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[RokofAges75]

Okay, so I'm living up to my forum title of Supreme Time Waster here, but in the process of trying to come up with new questions for the question thread and going, "Did we already talk about that one?" I thought it would be interesting to go back through the question threads and compile a list of the questions so we could keep track of how many of them we've asked and which topics have already been covered.  So... I did!  It took me freaking forever, way longer than I anticipated - damn, we've asked and answered a LOT of questions!  But by God, I like to finish what I start, so I did compile them all into a list below.

I will try to update it as we add more in the threads, or Mare can always edit this post and add them too if she wants to.  I figured this would be an easier way for people who are newer to the forum or have fallen behind on the questions to catch up if they want to.  Feel free to answer any old questions you may have missed and want to answer in this thread!


Questions of the Day

1. Do you prefer to write in first person or third person, and why?

2. Do you tend to write one of the boys as your main focus for a story or do you center it around an original character instead?

3. If you could pick one of your stories to be turned into a movie, which one would you pick & why?

4. Where do you get your story ideas from? A dream, a movie, show?

5. How do you feel about stories with more than one sequel? Do you tend to write them? What makes you continue to write on one story?

6. Do you read any other fanfic fandoms besides the Backstreet Boys? What about when it comes to writing?

7. If you could steal one persons fanfic and claim it as your own, which one would it be and why?

8. How do you feel about Kevin's return? Will it impact your writing in any way?

9. What do you think is the most over used fanfic plot?

10. Do you guys think there are any overused non-romance plots? Or is there not enough non-romance BSB fic for there to be an overused plot that's not in that genre?

11. How do you think you are perceived as a writer? do you think people pigeon hole you into one style or genre?

12. What's the first genre that comes to mind when you see any of the authors named who have posted in the thread? Or what'd the first story you think of when they are mentioned? Only one story.

13. What is the one story you have written you wish no one had ever read and why?

14. What is one genre you haven't written in yet but would LOVE to try?

15. Now that the NKOTBSB tour is finally over, what are your thoughts about it?

16. If BSB did decide to tour with another group again *sigh* which group or performer would you pick and why?

17. What plot would you like to see make a comeback to the most recent page? Something that's been absent for awhile that you'd like brought back.

18. Remember when people would write dialogue in Ebonics because that is how nick was speaking most of the time?

19. Give us a plot of a story you are currently working on and haven't posted yet or something you came up with but have yet to write.

20. Do you think there is any subject matter that should be off limits when it comes to writing a story? Is there anything you would never write about?

21. What do you do when the chapter you're working on just won't come out? Do you try and visualize the scene, or perhaps write ahead and come back to it?

22. Do you have an all time favorite scene or chapter you have written in any fanfic that makes you say, wow...that was pretty great if I do say so myself? And don't lie and say "Oh, i've never thought that!" You know you have, so just fess up now! lol

23. Has anyone ever found themselves actually enjoying reading one of their own stories, not for writing/proofreading's sake, but just as a reader?

24. If you could pick two stories you have written as a before and after to show us how much you have grown as a writer, which two would you pick?

25. How do you come up with your story titles? Does the title come first or later on as you're writing it?

26. If you could pick a story of your own and a story of another fanfic author to be published which would you choose?

27. What do you find most difficult when writing? Description, plot, dialogue etc...

28. How do you feel about the whole Self Publishing trend?

29. What is your biggest fanfic pet peeve?

30. What is the first fanfic you ever read?

31. What is the most influential fanfic you've read, in terms of influencing or inspiring your own writing?

32. Is there a storyline that you want to see covered that no one has really touched on?

33. Do you prefer to base your stories on real things that have happened in their lives or make up your own completely fictional storylines?

34. Do your stories usually take place in the past (earlier in the Boys' career), the present, or the future?

35. Do you consider yourself a picky reader?

36. Do you truly dislike any of the Backstreet Boys or people close to them and if yes, do you find it hinders the way you write or portray them?

37. Honestly, how do you feel about reviews and feedback? Do you give it and how does it affect you when you get it?

38. Have you ever been flamed? (that means given an overly bad review written in a rude way) if so, how did you deal with it? Have you ever flamed anyone in a review?

