Can I get a 20, 24, and 25 for the writer meta asks? Thank you if so! ^^
20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)
Oh man I feel like I ramble about meta stuff a lot but this time I’ll talk about my most recent fic, which was Into the Woods. That fic started with me wanting to write about the Aesthetic of creepy cultish village in the woods and it ended up being an elaborate metaphor for capitalism with the message of “there is no ethical consumption under capitalism.”
In my other most recent fic, Bones Buried Deep, I ended up in one of those situations where I didn’t even realize what it was about until the very end, when I was the climax and suddenly found the connection between the main plot and the subplot - the similarities between the violent ghost they were fighting and Alexei as an abusive parent. Both of them were terrible people who hurt others, but they were also both very good at putting on a friendly facade, protecting themselves with a network of connections convinced they couldn’t possibly be harmful, and made themselves out to be the victim whenever placed under scrutiny. I think I must have been writing these parallels subconsciously for it to come together like this!
As for hidden references - Bones Buried Deep is set in Casa Loma, Toronto’s “castle.” You can look up the floorplan and even interior furnishings for exactly what I pictured as I was writing, down to the third floor WWI museum. Also, the scene where Yuri and Rita joke about New Age occultism is based on an experience I had in Ireland, where I went on a day tour to some archeaological sites but unknowingly joined a tour based in that stuff. I spent the day hearing about how Newgrange was in radio contact with the pyramids of Egypt and Ireland was settled by an advanced race of people fleeing the sinking of Atlantis.
I don’t think I ever mentioned the title - it’s my favourite type of title in that it has two meanings, one literal and one metaphorical. Quite literally, there are bones buried deep under the castle. Metaphorically, it was playing on the idea of skeletons hidden deep in a closet. This goes back to the parallels between Alexei and Nathaniel - both men had secrets about their lives they tried hard to conceal.
24. Would you say your writing has changed over time?
Oh, definitely! I’ve been writing for almost 20 years, and posted my first Tales fic over ten years ago, so I would be embarrassed if it hasn’t changed since then. I think the main change is gradual refinement. When I read my earlier things, I often see traces of ideas and styles that I still use today, just more clumsily handled. I don’t think I’ve had any radical shifts in style, other than branching into more genres than I did as a teen. I still use the same third-person-limited pov I did in middle school.
25. What part of writing is the most fun?
Writing the big scenes. The emotional climaxes, the dramatic revelations. I love writing big emotions, like betrayals and romantic confessions and long-awaited defiance. Writing those scenes brings me joy.
I do really enjoy the process of writing. Finishing and posting a story is always a bit bittersweet, because it’s so much fun in another way to share it with people, but also “oh... it’s over.”
