Snowflake Challenge 8: Current Project(s)

2024-01-15 06:32 pm
fleetsparrow: Drawing of Bear in a Batman costume, in her identity Bat-Bear. (Default)
I have only one (1) thing going on that actually Needs Doing, because it was due last year, but beyond that, I am blissfully free.

So far, I have written a bit for the upcoming Bruce/Dick Week prompt "Batkids Matchmaking" and a lot for prompt "Bat-God Bruce", the latter of which super got away from me and is now close to 4,000 words!
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NaNo, Write Mo'

2023-11-05 11:47 am
fleetsparrow: Drawing of Bear in a Batman costume, in her identity Bat-Bear. (Default)
(this is a very serious post and I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist that headline)

Finally, after about a decade of trying to figure out why NaNo, the one time the rest of the world (more or less) cares about writing, is always not only the one time of the year that I write LESS, but also seems to actively depress me about writing, I did it.
 
I figured it out.
 
Every year, I see the same things:  people going on about how great NaNo is, how excited they are to go back to a novel, how thrilling it is to be surrounded by writers and old friends and meet new friends, and how everyone tries to make space for new writers, and all that.
 
And every year, I either can't work up the enthusiasm or find it actually stifling to try and create during NaNo.  At first, I thought it was the word count, but I've won before.  Then I thought it was the novel structure itself, but I've done that before, too.
 
But I figured out it's actually NaNo, not me.
 
See, all the messaging is talking about how this, now, is the time when you can do whatever you want in a story.  When you take charge of your writing life and put real life on hold for your dreams and use one month to do something you've never done before (sometimes, this same message even if you've done NaNo before).
 
But, I don't.
 
I write all the fucking time.
 
All year.  Every day.
 
Not that I actually put down words every day, god knows.  I've gone months without physically writing down anything.
 
But I'm always thinking of stories.  I'm always working on characters.  I'm always writing in my head, even if not anywhere else.
 
And I think that's the problem.
 
NaNo is geared to be a once in a year thing.  Yes, even with their "Now, What?" months.  Even with the Camp NaNo months.  Even with their new ability to set goals year-round.
 
The way NaNo is marketed is that you don't write all the time.  You do have A story to tell, and THIS is your chance to do it.
 
But I have so many stories.  And they're constantly mutating and changing and writing and rewriting themselves every single day.
 
I literally cannot afford to wait for a once-a-year event to "tell my story."
 
Because it's always happening.
 
And I don't know what I'd do if I really held off for a sanctified time.
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Writing Meme 3: This Time It's 25

2022-01-29 06:49 pm
fleetsparrow: Drawing of Bear in a Batman costume, in her identity Bat-Bear. (Default)
1.  Tell us about your current project(s)  – what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it?
My current project is a commission, but outside of that, it's a WIP where Dick Grayson is Batman and Bruce Wayne is just a playboy when their paths cross and then eventual feelings are caught.

2.  Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project.
I'm looking forward to working on my original middle grade ghost story... if I can ever find all my notes on it again.

3.  What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)
Honestly, what I really want to do is write the same story with, like, a million different endings/options for scenes.

4.  Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like)
“Didn’t your mother ever tell you it’s not nice to play with guns?” Batman asked, one corner of his lip turned up.

“I mean it.  I’m a crack shot.”

“When you’re sober.”

Wayne put his other hand on the gun, steadying himself.  “What do you want?”
 
5.  What character that you’re writing do you most identify with?
Dick Grayson, always.  I, too, have a generally optimistic nature around things that could be (and sometimes are) definitely worse than I hope.  That and I love puns.

6.  What character do you have the most fun writing?
Also, Dick Grayson.

7.  What do you think are the characteristics of your personal writing style? Would others agree?
I'd say I have a strange way of looking at things, and that makes for interesting comparisons in my writing, odd turns of phrase.

8.  Is what you like to write the same as what you like to read?
Yes??  I mean, I only write what I'd want to read, so....  But, like, genre-wise?  No, not really.

9.  Are you more of a drabble or a longfic kind of writer? Pantser or plotter? Do you wish you were the other?
I'm much more comfortable with flash fiction or short stories than longfic.  I definitely wish I could write longer things; big bangs are my favorites, but I struggle with all of them so much.  I'm more of a plantser than strictly one or the other.  I'm good with the occasional outline for longer stuff, but otherwise I make it up as I go.  Otherwise, my brain thinks I've already finished it.

10.  How would you describe your writing process?
Lots of thinking about stories, eventually getting down to a computer (or phone, or tablet, or pen and paper, or....) and writing it out, while definitely not reading back until the end, usually only to make sure I didn't already use a particular turn of phrase earlier in the story for the same thing.

