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jilytoberfest · 3 years ago

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Author - @scriibble-fics

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this! Find her on ao3 and ffnet !

1. What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I don’t know how interesting this is (she says, getting that quick qualifier out of the way, because that’s otherwise how she’d answer legitimately every question), but I don’t plan out my fics in any sort of concrete form. When I first start writing, I typically have the beginning of an idea or trope or scene, and then things kind of blossom from there. The more I write, the clearer the direction of the fic becomes, and I keep all my notes for potential plot lines/pieces of dialogue/questions and answers in a chaotic pile at the end of the doc. I envy people who can plot things out clearly and concisely from the beginning, but I love discovering where things will go right along with readers!

2. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your stories?

Honestly, it surprised the hell out of me—and still surprises me daily—that people want to read my stories. That’s not some attempt to fish for compliments or to fake modesty or something, so I hope it doesn’t come off that way! There’s just so much talent in the Harry Potter fandom generally, and in the Jily fandom specifically, that I genuinely thought I might end up with a few readers if I was lucky. To see the same people pop up with commentary with each update, and then to watch those people follow me from fic to fic, still astounds me every day.

3. Do you have any suggestions to help others become a better writer? If so, what are they?

Get out of your own head! It’s easier said than done, I know, but I put off writing Voyeur for the longest time because I was embarrassed to write something that started off, literally, with such a crazy bang. I ended up waiting until I was too exhausted from insomnia to let doubt creep into my mind, and then I sat down and wrote the entire first chapter. After that, things flowed so much easier, and now? I can’t remember the last time I wrote something that embarrassed me. It’s super freeing. Also, never delete anything! I’ve had to take away entire chapters of content before due to plotlines moving in a different direction. (This is my own fault and comes from a lack of planning for sure, but I haven’t learned my lesson!) I have a doc for each fic called “outtakes,” and I migrate everything there. I’ve been able to recycle sentences or paragraphs or even full scenes before, and it keeps me from feeling like I “wasted” time writing something I didn’t use (although no writing is ever wasted!).

4. What do you think makes a good story?

That’s hard! There are about 3,000 possible ways I could answer this, but I’ll go with something basic: tension is key, as is a satisfying resolution to the tension. The latter is what keeps me up at night.

5. What is the first book that made you cry?

I have a very vivid memory of crying around the age of 8 or 9 because I realized that the characters in The Babysitter’s Club weren’t real and I would never meet them, so I’m going with that. I know a lot of people are like, “I was so upset when I didn’t get my Hogwarts letter at 11,” but I’d already had my own what-is-fiction-and-what-is-reality crisis, so I never went through that.

6. Does writing energize or exhaust you?

It depends on the type of writing! Academic writing? That shit is exhausting. Fiction writing? I can’t get enough of it, and it energizes me more than almost anything else.

7. Have you ever gotten reader’s block? If so, what are your tips to overcome it?

Reader’s block is a new one for me! It’s a term I’ve never heard before. Honestly, I have a hard time reading when I’m also writing, and I’m nearly always writing, so maybe I have a certain amount of chronic reader’s block? For me, it’s difficult to read Jily when I’m also writing Jily, because I’m constantly worried that I’ll end up absorbing someone else’s ideas or end up comparing my work to theirs in a demotivating way. What I’ve found works for me is reading non-Jily fics, and published work as well, when I get that hankering to read but don’t want to interrupt the flow of my own thoughts.

8. Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly?

I think so! I write about a lot of emotions I’ve never personally felt and a lot of situations I’ve never been in. To me, writing is definitely about emotion, but imagination plays an even stronger role.

9. If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

You’re way stronger than you think, and you need to give yourself more credit for it. I’m still working on this, tbh.

10. What was your hardest scene to write?

Nothing really comes to mind. Writing a lot of Eighteen Again was difficult personally, because the fic deals with the theme of loss throughout, and I wrote it in part to cope with my own losses. In one way, that made it an easy fic to write, but it’s also been a difficult fic to write in for that very reason.

11. What is your favorite childhood book?

I read legitimately everything I could get my hands on. Prisoner of Azkaban was probably my most-read book, because I reread it over and over again while waiting for Goblet of Fire, to the point that I could basically quote whole sections of it. We’re talking over 20 times. I was a fiend. But I also really enjoyed The Babysitter’s Club (obviously, because WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY AREN’T REAL PEOPLE), The Chronicles of Narnia, and anything by Roald Dahl.

