time has stopped dead
Nicked from octavius_x:
What's the last thing you wrote?
This little Tempest ficlet.
Was it any good?
I am quite fond of it for a rush job, yes.
What's the first thing you ever wrote that you still have?
Either my First Ever, Awesomely Awesome Mary Sue Fanfic, or Quindlemire, my epic half-novel from my teenage years.
Write poetry?
Occasionally!
Angsty poetry?
Mmm, a couple a long time ago. Not really any more.
Most fun character you ever wrote?
This is probably just because he's fresh in my mind at the moment, but: the Master is great fun. Though I've had some amazing times writing Lucifer as well.
Most annoying character you ever wrote?
UCHIHA FUCKING SASUKE.
Best plot you ever wrote?
Hands down that would be Crying Call, in which I pulled a complicated series of alliances and sabotage missions and crises and interweaving threads out of my ASS while I was writing what I thought was a nice simple Good Omens/Firefly crossover. HAH.
Coolest plot twist you ever wrote?
I'd like to think it was the end of Fortuna Fugit.
How often do you get writer's block?
Unable-to-write-anything-at-all? Not very often. Unable-to-write-the-thing-I'm-meant-to-be-writing? PRETTY MUCH CONSTANTLY. This is why I'm always working on a million things, and why I can be halfway through something epic and end up writing drabbles in a completely different fandom instead.
How do you fix it?
The easiest way to fix general writer's block is to get drunk. I tried not to indulge in this too often even when alcohol was readily available to me instead of being generally unaffordable, as it is now. Otherwise I read books or fic that have the tone that I am aiming for in whatever I am writing; my failsafe is a handful of fics by pogrebin and spikeyboots that can usually get me producing something. As for the other type...I can force myself to write, if I have to, but I usually hate it and this usually shows in the writing. I don't know how to make my brain concentrate on one thing when it wants to think about another.
Do you type or write by hand?
Type. Sometimes I can scribble scenes by hand if they're clear in my head, but my writing method is so completely nonlinear that I need to be able to dart around a document and pull things around and leave myself reminder dot points or definitions or quotes, etc.
Do you save everything you write?
Yes.
Do you ever go back to an old idea long after you abandoned it?
I imagine I might! I have a few fanfics that have been on the go for AGES that I'd still like to finish, and I still quite like the basic concepts of a lot of my old-old-old original stuff.
What's your favorite thing that you've written?
Oh GOD. I don't know. I was immensely happy with Fortuna Fugit, and recently I have been very proud of Triage. But I think my favourite thing I have ever written is Daddy's Gonna Buy You A Looking Glass, oh man, what does that even say about me as a person. But I love it. I LOVE IT. I really think I nailed the characterisations, and I got to explore a delicious mix of ideas and theories and future-projections, and the prose works without being too heavy.
What's everyone else's favorite thing that you've written?
I...don't know?* Going by sheer volume of comments, Benevolent Sibling or Turn Your Sail.
Do you ever show people your work?
Yes!
Who's your favorite constructive critic?
schiarire, because she knows both me-as-a-person and me-as-a-writer SO WELL by now that she a) can pick up on when I'm being lazy or falling into bad habits, and b) isn't afraid to be blunt.
Did you ever write a novel?
I've written half of one? And I have the rest of the plot all planned out and everything. Quindlemire was written between the ages of 13 and 18 and it's probably pretty dreadful as far as writing goes, but I adore all of my characters and my light-hearted plot and who knows, maybe one day I will overhaul it and drag it to completion.
Have you ever written fantasy, sci-fi, or horror?
Lots of the first, and a couple of things that probably fall within the second, but not the third.
Ever written romance or teen angsty drama?
My early fanfics were kinda like that. Although I have been known to write love stories, you know, even recently :D
What's one genre you have never written, and probably never will?
Errr. I don't much like horror but I could see how it might be fun as an experiment. I will never write just romance.
How many writing projects are you working on right now?
UM. Twelve? And that's not even everything that's in my 'Fannish WIP' folder, just the ones that I actively intend to finish. And that doesn't even take my original fics into consideration. I kind of hate my brain sometimes.
Do you want to write for a living?
...I'm going to say yes, because I think I'd rather be an author than anything else, but I don't think it's very likely. I haven't got the attention span for it. And I don't want to just write, at this stage in my life: I want to learn about how people work, and then maybe fix them for a while, or do something big and grand in the field of public health. And THEN write.
Have you ever written something for a magazine or newspaper?
Yes. I had a short article published in the Double Helix science magazine, I had a lot of poems published in the Junior Times section of the Canberra Times when I was in primary school, and I had a scifi flashfic accepted by an online zine once.
Have you ever won an award for your writing?
I was a finalist in a writing contest in primary school, and I came third in a short story competition run by a local bookshop a few years ago. Never won anything for fanfic :D
Ever written something in script or play format?
Yes. It's not very good.
What is your favorite word?
