#author spotlight: esperantoauthor

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Author Spotlight: Esperantoauthor Day 1

Author: @esperantoauthor​

How did you get into Glee and Glee fandom?

I only got into Glee a few years ago. I think what finally got me to try it was the musical crossover episode of The Flash and Supergirl, actually. A couple of my friends were all really excited and talking about how everyone in it was from Glee. I enjoyed Melissa and Grant a lot in those roles so it made me want to check it out...of course those characters didn't end up being important to me but it got me in the door! I did nearly stop watching a few episodes in. I'm pretty sure I texted my partner, "If this show says the word 'cripple' one more time, I quit!" but then they did an all wheelchair musical number and I decided to keep going. Once I finished the show, I got the itch to read fanfiction (which I hadn't done in YEARS) which of course eventually lead to writing fanfiction and now here I am, fully enmeshed in Glee fandom.

In general, what drew you into writing (and/or creating)?

It's probably in my blood, to be honest! My grandmother was a published author and my mother is a visual artist. I was drawn to storytelling from a very young age. After my best friend moved away in second grade, we used to play that collaborative storytelling game through the mail (the one where you write a little bit and then pass it to the next person to continue). These days I see it as a natural extension of my love of language and words; finding just the right word or turn of phrase is something I love.

What was it about Glee that made you decide to write fanfic for it?

I was captivated by the characters and relationships while at the same time frustrated and confounded by the plot holes and inconsistent characterizations...so many unanswered questions..so much to explore! Also, Glee deals so much with identity and with being an outsider...those themes really resonate with me. I was drawn to the Klaine relationship and when I started thinking about writing, I knew I wanted to write something related to my field. When the parallels between "coming out" as gay and "coming out" as someone who stutters clicked, I knew I had to write this story and that this fandom was the right place for it.

Have you been a part of other fandoms before? Have you written fanfiction pre-glee?

Yes! Harry Potter was my first encounter with fanfiction as a teenager and I did end up writing (and eventually abandoning) a fic for it. I was also involved in Twilight fandom for a bit and wrote a fic (that I abandoned but at a point that works as an ending so I'm calling it completed). I was working on both of those stories for a while but I left for college and got way too busy to keep them going. Then I was basically on a ten year hiatus from fandom participation until I ended up here in the Gleeverse and it's the only fandom I'm involved in.

Is there a trope you’ve yet to try your hand at, but really want to?

So many! Some of the more ambitious tropes I'd love to write are: dystopian AU, soulmate AU, and supernatural AU.  

Is there a trope you wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole?

Teacher/Student. As someone who works in education, this one is just too personal to me and creeps me out so much that I can neither read nor write it.

How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Care to share one of them?

Define "nurturing"? I keep a running list of story ideas and the current count is 23! If I limit it to stories I have actually written a scene of, then I would say 4 (not including the one I just started posting.) 

One of the story ideas I'm nurturing is called "A Very Special Glee Club" (or at least that's the working title.) It was inspired by the fact that the school where I work partners with a local theater company to offer an after school program where someone from the theater works with our students. In this story, Blaine is the special education teacher who is put in charge of running an after school Glee Club for students with special needs and Kurt is the actor from a local theater company who is (begrudgingly) brought in to co-lead.

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Check out Esperantoauthor’s Fics

Express Yourself - When he was 4, he didn’t notice it. When he was 6, he hoped he could outgrow it. When he was 14 he thought he could ignore it. When he was 16, he tried hide it.When Blaine is attacked for being different, he transfers to a new school where he meets a cadre of misfits called The New Directions, who seem very impressed with his singing and very curious about his past. Blaine just wanted to fit in but maybe he will find something better: his voice.

Love Yourself -  In this sequel to 'Express Yourself,' Blaine and Kurt continue their journey as they are faced with new obstacles and challenges. The members of the New Directions will be pushed to take sides in the most dramatic upset yet, old and new friends will stir up jealousy in his relationship, and the ghosts from his attack will come back to haunt him. All Blaine can do is hope that he really is on the right track.

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Author Spotlight: Esperantoauthor Day 4

Author: @esperantoauthor​

What other Glee Fandom authors do you enjoy? Can you recommend some of your favorite fics?

Yes but it won't be a short list ;) Choosing favorite is hard!

Authors: Misqueue, HKVoyage, CoffeeAddict80, FlowerFan, LauGS, anxioussquirrel, Kurtswish, BlurglesmurfKlaine, Kuhlaine, Gleekto, BeautifulUnseen, flowerfan, MrsCriss2012

Fics: Glass Houses by JennMel, Reverb by Fickelodeon, Westerville Abbey by HKVoyage, Hell & High Water by mmerainbows, A Love Story (series) by Life42Universe, Too Late by Zavocado, The Symphony Verse by Shandyall, Near Misses by Flaming_Muse, Headway by BlaineyDevon, Disguise Our Bondage by AluraEmbrey, You Last a Lifetime by stut_ter, Before I Hit the Ground by misqueue, One Night Love Affair by gleekto, You Can Always Find Me Here by GleekMom

Glass Houses by JennMel 

Reverb by Fickelodeon

Westerville Abbey by HKVoyage

Hell & High Water by mmerainbows

A Love Story (series) by Life42Universe, Too Late by Zavocado

The Symphony Verse by Shandyall

Near Misses by Flaming_Muse

Headway by BlaineyDevon

Disguise Our Bondage by AluraEmbrey

You Last a Lifetime by stut_ter

Before I Hit the Ground by misqueue

One Night Love Affair by gleekto

You Can Always Find Me Here by GleekMom

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Author Spotlight: Esperantoauthor Day 2

Author: @esperantoauthor

Share one of your strengths.

