30 questions fic meme, day 26: blinding you with library science
26 - What is the oddest (or funnest) thing you've had to research for a fic?
So the thing is that I'm a librarian, and I'm a librarian in large part because if someone asks a factual question in my hearing or sight I cannot rest without finding the answer. Even when that person is me. Especially when that person is me.
So I research a lot of things, is what I am saying, and the vast majority of them never end up in the fic. Most of the time I don't even write the fic in question. I just really enjoy the research; I don't like to plot things without knowing that I've got a factual basis in place. For a while there, between moving between fandoms and my propensity for plotting kidfic, it seemed like I was reading up on California custody law every year or so. (The time I went and read entire history of sodomy law in California was not actually research for anything I planned on writing, although after reading it I did consider writing some things on that basis.)
Anyway. I've lost track of what constitutes odd (knowing all about the points system for Canadian immigration isn't weird, right? and ditto stuff like Googling paddle party and then realizing it's going to work better--for these purposes--if you include Marines), and all research is more or less equally fun for me, but a couple of months ago I spent a really unconscionable amount of time doing research for the Ham Radio Apocalypse (or, as it developed over time, Gay Post-Apocalyptic Sleepless in Seattle with Recon Marines on Ham Radios). Eventually I decided against writing it because, you know. Apocalypses are sort of depressing; 99.999% of everyone is dead and the people who are left are communicating by ham radio. But also, as it turns out, it's really hard to find exact information online about how far you can propagate a radio signal with stuff you can loot from an electronics store, and precisely what atmospheric conditions would be required for those scenarios. I eventually concluded that I would actually have to contact humans who knew this information and tell them I was researching a novel and then later tell them that the novel died a sudden, tragic death, lest they ever ask to read it. Which was further than I wanted to go researching something I didn't even plan to write.
1 - How did you first get into writing fanfic, and what was the first fandom you wrote for? What do you think it was about that fandom that pulled you in?
2 - Name the fandoms you've written in, and how much you've written in that fandom, and if you still write in it.
3 - For each of the fandoms from day two, what were your favorite characters to write?
4 - Do you have a "muse" character, that speaks to you more than others, or that tries to push their way in, even when the fic isn't about them? Who are they, and why did that character became your muse?
5 -If you have ever had a character try to push their way into a fic, whether your "muse" or not, what did you do about it?
6 - When you write, do you prefer writing male or female characters?
7 - Have you ever had a fic change your opinion of a character?
8 - Do you write OCs? And if so, what do you do to make certain they're not Mary Sues, and if not, explain your thoughts on OCs.
9 - Pairings - For each of the fandoms from day two, what are your three favorite pairings to write?
10 - Pairings - Have you ever gone outside your comfort zone and written a pairing you liked, but found you couldn't write, or a pairing you didn't like, and found you could?
11 - Genre - do you prefer certain genres of fic when you're writing? What kind do you tend to write most?
12 - Have you ever attempted an "adaptation" fic of a favorite book or movie but set in a different fandom?
13 - Do you prefer canon or fanon when you write? Has writing fanfic for a fandom changed the way you see some or even all of the original source material?
14 - Ratings - how high are you comfortable with going? Have you ever written higher? If you're comfortable with NC-17, have you ever been shocked by finding that the story you're writing is G-rated instead?
15 - Warnings - What do you feel it most important to warn for, and what's the strangest thing you've warned for in a fic?
16 - Summaries - Do you like them or hate them? How do you come up with them, if you use them?
17 - Titles - Are they the bane of your existence, or the easiest part of the fic? Also, if you do chaptered fic, do you give each chapter a title, or not?
18 - Where do you get the most inspiration for your fics (aka "bunnies") from?
19 - When you have bunnies, do you sit down and start writing right away, or do you write down the idea for further use?
20 - Do you ever get bunnied from other people's stories or art in the same fandom?
21 - Sequels - Have you ever written a sequel to a fic you wrote, and if so, why, and if not, how do you feel about sequels?
22 - Have you ever participated in a fest or a Big Bang? If so, write about your favorite experience in relation to one. If not, are there any you've thought about doing? And if not, why not?
23 - When you post, where do you post to? Just your journal? Just an archive? Your own personal site?
24 - Betaing - How many betas do you like to use to make sure there aren't any major flaws in your fic? Do you have a Beta horror story or dream story?
25 - Music - Do you listen to music while you write? Do you make playlists to get into a certain "mood" to write your fic? Do you need noise in general? Or do you need it completely quiet?
26 - What is the oddest (or funnest) thing you've had to research for a fic?
27 - Where is your favorite place to write, and do you write by hand or on the computer?
28 - Have you ever collaborated with anyone else, whether writing together, or having an artist work on a piece about your fic?
29 - What is your current project or projects?
30 - Do you have a favorite fic you've written? What makes it your favorite? And don't forget to give us a link!
