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Jul. 30th, 2003 01:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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suzvoy:
Do ideas come in little tiny pinpricks and then get expanded, or do they start great big and scopy and then get refined?
Almost always little pinpricks--a line of dialogue here, an image there, sometimes a full-fledged scene. In fact, I don't remember a recent one that didn't start out that way.
Why do you choose to write in the tenses you do (present tense, or first person POV, or third person) and how do you choose particular styles for particular stories?
I don't really have much choice on what tense and POV I use. I open AppleWorks and start typing, and whatever tense and POV it comes out in is what it usually stays in. It's really kind of creepy, 'cause sometimes I'll work on an idea in my head before I can get to the computer, and have in mind what it's gonna sound like only to have it all blown to hell when the fingers start typing.
However, as a general rule, all fics longer than about five pages get written in past tense, usually third person POV. I hate reading long fics in present tense, and I refuse to inflict it on anyone (y'know, on those ultra-rare occasions when I actually write something longer than 1,000 words ;)).
Do you have music that inspires your writing? (That you listen to while writing, or certain songs that remind you of certain characters.)
I usually pick something quiet in iTunes and keep it on repeat while I'm writing. Generally it's whatever song I'm obsessing over at the moment. It usually fades into background noise as I get further into the fic.
How do you brainstorm what comes next in a story?
It just sort of happens. The few times I've actually written plotfics (the vast majority of which, I might add, are unfinished), I've used everything from lists to notes to pictoral representations of plot threads made in Photoshop.
What do you do when you hit a road block?
Bitch at Muse. If it's a small roadblock, I get up and walk around, maybe get something to eat/drink, go to the bathroom... Longer ones generally entail the fic sitting on the HD for several months or years. Sometimes I'll skip over that part and go on to another, later part in the fic. I'm working on steamrolling my way through the roadblocks, 'cause the second option is used far too frequently.
How often do you end up deleting a whole bunch of already-written stuff, and how hard is it to let that stuff go?
Every fic has at least one deleted paragraph in it. Most have two or three. Sometimes I do delete pages or entire scenes, and it's hard, but I can generally tell when it'll improve the fic.
What if you really, really want to include something but part of you is saying it's not right for that particular story?
Stealing Suz's answer: I try to work it into another story.
Do you take notes longhand, and if so, when?
Notes? Ha! Most of my fics are too short for notes. Those rare occasions when I make notes, it's almost always in a separate AppleWorks file. I can barely read my own handwriting, so it would be kinda stupid for me to write anything important on paper. ;)
Do you use challenges by other people to inspire you?
Not really. I'm always blindsided by fic ideas.
Do you do anything in particular to get you into the right mindset to write a certain character or characters?
Not really.
Which characters are easiest for you to write, and WHY?
Sam has been remarkably easy for me to write. Her and me, we're way too alike with the perfectionism and workaholicism, even if we're in totally different fields. Jack and John, because I like to have them make jokes and sarcastic comments. Aeryn is also easy to write. I'm not sure why; she just is.
Which ones are hardest, and again, WHY?
I'm not sure. I think if I find a character difficult to write, then I'll subconsciously push him/her to the background of the fic, and I'll never notice that I was having trouble writing them.
Which characters are most like you emotionally?
Sam. Oh, yes. For all kinds of reasons.
How often do you feel like what you're writing is fulfilling some emotional need - ie, when you're writing comfort, is it because you often feel that you don't get it IRL?
Hmmm. Never thought about that. If I do, then that would indicate that I need a sappy romance with dashes of angst in my life, since that's mostly what I write. I don't think so.
What about writing smut - do you find it easy, difficult?
Er...never written it. No plans to try.
What kinds of smut are easiest for you to write, and WHY?
N/A
Which of your stories is your favorite and WHY? Least favorite?
I like all my humor fics, because IMO, I do them well. I always make myself laugh, anyway. ;) I'll always have a special place in my heart for "A Rainstorm of Stars," 'cause I was fifteen and it was the first fic I wrote where I felt like I'd accomplished something really special with the imagery, and I learned that that kind of thing was what I liked to do. (It was also the first fic where I got a significant amount of feedback.) "Boxes" is also special to me because it was my first foray into Aeryn's mind, and it was the first time I'd used an extended metaphor in a way that I liked.
Least favorite...anything I wrote before high school, 'cause it all sucks.
How do you choose titles for your stories?
