Behind the Keyboard-Volume 15
Please note that Behind the Keyboard will be posted once per week during the Reading Challenge. We’ll go back to twice a week in mid-August.
Behind the Keyboard is a series of interviews with different Schitt’s Creek fanfic authors. The series will last as long as there is interest (from authors) and capacity (from me). If you are an author from the Schitt’s Creek fandom who would like to participate, send a DM to this account.
Each author was given ten questions. The first five questions are the same for every author, the last five will vary.
Remember, this year’s Reading Challenge begins July 15, so polish up those MFL lists.
Let’s meet our next author:
NeelyO / @neelyo67
How many fics have you written?
64 total—33 of them in Schitt’s Creek (17 in Schitt’s Creek RPF)
When did you publish your first fic on AO3?
October 30, 2019!
Describe your writing process from “Oh, I have an idea” to pushing publish on AO3.
I get an idea, open a doc, and then I get nervous! But then I start putting words down—I usually get an idea about how I want something to start off, so I write pretty much in order till I get stuck and then I’ll put brackets for future Neely to deal with. It helps to have a friend scream encouragement, so I usually share my doc with someone I trust so that they can cheerlead for me. If it’s a bigger story, or if it’s for a fest, I’ll have a friend beta for me when I’ve got a pretty good draft done to be sure I didn’t miss anything and that everything makes sense. Then comes the trauma of choosing a title and writing a summary, and then BOOM it’s published!
Tell me about your most recent fic? What do you love about it? Is there anything you think you could have done better?
My most recent fic is 1. He loves his husband. It was based on a prompt that several friends all decided to fill, using 300 words or less. I like challenges like that, I like prompts, so it was so fun. I love that the title for the fic and the idea to make it part of a list came to me almost immediately, fully formed. That was energizing and fun, and the whole story flowed really easily as I was writing. While I know I can always improve and learn and grow, I really like how the fic turned out! I’m super happy with it.
What advice would you give to someone who’s thinking about publishing their fic for the first time?
Please do it! Write a story that you love, do the best you can, and take the leap. I hadn’t written for pleasure in years and years, and I was really nervous when I first got an idea that I couldn’t shake. I never intended to write fic, I was just going to be a reader. It was so empowering to put something on AO3, something I made. I’d also suggest leveraging your friends to support your writing process and your post-publishing anxiety. I was brave with that first fic because of the encouragement of my friend @this-is-not-nothing, who kept telling me I could do it! And knowing that I have at least a couple of good friends who will read anything I write, even in a niche fandom where I’m truly writing basically for myself, is really lovely.
Tell me about a story that you wish you could write but that you’re not quite ready to tackle.
I have an idea for a historical AU that would be kinda long, maybe? I’ve gotten as far as the majority of the casting, but I need to get brave and dive into it. I’ve not done a true longfic, and I’m not even sure how long this one would be, but I’m so in awe of all our SC writers who really, really do longfic well.
Alexis is trapped in a drug lord’s palace and you have to convince her captors to read your fic in order to free her. What’s your best sales pitch for your favorite fic?
(Picking one favorite is incorrect, they are all my bebés, but I will play along here.) Hello drug lord people, since you obviously like Alexis, I’d like to tell you about my very fluffy fic We Must Let Go to Know What’s Right. On the night of the infamous barbecue, both Alexis and Rachel are sad. But then they discover that hooking up makes them less sad, and that building a relationship together makes them happy! Oh, and Rachel has two kittens!
Do you write for any other fandoms? Which ones?
Oo, yes! I’ve written Schitt’s Creek RPF, as I mentioned, along with some Supernatural, Red White and Royal Blue, Ted Lasso, 911 Lone Star, Broadway RPF, and Great British Bake Off RPF.
What is your comfort fic?
Oh gosh—I love all things magical, and also anything domestically fluffy, and so many other genres and tropes…but I don’t have a particular fic I look to for comfort, really.
Is there someone(s) who has made your writing better? In what way?
We have so many amazing authors in the SC fandom, I feel like all the fic I’ve read over the last three years has made me better. Seeing all the different styles and approaches that different people take with the same group of characters has allowed me to dream and write the things that speak to me in my own way. I also think that being a beta has made me a better writer. I love encouraging, brainstorming, and editing, all of which are things I’ve gotten to do as a beta. Getting an in-depth look at another writer’s process, and being a small part of it, is an honor and a privilege, and has been a great learning experience for me.
