40 Questions Meme Part Two
What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever come across?
To just keep writing, which is hard, and sometimes you go through that lull where the ideas dry up, you hit the wall, you just don’t feel the motivation. I went through a long spell last year of no ideas, and my writing dropped off a lot BUT I kept at it, even if it was just adding a few words to WIP’s every week. They might not have been used words, but I still did something and that’s better than nothing. So yeah, even in the tough times, write something, a new line is better than no words.
What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever come across?
I don’t think I’ve come across bad advice, or if I have I’ve ignored it, it hasn’t entered my psyche, I’ve brushed it off as something not worth keeping in my brain. I have learned writing fanfic, how to brush off the negatives, which takes time I think, because when you’re new to it the negatives really impact you. But they also make you stronger. If I had to give any advice, it would be to turn the negative into a positive somehow.
Choose a passage from one of your earlier fics and edit it into your current writing style.
I wouldn’t know how to do this so I’m not going to do it. There is one particular fic that needs to be edited mainly because I change tenses halfway through and I wonder what the hell I was thinking posting it the way I did, but you learn from your mistakes and sometimes you have to live with them.
If you were to revise one of your older fics from start to finish, which would it be and why?
Possibly ‘Incubator’ - just because it started off as one thing and I delved deeper into the ‘Universe’ I’d set it in, I changed some of the rules and earlier chapters contradict those rules or made later chapters harder to write. It was never meant to become a series, so I think I’d take it all back, decide on my solid grounding of the ‘verse’ and then make revisions. I think I made Danny far more complicated at the beginning. I’d have wrote them a little younger. But in saying that, it is what it is and considering the content (Slavery, MPreg) it was hugely accepted by my readers and I do treasure it as one of my babies.
Have you ever deleted one of your published fics?
Only accidentally. I was preparing to post ‘Saving Christmas 2’ and was looking through ‘Saving Christmas 1’ to add tags, when I managed to delete the entire fic. But it got re-posted ASAP.
What do you look for in a beta?
I don’t - I’ve found it very difficult to connect with beta’s over the years. I know some people click and some people use their friends, so the relationship has built over time. That’s never happened for me, although I know if I posted requesting a beta at 1_million_words there are a plethora of people who’d jump to my aid, so it’s nice to have the fall back of that.
Sometimes I just feel like I’m putting upon people as well, who have lives and their own writing to concentrate on. I don’t like to infringe on their much valued time.
Do you beta yourself? If so, what kind of beta are you?
On occasion I will beta but it’s rare, especially these days. Work commitments have changed, so my own writing is much slower because of that and I can’t give time to a beta read like I know should be given. That said if someone really needed the help I’d not say no and I’d be touched they’d asked.
How do you feel about collaborations?
I envy people who can collaborate. There are people I’d love to collaborate with because I love their writing style and would love the chance to ‘mind meld’ with them lol but I’m probably too chicken to ask/suggest a collaboration. I think it would be an interesting process, because everyone approaches their writing differently, everyone works at a different pace, they think different, write different. But putting that together, like rare pairs, a gem always comes of such pairings.
Share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much.
Oh so so many! I feel bad for leaving people out - I’m always AMAZED at what the fanfic that comes out of the 1_million_words community. We’re all so different but I’ve even read fandoms I don’t even know about because the fics are written so well.
Some personal favourites though :
Thtwzjustadream - every fic is a joy to read, I love dreamies style, energy, focus and beautiful storytelling. When the ‘Pool so Deep’ series appeared I about handed in my notice for writing BDSM, because it’s gorgeously written. I was like damn! In a good way, a very very ‘I worship at your altar’ type of way.
Xanthestories - Particularly ‘The General and Doctor Sheppard’ series because it introduced me mainly to the BDSM genre, especially of the fully invested Dom/sub verses of which are plentiful these days. But I’ve seen and read none as intricate, complicated and full flowing as the universe ‘Xanthe’ created and put out there. Just amazing writing. A -MAZ-ING!
Somehowunbroken - I wasn’t even a John/Cam shipper until I read brokens fics. Then I was fully invested, completely won over, wondered how I’d ever missed such a ship because OF COURSE THEY ARE TOGETHER. Also who doesn’t love a bit of Lorne thrown in, and Parrish and yeah, a whole host of ships just amazingly written. And if SG1/SGA isn’t your bag, there’s a whole host of Danny/Steve to keep one happy and reading forever.
Do you accept prompts?
ALWAYS! I might not always use a prompt, but I appreciate a prompt and sometimes they do spur on an idea. I love prompts, I love how people think outside the box sometimes when coming up with them. Prompts are like food to the muse.