If it's short, I'll reread what I've written, and usually get a title out of that. If it's longer, I usually have a title ready. Then again, I suck at titles, so don't look at me for inspiration.
Do you write differently with a cowriter than you do alone? Is it easier or harder?
I only did that once, and it was way back in seventh grade with Jana. It was also the second fic I'd ever written, so I'm not so sure I can judge whether I wrote differently...it was all new to me at the time. And let's face it, I did most of the writing on that one, anyway.
Do you write original fic differently from fanfic (if you write it at all)?
You know the first question, about pinkpricks of ideas versus big things that need to be refined? Original fics are big ideas that need to be refined. Usually they get a few pages, then die because I've got too much info swirling around in my head, or I get distracted by fanfic. I'm working on taming the big ideas before they get too out of hand in my head, then starting to write, rather than trying to write and getting all confuzzled because I don't know where I'm going.
When a scene feels forced, what are the first few tricks you try to fix it?
More dialogue, more inner contemplations on the subject matter of the scene.
Are most of your fixes deletions or additions?
Yep. Sentences and words appear and disappear all the time when I fix.
How long does it usually take you to write a story? How many revisions do you go through?
Depends on length, of course. The ~500 word pieces I've been writing lately take about half an hour, at most, then a quick re-read for clarity. Some longer fics have taken months. Farskate took almost a year (although without the big break in the middle, I suppose it really only took two months to actually write it). I usually revise as I'm writing, if necessary, so the once-over afterwards is mostly to make sure all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed. Then some rewriting comes after a beta, usually...
Do you use beta readers?
'Bout half the time. For anything longer than 1,000 words, yes, no questions. For drabbles and things, not usually, unless there's something I'm not sure about.
*
Oh, God...just saw the memorial-looking pics from "Heroes" at Gateworld. I'm sitting here trying my damndest not to cry, and not succeeding. WAAAAAAHHHH!!! Daniel looking so sad and Sam up at the podium (would she be up there for anyone else that's not alive and well in the pictures?), I think, are what's getting me. *sob* Dammit, nobody ever dies on this show. I refuse to believe that Janet's dead forever. Refuse, I tell you! I have a nice condo in Denial-land and I'm staying here, dammit!
suzvoy:Do ideas come in little tiny pinpricks and then get expanded, or do they start great big and scopy and then get refined?
Almost always little pinpricks--a line of dialogue here, an image there, sometimes a full-fledged scene. In fact, I don't remember a recent one that didn't start out that way.
Why do you choose to write in the tenses you do (present tense, or first person POV, or third person) and how do you choose particular styles for particular stories?
I don't really have much choice on what tense and POV I use. I open AppleWorks and start typing, and whatever tense and POV it comes out in is what it usually stays in. It's really kind of creepy, 'cause sometimes I'll work on an idea in my head before I can get to the computer, and have in mind what it's gonna sound like only to have it all blown to hell when the fingers start typing.
However, as a general rule, all fics longer than about five pages get written in past tense, usually third person POV. I hate reading long fics in present tense, and I refuse to inflict it on anyone (y'know, on those ultra-rare occasions when I actually write something longer than 1,000 words ;)).
Do you have music that inspires your writing? (That you listen to while writing, or certain songs that remind you of certain characters.)
I usually pick something quiet in iTunes and keep it on repeat while I'm writing. Generally it's whatever song I'm obsessing over at the moment. It usually fades into background noise as I get further into the fic.
How do you brainstorm what comes next in a story?
It just sort of happens. The few times I've actually written plotfics (the vast majority of which, I might add, are unfinished), I've used everything from lists to notes to pictoral representations of plot threads made in Photoshop.
What do you do when you hit a road block?
Bitch at Muse. If it's a small roadblock, I get up and walk around, maybe get something to eat/drink, go to the bathroom... Longer ones generally entail the fic sitting on the HD for several months or years. Sometimes I'll skip over that part and go on to another, later part in the fic. I'm working on steamrolling my way through the roadblocks, 'cause the second option is used far too frequently.
How often do you end up deleting a whole bunch of already-written stuff, and how hard is it to let that stuff go?
Every fic has at least one deleted paragraph in it. Most have two or three. Sometimes I do delete pages or entire scenes, and it's hard, but I can generally tell when it'll improve the fic.
What if you really, really want to include something but part of you is saying it's not right for that particular story?