This entry was originally posted at http://dira.dreamwidth.org/587583.html. There are currently
comments there.
So the thing is that I'm a librarian, and I'm a librarian in large part because if someone asks a factual question in my hearing or sight I cannot rest without finding the answer. Even when that person is me. Especially when that person is me.
So I research a lot of things, is what I am saying, and the vast majority of them never end up in the fic. Most of the time I don't even write the fic in question. I just really enjoy the research; I don't like to plot things without knowing that I've got a factual basis in place. For a while there, between moving between fandoms and my propensity for plotting kidfic, it seemed like I was reading up on California custody law every year or so. (The time I went and read entire history of sodomy law in California was not actually research for anything I planned on writing, although after reading it I did consider writing some things on that basis.)
Anyway. I've lost track of what constitutes odd (knowing all about the points system for Canadian immigration isn't weird, right? and ditto stuff like Googling paddle party and then realizing it's going to work better--for these purposes--if you include Marines), and all research is more or less equally fun for me, but a couple of months ago I spent a really unconscionable amount of time doing research for the Ham Radio Apocalypse (or, as it developed over time, Gay Post-Apocalyptic Sleepless in Seattle with Recon Marines on Ham Radios). Eventually I decided against writing it because, you know. Apocalypses are sort of depressing; 99.999% of everyone is dead and the people who are left are communicating by ham radio. But also, as it turns out, it's really hard to find exact information online about how far you can propagate a radio signal with stuff you can loot from an electronics store, and precisely what atmospheric conditions would be required for those scenarios. I eventually concluded that I would actually have to contact humans who knew this information and tell them I was researching a novel and then later tell them that the novel died a sudden, tragic death, lest they ever ask to read it. Which was further than I wanted to go researching something I didn't even plan to write.
1 - How did you first get into writing fanfic, and what was the first fandom you wrote for? What do you think it was about that fandom that pulled you in?
2 - Name the fandoms you've written in, and how much you've written in that fandom, and if you still write in it.
3 - For each of the fandoms from day two, what were your favorite characters to write?
4 - Do you have a "muse" character, that speaks to you more than others, or that tries to push their way in, even when the fic isn't about them? Who are they, and why did that character became your muse?
5 -If you have ever had a character try to push their way into a fic, whether your "muse" or not, what did you do about it?
6 - When you write, do you prefer writing male or female characters?
7 - Have you ever had a fic change your opinion of a character?
8 - Do you write OCs? And if so, what do you do to make certain they're not Mary Sues, and if not, explain your thoughts on OCs.
9 - Pairings - For each of the fandoms from day two, what are your three favorite pairings to write?
10 - Pairings - Have you ever gone outside your comfort zone and written a pairing you liked, but found you couldn't write, or a pairing you didn't like, and found you could?
11 - Genre - do you prefer certain genres of fic when you're writing? What kind do you tend to write most?
12 - Have you ever attempted an "adaptation" fic of a favorite book or movie but set in a different fandom?
13 - Do you prefer canon or fanon when you write? Has writing fanfic for a fandom changed the way you see some or even all of the original source material?
14 - Ratings - how high are you comfortable with going? Have you ever written higher? If you're comfortable with NC-17, have you ever been shocked by finding that the story you're writing is G-rated instead?
15 - Warnings - What do you feel it most important to warn for, and what's the strangest thing you've warned for in a fic?
16 - Summaries - Do you like them or hate them? How do you come up with them, if you use them?
17 - Titles - Are they the bane of your existence, or the easiest part of the fic? Also, if you do chaptered fic, do you give each chapter a title, or not?
18 - Where do you get the most inspiration for your fics (aka "bunnies") from?
19 - When you have bunnies, do you sit down and start writing right away, or do you write down the idea for further use?
20 - Do you ever get bunnied from other people's stories or art in the same fandom?
21 - Sequels - Have you ever written a sequel to a fic you wrote, and if so, why, and if not, how do you feel about sequels?
22 - Have you ever participated in a fest or a Big Bang? If so, write about your favorite experience in relation to one. If not, are there any you've thought about doing? And if not, why not?
23 - When you post, where do you post to? Just your journal? Just an archive? Your own personal site?
24 - Betaing - How many betas do you like to use to make sure there aren't any major flaws in your fic? Do you have a Beta horror story or dream story?
25 - Music - Do you listen to music while you write? Do you make playlists to get into a certain "mood" to write your fic? Do you need noise in general? Or do you need it completely quiet?
26 - What is the oddest (or funnest) thing you've had to research for a fic?
27 - Where is your favorite place to write, and do you write by hand or on the computer?
28 - Have you ever collaborated with anyone else, whether writing together, or having an artist work on a piece about your fic?
29 - What is your current project or projects?
30 - Do you have a favorite fic you've written? What makes it your favorite? And don't forget to give us a link!
This entry was originally posted at http://dira.dreamwidth.org/587583.html. There are currently
comments there.