Super Bowl Special: Interview with thequeergiraffe !
We here at FYTL are pleased to present an interview with thequeergiraffe, the author of a number of excellent Sherlock and Sherlock AU fics such as Our Ruination, To Trap To Snare, and The Brave and the Cunning Series.
2. How did you get into BBC Sherlock?
Tumblr, 100%. I got pretty heavily involved in the Harry Potter fandom around the time the last film and Pottermore came out, and a lot of folks I followed were also Sherlockians. Once everyone started losing it over Reichenbach, I knew Sherlock was something I needed to get involved with. It also didn’t hurt that I’ve been a fan of ACD Holmes for as long as I can remember.
3. How long have you been writing fan fiction, and why do you like it?
I’ve been writing fanfiction since I was a kid. I didn’t realize it was a thing people shared on the Internet until middle school, though. I made my first FF account in the eighth grade, and I used it to post truly terrible Harry Potter/Sailor Moon crossover fics.
4. What do you find more challenging about writing fan fiction, for the Sherlock fandom or any other?
My biggest challenge has been keeping the flame lit, so to speak. That moment when I feel my interest in something beginning to cool when I have a thousand WiPs on…if I could figure out a way to stave that off, that would be awesome. I think fandom really helps, in that regard.
5. What authors or artists do you find influential (fan fiction, traditional published, multi-media, etc.) to your writing process?
I think Philip Pullman said it best when he said, “I have stolen ideas from every book I have ever read.” But within fandom, the most influential writers for me have probably been ivyblossom and Random_Nexus. And outside fandom, I’d have to cite J.K. Rowling. I’d also say Joss Whedon’s probably had a pretty big influence on what I think is important in a story. He likes to place a real central focus on his characters, and I try to do the same thing.
6. What do you do when you’re looking for inspiration?
Go back to the source material. Usually it’s not ideas I have trouble with (I’ve got more ideas than I have time or energy, trust me) but it’s the voices, the characterizations, the “how would so-and-so react to such-and-such” that throws me. Fixing that is as easy as delving back into that universe…and it’s not exactly a hardship to rewatch or reread something I love anyway, haha.
7. Do you listen to music while writing? What artists/albums/songs do you find influential?
Absolutely! The majority of my Sherlock fics were written while listening to Adele’s 21. For Supernatural I tend to put on an 80’s rock playlist, or listen to country.
8. Most of your readers only know you either through fan fiction or the internet in general. When not delighting thousands with your writing, what do you do?
What a flattering way to word that question! You guys… But anyway, to answer you, I spend kind of an inordinate amount of time on Tumblr. But I also work in an office that serves people with developmental disabilities (a job that I truly love, which is a real blessing after years of working retail) and I’m hoping to get back to school in April to work on my English degree.
9. Choose one spirit animal for the following characters:
Sherlock: cat / snake / otter / owl
John: hedgehog / terrier / panther / rooster
Mycroft: octopus / tortoise / wolf / lion
Moriarty: tick / chameleon / leopard / hyena
John: terrier
Mycroft: lion[ess]
Moriarty: leopard
10. Do you have any projects in the works? Or any ideas you’d love to see written?
I have far too many of both. My biggest focus right now is on my Potterlock series, as I’m working on The Hounds of The Burrow currently. I’ve also got a Supernatural fic going on, but that’s such an immense project that I don’t at all feel bad for taking my time with it, haha.
As for things I’d like to see: I’ve been reading a lot of Supernatural fanfic here lately, and I’d really love to see some more of Sam’s POV. It’s so rare! I’d also absolutely love to see more fic about Benny.
— thequeergiraffe
This interview was conducted by Teal of fuckyeahteenlock.