11.  What do you envy in other writers?
How do y'all write longfic, hhhhhhhhoooooooowwwwwww???????

12.  Do you want your writing to be famous?
...they kinda are already?  I mean, I'm no Big Name Fan, but I have a pretty damn good readership.  And I'm very grateful for them.

13.  Do you share your writing online? (Drop a link!) Do you have projects you’ve kept just for yourself?
My stuff is all pretty much available on AO3 (link in the sticky post, I believe).  I do have a lot of original work that I don't share, not really in the hopes of publishing, but more because it's not done at all.  I do have commissions I haven't shared, because I think they should be private to my commissioner for a while longer.

14.  At what point in writing do you come up with a title?
That really depends!  Sometimes the title gets me before a fic, and other times I'll be on AO3 posting page trying to think one up while everything else is ready.

15.  Which is harder: titles or summaries (or tags)?
Fucking tags, always.  Titles come fairly easy, and summaries are a little harder, but gd tags, they kill me.

16.  Tried anything new with your writing lately? (style, POV, genre, fandom?)
Last year, I really got into first person plural POV, which is really fun and kinda how my brain works already???  I don't know what this year will do.  Oh, also A/B/O stuff?  I'm not really a fan, but the more I'm around it, the more my brain comes up with ways to make it more palatable for me, I guess.

17.  Do you think readers perceive your work - or you - differently to you? What do you think would surprise your readers about your writing or your motivations?
I'm sure they do.  We all perceive people differently than the person themselves.  I think what would surprise them is that I really love making friends in fandom, but I'm just painfully ADHD in terms of following up.  And that's also the reason most of my longifcs aren't finished.  They're not abandoned, just lost somewhere in the background of my mind.

18.  Do any of your stories have alternative versions? (plotlines that you abandoned, AUs of your own work, different characterisations?) Tell us about them.
OH LORDY YES!!!

Just take Superheroes Come To Feast.  I have so many alternate endings for that fic, most of them unhappy (whoops) as opposed to the bittersweet happy ending I gave them.  All of my fics go through multiple AU versions of the same plot before I settle on the one I finally post.  I'm the king of multiple versions of the same story.

19.  Is there something you always find yourself repeating in your writing? (favourite verb, something you describe ‘too often’, trope you can’t get enough of?)
Oh yeah...  The word "obscene" in sex scenes as a description.  I've got certain tropes I'm very fond of that I tend to include.  My brain's drawing a blank, but man, I know I have them.

20.  Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)
I really love fic (original or fanfic) that drops arcane and obscure references throughout.  Whenever I get quasi-religious original fic prompts in exchanges, my brain goes into a happy place of putting in all kinds of references to the weird things I know.  For fanfics, I love using one-off characters from comics or mentioning plotlines that only happened in issue whatever back in 197X or whatnot.  I'm a huge lover of the multiversal "everything is canon" stuff.

21.  What other medium do you think your story would work well as? (film, webcomic, animated series?)
I'd love to make webcomics or a radio serial or something like that.

22.  Do you reread your old works? How do you feel about them?
I absolutely do and I love them.  I rarely find fics I can't stand anymore, because I look at them all as places I've come from.

23.  What’s the story idea you’ve had in your head for the longest?
It's an original high-ish fantasy novel with pirates and magic and stuff, vaguely Tolkien-esque but with more inclusivity and diversity.

24.  Would you say your writing has changed over time?
Most definitely.  My sentences are more complex, my references are deeper, my general grasp over writing stuff has improved.  But also, I've just also stopped worrying about how my stuff reads technically speaking and learned to love how it reads when spoken or read aloud, how my writing sounds as language.

25.  What part of writing is the most fun?
The daydreaming part of it.  Getting the words down is a good second runner, but I love just dreaming about what my stories are going to be or could be.
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Writing Questions

2021-01-23 10:17 pm
fleetsparrow: Drawing of Bear in a Batman costume, in her identity Bat-Bear. (Default)
20 Questions About Writing

1. Describe yourself how you would describe a character you’re introducing.
Oh god, I never describe my characters oh no this is a bad start to this....

2. Is there any specific ritual you go through while/before/after your writing?
Not too much.  When I worked, I would set out my laptop, turn on my music and speaker, open up my doc (have the wi-fi off), and start writing.  I guess that's kind of its own ritual.

3. What is your absolute favorite kind of fic to write?
Sweet romance, very Thin Man-esque love, and fluff.

So, of course, I write mostly porn.

4. Are there any other fic writers you admire? If so, who and why?
Oh gosh, yes!  So many!  The only problem is, most of them aren't writing anymore.