Solipsism. Cadence. Dominion. Zenith. I HAVE LOTS MORE.
Do you ever write based on yourself?
Yes, quite frequently, though it's not like I sit down and decide to do it. I just borrow bits and pieces of experience and opinion and slot them in when they fit, like most writers.
Which of your characters most resembles you?
One whose story only exists in my head at the moment, so she probably doesn't count. Um. I don't have enough original characters for this question to work very well. Probably...Sophie or Lucifer. HOW DEPRESSING.
Where do you get ideas for your characters?
I. Er. I don't know? Sometimes I have to construct their basics quite deliberately and then they reveal themselves to me gradually (Kenneth and Sophie) and sometimes they just pop up fully-formed (Anna and Will!).
Do you ever write based on your dreams?
Good lord, no, I can never remember enough of my dreams for that to work. Besides, my dreams tend not to have plots.
Do you prefer happy endings, sad endings, or cliff-hangers?
Hmmm. I don't think I've ever written a cliff-hanger as a proper end to anything; that's just sloppy, really. I like happy endings, or at least satisfying endings.
Have you ever written anything based on an artwork you've seen?
Well, I pretty much constructed the Silver City plot on the basis of an Anselm Kiefer exhibition?
Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write?
YES. Well. By 'concerned with grammar' I mean 'concerned with how it sounds', which is sometimes but not always the same thing.
Ever write something entirely in chatspeak?
No.
Does music help you write?
YES. I can't write in silence. I have a main writing playlist called 'Suture' because I put it together for that fic, but now I use it for most things, and I keep adding to it. If a story has a very particular mood or if I want to write it to maybe two or three songs on repeat, it gets its own playlist.
Are people surprised and confused when they find out you write well?
What, in real life? Er. I have no idea. It doesn't really come up.
Quote something you've written.
Tony swayed across the room, inwardly congratulating sober-Tony on buying such a wonderful white shaggy carpet thing. It felt good between his toes. His -- toes.
"Jarvis, where're my shoes?"
"I'm afraid I cannot provide you with that information."
"What? Does that mean you don't know, or is this one of your, oh, Mr Stark is drunk and he's unwittingly triggered one of his own security clauses but instead of telling him outright I'll just be a giant silicon pain in the ass about it --"
"Had a bit of trouble with the word 'unwittingly', didn't we, sir?"
(from my Iron Man WIP, as a reminder to myself to finish it one of these days)
~
*I am really curious now! Tell me, dear flist: what is YOUR favourite thing that I've ever written?
What's the last thing you wrote?
This little Tempest ficlet.
Was it any good?
I am quite fond of it for a rush job, yes.
What's the first thing you ever wrote that you still have?
Either my First Ever, Awesomely Awesome Mary Sue Fanfic, or Quindlemire, my epic half-novel from my teenage years.
Write poetry?
Occasionally!
Angsty poetry?
Mmm, a couple a long time ago. Not really any more.
Most fun character you ever wrote?
This is probably just because he's fresh in my mind at the moment, but: the Master is great fun. Though I've had some amazing times writing Lucifer as well.
Most annoying character you ever wrote?
UCHIHA FUCKING SASUKE.
Best plot you ever wrote?
Hands down that would be Crying Call, in which I pulled a complicated series of alliances and sabotage missions and crises and interweaving threads out of my ASS while I was writing what I thought was a nice simple Good Omens/Firefly crossover. HAH.
Coolest plot twist you ever wrote?
I'd like to think it was the end of Fortuna Fugit.
How often do you get writer's block?
Unable-to-write-anything-at-all? Not very often. Unable-to-write-the-thing-I'm-meant-to-be-writing? PRETTY MUCH CONSTANTLY. This is why I'm always working on a million things, and why I can be halfway through something epic and end up writing drabbles in a completely different fandom instead.
How do you fix it?
The easiest way to fix general writer's block is to get drunk. I tried not to indulge in this too often even when alcohol was readily available to me instead of being generally unaffordable, as it is now. Otherwise I read books or fic that have the tone that I am aiming for in whatever I am writing; my failsafe is a handful of fics by pogrebin and spikeyboots that can usually get me producing something. As for the other type...I can force myself to write, if I have to, but I usually hate it and this usually shows in the writing. I don't know how to make my brain concentrate on one thing when it wants to think about another.
Do you type or write by hand?
Type. Sometimes I can scribble scenes by hand if they're clear in my head, but my writing method is so completely nonlinear that I need to be able to dart around a document and pull things around and leave myself reminder dot points or definitions or quotes, etc.
Do you save everything you write?
Yes.
Do you ever go back to an old idea long after you abandoned it?
I imagine I might! I have a few fanfics that have been on the go for AGES that I'd still like to finish, and I still quite like the basic concepts of a lot of my old-old-old original stuff.
What's your favorite thing that you've written?
