I was bored and filled out one of those Tumblr questionnaires. Thought I'd share my answers here in case anyone was interested. Maybe some of you other authors want to take the quiz too. ^^

40 Questions for Fanfic Writers

1. Describe your comfort zone—a typical you-fic.

 Lots of emotion, secret lingering looks, and pining. So much pining and longing.

2. Is there a trope you’ve yet to try your hand at, but really want to?

Hmm, I’ve hit most of the tropes that I like personally. Maybe reformed rake and scoundrel redeems himself when he meets the Right One? Although, you could argue that’s actually Yunho’s arc in JJ’s Hot Tips for Keeping Your Man.

3. Is there a trope you wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole?

Marriage of convenience. No interest in it whatsoever.

4. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Care to share one of them?

So, so, SO, many. Always. TT  An idea I’ve kicked around but will probably never write is JJ meeting Yunho’s parents and all the wonderful chaos that would go with that in JJHTfKYM.

5. Share one of your strengths.

My readers say they love how detailed my writing is, that it’s like a movie playing in their mind. Especially good for scenes, I hear. ^^’

6. Share one of your weaknesses.

I’m too fussy. I do too much research and edit and rewrite way more than I need to. I’m sure my readers would be happier if I edited less and updated more.

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

“We smile at each other in understanding, holding the promise of that faraway future close as our rafts scribe slow circles across the surface of the dark water. We hold hands for a long time, drifting along and dreaming together under the wide, starry sky.”  - from Mad Love, Ch 15: Beautiful

There is a running theme in Fireflies of stars/fireflies/tiny lights and I spend a lot of time crafting the lines related to that theme. This scene turned out just the way I wanted it to. It’s totally of the tender moment they’re in, while also reminding readers of how small and helpless they are against the vastness of the universe and the forces in it. Also, maybe they are star-crossed lovers. ^^

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

“Okay, so he’s got money. What else?”

“Not much. Said he was moving to Greentree for relaxation.  Asked if there was good hiking around here.”

The outdoorsy type. Crap. JJ had nothing against nature, but he preferred it in small, contained doses like parks or…houseplants. “Anything else?”

“Nothing that will help you get into his pants. I assume that’s your plan.”

“What happens between two consenting adults in the privacy of their homes is none of your b—“

“Yeah, yeah. Look, JJ. He seems like a nice guy. Husband material. Don’t screw this up with your usual games.”

JJ was indignant. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

--From JJ’s Foolproof Guide to Seduction

You could take almost any line of dialogue from the JJ’s stories and I;d be proud of it. Everybody has their own voice and way of talking and thinking and JJ keeps every conversation spicy and fun. I’m really happy with how that series turned out.

9. Which fic has been the hardest to write?

Circling Fireflies, just because it takes so much time to research everything and the chapters are so long and detailed. Arc of Time is tricky too because all the stories intersect. The timeline is very complicated!

10. Which fic has been the easiest to write?

Weirdly, At His Command just poured out of me all at once one weekend at a boring conference. The gods possessed me!

11. Is writing your passion or just a fun hobby?

It’s my passion and my profession! I started writing fanfic and then got hired to write screenplays. My dream came true!

12. Is there a moment above all others that inspires you just a little bit more?

That entire YunjaeYooSuTV YouTube series of Yunjae moments makes my brain sizzle with ideas

13. What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever come across?

Don’t compare your WIP to other writers’ published work. Of course theirs seems impossibly better. It’s been edited and rewritten and scrutinized and polished until it shines. It’s like comparing raw coal to diamonds.

14. What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever come across?

“Write what you know.” I know what it’s supposed to mean, but I think that’s limiting. If you don’t know, then research! Ask experts! Try it for yourself. Get the experience so you do know or fake it. That’s what imagination is for.

15. If you could choose one of your fics to be filmed, which would you choose?

The Water God, definitely. It’s a strongly visual fic and I’d love to see what those epic moments would look like on a big screen.

16. If you only could write one pairing for the rest of your life, which pairing would it be?

YunJae. They’re the only OTP I’ve ever had

17. Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

I outline the whole thing first, then write it in order. I have to, because sometimes I change my original plan substantially as I go and realize that the plot doesn’t work. But sometimes I write whole fic around one particular moment that doesn’t happen until the middle of the fic.

18. Do you use any tools, like worksheets or outlines?

Yes! So many. I have character biography sheets, outlines, short chapter summaries, timelines, and a “graveyard” of scenes I cut. For Arc of Time, I have a grid that maps all the themes and common details across all the stories.

19.  Stephen King once said that his muse is a man who lives in the basement. Do you have a muse?

That’s creepy. No, YunJae is my muse.

20. Describe your perfect writing conditions.

A cold and rainy Saturday afternoon when I have no plans and no deadlines. Sitting by the fire with my laptop and some cocoa.

21. How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

A lot. Like, a LOT. ^^’ I usually send the 3^rd or 4^th draft off to my beta and then revise again after I get notes.

22.  Choose a passage from one of your earlier fics and edit it into your current writing style.

Eh, I’ll pass on this. Once I’ve written something and put it out there, it’s usually done for me. I don’t think my writing has changed all that much either. I’ve been writing fanfic for 5 years, and I think the only real difference between now and then is that my writing is less stiff.

