"Interview" meme
This was interesting.
Gacked from katherine_b:
How about a brief introduction?
I'm Tracy, aka Sue DeNimme. I'm an SF/fantasy fan. My number one fandom right now is Doctor Who. Other main fandoms are Lord of the Rings and Star Trek (DS9 and TOS). Doctor Who is the one I write in currently.
Fabulous! And what got you into fanfiction to begin with?
I don't know if anything "got me into it". I just always liked trying to write my own stories about the Star Trek characters as a kid. I never finished any, however, until I started writing DS9 fic in the 90's.
I see. So what kind of fanfiction do you like to write?
Character study vignettes for the most part. Mostly angst, but with a ray of hope or consolation -- I don't care much for the type of angst that never lets up with the wanking and wallowing. Rarely fluff. I did a bunch of drabbles for LOTR, but on average my stories are between 1000-2000 words.
I focus on one character in whatever fandom I'm particularly obsessed with. I don't do romance unless it's canonical, and even then I only focus on that one character.
I can't help it, I like sticking to canon. That's what I find interesting and challenging.
Do you find writing easy? Hard? What are the aspects of writing you struggle most with?
Writing is easy when I have a strong idea that won't let go of my mind until I write it. However, I don't think I could come up with an actual plot if I had a gun to my head.
Are there any fanfiction clichés or trends you're sick of or just can't stand?
How much time do you have? Let's see. I'll read some slash, because some of it does have some interesting insights into the characters, but I find most of it hard or impossible to fit into my vision of them. I don't care for RPF, whether slash or gen (it feels intrusive and makes me uncomfortable). I roll my eyes at mpreg and babyfic in general.
I tend to skip fix-its and AU's. They make me think of someone plugging their ears and going "la la la, I can't hear you!" I much prefer fic that deals with the canon and what happened in it rather than ignoring or whitewashing it.
What really annoys me is the assumption that shipping is the end-all and be-all of fanfic. Not that I don't ship, but my shipping is *friend*shipping. What is this idea that a platonic friendship can't possibly be as interesting or as deep as a romantic/sexual relationship? It seems that somehow everyone's gotten it into their heads that platonic equals boring and shallow, and that the depths haven't been truly explored until and unless someone has an orgasm.
Are you guilty of any fanfiction clichés you hate? Or any other ones?
I never did do the Mary Sue thing even when I was young. (I was much more interested in the existing characters than inserting myself, or some idealized version of myself, into the mix.)
I have dabbled a little in slash (LOTR), but it's not really for me.
What was the first fandom you wrote for, and do you still like/participate in it?
TOS, as a kid, though I never finished any stories. In the 90's I did a smattering of DS9 fics, focusing on Odo. (Some Odo/Kira, but even that was focused primarily on Odo.)
Name your OTPs or most frequently written pairings/characters and explain what it is about them that you love to write.
I don't have any OTPs. See above.
My favorite character to write at the moment is Ten (the Tenth Doctor). In LOTR, it was Frodo. In DS9, it was Odo.
EDIT Oh, I forgot the explaining part!
These three characters are very different. The Doctor is a brilliant time-traveling alien who solves cosmic crises and saves civilizations pretty much for fun. Frodo is a humble hobbit faced with the impossible task of saving just one world. Odo is a shapechanging cop who must oppose his own people, a race of devious conquerors. But they all have one thing in common: they're each outsiders (in their own way) and they're all very angsty, complex, fascinating beings.
Do you read other people’s fanfic? If so, what do you find yourself reading the most?
Sure, I read other people's fanfic. Mostly the type of fic I like to write. Some romance stuff, because that's the majority of what's out there.
Name one thing you'd LOVE to write, but have been too afraid or shy to do.
A long, involving adventure story with angst and drama and humor. The problem is, I have trouble with plots. I have ideas for messes and conflicts that the characters could get into, but I get stuck trying to think of how they get into them, or how they get out.
Do you have trouble taking criticism? Or worse yet, do you have the dreaded bloated ego?
I won't lie, criticism does hurt, but if it's constructive and given in a spirit of trying to help, I go back and examine my work, and if I agree with the criticism, I'll fix it and thank the person.
When you write, is there anything that helps? Music? Quiet room?
Quiet room is best.
What inspires you?
I dunno... whatever show, movie, or book I'm focused on, and the one particular character that is my favorite.
Lastly, how would you sum up your fanfiction experiences and yourself as a writer?
Mostly harmless. Haha. No really, it's generally been positive.
I think my strength is in economy: putting a lot of emotion into a few words or sentences. I'm good with spelling and grammar, and with word choice (I'd like to think). I've also been told that I'm good at capturing the characters' voices.