5. How many words can you write if you sit down and concentrate intensely for an hour?
Generally, I write somewhere between 500-750 words in one sitting.

6. First fic/pairing you wrote for? (If no pairing, describe the plot)
Pretty sure it was for LOST and it was an OFC with Sawyer.  Either that, or Touya/Yuki in Cardcaptor Sakura.

7. Inspiration, time, or motivation. Choose two.
Motivation and Time.  I can always force myself to write with motivation and time, but without one of those, I'm stuck.

8. Why do you choose to write?
I find this an odd question.  I guess it's choice in that I could be doing something else instead?  But, really, I don't know what I'd do with myself if I didn't write.

9. Do you ever have plans to write anything other than fic?
I've written a lot of original fic, but I'm not at a stage where I want to publish it yet.  Most of the presses I would've submitted to shut down within the past few years, so....

10. What inspires you the most?
I do?  IDK, I use a lot of prompts sometimes.  Things I read inspire me to fix them to make them better (read:  queerer).

11. Weirdest thing you’ve ever written/thought about writing/etc.?
Um, I have a secret AO3 account just for my weirdest shit, and it's...not something I'm gonna share, lol.

12. A fic you wish you had written better, and why?
Family Sacrifices, my newest DCBB fic.  FS is just so old that it needs updating.  My DCBB just needs a lot of work that I wasn't able to give it.

13. Favorite fic from another author?
I'm not sure.  My favorites change so frequently.  Most of them are by people no longer writing in the same fandoms.

14. Your favorite side pairings to put in?
Batfandom:  Jason/Cass
Yu-Gi-Oh!:  Yugi/Anzu, Honda/Otogi

15. Your guilty writing pleasure?
I don't know that I have them.  I never feel guilty about my pleasures.  I guess the biggest one right now is Omegaverse, because I generally hate it, but I can't seem to get it out of my mind.

16. Do you have structured ideas of how your story is supposed to go, or do you make it up as you write?
95% of the time, I'm making it up as I go along.  The longer the fic, the more I have to plan it out and make outlines.

17. Would you describe yourself as a fast writer?
Oh, heaven's no.  I'm a very slow writer, whether it's between updates or between sentences.  I'm a very fast typist, but a slow writer.

18. How old were you when you started writing?
Very young.  Basically, as soon as I was able to write, I started telling stories.

19. Why did you start writing?
Needed something to do, I guess.

20. Four sentences from your work that you’re proud of.
This is from a new original story I'm working on about a robot replacing the president of a country, with the president's mind inside the robot while the president's in a coma.

Setting his arm back on the table, she leaned in to listen to the gears in his chest.  “Are you experiencing any clicks or hiccups?”

“Only when I think about you, Doctor Lyle.”

She bit her lip, trying to prevent her own heart from fluttering.  Straightening, she picked up her penlight and checked his eyes.  “Something must be causing these tics.”

“Perhaps he is recovering,” R-1 said.  There was no inflection in his words, yet she felt a hesitance in his voice.  “After all, one mind cannot live in two bodies.”
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Snowflake Challenge 12: Memes For The Asking

2021-01-23 09:27 pm
fleetsparrow: Drawing of Bear in a Batman costume, in her identity Bat-Bear. (Default)
Ask me any of these questions and I'll talk more about my writing!

1. Of the fic you’ve written, of which are you most proud?
2. Favourite tense
3. Favourite POV
4. What are some themes you love writing about?
5. What inspires you to write?
6. Thoughts on critique
7. Create a character on the spot... NOW!
8. Is there a character you love writing for the most? The least? Why?
9. A passage from a WIP
10. What are your strengths in writing?
11. What are your weaknesses in writing?
12. Anything else that you want to know... (otherwise known as Fill in the Blank) 
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Writing Meme 2: Eclectic Boogaloo

2021-01-23 07:39 pm
fleetsparrow: Drawing of Bear in a Batman costume, in her identity Bat-Bear. (Default)
I like answering things despite never being asked, so that's what I'm gonna do.  I'm going to focus on Batfandom, with maybe occasional forays into some others.

1. Which is your favorite of the fics you’ve written for X fandom?

I think some of my fluff gen ones are my favorites, but my goodness, I've written so many, I can't remember them all.
 
2. Favorite piece overall?

Hollywood Nights.  It's a recent one, but I had so much fun writing it.
 
3. Which was the hardest to write, in terms of plot?

Superheroes Come to Feast.  While I was in some sort of flow in writing it (I mean, like, literally, I couldn't stop writing it), trying to figure out where to go after a certain point became ridiculously hard.
 
