Questions taken from AO3 Comment of the Day.
Image: Per A.J. Andersson
- For single-chaptered fics, I tend to write either filler scenes (for shorter fics) or to explore a theme as it occurs and recurs throughout the canon material (for longer fics). There is almost always something vaguely resembling an internal plot, but external plots may or may not occur. I usually do not write these from an outline.
- For multi-chaptered fics, I tend to write either canon continuations or near-canon alternate universes. They always have both internal and external plots, and in most cases I will have written an outline first.
- Nearly all of my work features internal plot and dialogue, although I usually write the latter by describing the character’s thoughts instead of writing them like external dialogue. Much, though not all, of my work will include some level of angst. However, I usually have a happy (or at least a positive) ending.
- I almost exclusively write using a third-person limited point of view. I have about a 75/25 split for writing in past tense versus present tense. The latter is more likely to happen in stories where the internal plot or emotional stakes carry a good bit of the overall impact.
- Although I’m a plot-driven writer, my stories tend to be character-focused. It’s also not unheard-of for me to separate the main character and the protagonist, although I don’t always.
- I don’t believe in “good guys” and “bad guys.” We’re all the heroes of our own stories. As such, my viewpoint characters tend to be flawed and my antagonists usually have redeeming characteristics that can elicit some sympathy from the readers. In this same vein, I often don’t have a clear hero or villain; usually, my conflicts involve two parties working at cross-purposes.
- About two-thirds of my work is shipfic, particularly when I work in longer formats. As a general rule, I tend to follow the characters’ canonical orientations. That is, I usually don’t add a slash unless one is already present in canon; and I usually don’t remove one that is present in canon.
- While I’m capable of writing — and have written — at all ratings, most of my work tends to fall within the range of what would be rated “PG-13” if it were evaluated by the Motion Picture Association. If something has a higher rating, chances are usually good that the rate-up is as much caused by thematic material as it is by content.
2. Is there a trope you’ve yet to try your hand at, but really want to?
I’ve been writing fan fiction for a long time, and in that time I’ve tried a lot of different tropes. As such, the answer to this question is “no.” That doesn’t, however, mean I’m not willing to try new things. In fact, I like to stretch myself as a writer, so I usually will try at least one new thing with every new fic I start writing. Sometimes it’s a technique or structure; sometimes it’s writing a character or ship that I don’t usually work with; and sometimes it’s working with a concept that I want to research anyway.
I do usually try to limit myself to one new item with each individual fic, just so I don’t overwhelm myself to the point where I risk straying too far outside my comfort zone.
3. Is there a trope you wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole?
I don’t write Real-Person Fic about actors, musicians, sports figures, politicians, or entertainers. Period. I consider it to be an invasion of their privacy. If I’m writing about a real person, it will be absolutely required by the plot and it will be limited to their historical and/or public personas.
I’m not a fan of werewolf or A/B/O fics; since I don’t like to read them, I also don’t write them.
I only write PWP (porn without plot) if I’m trying to make a specific point; and, as I’ve noted above, I prefer not to add or remove non-canonical slashes. The same goes for the various flavors of BDSM. In addition, I don’t genderswap or age-swap my characters.
You also won’t find me writing anything that denigrates or stereotypes a population as a whole (regardless of whether it’s considered marginalized) unless I have a legitimate plot-related reason and I can’t present it any other way.
4. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Care to share one of them?
I’m always nurturing at least a half-dozen ideas; one of my challenges is forcing myself to stay with an idea all the way through to its fruition.
Right now, I’m working on rewriting a multi-chapter canon continuation of the Scarecrow and Mrs. King universe. I had originally started it without an outline as I figured it would be two or three chapters at most, but it got away from me after I started posting it and I ended up having to put it on hiatus when I wrote myself into a corner after about twenty chapters.
The first thing I did after putting it on hiatus was start working on an outline, and while doing that I realized that a major problem with it was that I had too many planned plot points. As a result, I split it into two stories. Since I had already had an idea for a sequel, this means that my original “two or three chapter” idea has now become a flat-out series.
Even after splitting up the story, the outline clocked in at thirty-seven (!) chapters by the time I finished it enough to start re-drafting. If that’s how it ends up coming out, it will by far be the longest fiction item I have ever written — original or fan fiction — and that figure doesn’t count the sequel or series.
I also have begun working again on Tales from Winter Camp, which is a group of mid-canon Earth 2 vignettes, and have been thinking about the continuation series I’d planned out several years ago. I never had begun any actual writing, but I had gotten to the point of a fairly detailed plan for the stories and their sequence.
In addition, I’m probably going to revisit my Castle continuation series as well, beginning with a full rewrite of “Family Secrets.” I had begun working on that during the hiatus between the fourth and fifth seasons, and while I was able to work in the fifth season events, after the beginning of the sixth season I decided to draw a line there and just declare it as an alternate universe.
5. Share one of your strengths.
One thing I had not known about my writing until recently was something that my husband (also a writer) pointed out: I am able to make the most mundane of events sound interesting, particularly in the context of relating an event’s importance to the story. This walks hand-in-hand with my tendency to include internal plot and dialogue in my stories.
I also believe that this ability is related to the fact that I’m detail-oriented in many aspects of my life, both writing-related and not. To me, it’s very rare for the same thing to happen the exact same way twice — even when we’re talking about repetitive tasks. I’ve also noticed that a lot of character development for real people tends to happen not as a result of Big Events, but rather in a more quiet manner, when someone is busy walking through the minutiae of their life and isn’t paying attention to their character development.
This isn’t to say that I don’t consider plot essential, that I’m willing to be lazy about proper character development — yes, even for fan fiction — or that I don’t think people never have large and significant formative experiences. Instead, this tendency of mine has to do with when and how characters’ internal changes happen in my stories; often, when they’re “in the moment,” they’re focused outward, which means they have to focus inward at other, quieter points. It also ties in with my use of symbolism and metaphor, both of which occur with some regularity even if they’re not present all the time.
My tendency to find the interesting in the mundane isn’t something I’ve ever done deliberately, but once it was pointed out to me, I could see it just about everywhere. That said, I haven’t yet decided if it’s a defining aspect of my work.