A Couple of Things

First of all, I'm going to be completely offline from Wednesday to Tuesday.  I'm going back to my hometown to visit my bestest friend and I'm going to be focusing on my time there.  That being said, I'm sure I'll be doing a crapton of writing while on the plane, so I'm hoping to have something to put up when I get home.

I actually got requests for answers to ALL of the questions I put up, which surprised me.  Most of them were via KKT and other platforms, but I figured I'd respond here to all of them.  And I wanted to apologize for not responding directly to most of your comments.  Blogger hates me.  :(

Answers to the questions below the cut.  :)






1. Describe yourself how you would describe a character you’re introducing...  You sure you want to read this?  Here goes...

She was tall, taller than most men he'd seen; her shoulders broad and her posture confident.  A smirk more often than a smile, but with a ready laugh.  Brown eyes with some wicked eyebrows (God bless genetics) and a squishy tummy that would be fun to snuggle.  All in all, not bad.

2. Is there any specific ritual you go through while/before/after your writing?  This question made me laugh.  I don't really have much of a ritual, other than the fact that I do a LOT of my writing at Starbucks.  Otherwise, it's mostly me flailing, squealing and basically making a fool of myself in the privacy of my apartment.  LOL!  That and speaking dialogue out loud to make sure it "sounds" right.  Nothing worse than stilted dialogue that makes you characters sound like automatons.

3. What is your absolute favorite kind of fic to write?  Smut?  :)  I seem to have a knack for it, for some reason, considering how long it's been since I've been in a relationship.  A good imagination and a heavy libido will do that to a girl.  :P

4. Are there any other fic writers you admire? If so, who and why?  Yes, I have a couple.  Getyourvixxfixx on Tumblr was probably one of the first writers that drew me in.  Her prose is just...stellar.  The way she creates emotions is just gorgeous.  I envy her ability to do that.  Wowoashley on AO3 is the other one who completely blows my mind on the regular.  She specializes in TaeKook fics for BTS and her writing is just...wow.  She's amazing at building up tension and smacking you sideways with some of the hottest, dirtiest sex I've ever read.  Lastly would probably be lethallergic on Tumblr/AO3.  She also writes m/m BTS fic and her writing style is what I like to call "Intelligent writing."  Though her stories are sexual in nature, her writing delves more into the mental aspects of things.  Hard to explain, but worth looking up.  These are the three writers I immediately recommend to any and all.  I have others, but most of them are either on lengthy hiatuses or have quit writing completely, which absolutely kills me.

5. How many words can you write if you sit down and concentrate intensely for an hour?  I've honestly never really counted?  If I'm able to fully concentrate, I type anywhere from 85 to 90 words a minute, so that should give you an idea.  My average stories range anywhere from 3000-5500 words and most of them I'm able to write in about two hours, give or take.  Sometimes I can write something super quickly and sometimes it's a struggle, but 90% of my stories I've written in one go.

6. First fic/pairing you wrote for? (If no pairing, describe the plot) - The very first fic I wrote was a Hyuk four-part disaster that I've since deleted.  The first story I kept was Jealousy Sparks featuring a very dirty Taekwoon and his girlfriend having sex in a dark room.  :)

7. Inspiration, time, or motivation. Choose two.  Inspiration & time.  Those are my two biggest struggles and if I could have them all the time, I'd be a very happy woman.  :P

8. Why do you choose to write?   Honestly?  It's not a choice.  I've wanted to be a writer since I was twelve and most of the time it's a compulsion.  It makes me feel antsy if I can't write at least once a week.

 

9. Do you ever have plans to write anything other than fic? I'd love to be a published author and write for a living.  That's been my ultimate goal for longer than most of my readers have been alive.  O.o

10. What inspires you the most?  Hard to say.  I've had songs inspire me.  I've had just random thoughts pop into my head.  I've witnessed things that made me think they'd be a good story.  I don't really have anything that I'd consider to be my biggest inspiration, other than my drive to be a better writer.

11. Weirdest thing you’ve ever written/thought about writing/etc.?  Oh, Lord, if you saw some of the things I've written, you'd worry about my sanity.  I've written some really dark and twisted things, especially when my depression is acting up. 

12. A fic you wish you had written better, and why?  None.  Each of my stories has its own appeal.  There are ones I LOVE that my readers don't bother to read, but everyone has their own taste. 

