Fic Writer Interview
Thank you to @accio-broom for the tag!
Name: rosequartzstars
Fandoms I write for: Mostly Harry Potter, mainly Romione, though I indulge in the occasional Hinny and, more recently, superficial Drarry. I’m trying to start writing for Tolkien, and will probably have some Sam/Frodo underway before long!
Two-shot: I don’t know if this counts as a two-shot considering it’s part of a series, but I have written two vignettes under the series Of Interrupted Sleep, which is a canon universe series exploring how I imagine Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny dealt with the post-war PTSD and comforted each other through it.
Most popular multichapter: Well, if going only by stats, it would have to be the Muggle AU In Another Universe, where Ron and Hermione (and the rest of the gang) are all college professors in a Cambridge University-like setting. This was my first longfic ever! However, I have been absolutely blown away by how much readers seem to enjoy Rosebury Grounds, a WIP Muggle Edwardian AU featuring two tales of forbidden love between Drarry and Romione. I’m having a lot of fun with this one and I’ve been wanting to write it for a year, so I’d be inclined to pick it.
Worst part of writing: Trying to shove it aside to get real-life things done. Sometimes I’ll want to write instead of doing my assignments or focusing on school, so the hardest part is definitely pushing my desire to write aside to pay attention to the more tangible, real-life activities that I should place first.
How you choose your titles: Either they pop into my head during the writing, based on a thematic phrase or one I like the sound of, or the title precedes the fic and I build the fic from there.
Do you outline: Religiously. I always have a good idea of where I want the story to go, and I make sure that I have a concrete plan for every chapter so I can make sure to add everything that needs to be added to get to the next chapter and so I can keep myself on track with the plot.
Ideas I probably won’t get to but it would be nice: I've had a Wolfstar angsty Muggle AU floating around in my head since last year, but I’ve been putting it off ever since I became more active in fan communities and realized many of the tropes I had originally envisioned for it could fall into MLM fetishization or Bury Your Gays/Too Good For This Sinful Earth if I didn’t handle them with enough tact and empathy. I want to be careful with this story not to perpetrate stereotypes and harmful perceptions, but until I can fix the glaring issues central to the plot that I devised before I became more thoroughly educated on harmful queer-fiction tropes, this is not going to happen.
Callouts @ me: Not every sentence has to be overladen with clauses or overly complicated. This is not the SAT, not every word has to be a big word. And stay off the adjectives and adverbs!
Best writing habits: I see a story through before I start another one. I had the idea for Rosebury when I was 20 chapters into IAU, but I managed to place it on the back burner and give IAU the attention it deserved before I let myself delve into Rosebury. I never start a story I’m not sure I can finish, mostly because I as a reader would hate that, and I think that’s a good habit.
Spicy tangential opinion: Well-written dirty talk is just about the most sublime things a piece of writing can contain. If the dialogue is good enough to get you hot and bothered without a) being one of the 2+ people described as having sex and b) an excessive description, you’re doing it right. Some of my favorite fics I go back to not because of the actual smut, but because the preceding dirty talk never fails to get me going.
TAGGING: @unablearethelovedtodie @cheesyficwriter @be11atrixthestrange
