Because procrastinating is so much FUN...
Yes, I know I haven't posted my answers to the last two memes. Yes, I am aware of the irony of posting a meme about fanfic writing when I wrote all of one story last year. Yes, I know that I promised myself I'd finish a story before the end of the month. And yes, I think I've done this meme (or one very similar) before. Nevertheless, I have swiped this fanfic writing meme from shipperx:
1. Why do you write fanfic? Because it's fun; because it's good practice; because I probably won't ever have the stamina to work in the pro market; and because I'm passionate about art, free speech, and fair use. It's good to be passionate about something, and those are my issues. I'm just fortunate that fanfic happens to intersect them.
2. When did you write your first fanfic and which fandom was it for? I've always made up fanfics in my head. As far as writing them down for other people, that started nine or ten years ago on the Blake's 7 Lyst. (Actually, somebody told me this week that that first fic I wrote is still her favorite of mine. I can't decide whether I should be thrilled to have written something she found memorable, or mortified not to have written something she likes better since then. Nerts.)
3. Which fandoms do you, or have you, written for? Blake's 7, Buffy, Numb3rs, Stargate SG-1, Harry Potter, House M.D., Labyrinth. In crossovers and snippets, I've touched on Doctor Who, Highlander, and Joan of Arcadia; and I have crossovers with Star Wars, Thursday Next, and Alice in Wonderland in the planning stages.
4. Do you read much fanfic or do you mainly write? I confess that I rarely read fanfic. Only stuff written or recommended by people whose tastes I trust; and maybe once or twice a year I'll spend an evening reading. So, if I'm writing at all, I'm probably writing more.
5. What comes easiest for you when writing? (dialogue, descriptions, plot, characterizations, humour, angst...) Dude. None of it's easy. None of it. Well, unless making up silly crossover and crackfic scenarios counts. Would you like to hear the one about Avon and Vila finding a ditzy blonde Jeanie in a bottle?
6. Which genres do you mainly write? (action, angst, dark, drama, horror, humour...) Much to my chagrin, humour seems to be dominating. I prefer to combine genres, however. I'd do more drama, but I don't think my particular set of themes would be very popular with the fanfic-reading crowd, though. I shall probably stick with the nice, safe crackfic.
7. Which genres will you not write? I only write gen, or occasionally very mild het. Within those boundaries, though, I'll write pretty much anything. And I actually would write something stronger if I had what I thought was an important story that required and justified it.
8. Are reader comments/responses important? Well, they're certainly nice. I like to know that people are enjoying my work. Writing into a vacuum would be hard, but I think I'd still do it.
9. Do you use a beta reader? I do for anything long and plotty. For short pieces, it depends on how confident I am about whether I've fulfilled my intent, or whether it needs Brit-picking, something like that.
10. Which is your favorite character to write fanfic for and why? Well... Jarriere, because he's easy, and hardly anybody writes him. And Giles. I love to write Giles, when I can actually think of something for him to do. But I find that without a plot, Giles in my hands tends to become maudlin; so I wait for a plot. Oh, and Spike has a larger-than-life quality that makes him fun, though I haven't done him in a while.
11. Which are your favorite ships (including friendships) that you write the most? Avon & Vila, Jarriere & Vila, Soolin & Vila, Willow/Snape. And I love to write House & Wilson, though I don't have anything with them ready to post yet.
12. Do you have characters that are so strongly established that they're in your heads? Oh, yes. Avon and Snape, mostly. Giles, Spike, Jarriere and Larry make occasional appearances, too.
13. Which characters are you most comfortable doing a POV for? Which is the hardest? Jarriere and Jenna are the easiest, like turning on a light switch. Bayban is scarily easy, emphasis on the scary bit. Avon ought to be easy, but he's not, and that's mostly because I don't think that my idea of the inside of Avon's head matches up very well with the rest of fandom's, so I have to edit it quite a bit. Giles and Larry can be easy or hard, depending on what I'm trying to do with them--for example, Larry's voice is pretty easy, but sometimes the content of his dialogue is out of my reach. Hoggle is easy, which surprises me, because I'm just not that interested in him.
As for who's hard, well. Blake is excruciating. And Angel is just not there.