39. Do you give concrit if it's not specifically asked for?

40. What is your reading preference & why?

All five boys with no female lead
One boy and one girl only with the others in the background if even
Frick and Frack
Kevin and Nick
AJ and Brian
Kevin and Howie
Howie and AJ
Nick and AJ

Etc... You get the idea lol are there any of the pairings above you wouldn't want to read?

41. Do you tend to write more character-driven or plot-driven stories? If you're not sure, this article explains the difference and even has a little quiz you can take to find out which style you probably are.  http://www.writersstore.com/character-driven-or-action-driven

42. What is your all time favorite BSB interview and why? As an added bonus, if you have a link to it, that would be awesome!

43. Is there an interview or appearance that inspired a scene of one of your stories? Again, if you have a link that would be super.

44. Since we had a question dealing with pairings a few days ago, name your favorite story with a pairing and tell us why. I'm only going to list a few but obviously if I didn't mention Thr specific pairing you can add it to the list. I'm just mentioning the more popular pairings.

Your favorite:

Nick and Brian story
Nick and Kevin story
AJ and Howie story
AJ and Brian story
Etc...

Feel free to mention your own if you think it fits the category.

45. Another question which is more of a chance to promote your own writing. If you have a pairing story for any of the guys list them and tell us what they are about.

Kevin & ...
Howie & ...
Brian & ...
AJ & ...
Nick & ...

46. Here's a music question for you all!  If you got to choose which tracks went on the US debut album, which ones would you choose?  You get 12 tracks, and they must all be songs that were on the original Backstreet Boys (the red album) or Backstreet's Back.

47. Does anyone else have stories which they don't even remember writing?

48. How do you tend to characterize the guys when you write them? Give us a few descriptions for each guy and if you write a lot of female leads what characteristic s do you tend to give them?

49. Do you enjoy reading stories where the guys are way out of character?

50. Do you tend to include a lot of flashbacks or changes in points of view in your writing and if so, how do you go about letting the readers know it's happening?

51. Have you ever read a fanfic because so many people have recommended it only to go, "Wow, that was a piece of crap?" The question is more if you didn't enjoy it, were you bold enough to actually admit it? Or did you just kind of play along and act like you thought it was the bees knees as well?

52. Do you use a beta reader? Or show your work to anyone else before posting it? Or do you feel more comfortable doing it on your own?

53. Have you ever beta read for anyone else?

54. Are you ever compared to any writers out there or find yourself trying to emulate someone's style?

55. How does music influence your writing?  Have you written any stories or scenes based on BSB songs?

56. Give your honest opinion how you feel about fanfic awards? Not just ours here at AC but in general. Do you think they mean anything? Which do you prefer, voted on or judged? Do you think some have been fixed? Have you ever run into a situation where you found out they were rigged?  

57. Have you ever placed characters or a plot/storyline from one of your stories into another one? Stephen King does that a lot so I was wondering what your thoughts were about this & I don't mean stories that are meant to be related like sequels or prequels but two totally unrelated stories sharing a cameo or mention.

58. Name some of your favorite 'old school' stories and what you liked about them. By old school I don't necessarily mean written a long time ago but that the story takes place at the beginning of the boy's careers. Pre Millenium days.

59. How do you come up with names for your original characters without them coming off sounding horribly Mary Sue like?

60. Have you ever written a story and then found a lot of inconsistencie s in either the plot or a character after it has been posted?

61. Does anyone go back to old stories and revise to correct their inconsistencie s?  I don't mean quick fixes like correcting typos, but revisions that require you to do some actual rewriting.

62. Have you or would you ever rewrite an old story from scratch just to make it better?

63. As a reader, how would you feel if the author of one of your favorite stories rewrote or changed it?

64. Do you enjoy reading and or writing AU fics? What is it about them you like or dislike?

65. Those of you who write both AU and canon BSB stories, do you find that your BSB ones are more popular than your AUs?

66. If you could ask anyone to write a sequel/prequel to any of the stories out there that do not belong to you, what would you choose and why?

67. If you could choose a favorite character from one of your stories you've written, who would it be? It could be a bsb or original character since we all write the boys a bit differently.

