Name one or more of your stories and tell us what inspired you to write it/them.
Well, Julie told the story of how “Song For The Undead” happened. 00Carter started as a joke where me, Dee, and Julie were joking around while trying to stop a girl named Tanja from plagiarizing fanfic on this Busted forum and there ended up lines about Hot cocoa “shaken, not stirred”. It spiraled into a massive collab about Nick as a secret agent and yeah lol.
1000 Ways To Kill Nick Carter – this happened because there’s always been a running joke about it’s always Nick who dies, gets sick, or injured. So I was a smartass saying he was our own personal Kenny, like in South Park. Then we (Julie and I) thought it’d be hilarious to have a series of oneshots where we’d do nothing but kill him again and again. We’re really horrible and insensitive with our black humor lol.
Do your friends/ family know that you write BSB fan fiction? If so what do they think? Are they supportive? Or not? Do you divulge much information about your stories and this fanfic life?
My mom knew, she was the only one I’d show my stories to. She used to say it was great practice for the day I got published.
If there was one story you wish you could go back and totally redo which one would it be or are you happy with everything you've written so far?
Currently, not really. One I think I should redo but won’t because honestly it’s been a bitch trying to finish it as it is, is an old collab called “Divisions of Reality”. I love the ideas and for the fact I was like 15 when I wrote it with an old friend then, it’s not badly written. But I kind of cringe cause I feel like I’d be able to write it WAY better now.
Who here has actually rewritten an old story? I'm not just talking revision here, but totally redoing it, like Mare asked about in her last question. Was it worth the effort?
Too lazy, I plan to for a story not too far in (like 8 chapters I think) called Born To Be, but I haven’t yet.
Whether intentionally or inadvertently, has anyone else found themselves recycling old storylines to improve upon them?
Not yet, well I do kill Backstreet Boys a lot…would that count? LOL.
In the wake of all these remakes of movies, for instance, I heard they are remaking Highlander, is there a fanfic you would be interested in remaking if the author gave you permission? Or is there a fanfic you have written that you would like to see someone remake?
Honestly, no. I wouldn’t be okay. My stories are my children, I’d be pissy lol.
Have you ever written something way out of your comfort zone and did it change the way you write in general?
Yes, “Just Another Day” was extremely out of my comfort zone. It was a romance! All I wrote at the time was exclusively sci-fi or AU and there were no romantic subplots. I feel like it opened me up more to the idea even though I have stayed away (after two failed attempts/regrets) from using romance as anything more than a subplot since.
My other moment was writing a sex scene for “Song For The Undead”. It wasn’t detailed or anything but I’m not used to them and so it was a moment where I was asking Julie if she thought it read okay. But I like new experiences in writing because I think it helps you grow.
Is there anyone you would like to see write something other than what they are usually known for?
I’d like to see anyone who writes exclusively romance write horror or suspense. Just to see how they rise up to the challenge.
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 tend to use unknowns. I don’t really have many female leads or if I do they don’t typically show up in banners. But in like Divine Intervention, I was trying to show she wasn’t human. Don’t know if that translated but it was supposed to represent the story. That’s how I do all my banners now.
How do you go about choosing names for characters?
Baby books lol. I own one specifically for writing purposes.
For you, which genre is easiest to write and which do you find the most difficult?
Drama/Angst, and Horror are my easiest genres. I love writing drama, I feel like I’m good at it. And horror, well hell some know me just for killing off Backstreet Boys lol. Difficult? Honestly I think it’s romance. I find it hard to come up with stuff to continue it along without it seeming cliché or over the top.
Do you tend to incorporate real-life events, people, and places into your fanfics, or do you prefer to make most of it up?
Depends on the story. I always use real life places if it’s not say a fantasy/sci-fi. Undead I have so much research on the air force base we use, it’s insane. I still have a bunch of research articles from RMTW too on Early Onset Alzheimer’s. People, it does depend. If the child has to die, I won’t use their real kids. Wives/Girlfriends I use them if possible, well, mention them anyway or kill them off lol. Like in RMTW I used all the real wives/kids at the time. In Undead we only used Leighanne, everyone else was fictional outside of the Boys because of how the story was set up.
What has been your biggest success and biggest failure, related to fanfic?
Biggest Success? Remember Me This Way, easily.
Biggest Failure? The fact I have several unfinished fics and haven’t written in a long time lately. Kills me!
Do you think stories you might avoid as a BSB fanfic, you would read if it was just an OF? and what are those deciding factors for you?
I think it’s across the board for me lol. I don’t read romance in real life.
What are some fanfic faux pas you've committed?
