9 questions with marmeladyorange
This week: @marmeladyorange talks using fanfic writing as a means to practice English; the struggle against writing OOC, and the joys of the mid-read commenter.
ASS: What do you most enjoy about writing fanfiction?
marmeladyorange: Probably the fact that I get to play with characters I love. Itās like back when I was a kid and played with my Barbie! She could be anything I wanted her to be: a lounge singer, a hairdresser, living in mansions with walls made of books. I find itās a very similar process. As in, it was always the same doll, but she was always different from one time to the next. Same thing goes for Dean, Sam, Castiel, or any character I feel like playing with. I build the setting, dress āem up, do their hair and then just let my imagination go. If Iām being a little bit more down to earth, I find writing fanfiction is a great way for me to practice, especially since English isnāt my first language.
What aspects of writing do you find difficult when you write fanfiction?
Keeping them in character. Doesnāt matter that we have no choice but to bend their personalities a little to serve our stories sometimes. Especially when getting them get together, like Destiel or any other pairing thatās not canon. I have committed this sin before myself, especially with my latest DCBB. (In hindsight, I think it would have been better as original work rather than a Destiel piece, to be honest.) Still, I know not everyone will see things the same way, so someone somewhere is bound to not appreciate the way a character will be written. Comes with the territory, I guess. But yeah, thatās what I struggle with the most. Or, itās my greatest fear, I should say.
Have you ever received hateful comments on your fic and how do you deal with it?
Iāve been incredibly lucky. As far as I remember, Iāve only gotten one message I could qualify as hateful. I chose to respond, saying they had a right to their opinion and thanked them for their comments, bent on not answering again if they decided to keep going. lol Ā They never wrote back, and thatās the only time it happened, so I canāt say I have āa wayā of dealing with them. I donāt know how Iād react if it became a regular occurrence, honestly; if someone decided to kill me with their words. I also know I can get a bit defensive in face of criticism. Still, I do my best to keep an open mind. I just tend to want to wanna explain my side of thingsā¦ when thereās a side to have, that is.
Conversely: whatās been some of your favorite feedback on your fanfic?
Honestly, any comment is just so awesome. Still, I do have a soft spot for when people react as they read, would it be a simple thumb up or a more elaborate comment after theyāve read a chapter; doesnāt matter that itās āpraiseā or critics, really. Some readers have brought up great points by leaving comments mid-read, allowing me to correct my mistakes. Or at the very least explain whatever they might have been struggling with. Itās almost like being there with them as they read. As I said, all comments are just amazing to get and read, itās justā¦ getting a note mid-read is always a wonderful surprise. Like, they couldnāt wait anymore and had to share their feelings, or thoughts, and even ideas. Itās delectable, really.
How do you handle writerās block?
I kind of donāt? When I get in that headspace, nothing will come out. All I can do is stop and find something else to pass the time; watch a movie, go to bed if itās late enough (or if Iām tired enough), find something to read, build houses in the Sims, walk the dogā¦ anything!! It can take a long time for me to be able to come back to whatever Iāve been writing so I wait it out. I know itāll come back eventually.
Which Supernatural fanfic of yours are you most proud of and why?
Hmmā¦ right now, Iād say my 2016 DCBB is at the top of my personal list. It doesnāt matter that my characterization didnāt seem to work for most readers, I still like that story very much. Itās far from perfect, but itās pretty different from anything Iāve written before. Which might explain why I have such a soft spot for it. I also kind of like that story I wrote a while ago, with a Dean/Impala twist. And that one part of my āInterventionā series with the brothers getting trapped in a Mario Bros. like game by Gabriel. loll (Is it sad that I crack myself up?)
What/who has had the biggest influence on your writing?
Iāve been wanting to write for almost as long as I remember. Being an author has always been a dream of mine and I can honestly say that for a long time, Stephen King was my biggest influence. How I wished Iād be able to write horror stories the way he does. I still love him (although I donāt read as much), but I now know horrorās not my shtickā¦ not āsupernaturalā horror anyway. I think Chuck Palahniukās books are what have been driving me these past years. Psychological weirdness/horror is much more scary and interesting to me than actual monsters. When it comes to writing, anyway. Weirdly, when it comes to reading & writing in my native French, my influences tend to be very different. People like AmĆ©lie Nothomb or Bernard Werber are those I look up to the most, Iād say. AmĆ©lie is probably my biggest influence of the two though. I love them weird authors.
What are you currently working on?
In the midst of writing an Alternate Season 9 storyā¦ lots of angst, slow burnā¦ very slow burn!!! Iāve been publishing a chapter per week for a couple of months now, every Monday. Thatās pretty much all I have going on right now, if we talk about fanfics. Mostly because trying to write multiple stories at once will usually end in disaster. I did start thinking about the next story I might be writing, probably for the 2017 DCBB. Got a couple of ideas floating around, so who knows, it could still change. Thereās also the dim possibility of foregoing the DCBB altogether and just publish whatever I decide to write. So, really, Iām kinda working on being indecisive.
If you could give one piece of advice to a new and/or struggling writer, what would it be?
Oh dear! I know absolutely nothing!!! Especially when it comes to anything that has to do with juggling a full-time job and wanting to write (canāt even imagine having kids on top of it). When I worked ā and I worked a lot ā Iād be so tired and fed up to be sitting in front of a computer that I pretty much stopped writing altogether (doing it by hand doesnāt do it for me, I type faster than I think). Spent about 15 years like that, not inspired in the slightest. Itās actually Supernatural that inspired me againā¦ well, this and discovering fanfiction after Season 8 had aired and I needed MORE. You know what Iām talking about, right? You knowā¦ THAT seasonā¦ with all the sub and all the text! It might have helped to fall into a depression and eventually stop working, hence the extra free time I could use to write, butā¦ that story is boring as hell! lol
Here be awesome... Tumblr: marmeladyorange.tumblr.com AO3: MarmeLady_Orange
