#the google doc for the current fic would take a while to load so i’ll post that later cuz i need to make dinner

[exquisiteagony]

@lnights here’s some from the next fic

He strode past the club, hood pulled up, and tried not to look around furtively for people watching him.

And this was why he rarely left the Workshop. The Workshop was a space he could control, but outside he felt horribly vulnerable. There were too many unknown factors, even on the main station of the Hangar. However much he dreamed about the day he could travel and not live in fear of God’s End, he’d shut himself into a cage of his own paranoia.

That paranoia wasn’t helped by the narrow alley. The buildings rose up on either side; great squatting giants that seemed to long to encroach on the alleyway, to gobble up its space and claim it for themselves. He shuddered, glancing up at empty windows like gaping mouths, and picked up his pace.

In the open doorway of one warehouse - Johnny wasn’t sure if it was one of the apartment buildings or the unclaimed one - two figures sat smoking from a pipe they were sharing. He caught a glimpse of sunken cheeks and hollow eyes watching him with disinterest as he passed, the smell of unwashed bodies reaching his nose.

Then he was past them, and raising his hand to knock on Bess’s door.

Rain dripped from the eaves as he waited - HSS-3 was always inexplicably damp, like it attracted all of the moisture from the Hangar - plinking into little puddles on the tarmac. The duo in the other doorway muttered to themselves, but then Bess was opening the door, welcoming him inside warmly with a beaming smile on her face.

anyone want a skydweller extract and if so do you want it from the current fic or the next one?

[the-kitteh]

*pokes the Kitteh* You know those writer asks? *Grins evilly* Do all of them.

I SWEAR TO ALL THAT’S UNHOLY, MEG!!!!

Also @journeythroughtherain, your questions will be answered in one heap. 

1.       What is your preferred place to write (notebook,laptop, cellphone, etc.)?

Laptop when I have access to one and notebook when I’m travelling.

2.       When did you start writing?

When I was but a wee, 15 yo kitling.

3.       What is your favorite thing to write?

Romance, though I’m pretty good with crach humor fics as well.

4.      Fluff or angst?

5.       How would you describe your style?

Emotional soft with a sad and/or angsty edge. Depends on the day I’mhaving.  

6.       Where do you usually find inspiration?

It just comes and goes, like a goddamn wave.

7.       Do you listen to music to help you write?

YES ALWAYS

8.       What’s the biggest “challenge” for you as a writer?

Keep shit together. It stems from the fact I can’t write linear to save mylife so putting together a million or so scenes to make one coherent story isthe biggest challenge for me.

9.       Where do you usually go to write (bedroom, livingroom, etc.)?

I either steal some time at work or write in the living room.

10.   Can you give us a sneak peek on your current WIP?

Sure! Have some mer!AU:

“Until one day, somethingchanges. it’s almost closing time at the aquarium, and he’s been in the back ofthe tank, lingering in the shadows for the better part of the day. The visitorswere especially noisy today, constantly poking and knocking at the glass, thevibrations rattling his bones. 

He’s glad for the comfort the man-made structures ofhis tank provide, where the artificial lights aren’t as bright, aren’t aspainful on his eyes. 

Someone stops near his house and home and he grimaces,waits for the knocking to start. 

None does for the longest of time - the announcementto hurry up and leave blaring through the aquarium already - and finally, cautiously,he peeks out. There’s a boy in front of his tank, his image distorted by glassand water alike but he’s simply standing there, patient and silent andunmoving.

And so he swims out, shows himself as he is becausehe’s suddenly curious about this bubble gum-colored twig of a boy.

Once he’s up close, he sees that the boy looks likethe seashells he dreams about sometimes - he’s all cream and pink, with sharp,sharp edges he wants to test his fingers against.”

11.   How many stories have you written so far?

AO3 has 27 works, but there’s a bunch over at ff.net as well and over atlivejournal, not to mention the ones I never published anywhere. Consideringhow productive I was during my JRock phase and my anime/manga years, I think itcircles between 100-150 so not overly much?

12.   What’s your favorite thing that you ever wrote?

Ruins.

“and amidst the ruins, there was you” hands down. There are no words todescribe how much I love that story and how proud I am of both myself and thefic.

13.   How many chapters does your longest series has?

“Anywhere” takes that particular title with 24 chapters.

14.   What’s your favorite character/person to write for?

Aiveana Yumi are always a pleasure to write when it comes to OCs, and Tonyis just SO good to write for I want to die.

15.  “OCs” or “Reader”inserts?

OCs!!! I love those ;.;

16.   Can you tell us anything about your current WIP?

The one currently being posted? Soulmate AU where one part of the bondedpair believes he is soulmate-less and the other hates the concept of beingbonded with a passion.

