17 Writer Questions

♦ Do you write stories (or parts of it) everyday? Day or night?

I usually can’t finish a story in one sitting (unless it’s a drabble or super short oneshot or unless I’m super motivated, which is pretty rare these days). I jot down random parts when they cross my mind in the notes section of my phone so that I won’t forget them when the time comes for particular scenes, but sometimes that’s all the writing I can manage to squeeze into one day. I just don’t have the time anymore. I’m a nocturnal writer though, for the most part. I concentrate better when it’s absolutely silent and that kind of low volume comes only at night in an apartment full of neighbors with kids. Plus, I’m more sentimental at night. Perfect for angst!

♦ Do you have any writing rituals? If yes, what are they?

Hmm… I don’t know actually, do I? I think I’m super religious with my proofreading though. I write a paragraph and then I go back to proofread it right as I finish it. If I have a break in thoughts, I go back and proofread. It’s kind of a bad habit because I’ve heard you’re supposed to just throw up all your thoughts in your first draft and not care about the small mistakes, but my personality can’t condone those “small mistakes” and so I always go back. I can’t help it!

♦ Where do you write: MS Word, Notepad app, notebook, AFF text editor, Google doc, etc.?

Everywhere, honestly. I have two notebooks dedicated to plot bunnies (my creative juices flow better if I manually write my ideas out), over 90 notes in my phone, a folder for all things fanfic in my computer (formatted in Microsoft Word), little blurbs in my school notebooks (that I rip out and keep in a folder). I write anywhere there’s room and anytime an idea comes to me, really. Oh, and I’ve written a couple of fics in AFF text editor (Paper Cranes Don’t Fly is one of them), but I prefer Word Doc so I don't do that too often.

♦ Do you start a fic with an outline? If the answer is no, proceed to #6.

Sometimes. If it’s an elaborate plot, I usually write down the general points/scenes I want to cover manually on paper, and then transfer those thoughts onto a virtual outline on RealtimeBoard. If I’m lazy, I don’t. It all depends on whether I think it’s necessary or not.

♦ Is your outline fixed or a work in progress?

Always in progress! None of my ideas are definite. Even if I had a different path in mind when I first wrote the outline, if I think another way is better with the course my story is going in at the moment, I immediately change it. Plus, my “outlines” are literally just possible ideas, so it’s definitely subject to change.

♦ How do you know if a chapter is done?

Usually cliff hangers, but I don’t like them too much so usually when it just sounds right? It’s kind of instinctive – you just know it sounds right to cut it where you cut it.

♦ When do you update? 

When I can. I don’t have a set “update every Monday” or anything like that. I write fics as I publish them so it’s indefinite.

♦ Do you usually write short chapters (<1500) or long ones (>2500)?

It depends on how much I want to cover within that chapter. Usually it’s around 2k though, because any shorter might lose the reader’s attention. There’s not enough room to be immersed in the plot! (And especially if I don’t update for such a long time)

♦ Is it a must for your story to have a poster?

No, a lot of my stories don’t have posters. Sometimes they can detract from your story so I try to be frugal with them.

♦ What do you usually write in your foreword?

Oh God, forewords. I hate forewords to be honest. Usually I try to write a few sentences worth of a “summary” (I at those), and I write this:

Title:

Pairing:

Genre:

Length:

Rating:

If there’s a poem or quote I liked that I thought was fitting, I include that, too.

♦ What font do you use? Font size?

I’m pretty simple – Times New Roman, font size 14. I use 14 on AFF because it’s easier to read, but I use 12 on Microsoft Word. Times New Roman is easy on the eyes and it looks professional, so that’s usually (9.9 out of 10 times) my choice of font.

♦ Do you write stories about your bias?

Yes, I do. A good portion of my stories have Kyungsoo as the main character, or the love-interest/friend of the main character. He’s always in there somewhere ;) But I think Kyungsoo’s character isn’t as versatile as Baekhyun, so I don’t use him as much as I’d like to. For Baekhyun, you can use so many different personalities and they’d all fit: sassy, innocent, naughty, naïve, depressed, buoyant. Kyungsoo on the other hand is usually just: depressed, angry, sad, innocent, indifferent, apathetic, and sympathetic. All of the personality traits are pretty much on the same spectrum; he can’t be a convincing stripper or even a diva. But I still use him a lot in my stories because most of my characters are introverted anyway.

♦ Which of your fictional characters can you relate to the most? Why?

Baekhyun in Paper Cranes Don’t’ Fly. He was written based off of my experiences and my emotions and my pain, after all. We’re cowards and we can’t let anything go. We hold people close to our hearts but never tell them or even admit it and we pay too much attention to details. We overthink every little thing and torture ourselves because of it. It’s kind of a bad way to “relate”, but Baekhyun in PCDF is definitely the one I am most like.

♦ Have you requested reviews for your stories?

A lot! If you check out the foreword to Forevermore, you’d see. I even have a mental list of my favorite review shops!

♦ What are your weaknesses when it comes to writing?

Whoa, I have a ton. The first is that I have ADHD when it comes to stories. I get distracted so easily! That’s why it takes me so long to finish a chaptered fic or even a long oneshot. I get all these tempting plot bunnies so I lunge my attention in like three different directions at the same time because I’m so excited about those new ideas. I can’t focus ;;

Another one is that I’m very insecure about my writing. If you see me as I write, you’ll probably see me frowning or shaking my leg. I just can’t shake off this feeling that what I write is not good enough. I can’t do justice to the original thoughts in my head.

Let's just make a list:

• I at dialogue. I’m anti-social and introverted; I don’t do conversations in real life. I lack experience in talking to people so my stories have a deficient amount of dialogue between characters.
• Which leads me to explain that at least 70% of my story is narrative/exposition: I become the storyteller. Horrible weakness!
• I am lazy.
• I can’t “kill my darlings”. William Faulkner — “In writing, you must kill all your darlings.”. Sir, I can’t.
• My priorities are sooo messed up.

♦ Why do you write fanfics?

I started because I needed a personal outlet. I was going through too many emotional struggles and I needed to get my story out somewhere, and it was one of those things you couldn’t confide a friend in (first love kept secret) so writing was the option I chose. Today though, I write fanfics because they make me feel relaxed. It helps me express myself and it makes me happy whenever I complete a story because I can look at it and go “Wow, look at that. You’ve created something. You’re awesome, Heidi.”

Writing heals me.

♦ Any advice/tips about writing?

I’m still a beginner myself so I can’t share too many valuable tips, but I’ll share the morals I go by when it comes to writing:

1. Write because you want to write.

2. Write when you want to write.

3. Write what you like to write.

4. Write what you really mean to say. Take advantage of your characters. Be honest.

5. Never plagiarize.

6. Let yourself feel emotions. It’s okay to cry when you write.

7. Write because you love; write because you feel; and write because you believe in the words you write.

8. Express every little thing.