sarcasticsciencefictionwriter asked:

Hi (again)! For the even more fic writer asks: 22 [your choice], 23 [Time Will Tell], and 25 [Life Without Purpose].

Awww thank you, one from both lists. You are sweet.

22) What is something you learned about yourself as a writer from the experience?

Hmm ok my choice aaaaand the difficulty level in answering jumps up a LOT haha.

If I look at the last fics I posted. There was the outtake of the fic I never got round to writing, the pinch hit for the Librarians exchange, a ficlet accompanying art for the B&W exchange and then the last fic I wrote – a canon-compliant, post-season fic for Seven/Raffi, Star Trek: Picard.

When I moved house September 22 I decided to draw the line then and quit fanfic. But I hit a rough mental health patch and wrote this little oneshot. I intended it to be a series. I have a lot of notes for a fic focusing on Raffi, and then one focusing on B’elanna. They would be in series, having a shared theme rather than time, events or setting. I never wrote anything past the first Seven fic.

What I learned about myself I guess is the reinforcement of quitting. It could have been a gateway back in because I love story, and I love the world of Trek, and I have headcanons and feelings. I have a lot of nostalgia for fanfic. It is comforting and it is safe. It has given my life purpose. But it has also been a way to self-sabotage because original writing is scary.

This Trek fanfic series I literally have so many notes and so many feelings but in writing out the first one, I just knew I was done. It gave me peace I guess? I still have a lot of fondness for my unwritten fanfic ideas. I love them. I wish they could have been written. But I have the same fondness for my original ideas too. Plus I think it being a Picard fic… that show hurt me a lot. That oneshot was a way to self-heal a bit. And I kinda vowed not to invest myself so much in other peoples creations, because that way leads to disappointment. My original writing will always turn out how I would like. I have the power of happy endings.

23) How did you come up with the title?

I’m pretty sure the phrase imprinted most strongly on my mind thanks to Alias. The vibe of a mystery and a love entwined with pain.

But time – timers. The whole countdown nature of the soulmark. Only time will tell as to who they match with, and whether that match will turn into love and a happy ending.

Honestly the title just jumped out at me. It fits IMO perfectly. I don’t think I could have called it anything else.

25) Share your favorite line
Hmm there’s a few turns of phrase that work quite well. I’m going to go with this though:

Fifteen thousand people vaporised in an instant but only one that mattered.

sarcasticsciencefictionwriter asked:

Hi! For the questions for fic writers: 1, 6 [Time Will Tell], and 18 [Life Without Purpose], please?

Yay, thank you!

1) What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?)

Hmm. Given I have moved across fandoms it really depends on that. I mean it’s no use reccing a Librarians fic to a Sanctuary fan (even if I did cross them over and do think they work well together).

I have written one shots and I have written novel length fics. I feel like I mostly write plotty these days but I have a lot of fluff on my AO3 too. Especially back in the day I wrote a lot of prompts.

So yeah it’s like one fic doesn’t encapsulate all genre, fandom etc. Maybe I guess for a ‘taste’ a shorter fic as an intro so perhaps one of the Librarians fics? I did half a dozen for prompt month a couple of years ago.

6) What’s one fact about the universe of [insert fic] that you didn’t get a chance to mention in the fic itself?

Time Will Tell 🤔

I find this question hard because did I put it in the fic? Have I just rambled about it? Have I not said it before? Can I remember the difference? No the answer is no haha. So yeeeeah erm… ok let me think.

The difficulty of this question is why the ask has been in my drafts for a couple of days. I have been struggling to think of a good answer. I mean with it being fanfic I was free to indulge myself and so I had that epilogue with all my headcanons about the intervening century.

I think what I might need to say is “do you have any questions?” I have really tried to think of a detail off the top of my head and failed but that doesn’t mean there isn’t something. It just means I am struggling. Sorry :/

18) If you wrote a sequel to [insert fic], what would it involve?

It’s kinda hard to write a sequel when all the characters are dead. Well I suppose Nikola is left but he’s alone, the world is apocalyptic. It’s all very bleak.

I think if I had to continue it somehow then a sequel would involve time travel, like Nikola going back in time to stop the outbreak from happening. I need to get a happy ending somehow.

purlturtle asked:

6/7, 10, and 23 for the “even more fic asks” for Odyssey: Future’s Legacy, please!

Awww thank you so much!! 🙂

6/7) How did you decide what tense and POV(s) to use? How did you decide what character(s) would narrate the fic?
In terms of tense I always write in third person, past. That’s not really a decision so much as it just comes out like that.

For POV oh boy, how many POV’s are in that fic? There’s a lot. I go with my gut and for each scene ask whose thoughts are the most interesting. I do a similar thing for original novels but I try and limit it a bit more. For fanfic as there’s a familiarity with the characters, it’s less of an issue to have lots of POVs (at least it feels that way to me). We already have the character connection and it’s not as confusing. Anyway, you can pry multi-POV out of my tightly clenched hands, I love it so. I see stories like movies, and movies don’t tend to just film over one persons shoulder the entire time.

10) How did you approach writing the fic? (e.g. wrote it start to finish in order, started with the ending, starting with the twist)
I’m a linear writer. I can’t write out of order (beyond notes or snippets that sometimes form as part of planning). Obviously the planning process is a bit all over the place because I start with wherever that starts, and then fill in the gaps. But yeah in terms of the actual drafting I go from the start, to the end, scene by scene in order.

23) How did you come up with the title?
Oh boy I remember struggling massively with this. I had more of a vibe/feeling. I wanted the title to shine like the bright warm sun bouncing off the blue sea of Italy, or the sun-kissed dunes of Egypt. I wanted it to evoke a sense of adventure, but I also wanted to hint at the meaning/theme if you like. That the characters were making choices, charting the directions of their institutions which would have ripple effects for years to come AND they were dealing with the legacy of past mistakes. So it’s like how do they want to be remembered? Do they want the future to be cleaning up their mistakes, or do they want to make a positive change and do better than the past?