Humor. People often comment on my funny lines and I *did* get first runner up in the humor category in the fanfic awards so that must mean something.

Share one of your weaknesses.

Plot. I tend to write character-driven rather than plot-driven stories and I often struggle with figuring out where I want the plot to go.

Which fic has been the hardest to write?

The one I'm working on right now! But that is probably always the answer:P

Which fic has been the easiest to write?

Probably "Stuck!"

Is writing your passion or just a fun hobby?

A fun hobby that I'm passionate about? I guess language and communication are my passions and writing fits very nicely into that.

Is there an episode or character or arc above all others that inspires you just a little bit more?

Kurt and Blaine's whole relationship

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever come across?

"Write a shitty first draft"--my 9th and 12th grade English teacher (and yes he did actually say "shitty"). As someone who can get overwhelmed by a blank page or caught up on small details, this advice is all about just getting your ideas down and not losing momentum. It is so much easier to revise what you have into something presentable than to get that first draft down. The advice was about essay-writing but I think it applies to narrative stories as well.

What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever come across?

Never end a sentence with a preposition. Death to prescriptivism!

If you could choose one of your fics to be filmed, which would you choose?

Express Yourself. It is now and probably will forever be my baby.

What’s your process? Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order? Do you use any tools, like worksheets or outlines? What are the perfect writing conditions for you?

The best way I can describe it is that I write in a spiral. I typically start at the beginning and mostly write things in order but part of my process is that when I get stuck or just when I'm coming back after a small break in writing, I will often go back to either the beginning or some earlier point in the story and re-read forwards from there (revising as I go, sometimes adding or rewriting whole paragraphs) until I get to the part where I left off and then I keep going. I don't *always* do this but it is a big part of my process. It helps me get back into the "flow" of a story and get the "voice" of the characters back in my head. 

I'm one of those insane writers who writes "by the seat of my pants" which means I have no outline and often not much idea of where I'm going. I usually do a fair bit of brainstorming and freewriting before I start a new story, often in list form. I may brainstorm lists of possible points of conflict I envision or starting motivations of the different characters. If I do make an outline, it is always of what I have already written so I can keep track of things, never of what is coming up ahead. Maybe one day! I need total quiet to write.

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Check out Esperantoauthor’s Fics

The Funkification of Blaine Warbler -  When Rachel spies on the Warblers to scope out their competition for Sectionals, she is alarmed to discover how talented they are. Determined to get the edge for Sectionals, the New Directions decide to take a page out of Vocal Adrenaline's playbook and pull off a "funkification" of their own that starts Kurt and Blaine off on entirely the wrong foot.

Stuck! -  Things go from bad to worse when Kurt, already running late for his blind date, gets stuck in the elevator. Blaine isn't going to let a little thing like two feet of metal get in the way of a perfectly good date.

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Author Spotlight: Esperantoauthor Day 3

Author: @esperantoauthor​

How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

Oh, gosh it really depends on how happy I am with the first draft but at least 3-5 times seems like a safe bet.

If you were to revise one of your older fics from start to finish, which would it be and why?

Well, I only started writing in the Glee fandom in June 2019 so nothing I've written is really that old and honestly I'm pretty happy with what I've done so far. If I was still remotely interested in/involved in the Twilight fandom I would rewrite "Being Sane in Insane Places" because I still really like that story but I'm too far removed from the fandom to try...I wouldn't be able to remember what is canon anymore.

What do you look for in a beta?

I look for someone who can give me feedback on story structure and characterization. I really appreciate when someone can tell me how they reacted to what I've written (what jokes were funny, what line made you gasp etc.) and I definitely need cheerleading from time to time because I do get insecure about my writing periodically. If I can find someone who is almost as excited about my story as I am then I know I've hit the jackpot.

If you could write the sequel (or prequel) to any fic out there not written by yourself, which would you choose?

Glass Houses! I love that story and would love to write my own take on that universe or something similar. I'm very intrigued by the idea of characters being empaths.

Do you take liberties with canon or are you very strict about your fic being canon compliant?

So far everything I've written has been canon divergent so I definitely take liberties with canon. I really don't feel inspired to write works that are 100% canon compliant. My stories are often inspired by wondering, "But what if...?" and then taking that to its logical conclusion.

Talk about a review that made your day.

The first time someone who stutters commented on Express Yourself definitely made my whole week!