And I have fun. What else is there?
Gacked from katherine_b:
How about a brief introduction?
I'm Tracy, aka Sue DeNimme. I'm an SF/fantasy fan. My number one fandom right now is Doctor Who. Other main fandoms are Lord of the Rings and Star Trek (DS9 and TOS). Doctor Who is the one I write in currently.
Fabulous! And what got you into fanfiction to begin with?
I don't know if anything "got me into it". I just always liked trying to write my own stories about the Star Trek characters as a kid. I never finished any, however, until I started writing DS9 fic in the 90's.
I see. So what kind of fanfiction do you like to write?
Character study vignettes for the most part. Mostly angst, but with a ray of hope or consolation -- I don't care much for the type of angst that never lets up with the wanking and wallowing. Rarely fluff. I did a bunch of drabbles for LOTR, but on average my stories are between 1000-2000 words.
I focus on one character in whatever fandom I'm particularly obsessed with. I don't do romance unless it's canonical, and even then I only focus on that one character.
I can't help it, I like sticking to canon. That's what I find interesting and challenging.
Do you find writing easy? Hard? What are the aspects of writing you struggle most with?
Writing is easy when I have a strong idea that won't let go of my mind until I write it. However, I don't think I could come up with an actual plot if I had a gun to my head.
Are there any fanfiction clichés or trends you're sick of or just can't stand?
How much time do you have? Let's see. I'll read some slash, because some of it does have some interesting insights into the characters, but I find most of it hard or impossible to fit into my vision of them. I don't care for RPF, whether slash or gen (it feels intrusive and makes me uncomfortable). I roll my eyes at mpreg and babyfic in general.
I tend to skip fix-its and AU's. They make me think of someone plugging their ears and going "la la la, I can't hear you!" I much prefer fic that deals with the canon and what happened in it rather than ignoring or whitewashing it.
What really annoys me is the assumption that shipping is the end-all and be-all of fanfic. Not that I don't ship, but my shipping is *friend*shipping. What is this idea that a platonic friendship can't possibly be as interesting or as deep as a romantic/sexual relationship? It seems that somehow everyone's gotten it into their heads that platonic equals boring and shallow, and that the depths haven't been truly explored until and unless someone has an orgasm.
Are you guilty of any fanfiction clichés you hate? Or any other ones?
I never did do the Mary Sue thing even when I was young. (I was much more interested in the existing characters than inserting myself, or some idealized version of myself, into the mix.)
I have dabbled a little in slash (LOTR), but it's not really for me.
What was the first fandom you wrote for, and do you still like/participate in it?
TOS, as a kid, though I never finished any stories. In the 90's I did a smattering of DS9 fics, focusing on Odo. (Some Odo/Kira, but even that was focused primarily on Odo.)
Name your OTPs or most frequently written pairings/characters and explain what it is about them that you love to write.
I don't have any OTPs. See above.
My favorite character to write at the moment is Ten (the Tenth Doctor). In LOTR, it was Frodo. In DS9, it was Odo.
EDIT Oh, I forgot the explaining part!
These three characters are very different. The Doctor is a brilliant time-traveling alien who solves cosmic crises and saves civilizations pretty much for fun. Frodo is a humble hobbit faced with the impossible task of saving just one world. Odo is a shapechanging cop who must oppose his own people, a race of devious conquerors. But they all have one thing in common: they're each outsiders (in their own way) and they're all very angsty, complex, fascinating beings.
Do you read other people’s fanfic? If so, what do you find yourself reading the most?
Sure, I read other people's fanfic. Mostly the type of fic I like to write. Some romance stuff, because that's the majority of what's out there.
Name one thing you'd LOVE to write, but have been too afraid or shy to do.
A long, involving adventure story with angst and drama and humor. The problem is, I have trouble with plots. I have ideas for messes and conflicts that the characters could get into, but I get stuck trying to think of how they get into them, or how they get out.
Do you have trouble taking criticism? Or worse yet, do you have the dreaded bloated ego?
I won't lie, criticism does hurt, but if it's constructive and given in a spirit of trying to help, I go back and examine my work, and if I agree with the criticism, I'll fix it and thank the person.
When you write, is there anything that helps? Music? Quiet room?
Quiet room is best.
What inspires you?
I dunno... whatever show, movie, or book I'm focused on, and the one particular character that is my favorite.
Lastly, how would you sum up your fanfiction experiences and yourself as a writer?
Mostly harmless. Haha. No really, it's generally been positive.
I think my strength is in economy: putting a lot of emotion into a few words or sentences. I'm good with spelling and grammar, and with word choice (I'd like to think). I've also been told that I'm good at capturing the characters' voices.
And I have fun. What else is there?