I adore Warehouse 13 but the warehouse has done some very shady stuff. They make their own monsters in a way with their hubris. Peoples lives are altered irrevocably (like Sykes), and yes he became a villain but he didn’t have to be. Imagine if the Warehouse had a post-snag and bag team, who checked in on people who had been whammied, who helped them in the aftermath, rather than just never explaining anything and leaving people confused to try and pick up the pieces.

So yeah that was a LOT to put in a short title and I’m not sure I managed it but it was all of this ^^ that I was trying to encapsulate.

bookwormchocaholic asked:

Even More Fic Writing Asks: (fic of your choice) 5, 25, 39. 🙂

Thank you!

Bit confused though… there is no number 39? I’m guessing because of sequential numbers you maybe meant either 29 or 30. I’m going to go with 30 🙂

Anyway you followed me from the Rumbelle days so let me go back in time and pick a Rumbelle fic. Lemme see. Erm, how to choose? Oh! In my last ask I referenced Between Two Fires so might as well go for that otherwise it’s rolling a dice time.

5) Did you outline the fic?
I never delete anything so I went to check my files. I am a planner but not always for fanfic. Sometimes if it’s short enough, then the plan is in my head.

For Between Two Fires I have a rather cool sounding summary. Seriously it’s got half the best lines of the fic in it. There must have been some heavy inspiration that day like brain was on fire haha. It’s not a scene by scene outline but it covers the main points, and the fic was quite short anyway.

25) Share your favorite line
Ok it was maybe not such a good idea to select this fic because this question. Argh!! So, so many. I know I probably shouldn’t say that because it’s egotistical but man I do love so many lines in this fic. It just hits the spot. Like I could literally quote half the fic but as I have to choose, I’m going to go with the opening line:

“You’re supposed to be dead.”
“I’m supposed to be a lot of things.”

30) Would you ever return to the story’s universe and write more?
No but also yes. I will never return to it in it’s fanfic Rumbelle form. But I have said a few times that I intend to take the premise and include it in an original novel series one day. Unfortunately ‘one day’ is kinda the operative word there because so many ideas, and writing takes so long! I rebooted my portal fantasy series starting Day Three of January. I’ve written and edited Book One (almost 100k) and I’ve planned and started drafting Book Two (got to around idk the 15% mark) but it’s JULY – that’s into the second half of the year. There are 6 books in this series so odds are not good that I can get to this idea before 2026 (which is so not a real year) and that’s if everything goes according to plan (which it inevitably won’t).

I do love it though. It will happen one day.

purlturtle asked:

2, 15, and 23 for the “questions I would like to be asked as a writer” ask meme, please – the last ask meme you posted! (I’ll get around to the other one too, in a bit! 😅)

Ooooh thanks! 🙂 🙂 🙂

2) Go to your AO3 “Works” page, to the sidebar with all the filters, and click the drop-down arrow for “Additional Tags.” What are your top 3-5 most used tags? Do you think they accurately represent your writing habits?
Lemme see. Ok in order we have:

• Alternate Universe – Canon Divergence (18)
• A Monthly Rumbelling (Once Upon a Time) (18)
• Alternate Universe (17)
• Canon Compliant (10)
• Alternate Universe – Non-Magical (10)

Erm honestly if anything I’m surprised Canon Compliant is so many. Canon divergence being top is totally on brand (I mean what is fic, if not fix-it in some form?). Not surprised the event tag is there but obviously that belongs to past!Me and is no longer relevant.

I think if anything this shows I don’t make a whole lot of use out of the ‘additional tags’ function.

Ok I’m going to click on ‘canon compliant’. Oh. Oh. Yeeeeah that makes more sense. My related tag is “you can’t prove it’s not”.

15) What’s your favorite AU that you’ve written?
For the longest time my answer would have been Between Two Fires. The sci-fi espionage oneshot. One day a seed of that will be in an original novel. But that was so long ago now, and not my fandom anymore. Trouble is I haven’t written any really AU AU’s in any of my current fandoms. It’s all been canon divergence or canon adjacent. Which is still kinda AU I guess but I have to be honest when I hear the term “AU” I’m thinking something quite removed from their ordinary world.

I am inordinately fond of and the Sins of Atlantis. My Librarians/Sanctuary crossover. Given that the bulk of the fic takes place in an alternate present day, I think that’s the closest I have come. Even if leaving aside the crossover elements, and the Stargate backstory I gave the library, it’s still mostly canon. Honestly this is probably the most self-indulgent fic I have ever written – it’s certainly the longest! (well unless I count my original novels lol). I basically wrote this for an audience of one. I hoped someone else would enjoy it obviously but I still enjoy it immensely, however egotistical that is to admit. It’s got fun things in.

23) What’s a trope, AU, or concept you’ve never written, but would like to?
Oh so many. First thing that comes to mind is a Bodyguard AU. When I first rolled this concept around in my head I liked it so much I came up with 3 or 4 variations, and then wondered if I should make it a series, and so it lives on my “future novel universe” list.

I don’t think I’ve written any of the ‘fakes’ either – fake dating, fake marriage, fake divorce etc. But they would all be fun.

Oh! Wait I did kinda do fake marriage once. It was arranged and they agreed to be partners in science rather than the bedroom. It wasn’t that well written as I did a lot of setup for what was basically PWP, and then I got tired about it being so long and skipped the best part (the mutual pining). It was for an event and to be honest I liked the world building setup/part way more than the shoehorned in “make this fit the event” smut. Old fandom though so I won’t rework it.