4. Which has the most “you” in it, however you’d define that?

Diverting from Batfandom, I'd say any of the trans stories I've written, be it original fic, my Holmes/Watson fic, or my Kaiba/Jounouchi one.  Each one has part of my fears and hopes in it that all add up to being very me.
 
5. What is an image/set of images that you’re particularly proud of?

One from an unpublished fic I'm working on that goes, "The strange one-sided conversation hung in X's head like a corpse."  (X because it's for an exchange.)
 
6. Idea that you always wanted to write but could never make work?

Back to Batfandom:  trans man Bruce and trans woman Talia are trying to figure out how to have a child.  Bruce can't take time off from Batman to conceive.  Cis woman Selina is Bruce's on-again/off-again girlfriend, so they approach her to be their surrogate.  She's not maternal (so she says), but she loves them both, so she agrees.  Result:  Damian.

Talia and Bruce divorce/break up (depending on how I feel whether they married or not).  Talia takes Damian and raises him, only to return him later.  Selina claims nothing of him, because Talia is his mother.  Somehow, eventually, he finds out.  And then...stuff happens, I haven't figured it out that far.
 
7. Least favorite plot point/chapter/moment?

Not finishing Drawlloween last year.
 
8. Favorite plot point/chapter/moment?

Writing Hollywood Nights.
 
9. Favorite character to write?

Dick Grayson, hands down.
 
10. Favorite line or lines of dialogue that you’ve written

NSFW:  From Hollywood Nights:

The door opens and Bruce doesn’t quite burst into the room so much as the room shrinks to announce his entrance.  It’s an odd effect, but one that’s served him so well in flicks.  There’s something about him that makes you stop and take notice.
 
At least, I stop and take notice.  Damian just keeps fucking me like we don’t suddenly have an audience.
 
“Shut the door, Father,” Damian says.  “Grayson will catch a draft.”
11. If I’m showing off just one of your pieces to someone, which one should it be?

NONE OF THEM.  I mean....

Either Be My Lover or La Triche.  Both are original works, but I like them both and they catch my general sense of humor.
 
12. What WIPs do you have going now? Are you excited about them?

I have a novel I'm working on that is exciting, although I'm taking a break from it right now.  I've got several WIP that I have to do for Batfandom, but they're less of a priority right now, as I have a fic to finish for FFFX.
 
13. Are there any things that might have happened in any of your stories, but you changed them at the last minute? (So-and-so dies, they don’t actually kiss, main character has long extended ballet-based dream sequence, etc.)

Yes!  Superheroes Come to Feast had three possible endings:  The good ending (the one that happened).  The bad ending, in which the Bats win and Dick goes back to them and is trapped.  The Holy Shit ending in which Dick kills them all, burns down the manor, and goes feral.  I made that last one part of a dream instead.
 
14. Would you want to write canon for any of your fandoms (like be hired by showrunner to do an episode)? Which one?

I would love to write a canon story for Batman as an Elseworld or something.  Maybe a queer Sherlock Holmes story or something.
 
15. Does font matter to you when you’re writing a draft?

Not really.  I draft everything in Arial because I need to R E A D when I'm typing
 
16. 3 favorite comments ever received on fanfic.

Oh gosh, I don't know.  I love every comment.
 
17. Any mean comments? How’d you deal with it? Who laid the smackdown?

I do get them occasionally.  Sometimes I just delete them, sometimes I clap back, because I have no patience for fools.
 
18. If you could go back and revise one of your older stories, which would it be?

Family Sacrifices.  It's still a WIP, but I started it so long ago that the writing style is completely different from mine now.
 
19. Do you make up scenes at work/on the bus/at the gym? Who are the characters that pop up the most? Do you write them down?

As someone who acts out my own scenes on the regular, I'm either Dick Grayson or Kaiba frequently.  They help me manage my daily life and figure out characterization and plot points for scenes.
 
20. Go nuts, and talk about writing.
 
Oh gosh, what to say?  I love it so much.  It was a long time getting through to me, but the more you force out just absolute shit drafts, the better you get at writing.  You'll be able to edit faster once you have something to edit as opposed to trying to make every sentence perfect on the first go.
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AO3 Meme

2021-01-23 06:10 pm
fleetsparrow: Drawing of Bear in a Batman costume, in her identity Bat-Bear. (Default)
What’s your first and second most common work ratings?
  • General Audiences (254)
  • Explicit (113)
I'm...kind of surprised at that, actually.  I really didn't expect Gen to win at all.

How many fics have you written in each relationship category? Is this more accidental, or do you have preferences?
  • M/M (238)
  • Gen (207)
  • F/M (74)
  • Multi (29)
  • F/F (17)
  • Other (3)
This time, I'm less surprised, because, well, I'm queer and masc, so it really makes sense that most of my fics are, too.

