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FOOLED YA! HAHAHA This is a writing survey I have snatched from my pretty and blooming unnie, yuriyaa :)

 

 

1.) How many fics have you started? (No matter how few it is, you can give yourself a pat on the back for demonstrating initiative.)

As of current, including those I've posted on other online communities, I have more than 70. 60 (or more) one-shots and 11 chaptered fics. All of these are fanfics, btw. If you count actual flash fiction like those I've submitted in our lit classes and school publication, I think it would be around 80.

 

2.) How many fics have you completed? (Now, if it’s greater than zero, you can give yourself another pat on the back for demonstrating commitment.)

For the chaptered fics, only three. Two of which are three-shots and the other one is a two-shot. xD It's not even that long.

 

3.) What is your very first fic? What inspired and motivated you to write it? How do you feel and what do you think about it now?

My very first fic is not a fanfic. LOL. Okay, for the sake of this survey, I will answer everything within fandom context. The first fanfic I've written is Dirge. It's a EunHae one-shot. That was back in 2009 when I returned into LJ and got in the SuJu fic-comm ___miracle. It was a mix of boredom and having the itch to write something again (plus the mood brought by Elisa's Dancing) which made me write it. I don't usually re-read old fics I've written but I re-read that two weeks ago after I sent the link to Kimmy. It was okay. y, to be honest. Lots of grammatical errors, incoherent POVs, and a lot of awkward sentences.

 

4.) Which fic of yours do you think is the most well written? Why?

My one-shots! My ChangSoo one-shots! Hahaha! Well, not all of them. I specifically like The Summer That Stayed, Summer and Max, A Cottage Named Destiny, and Strawberry-seeded Rain. Ah, 4:10PM is good too. The one-shots, okay. Because one-shots are easy. :)) For the chaptered fics, I think Earthly Secrets? But not really. There are tons of grammatical errors, inconsistent POVs, and awkward transitions in there too. But at least, I was wide awake when I wrote it as compared to AIL wherein I was either half-asleep, high, or simply frickin bored when I made it. :))

 

5.) Which fic of yours do you think is the most poorly written? Why?

Accidentally In Love? Haha. Seriously. Aside from the fact that I was not in my right mind 80% of the time I wrote it? Nothing else. That says it all. HAHA. Ah... AIL. I have so much feelings for this fic. I always say stories are like children and the writer is the mother. AIL is my first born. The love child. It is not the first fic I have written but it is the first which I have continuously wrote (and is still writing, up until today). It is the child borne out of wedlock. The one you didn't expect. The one wherein you were just having fun and then suddenly, poof, there it was. You think it's ugly because you never wanted it to be beautiful in the first place. Because you made it when you were not even in your right mind. But then, as you see it grow with you through the years, you are reminded why that child is given to you. Because it is you. You with all the imperfections and inconsistencies. And you see how it is those flaws that make up for its charms and you begin to realize that it is, actually, the best. Because it has a heart. :)

 

6.) Which fic is your favorite out of the ones you’ve written? Why?

Heol. Do you know that asking which is your favorite among your fics is like asking which of your children do you love most? Amf. 

But okay, for the sake of this survey, I shall pretend that the question is okay. lol. Hmm, aside from those one-shots I've mentioned, I'd pick Perks of Being an . Why? Because the story happened in real life. :)))) Well, except for the last chapter (SPOILER ALERT) which I haven't posted yet. 

 

7.) Which fic is your least favorite out of the ones you’ve written? Why?

For one-shots, it's Soleil. It is a failure. It's supposed to be Hemmingway-ish, like y'know, Hills Like White Elephants kind of style. But obviously, it didn't even get halfway there. For fics, there is this certain fic I wrote using another name. The fact that I posted it under another pen name already says a lot why I am not really fond of it. Haha. Surprisingly, I see that quite a number of people (some are even familiar names in bamthegreat's subscription list) actually liked that story. Haha.

 

8.) Which character that you’ve written (does not have to be an OC; can be your portrayal of an idol) do you believe most closely resembles you?

Well, I always write about Sooyoung, don't I? Haha. Well, there's a reason why Sooyoung is my bias. She has quite a number of traits that are similar to my close circle of friends and I. It's like, if you mix all of our personalities, you'd get Sooyoung. This must be why I feel extra connected to her as compared to the rest of the idols. Because she reminds me of people I know. Hence, it is easier writing her. As for the answer to the question, it's the Sooyoung in Perks. Haha. She hasn't even showed up in the story yet but we already have an idea how crazy she is. :)) 

 

9.) What are the most common topics and themes that dominate your stories?

It depends. I don't write by topic. I write by genre. However, my stories are mostly about love or friendship. Well, it has to be one of those two considering I have a ship to steer (say yo Sages! Haha). My one-shots are kinda versatile though. Especially the ChangSoo AU types. I've written a quasi-paranormal one (which is too cheesy for a supernatural story so it ends up being categorized as 'romance mystery' *belch*). I try to be more flexible in chaptered fics which is why it takes me eons to come up with a decent chapter. 

