Writing: The Fanfiction Meme Now Available in Kae Flavor

15Sep09

Because memes make the world go ’round down here in cyberspace, and I promised a friend of mine that I’d do this one like, AGES ago.

1. Why do you write fanfic?

I don’t think there’s a good answer for this one, really. Saying that I “have” to is relative, because in essence, there are other things that I should probably be doing on the creative end of things. I’ve got a crapload of original projects, for one, and they’re almost always shoved into the background of things whenever I get caught up in real life things, or a new shiny something from the fandom end of the universe.

…Saying that I “want” to, though, isn’t quite right either. There are times when an idea hits me while I’m reading or watching something, and it’ll keep hovering around in my head screaming WRITE ME! until I get a line down, for better or for worse. It does become entirely disruptive on some occasions, but, more often than not, it turns out just fine, and the fact that people end up reading the work at the end of the day makes it even better.

Fanfic seems like a pointless exercise for a lot of people because most view it as a derivative work that won’t really get you anywhere, but on my end, I consider it valuable because it’s good practice – ANY writing, for me, is good practice. Another step to developing one’s style and such. That’s probably one reason why I keep doing it.

It’s also nice, quite frankly, to post something up and see that somehow, people are reading it and enjoying it.

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

Saber Rider. Keywords: mechanical-tentacle-almost-rape.

…I was young and innocent and I did not know what I was doing.

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

Final Fantasy 7, Suikoden, Bleach, Full Metal Alchemist, DOGS, Gundam Seed, Kingdom Hearts, Oofuri, Persona 3, KHR, Metal Gear Solid, DtB, D.Grayman, FF10, FF12, Gintama, Soul Eater, XXXHOLiC, Harry Potter, Xenogears, Devil May Cry, Tales of the Abyss, Count Cain, Devil Summoner, Final Fantasy Tactics, Bounen no Xam’d, Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann, Black Lagoon, Eureka 7, Loveless, Gankutsuou, Tokyo Majin, FF9, Ghost Hunt, Magna Carta, Ouran, Prince of Tennis, Air Gear, Peacemaker, Sailor Moon, Gunslinger Girl, Code Geass, Kekkaishi, Star Ocean 3, House MD, Fruits Basket, MPD Psycho, Monster, Moyashimon, Toward the Terra, Kurenai, Wild Adapter, Odin Sphere, Hikaru no Go, One Piece, Seirei no Moribito.

That’s an incomplete list, I think.

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

Hard to say. I THINK I write more fanfic than I read fanfic, but that might only be in recent history.

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

ANGST IS THE ONLY WAY.

…Okay no, that would probably be putting it crudely. I do enjoy conflict, some form of conflict. I also apparently have a penchant for milking out the full range of a characters’ emotions through subjecting them to a variety of experiences, good and bad.

On the level of craft, I THINK narrative and characterization come easiest to me. Dialogue and plot are second, maybe.

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

…Do we have to talk about genres? I find those catagories too restricting and general. o_o

7. Which genres will you not write?

People have told me that I hardly ever write fluff or cracktastic stories, but I don’t know if there will ever be a “genre” that I will absolutely not go into.

8. Are reader comments/responses important?

For possible improvement? Yes, if the person responding can actually give me something to go on beyond “OMG IT’S GREAT” or “OMG U SUCK”.

For ego boosting? Extremely. I know that it’s not general practice for folks to leave a comment on fanfic, but I really love it whenever I get one. It’s visible proof that there ARE people reading, even if I don’t actually need it.

At the end of the day, though, I realize that regardless of what people say about me or my writing, I’m not going to STOP writing. I never started out on this thing for anyone beyond myself, after all.

9. Do you use a beta reader?

Not unless I’m required to, like in the case of KHR Undercover, or if I really feel like I’m not confident in what I’ve got.

I probably should, though. I make the most EMBARRASSING typos.

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

…That is such a hard question. I have a favorite for every fandom that I’ve written for so far, and if anyone were to ask me about each one, I could go on and on.

People most familiar with the most recent fandoms that I’ve written for (namely, Gintama and KHR!), will note, though, that I write extensively for Takasugi Shinsuke (because eyepatch-tans are love), Bansai Kawakami (because music is his radar~) and Hibari Kyouya (because you can’t go wrong with biting people dead).

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

AAAAAAAAAH THAT IS EVEN MORE DIFFICULT JUST ASK ME IN PERSON.

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

I used to, but these days, I tend to be very fluid with my personal interpretations.

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

Contrary to popular belief, I have an incredibly hard time writing directly from Hibari’s perspective. I know I’ve ficced him a lot, but getting into his head is quite another thing altogether. u_u

Beyond that, I really can’t answer that question. I tend to write from a more “objective” point of view, and the difficulty or easiness of the work was always grounded in something outside of the character’s point of view, I think.

If the meme’s made you curious about reading my stuff, there’s a very messy archive of them over at Stitched Up on LJ. I’m in the process of making a much more organized archive, which will be pimped here as soon as I finish it.

Filed under: fangirl things, fiction   |  2 Comments
Tags: fanfiction, writing