Another meme

[dreamflower]

This time it's a writing meme, taken from several people on my flist.

Pick a letter and I will tell you about it. Then do it yourself if you like!

A. Describe your comfort zone—a typical you-fic.
B. Is there a type of story you’ve yet to try your hand at, but really want to?
C. Is there a type of story you wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole?
D. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Care to share one of them?
E. Share one of your strengths.
F. Share one of your weaknesses.
G. Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.
H. Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.
I. Which fic has been the hardest to write?
J. Which fic has been the easiest to write?
K. Is writing your passion or just a fun hobby?
L. Is there an episode section of canon above all others that inspires you just a little bit more?
M. If you could choose one of your fics to be filmed, which would you choose?
O. If you only could write one pairing for the rest of your life, which pairing would it be?
P. Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?
Q. Do you use any tools, like worksheets or outlines?
R. Stephen King once said that his muse is a man who lives in the basement. Do you have a muse?
S. Describe your perfect writing conditions.
T. How many times do you usually revise your story/chapter before posting?
U. Choose a passage from one of your earlier stories and edit it into your current writing style. (Person sending the ask should make suggestions).
V. If you were to revise one of your older stories from start to finish, which would it be and why?
W. Have you ever deleted one of your published stories?
X. What do you look for in a beta?
Y. Do you beta yourself? If so, what kind of beta are you?
Z. How do you feel about collaborations?
AA. Share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much.
AB. Do you accept prompts?
AC. Do you take liberties with canon or are you very strict about your fic being canon compliant?
AD. How do you feel about smut?
AE. How do you feel about crack?
AF. What are your thoughts on non-con and dub-con?
AG. Would you ever kill off a canon character?
AH. Which is your favorite site to post fic?
AI. Talk about your current wips.
AJ. Talk about a review that made your day.
AK. Do you ever get rude reviews and how do you deal with them?
AL. Write an alternative ending to a fic you've written (specify by title, link or general description].

Comments

[shirebound]

"L"!

[dreamflower]

That period of time between Bilbo taking Frodo in up until the time Frodo leaves the Shire. I love teasing out the hints we are given about those years and figuring out the formative years of Frodo and his friends. Exploring that friendship and how someone was so close to those who were so much younger and lived so far apart, and how they developed so much loyalty for one another.

In other words, basically the first chapter of the story.

[shirebound]

the hints we are given about those years

Bless those wonderful, tantalizing hints! :)

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

AA and E

[dreamflower]

E: I think one of my biggest strengths is that I research even little things and small details that can add to the authentic feel of a story.

AA: shirebound Her stories are all so gentle and caring and very much hobbit-centric, I love the way she can create such a warm and happy world.
budgielover I adore the adventurousness of her stories and the amazing escapades she can get the characters involved in. I've re-read most of her stories many times.
grey_wonderer, whose humor is unsurpassed and whose insight into Merry and Pippin is amazing.

(There are a LOT of others, including yourself for stories focusing on Men, or Fiondil for stories about Elves.)

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

Your stories always do feel authentic.

Shirebound is on my top three list too. Those are all great writers. I'm honoured you like my Men stories.

[grey-wonderer.livejournal.com]

Awwww, thank you so much. Since I've not written in a while, it's very nice to hear that what I did write was enjoyed. : )

(I was reading the letters already chosen and your responses so I could pick something that you hadn't already done when I found this. Thank you.)

[febobe.livejournal.com]

AI. Talk about your current wips. :)

[dreamflower]

Currently I have two main WIPs. "Ancestress" and "In the Court of the High King" have both been on hiatus for a while, as I got caught up first in completing my Bilbo bio "Eleventy-One" and then with a LOT of stuff going on in RL that limited my creative time.

I actually have some completed chapters of "Ancestress", save that I need to do some word count tweaking, as that story is constructed in 300 word chapters. Some of them need to have a few words cut, and a couple of them need to have a few words added. Since the story deals with Frodo and Bilbo in the West, I've had a lot to cover.

"In the Court of the High King" is taking a slightly unexpected turn with some plot twists I had not planned ahead of time; still I've made some progress with the next chapter, and just need some TIME to actually write. The theme of the whole story set (including the two to which ItCotHK is a sequel) is beginning to really clarify itself for me. I'm excited for where it seems to be going and really wish I could get the chance to work on it soon!

[baranduin.livejournal.com]

V

[dreamflower]

My first two stories, "When the King Comes Back (the Great Smials)" and "When the King Comes Back (Brandy Hall)".

