#and why one of my favorite forms of writing is poetry. this darn movie!!

[weirdgrrlgerard]

sometimes i forget dead poets isn’t a random movie that resonated with 12 year old me deeply and is actually. a widely beloved film

[lithugraph]

I was tagged by gummyboots for another one of those writing things ;)

Fanfic Asks!

Why/how did you get into fanfiction?

Um, this is kind of a two part story -- and the first part is...kinda weird?

So, how did I get into fanfiction?  My mom.  I know.  I know.  She is a complete otaku, in the American sense of the word. She had/has a Livejournal (remember that ol’ thing?) account way before I did and would go on and on about fic writing and ideas and stuff -- and I had no idea what she was talking about.  It made me think fanfiction was a  thing only for manga/anime lovers...until a little movie called “District 9″ happened, which quickly became my favorite movie, hands down (and probably still ranks among top ten).  Okay, I was obsessed.  There was still so much story left to tell.  I was foaming at the mouth for a sequel.  Hell, I woulda written the darn thing -- I had so many stories I wanted to write about it.   I remembered my mom talking about Livejournal, and decided to see if it wasn’t just something for otakus, and found a whole community dedicated to D9!  I was in heaven!  Of course, I didn’t start writing anything, then.  This was before I developed my hard outer skin and I was very much intimidated by the idea something so personal, something I had written, would be so readily available for people to read and critique and (heaven forbid) hate!  But of course that eventually changed ;).   So.  Yeah.  That’s how I got into fanfiction -- my mom and a movie called “District 9.” Why did you get into writing? Pretty much for what I said above: there are just too many stories to tell. How long have you been writing? Fanfiction: 7 years

Everything else: since I was like 8 Do you think you’re a good writer? Compared to who or what?  Any type of artist -- writer, musician, designer, etc. -- has a tendency to look at their work with too critical a lens IMO. Do you think you’ve improved? Yes.  There’s a reason they call writing an exercise -- because it is!  You can’t expect to chop through a block of wood your first karate class or pull off a perfectly balanced Vriksasana yoga pose your first day.  These things take practice.  All form of exercise does -- including writing.  I can definitely tell when I haven’t written or read anything in awhile because my brain can’t words. Name one thing that helps you write Music.  And running.  And sometimes those two combined -- listening to music while running. Have you ever gotten hate related to fics? Surprisingly no.  I’ve been told I’m intimidating in real life (not sure if it’s the height thing, or guys can’t handle chicks who speak their mind or what), so I like to think my intimidation carries through to my fic as well, lol! Fanfiction or books? Depends on my mood.  If I feel like a quick read, then fanfiction.  But if I want to get utterly lost in a world and forget reality exists for five hours, then books. Do you want to professionally write? If not, what would you like to do/what do you do? I used to dream of being a professional writer when I was younger, and even still have a rough draft of the first few chapters of my space opera floating around on one of my thumb drives, as well as a Frankenstein-esque gothic story, and my one where robots become self-aware.

As of right now, however, I have a job title that sounds important and fancy and has absolutely nothing to do with what I really do, so....but I earn enough to be able to pay for my tuition, so there’s that. Have you ever been published professionally? I had a poem published in one of those coffee table book things that only the people who submitted the poems buys, does that count? What is your favorite story/ies you’ve written? ”In the Lion’s Den” and “You and Me and the Bottle Makes Three” will probably always be my favorites. Why is it/are they your favorite(s)? ”You and Me....” because of the atmosphere -- and for being one of my first ever fics, I think it was pretty damn good!

”In the Lion’s Den” because (and I’ve said this a hundred times, but it’s still true) it was an experiment with narration and a very stripped down tone -- no super flowery language, written very it. just. is. -- and I just feel it came together so well. What is your least favorite story/ies you’ve written? Ooooh, gosh...do I have to name them all?  Haha, just kidding.  But seriously...looking back at my earlier fic makes me want to cringe because it was super self-indulgent, but at the time, I think I needed it?  Why is/are they your least favorite(s)? *see above* What is something you expect from a fanfiction? Um, I really don’t expect anything?  But if a fic gives me new perception of a character I hadn’t thought much of, then bonus!  This one’s a good example: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8092521/1/What-Are-Little-Boys-Made-Of How do you feel about troll fics? ...I don’t even know what a troll is, so........ What is your favorite writing style? Several:

-Stream of consciousness (T.S. Eliot, FTW!)

-Second person narrative -- ever since I wrote “In the Lion’s Den” I’ve found it difficult to write anything else.

-that really atmospheric prose that is almost like poetry (I can’t write it and keep it up for a whole story -- I max out at, like, a paragraph -- but I deeply deeply admire it)

Do you write things for the sake of popularity? Hell’s to the no.  What’s the fun in that? Do you think fanfiction is a good way to get into writing? I think it’s good practice. What is something you like about the fanfiction world? Talking about characterization with other writers and finding out what made them write a particular story. What is something you dislike about the fanfiction world? How cliquey it can be. What is a pairing you’re currently shipping? America/Austria (pfft! there’s no shame in my game!) What is something canon you’ll never ship? Harry/Ginny.  Why?  Just...why?  You mean to tell me, after all those years after Hogwarts, he still had a thing for his best friend’s sister?  You mean to tell me he never tested the waters, so to speak?  It’s just one thing that’s always bothered me.  Like, Ginny went through this transformation her fourth year and suddenly becomes the coolest chick in Gryffindor tower and Harry starts to notice her -- Ginny, the cool chick, instead of the shy/awkward version we had in the first four books.  What is something fanon you’ll never ship? GerIta.  It’s cute, it’s adorable, it’s what got me into shipping in the first place, but I just...can’t.  I can’t ship it outright.  To me it’ll always be a one-sided, mixed emotions/signals type of thing.

Also PruCan.  What is this even? In conclusion: Any writing advice? Read all the rules then break ‘em.  The mechanics of writing (grammar, punctuation, etc)  can be helpful...but they can also put a block on your flow (wait...how many sentences do I need for a paragraph again?)  The best kind of writing happens when you’re not thinking about it and are just doing it.

I tag (and you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to): @niniel-kirkland