seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Sweden
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Greece
seen from Australia
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Argentina
I’m intrigued, what is everyone’s thoughts on Pricklejay?
There’s no right or wrong answer! If you despise her without any sympathy that’s valid, if you feel sorry for her that’s also valid! I intended for her to be this grey area where you’re open and welcome to feel however you want to feel about her.
Also open to any questions about her for any additional insight to what was going on in her mind.
Today we asked Alexander D., also known as Jester, the author of The Thunderstoms Saga:
Out of the story’s characters…
Who is most likely to survive alone on a deserted island?
Sha'arnez.
Who would participate in the Olympic Games, and in which sport?
Vellora, in archery.
Who is most likely to give the best advice?
Master Firasaner.
Who would order the most extravagant cocktail at a party?
Griaran.
Who is always on time, and who is always late?
The ruler is always on time. Griaran is always late.
Haven't met everyone yet? Download Romance Club now and play The Thunderstoms Saga
I messed up...
I did what you should never do and I looked at my stats. Now, I been writing fanfiction since the late 90s. To be honest I don't even remember where I used to post them all or my old usernames.
But this account i currently use I created back in 2017. Almost 10 years ago! 😲 I can't believe I've been doing this as long as I have. But I kept seeing posts on reddit about stats so I checked mine.
Honestly, I'm a little let down.
Granted, I write for myself. I've never posted with the intention of becoming a big name in the fanfiction community. But it's a little disheartening seeing my stats looking like this when I see stuff that, let's be honest, is just badly written getting WAY more subs, kudos, comments, etc.
Is it because I don't write lemons? Or is it just Ao3? I have stories on Wattpad with over 25k hits and thousands of comments. But AO3 seems silent.
I mean, I'm gonna keep posting, especially since I've got like 10 fully drafted fics ready for next year. Just wondering if this is a thing other active authors are facing.
7 and 22?
7. What is your deepest joy about writing?
Oh, such a lovely question! My deepest joy is writing. It is how I translate the world, it is my escape and my rescue. The process of putting something into words, transforming it, is joyous alchemy to me. Always has been, always will be.
22. How organized are you with your writing? Describe to me your organization method, if it exists. What tools do you use? Notebooks? Binders? Apps? The Cloud?
I am organised out of necessity, because it's literally my job, but I find that even the most disorganised writers have a process. Even chaos is a pattern, after all. For me, when writing books, I research first. That's reading history books and other fiction and watching movies, and then I start to noodle some scenes in my notebook. I like to be out of the house for this; working in the library or in coffee shops, a feeling of being out in the world. I write everything long hand first, I use the same notebook for everything I'm working on. I like to write with fountain pen (I have several, I like kaweco and scriveniever) on plain paper and I always buy my notebooks from About:Blanks who recycle old books into notebooks. When I have enough long hand that I'm starting to want to see it all in one place (ususally around the 20K mark) I type what I have up into Scrivener. I swear by Scrivener as the superior word processor, because it allows me to put everything in one place and move between it easily. This is also what I use for writing fanfic. At this point, I'll work on a plan of scenes I don't have that I want, this might be a chronological plan or it might not. Then I continue, drafting a chapter in my notebook and then typing it up until I have a full first draft. In this stage, I like to work at my writing desk at home, because I need all of my research materials all around me to create the full draft. Then I print and work on the manuscript from there with a red pen! Most of the time, I do this on the sofa, or back out in coffee shops, somewhere comfortable. Then I type back up a new version and make the horrible switch into a Word for it to be shared with others. (Yuck, hate Word, wish the publishing industry didn't run on it) Then, usually, it's off to my editor!
Calling all authors!!!!!! What do you usually start planning first when you have a new original idea?
Characters
Plot
Setting
Something else??
I read and write character driven fiction so I tend to start with character :) I’m curious what other people do!
Thank you so much for the tag @therealsaintscully!
How many works do you have on ao3? 48! 30 for BBC Sherlock and 18 for The X-Files.
What’s your total word count? 924,659 (whoa, that's a lot of words)
What are your top 5 fics by kudos? (Never) Turn Your Back to the Sea White Knight Incidents with Dogs, Curious and Otherwise Another Auld Lang Syne The Dead Detective
Do you respond to comments? Why/why not?
I try to. I'm not always as on top of it as I intend to be. I find comments tremendously meaningful and I at times get emotional while reading them. They are important to me. I reread them often.
I often fear that I'm a poor conversationalist and overthink my responses, which can tend to freeze me up.
