abelina: made by xtanitx (Abbycon)
abelina ([personal profile] abelina) wrote2009-03-26 10:23 pm

Everybody's Doing It

I've seen this on several people's journals by now and thought, what the heck!  Answers behind the cut.

1 Why do you write fanfic?
2 When did you write your first fanfic and which fandom was it for?
3 Which fandoms do you, or have you, written for?
4 Do you read much fanfic or do you mainly write?
5 What comes easiest for you when writing?
(dialogue, descriptions, plot, characterizations, humour, angst...)
6 Which genres do you mainly write? (action, angst, dark, drama, horror, humour...)
7 Which genres will you not write?
8 Are reader comments/responses important?
9 Do you use a beta reader?
10 Which is your favorite character to write fanfic for and why?
11 Which are your favorite ships (including friendships) that you write the most?
12 Do you have characters that are so strongly established that they're in your heads?
13 Which characters are you most comfortable doing a POV for? Which is the hardest?

1 Why do you write fanfic?

Because I tend to fall madly in love with certain fandoms, and enjoy exploring different stories and such with the characters.  Also, because I just love writing.

2 When did you write your first fanfic and which fandom was it for?

Technically, my first fanfic I wrote in grade 9 for an English assignment, but at the time I didn't know what fanfiction was or that people even did such things.  We had to do a "mystery" story including several prompts and I, for whatever reason, wrote a story starring Murphy Michaels from the television show, Remington Steele.

However, my first real fanfiction I started writing in 2004.  It's a Star Wars story set in the Expanded Universe (books) New Jedi Order era.  A Twist of Fate.

3 Which fandoms do you, or have you, written for?

So far, Star Wars and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  I am choosing not to include Remington Steele in this list. 

4 Do you read much fanfic or do you mainly write?

I read a ton of it and am ashamed to say I don't review nearly as often as I should.  I often write very slowly so I'd say I do more reading, though currently I have the beginnings of 9 Spuffy stories sitting on my computer, waiting for the museys.

5 What comes easiest for you when writing?
(dialogue, descriptions, plot, characterizations, humour, angst...)

Hmm, that really depends.  Some days, all the dialogue for a certain scene or chapter just occurs to me and I just have to write it down, as is, and worry about fleshing it out later.  Other times, inspiration strikes and I get my prose on pages at a time.  Oddly enough this usually happens with a notebook at 3am during my break on a night shift.

6 Which genres do you mainly write? (action, angst, dark, drama, horror, humour...)

Almost everything I write has an element of romance, sometimes as the main genre and others as a secondary.  I think everything else I include in some way or another . . . balance I guess is what I go for.  Life has elements of everything and so should fiction.  I don't do dark or horror very much.

7 Which genres will you not write?

I can't see myself doing something extremely, depressingly dark.  Dark moments, yes, but entirely dark, no.

8 Are reader comments/responses important?

They are, for sure.  I, like all authors, I think, crave them.  Just knowing that people like what you have written is so satisfying.  I also think that the con-crit provided by readers is dually important.  As much as it's great knowing you are loved, it's good for a writer's development to know where you need to improve.

9 Do you use a beta reader?

Not formally.  For my SW stuff I'd occasionally run ideas by a couple of specific friends/fellow authors.  Often times I'd give them a sneak peak of an upcoming chapter and while reading they'd catch a few errors.  I am, however, seriously considering it for my next project.

10 Which is your favorite character to write fanfic for and why?

Jag Fel for Star Wars, because he has sooo much potential that remains entirely unexplored in pro-fic.  For Buffy, I think I'd have to say Spike just because he's amazing, Buffy because I like to make her use her brain, and Dawn  for the same reasons as Jag Fel. 

11 Which are your favorite ships (including friendships) that you write the most?

Star Wars: Kyp/Jaina, Jag/Tahiri, Kyp & Jag friendship
Buffy: Spuffy, and planning on exploring - Dawn & Spike friendship, Xander & Spike friendship, Giles & Buffy father-daughter-like-ship, Buffy & Dawn sister-ship (sisterhood?)

12 Do you have characters that are so strongly established that they're in your heads?

I'm not sure I completely understand this, but I'd say that the stronger the character is in canon, the more they weasel their way into your brain and take over when you're trying to write them.  And yes, I do mean you, Kyp and Spike.

13 Which characters are you most comfortable doing a POV for? Which is the hardest?

Hmm, not sure about who I am most comfortable with.  The hardest . . . I think I really don't know!

[identity profile] pfeifferpack.livejournal.com 2009-03-28 02:12 am (UTC)(link)
See...your lovely Spuffy story has me now interested in reading your SW's fic (and I only know the characters from the films!).

You sound like me with the partial fics on the hard drive. I have about 11 at the moment in various stages (and don't ask how many notes I have in my plot bunny hutch!). I am determined to finish a couple for posting on my official day at [community profile] seasonal_spuffy so that should kick my muse in high gear.

Kathleen

[identity profile] abelina.livejournal.com 2009-03-28 02:49 am (UTC)(link)
You're welcome to read the Star Wars ones, if you want . . . my two longer fics are quite abandoned but I have some shorter completed ones, too. Actually, my holiday story co-authored with another friend would be a good one for you, since it's from Han Solo's POV. Say the word and you shall have links :)

I always have so many ideas and end up with millions of "bunny" files that often don't go anywhere else . . . I'm hoping to have more success in finishing stories with Buffy than I had with SW.

[identity profile] pfeifferpack.livejournal.com 2009-03-28 03:00 am (UTC)(link)
I would love the link! Thank you (Han is my all time favorite character in the filmed Star Wars but then I suppose that is true of a gazillion people LOL) I was actually at the opening day of the very first Star Wars film long ago in a galaxy more midwestern LOL. Went back several times to see it again.

Kathleen
Edited 2009-03-28 03:00 (UTC)

[identity profile] abelina.livejournal.com 2009-03-28 03:14 am (UTC)(link)
I give you:

Mischief & Mistletoe (http://boards.theforce.net/Beyond_the_Saga/b10477/17863328/?31)

[identity profile] abelina.livejournal.com 2009-03-28 03:16 am (UTC)(link)
I forgot to mention . . . these boards work like a forum, so unfortunately you have to scroll through the pages to find the additional chapters. They are easy to recognized and are posted by either myself (Abby) or my co-author (MiaTieska).