Do you take liberties with canon or are you very strict about your fic being canon compliant?
Hmm, well I write Slash so I guess I take liberties. It all depends on the fandom I guess, certain things I keep compliant, like in H50 I love the core four, but some fics I keep the addition of Jenna or Grover. I really liked Jenna, so I like to have her around. I liked Catherine as well, but I’ve never been able to write her well and being a Steve/Danny writer I tend to just gloss over her or have her as a secondary character, a friends only.
How do you feel about smut?
I write smut so I don’t have a problem with it.
How do you feel about crack?
I enjoy reading some crack, especially if it’s well written. I have on occasion wrote it myself, but it’s very rare and I need a very good idea in order for it to work. Some people are very very good at writing it.
What are your thoughts on non-con and dub-con?
I think it’s very difficult to guage. I wrote something a while back that would be classed as dub-con but I didn’t post it because I didn’t like how I ended it and felt it wasn’t respectful of a situation people go through. I think it depends on why it is written, not gloryfying or saying it is acceptable.
Would you ever kill off a canon character?
I have killed off canon characters twice. Once was Kono in a kind of ‘what if’ fic of what if Kono had died instead of Malia.
I also killed off Diefenbaker the ‘wolf’ in Due South. It was a future fic and he couldn't live forever, but I still cried at killing him off.
Sidenote: When I began writing the ‘Incubator’ Danny’s father Nick had died when he was only a boy. There series developed and I wrote a prequel about Danny’s fathers and how they met, so Nick became more than just a name. I’ve written the story of how Nick died , although I’ve never posted it. I’ve found it’s one of the most difficult things to do, killing off your own character.
I also wrote Danny and Steve’s deaths, but again they were old men by this time and in the ‘Incubator’ verse so they don’t exactly count as ‘canon’.
Which is your favorite site to post fic?
A03
Talk about your current wips.
One is the case fic ‘Mermaids’ I’m kind of taking my time with on and off.
The other is a new fic for the ‘Wear No Disguise’ verse.
Talk about a review that made your day.
There isn’t any one in particular. I love reviews, they do feed the writers soul so any kind word is gratefully accepted. I’ve had reviews that have helped me steer the fic in a certain direction, I’ve had reviews that just bolster me on to finish when I was lacking the motivation. I also love the reviews that come months or even years after a piece is posted, that just tell you people are still finding enjoyment out of the fic. Sometimes when I write a small companion piece for a ‘verse’ that I maybe haven’t touched on for a long time, and you get the gushing feedback of how much a person loves the ‘verse’ and misses it. Yeah I love reviews and kudos and just the kind word of someone who took something from the piece.
Do you ever get rude reviews and how do you deal with them?
Gosh all of the time. I love it when people have a go because of a ‘verse’ fic they have read. I’ve had to defend a lot of my writing when I wrote and posted ‘The Incubator’ - being Slave fic I decided from the start it was going to be a verse where slavery is very much part of the makeup of the world they live in, that it is a part of life, that slave and free very much rely and need one another. So that’s how it is written and no, of course it isn’t fair and it is unequal, but it’s also almost symbiotic. But some people for whatever reason don’t like it or don’t get it and they hate the fact Danny is a slave owner who doesn’t fight the system. I purposefully made Danny complicated and almost blindly following the system as well as living differently to the expected norm. I unabashedly argue the point, despite that it might lose me some readers.
I also find it very hard in certain fandoms to even write/post in them anymore. Due South is especially difficult I’ve found, so although I love the show and would write more, I found people were very close minded when it came to certain points. I posted a fic that drew some very difficult reviews to take, saying I obviously wasn’t a fan, that the characters were all OOC, that I shouldn’t continue etc. It was tough but now that a few years have gone by, I still stand by the fic I wrote and I’m proud of it. I’ve found that it’s a very tight little community and sometimes fandoms can be like that, so I’ve not gotten involved. It’s not the best way to be I think, fandom shouldn’t be full of wars and arguments but unfortunately a lot can be so I lurk more than I get involved.
Write an alternative ending to [insert fic title] (or just the summary of one).
I wouldn’t change the endings to any of my completed fics.
I’ve already mentioned I had written a different ending to Break Me Down where Danny died but I just couldn’t follow through, I needed the story to have a hopeful end.
I also wrote a different scenario for ‘Prodigal Son’ as part of The Incubator Verse, where Nathan returns but didn’t want anything to do with Steve because he was a slave. But again, I think I’d put Steve through so much in the stories that I wanted some happiness and something uplifting in his journey and future so I changed my idea for Nathan and his re-joining the family.