What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?
Most of my long fics have happy endings.
The Pillar upon Which England Rests is my ode to Mrs. Hudson. As she and John are grieving Sherlock's fall, she tells John all about how she and Sherlock first met. I don't think of it as a particularly sad story, but I suppose that ending counts as angsty, as Sherlock's eventual return is not addressed in the story.
I guess the shorter, more horrorish ones have angsty (or at least uneasy) endings.
Nothing Happened in Belarus has S4 Sherlock, in the throes of his breakdown, somehow briefly traveling through time and encountering S1 John, who cares for him. It's a brief reprieve for him in the midst of a personal hell, but there is no resolution. When he returns to his own time, he is still forced to face what's coming next.
At the end of Leaves, Sherlock and John have either successfully defeated the bloodthirsty plant that has invaded their flat, or they're being digested by it. I leave that decision up to the reader. :)
The Web has Sherlock returned from his time away and reunited with John, but there is a part of him that will always remain haunted and deeply paranoid.
What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?
Most of them, heh. I like to leave my characters in a good place after putting them through hell.
I guess I'd have to say White Knight? I still get a little giddy when I think about the way Sherlock proposes at the end of that one, and how happy and free they both are after the crushing weight of misunderstandings and grief has fallen away.
Whirlwind has a pretty joyful ending, too.
Do you write crossovers?
I haven't written a crossover, but I have done a few fusion fics. The Dead Detective is a fusion with Jumpin' Jack Flash. Whirlwind is a fusion with Twister. Out There is a fusion with The X-Files.
Have you ever received hate on a fic?
Not really. Most responses on AO3 have been warm and supportive. I have gotten a few unnecessarily vicious comments on some of my ficlets here on Tumblr, but I do my best to ignore those.
Do you write smut? If so, what kind?
Most of my smut tends to be of the R-rated variety, because I'm frankly just not very good at writing it.
Have you ever had a fic stolen?
Yes, sort of, but I don't believe it was done maliciously and I don't intend to call attention to it.
Have you ever had a fic translated?
Yes!
Have you ever co-written a fic before?
I have not. I'm open to the idea, but I honestly don't know if I'm cut out for it. I think my tendency to wing things and my utter lack of a consistent writing schedule would drive a potential writing partner mad.
What's your all-time favourite ship?
Mulder and Scully were my first true fandom love. I love Sherlock and John equally as much, if not more.
What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?
There are quite a few WIPs on my hard drive that may never see the light of day. As far as posted fics, my Sherlock/Knight Rider fusion probably won't be finished.
What are your writing strengths?
I like to think that I'm pretty good at capturing character mannerisms, and writing from a perspective that lets the reader feel what the POV character is feeling.
What are your writing weaknesses?
I'm not all that impressed with my smut writing abilities.
What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?
I steer clear of it. Although Google translate can be helpful, IMO there are too many opportunities to make embarrassing or inadvertently offensive mistakes.
What was the first fandom you wrote for?
The X-Files
What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?
I really enjoy the character dynamics between Hannibal/Will in Hannibal and Lestat/Louis in Interview with the Vampire. I think I'd have a harder time getting into their heads than I do with Sherlock and John, so I'll probably just continue admiring them from afar for now.
What's your favourite fic you've written?
This is such a hard question! I'm probably proudest of the work that went into Out There, but I have a huge soft spot for The Pillar upon Which England Rests and (Never) Turn Your Back to the Sea.
If anyone out there would like to share your thoughts on some of the things you've written, please do! I'll also tag @thetimemoves @arwamachine @raina-at @vulpesmellifera @iheardyou @totallysilvergirl @khorazir
From the fic prompts, 13, 27, and 30
Thank you! :)
13. Have you ever made a playlist for a fic? (Share)
No, I haven't. Not in this fandom, anyway. I really should!
27. What is a question that you never get asked about your fics that you really want to answer?
I want people to ask me if I've ever cried when writing a fic, and the answer is YES, I have. It was when Ragatha had a dream that Jax abstracted.
Just kidding, sorta. I love all the questions I get. I guess I'd always like more headcanon questions. I love those. Especially questions about my AU.
30. Is there something you would go back and change about a fic if you could?
The only thing I would really change is making some of my multi-part chapters in my larger collection into their own single multi-chapter one-shots. I guess there was no way of knowing at the time how many parts they'd have, and honestly, I didn't realize how much I would actually write for this ship when I started. I can always go back and make them into one-shots, though.
Ask me writer questions!