I think if I were writing them now, I would blend those two companion stories into one story, and also include a couple of short side-story one-shots that take place during the same time period, and add in a few more scenes. I would also probably make a few stylistic changes, as the writing is definitely not the way I write now.

[rhapsody11.livejournal.com]

AC and M :)

[dreamflower]

AC: Both. The vast majority of my stories are very canon compliant, and I try to make them fit into the facts as Tolkien laid them down for his world and his history. I constantly consult the books and auxiliary material like Letters and HoMe.

BUT I also like to occasionally hit the AU button, and explore what might have happened if things had been oh-so-slightly different, or if Tolkien had chosen a different path during his writing process than what eventually was published.

M: "Trotter". I think it would have great potential as a nice little adventure movie that segues into the biography of the life of a hobbit who leaves the Shire. I'd love to see it done as a fan film sort of like "Born of Hope" or "The Hunt for Gollum"! I'd rather not put it into the hands of Hollywood.

[dawn_felagund]

B, S, and AK, if you please. :)

[dreamflower]

B: I've often wanted to write a long, slightly AU Quest adventure, like Budgie's or Thundera Tiger's. But I've yet to come up with a plot strong enough.

S: A quiet day off by myself with no major household chores or errands, but just a few light tasks to give myself a break. No outside distractions from the phone or people at the door. Music. And a timer to help me keep going (30 minutes of solid writing, 15 minutes to get up and move around, then back to the writing again). My desk uncluttered, with LotR or other source material by my left hand. And NO glitches or weird behavior on the part of my computer. I've actually had a few rare days like that in my life, but not many of them.

AK: I've had a very few bad reviews*. Usually very snarky people pointing out something they think is a "mistake" that's not really. (Ever noticed how the people who see a real mistake are polite and diffident and usually discreet in pointing it out, and people who find something they think is a mistake are sarcastic and uppity and want the whole world to know they spotted the "error"?) At any rate, I generally become extremely polite, and answer their complaint as if it was valid, explaining why I did what I did, or why I used a particular word. I'm probably somewhat snarky in my replies, but I try to be subtle about it. ;)

I've never had "flame reviews" or been involved in a "flame war" over fic, though I've occasionally been in spirited forum discussions. I prefer those kept civil as well.

*I don't really count the people who say they liked my story, but wish it was longer, when the summary clearly states that it's a drabble or other type of fixed-length-ficlet. They mean well.

[dawn_felagund]

Wow, writing sounds very structured for you! Getting up to move around is something I need to work on generally.

Ever noticed how the people who see a real mistake are polite and diffident and usually discreet in pointing it out, and people who find something they think is a mistake are sarcastic and uppity and want the whole world to know they spotted the "error"?

Yes! And never ever ever cite a source to back up what they are claiming you did wrong. When I think I've spotted a mistake in someone's story, that's always my first step: to the books to make sure I'm remembering correctly. And a lot of times? I'm not. I think the best of us get canon and fanon and our own personal canon mixed up sometimes. :)

If it is a mistake, then that is a private message. I don't feel like pointing out that kind of thing in public is necessary or appropriate much of the time.

[dreamflower]

If it is a mistake, then that is a private message. I don't feel like pointing out that kind of thing in public is necessary or appropriate much of the time.

My own practice as well, especially at ffn, since an author cannot respond publicly.

[grey-wonderer.livejournal.com]

How about W and Q?

[dreamflower]

Q: Not really. The majority of my stories are one-shots, so no need for an outline with them. Most of the time with longer stories, I have a beginning and an ending in mind, and rather make up the middle as I go. Every once in a while when I'm in the process of writing the story, snippets of scenes that come in later come to me, so I tend to put those at the bottom of the document as I go, and then incorporate them when I get to them. Now there are some exceptions: a few of my stories have canon or fanon information that I need to include--I have a rudimentary timeline for "Ancestress", and for "Eleventy-one" I had a chart with dates of canon events and fanon events that I had to include.

W: Not really, unless you count a couple of times when I accidentally double-posted something. But I do have a couple of stories I have hidden so they are no longer in the public view. I won't delete them, though. Someday I might be able to finish them.

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

B!

[dreamflower]

I've always wanted to try my hand at one of those exciting slightly AU but mostly canon long gapfillers that writers like Budgielover, Thundera and Indigo Bunting seem to specialize in--but I've never come up with a plot that would carry a story like that.