68. What plot or story was the furthest outside the box thing you have ever written?

69. What's your favorite character (one BSB one original) from someone else's story?

70. What are some of your favorite group centered stories & why?  Group centered means there really is no one Main lead but most of the boys play equally important roles. No females or original characters as leads either.

71. List a few group centered stories you have written. What do you enjoy most about writing these types of stories? If you don't write them, why?

72. How did you come up with your pen name/screen name & if you were ever published would you use your real name?

73. Has anyone ever written a story - or thought about writing a story - where one of the Boys is actually the "bad guy"?

74. How much research do you do when it comes to writing a story? Does accuracy mattert when it comes to real places and events?

75. When you read, do you ever fact-check other people's info, or do you just go with it?

76. If a glaring inaccuracy stands out to you, do you say anything to the author or let it go?

77. As a writer, have you ever been called out by a reader for writing something that was inaccurate?  If you have, how did you handle it?

78. Which one of your own stories is your favorite? Why?

79. Do any of you have a least favorite story?

80. How do you go about writing your action scenes? Do you ever act them out or verbalize before you type it out? Do you ever have difficulties putting in words what you see in your head? I guess this would apply to more than action scenes, I just know for me this is usually the hardest thing to move from my head onto the screen. lol

81. Roughly how long does it take you to write a chapter?

82. Have you or would you ever rewrite one of your fanfics in a different format, such as a script/screenplay or even just an original novel?  If so, which story and what format?  Would you try to keep it as much the same as possible, or would you make major changes, and if so, what kind of changes?

83. What's the weirdest thing you've ever found yourself researching for a story?

84. What's the weirdest thing you've stumbled onto accidentally while researching?

85. When you want to write a new story, how do you get ideas? What is your process for choosing one to actually go ahead and write?

86. How far do you take your hatred of someone when it comes to fan fiction? (ie: Leighanne or even a BSB fan).

87. What's your editing process? Do you write everything in your head then go back and edit or edit as you write?

88. Do any of you have a story that you are reminded of by something from it? Like quirks the characters have or specific scenes? For example I always think of Whatever The Night when I see spam lol and I think of Julie when I see blueberry muffins

89. What is your definition of a good story & are there fanfics you've actually read more than once because you loved them that much?

90. When writing a chapter, do you pay attention to your word count or how many pages you have? Do you have a limit per chapter? Like after 6 pages you stop?

91. When/if you got published did you/would you remove the fan fiction version of the story from the website or leave it published in its original state?

92. Now I'm curious about the most random thing ever. What font do you guys write in? LOL

93. Do you guys ever get request from readers to write stories about them?

94. If you were to write a Avengers style fic, what superpowers would each of the Boys have? and no stealing the answer from Nick's comic book either. LOL

95. If you HAD to choose a fic for the Boys to read of yours, which would it be and why?

96. What's the worst thing you've ever done to a BSB in a story?

97. When you write, which one of the Boys' personality is closest to your own? Do you ever make them say phrases or do things or be obsessed with things that you are that they aren't in real life?

98. Is there a type of food you find yourself feeding your characters that you like in particular? Do they go out for Chinese food? Order in pizza? Microwave popcorn? Or do they not eat because they're manorexic or vampires?

99. When writing, do you ever exaggerate certain parts of the Boys? For example, I know we've all exaggerated Nick's blonde moments (so you can't use that as your answer), but like say Brian's accent or Howie's winking? What's your favorite thing to exaggerate of them?

100. Have you ever written or read a scene that was stuck in your head for days?

(Scroll down for more; the character limit wouldn't let me include them all in one post!)

[RokofAges75]

Questions of the Day (cont.)

101. What time of day do you find it easier to write?

102. Does anyone have a certain type of computer, phone, etc setup that they prefer?

103. Have you ever read someone's story because the person was your friend or a reader? What makes you decide to read something?

104. How did you meet most of your fanfic friends?

105. What are some things that block you from writing? And I don't really mean things like, getting distracted on twitter or forums. I mean, you're sitting there with word open with the intention to write and...nothing comes out.

