Special Interview: informantxgirl on informantxgirl*

* Inspired by Infinite's Kim Sunggyu’s hilarious interview with himself

1. Why did you get into writing fanfiction?

I’ve always written. As a kid, I carried around this ratty little ringed notebook where I just wrote whatever came to mind. I’ve always been something of a dreamer, with my head in the clouds and intense inner world, and writing was just my way of getting some of those weird things in head out into the open. I never shared the stuff I wrote with anyone. I don’t remember one specific incident, but I remember being made to feel really embarrassed about the stuff I wrote, and I just stopped sharing it after that (unremembered) incident. It was only in high school that I discovered the world of fanfiction (via the X-Files; Mulder and Scully forever!) that I realized I’d found the perfect outlet for my creative energies.

2. What would you say are your inspirations?

I read a lot. I’m a total bookworm. Frankly, I’ve almost been fined and/or been killed because of books, I kid you not. I’ll even sit down and read the cereal box at breakfast! I absolutely devour those cheesy Harlequin romances with titles like The Greek Billionaire Doctor’s Boring Mistress or whatever. Old-school Harlequins just slay me; the guys in those are always such jerks and the girls are sort of dancing on the edge of independence, but not quite. And there’s lots of naughty bits, which, if you’ve read any of my stuff, you know I like. Over the past couple of years, I’ve really gotten into dark a as well. Kitty Thomas’s Comfort Food is one of my absolute favorite books and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves uncomfortable but gripping reading. Another book on my keeper shelf is Liz Berry’s Easy Connections, which I paid an obscene amount of money to get and just adore. On the flipside, I’m also a huge fan of Hollywood romantic comedies and sweet-as-syrup Kdramas.

3. What are the main fandoms that you write in? Why?

Infinite, for sure. Myungsoo inspired my first fic for Asianfanfics and the rest of Infinite followed. I will also dabble in other fandoms if I get a good idea. What’s really weird is that I’m a huge MBLAQ fan, too, but have yet to be inspired to write a word about them. Here’s hoping my muse comes calling with a good idea for one of those neighborhood pabos.

4. Would you consider branching out to other fandoms? Why or why not?

I never say never. My muse is fickle and mischievous. If I get an idea for a story in another fandom or one that crosses fandoms, I would totally do it. I’ve been getting into BtoB lately (Peniel is adorbs) and APink needs to be in fics with Infinite. I just love the idea of pairing all of them off.

5. Which of your fics are you proudest of/is your favorite?

This is like trying to pick a favorite child! I can’t pick and I’m not proud of any of my fics, I’m just happy people are reading them! I’ll just talk about the one that put me through the emotional wringer. It was my first fic for this site: Sweetest Vengeance, featuring Kim Myungsoo a.k.a L as a smart, y, sadistic, psycho creep intent on torturing his stepsister. I cried writing the penultimate chapter of that story. I have never, ever cried over something I wrote myself. Heck, I barely ever cry over anything fictional, whether it’s books, TV shows, or movies. I’m just not that kind of person, but man, did that chapter make me cry. These characters just came to me and held me at emotional gunpoint until I got their story out. I pretty much abandoned work, or at least, procrastinated like crazy, to write that story. It’s the one that made me fully understand this quote from the movie Ruby Sparks: “Any writer can attest: in the luckiest, happiest state, the words are not coming from you, but through you.”

6. Which of your fics do you feel is most underrated? Why do you think that is?

I’d have to say Winter Angel. I think there’s a number of reasons for why it’s had such few views. It’s a story in a fandom (U-Kiss) I don’t think is particularly popular. I couldn’t think of any proper tags for it other than the group name. It’s a very low-key kind of story, without any sort of hook to it. It’s just the simple tale of a girl at a crossroads in her life getting some well-timed advice from a kindly idol. It’s not a romance; it’s not even a friendship story. It doesn’t really fit in anywhere. Still, I quite like it. It’s the first story I wrote where the idols I appropriated aren’t recast as alternate reality versions of themselves; they’re actually idols. Also, I kind of drew elements from my own life. The main character’s confusion, her being cold (I was very cold when I wrote that! It was freezing in my room!), her self-contemplation—all these came from my own life, so the fic is sort of a wish fulfillment one for me.

7. What is your favorite scene and/or favorite character that you’ve written?

Again, it’s so hard to choose! I have several scenes I really enjoyed writing, like Yi Jeong and Ga Eul’s disastrous first “date” at La Sfera in Always Meant to Be and Sunggyu and Woo Ri’s smexytimes on a dryer in Reckless. I have way more scenes that I was shocked that I had written, most notably the scene where Myungsoo whips Hye In with his leather belt in Sweetest Vengeance. I was utterly stunned after I typed that out. I was like, “Uh, who am I?” As for characters, well…I do love Myungsoo in Sweetest Vengeance, interpret that as you may. I’d totally turn him into the police if I came across a guy like him in real life, but gosh, that sort of intensity is invigorating on paper! I also really like scary-quiet game designer Myungsoo in Trial by Family, though I don’t think I developed him quite as well as I should have. To be honest, though, I love all my characters.

8. What do comments and subscribers mean to you?

So very, very much. Listen, I can’t tell you how touched I am to know that you are taking time out of your busy life to read something I wrote. To know that something I wrote that was really just to appease my crazy muse is entertaining you in some way—I’m just so thankful. I’m so thankful for every single subscriber and every single comment and I throw hearts and squee every time I see one! I absolutely love reading comments, seeing what stories you subscribed to, and getting wall posts and PMs from readers.

9. What is the hardest part of writing for you?

Just finding the time, I guess. I have more ideas than there are hours in the day! Also, trying to find my own niche, my own spin on things. It took me a long time to develop what I feel is my “voice” and I don’t feel that I’ve perfected it in any way, but I think I’m more aware now of what I’m capable of and what I like to do, writing-wise. Not to say that I won’t push myself out of my comfort zone. I want to grow and develop all the time, and if that means I need to do some scary stuff, well, then, I’ll do it!

10. What writing challenges have you set yourself?

Gosh, tons. I’m still trying for that elusive MBLAQ fic. I want to try writing in the first person and in the present tense, just to see what sort of problems I would run into there. I want to try out different genres, like supernatural or fantasy. I want to try new and different characterizations of idols, especially Myungsoo, whom keeps coming to me to be written as a brooding, enigmatic semi-creep. I’ve been toying with the idea of writing a whole fic like a recap of a drama you might find on a site like Dramabeans. Just tons!

Final thought: Thanks for reading my totally long-winded interview! It was a total exercise in narcissim, but I just wanted to blog about why I love doing this and how much I appreciate all of you! Basically, I just wanted to say I love writing and sharing what I’ve written with all you guys, more than words could ever say. Much love to you!

I would totally love it if you answered these interview questions yourself or passed them on to your favorite authors. I don’t know about you, but I love getting a glimpse into other authors’ minds. So, please, feel free to use these questions and add your own.

1. Why did you get into writing fanfiction?
2. What would you say are your inspirations?
3. What are the main fandoms that you write in? Why?
4. Would you consider branching out to other fandoms? Why or why not?
5. Which of your fics are you proudest of/is your favorite?
6. Which of your fics do you feel is most underrated? Why do you think that is?
7. What is your favorite scene and/or favorite character that you’ve written?
8. What do comments and subscribers mean to you?
9. What is the hardest part of writing for you?
10. What writing challenges have you set yourself?