did you get started writing fic? Have you written for other fandoms? What are your favorite tropes?
a) As a kid, I read a lot and used to create plot outlines for favorite shows that my childhood BFF and I would act out in improvisational skits in one of our basements. As much as I was always drawn to write, I never had any formal training, nothing past high school, and was well aware that my skill level didn't make me commercially publishable. I had given up on ever sharing this part of my creative side when a coworker mentioned she wrote fanfic. I had never heard of it. I went home and googled the word fanfic with my two favorite story subjects (superhero and lesbian) and SuperCorp was the top response. I signed up for AO3, read a few fics, and watched some SuperCorp clips on YT before jumping in with both feet and writing my first fic without having seen an episode of Supergirl yet. That was five years ago, and 1.4 million words (and counting) later, here I am.
b) I've written in other fandoms twice. Once for Black Lightning (ThunderGrace) for the BLDC zine event, and once in the Legends of Tomorrow fandom (Avalance) for a fic trade event. Both times I was rather nervous, wading outside familiar waters, but I think both fics turned out well. I have some unposted WIPs for Wynonna Earp which I was never able to fully explore. Outside that, I've stayed firmly in my lane in the Supergirl fandom with a heavy dose of SuperCorp, a little bit of AgentCorp, a touch of Sanvers, and a single Brania fic. Danvaria will make guest appearances in some of my fics.
c) My top three tropes would be miscommunication (because I am one whole idiot), friends to lovers (thank you SuperCorp), and fake dating, not necessarily in that order.
What were your inspirations for this particular story? What was it about this/these ships that grabbed you?
a) This particular fic was a prompt from a reader, probably the first prompt I ever received. It's an au where Lena is the Kryptonian but also a vegetarian, and Kara is the Luthor. I expanded it a bit from there, but it gave me my introduction to aus, and I absolutely adore them. They combine the comfort and ease of familiar characters with the creativity of an original(ish) universe.
b) SuperCorp is the main ship for this fic. I enjoy the way Kara and Lena compliment each other, the play on darkness and light, raw power and intellect, and the whole rather Romeo and Julietesque love despite their warring families. I think this fandom has proven, again and again, how magical these two are together. I feel lucky to have entered fandom at a time to be able to write them.
Has the time spent away from your story changed your outlook or approach to any of the storylines or themes? Have you had any new inspirations or breakthroughs/revelations in the meantime?
a) I wouldn't say time away has altered my approach to this particular story, but I have grown and developed a lot as a writer in the past four years. If I were rewriting from scratch (give me the strength not to do so) the story would be more direct, less meandering, and I wouldn't use dialogue as my crutch due to a lack of skill at narrative. I'm not sure how well the first few chapters will marry with the second part, but I hope it makes for an enjoyable, if oddly off balance, final story.
b) I think I have greatly developed as a writer since I started this fic. Do you remember when you were a kid, and your parent would stand you with your back to the wall and mark how tall you were? Each year you could go back and see how tall you've gotten. That is exactly how this fic makes me feel. I look at the old chapters and then the new and think "Look how I've grown."
Any advice for new or aspiring fic writers?
I have more advice than I should put in any post, so I'll try to reduce it to a few salient points. Read a lot, and when you do, read as a writer. What lines do you like, and why do they resonate with you? What pulls you out of the story and why? Make note of the things you love and dislike, make lists and reflect on them when you write, and learn from those who have come before you.
Become a beta reader for others. I swear, I have learned more about writing from beta'ing than anything else. As a beta, you are forced to read mindfully, to really dissect the story, and you can't help but carry that mindset over into your own writing. Additionally, the writing community falls apart when we don't have betas, so do your part.
Outline. You may think you don't need to outline. (You probably do.) You may think an outline crimps creativity. (It does not.) Your outline may just be a few lines or a full blown spreadsheet (Excel is much sexier than most give it credit for being) but learning to organize your thoughts, even if you discover whole new paths and veer wildly off script as you write, will help you. Take it from someone who wishes they had known that sooner.
Get yourself a writing community and be open to critique. Too often when we say, "What do you think?" about one of our stories, what we really mean is, "Say something nice about this." That's fine. You may only be in the emotional space to receive fully positive feedback, but when you open yourself up to kind but honest critiques, you improve your chances of growing. For me, my writing is like my child, and the last thing I want to hear is anything negative, but sometimes, the thing I need to hear is something negative.
If you don't have a writing community or friends in the fandom, message me. I am absolutely certain I'm not the only person in this fandom who would say the same, but so long as we can be kind and respectful to each other, you have a friend. I may be slow to respond, but my DMs are always open (if for no other reason than I have no idea how to close them).
The best reason to write is because you want to write. That is the beginning and the end of the whole thing, and although there are a lot of reasons you'll find along the way, that is enough. You should write.
5. If you were going to promote this fic with a single line, what would it be?
What if Lena was the kind-hearted but often clueless Kryptonian who accidentally found herself dating a Luthor named Kara and then assassination attempts occurred?
6. If you’ve already posted some of your work, please provide a link. I was very young (in writer years) when I wrote this. https://archiveofourown.org/works/17078813/chapters/40161911