What are your top four fandoms by numbers? Are you still active in any of them, and do you tend to migrate a lot?
  • Batman (Comics) (284)
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga) (81)
  • Original Work (61)
  • DCU (Comics) (41)
I'm pretty steady in Batman comics (most of the DCU tags are also Batman, but from exchanges, so they're probably duplicates).  I did think I had more YGO up than that.  I think the drop is the funniest thing to me.  284!!
....
81....!

I'm still active in all of these, though, as you can tell, mostly focused in the top three (top one, ofc, being the ultimate winner).

What are your top four character tags? Does this match how you feel about the characters, or are you puzzled?
  • Dick Grayson (267)
  • Bruce Wayne (195)
  • Kaiba Seto (74)
  • Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler (66)
I am a little surprised Selina didn't place higher, but this basically sums up my strongest OTPs (Bruce/Dick and Kaiba/Jounouchi).

If we look at the top six relationships, they are:
  • Dick Grayson/Bruce Wayne (91)
  • Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler/Kaiba Seto (60)
  • Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne (29)
  • Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne (27)
  • Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne (19)
  • Dick Grayson/Slade Wilson (12)
That...looks pretty damn accurate, I won't lie.  Just below Slade/Dick is OFC/OMC and Helena B./Dick.  But that basically shows where my hyperfixations go.

How many WIPs do you have currently running on AO3? Any you don’t plan on finishing?

13 WIP.  Let's break them down.
  • One (1) I'm not finishing (the one Original Fic) on AO3, because I want to publish it someday.
  • One (1) that's a collection of 3 sentence fics I'll eventually get back to.
  • Ten (10) that I plan on finishing (in various orders of "sooner to later"), all Batman, all Dick Grayson-focused.
  • One (1) Moriarty (Horowitz canon) fic that I swear I have half an outline for and will someday finish.
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I Write Like...

2021-01-23 06:09 pm
fleetsparrow: Drawing of Bear in a Batman costume, in her identity Bat-Bear. (Default)




Oh! This makes my little heart so happy!!
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Writing Meme

2020-04-20 02:35 am
fleetsparrow: Drawing of Bear in a Batman costume, in her identity Bat-Bear. (Default)
Stole this meme from Kindkit's archives, because I'm in the mood to do these.  Hey, I've got to be up till at least 5:30 because of my job.  I might as well have some fun.

I'd put a cut on these, but, as we've seen, I don't know how to operate one of those, so, sorry for your feeds.

1. Describe your comfort zone—a typical you-fic.
A typical me fic is romantic, and probably full of sex.  Which is, like, the absolute opposite of me IRL.

2. Is there a trope you’ve yet to try your hand at, but really want to?
Soulmates, maybe?  IDK, I pretty much try everything I like at some point.

3. Is there a trope you wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole?
Omegaverse/A/B/O shit.  If that doesn't tell you how I feel about it.  Gender essentialism bullshit.

4. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Care to share one of them?
So many.  Right now, I'm in the planning stages of one fic that has Selina Kyle, ex-Catwoman, as a private investigator whose client is going to be the rich, but troubled Bruce Wayne.

5. Share one of your strengths.
Dialogue.  I write very natural and in-character sounding dialogue.

6. Share one of your weaknesses.
Descriptions.  I always forget people want to see what's going on.

7. Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why  you’re proud of it.


8. Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why  you're proud of it.

9. Which fic has been the hardest to write?
Every single one of my Big Bang fics has been a huge challenge, because I don't do well in long-form and I hate having to plot long things.

10. Which fic has been the easiest to write?
Anything involving Dick Grayson, especially if it's just straight smut.

11. Is writing your passion or just a fun hobby?
Graphic Design is my passion.  Writing is one of the few passions I have in life.  If I could write full time and make money doing it, I'd basically never stop.

12. Is there an episode above all others that inspires you just a little bit more?
I assume you mean, like, episode of a show or book or something that inspires me?  Grayson was a great inspiration for seeing how Dick works in a new setting.  "Among the Few" gives me life for the only canonically queer character in the entirety of Foyle's War (though you can pry the headcanon that DCI Foyle is bi out of my cold queer fingers).

13. What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever come across?
Write what you want to read.  Don't write for anyone else but yourself.  You'll be so much happier that way.

14. What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever come across?
~~Write Every Day~~

15. If you could choose one of your fics to be filmed, which would you choose?
Life's Sweetest Reward, a perfectly romantic and fluffy piece.

16. If you only could write one pairing for the rest of your life, which pairing would it be?
Bruce/Dick.  But I'd miss the others.

17. Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?
My brain typically works only chronologically, but every now and then I'll write a scene that is closer to an ending, and then fill in from there.

18. Do you use any tools, like worksheets or outlines?
For short fics, I really don't.  For novels or Big Bangs, I outline, sometimes extensively.  But also, including jokes, things to amuse myself, things that don't make sense to anyone who doesn't live in my brain, but that tells me exactly what I need to have happen there.

19. Stephen King once said that his muse is a man who lives in the basement. Do you have a  muse?
That's disturbing.  No, I don't, really.  I mean, unless Dick Grayson counts, because he's in basically everything I write.

20. Describe your perfect writing conditions.
Music in the background, I'm comfy in my chair, at my computer, my nails are just long enough to hit the keys without hitting the others, and, most importantly, NOBODY IS TALKING TO ME.

21. How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?
>.>
<.<
>.>
Revise?  What is this "revise" that you speak of?
Seriously, though, I typically look over something once or twice in detail if it's for an exchange, read over a lot if it's a longer piece, but if it's just a one-shot or something, I won't bother reading it over unless I catch a major flaw.

22. Choose a passage from one of your earlier fics and edit it into your current writing style.
Um, so I looked over the fic I wanted to do this for, but then this would just lead me into redoing the whole fic, so I'm, uh, not gonna do that.

23. If you were to revise one of your older fics from start to finish, which would it be and why?
When the Lightning Walks About, no question.  I love the premise of the fic, but I would so, SO do it over if I could.

24. Have you ever deleted one of your published fics?
I have not.  I don't like to.  I like leaving records of my time on the internet, even if I'm the only one interested.

25. What do you look for in a beta?
My revising answer should've told you what I feel about betas.  They're good to have and all, and sometimes on longer pieces I have my mom read them over so I get a fresh set of eyes on them, but otherwise, I never let anybody read my stuff until it's ready.

26. Do you beta yourself? If so, what kind of beta are you?
I don't, because I don't have the time anymore, but I'm more of a proofreader than anything else.  Proofreader and continuity man.

27. How do you feel about collaborations?
I would love to collaborate with someone on a fic, but I also know I'm hella controlling on my fics, so IDK how that would work, necessarily.  But I'd love to do it some time!

28. Share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much.
Stitchomancy isn't writing much anymore in terms of fanfic, especially not my fandoms, but holy heck, they're so good!!  And a good friend of mine, so I was privy to a lot of stuff that never got posted while betaing (way back in the day).

Um...I don't actually read much fanfic anymore.  Therefore, I don't have a lot of favorite authors.  Sorry about that.

29. If you could write the sequel (or prequel) to any fic out there not written by yourself, which  would you choose?
I've probably already said this somewhere, but I would love to continue The Boy in the Manor, because it was so formative to me getting into fandom and writing darkfic of my own.

30. Do you accept prompts?
I'm literally always accepting prompts.  Feel free to drop some here, if you'd like!

31. Do you take liberties with canon or are you very strict about your fic being canon compliant?
Bruh, my main canon takes liberties with canon, so anything I do is fair game.

Since I mostly write DC stuff, I like playing around with canon, but I do tend to stick to what's canon-plausible, unless I'm writing a complete AU.

32. How do you feel about smut?
My actual bread and butter.

33. How do you feel about crack?
It depends.  If it's played straight, I think it's great.  If it's obvious parody, but winks at itself, then it's garbage.

34. What are your thoughts on non-con and dub-con?
>.>
*hides all my noncon/dubcon fics I've written for exchanges*  I don't know what you mean.....

Typically, I don't publish much noncon stuff unless it's for an exchange.  I do have one noncon fic that I've posted on Patreon that I may or may not publish on AO3.  It's my only drawer fic.

35. Would you ever kill off a canon character?
I have.  I've killed off the Joker in one fic.  But I don't do it a lot to characters that haven't already died, because my canon likes doing that itself, so I'm more picky about writing happy things for it.

36. Which is your favorite site to post fic?
Archive of Our Own.  I basically don't post anywhere else, with the rare exception of a post to Tumblr, but I don't like posting there after the porn ban.

37. Talk about your current wips.
I've got a Slade/Dick fic that's half finished that's just straight porn.
I've got the aforementioned Selina Kyle, PI.
Selina & Joker fic that's somehow supposed to be 15k words, ahahahahahahaaaaa.  killme
Id Pro Quo fic and Holmestice fics in the works.  I just finished the Unsent Letters fic for the exchange.
Also working on a song parody to Miley Cyrus's "Party in the USA" as "Pandemic in the USA" which is stalled halfway through.
Ooh, I've also got my other Mini Bang fic that's almost finished.  It's where Batman kills criminals, but it's also got a level of demonic possession, and Catwoman has to solve this before he kills her.

