15) Your guilty writing pleasure?
Erm … references, I snigger a lot. It’s like an inside joke and it’s entirely possibly that I’m the only one that gets it but it amuses me greatly. I love working in snippets of dialogue, or things that happened in other shows that I love (especially Stargate) into my Once fanfic. I know that’s probably weird. I don’t know why but I get a kick out of it.

One of the first fics that I remember just flowing, where I thought to myself “man I love writing!” and where I didn’t move all day I just wrote and wrote until my hands were sore – that was a multi-crossover fic. I know, they are the bane of the fanfic world and everybody hates them. It was over a decade ago, it was probably rubbish. I smashed together 4 of the shows that I watched and loved at the time and I had a blast. Predictably it didn’t get any comments but I didn’t care, I enjoyed myself immensely.

I actually miss the easy joy that pervaded my soul when I wrote that fic. I haven’t felt like that in a long time.

17) Would you describe yourself as a fast writer?
Compared to who? Fast is relative. I mean when I’m actually writing (so not at the moment) then compared to some people I’m fast. If you compare me even on my best day to someone like Worry, then I’m pretty slow compared to them. There are some people that do NaNo in November who would make Worry look slow. So it’s impossible to say, plus the inherent judgement is slightly problematic.

I mean if I say “no I’m slow” and somebody else looks at my writing and thinks “wow they are fast” and they hear that I think I’m slow, then it’s possible that might make them feel bad. I don’t think it should because it’s not a competition, we all just do the best we individually can. I cheer for those that write 10x more than me just as hard as I cheer for those that write 10x less. I don’t even know if I’m making sense now, I feel like I’m talking in circles.

Anyway, I suppose I would say that I think I’m a slow writer even on my best day for one simple reason – I think I should be faster. I don’t feel like I’m as fast as I could be and I get frustrated and angry with myself, even on my best day, for not doing more. So no I wouldn’t describe myself as a fast writer.

3) What is your absolute favorite kind of fic to write?

I have two answers for this. First the absolute honest answer which is whatever I write that I’m passionate about at the time. I know that’s a copout answer but honestly my favorite fics to write are the ones that just flow. Where I sit and write for hours because the story wants to be told and I love it and I don’t think it’s shitty (or if I do I’ve decided I don’t care) and I basically just have a blast. Basically the best buzz I get from writing is when the writing goes well and I feel satisfied with myself that I’ve accomplished a good amount for the day.

In terms of actual fic? I confess I enjoy my sci-fi. Probably some of my least popular fics are my Rumbelled Stargate episodes, I knew that when I wrote the second one and I did it anyway because it’s a guilty pleasure. I also love my tropes. Between Two Fires hit so many of my “I love this” buttons that I’m surprised I’ve left it at a oneshot. I think I only did that because I had several ideas that would have led to remixes, and sequels and prequels, and well … *hides in box of shame* I like getting kudos for my writing. I started another couple of WIP’s around that time and they were a lot more popular in comparison. So I shelved the ideas intending to “come back to them later” and of course I get new ideas at the rate of knots so I never have. Maybe one day.

5) How many words can you write if you sit down and concentrate intensely for an hour?

Around 2000. That has to be on a good day though. My stats on 5 min sprints are much better than that, but my problem is I can’t sustain the pace for very long. Concentrating intensely for an entire hour is difficult. I need to train my brain to do it, and it’s a bit like going to the gym. Slow and steady my focus improves, and then the second something happens and I get off the writing treadmill bam it’s like I’m back to square one, just like fitness the second I stop going to the gym. I dread to think what my stats would be like at the moment if I tried writing for an hour…

10) What inspires you the most?

TV probably. I mean I write fanfic so on the surface that makes sense but it’s more than that. Anyone that knows me can testify that at some point I will have said “oh yeah like that thing on X episode on Y show” because I relate stuff to things I’ve watched.

I mean can anybody come up with ideas in a vacuum? I certainly need something to spark ideas. It can be anything, it doesn’t have to be an actual prompt. It could be something I see on the street, or a memory I have of something that happened to me, or a story that someone told me about something that happened to them. Prompts inspire me in whatever form they take – actual word prompts, inspiration aesthetics, random pictures. Things that aren’t intended to be prompts as well like the world in general.

4) Do you have any writing habits/rituals?
Probably. Definitely. I am very much a creature of habit. I can’t write without music, so I either need speakers or headphones. I need water and I prefer to start writing with coffee (I think it’s the aesthetic). The coffee goes on the right and the water on the left. I open the word document for the day on the right monitor, and I open the main document, plus any planning docs on the left. I always write in word, always fix the margins to be 2cm around, always change the font to calibri.

I can write on my laptop if absolutely necessary. I still need music. I still need water. I still need my multiple documents, though the screen real estate is a lot more limited on the macbook. What I listen to depends on my mood more than what I’m writing. If I’m in a good mood I’ll listen to whatever I want. If I’m fairly ok and just need some focus then I put on my “writing playlist”, if I need to get pumped up for it then I put on my “adrenaline” music. If I’m sad and struggling then I have music for that as well. I don’t listen to the specific music at any other time so it’s pretty strongly associated.

I have to be warm. I even have fingerless gloves for the winter if necessary. Oh and I track my stats fairly obsessively even if it’s not NaNo season. I record how much I write every day, and I separate it out per project (that’s what the daily documents are for). At the end of every days writing session I record the amount on the chart above my desk, and I add it to the months total on myWriteClub. At the end of the month I update my yearly total.

23) Most anticipated upcoming books?
Oh erm … *hides in box of shame* I have to be honest I don’t read books really. I know that’s terrible because I like to write books and so I should support other writers. I just don’t have any money and I don’t like going out, and I’m really picky about what I read. So I should probably go to the library and check books out, but I get much more enjoyment out of reading fanfic to be honest so I don’t have any incentive to bother. I could tell you about anticipated fanfic updates? Does that count? Probably not.

I really can’t wait for the next installment of RufeePeach’s Red Lights series. That series is just wow, I really identify with Gold and my jaw is usually on the floor every time I read because it’s so good. I’m eagerly anticipating the next chapter of All of Me by MarieQuiteContrarie. That fic is just perfection. I could go on and list a lot of writers but then I’m veering into dangerous territory because I don’t want to accidentally forget anyone, so I’ll leave it there.

41) Are there any books you feel have shaped you as a writer?
Hmm interesting question. My first complete stories were definitely heavily influenced by what I was reading at the time – Dale Brown and Tom Clancy. I know probably not what you expect an 11 year old girl to read. As I got older I lost a lot of the bad habits which plagued my earlier writing. So the heavy influence disappeared and so I don’t really have an answer for you. I can’t point to any specific book and say that it influenced my writing now. I’ve read answers to this question before and they usually say that a writers style inspired them, or that a particular book made them want to write. I’m afraid I don’t have any anecdotes like that.

Ask Me? Writing Questions

Worry just asked that sorry – answer here 🙂

Ask Me? Writing Questions