Stealing Suz's answer: I try to work it into another story.
Do you take notes longhand, and if so, when?
Notes? Ha! Most of my fics are too short for notes. Those rare occasions when I make notes, it's almost always in a separate AppleWorks file. I can barely read my own handwriting, so it would be kinda stupid for me to write anything important on paper. ;)
Do you use challenges by other people to inspire you?
Not really. I'm always blindsided by fic ideas.
Do you do anything in particular to get you into the right mindset to write a certain character or characters?
Not really.
Which characters are easiest for you to write, and WHY?
Sam has been remarkably easy for me to write. Her and me, we're way too alike with the perfectionism and workaholicism, even if we're in totally different fields. Jack and John, because I like to have them make jokes and sarcastic comments. Aeryn is also easy to write. I'm not sure why; she just is.
Which ones are hardest, and again, WHY?
I'm not sure. I think if I find a character difficult to write, then I'll subconsciously push him/her to the background of the fic, and I'll never notice that I was having trouble writing them.
Which characters are most like you emotionally?
Sam. Oh, yes. For all kinds of reasons.
How often do you feel like what you're writing is fulfilling some emotional need - ie, when you're writing comfort, is it because you often feel that you don't get it IRL?
Hmmm. Never thought about that. If I do, then that would indicate that I need a sappy romance with dashes of angst in my life, since that's mostly what I write. I don't think so.
What about writing smut - do you find it easy, difficult?
Er...never written it. No plans to try.
What kinds of smut are easiest for you to write, and WHY?
N/A
Which of your stories is your favorite and WHY? Least favorite?
I like all my humor fics, because IMO, I do them well. I always make myself laugh, anyway. ;) I'll always have a special place in my heart for "A Rainstorm of Stars," 'cause I was fifteen and it was the first fic I wrote where I felt like I'd accomplished something really special with the imagery, and I learned that that kind of thing was what I liked to do. (It was also the first fic where I got a significant amount of feedback.) "Boxes" is also special to me because it was my first foray into Aeryn's mind, and it was the first time I'd used an extended metaphor in a way that I liked.
Least favorite...anything I wrote before high school, 'cause it all sucks.
How do you choose titles for your stories?
If it's short, I'll reread what I've written, and usually get a title out of that. If it's longer, I usually have a title ready. Then again, I suck at titles, so don't look at me for inspiration.
Do you write differently with a cowriter than you do alone? Is it easier or harder?
I only did that once, and it was way back in seventh grade with Jana. It was also the second fic I'd ever written, so I'm not so sure I can judge whether I wrote differently...it was all new to me at the time. And let's face it, I did most of the writing on that one, anyway.
Do you write original fic differently from fanfic (if you write it at all)?
You know the first question, about pinkpricks of ideas versus big things that need to be refined? Original fics are big ideas that need to be refined. Usually they get a few pages, then die because I've got too much info swirling around in my head, or I get distracted by fanfic. I'm working on taming the big ideas before they get too out of hand in my head, then starting to write, rather than trying to write and getting all confuzzled because I don't know where I'm going.
When a scene feels forced, what are the first few tricks you try to fix it?
More dialogue, more inner contemplations on the subject matter of the scene.
Are most of your fixes deletions or additions?
Yep. Sentences and words appear and disappear all the time when I fix.
How long does it usually take you to write a story? How many revisions do you go through?
Depends on length, of course. The ~500 word pieces I've been writing lately take about half an hour, at most, then a quick re-read for clarity. Some longer fics have taken months. Farskate took almost a year (although without the big break in the middle, I suppose it really only took two months to actually write it). I usually revise as I'm writing, if necessary, so the once-over afterwards is mostly to make sure all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed. Then some rewriting comes after a beta, usually...
Do you use beta readers?
'Bout half the time. For anything longer than 1,000 words, yes, no questions. For drabbles and things, not usually, unless there's something I'm not sure about.
*
Oh, God...just saw the memorial-looking pics from "Heroes" at Gateworld. I'm sitting here trying my damndest not to cry, and not succeeding. WAAAAAAHHHH!!! Daniel looking so sad and Sam up at the podium (would she be up there for anyone else that's not alive and well in the pictures?), I think, are what's getting me. *sob* Dammit, nobody ever dies on this show. I refuse to believe that Janet's dead forever. Refuse, I tell you! I have a nice condo in Denial-land and I'm staying here, dammit!
