Name: Ren Age: 21 Writing Blog URL(s): @ateez-ly, @wxyvision & @cherry-woo, and only the odd work on my main ( @soft-woo )
Nationality: British Languages: English, Spanish, Dutch (learning), limited Mandarin Star Sign: Aries MBTI: INFP-T Favorite color: Red Favorite food: Pasta or cheesecake Favorite movie: Coyote Ugly Favorite ice cream flavor: Strawberry Favorite animal: Red panda Go-to karaoke song: Back To Black by Amy Winehouse
What fandom(s) do you write for? Ateez, Nct (ot21), The Boyz, and now Stray Kids
When did you post your first piece? My first writing blog work was posted February 1st 2019 (Quenched - Yeosang)
Do you write fluff/angst/crack/general/smut, combo, etc? Why? Generally fluff and angst, sometimes a combo, though I have tried writing some crack more recently. I'm just more familiar with fluff and angst and it's easier to pull off
Do you write OCs, X Readers, Ships...etc? I mostly write x reader stuff. I have written with OCs and ships but I prefer to read and write x reader stuff so I stuck with that
Why did you decide to write for Tumblr? My Ateez writing blog was my first writing blog, but I did write a couple of stuff before that. I think it's just a case of "I have this really cool idea and I want to share it with my friends"
What inspires you to write? Just about anything - conversations with friends, Tumblr posts, my weird dreams etc.
What genres/AUs do you enjoy writing the most? I've really enjoyed writing prince aus (like my Xiaojun prince au) as well as getting into writing fantasy and crack stuff. I still feel most confident with angst though
What do you hope your readers take away from your work? I simply hope they enjoy it. It would be great if I could make them smile or cry with my writing
What do you do when you hit a rough spot creatively? I just take a step back. I don't force myself to write if nothing's coming to me. Sometimes I talk through what I'm writing with a friend and it helps give me some ideas. But generally, I try not to force it
What is your favorite work and why? Your most successful? My favourite work, excluding my wips, is probably 'Dear First Love' because it's the longest thing I've ever written and I think the storyline is really cute. My most successful is 'Hugging Ateez'
Do you think there’s a difference between writing fanfiction vs. completely original prose? I mean yes? To some degree. In terms of the process I guess not, but original prose is less likely to include famous people (real or fictional) so it's different in that respect
What do you think makes a good story? A good story, to me, is one where the reader is invested in the story. If the reader doesn't care about the characters and what happens to them, then to me, it's not a good story
What is your writing process like? I get an idea, write down the basic idea, then build around that, laying out the plot and all its twists and turns and fleshing out my characters. Once I've got a good idea of what I'm doing, I'll start writing. When I'm organised, anyway. Otherwise I just see where my writing takes me!
Would you ever repurpose a fic into a completely original story? Absolutely! If there was a fic that I was really proud of and wanted to turn it into an original story, I'd go for it
What tropes do you love, and what tropes can’t you stand? I'm a sucker for pretty much any trope as long as it's legal and not toxic. I really love 'found family' and the classic 'friends to lovers' tropes. I'm not sure if these are tropes, but I'm not really into mpreg or body swapping. You do you, writers, but it's just not for me
How much would you say audience feedback/engagement means to you? A lot! Even one reblog or comment puts a smile on my face and makes me proud of what I've made
Coffee or tea? What are you ordering? Tea! I have regular tea with some milk and a couple of sugars
Dream job (whether you have a job or not)? At the moment, it's to be a florist, although I'd really love to be a successful author
If you could have one superpower, what would you choose? The power to control plants so maybe mine won't die on me anymore
If you could visit a historical era, which would you choose? Either the Victorian or Georgian/regency era
If you were a trope in a teen high school movie, what would you have been? Probably the nerd/teacher's pet?
Do you believe in aliens/supernatural creatures? Some of them yes (e.g ghosts), some of them no (e.g. vampires)
Do you think fanfic writers get unfairly judged? I do. Especially by those who don't read/write fanfiction. A lot of people think we're 'cringy' or that we make things gross. There's definitely some gross fanfics out there, but I don't think fanfic writers as a whole should be judged by one questionable fanfic someone read once
Do you think art can be a medium for change? Yes, all kinds of art can. There's a lot of literature and art now that picks apart problems in our society and challenges them. It's already lead to some change in the way people think about certain things
Do you ever feel there are times when you’re writing for others, rather than yourself? I used to back when I wrote requests on another site. I'd sit there and churn out request after request after request like a robot until I started to hate writing and had to take a break for a while. Now, I just write what inspires me. I'll take a few requests but no way am I ever going back to the way I wrote before
Do your offline friends/loved ones know you write for Tumblr? I imagine my university flatmates have probably seen me reblogging my writing at least once, so yes. As for my family, I don't think they know what Tumblr even is (thankfully!)
What is one thing you wish you could tell your followers? This is really simple but… I love you and thank you for supporting me!
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers who might be too scared to put themselves out there? I know it's super scary putting out writing for others to see, but really, some leaps are worth it. You'll never really know how something will go if you never try. Maybe you could start off with small steps, like sharing a piece of writing with a couple of friends if you don't feel confident jumping straight in
Are there any times when you regret joining Tumblr? Sometimes, if there's drama in a fandom or fanwars going on, but I generally try to stay away from it and just enjoy the lighthearted content
Do you have any mutuals who have been particularly formative/supportive in your Tumblr journey? Yes, in one way or another. Some of them have helped me with my writing ideas, whilst others have been a rock for me emotionally, and many have played both roles. To name a handful of people, @linothot, @silverstonemanor and @wangjyunhao amongst many others have really helped me 💛
Pick a quote to end your interview with: Be who you want to be, not the person who others want you to be