lady_karelia (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lady_karelia) wrote2008-03-28 10:40 pm
lady_karelia) wrote2008-03-28 10:40 pm
Productive Friday
I have written 3,839 words today. A new record me thinks. I wasn't aware I could write that many words in one day and feel absolutely accomplished. Not only is it the first time I've written something in what feels like ages but I actually don't dislike what I wrote. Even though it's those icky parts to pull chunks of already-written plot together, it's been highly satisfying. I now have, probably unreasonably so, hope to send it to agents and publishers at some stage in the near-ish future.
I received wonderful gifts today, and even though I'm trying my best not to be shallow, it absolutely made my day, which I've spent drinking tea (thanks to my friend,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
irishredlass69) with water boiled in a proper, whistling kettle and eating hand-made chocolate from Dublin (thanks to my darling little_beloved). After the crappiest of weeks I've had, this was truly heaven-sent, and heart-felt thanks go to both of you.
I completed my first Reiki sock last night. The symbols aren't perfect by any means, my intarsia skills aren't' that great yet, but the intent was there, and my hands are still tingling. Haven't done any knitting today, but I have most of tomorrow to do as I please, so will probably cast on the second sock, ponder whether to do it identical, colour-reversed (I used charcoal Peruvian Highland from Knitpicks and Plymouth Boku in green hues) or switch one of the symbols, since there are three and I only used two on the one sock. No doubt there'll be picspam soonish. And it's bigger than my feez, so I'll probably put it up for grabs, on the condition that the receiver lets me know if there is any effect, once the second one is done.
1. How about a brief introduction?
lady_karelia, the red-haired blonde who whinges way too much, is fascinated with different countries in the spirit of the weirder the better, writes and musicks and occasionally magicks, and occasionally gets entirely lost in super-seekrit issues. Karelia is the result of a random union between a prude, life-long-almost-virgin German victim of the occult and a closet-polygamist American soldier. What can one expect with such a background?
2. What got you into fan fiction (and/or adopting muses)?
As a teenager, I contributed a fairy tale to each monthly school mag. I've never stopped since, really, except that at some stage, my writings changed from German to English. From non-fictional essays to fiction is only a very small step. Fanfiction is easy-ish because you don't have to create the world, it's already there, ready to be played with. And it's darn good practice for writing!
3. What kind of fan fiction do you write?
Romantic SS/HG, which inevitably contains supernatural/occult aspects and at least a mention of music, usually far more than a mere mention.
4. Do you write for the same pairings/characters?
Yes. The secondary characters change every now and then, but the primary ones are always the same.
5. What is your most popular fic/muse and why do you think people like it so?
None of them are particularly popular, just middle-of-the-road. Funny enough, A Potion With an Unintended Notion on Ashwinder received more reviews than any others of mine. It was probably the fastest written fic I've ever done and, like No Music More Enchanting, followed a prompt, this one issued by Potter Place.
6. Forget other people, what is the fanfic/post/prompt you've written that you're most proud of?
I'm not proud of any, but I'm happiest with Without Magic. Someone once, fairly at the beginning of posting it, called it ambitious. I never thought it was. The subject matter is one I'm familiar with, far more familiar than I'm with Shakespeare's works, although that's probably a contradiction in itself because Shakespeare was very well versed in things occult, and many occult writings contain relevant references. But I'm comfortable with the subject, and it helps with the plot development. It's also my longest work to date, with just under 70k words, and for someone who, on a good day, manages about a thousand words, this is quite the achievement. Furthermore, writing it, from developing the outline to actually writing it chapter after chapter, has taught me about the wonderful relationship an author can have with a beta-reader. In this case, it wasnotsosaintly who agreed to beta the story when this newbie author boldly asked outright. So if I beta for you, and you improve, thank her, okay? :)
7. Do you find writing easy? Hard? What aspects do you struggle with?
I don't consider writer's block an issue. But there are days when writing is really hard, simply because I keep being interrupted, which isn't unusual, being a mother of two unschooled kids, even though one is past compulsory school age now. Very occasionally, stress takes over, and I spend a minute staring at the screen and give up and think, Tomorrow is another day. Strangely, though, if I'm stressed out and go out with my notebook and a pen, I usually manage to write something usable. So, all in all, I find writing easy. Whether it's usable or not is written on a different leaf of course.