Both changes were made before I posted the fics.
To just keep writing, which is hard, and sometimes you go through that lull where the ideas dry up, you hit the wall, you just don’t feel the motivation. I went through a long spell last year of no ideas, and my writing dropped off a lot BUT I kept at it, even if it was just adding a few words to WIP’s every week. They might not have been used words, but I still did something and that’s better than nothing. So yeah, even in the tough times, write something, a new line is better than no words.
What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever come across?
I don’t think I’ve come across bad advice, or if I have I’ve ignored it, it hasn’t entered my psyche, I’ve brushed it off as something not worth keeping in my brain. I have learned writing fanfic, how to brush off the negatives, which takes time I think, because when you’re new to it the negatives really impact you. But they also make you stronger. If I had to give any advice, it would be to turn the negative into a positive somehow.
Choose a passage from one of your earlier fics and edit it into your current writing style.
I wouldn’t know how to do this so I’m not going to do it. There is one particular fic that needs to be edited mainly because I change tenses halfway through and I wonder what the hell I was thinking posting it the way I did, but you learn from your mistakes and sometimes you have to live with them.
If you were to revise one of your older fics from start to finish, which would it be and why?
Possibly ‘Incubator’ - just because it started off as one thing and I delved deeper into the ‘Universe’ I’d set it in, I changed some of the rules and earlier chapters contradict those rules or made later chapters harder to write. It was never meant to become a series, so I think I’d take it all back, decide on my solid grounding of the ‘verse’ and then make revisions. I think I made Danny far more complicated at the beginning. I’d have wrote them a little younger. But in saying that, it is what it is and considering the content (Slavery, MPreg) it was hugely accepted by my readers and I do treasure it as one of my babies.
Have you ever deleted one of your published fics?
Only accidentally. I was preparing to post ‘Saving Christmas 2’ and was looking through ‘Saving Christmas 1’ to add tags, when I managed to delete the entire fic. But it got re-posted ASAP.
What do you look for in a beta?
I don’t - I’ve found it very difficult to connect with beta’s over the years. I know some people click and some people use their friends, so the relationship has built over time. That’s never happened for me, although I know if I posted requesting a beta at 1_million_words there are a plethora of people who’d jump to my aid, so it’s nice to have the fall back of that.
Sometimes I just feel like I’m putting upon people as well, who have lives and their own writing to concentrate on. I don’t like to infringe on their much valued time.
Do you beta yourself? If so, what kind of beta are you?
On occasion I will beta but it’s rare, especially these days. Work commitments have changed, so my own writing is much slower because of that and I can’t give time to a beta read like I know should be given. That said if someone really needed the help I’d not say no and I’d be touched they’d asked.
How do you feel about collaborations?
I envy people who can collaborate. There are people I’d love to collaborate with because I love their writing style and would love the chance to ‘mind meld’ with them lol but I’m probably too chicken to ask/suggest a collaboration. I think it would be an interesting process, because everyone approaches their writing differently, everyone works at a different pace, they think different, write different. But putting that together, like rare pairs, a gem always comes of such pairings.
Share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much.
Oh so so many! I feel bad for leaving people out - I’m always AMAZED at what the fanfic that comes out of the 1_million_words community. We’re all so different but I’ve even read fandoms I don’t even know about because the fics are written so well.
Some personal favourites though :
Thtwzjustadream - every fic is a joy to read, I love dreamies style, energy, focus and beautiful storytelling. When the ‘Pool so Deep’ series appeared I about handed in my notice for writing BDSM, because it’s gorgeously written. I was like damn! In a good way, a very very ‘I worship at your altar’ type of way.
Xanthestories - Particularly ‘The General and Doctor Sheppard’ series because it introduced me mainly to the BDSM genre, especially of the fully invested Dom/sub verses of which are plentiful these days. But I’ve seen and read none as intricate, complicated and full flowing as the universe ‘Xanthe’ created and put out there. Just amazing writing. A -MAZ-ING!
Somehowunbroken - I wasn’t even a John/Cam shipper until I read brokens fics. Then I was fully invested, completely won over, wondered how I’d ever missed such a ship because OF COURSE THEY ARE TOGETHER. Also who doesn’t love a bit of Lorne thrown in, and Parrish and yeah, a whole host of ships just amazingly written. And if SG1/SGA isn’t your bag, there’s a whole host of Danny/Steve to keep one happy and reading forever.
Do you accept prompts?
ALWAYS! I might not always use a prompt, but I appreciate a prompt and sometimes they do spur on an idea. I love prompts, I love how people think outside the box sometimes when coming up with them. Prompts are like food to the muse.
