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lizbeeThis again!
31. What’s the nicest thing someone has ever said about your writing?
I was once told that I have an acerbic wit, and I chose to take that as a compliment.
But, ummmmmmm, this is gonna sound wanky, but people have said many nice things about my writing over the years, and sometimes, when I'm feeling bad, I go through old comments and reviews and metaphorically clutch them to my heart.
32. Do you listen to music when you write or does music inspire you? If so, which band or genre of music does it for you?
I never listen to music when I'm writing. Sometimes, if I'm not at work, I use a white noise generator, but I'm pretty good at tuning out distractions.
(If I'm at work, those distractions are probably related to my actual job, and I probably shouldn't tune them out.)
I find music helpful for getting into a headspace, but band or genre depends purely on my mood and my taste at the time. I've been on a Dessa kick for the last few years, and what with her new album being amazing, I don't see that changing soon. Mostly I use music for accompaniment while I'm walking around and not thinking too hard about what comes next.
33. Do you write oneshots, multi-chapter fics or huuuuuge epics?
The first two! Although this new thing where I can churn out a multi-chapter fic in a really short time is ... unprecedented. I hope that I can take this new energy and channel it into original work this year.
34. What’s the word count on your longest fic?
I was under the impression that it was around 35,000-ish, but I've only posted the first third of "Girl Most Likely" to AO3, and I'm already at 60,000. Ooops. Pre-OotP Harry Potter fandom sure was a thing, eh?
My next-longest is "The Princess of the Dragon Flats" at about 36,000. But my current WiP passed 34,000 words yesterday, and I estimate it has about four chapters left to go. Maaaaaybe five? So it'll probably top out at roughly 45,000.
(My average length in Avatar fandom was roughly 2,500 words, I don't know what's happening to me.)
35. Do you write drabbles? If so, what do you normally write them about?
Not anymore! I used to, but I'm a drabble purist, 100 words exactly, and that's hard.
36. What’s your favorite genre to write?
For longer fics, I like thrillers with romantic subplots. (Recent exceptions: "a fountain of blood..." had no romance, and "We Smash Like Glass" was more of an extended character study. It had a plot, but it was mostly driven by Kat's emotions.)
37. First person or third person - what do you write in and why?
I'm a big fan of third person/past tense for writing fic. I'm not opposed to present tense or first person, but they often feel wrong for the context.
38. Do you use established canon characters or do you create OCs?
Mostly canon, but I create OCs when I need them, and I often get very attached.
39. What is your greatest strength as a writer?
LOOK, THAT'S NOT AN EASY QUESTION. But I think I'm good at balancing plot against character, and keeping in mind that there's a wider world beyond the main character or main pairing, and that what's important to my protagonists isn't the only thing that's happening or significant to everyone else?
I used to think I was good at implying a whole massive plot thing was happening just off-stage, and we were seeing a tiny glimpse of a few thousand words. But I think I've lost that skill.
40. What do you struggle the most with in your writing?
Endings. No matter the length, I always wind up spending at least a couple of days -- and sometimes a couple of months -- staring at my draft, looking at all the balls I have in the air and wondering how to catch them without dropping anything.
I've figured out that this is normal for me, and that I need to stop and do a revision pass around the one-third mark, and then again at the two-thirds mark. But it's never easy.
31. What’s the nicest thing someone has ever said about your writing?
I was once told that I have an acerbic wit, and I chose to take that as a compliment.
But, ummmmmmm, this is gonna sound wanky, but people have said many nice things about my writing over the years, and sometimes, when I'm feeling bad, I go through old comments and reviews and metaphorically clutch them to my heart.
32. Do you listen to music when you write or does music inspire you? If so, which band or genre of music does it for you?
I never listen to music when I'm writing. Sometimes, if I'm not at work, I use a white noise generator, but I'm pretty good at tuning out distractions.
(If I'm at work, those distractions are probably related to my actual job, and I probably shouldn't tune them out.)
I find music helpful for getting into a headspace, but band or genre depends purely on my mood and my taste at the time. I've been on a Dessa kick for the last few years, and what with her new album being amazing, I don't see that changing soon. Mostly I use music for accompaniment while I'm walking around and not thinking too hard about what comes next.
33. Do you write oneshots, multi-chapter fics or huuuuuge epics?
The first two! Although this new thing where I can churn out a multi-chapter fic in a really short time is ... unprecedented. I hope that I can take this new energy and channel it into original work this year.
34. What’s the word count on your longest fic?
I was under the impression that it was around 35,000-ish, but I've only posted the first third of "Girl Most Likely" to AO3, and I'm already at 60,000. Ooops. Pre-OotP Harry Potter fandom sure was a thing, eh?
My next-longest is "The Princess of the Dragon Flats" at about 36,000. But my current WiP passed 34,000 words yesterday, and I estimate it has about four chapters left to go. Maaaaaybe five? So it'll probably top out at roughly 45,000.
(My average length in Avatar fandom was roughly 2,500 words, I don't know what's happening to me.)
35. Do you write drabbles? If so, what do you normally write them about?
Not anymore! I used to, but I'm a drabble purist, 100 words exactly, and that's hard.
36. What’s your favorite genre to write?
For longer fics, I like thrillers with romantic subplots. (Recent exceptions: "a fountain of blood..." had no romance, and "We Smash Like Glass" was more of an extended character study. It had a plot, but it was mostly driven by Kat's emotions.)
37. First person or third person - what do you write in and why?
I'm a big fan of third person/past tense for writing fic. I'm not opposed to present tense or first person, but they often feel wrong for the context.
38. Do you use established canon characters or do you create OCs?
Mostly canon, but I create OCs when I need them, and I often get very attached.
39. What is your greatest strength as a writer?
LOOK, THAT'S NOT AN EASY QUESTION. But I think I'm good at balancing plot against character, and keeping in mind that there's a wider world beyond the main character or main pairing, and that what's important to my protagonists isn't the only thing that's happening or significant to everyone else?
I used to think I was good at implying a whole massive plot thing was happening just off-stage, and we were seeing a tiny glimpse of a few thousand words. But I think I've lost that skill.
40. What do you struggle the most with in your writing?
Endings. No matter the length, I always wind up spending at least a couple of days -- and sometimes a couple of months -- staring at my draft, looking at all the balls I have in the air and wondering how to catch them without dropping anything.
I've figured out that this is normal for me, and that I need to stop and do a revision pass around the one-third mark, and then again at the two-thirds mark. But it's never easy.
