Writing Ask Meme

[butterflydreaming]

 1) How many works in progress do you have?

A lot. A lot a lot. Actively, I have four fanfic in progress (Intended, Parfait, Timeslips & Tides, The Maiden Rescues) and semi-actively have two originals in progress (Stadium, The 13th Chime). Overall I have over a dozen that are in some state of progress and get worked on or looked at at least once a year.

2) Do you/would you write fanfiction?

Yes, I most certainly do. I don’t write for just anything, though, and I don’t write because I love a thing. It has to be broken in some way for me to fanfic it. For example, after seeing Tangled in the theater, I was impressed and happy with it. I didn’t start fic for it until I crossed over with Frozen, which is beautiful and has a lot to work with but it not a well-built story.

3) Do you prefer paperback or ebooks?

The magic of ebooks is that one small reader, weighing less than a mass market paperback copy of A Wrinkle in Time, can hold a larger library than a room of books. I am continually disappointed in people for not embracing ebooks harder. Ereaders are already outdated, niche tech. Reading is not as nice on a phone’s small screen!

4) When did you start writing?

Writers pretty much always say that they have been writing stories since they could write. Not me. I didn’t write the stories I made up, save two or three originals based on dreams. There was a little, really terrible Star Trek fanfic at 15, and a co-written Phantom of the Opera long fic in high school. 

I started writing with poetry, in my mid teens. I still consider myself a poet first. Writing Cardcaptor Sakura fanfic (starting almost 14 years ago to the day, btw) inspired me to write, complete, and share stories. “The Universe is Resting in My Arms” was the first fanfic I posted online, ever.

5) Do you have someone you trust that you share your work with?

I have had a (now inactive) writing group for my original work. I have a few friends I can share with, though I haven’t taken advantage of that much. I post 97% of my fanfic on AO3 to share with whoever wants to read it. 

6) Where is your favorite place to write?

In my head ;) 

At home. I have a hard time getting comfortable in public places (coffeeshops, a park) to “get in the zone.” I know I make faces when I write dialog!

7) Favorite book as a child?

D’Aulaire’s Greek Myths.

8) Writing for fun or for publication?

Both! It’s important that it be fun. Maybe if the money were more important, I would have more published. When my originals are done, they will be published even if my best choice is to publish them independently. I favor Indie, actually, over traditional.

9) Have you taken any writing classes?

Nope! My version of Self Taught Artist is that I read a wide range on fiction, read non-fiction, and take everything (books, movies, shows) apart to see how they were built.

10) What inspired you to write?

Writing Cardcaptor Sakura fanfic. But more than that, the Livejournal fan community for it, Tsukimine Shrine, and the weekly challenges we would try to meet. That got me used to finishing a one shot in a few days and sharing it. It made me aware of the importance and value of commenting on story and engaging with other writers. I was so lucky to be in that group, to be part of the 2004/2005 Livejournal summer, when a lot of writers were blogging and online writing was a thing to do socially. I was lucky to start in an anime fandom, I think.