30-day Fanfiction Writing Meme – Day 25

[aadler]

The meme continues (originated by elfflame, brought to my attention by jedibuttercup).

Day 25: Music – Do you listen to music while you write? Do you make playlists to get into a certain “mood” to write your fic? Do you need noise in general? Or do you need it completely quiet?

I seem to be able to write under many varieties of circumstances, the only real necessity being sustained blocks of time that I can devote to composition. I don’t need music at all, or any kind of stimulation. Maybe it would help, maybe it would just be a distraction, or maybe I wouldn’t even notice at all; I incline toward the latter view, but I never experimented because I never thought to try.

On the other hand — as I once noted in a prior “Five Questions” meme — that doesn’t mean that music is entirely irrelevant to my stories. Several are titled for song titles or lyrics; in other cases, I have a particular song in mind (quoted or not) for a particular scene. Examples:

Titles

• “Come to My Window”
• “Twilight’s Last Gleaming”
• “Morning’s Echo”
• “Solitaire Till Dawn”
• “Each Proud Division”
• “the Human Touch”
• “Walking After Midnight”
• “Hungry Like the Wolf”

Music in scenes

• “Bad Girls”*, by Donna Summer – in “Come to My Window”
• “Good Riddance” (Time of Your Life)†, by Green Day – in “All Ye Who Enter”
• “Kiss You All Over”*, by Exile – in “Shadow and Substance”
• “Dancing in the Dark”*, by Bruce Springsteen – in “the Human Touch”
• “Nights Are Forever Without You”†, by England Dan & John Ford Coley – in “Dusk Over Pompeii”

       * songs/artists specifically named
       † songs I had in mind, but didn’t name

Maybe someday I’ll try out composing to music. Or maybe not, because I seem to be doing okay without it.

Other Questions:

1 – How did you first get into writing fanfic, and what was the first fandom you wrote for? What do you think it was about that fandom that pulled you in?
2 – Name the fandoms you’ve written in, and how much you’ve written in that fandom, and if you still write in it.
3 – For each of the fandoms from day two, what were your favorite characters to write?
4 – Do you have a “muse” character, that speaks to you more than others, or that tries to push their way in, even when the fic isn’t about them? Who are they, and why did that character became your muse?
5 – If you have ever had a character try to push their way into a fic, whether your “muse” or not, what did you do about it?
6 – When you write, do you prefer writing male or female characters?
7 – Have you ever had a fic change your opinion of a character?
8 – Do you write OCs? And if so, what do you do to make certain they’re not Mary Sues, and if not, explain your thoughts on OCs.
9 – Pairings – For each of the fandoms from day two, what are your three favorite pairings to write?
10 – Pairings – Have you ever gone outside your comfort zone and written a pairing you liked, but found you couldn’t write, or a pairing you didn’t like, and found you could?
11 – Genre – do you prefer certain genres of fic when you’re writing? What kind do you tend to write most?
12 – Have you ever attempted an “adaptation” fic of a favorite book or movie but set in a different fandom?
13 – Do you prefer canon or fanon when you write? Has writing fanfic for a fandom changed the way you see some or even all of the original source material?
14 – Ratings – how high are you comfortable with going? Have you ever written higher? If you’re comfortable with NC-17, have you ever been shocked by finding that the story you’re writing is G-rated instead?
15 – Warnings – What do you feel it most important to warn for, and what’s the strangest thing you’ve warned for in a fic?
16 – Summaries – Do you like them or hate them? How do you come up with them, if you use them?
17 – Titles – Are they the bane of your existence, or the easiest part of the fic? Also, if you do chaptered fic, do you give each chapter a title, or not?
18 – Where do you get the most inspiration for your fics (aka “bunnies”) from?
19 – When you have bunnies, do you sit down and start writing right away, or do you write down the idea for further use?
20 – Do you ever get bunnied from other people’s stories or art in the same fandom?
21 – Sequels – Have you ever written a sequel to a fic you wrote?
22 – Have you ever participated in a fest or a Big Bang? If so, write about your favorite experience in relation to one. If not, are there any you’ve thought about doing? And if not, why not?
23 – When you post, where do you post to? Just your journal? Just an archive? Your own personal site?
24 – Beta-ing – How many betas do you like to use to make sure there aren’t any major flaws in your fic? Do you have a beta horror story or dream story?
25 – Music – Do you listen to music while you write? Do you make playlists to get into a certain “mood” to write your fic? Do you need noise in general? Or do you need it completely quiet?
26 – What is the oddest (or funnest) thing you’ve had to research for a fic?
27 – Where is your favorite place to write, and do you write by hand or on the computer?
28 – Have you ever collaborated with anyone else, whether writing together or having an artist work on a piece about your fic?
29 – What is your current project or projects?
30 – Do you have a favorite fic you’ve written? What makes it your favorite? And don’t forget to give us a link!

[End note – I plan to add a 31st question when I reach the end of this meme, and I urge others to do so also:

Day 31: Which fanfic authors and/or stories have had the most influence on your writing? ]

Day 26