38. Talk about a review that made your day.
Oh gosh, the one I got on my Smut 4 Smut exchange fic was just *chef's kiss* amazing.  I squealed and smushed my face so much, omgggggg.

39. Do you ever get rude reviews and how do you deal with them?
I get them on occasion, and I just delete them.  Sometimes I'm rude back, but sometimes they're so downright bizarre that I'm like, "Why the fuck did you read this if you knew you were going to hate it?"

They bring it upon themselves.

40. Write an alternative ending to [insert fic title] (or just the summary of one). 
Since I don't know what fic someone might like me to do, I won't, but I will say, I'm brewing on a side-fic from Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows that features Harvey/Bruce, which is there for one person and one person only.
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Writing Process

2020-02-13 06:34 pm
fleetsparrow: Drawing of Bear in a Batman costume, in her identity Bat-Bear. (Default)
1. Do you write your first draft by hand, or digitally?
Both?  Often, I’ll get ideas at work, where I’ll write them on post-it notes, but mainly I write digitally because it’s less painful on my hand.

2. Do you have a writer’s notebook?
I have so many, it’s not even funny.

3. Planner, pantser, or planter?
Yes.

4. What is your favorite place to write?
At home, on my computer.

5. What is your least favorite place to write?
In my living room, where my computer is.

6. What is your favorite writer’s drink?
Grasshopper.

7. What do you like to eat when you’re writing?
Chocolate by the truckloads.

8. Do you like to write where it’s quiet, or with noise? If noise, what kind?
Mostly quiet, or music, depending on my mood.

9. Do you have a favorite writing season? (eg. spring, summer, fall, winter)
They're all good.

10. Do you make imageboards or storyboards or playlists before you write a story? Do you do them during? After?
Oh lordy.  Sometimes I’ll make playlists of music afterwards, but it’s really rare.  I will make playlists for ships, though.

11. How do you feel about worldbuilding?
I’m against it.

12. How many drafts does your work go through before you’re ready to show it to people or publish?
It depends.  On a flash fiction, maybe I’ll read through it once to catch typos or other errors.  For multi-chapter fics, I’ll do long read overs to catch mistakes and make it polished before publishing it.

13. How do you feel about editors and editing?
Love them.  I’m an editor at heart.

14. What is your favorite part of the writing process?
Honestly, the idea and writing stages.  I know, I’m weird like that.  I actually enjoy writing.

15. What do you do when you have no inspiration, but have to put something on the page/get that story finished?
Cry a lot.  Seriously, though, I’ll sit there and pound out words until it’s finished, then take a break and look it over later.

16. What do you do when you have lots of inspiration, but no way to actually sit down and write?
My phone is a good thing for Google Docs.  Or post-its.  Or email at work.  I find ways.

17. Have you ever dreamed something that ended up in a story?
I once dreamed three full chapters of a fanfic word for word.  It was incredible.

18. How often do you hit save/back up your work?
I only use programs that auto-save.

19. What is your favorite punctuation mark?
;

20. Have you ever gone to school for writing? Would you?
I went to school for theater, which is like writing fanfic and role play all at once.  I think I’d like to go to schools for writing, but I’m also afraid it will make me so dull I’ll never enjoy anything again, or else be too scared of failing to ever like writing.  I’ve worked very hard for this confidence.

21. How do you get better at writing? Do you read articles, blogs, or books about writing for tips and tricks? Watch videos? Make it up as you go along? Something else?
I just keep writing and reading.  I don’t analyze what I read, just absorb it.  I’ve read Story Genius, but I like that style of writing book because it’s more structure related than craft related.

22. What’s something you wish you learned earlier as a writer?
Finish things before you post them.

23. What is the first thing you remember writing?
A story for my fifth grade class, though I know I wrote before that.

24. What is the last thing you worked on?
A new noir detective fanfic about detective Catwoman and homme fatale Bruce Wayne.

25. Your perfect writing day would be…
One where nobody was around and I could write all day. 
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End of the Year/Decade Writing Meme 2019

2019-12-19 06:43 pm
fleetsparrow: Drawing of Bear in a Batman costume, in her identity Bat-Bear. (Default)
Favourite work:  I think currently it's Pussycat, Pussycat, Where Have You Been? because it was technically the first part of the Nursery Crimes series I wrote.

Work you're most proud of:  I think it's currently Scenes From a Gotham Romance because I wrote over 25k words for this thing and I still have more to go.

Your most under-appreciated work:  I'm gonna say Kind of a Drag.  It's the most under-appreciated that I enjoyed writing the most.