17.   How long was the longest fic you ever wrote?

That’s…. that’s probably the Jointverse. That one clocks in with 149 528 words and I probably shouldmentioned that it covers about  half ofthe canon timeline so far….

18.   What fandoms do you write for?

Currently that’s kpop and Marvel (WinterIron). Other fandoms include MassEffect and Dragon Age, Final Fantasy 7. I used to write for Bleach, Weiss Kreuzand Magic Knight Rayearth, as well as a bunch of RPFs in regards to Jrock.

19.   What is/ are your favorite fandom author/authors?

…….. nope. No answering that, I wll not list half of the bloody server inhere!

20.   Have you ever written an AU?

Yes and I loved it more than I thought I would.

21.   What’s your favorite AU trope?

Apparently, dystopian AUs. I love all things soulmates too.

22.   A fanfiction cliché you can’t help but love?

Friends to lover with a pinch of mutual pining and misunderstandings. Watchme die slow and happy.

23.   For how long have you been a fandom writer?

Pretty much ever since I started writing, it was for fandoms, so 20 years?

24.   Have you ever had an idea for story and forgot aboutit?

Probably? I forget so many things I can’t say with all certainity this hasnever happened to me XD

25.   What do you do to motivate yourself to write?

I literally guilt trip myself into writing XD

26.   How did you find out you like to write?

In all honesty, I just … started writing, I thik it was Sailor Moonrelated? And it was so much fun that it just stuck.

27.   Are there any writers (fanfiction writers or not) thathave inspired you to start writing?

A polish criminal stories writer, her books accompany me tothis day and Iwanted to write just like her so I picked up a pen one day.

There are a few fandom writers that have inspired me to be better and paymore attention to my writing or who were there to support me when I wasdoubting my worth as a writer. I’ll be forever grateful for them

28.   What’s your favorite fandom to write for?

Currently, I love writing my WinterIron – because of the people there and becauseof how many story ideas I managed to come up with

29.   Describe your style in three words.

Soft Emo vomit.

30.   What would you say it’s the most “famous” fic you’veever written?

I think it’s the “Moments” series with @mistrstank cause I pitched in with akickass co-author there?

31.  Blurbs or drabbles?

Blurbs.

32.   Have you ever written smut?

Yup.

33.   How long does it usually take for you to write?

Depeeeends? Depends on my mood, on my work load and on the story itself.Ruins took me 9 months to write, while “pain and sorrow” was written in 2 days.

34.   What’s your favorite font to use when writing?

Cambria.

35.   Which do you prefer to write: longer or shorter fics?

I think shorter ones. I’m rather good within the first 10K, but lately Ican’t plan for shit really cause a story I planned to wrap up under 10Kcurrently’s reaching 41K so….

Your mileage may vary I guess.

36.   How do you keep yourself inspired?

Uh. It just.. happens? I brainstorm sometimes, or see something that sparksup the urge to write something specific, or there’s a quote I particularlylike.

37.   Have you ever written something you didn’t like butposted anyways?

No I don’t think I ever did something like that.

38.   What is your “strong suit” as a writer?

I am very good at the emotional side of things.

39.  What’s your favorite trope?

I have a hugeass soft spot for all coffeeshop AUs. 

Shocking.

I know.

40.   How many likes do your fics usually get?

I literally have no idea how to measure that? Not as many as I would likeXD

41.   Have you ever used a prompt?

Sure, prompts are lovely!

42.   What is your weakness as a writer?

I’m impatient. I sometimes want to post before being really through withthe chapter or a one-shot and I sometimes don’t catch all of the mistakes ortypos. Having a beta ( hi @eirlyssa

43.   Have you ever cried or felt any emotion while readingsomething you wrote?

Yes. I wrote a death scene that sent me crying.

44.   Have you ever done a collab with other writer?

JointVerse in a way is a major collab and as previously stated  Moments

45.   One thing you love about fanfiction.

The freedom it gives.

46.   What’s your favorite emotion to cause on your readers?

If I make them happy when they finish a story or when I get a commentsaying how a reader held their breath.

47.   What’s your favorite thing about writing?

The way that it calms me down and makes me happy to be doing what I love.

48.   Do you post your writing in any other platforms?

AO3.

49.   What app/apps do you use to write (word, notepad,etc.)?

Google Docs.

50.   One thing you don’t like about fanfiction.

Probably the fact that it’s downplayed as much as it is, because it’s not “original”.And that some people feel entitled to be demanding and rude about it, justbecause they get stuff for free.

51.  Least favorite trope?

A/B/O settings and high school AUs.

52.   Favorite words to use when writing?

I KNOW I have a pretty much  a trademark phrase or two, but currently, I amunable to cite any of them????