These would be things you've done in your stories that are apt to be criticized or not considered great writing by this site's standards. An example might be making your female lead a Mary Sue (a female character who's perfect in every way) and naming her after yourself.
Hmm…
named characters after myself/self insertion
used celebrity pictures in banners
labeled points of view with "POV"
used song lyrics in stories
posted soundtracks for stories
written NSYNC crossovers
written an NSYNC crossover where several are villains
written scenes or whole storylines based off a joke
posted beginnings of stories and then stopped updating them
discontinued stories that were already posted online
Overuse of stereotypes (Howie winking, AJ cussing, Frick and Frack, "he's my cousin")
Calling Howie "The Latino" as a description
Most likely using the word "orbs" to describe someone's eyes!
Calling Nick “The Blonde”
I can proudly say I’ve never had the Boys sing someone awake!
What "faux pas" are your favorites, either to use in your own writing or read in others'?
Probably the stereotypes, it’s part of history. In fanfic and in Backstreet in general. I can’t help it. I also still enjoy using Justin as a villain to mock endlessly.
Have you ever written fanfic for another fandom? Did you find the change difficult? Have you ever taken one story from one fandom and changed it for another? If you haven't tried to write in another fandom yet, would you and which would it be?
Have you ever written an AU? Would you ever consider it? If you did, what kind of story would you create?
Yup, I write several. To me it’s basically, BSB in movie roles. Or them outside of the group.
Do you tend to enjoy reading AUs? If you don't, why do you skip them?
I do as long as the Boys are still the Boys. If not, then it’s really OF with their names slapped on.
Does anyone else hear voices for each other in your heads? You all have a different voice in my head that I hear when I read your replies lol
LOL I hear Julie’s voice but I’ve heard hers before. And Saka-Steph.
Who is the person you have ever written the most out of character in one of your fics and why did you do it?
Howie and it was because we needed a spoof villain. So we decided to go with the most ignored member in real life and fanfic and blow up his real life tendencies so they’re over the top. Hes completely OOC but there’s a valid reason for it.
How much thought do you put into your summaries before you actually post them and how much does a summary play into whether or not you will click on it?
I put a lot of thought into summaries and they do decide if I click or not. It needs to represent your story and draw people in.
What is your editing process like before you actually post your chapters? Do you have someone else read it before you post or do you self edit?
Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. But I write first, edit twice after before posting.
How much research do you tend to do before posting a story?
Depends on the story but it’s typically a lot these days. Like “Here We Stand” I literally looked up the timeline for things.
Besides challenge stories, what are you currently reading and what made you start reading it? (If it's not a fanfic but a book, that's okay too lol)
I was reading Dan Brown’s new book but it’s sorta lost my interest which is weird.
Do you ever read books or watch movies/shows specifically because they relate to what you're writing about? It could be for the purpose or researching or just to inspire you.
I’ve watched James Bond movies for ideas on 00Carter to put our own Backstreet twist on them. If I need to get in a Undead mood I’ll watch zombie movies or TWD.
Do have a story you are currently working on? If so, when was the last time you updated it? How many stories do you currently have in progress or left unfinished?
I’m not answering this because it makes me sad lol.
Okay for all those collaborators out there, do you give yourself deadlines etc... for coming up with next chapters or does your writing on it just fall into the hands of whether the other person will ever post? Do you find that inconsistency a reason for falling behind on collabs or do you consider it a motivator? If you aren't a collaborator, would you ever consider doing one?
We don’t put deadlines and typically we don’t need them. Right now I’m failing (I’m SORRY my ZDR lol) but it’s my focus cause I feel guilty as all hell.
What were/are some of your goals as a fanfic writer and have you been able to achieve them?
My goals were to try new stories and always challenge myself. Something I don’t fail to do .
At the moment, what do you feel is the most popular genre in the BSB fandom and do you think it's always been that way?
Romance – and yes it has.
Along this line of thought, what made you decide to write in the genre you did when you wrote your very first fanfic and have you managed to branch out or do you still stick to the same style you started with?
I wrote the kind of stories I loved, sci-fi. But yes I’ve branched out a lot since. I used to only write AUs and that’s changed a lot.
What is your one biggest pet peeve when it comes to fan fiction?
Bad formatting and grammar.
What is one thing you have learned from fan fiction?
How to become a better writer. Like seriously, I’ve gotten so much better over the years.
What is the worst thing someone has said to you in a review about one of your stories?
I can’t even remember, it’s from the ff.net days and it must not have been that bad lol.
I know we all say we write for ourselves, but have you ever written a story just to get more readers? Have you ever continued/finished a story just to please your readers?
Nope. I probably should start that lmao (the finishing stories thing). But I’ve NEVER written a story to get readers and I don’t ever plan to.
