Writers meme.

Do ideas come in little tiny pinpricks and then get expanded, or do they start great big and scopy and then get refined?
Little tiny pinpricks. Sometimes very tiny. I have only really written short stuff though, so that's probably got something to do with it.

Why do you choose to write in the tenses you do (present tense, or first person POV, or third person) and how do you choose particular styles for particular stories?
Mostly I've done 3rd person (I've only ever done past). Occasionally I'll do 1st, it depends on how much I want to get into that character's head. Having said that, some of my 3rd person stuff is the same persons POV all the way through.

Do you have music that inspires your writing? (That you listen to while writing, or certain songs that remind you of certain characters.)
Not really. Sometimes it'll get you into the mood. If I want to write something sappy, late night love (songs) will do it.

How do you brainstorm what comes next in a story?
Fics usually go round in my head for a while before I put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard). Sometimes I'll just write something down and if I'm not sure about it then I'll leave it, come back to it later and see what I think.

What do you do when you hit a road block?
Write something else. Or ask other people for ideas. Mostly though, I have more than one thing on at a time, so leaving one for a bit and coming back to it later tends to help.

How often do you end up deleting a whole bunch of already-written stuff, and how hard is it to let that stuff go?
If it's first draft then I effectively delete the lot. After that it tends to be smaller bits. I generally have a copy in an earlier draft though in case I want to go back to it or use it for something else.

What if you really, really want to include something but part of you is saying it's not right for that particular story?
Write a different story.

Do you take notes longhand, and if so, when?
Yep. Now I have myself a nifty little notebook from Borders.

Do you use challenges by other people to inspire you?
Yes. Often, in fact. It works when I'm just trying to get into something, I think.

Do you do anything in particular to get you into the right mindset to write a certain character or characters?
Read/watch something they're in a lot. I remember watching The Warrior in order to write Protector. At the moment I'm not sure I could write Farscape because I haven't watched any episodes for a while or read any fic.

Which characters are easiest for you to write, and WHY?
Stargate - I'm in a minority here, but Teal'c. His speech patterns are easy to mimic for a start. And he's fairly easy to understand.
TPM - Yoda, for the speech pattern thing (although that's just fun) and Obi-Wan.
LOTR - Elrond because I can understand where he's coming from. Or that's possibly just because I've read up about him more so than the other characters.

Which ones are hardest, and again, WHY?
Stargate - I haven't tried most of them, but of SG1, I find Sam and Daniel hard to write.
TPM - Anakin. I just don't understand him, not even after reading Jedi Quest.
LOTR - Let's not even go there.

Which characters are most like you emotionally?
I'm not sure any of them are. Or possibly them all a little bit.

How often do you feel like what you're writing is fulfilling some emotional need - ie, when you're writing comfort, is it because you often feel that you don't get it IRL?
I have done that sometimes. I was feeling upset when I wrote the prologue to Life, Love and Consequences.

What about writing smut - do you find it easy, difficult?
Haven't really done that. Can't get my head round it.

Which of your stories is your favorite and WHY? Least favorite?

I have a fondness for Protector because Judith helped me with it, I know it's good. I look at Life, Love and Consequences though and think how much better it would be if I wrote it now. I keep old stuff around though to remind me how much I've improved and so I don't make the same mistakes again.

How do you choose titles for your stories?
With lots of sweat and blood. Sometimes they come to me out of nowhere, often I'll have it finished and it'll sit around for ages waiting for a title while I think about it.

Do you write differently with a cowriter than you do alone? Is it easier or harder?
I don't really write any differently but I do like doing it. I would say easier but I have only done it in person. Easier because you know you can discuss every plot element/character name/whatever and you can both argue your case. And it'll turn out better because of it as well.

Do you write original fic differently from fanfic (if you write it at all)?
In some respects, yes, in that I have to create my own universe (assuming it's not set in this one) and my own characters. Although you have to do that with OCs in fanfic anyway.

When a scene feels forced, what are the first few tricks you try to fix it?
Rewrite it, without looking at the original, so hopefully while I'm partway through something will go different. Or there's the old leave it alone for a while thing again.

Are most of your fixes deletions or additions?
Additions. Left to my own devices I'd write big sections of thoughts or big sections of conversation. I have to go back and put in some description for a start

How long does it usually take you to write a story? How many revisions do you go through?
I have taken a year before. I think my quickest is a few weeks, the longest a few years. The number of revisions depends on how well it's working. The minimum is three before beta'ing. Otherwise it can be seven or eight. I don't always count and my counting system is always consistent, so it's hard to tell.

Do you use beta readers?

Yep. Couldn't live without them. Well, my sister, at least. When I can find a good beta reader that's great but when it comes to grammar my sister is always right.

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