53.  Least favorite words?

 a little bit NSFW here, but I really dislike the word “cum”. 

54.   Do you usually like what you write?

I’ve been learning to love what I write

[toast-the-unknowing]

26 WIP?!?! How?!?! No, seriously, what's your writing process like? Genuinely SO curious? Do you use any apps? Special playlists? Mood lighting? Snack game? Sacrificial rituals? Please share all your secrets!

I wish I had a good answer for you for how I got to a place where 26 WIPs is the low end of the spectrum but I have always been better at coming up with ideas than at finishing them and the sad truth is that my start-to-finish ratio in TRC is the best it has ever been in any fandom.

If you want to hear me ramble about my writing process that’s going behind the cut.

I do nearly all of my writing on Writer. I switch on a regular basis between two different laptops and my desktop and my work computer, plus occasionally needing to access someone else’s computer, so I need something internet based, and I need that something to not be Google Docs. I don't like Google Docs for many reasons, mainly that it’s sooooo sloooooow to load (I’ve been using it lately for a collaborative project and man is it reminding me how annoying it is), but the main thing is just that I'm paranoid I'll somehow accidentally share my gay porn with everyone in my google contacts, such as former teachers from Catholic high school, or my mother. So even if that's not likely I really want a website where that's not POSSIBLE.

Writer is incredibly stripped down, but that’s a plus for me. I can't waste time picking fonts or editing the formatting or inserting page breaks or doing anything. There's maybe a few things about it that I wish were a tiny bit more robust (better document organization would be nice) but for my purposes it works great. I have a pro account because I use it enough I figure they deserve the five bucks a month, and also because if I accidentally overwrite a document (happens sometimes if I have the same document open on two computers and there's sync issues), I can pull up a history of the previous versions and sort that shit out.

I mostly have one document per fic (if I’m working on a bunch of prompts those will all be compiled in one document until they start getting long enough to deserve their own file; I also have a file of things that may or may not become new stories in the LA verse). Files are titled with the fandom name and fic name, or just ALL CAPS BASIC DESCRIPTOR if I don’t have a title yet. These days most of my shit is TRC so the fandom name may be superfluous, but who knows when I will want to write in other fandoms again. I also keep a list in Writer of current WIPs, which I update every couple of months or so. Sometimes in updating that list I have a hard honest conversation with myself about whether I am actually WORKING on all of these works-in-progress and, if not, whether I think I ever will. If necessary I take it off the list and copy that fic into my junk drawer file, where I keep fics I've abandoned and fic ideas I haven't fleshed out and also just one sentence notes like IDK WHAT ABOUT A RUSSIAN COSMONAUT DOG AU.

Lately I do a lot of my writing during my commute; I load up a document on my laptop and switch the wifi off before I leave home/work, and then I can write as much or as little on the bus as I feel able to. I am also That Bitch who takes her laptop and writes at coffee shops and bars (or the library, but that feels less pretentious).

While I’m writing on the bus (or while alt-tabbing at work) I'm generally listening to music, because I generally have music playing anyway. If I'm just at home I don't generally put music on; I do get distracted a lot by my roommate watching tv, even if it's something I'm not interested in, so maybe I should play my own music, but it’s not a habit I’m into. I can sometimes focus better if I have a word war with someone (basically message each other we’re going to write, write for 15/20 minutes, and then talk about how it went/share any really good lines that were written). I am not in the habit of making special playlists either for writing in general or for specific projects, although I might have a song or two that I associate strongly with a long term project and might listen to to get in the mood. 

I have always had lots of projects going on at the same time, which has in the past hampered my ability to finish anything, because I jump from project to project without finishing anything. On the other hand, grimly clinging to one project and not starting anything new sucks the fun out of writing and makes me feel less creative. I’ve gotten better at balancing those impulses; my current system is that I have one or two fics that are the Designated Top Priority, but I let myself get distracted when I feel like working on a different WIP or starting a new project or just banging out a short fic quickly. (Although there have been numerous times that I have thought “I’ll put everything on hold to write this one really fast dumb fic, it’ll just take a day, maybe two” and then it takes a week or more.) If I find that I haven't worked on the "top priority" in a couple of weeks then I ask if that's still really the top priority, and if I’m not feeling inspired and there’s not some reason that it HAS to be first (e.g. it's for an exchange or there's a deadline coming up), then I’ll usually pick a different one to focus on. After finishing something I’ve worked on for a LONG time it can be really hard to pick the new top priority, so I usually give myself a window of time to just fuck around, but that usually leads eventually to a point where I just open my WIPs, read them, and close them without working on them at all, which is a sign I need to focus back in. Things like noticing those signs and being able to act on them is really the biggest improvement to my writing process in the last decade.