Navel-gazing meme
Jul. 18th, 2011 11:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rillaliciousSo I've seen this meme all over the place, and I told ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
zagzagael that I was game if she was. So here it goes.
1 - How did you first get into writing fanfic, and what was the first fandom you wrote for? What do you think it was about that fandom that pulled you in?
The first fanfic that I wrote was technically 21 Jump Street. 1987-ish, I think. I had no idea there was such a thing as fanfic or fandom. (I was 11.) I'd write stories out on index cards, and then make all my neighborhood friends act them out with me. I think there's a decent portion of my flist who wasn't even born at that point. Hee.
Anyway, I was working in a bookstore when Goblet of Fire came out (the book, not the movie), and I was pregnant with eldest hellmonkey and I read all the HP books so I knew what to tell people when they had questions and loved them. Sometime between GoF and OotP (maybe 2002?), I was looking up more information online and stumbled across the sweetest Harry/Hermione h/c fic and I read a whole bunch of trio-centric fics, then sort of forgot about it. A friend of mine from other activities wrote Buffy slash, and even though I was never a Buffy fan, I read her stuff and adored it.
Then OotP came out, and I remembered fanfiction and went looking for it, and found McAmy's site. I got totally hooked on SS/HG. That summer was wickedly hot and I was pregnant with Newbaby v.3.0, so I spent the whole summer down in the basement with my computer, reading and writing (terrible!) fanfiction. By the fall, I had this amazing little group of friends and it really, truly felt like a community. Over the next few years my interests spread out quite a bit and I got to meet wonderful people from many corners of HP fandom.
Took a break for personal reasons in 2007 but kept in touch with many of those friends. Then I discovered Numb3rs in early summer 2010 (I know, right after it was cancelled. *sob*) and just couldn't keep myself from seeking out the fandom. It reminded me of everything I loved about fandom, and even though some of that original group had moved on due to RL or other interests, there were still a lot of people around, and I've been slowly making my way back in ever since.
I think I love the community of fandom, and the give and take that comes with reading and writing and sharing fic, and that's what draws me back in every time. I'm a pleaser by nature, and I think fanfic provides a healthy outlet for that--writing to please someone else. That's what I love most about fic exchanges. And there's also the outlet there to write things that please only me. What's not to love, really?
2 – Name the fandoms you've written in, and how much you've written in that fandom, and if you still write in it.
3 – For each of the fandoms from day two, what were your favorite characters to write?
4 – Do you have a "muse" character, that speaks to you more than others, or that tries to push their way in, even when the fic isn't about them? Who are they, and why did that character became your muse?
5 –If you have ever had a character try to push their way into a fic, whether your "muse" or not, what did you do about it?
6 – When you write, do you prefer writing male or female characters?
7 – Have you ever had a fic change your opinion of a character?
8 – Do you write OCs? And if so, what do you do to make certain they're not Mary Sues, and if not, explain your thoughts on OCs.
9 – Pairings – For each of the fandoms from day two, what are your three favorite pairings to write?
10 – Pairings – Have you ever gone outside your comfort zone and written a pairing you liked, but found you couldn't write, or a pairing you didn't like, and found you could?
11 – Genre – do you prefer certain genres of fic when you're writing? What kind do you tend to write most?
12 – Have you ever attempted an "adaptation" fic of a favorite book or movie but set in a different fandom?
13 – Do you prefer canon or fanon when you write? Has writing fanfic for a fandom changed the way you see some or even all of the original source material?
14 – Ratings – how high are you comfortable with going? Have you ever written higher? If you're comfortable with NC-17, have you ever been shocked by finding that the story you're writing is G-rated instead?
15 – Warnings – What do you feel it most important to warn for, and what's the strangest thing you've warned for in a fic?
16 – Summaries – Do you like them or hate them? How do you come up with them, if you use them?
17 – Titles – Are they the bane of your existence, or the easiest part of the fic? Also, if you do chaptered fic, do you give each chapter a title, or not?
18 – Where do you get the most inspiration for your fics (aka "bunnies") from?
19 – When you have bunnies, do you sit down and start writing right away, or do you write down the idea for further use?
20 – Do you ever get bunnied from other people's stories or art in the same fandom?
21 – Sequels – Have you ever written a sequel to a fic you wrote, and if so, why, and if not, how do you feel about sequels?
22 – Have you ever participated in a fest or a Big Bang? If so, write about your favorite experience in relation to one. If not, are there any you've thought about doing? And if not, why not?
23 – When you post, where do you post to? Just your journal? Just an archive? Your own personal site?
24 – Betaing – How many betas do you like to use to make sure there aren't any major flaws in your fic? Do you have a Beta horror story or dream story?
25 – Music – Do you listen to music while you write? Do you make playlists to get into a certain "mood" to write your fic? Do you need noise in general? Or do you need it completely quiet?
26 – What is the oddest (or funnest) thing you've had to research for a fic?
27 – Where is your favorite place to write, and do you write by hand or on the computer?
28 – Have you ever collaborated with anyone else, whether writing together, or having an artist work on a piece about your fic?
29 – What is your current project or projects?
30 – Do you have a favorite fic you've written? What makes it your favorite? And don't forget to give us a link!