Have you ever deleted a review you disapproved of?
Nope.
Was there ever a story or a chapter of a story you were afraid to post because of the reaction it might get?
Um, the chapter in Undead where it was zombies. Oh and the chapter in RMTW where Nick is told he has alzheimer’s. That’s literally never ever been done in BSB fic and I had no idea how that’d go.
Which story were you most pleased with the reactions you received for a particular scene or plot that maybe either no one saw coming or you had hoped for tears or anger etc...?
Same answers as above. I loved both because they were WAY more welcoming to those than I thought.
Were you ever disappointed with the reaction you got from your readers for a particular scene or character?
Honestly? Not really.
It's funny how we've all written those parts that make us wonder if we took things too far, but the readers never seem to think so. Has anyone ever written a part like that that DID get a negative reaction from readers who think they went too far?
Considering the crazy shit I’ve written at times, no lol.
What's the most extreme, "Oh no you di-in't!" type part you've ever written?
Probably where Howie kills Nick in “He Had It Coming” and kept his eyeballs as a souvenir…
Oh or where everyone but Brian dies in a bus crash sequence in “Are We There Yet?”
What extreme scenes have shocked you in other people's stories?
Mare’s now infamous “MINE” and Steph’s now infamous botfly scene.
On average, how many reviews do you get per update?
It depends on the story but I’ve been really lucky to say ever since Undead/RMTW it’s averaged anywhere from 4-7 a chapter. It used to be 1-3 but I’m happy to get any at all. The highest I ever got for a chapter was 16 and to be honest I was completely shocked by that LOL. 00Carter gets 1 per chapter (we love you Tracy! Lol)
How has the amount of feedback you receive changed over the years you've been writing?
It’s definitely gotten more frequent as I became a better author.
Which do you prefer when it comes to reviews, quality or quantity?
I enjoy quantity, won’t lie. Because at least then I know people are reading! But I also love quality because that helps me better myself and the story.
Do you remember the first piece of feedback you got for a fanfic?
Nope lol. It was 13 years ago to be fair.
What was the first story you posted that surprised you with the amount of feedback it got?
“Just Another Day” just because even though it was a romance I felt I wasn’t doing it well at the time lol.
Do you do any writing in "real life" outside of fanfic?
I do but I don’t post it typically. A lot of it is really personal these days.
How many reviews have you left on the site according to your statistics?
522. I review what I read but I’m a picky reader lol.
Here's a morbid question for my fellow medical drama lovers. Which do you prefer, injury or disease?
Disease, no contest!
Is there anything that is 'off limits' to you as a writer? Something you would NEVER do in one of your stories?
Killing the Backstreet kids. I have no issues killing fictional kids though! Also, probably put someone into a coma because of an injury. Too close to home.
What's the most self-indulgent story you've written and why?
Probably “Why I Hate Justin Timberlake”. It’s an old oneshot from Nick’s POV but I wrote it because someone back in LD (2006 so it still existed) pissed me off lol. And 00Carter, it’s like no one reads it (besides Tracy who we love) but we love writing it so whatever.
Has there ever been a scene you've written that has brought you to tears while writing it? What about laughter?
I cried during the scene where Nick breaks down to Kevin in RMTW. I have laughed a lot writing Undead. Especially the NSYNKOTB zombies.
If you had to pick only one scene that you've written that feels best represents you as a writer, what would it be?
Oh god um…
I have no idea lol. I feel like even though I’m known for gore and such, I’m kind of across the board. I may come back to this.
Do you prefer writing/reading a female centered fic or male centered and why? Would you answer differently for original fiction?
BSB centered. Why make it fanfic otherwise right, it needs to have a Boy front and center. OF can be anyone, obviously. I like female POVs then.
For those of you who don't just write in one point of view, how do you decide which point of view to use? When you start a new story, how do you pick between first and third person? How do you decide whether to limit it to one character's perspective or show multiple characters' points of view? Do you ever try it out in one point of view and then switch to another to see which works best?
It depends on the story. Originally RMTW was going to be in 1st Person and in Nick’s. But then I realized that’d be messy once his memories went completely. So then I decided it’d be 3rd person but with “Brian” writing it. Which was interesting for me. Undead, we couldn’t decide so we compromised. 3rd person but with journal entries in the start of each chapter from the character’s perspective because we didn’t use omniscient 3rd person. I feel like stories call for different POVs and the trick is just finding that voice. Walked Out Of My Dreams was hard to do in 1st person because Brian isn’t himself but I felt like that put an interesting spin on it so I went with it. So there’s usually a bunch of factors and it varies story to story for me.
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Topic: Question of the day part 9 (even though days go by lol) (Read 126842 times)