106. How many projects do you work on at a time?  Are you a one story at a time kind of person or do you have a few?

107. What are some of those pivotal parts you've written that you're most proud of?

108. On average, how long does it take you guys to finish a story?  (A novel, not a one-shot.)

109. Do you guys think of your original characters as real people?

110. Do you ever hesitate to do things to the characters because of how attached you are to them?

111. Have you guys ever had a story, or a chapter that seemed to have been purely inspired by a song that comes on randomly?

112. Does anyone else ruin songs by using them in stories? LOL  I don't really mean "ruin," but I find that after I've used a song in a story or read a story in which a certain song played a big part, I can't ever listen to that song again without thinking about that story.

113. When you are writing a story, do you ever intend it to not go past a certain amount of chapters? Or what makes you decide to make something really long or really short?

114. Does anyone else get stuck on the ending of a story, even if you had already planned it out?

115. What is your favorite last line that you have written?

116. How do you all feel about authors who don't respond to reviews? Do you consider it a double standard to confess you enjoy getting reviews but then don't respond to them? If you don't respond, why? Do you only feel certain people are worthy of a reply while others are not?

117. Do you get emotional when you write emotional scenes?

118. What is everyone most critical about when it comes to fanfic?  What's your biggest pet peeve?

119. What do you think you do that can be a peeve for some when it comes to your writing? Is there something that you get called out a lot on? And do you tend to agree with them or disagree?

120. Do you ever worry about your readers "not getting it" when you're more subtle about things?  I mean, leaving it up to their interpretation suggests they can come to their own conclusions, but would it bother you if they read your characters and their situation completely different from what you intended?

121. If you could bring back one fanfic author who has completely stopped writing, who would it be?

122. I was thinking yesterday about how we all like to write different things and the reasons I like to write what I do, and I came to the conclusion that there are three types of fanfic writers:

1. Writers who write about things they wish would happen, or their greatest fantasies.
2. Writers who write about things they hope never happen, or their worst nightmares.
3. Writers who write about things that really did happen, either in the Boys' lives or their own lives.

I'm sure most of us do all three, to some extent, but which category would you say you fall into most of the time?

123. Do your friends/family in real life know that you write fan fiction?

124. Have you ever gotten things from friends or collaborators that referenced directly back to one of your stories?

125. In fanfic who is your favorite author, and how has that person helped inspire your work?

126. Has there been an author or a story you've been skeptical to check out and once you do, you actually like it?

127. If you could collab with any author (besides people you've already collabed with) who would you want to work with?

128. Have you ever considered writing a story or a sequel to one of your existing stories and then decided against it and were later glad you decided not to write it?  Share the most ridiculous idea you came up with, but never wrote!

129. What is the best compliment you have ever received on a story?

130. Give us a random fact about something you've written that we might find surprising.

131. Has anyone else ever taken over writing a story for someone else?

132. How do you come up with your original, non BSB characters? Are they inspired by anyone in your life positively?

133. How much of your real life experiences go into your writing?

134. Is there any question you'd like to ask any of the authors who usually participate in this thread?

135. As a reader, do you tend to wait until a fanfic is done before you read it, read multiple chapters at once, or one chapter at a time?

136. When you balance the five POVs that way, do you find that some of the guys are harder to write than others?  If so, which are the hardest for you and why?  Do you think the ease or difficulty of writing the guys has to do more with how well you like them or how well you can relate to them?

137. What is your favorite story you've written and read about each of the guys?

138. Who are some of your favorite villains you have either written or read and what in your mind makes a great villain?

139. If one of the boys were dying and decided to do a final goodbye tour, would you go?

140. What has been your favorite memory of writing?

141. If you could turn one of your stories into a movie, which would you chose and who would you like to act in it?  

142. What are some of the funniest scenes or stories you have ever read or written?

143. Do you have any favorite lines you've written/read or scenes you've written/read that stand out in your mind?

144. Do you tend to write a lot of comedic scenes and read a lot of comedies in general?

145. When did everyone get started in fanfic? Were you more of a writer or a reader, and how much has that changed since then?

146. What's your favourite review/best piece of feedback you've received?

147. What are some of the things you have read within the last year? What made you click on it and did you stick with it or plan on sticking with it until it's finished? Is it updated frequently? Does the author know you're reading it?