13. Favorite fic from another author? I have quite a few, honestly.  I spend hours reading fics on AO3 in particular and my bookmarks are many.  I think this one is the one that has stuck with me the hardest.  It completely ripped my heart out, but is one of the most beautiful things I've ever read.  It's so beautiful and the ending is not a happy one, but it is at the same time.  I recommend it to anyone.  If it doesn't touch you in some way, you don't have a heart.

14. Your favorite side pairings to put in?  I honestly love writing Sanghyuk.  He's so snarky and silly, which makes writing him a ton of fun.  He's not a pairing (obviously), but he is my favorite go to when I need comic relief.

15. Your guilty writing pleasure? Fluffy fluff fluff.  I love fluff, but I suck at writing it.  I've been reading this one fic on AO3 that is baby Bangtan and it is one of the cutest things I've ever read.  Makes me feel all warm & fuzzy inside.  :)

16. Do you have structured ideas of how your story is supposed to go, or make it up as you write? I've always been a pantser, sadly.  The only story I ever really "planned" was my series with VIXX as wolves, but that didn't pan out, so what does that tell you?  Most of my stories are written just off the top of my head.  I'm usually staring up at the ceiling while my fingers fly across my keyboard.  ;P

17. Would you describe yourself as a fast writer? Yes.  Sadly, my brain works even faster than my fingers, which is terrifying if you really think about it.  LOL

18. How old were you when you started writing?  12

19. Why did you start writing?  If this question is in regards to fan fiction, it was because I've read terrible...and I do mean terrible, sex.  Babies born through clits, penises unscrewed after sex, you name it, I've read it.  I know most fic authors are around the age of twelve (or so it seems) and have probably never had sex ed before, but I KNEW I could write better sex than 99% of the crap I'd read.  So, I sat down and wrote something I would want to read.  And the rest, as they say, is history.  :P

20. 4 sentences from your work that you’re proud of...  Hmmm...this is a really hard question for me to answer.  I've written some things that made me feel I can write well, but I've never been proud of anything I've written.  I always see things I could fix, rather than anything that I think is perfect.  But, there's one scene in "Perfect in My Eyes" that gave me feels, especially in context to what the story was about.  This is the scene:

He looked up at you with a frown, but took your hand.  You pulled him to his feet and led him outside, not letting go of his hand.  You meandered through the neighborhood, not speaking, but allowing him just a short time of normalcy.  Your feet led you to a small park a block away from your apartment.  You led him to the swings, letting go of his hand to sit on one of them.  You motioned at the other, a smile crossing your face when he sat down.  You began to swing, pumping your legs gently.  You felt like you were a child again, the wind in your face. 

When you heard the laughter you turned your head, a smile lighting your face when you saw Hakyeon's face lit up with laughter.  His eyes were closed and his head was thrown back as he pumped his legs, the swing going higher and higher.  You stopped, your feet planting on the ground as you twisted your swing until you faced him completely.  You just watched, your heart feeling light for the first time in a long time.  It was a beautiful sight, his laughter contagious. 

You giggled, your hand coming up to cover your lips.  He opened his eyes and glanced over at you, a comical look crossing his face when he realized you'd been watching him.  A blush covered his cheeks and he quit pumping, allowing the swing to come to a halt.

"Sorry, I got carried away."

"No, it was cute.  It reminded me of our childhood."

He twisted his swing to face you, his head against the chain.

"Sometimes I miss that; our childhood.  We were more innocent back then."

"I know.  But we're adults now.  We've got more armor built up to allow us to live our lives.  I'm sorry yours seems to be dented."

He sighed and scuffed his toe over the asphalt below you.

"I'm twenty-five years old and there are times I wonder if this path I've chosen was the right decision.  The boys are getting hammered left and right, all of their comments gone through with a fine toothed comb.  No matter what I do or say, everyone thinks my life is miserable because of my coloring.  I like my coloring.  I just wish everyone else did too."

"I love your coloring, Hakyeon.  You've always been beautiful in my eyes."

The smile that crossed his lips seemed bittersweet.  He reached out a hand to you and you did the same, your fingers entwining.

"I love you.  I hope you know that."

"I love you too."

You knew he meant it, but not in the way you'd meant it.  You let out a little sigh, but squeezed his fingers, thankful you could be there for him.  The peace that came over you at that moment was beautiful.  The quiet of the park, the feeling of his fingers entwined with yours, the fact that you were there with him.  It felt perfect.