Your most over-appreciated work:  Kissing Dad.  Far and away my most popular fic by kudos.  Still love it, though.

Favorite title:  The Fan, The Park, and Summer Flings.  Every time I think of this title, it makes me think of the song it's based on (The Rain, The Park, and Other Things) and that makes me happy.

Least favorite title:  Jealous Mind.  I needed a title and I stuck with that, but I never remember what it's about.

Where do your titles come from and what type of title do you use most often?  Song titles, mostly, and then puns.

What kind of working titles do you use?  I don't generally use titles until I'm ready to post them, but I've got two that I'm working with right now for two different murder mysteries:  "Ex Marks the Spot" and "The Grim Sleeper" (last courtesy of my dad).

Most unsuitable/funniest working title:  I don't really use working titles.  At least, I don't usually remember them when I have used them.

Weirdest thing you had to research for a writing project:  The moon phase in the late-1800s for a brief mention in a short work for college about Sweeney Todd.

Project you had the most fun researching:  Nursery Crimes series.  Looking up all the various themed nursery rhymes and working them into my fic was the best.

Project that was the most difficult to research:  I guess it's my Ghost Girl story, because I'm still learning much about who I want to write about.

Project that was the most difficult to write:  Pick, like, any exchange fic this year???  Ugh, I've had so much trouble with my big bangs this year, because I got a job in the last half of the year and that's slowed my output down a lot.

Project that's been a work-in-progress for ages, that you just can't seem to finish:  My Ghost Girl middle grade novel.  I lost the notes for it on some computer, so now I have to track them down and I just want to have it DONE.

Work you want to write one day, but haven't yet started:  My mystery novels, I guess.  Or maybe my own superhero universe.

Work you thought you would never write, but finally did:  Romance.  Turns out, I write that almost exclusively.  Whoops???

Genre you write most often:  Romance, superheroes, slice-of-life.  Is porn a genre?

Genre you thought you would never write, but finally did:  Mystery.  I never feel good enough about my mysteries.

Genre you want to write some day, but haven't yet done so (and why not):  Fantasy.  I wrote some way back in high school, but then stopped.  I fell out of love with the genre after reading too many white guys and not enough variety.

Genre you'd like to write more of:  Superheroes, but like, my own.

Genre you think you'll probably never write:  Science fiction.  Unless I can fill it with puns like Spider Robinson.

Longest amount of time passed between starting a project and finally finishing it:  The current record is about a year for an actual finished story.

Favourite character:  Tie between Dick Grayson and Selina Kyle.  If I could get the chance to professionally write them, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Character who is the most difficult to write:  Jason Todd.  No idea why, but I can't get the image of him as a wee Robin out of my head to successfully write him as an adult.

Character who simply writes themselves:  Dick Grayson.  I never have to worry about what to do with him.

What's more difficult, plot or characters?  Plot, for sure.  I could (and have) write nothing but small scenes, but fleshing out a plot is monstrous.

(If you outline) biggest difference between the outline you prepared in advance and the finished work:  In The Case of the Missing Son, I wasn't planning for Bruce to be anything but a regular guy, but NOPE, he just had to be Batman, which threw a wrench into my outline, but made for a better story.

Perfect word, and the context you used it in:  Gosh, I don't know.  I know I've had these moments, but I can't remember them.

Favourite opening line:  "Selina had been rich before, but she’d never been Bruce Wayne rich." from Merry Christmas, Baby.

Favourite ending line:  Current one, "And this time I think, maybe Gotham isn’t so bad after all." from The Case of the Missing Son.

Setting you managed to write about without ever having visited:  Gotham, frequently.  I've never been to New York, but I've been to Downtown LA, which is similar in it's crowds and poverty situated beside great wealth.

Favourite POV to write:  Multiple third, though I'm getting better at just solid 3rd.

POV you would never consider writing:  Multiple 1st, maybe?  I used to say I'd never write first person, but then I did, so....

Do you mostly write for challenges/contests/fic exchanges/publishers' calls for submissions, etc. or do you mostly write in your own time?  I love writing for fic exchanges, but 99% of my work is for me only.  If other people like it, that's great, but I pretty much just write to please myself.

(If you write stories with relationships) Mostly first time or established relationship? or something else?  Established relationships are my jam and jelly, but I do some good first time/getting together fics, too.

Oneshots/standalone stories or series?  One-shots, mostly.  But I've got some series I've started and never finished, so I've got that going for me.

Is there a type of story you read but would never write? Or maybe one that you've written, but rarely read?  I write so much romance, but I almost never read it, published romance, anyway.  It never measures up to what I want.  I also love reading odd short stories, but I'm really bad at writing them, so I don't even bother.
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