From sue-denimme. :)
How about a brief introduction?
The name's ladyhadhafang -- currently into Star Wars and Doctor Who, amongst other fandoms. Mostly trying to survive NOVA if I can.
Fabulous! And what got you into fanfiction to begin with?
Well, back when I was in Harry Potter fandom (I still have a soft spot for that that fandom, to an extent. :), I was looking for a certain Harry/Ginny essay when I randomly stumbled across the fanfiction tab on Mugglenet and got into fanfiction -- mostly the fanfiction that was predicting how Book Six would turn out (this was way before HBP came out, obviously). Eventually, I started branching out into other fandoms, and the rest, shall we say, is history.
I see. So what kind of fanfiction do you like to write?
Mostly, I like writing angst and/or character studies. I dunno -- I'm just a sucker for angst. I really can't write a story unless there's some degree of angst/Break the Cutie in there. Also, AUs -- lots and lots of AUs. Some of which can get pretty complicated. Heck, I'll admit, the stories I write can get complicated -- I think the Role Reversal Verse might be the most complicated AU I've ever written thus far. Occasionally, I like writing hurt/comfort fic, as well as...well, I'm not sure about the word "fluff", but at least stories where you at least take a break from the action a bit and add some humor and relaxation and whatnot. So yeah...I'm all about the character beats.
Do you find writing easy? Hard? What are the aspects of writing you struggle most with?
Well, I think it's a little of everything, and that's honestly half the fun. And half the misery, sometimes. I'm kind of a perfectionist (unfortunately), so I'll admit I tend to get really nervous and think, "Would X do this? Would Y do that?" I know it's actually one reason I can't really look at my early attempts at writing Simm!Master (in the Doctor Who fandom) because...*Buries face in hands in embarrassment* Seriously, self -- what were you thinking?
And in terms of writing Star Wars fanfic, I'll admit, I struggle with the technical aspects, e.g. the technology, the little differences in terms of this world vs. our world, as well as fights. I mean, I love writing fights, but it's the matter of slowing them down, getting some realism in, what-have-you, which I'll admit is really a bitch to do. Not to mention capturing the tone/feel of the old work; for example, the matter of Star Wars' tone -- I'll admit there are times when the Doctor Who influence kind of creeps over into that, or vice versa, or in other mediums, which...I'll admit kind of makes me worry whether or not I'm getting it right. I really envy those who can capture the original flavor of the show/movie/book/what-have-you they're writing for. Seriously? You guys are awesome. :3
Are there any fanfiction clichés or trends you're sick of or just can't stand?
That's honestly a very good question. But I will admit that I'm rather sick of the whole Ron the Death Eater/Draco in Leather Pants thing -- for those not familiar with TV Tropes, it's basically demonizing another character or whitewashing another character for the sake of the plot, etc. I mean, I can definitely understand writing the character as one sees it, but at the very least, portraying them as a one-dimensional OOC bad guy or a fluffy bunny...well, it's kind of problematic, really. Especially when it's combined with Die For Our Ship. Also really not a big fan of Hate Fics or Revenge Fics -- they just make me feel a bit uncomfortable. And variations on the matter -- for example, a long while ago on the Doctor Who Fan Fic Recs page on TV Tropes, there was one fanfic with Harriet Jones punishing the Doctor (sort of) regarding his actions in "The Christmas Invasion". Now, I can understand why people would be upset with the Doctor regarding that (I mean, Ten, I adore you, but that was just a real fail moment on your part), but what really bothered me was that...honestly, it seemed more like a rant fic than anything else. I would have definitely preferred if the author went into both Harriet and the Doctor's arguments -- Harriet standing by the fact that she did the right thing, and the Doctor standing by the fact that there should have been a better way.
Then again, I guess I'm a bit too inquisitive for my own good. I always want to figure out why people do what they do, what drives them, stuff like that, and I think writing is a real opportunity to do that.
Are you guilty of any fanfiction clichés you hate? Or any other ones?
I'll confess, back in my early days, I was pretty guilty of Ron the Death Eater. I know Obi-Wan was kind of a target of that; I know one fanfic I wrote (which I think has been lost to history, though I'm not sure), back when I was on my "I hate Obi-Wan" high, where Obi-Wan disobeyed Yoda's "take Luke to Tatooine to be raised by his relatives" and raised Luke himself as a Tyke Bomb to take down Vader -- and then Luke, of course, having enough of Obi-Wan's bullshit and joining Vader's side. (From what I can recall) Which...while it was cathartic, in a sense (at least at the time), it didn't feel satisfying. I honestly liked it better when I was delving into Obi-Wan's head and finding out why he did what he did. And back when I was writing in the LOTF era (which back then, I'll admit I did a lot), doing a bit of a fan continuation of another fic (which I didn't really post -- trust me, a lot of that stuff...I'm not exactly a prolific poster of fanfic. I get self-conscious, I guess. XD)...well, let's just say I did a lot of venting, in a sense. Not to mention last year when I kind of scrapped some of what I was doing in the RR-verse and started over because I was worried that I was writing Luke OOC even for the circumstances. So yeah, guys? Don't do the whole Ron the Death Eater thing. At least, find a way to make it work. Just show us why character X or character Y would do what they do. I think that's what matters, in the end.
