moriendum | blog: fic writer q&a

I could make this a thread on twitter but nah. taken from here!

1. do you re-read your own completed fic? if so, which one do you re-read most often?
I do! all the time! sometimes not from start to finish but I might go like hmmm remember that scene where they're in the kitchen... and then it just goes from there. I've reread "blue sky" countless times now dkghfbhjdk the 97z fic too. and more recently I've been revisiting the getting back together hakric fic a lot. yes I miss eric

2. are there any unintended motifs or themes that show up a lot in your writing? how about ones that are intended?
supportive siblings are an intentional recurring theme, especially with tbz because those dudes love their siblings... crappy families are also fun to write because projecting is fun! as for unintended motifs, I had a lightbulb moment a while ago when I realized most of the romance I write is just the "I can't help but love you"/"I choose to love you and love you fiercely" dynamic LOL and I think I like to add a bit of found family to everything because that's just one of my favorite things.

3. have you ever started to ship something after writing it? developed any new kinks after writing them?
the hak collection was basically me testing the waters of hakships so I'd say yeah dfkgfddksdfk other than that, not sure? I can't tell if I was as much of an enthusiastic #bbangsuner before writing them or not but maybe the fic helped. and as for kinks, none that I can think of, but I guess I understand the appeal of choking a little better now after writing it lol

4. when (if) you re-read your fic, does it evoke the emotions it's supposed to in you? i.e. are you able to experience it not as the person who wrote it but as you think any other reader might?
this is such an interesting question... I'm not sure? I think I can definitely assume a different perspective if it's been long enough since the last time I read it, I can see things more clearly. but there's always the errant thought of "ah, I could've done that", or "ah, I liked that I added this, it works much better this way". so the writer brain never really turns off.

5. when you're writing fic, how often/how much do you actually feel what the characters in the scene are feeling?
not that often? at least I don't think so. I try to keep everyone's povs in my head, so I can figure out how everyone involved reacts to what's going on. that makes it hard to immerse myself 100% in someone's feelings, I guess. but it happens that sometimes I get too in my head writing, to the point where I need to course-correct myself because *I* would do that, not the character lol

6. what's the biggest risk you've taken with a fic?
hmmmmmmm... I'm not sure? I've written some fucked up gory shit in the past, if that counts, but I don't think it does? like, aside from trying to do plot beyond "they're friends and they fall in love", and trying to do research (shoutout to pirate au fic and to the still secret hyunjaefest fic), I don't think I've really taken a big risk yet. writing a dual pov with an unreliable narrator in the minnie/yuqi fic was a fun challenge tho! I want to take risks, I just don't know what kind of risks. I need inspiration!!

7. is there one (or more!) fic where the process of writing it diverged wildly from your usual method? what was that experience like?
I actually had a full 3-act, 9-scene outline for small town au milcob, and for someone who sucks at planning fics that was a whole thing!!! I loved the experience. outlines really help make things run so smoothly. knowing that what I'm currently writing is supposed to be there, that it won't affect pacing, that I don't have to worry about what comes next because I already know... it just makes it easier to focus on fleshing things out.

8. what do you think is your comfort zone in fic? the one type of scene/trope/dynamic that you feel confident you can nail every time (you can't say "nothing!")
I wouldn't say I can nail it, but friends to lovers who have bickering as their love language is what I can write the quickest/have the easiest time doing lol it's no wonder I like writing hakric and milbbang!!! (and why bbangnyukyu was one of the first things I tried my hand at with tbz.) also smut. smut is my go-to when I'm in a writer's block, it flows pretty easily.

9. do you figure out worldbuilding stuff like backstories before you start writing or on the fly?
on the fly, 90% of the time. I have so much fun figuring things out as I go, even if that sometimes just means I have no idea what I'm doing HBGFHDDFKJFDJK but tbf I feel like that only works because my fics aren't that long. with 20k you can wing it, but anything longer than that - or chaptered, even - I feel like I'd have to sit down and plan things the right way.

10. do you like to share fic ideas as they come to you or do you keep them close to the vest until they're done?
I don't share anything like, ever. my last wipwed was 4973743 months ago T_T no particular reason other than the fear of being perceived. astrology could also explain it.

11. what's usually the first piece of a scene that comes to you? a bit of dialogue? a setting? emotions? sounds? etc
I think dialogue! I rely a lot on dialogue. it informs everything from emotions to use of space to where the story is headed etc

12. Have you ever had to write something you really didn't want to (a scene, conversation, etc) because the story needed it to work?
hm... nothing in particular? I think I was a liiittle bit uncomfortable writing the shooting scene in the youngdo fic because that was... heavy. but at the same time I made the decision to write that in, so.

13. Ever had to cut something you loved out of a fic because it wasn't working?
sometimes I'll create a new document titled "[title of original doc] cuts" and just cut/paste anything that's not working. that way, if I want to add something I *really* liked back in, I can! but that doesn't happen a lot. if I love something I WILL try to work it in, gdi lol