Oh GOD. I don't know. I was immensely happy with Fortuna Fugit, and recently I have been very proud of Triage. But I think my favourite thing I have ever written is Daddy's Gonna Buy You A Looking Glass, oh man, what does that even say about me as a person. But I love it. I LOVE IT. I really think I nailed the characterisations, and I got to explore a delicious mix of ideas and theories and future-projections, and the prose works without being too heavy.
What's everyone else's favorite thing that you've written?
I...don't know?* Going by sheer volume of comments, Benevolent Sibling or Turn Your Sail.
Do you ever show people your work?
Yes!
Who's your favorite constructive critic?
schiarire, because she knows both me-as-a-person and me-as-a-writer SO WELL by now that she a) can pick up on when I'm being lazy or falling into bad habits, and b) isn't afraid to be blunt.
Did you ever write a novel?
I've written half of one? And I have the rest of the plot all planned out and everything. Quindlemire was written between the ages of 13 and 18 and it's probably pretty dreadful as far as writing goes, but I adore all of my characters and my light-hearted plot and who knows, maybe one day I will overhaul it and drag it to completion.
Have you ever written fantasy, sci-fi, or horror?
Lots of the first, and a couple of things that probably fall within the second, but not the third.
Ever written romance or teen angsty drama?
My early fanfics were kinda like that. Although I have been known to write love stories, you know, even recently :D
What's one genre you have never written, and probably never will?
Errr. I don't much like horror but I could see how it might be fun as an experiment. I will never write just romance.
How many writing projects are you working on right now?
UM. Twelve? And that's not even everything that's in my 'Fannish WIP' folder, just the ones that I actively intend to finish. And that doesn't even take my original fics into consideration. I kind of hate my brain sometimes.
Do you want to write for a living?
...I'm going to say yes, because I think I'd rather be an author than anything else, but I don't think it's very likely. I haven't got the attention span for it. And I don't want to just write, at this stage in my life: I want to learn about how people work, and then maybe fix them for a while, or do something big and grand in the field of public health. And THEN write.
Have you ever written something for a magazine or newspaper?
Yes. I had a short article published in the Double Helix science magazine, I had a lot of poems published in the Junior Times section of the Canberra Times when I was in primary school, and I had a scifi flashfic accepted by an online zine once.
Have you ever won an award for your writing?
I was a finalist in a writing contest in primary school, and I came third in a short story competition run by a local bookshop a few years ago. Never won anything for fanfic :D
Ever written something in script or play format?
Yes. It's not very good.
What is your favorite word?
Solipsism. Cadence. Dominion. Zenith. I HAVE LOTS MORE.
Do you ever write based on yourself?
Yes, quite frequently, though it's not like I sit down and decide to do it. I just borrow bits and pieces of experience and opinion and slot them in when they fit, like most writers.
Which of your characters most resembles you?
One whose story only exists in my head at the moment, so she probably doesn't count. Um. I don't have enough original characters for this question to work very well. Probably...Sophie or Lucifer. HOW DEPRESSING.
Where do you get ideas for your characters?
I. Er. I don't know? Sometimes I have to construct their basics quite deliberately and then they reveal themselves to me gradually (Kenneth and Sophie) and sometimes they just pop up fully-formed (Anna and Will!).
Do you ever write based on your dreams?
Good lord, no, I can never remember enough of my dreams for that to work. Besides, my dreams tend not to have plots.
Do you prefer happy endings, sad endings, or cliff-hangers?
Hmmm. I don't think I've ever written a cliff-hanger as a proper end to anything; that's just sloppy, really. I like happy endings, or at least satisfying endings.
Have you ever written anything based on an artwork you've seen?
Well, I pretty much constructed the Silver City plot on the basis of an Anselm Kiefer exhibition?
Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write?
YES. Well. By 'concerned with grammar' I mean 'concerned with how it sounds', which is sometimes but not always the same thing.
Ever write something entirely in chatspeak?
No.
Does music help you write?
YES. I can't write in silence. I have a main writing playlist called 'Suture' because I put it together for that fic, but now I use it for most things, and I keep adding to it. If a story has a very particular mood or if I want to write it to maybe two or three songs on repeat, it gets its own playlist.
Are people surprised and confused when they find out you write well?
What, in real life? Er. I have no idea. It doesn't really come up.
Quote something you've written.
Tony swayed across the room, inwardly congratulating sober-Tony on buying such a wonderful white shaggy carpet thing. It felt good between his toes. His -- toes.
"Jarvis, where're my shoes?"
"I'm afraid I cannot provide you with that information."
"What? Does that mean you don't know, or is this one of your, oh, Mr Stark is drunk and he's unwittingly triggered one of his own security clauses but instead of telling him outright I'll just be a giant silicon pain in the ass about it --"
"Had a bit of trouble with the word 'unwittingly', didn't we, sir?"
(from my Iron Man WIP, as a reminder to myself to finish it one of these days)
~
*I am really curious now! Tell me, dear flist: what is YOUR favourite thing that I've ever written?