12. How long on average does it take you to write a one shot or a chapter of a fic?

Obviously it depends on the length, but I can bang out a shitty first draft in a day or two if I’m feeling especially motivated or inspired. The editing process takes longer, because I like to give it at least a couple hard edits (for content, continuity, etc. ) and then at least a couple soft edits (for word choice, sentence structure, etc.) before I post, and I like to sit on those edits for at least 24 hours between each one, although the longer the better. Without that time in between each read, I tend to miss slippery things like typos, although I’m sure a few make it into each chapter.

13. A fic that inspires you?

The Bet by sleepinghookah / @smileyjily is my comfort fic, and the fic that inspired me to start writing my own after over a decade away from the fandom.

14. How do you edit your work?

I answered this a little above, but I’ll also add this: I highlight each sentence I change after each edit. It helps me look over those sentences in particular to make sure that the sleepy edits I do on my phone at 1 AM actually make sense, and that I don’t gloss over any repeated words / typos / whatever when I get into the flow of rereading the story again.

15. Where does inspiration come from?

…can I say insomnia? Besides that, other media, conversations with friends in and out of the fandom, and daydreaming has been where most of my ideas come from.

16. Who has been helpful for you as you write for the fandom?

Oh gosh, so many people! I’m reluctant to name names because I don’t want to miss anyone, but @tumbledfreckles was my first fanfic friend by a long shot, and she’s become an actual friend since. @relyingonoldships might just be me from another life, and you can blame/thank her encouragement for me foisting Bought upon the world, because I don’t think I would have posted it without her. She also makes me laugh out loud on the regular. @tiffanytoms can also share much of the blame/credit for Bought, since her Enemy Within sparked my interest in dark!James, and she’s another one of my fav people to talk to. @maraudersftw constantly lights up my life with positivity, and her fics are bomb. Besides being a phenomenally talented writer, @clare-with-no-i discourse makes me ~think~, y’all, and she’s hilarious. There are also like 15 other people who I owe responses to in DMs who have taken time out of their days just to offer kindness, and that’s on top of all the lovely people who share their thoughts in reviews and edits and playlists and reblogs and likes and other things. Honestly, a better question might be “who HASN’T been helpful for you as you write for the fandom?” The answer is always going to be “people who leave hateful reviews because what I write isn’t their cup of tea,” but it’s so few and far between that I really can’t complain. I love this corner of the internet.

17. What is your fav POV to write from?

I started out writing James exclusively, and so much so that I had a lot of anxiety about writing from Lily’s POV. Now that I’ve tackled her a bunch? I think I’m starting to enjoy writing from her more than James, although it’s tough! I think it depends on the scene and the fic, honestly.

18. What is a fic you would love to write but are worried you won’t be able to accomplish it/nervous it wouldn’t work out?

I have no chill, so if I have an idea, I write it. Of the fics I’ve published, I’ve been most nervous about how Voyeur and Bought would be received, but people have been overwhelmingly lovely with only a few flames here and there. I’m still sitting on my Sirius/Lily/James throuple fic, mainly because even just the idea received quite a bit of criticism in my ask box. It fostered a lot of anxiety on my part, although people have been excited about it too. Still, I’ve written it even if I haven’t worked up the nerve to publish it, mainly because I truly don’t have the chill to let an idea sit dormant in my brain.

19. Do you ever self insert in fics?

I tend to empathize with every character I can, and I’m sure there are bits of me in most of the characters I write, but I’ve never done it on purpose that I can recall.

20. What is the story you are proudest of?

Notes and Magic are my two current favs. Writing both of them just made me feel good, because they’re almost entirely fluff and pining and love and lust with very little drama or angst or sadness, so they’re the ones I reread the most.

21. Do you prefer writing canon jily or muggle au?

Canon, although canon divergent is my favorite place to frolic! I’ve never done a muggle AU, but @mppmaraudergirl muggle AUs are some of my absolute favs.

22. Did the new dark!James fic had any inspiration from James and Lily going undercover in Eighteen Again or did that plot bunny came from elsewhere?

Love this! Honestly, the connection between undercover!James and dark!James wasn’t one I consciously made when I first came up with the idea of Bought. I give credit to @tiffanytoms’ Enemy Within for the initial idea of dark!James, and then credit my academic reading and research on sex work for the rest of the plot, but I’m sure there was some cross-contamination in my brain between EA and Bought.

Thank you so much for doing this!!

#scriiblefics #jilytober 2021 #jilyinterview #jilytober #jilytober fest #jily #writer interview

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