8. Write a few sentences of your favorite pairing or character.
The relationship of Severus and Hermione in this fandom is the most unconventional het pairing. Well, save Lucius and Luna, but I only discovered them very recently *grins*. I'm fascinated by it because it lets me explore the characters in an unconventional way. In RL, there's a big fuss about age-related everything: at kindergarden, you mix with peers the same age, same at school. Friendships where the age difference is fifty years are considered strange. Why does age always matter? So much restraint is put on us with regard to age, be it relationships, dress "code", friendships, experiences, etc. The relationship between SS and HG defies the sheep mentality of mainstream, and that's what hooked me.
9. Are there any fan fiction trends/clichés you hate?
Mpreg is a no-no for me, I just don't buy it. I don't mind light tying-up and the like, but "proper" BDSM is something I find very distasteful.
10. Are you guilty of any of the trends you hate?
I've been pondering a rapefic for ages, but haven't actually written it beyond the outline. And I doubt I will.
11. What was the first fandom you wrote for? Do you still write for it?
Harry Potter. And yes.
12. Name your OTPs and explain what it is about them you love to write.
SSHG. For the reason, see 8.
13. What would you call your writing style?
Um... *looks lost*
No, I really have no idea why No. 14 is missing.
15. Name one thing you'd love to write but have been too afraid or too shy to do.
PWP. The reason? In all honesty, I wouldn't know how to spend thousands of words describing the act of sex. And really, there is only one writer who can do it with style, and that's Fervesco. Yes, there are others who're good at writing smut, but those usually come with plenty of plot, too.
16. Do you feel uncomfortable taking criticism? Or worse, do you have the dreaded bloated ego?
Ego? LOL Yeah, I do have an ego, which rears its ugly head every time I get three reviews for a chapter. But no, I'm grateful for constructive criticism, and if I hadn't taken it to heart over the past few years, I wouldn't have improved my writing. Maybe I haven't, but I think I have.
17. When you write, is there anything that helps?
Music and research. Music because it is very inspiring for me. Research because I can't write about something I haven't a clue about. So I visit google and read up and read more, and then read some, until I feel at least half-way comfortable with what I'm about to write about.
18. What inspires you?
Music, first and foremost. For plot inspiration, reading conspiracy theories is a great inspiration.
19. Lastly, how would you sum up your fan fiction/RP experiences and you as a writer?
Fanfic has taught me to improve my writing. It's also taught me that no matter where I go, politics are involved. Which at times amuses me and at times disgusts me. And I'll leave it at that. ;)
I received wonderful gifts today, and even though I'm trying my best not to be shallow, it absolutely made my day, which I've spent drinking tea (thanks to my friend,
irishredlass69) with water boiled in a proper, whistling kettle and eating hand-made chocolate from Dublin (thanks to my darling little_beloved). After the crappiest of weeks I've had, this was truly heaven-sent, and heart-felt thanks go to both of you.I completed my first Reiki sock last night. The symbols aren't perfect by any means, my intarsia skills aren't' that great yet, but the intent was there, and my hands are still tingling. Haven't done any knitting today, but I have most of tomorrow to do as I please, so will probably cast on the second sock, ponder whether to do it identical, colour-reversed (I used charcoal Peruvian Highland from Knitpicks and Plymouth Boku in green hues) or switch one of the symbols, since there are three and I only used two on the one sock. No doubt there'll be picspam soonish. And it's bigger than my feez, so I'll probably put it up for grabs, on the condition that the receiver lets me know if there is any effect, once the second one is done.
1. How about a brief introduction?
lady_karelia, the red-haired blonde who whinges way too much, is fascinated with different countries in the spirit of the weirder the better, writes and musicks and occasionally magicks, and occasionally gets entirely lost in super-seekrit issues. Karelia is the result of a random union between a prude, life-long-almost-virgin German victim of the occult and a closet-polygamist American soldier. What can one expect with such a background?2. What got you into fan fiction (and/or adopting muses)?
As a teenager, I contributed a fairy tale to each monthly school mag. I've never stopped since, really, except that at some stage, my writings changed from German to English. From non-fictional essays to fiction is only a very small step. Fanfiction is easy-ish because you don't have to create the world, it's already there, ready to be played with. And it's darn good practice for writing!
3. What kind of fan fiction do you write?
Romantic SS/HG, which inevitably contains supernatural/occult aspects and at least a mention of music, usually far more than a mere mention.