AIL is fluff/crack (as if it isn't obvious). It is actually supposed to be crack but ended up being fluffy (hihi). Perks is crack. Plus real life. I intend it to be the mellow kind of fluff which we usually relate to high school kind of crushes. ES is fantasy. Now this one is more specific. I envision ES to be more of an adventure-slash-crash-course-on-southeast-asian-lore kind of fic. I am not intending to expound on the loveline but more of the mystery of Sooyoung's character. There are a lot of new words that most readers may not be familiar with but they are all kind of common especially to the indianized Islamic-adhering tribes of the Malay archipelago.

There are two plotbunnies bugging me as of the moment. I haven't written them yet but I am really itching to do so. One is a psychological thriller drama (?) and the other is a historical fic. The latter is pretty much planned out in my mind already. The message and the topic of the story is about education and the role of student activism in defining socio-political structures regardless of time/space. Chos! Ember! =))

 

10.) What do you think are your strengths when it comes to writing? Be specific.

I don't know, actually. But I'm quite sure it isn't the grammar. HAHAHAHAHA. Hmmm... most probably, semantics (or semiotics, idk). Or marrying the right words. Choosing the right words play a lot in writing stories. For example, saying "Changmin lost the will to love again after Sooyoung left him" will not sound as powerful as "Sooyoung left and Changmin's heart went with her". 

To be honest, I do not realize that I do it. Sometimes when I read old one-shots, I even go "wow, I wrote this? HAHA" when I see a line that I really like. I always think that I have a 'writer self'. Y'know, that compartmentalized version of yourself that you do not have full control of. As you can see with the way I answer this survey, I tend to sound more technical and use academically-related terms. This is 'me' in my normal mode. :)) However, if I am in that 'writer mode', I end up talking like how I did when I answered number 5. HAHAHA

 

11.) What do you think are your weaknesses when it comes to writing? Be specific.

Grammar. Well, my grammar isn't the iest kind but it isn't the best either. I swear I only got full grasp of the sentence-verb agreement when I reached university. HAHAHA When I post stories online, I have to re-check it at least five times (and then still find some stupid error after posting it). I guess I can blame this on the way I was raised. Nobody uses English at home. Well, they do when they call the appliances/places with their english names (ngin a oras ka bagangay sa school? pakilagay sa refrigerator, etc etc bla bla)... but to talk in straight English, na-uh. My grandmother scolds us in Spanish so T_____T. English is, actually, my third language. First, being Tagalog/Filipino, and second, Iranun/Maguindanaon. 

I guess it's a good thing I like reading English books back when I was a kid. And that my father always watches Discovery Channel. Still, it isn’t much. -__-

 

12.) In what ways do you think you have improved since you first began writing fan fiction?

I haven't improved. LOLJK. Ummm, I guess I put in more feelings now? I am more of a creative non-fiction writer so I put more emphasis on keeping the attention of the reader through words. I was limited to a certain audience; that is, people who are already voracious consumers of English writings. When I got to fanfiction, the audience expanded. The ages, preferences, and nationalities vary too. Hence, more than attractive words, I learned to put in feelings and learn to address how to reach out to the reader despite the limitations of language.

 

13.) In what ways do you think your writing reflects you?

It reflects my mood, more often than not. At some point, it also reflects my philosophies in life (which I subtly insert into those fics without you guys knowing HUAHAHA). And perhaps, it reflects my growth too.

 

14.) Why do you write?

Because I need to.

 

15.) How do you evaluate yourself as a writer? How do you define your success a writer?

I am a stressful writer to follow. Because I do not update fics on time, I write angst when I'm supposed to be writing fluff, I always get writer's block, and I am very lazy. :))) My one-shots are more sophisticated than my chaptered fics but my chaptered fics are more heartfelt. If you are looking for a consistent and amazing writer who can thrill you with her words on any given time, that's probably not me. If you're looking for a writer who could speak to you and talk to you as if you are just talking to yourself all the time, that's not me either. But if you are looking for a writer who writes just because, well, I think I might fit into that category more. :)))

I lack consistency. TO THE HIGHEST DEGREE.

Success? Success is when you get your point across. It is not having people say "ooh, your words are so good you are so amazing i wish i can write as good as you". It is more of the "i hate you so much for making me cry you deserve to burn in the deepest pits of hell" or the "this story made me smile today i feel like farting rainbows and crying chicken lollipops".

Writing is not about impressing people. It's about INSPIRING them. And if you manage to do that without even having the slightest intention of it, the better. Writing is creating life---because stories are alive. They are moving, breathing, crying, dying. And to make the reader feel all of it despite the distance, the limitations of the 26 letters of the alphabet (plus the 9 figures of the numerical order and whatever symbols there is on your unicode keyboard), and the blinking bars of the wifi you stole from your neighbor, is exactly what writing is all about. :)

 

16.) What do you think it means to be a writer?

I actually haven't found meaning for it yet. I'll get back to you if I have.  

 

Thanks for reading :)