20 Questions More
This is a deeper and more detailed version of the 20 questions for AO3 fanfic writers. Thanks to @casualsavant for the tag. I'm not even sure I did the first 20 Questions round, but rules be damned.
1) How do you keep getting ideas for your ship/fandom?
Well, like anything I write, I get ideas from everything around me - they come to me from dreams, something I see, from random prompts, etc. As most writers know, we are simply the vessel, it's the brain goblins that tell us what to do.
2) Which authors inspire you in your fandom, and why are they so freakishly good?
Geez, we have so many in the Supercorp/Supergirl fandom. I'm not even sure that's a fair question. HA. I will inevitably leave someone out, but here are a few of my favorites @searidings, @jazzfordshire, @chaotic-super, @lovesastateofmind1, @innamorament0, @someoneyouloved93, @lostariels, @luthordamnvers, @thornedrose44, and @fazedlight. I read such a variety of genres, tags, and tropes that I will give almost anything a chance so the authors I read will vary. There's oh so many to choose from in this fandom and the vast talent is beyond imagination!
3) Aside from the characters of your main ship, who are the characters you love to write?
Hmmm, I like writing Sam, Andrea, and Jack. The rest of the main cast is fun too, but those three characters are fun to explore in fics. The shenanigans they get into together makes it easy to play with.
4) Are there pairings or tropes you know for sure you'd never write about? Which ones?
Karamel, Lames, and Kalex. I am pretty open-minded, but those are my hard limit ships. To each their own. It's not my thing at all. I'm pretty open to tropes, too. Haven't had a chance to explore too many yet.
5) What is your writing process and why is it cursed?
I'm not sure how to answer this one, really. It can vary depending on what's going on in my life and how the idea came about.
Generally speaking, I get an idea, outline the basic premise of the story (usually in a word or google doc), do whatever research is needed (longer fics), and just start writing (or staring at the outline and empty doc). That's writing too, ask any writer. LOL
One shots tend to be more like: get idea, sit at desk thinking while blank doc stares back at me tauntingly, look out window, turn back to blank doc, write three sentences, back space all three sentences, look out window again, write three more sentences, repeat previous steps, then the brain goblins take over and suddenly it's 4 hours later, somehow there's several thousand words staring back at me.
6) What is your favorite part of your writing process?
Because I am a huge nerd, the research. I love to research the things I write. Not all of my stories require it, but when they do, I dive right in. Completing the story is a big one too. The anxiety and excitement that comes with yeeting something into the ether is indescribable.
7) What’s the weirdest thing you’ve had to research for a fic?
Weirdest thing...pagan rituals and ancient runes or bondage/fetish clubs in Amsterdam. There is some really interesting things out there. I learned a lot during that time.
8) Is there a particular writing rule you struggle with (grammar, spelling, tense, reality in general)?
I think tense is one that slips on me. I try to catch them all during rereads and edits, but those little bastards are sneaky.
9) What was your hardest scene to write so far and why?
The panic attacks and abuse scenes relating to Lena in Carterhaugh-Wood Academy (CWA). Lena is my absolute favorite character and writing anything that causes her harm hurts my soul.
10) Have your characters ever done something you didn’t expect, changing your plot completely?
Is water wet? My characters always do what the brain goblins want despite my initial protest. I am just here to convey the message, after all.
11) If you could converse with any of the characters, who would it be and why?
Oh, hands down, Lena. I wouldn't pass up a chance to speak with any of them, let's be real, but Lena would be #1.
12) What are some of the tropes or themes that you find yourself returning to in your writing?
I am by nature a fluff and happy-ending writer. However, I am working on an angst with a happy ending fic at the moment. The tropes I have written so far have been limited to friends to lovers and a little light angst with happy ending. I'm still exploring other things. Hopefully 2024 will be the year I can flex my writing muscles and expand into new territory.
13) What's your most important resource as a writer?
Friends and other writers. Nothing beats a good brainstorming session with writer pals. I also like to do improv writing to boost creativity. You never know where a story will go when that happens.
14) Can you share some of your strategies for editing and revising your work?
The strategy depends on the story. For longer fics, I have a few writer friends that help with reading over it and helping with typos, grammar errors, and helping fluff up the places that need it. For one shots or shorter fics, I will let it sit for a bit, go back and read it again to do the editing and rewrite the places that my brain doesn't like.
15) Which is worse: making the summary, picking the tags, or the anxiety when you post your fic?
Oooof, definitely the posting anxiety. I usually immediately find something else to do so I don't obsess over it.
16) How do you define success for your fanfic - hits? Kudos? Comments? Bookmarks? Or just if you like it?
Hits, kudos, and comments are always fun and rewarding, but I write for my own enjoyment and sanity. I have plenty of fics that barely get any love, but I enjoy writing them. It's therapeutic for me. The rest is just noise. Also, like any writer, I love to hear from readers and try to respond to all my comments because they mean a lot to me.
17) Do you have a playlist for your favorite character/ship?
Sometimes, yes. It depends on what I am writing and how I am feeling. Most of the time it is instrumental piano and/or cello music because I will start accidentally typing the lyrics of a regular playlist. If I am going for a specific vibe or writing because of a specific song, I will have the song on repeat or at least an album by the artist.
18) If fan art was going to be made from your work, which fic would you pick and which fan artist would you like to create it?
SCBB delivered that on a platter for me. CWA got art from the multi-talented @bigmammallama5. If you haven't seen it, you can check it out here.
19) How many WIPs do you currently have?
13 total with another one that is in the planning stages.
20) What's your advice to new fanfic writers?
Write for yourself. If you love it, it brings you enjoyment, and adds to your life, continue doing it. You're not going to please everyone and there will be people who are less than kind about something you publish. Those voices don't matter. There is someone out there that has read or will read your work and it will stick with them for the rest of their lives. Always do it for you.
Tagging but no pressure: @lovesastateofmind1 @casualkoalatea @fabulousglitch and @sssammich