And stay tuned for a panicked call for hand-holding and beta reading later today. <3, flist.
zagzagael that I was game if she was. So here it goes.1 - How did you first get into writing fanfic, and what was the first fandom you wrote for? What do you think it was about that fandom that pulled you in?
The first fanfic that I wrote was technically 21 Jump Street. 1987-ish, I think. I had no idea there was such a thing as fanfic or fandom. (I was 11.) I'd write stories out on index cards, and then make all my neighborhood friends act them out with me. I think there's a decent portion of my flist who wasn't even born at that point. Hee.
Anyway, I was working in a bookstore when Goblet of Fire came out (the book, not the movie), and I was pregnant with eldest hellmonkey and I read all the HP books so I knew what to tell people when they had questions and loved them. Sometime between GoF and OotP (maybe 2002?), I was looking up more information online and stumbled across the sweetest Harry/Hermione h/c fic and I read a whole bunch of trio-centric fics, then sort of forgot about it. A friend of mine from other activities wrote Buffy slash, and even though I was never a Buffy fan, I read her stuff and adored it.
Then OotP came out, and I remembered fanfiction and went looking for it, and found McAmy's site. I got totally hooked on SS/HG. That summer was wickedly hot and I was pregnant with Newbaby v.3.0, so I spent the whole summer down in the basement with my computer, reading and writing (terrible!) fanfiction. By the fall, I had this amazing little group of friends and it really, truly felt like a community. Over the next few years my interests spread out quite a bit and I got to meet wonderful people from many corners of HP fandom.
Took a break for personal reasons in 2007 but kept in touch with many of those friends. Then I discovered Numb3rs in early summer 2010 (I know, right after it was cancelled. *sob*) and just couldn't keep myself from seeking out the fandom. It reminded me of everything I loved about fandom, and even though some of that original group had moved on due to RL or other interests, there were still a lot of people around, and I've been slowly making my way back in ever since.
I think I love the community of fandom, and the give and take that comes with reading and writing and sharing fic, and that's what draws me back in every time. I'm a pleaser by nature, and I think fanfic provides a healthy outlet for that--writing to please someone else. That's what I love most about fic exchanges. And there's also the outlet there to write things that please only me. What's not to love, really?
2 – Name the fandoms you've written in, and how much you've written in that fandom, and if you still write in it.
3 – For each of the fandoms from day two, what were your favorite characters to write?
4 – Do you have a "muse" character, that speaks to you more than others, or that tries to push their way in, even when the fic isn't about them? Who are they, and why did that character became your muse?
5 –If you have ever had a character try to push their way into a fic, whether your "muse" or not, what did you do about it?
6 – When you write, do you prefer writing male or female characters?
7 – Have you ever had a fic change your opinion of a character?
8 – Do you write OCs? And if so, what do you do to make certain they're not Mary Sues, and if not, explain your thoughts on OCs.
9 – Pairings – For each of the fandoms from day two, what are your three favorite pairings to write?
10 – Pairings – Have you ever gone outside your comfort zone and written a pairing you liked, but found you couldn't write, or a pairing you didn't like, and found you could?
11 – Genre – do you prefer certain genres of fic when you're writing? What kind do you tend to write most?
12 – Have you ever attempted an "adaptation" fic of a favorite book or movie but set in a different fandom?
13 – Do you prefer canon or fanon when you write? Has writing fanfic for a fandom changed the way you see some or even all of the original source material?
14 – Ratings – how high are you comfortable with going? Have you ever written higher? If you're comfortable with NC-17, have you ever been shocked by finding that the story you're writing is G-rated instead?
15 – Warnings – What do you feel it most important to warn for, and what's the strangest thing you've warned for in a fic?
16 – Summaries – Do you like them or hate them? How do you come up with them, if you use them?
17 – Titles – Are they the bane of your existence, or the easiest part of the fic? Also, if you do chaptered fic, do you give each chapter a title, or not?
18 – Where do you get the most inspiration for your fics (aka "bunnies") from?
19 – When you have bunnies, do you sit down and start writing right away, or do you write down the idea for further use?
20 – Do you ever get bunnied from other people's stories or art in the same fandom?
21 – Sequels – Have you ever written a sequel to a fic you wrote, and if so, why, and if not, how do you feel about sequels?
22 – Have you ever participated in a fest or a Big Bang? If so, write about your favorite experience in relation to one. If not, are there any you've thought about doing? And if not, why not?
23 – When you post, where do you post to? Just your journal? Just an archive? Your own personal site?
24 – Betaing – How many betas do you like to use to make sure there aren't any major flaws in your fic? Do you have a Beta horror story or dream story?
25 – Music – Do you listen to music while you write? Do you make playlists to get into a certain "mood" to write your fic? Do you need noise in general? Or do you need it completely quiet?
26 – What is the oddest (or funnest) thing you've had to research for a fic?
27 – Where is your favorite place to write, and do you write by hand or on the computer?
28 – Have you ever collaborated with anyone else, whether writing together, or having an artist work on a piece about your fic?
29 – What is your current project or projects?
30 – Do you have a favorite fic you've written? What makes it your favorite? And don't forget to give us a link!
And stay tuned for a panicked call for hand-holding and beta reading later today. <3, flist.