23. If you were to revise one of your older fics from start to finish, which would it be and why?

A Fangirl’s Mirotic Dream. It’s the only fic I’ve written that I don’t like. I kinda cringe when I read it. Somehow, the story just got away from me, and the plot didn’t come out the way I wanted it to at all. I actually hid it on my page because I didn’t want people reading it anymore.

24. Have you ever deleted one of your published fics?

Not deleted, but hid from view, yes.

25. What do you look for in a beta?

Someone who knows and loves the OTP. Ideally, someone who knows my fics  and writing style. And someone who can turn around edits pretty fast. If I don’t get the story out quickly when it’s ready, I’ll just rework it and rework it forever.

26. Do you beta yourself? If so, what kind of beta are you?

I’m an emergency beta when friends can’t find anyone else. I’m pretty gentle. ^^ Other writers’ work always seems so good compared to mine, I hardly know what to say sometimes.

27. How do you feel about collaborations?

I collaborate with a gif artist. We inspire each other and echo each other’s work and it’s a great creative relationship. But I haven’t had much luck collaborating with other writers. I’m too set in my ways.

28. Share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much.

• AquariusLover – she set the bar high for the rest of us with her stories. I don’t know that any fic will ever top Damaged and the impact it’s had on the fandom
• Beeswaxing – her fics are ty and witty and just good fun. She inspired me to go as filthydirty with my scenes as I needed to
• YoochunsForehead – I know this one is controversial, but I loved Sleepless Nights and The Bet. She pulled the fics down ages ago, but I still remember that she wrote the best kissing scenes in any fanfic I’ve ever read. An inspiration!

29. If you could write the sequel (or prequel) to any fic out there not written by yourself, which would you choose?

I’ve been tempted a few times to ask AquariusLover for permission to finish Fragile Essence. It sparked the idea for CF: First Love and holds a spot in my heart forever. But now I think I’ll be lucky to finish my own fics.

30. Do you accept prompts?

Only gif prompts these days. If someone submits a gif of YunJae/Yunho/Jae, I’ll write them a short oneshot in my Pickup Lines series

31. Do you take liberties with canon or are you very strict about your fic being canon compliant?

Every fic I write takes one aspect of Yunho and Jae and is absolutely true to that trait as canon. So maybe Jae is 4D in one fic or Yunho is a y dancer in another. But I’ve written some fics that are waaaay outside canon.

32. How do you feel about ?

Love it! But it’s getting harder and harder to write.

33. How do you feel about crack?

Love it too! It’s a writing comfort zone for me.

34. What are your thoughts on non-con and dub-con?

If there is a good reason for it in the fic and it makes sense for the characters, then I’m fine with it. I have some murky consent moments in a few of my fics. And consensual nonconsent is something else. But a character can’t commit and be a hero. Not in my fics. If you’re a , you’re bad. End of story.

35. Would you ever kill off a canon character?

Yes. I have several deaths planned right now, in fact.

36. Which is your favorite site to post fic?

AFF. Although it seems to be dying out. Is there a better place to post? I tried AO3, but there’s not much of a YunJae fandom there, it seems.

37. Talk about your current wips.

I have three active fics and one more planned and sometimes I worry that I’ll never get them all finished. TT

38. Talk about a review that made your day.

A reader wrote to tell me how much one of my fics meant to her. She was going through a dark time in her life and felt really hopeless, but my fic updates gave her something to look forward to and she was able to hang on for another week. She felt like the story was a safe space for her. I was so moved to think that my little fic helped her through that terrible time.

I also really love it when readers say they had no idea who YunJae or DBSK was, but then they became fans after reading one of my fics. Spreading the YunJae gospel!

39. Do you ever get rude reviews and how do you deal with them?

A few, I guess? Not that many. People are mostly kind. Sometimes I get frustrated when I’ve spent a long time writing a chapter and post it triumphantly, only to have someone say “Update pls” as a comment. Like, I just did?? I ignore those.

40. Write an alternative ending to [insert fic title] (or just the summary of one).

Alternative ending to A Ride Home: It turns out that Jae really is a famous rockstar. He brings Yunho on tour with him as a backup dancer and they fall in love. But then Yunho gets frustrated that Jae is always in the spotlight and he’s not, so he leaves and goes back to Broadway. Jae is heartbroken, and goes home to brood.

While Jae’s sulking and writing emo songs, Yunho finally lands a starring role in a musical. It’s a wild success and his career takes off. Jae’s heartbreak album is a smash hit too. Jae ends up in New York City for a show and realizes he’s just down the street from where Yunho’s musical is playing. He finagles some tickets and goes to watch. Yunho is magnificent. Jae fights back tears through the whole show at how amazing Yunho is, how he commands the stage.

Jae waits for Yunho behind the theater with all the other fans, trying not to be recognized. Yunho rushes out to his limo and is about to jump in when he spots Jae. Their eyes meet and they both freeze. Yunho motions to him and Jae jumps in the back seat of the car with him. They talk as they drive along, remembering their first meeting all those years ago, Jae realizes that Yunho belongs in the spotlight and Jae should never have tried to hold him back. He apologizes. Yunho acknowledges that it was hard to leave and that he’s missed Jae. They make up and then they make out. They end up back at Yunho’s place for a sizzling night together. The next morning, they start trying to fit their lives together and make the relationship work. THE END