4. Do you write for the same pairings/characters?
Yes. The secondary characters change every now and then, but the primary ones are always the same.
5. What is your most popular fic/muse and why do you think people like it so?
None of them are particularly popular, just middle-of-the-road. Funny enough, A Potion With an Unintended Notion on Ashwinder received more reviews than any others of mine. It was probably the fastest written fic I've ever done and, like No Music More Enchanting, followed a prompt, this one issued by Potter Place.
6. Forget other people, what is the fanfic/post/prompt you've written that you're most proud of?
I'm not proud of any, but I'm happiest with Without Magic. Someone once, fairly at the beginning of posting it, called it ambitious. I never thought it was. The subject matter is one I'm familiar with, far more familiar than I'm with Shakespeare's works, although that's probably a contradiction in itself because Shakespeare was very well versed in things occult, and many occult writings contain relevant references. But I'm comfortable with the subject, and it helps with the plot development. It's also my longest work to date, with just under 70k words, and for someone who, on a good day, manages about a thousand words, this is quite the achievement. Furthermore, writing it, from developing the outline to actually writing it chapter after chapter, has taught me about the wonderful relationship an author can have with a beta-reader. In this case, it was
notsosaintly who agreed to beta the story when this newbie author boldly asked outright. So if I beta for you, and you improve, thank her, okay? :)7. Do you find writing easy? Hard? What aspects do you struggle with?
I don't consider writer's block an issue. But there are days when writing is really hard, simply because I keep being interrupted, which isn't unusual, being a mother of two unschooled kids, even though one is past compulsory school age now. Very occasionally, stress takes over, and I spend a minute staring at the screen and give up and think, Tomorrow is another day. Strangely, though, if I'm stressed out and go out with my notebook and a pen, I usually manage to write something usable. So, all in all, I find writing easy. Whether it's usable or not is written on a different leaf of course.
8. Write a few sentences of your favorite pairing or character.
The relationship of Severus and Hermione in this fandom is the most unconventional het pairing. Well, save Lucius and Luna, but I only discovered them very recently *grins*. I'm fascinated by it because it lets me explore the characters in an unconventional way. In RL, there's a big fuss about age-related everything: at kindergarden, you mix with peers the same age, same at school. Friendships where the age difference is fifty years are considered strange. Why does age always matter? So much restraint is put on us with regard to age, be it relationships, dress "code", friendships, experiences, etc. The relationship between SS and HG defies the sheep mentality of mainstream, and that's what hooked me.
9. Are there any fan fiction trends/clichés you hate?
Mpreg is a no-no for me, I just don't buy it. I don't mind light tying-up and the like, but "proper" BDSM is something I find very distasteful.
10. Are you guilty of any of the trends you hate?
I've been pondering a rapefic for ages, but haven't actually written it beyond the outline. And I doubt I will.
11. What was the first fandom you wrote for? Do you still write for it?
Harry Potter. And yes.
12. Name your OTPs and explain what it is about them you love to write.
SSHG. For the reason, see 8.
13. What would you call your writing style?
Um... *looks lost*
No, I really have no idea why No. 14 is missing.
15. Name one thing you'd love to write but have been too afraid or too shy to do.
PWP. The reason? In all honesty, I wouldn't know how to spend thousands of words describing the act of sex. And really, there is only one writer who can do it with style, and that's Fervesco. Yes, there are others who're good at writing smut, but those usually come with plenty of plot, too.
16. Do you feel uncomfortable taking criticism? Or worse, do you have the dreaded bloated ego?
Ego? LOL Yeah, I do have an ego, which rears its ugly head every time I get three reviews for a chapter. But no, I'm grateful for constructive criticism, and if I hadn't taken it to heart over the past few years, I wouldn't have improved my writing. Maybe I haven't, but I think I have.
17. When you write, is there anything that helps?
Music and research. Music because it is very inspiring for me. Research because I can't write about something I haven't a clue about. So I visit google and read up and read more, and then read some, until I feel at least half-way comfortable with what I'm about to write about.
18. What inspires you?
Music, first and foremost. For plot inspiration, reading conspiracy theories is a great inspiration.
19. Lastly, how would you sum up your fan fiction/RP experiences and you as a writer?
Fanfic has taught me to improve my writing. It's also taught me that no matter where I go, politics are involved. Which at times amuses me and at times disgusts me. And I'll leave it at that. ;)
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