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[mare]

I do agree with you about the later kind. If there has to be a banner, one with the simple title and some kind of imagery to go with the story is less annoying to look at than a guy and a girl. lol

[RokofAges75]

How do you go about choosing names for characters?

[FrickingKaos]

I have a name book that I go through, or sometimes I use people I know for the names.

[Carter-Orange]

People who use banners, I have a question for you.

Do you use a generic girl on them or a famous person and if you do use a famous person aren't you afraid that people will just think the story is about that boy and that famous person?

Why do you think it's important to attach an image of the female lead instead of just letting your own description speak for itself?

I don't mean to sound snarky, I am legitimately curious about this because whenever I see a famous person in a banner I think the story is about that person only to find out later it is supposed to be someone else entirely.

If I've used a girl in the banner, I've chosen someone not so well known.  In fact, I think I may have only used a girl once in my banners and I chose the actress who plays Amy in Doctor Who (so she's well known if you like Doctor Who lol).

I think that if you're writing a story about one of the boys with a girl and you have him in the picture, then it's nice to have the girl in the picture too.  I also like banners/book covers that leave it all to the imagination too. 

[Carter-Orange]

How do you go about choosing names for characters?

I use friends, work people or sometimes from TV/films.  Sometimes I've based characters on real people, but changed the name just in case anyone ever discovered my stories

[mare]

How do you go about choosing names for characters?

I generally choose names I like so this way I'll remember them. Sometimes I'll use names of people I know but most times it's just likable names for me.

[mare]

For you, which genre is easiest to write and which do you find the most difficult?

[usako]

For you, which genre is easiest to write and which do you find the most difficult?

Easiest: angst  If I don't add something dramatic, I'm not happy. To me, angst and drama are the perfect ways to make the characters grow and evolve.

Most difficult? I guess plain romance. I've tried but, apart from some shorts, I'm not able to write fluff without adding something as drama or angst.

[RokofAges75]

For me, the easiest is drama with a hint of romance.  My dramas tend to focus mainly on one or two characters, instead of the whole group and more, which helps to simplify the storylines.  I think it's easier when you have fewer characters and subplots or interwoven storylines to keep track of.  Also, drama/romance seems to be more straight-forward, not as many twists and turns in the storyline.  It's easy to plot.

That said, the hardest genre I've written in enough to know is suspense.  I love suspense, but writing it is a challenge.  My suspense stories often have multiple storylines woven together, involving a variety of characters I have to keep track of, and I usually try to throw some twists in there to keep people guessing.  It's hard for me to avoid it being predictable and to avoid plot holes, because it has to come together seamlessly.  I am an outliner, which works well for drama/romance, but doesn't always lend itself to suspense.  When you're trying to keep people guessing, you don't want to get set in one direction; you want the freedom to be able to change it up.  I am not a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants writer, though; that's how I get writer's block, when I don't know what comes next.  That's why suspense is a fun challenge for me.

[Carter-Orange]

Easiest would have to be horror or romance, I can't decide between the two LOL

Hardest is probably angst for me.  I'm just not an angsty person, although I do like to read it.

[RokofAges75]

LOL I like that your easiest are two completely opposite genres.

[Carter-Orange]

LOL I like that your easiest are two completely opposite genres.

I'm weird like that

[mare]

For me personally, because I have written so many, action/adventure would probably be the easiest although I did find romance to be really easy as well probably because like Julie said, there's less to really have to focus on.

The toughest for me would probably be Sci Fi.

[RokofAges75]

A few questions about fanfic and social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.):

How has social media changed the way you communicate about fan fiction?  (Communication could include recommending good stories you've read, promoting your own stories or notifying people when you've updated, or interacting with readers/writers.)

As a writer, how often do you use social media to discuss or promote your own work?

As a reader, do you rely on social media for story updates from your favorite writers?

[Rose]

I usually use it to tell people I'm writing. (Especially after a long block like you know...right now). Or that I updated. That's about it.

No more than posts here when I update I think. But honestly I rely still mainly on AC email updates. I feel like sometimes writers tweet TOO much about their writing. Or they pester readers/make them feel bad for not like instantly reading or reviewing. Both are turn offs.