What was the first fandom you wrote for, and do you still like/participate in it?
The Harry Potter fandom was the first fandom I wrote for. I still have a degree of fondness for it, even though I don't really participate in it that much.
Name your OTPs or most frequently written pairings/characters and explain what it is about them that you love to write.
Anakin Skywalker, if only because he's a very fascinating character. There's a lot of depth and layers to him, and that definitely makes him fun to write. Also, I know this may or may not sound ironic, but I really love writing Luke -- just sort of exploring what makes him tick. Also really love writing the character of Darth Caedus, if only because of how complex he is, and Padme, just because she's so insanely likable. Same with Obi-Wan, really. And in terms of the Doctor Who fandom, I really love writing the Ninth Doctor, if only because of all the layers there are to him. And the Master, if only for the same reason -- even if he is a bit of a bitch to write. Also, Rose Tyler, because she's ridiculously awesome. :3 In terms of pairings, I really like writing Anakin/Padme, if only because...well, it was definitely one of my first OTPs. I read the novelizations and promptly fell in love with them -- and I'll admit, I write a lot of AUs/Fix Fics for them (and read a lot of them as well). Also, Doctor/Rose -- I know I've written a bit of it for my AU with the Ninth Doctor in the Tenth Doctor's era. And the dynamic between the Doctor and the Master, in whatever form there is. I guess I'm just a sucker for the We Used To Be Friends Trope. (*Watches too much STAR WARS. XD*)
Do you read other people’s fanfic? If so, what do you find yourself reading the most?
Of course. :) Mostly, I read whatever strikes my fancy. Stuff that strikes me as "Hey, that sounds awesome!" or what-have-you. I read a lot of KOTOR fic, mostly, and DOCTOR WHO fic. And STAR WARS fic.
Name one thing you'd LOVE to write, but have been too afraid or shy to do.
Oh Jesus, so many. I know I'd love to write something in the Classic era of DOCTOR WHO, but I'll admit I'm still playing catch-up with a lot of the stories. Same with the Big Finish audio dramas -- granted, they finally had the decency to release some of the Big Finish stuff on iTunes (and about damn time too!), but at the same time...well, I guess I'm a bit nervous that I might be a bit out of my league there. Also, I'd love to write something with River Song, but I'm worried that I might cause a few continuity errors in her timeline or get her out of character or what-have-you. I'd also love to write something with Donna (because she's fucking awesome. :3), but I'm worried that I might get her out of character as well.
In terms of non-textual stuff, I'd definitely love to do a KOTOR mod sometime. I know Allronix actually did a dialogue pack for KOTOR sometime, and I'd love to do something like that, but I'll admit, the stuff that goes into a mod...well, I'm a bit intimidated. XD
And back on the topic of fic, I'd love to just sit down and be able to write fluff or whatnot. That would be nice. Unfortunately...well, there's this wonderful quote from the Classic Doctor Who episode "Mark of the Rani" regarding the Master (said by the Rani herself): "I think he'd get dizzy if he tried to walk in a straight line." Which I think, if you change the pronouns, sums up a lot of me and writing my stories, unfortunately. XD (Oh, Rani. You are awesome. :3)
Do you have trouble taking criticism? Or worse yet, do you have the dreaded bloated ego?
I'm usually pretty good at taking criticism, really. Then again, I mostly have a bit of a nervous reaction sometimes to posting my fic; I know I get worried about, "Oh God, did I get this right" and yadda yadda yadda. Stuff like that.
When you write, is there anything that helps? Music? Quiet room?
Well, no distractions, for one thing. And the appropriate music. I guess the trouble is sometimes finding the appropriate music; I mean, for example, I don't want to end up writing an epic duel to the death with, say, "I Wanna Be Sedated" by the Ramones or "One Night In Bangkok" by Murray Head playing in the background. XD (Okay, granted, I've never really gotten to that point, but yeah...I get a bit neurotic about finding the right soundtrack. XD)
What inspires you?
A lot of things, really. But mostly possibilities, things that bug me, etc.
Lastly, how would you sum up your fanfiction experiences and yourself as a writer?
In terms of fanfiction experiences, it's been fucking awesome, and way better than I ever would have expected! :D
In terms of myself as a writer...well, I'm a pretty damn emotional writer. I know that some of my favorite scenes to write are moments of really high emotion. And I tend to go for the epic. I'm a stickler for spelling and grammar, but even I can have some of my "huh?" moments, e.g. leaving out words by mistake. I've been told I'm pretty good at getting characters' voices down, which is definitely good -- I know sometimes they can be a major bitch to get on the page. XD. I'm very much one for super epic plots, with a lot of character moments, etc. Basically -- I just love writing for the sake of writing. Because honestly? It's fucking awesome. :)