Do you ever get rude reviews and how do you deal with them?

Honestly, not really! The Glee fanfiction community on Ao3 has been really positive and supportive. I even turned off comment moderation because I literally never needed it. I've had a few people disagree with things I've said in the author's notes or choices I made with the story but it has never been disrespectful.

What advice do you have for people just starting to write?

Find a beta-reader! Writing in a vacuum is so hard!

Which fic do you most like to discuss with other people? Why?

Of my own? Definitely Express Yourself (and the sequel, Love Yourself). I never tire of hearing what people think of it. If someone starts reading that story and leaving comments every chapter I will often end up re-reading the story along with them just so I can properly respond to their comments. I really enjoy discussing anything I've written with people; it is my main motivation for posting my writing, actually. That story deals a lot with issues of identity and people connect to it in so many different and fascinating ways. I also enjoy answering questions about speech therapy or stuttering, since that is my area of expertise.

What's one aspect of writing fic that gets you really excited?

I enjoy the writing process itself in many ways but I probably get the most excited when I get to post my work and hear from readers. Receiving and responding to comments gets me incredibly excited.

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Check out Esperantoauthor’s Fics

A Night at the Ryerson House -  The New Directions make a pact to spend the night in the old abandoned Ryerson house in the hopes of being blessed with good luck for Regionals. Will they make it through the night or will their hopes be dashed when they discover they are not alone in the house?

Friends in Low Places -  When Kurt Hummel meets Blaine Anderson in the McKinley High School dumpster, he finds himself hopelessly captivated by the mystery of the snarky loner whose only companion is a pair of chunky black headphones. Who is Blaine? Is he the troublemaker, getting suspended for fighting? Is he sleeping with the school nurse? Is he Batman? Or is he just another boy who's been dealt a raw hand, trying his best to make it through high school? Kurt is determined to find out.

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Author Spotlight: Justgleekout Day 4

Author Spotlight: @justgleekout​

What other Glee Fandom authors do you enjoy? Can you recommend some of your favorite fics?

oh there are so many authors I admire and enjoy! 

my favourite author is probably flaming_muse! she writes the BEST reaction fics. I can go on and on about this for days, but reading her fics is like reading the books after only having seen the film. They explain all Kurt and Blaine's actions so well and they give so much more depth to the story glee has ever given us. I highly recommend reading them maybe during a rewatch. :)

my all time favourite fic is probably "Glowing in the Dark" by xxxraquelita on FF.net a blind!Blaine au that is SO well written, It is funny and sweet and emotional and just beautiful! It was one of the first multi-chapters I ever read and it's the reason I started loving fic so much. I do believe it's their only klaine story though.

some other honorable mentions are espreantoauthor (her fic express yourself blew my mind), blurglesmurfklaine who I have the privilege of making art for! Wonderful person who writes wonderful stories! beautifulunseen (who I also got to make art for! I feel blessed!), syntheticpoetry, spaceorphan and darriness are also really fucking great as well! And god I appreciate every writing soul in this fandom because you guys are all so amazing omg! <3333

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Flaming Muse’s Fics

"Glowing in the Dark" by xxxraquelita

Esperantoauthor’s Fics

Blurglesmurfklaine’s Fics

Beautifulunseen’s Fic

Syntheticpoetry’s Fic

Spaceorphan’s Fic

Darriness’s Fics

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Author Spotlight Update

Hello everyone! 

Update for the Author Spotlight for you! 

Here is the current list of authors that I have (in alphabetical order): 

Black-john-lennon

Blaineanderdumbass

Byebyeblainey

Caramelcoffeeaddict

Catcat85

Coffeegleek

Darriness

Esperantoauthor

Gleefuldarrencrissfan

Gleekto

Grlnxtdr30

Hazelandglasz

Honeysucklepink

Hkvoyage

Justasmallbloginabigklainefandom

Justgleekout

Klaineanummel

Kuhlaine

Kurtstinypurse

Kurtswish

Lady--divine

Lallagoglee

Lifeuniverse42

Lilyvandersteen

Little-escapist

Nineofhearts4

Notenoughtogivebread

Redheadgleek

Sarkyblueeyes

Scatter-the-stars

Scrapmom2112

Slayediest

Syntheticpoetry

Xbeautifulunseenx

Zigxzag-klaine

I’ll be randomizing this list, and each week, starting on Sundays each week, we’ll spotlight an author by showcasing their work. 

Authors if you could take a moment to fill out THIS QUESTIONNAIRE I would really appreciate it.  

The questionnaire answers will be posted (no personal details shared) on the Sunday of your week.  If you don’t see your name on the list and would like to participate, please take the questionnaire as well, and I will add you to the list.  (I’ll be dropping a message to all of the authors as well, but since Tumblr won’t tag me, and won’t let me send links via messages, I needed to write a post first.) 

Once I get a majority of the questionnaires in, I’ll get the schedule up for who is going when (always subject to change).  

If you guys have any questions as to how any of this will work, please feel free to message me anyway! 

Thanks! ~SO :)