Do you take liberties with canon or are you very strict about your fic being canon compliant?
Hmm, well I write Slash so I guess I take liberties. It all depends on the fandom I guess, certain things I keep compliant, like in H50 I love the core four, but some fics I keep the addition of Jenna or Grover. I really liked Jenna, so I like to have her around. I liked Catherine as well, but I’ve never been able to write her well and being a Steve/Danny writer I tend to just gloss over her or have her as a secondary character, a friends only.
How do you feel about smut?
I write smut so I don’t have a problem with it.
How do you feel about crack?
I enjoy reading some crack, especially if it’s well written. I have on occasion wrote it myself, but it’s very rare and I need a very good idea in order for it to work. Some people are very very good at writing it.
What are your thoughts on non-con and dub-con?
I think it’s very difficult to guage. I wrote something a while back that would be classed as dub-con but I didn’t post it because I didn’t like how I ended it and felt it wasn’t respectful of a situation people go through. I think it depends on why it is written, not gloryfying or saying it is acceptable.
Would you ever kill off a canon character?
I have killed off canon characters twice. Once was Kono in a kind of ‘what if’ fic of what if Kono had died instead of Malia.
I also killed off Diefenbaker the ‘wolf’ in Due South. It was a future fic and he couldn't live forever, but I still cried at killing him off.
Sidenote: When I began writing the ‘Incubator’ Danny’s father Nick had died when he was only a boy. There series developed and I wrote a prequel about Danny’s fathers and how they met, so Nick became more than just a name. I’ve written the story of how Nick died , although I’ve never posted it. I’ve found it’s one of the most difficult things to do, killing off your own character.
I also wrote Danny and Steve’s deaths, but again they were old men by this time and in the ‘Incubator’ verse so they don’t exactly count as ‘canon’.
Which is your favorite site to post fic?
A03
Talk about your current wips.
One is the case fic ‘Mermaids’ I’m kind of taking my time with on and off.
The other is a new fic for the ‘Wear No Disguise’ verse.
Talk about a review that made your day.
There isn’t any one in particular. I love reviews, they do feed the writers soul so any kind word is gratefully accepted. I’ve had reviews that have helped me steer the fic in a certain direction, I’ve had reviews that just bolster me on to finish when I was lacking the motivation. I also love the reviews that come months or even years after a piece is posted, that just tell you people are still finding enjoyment out of the fic. Sometimes when I write a small companion piece for a ‘verse’ that I maybe haven’t touched on for a long time, and you get the gushing feedback of how much a person loves the ‘verse’ and misses it. Yeah I love reviews and kudos and just the kind word of someone who took something from the piece.
Do you ever get rude reviews and how do you deal with them?
Gosh all of the time. I love it when people have a go because of a ‘verse’ fic they have read. I’ve had to defend a lot of my writing when I wrote and posted ‘The Incubator’ - being Slave fic I decided from the start it was going to be a verse where slavery is very much part of the makeup of the world they live in, that it is a part of life, that slave and free very much rely and need one another. So that’s how it is written and no, of course it isn’t fair and it is unequal, but it’s also almost symbiotic. But some people for whatever reason don’t like it or don’t get it and they hate the fact Danny is a slave owner who doesn’t fight the system. I purposefully made Danny complicated and almost blindly following the system as well as living differently to the expected norm. I unabashedly argue the point, despite that it might lose me some readers.
I also find it very hard in certain fandoms to even write/post in them anymore. Due South is especially difficult I’ve found, so although I love the show and would write more, I found people were very close minded when it came to certain points. I posted a fic that drew some very difficult reviews to take, saying I obviously wasn’t a fan, that the characters were all OOC, that I shouldn’t continue etc. It was tough but now that a few years have gone by, I still stand by the fic I wrote and I’m proud of it. I’ve found that it’s a very tight little community and sometimes fandoms can be like that, so I’ve not gotten involved. It’s not the best way to be I think, fandom shouldn’t be full of wars and arguments but unfortunately a lot can be so I lurk more than I get involved.
Write an alternative ending to [insert fic title] (or just the summary of one).
I wouldn’t change the endings to any of my completed fics.
I’ve already mentioned I had written a different ending to Break Me Down where Danny died but I just couldn’t follow through, I needed the story to have a hopeful end.
I also wrote a different scenario for ‘Prodigal Son’ as part of The Incubator Verse, where Nathan returns but didn’t want anything to do with Steve because he was a slave. But again, I think I’d put Steve through so much in the stories that I wanted some happiness and something uplifting in his journey and future so I changed my idea for Nathan and his re-joining the family.
Both changes were made before I posted the fics.