148. What do you consider your comfort food for fanfic? Like if you had to choose only ONE genre to read or write ONLY ONE!! No cheating!! What is your go to and why?

149. Finish this sentence: I really wish more people would give (Insert Name of story(yours or someone else's)/idea/genre/fandom/etc...here) a chance because ....

150. What are your fanfic turn-offs, things that would prevent you from wanting to click on a story to give it a chance?

151. Name a time when you took a chance on a story that you thought wouldn't appeal to you and ended up loving it.

152. Is there any other fandom besides BSB that you've wanted to write in, but haven't yet?

153. For the people who have tried to write real person fics versus fandoms with fictional characters, which did you find more difficult?

154. Would you rather know that someone tried your story and didn't like it or would you prefer to just think that people aren't reading it.

155. If someone isn't reading your story, like a friend, do you take it personally? Are you able to separate yourself from your writing without it affecting your relationships with your writer friends?

156. Are you the kind of author who writes many different types of stories, or are you the kind of author who has found their niche and usually stays inside it?

157. Is there any real life author that inspires you?

158. Pick a fairy tale that you think best matches up with yourself and your 'niche' and explain why.

159. What's a genre you enjoy reading, but don't think you write well?

160. It's funny how some people worry about their friends only reading their stories because they like them as a person, and others worry about people avoiding their stories because they don't like them as a person.  As a writer, is this something you worry about?  And as a reader, do writers' personalities or your relationship with them affect which stories you choose to read?

161. Best Death Scene you've ever read in fanfic? Written?  Saddest scene...read? Written?  What made these stir up the emotions in you?

162. What is the biggest motivator for you to write?  And on the other end of things what is the thing that makes your motivation go bye bye?

163. Does anyone else actually try to make themselves emotional while they're gearing up to write an emotional part?

164. What do you guys do when you get random inspiration at work?

165. Do you have to write your story in order or can you write them out of order and then piece them together later?

166. Out of all your stories which character is your ultimate favorite that you've written? What about your least favorite? Why?

167. When you think of stories you've read...what character do you think of first? Why?

168. How do you feel about fanfic awards?

169. Have you ever been nominated for one?

170. Do you prefer awards voted on or judged?

171. How important would it be for you to win an award?

172. What award would you most like to win & which story of yours do you feel deserves an award?

172. Would you ever consider submitting one of your stories to a site for review? If yes which one would you choose & what would you hope to find out?

173. How often if at all do you go back and read your stuff?

174. Do you tend to find it a fun experience or do you tend to cringe?

175. Do you read your own stories more than anyone else's?

176. Do you find youself comparing your work to other people's?

177. If you find mistakes in the older stuff you've written, are you prone to go back and fix it or just leave it be?

178. Do you tend to agree with people and their assessment of it after you've read it?

179. Are you ever surprised for better or worse after reading your own stories?

180. Do you find yourself repeating themes or lines you've written in other stories without realizing you've done that?

181. After reading it yourself, would you recommend it to someone else?

182. What's one thing you've found surprising or enlightening by reading your own work?

183. Is there anyone who really loves the first fanfic they ever wrote?

184. What's the biggest "guilty pleasure" story you've written and why?

185. What are some of the stories you've written because they were something you would want to read?

186. Have you ever actually gone back and read those stories, and if so, do you think you enjoyed them as much as you would have if you hadn't been the one who wrote them?

187. Are there any stories you've written that you don't think you would read if someone else had written them?

188. What are some of the silliest lines you've ever had your characters say?

189. What about your favorite conversations? That made you laugh that you've written or someone else has?

190. So, do you guys think that stories with a banner get read more than a story without a banner? I know for me personally, I never make banners for my one-shots, and they still get read. But I'm wondering what you guys have experienced?

191. Does anyone look at a story's reviews before deciding whether it's worth a try or not?

192. If you tried reading something by an author, and it wasn't good, would that deter you from reading something of theirs in the future? Would you be less likely to try something from that author if something you read before from them ended up not being to your taste, even if the plotline of a different story from them looked interesting to you?

193. Do you review something you've read even if you're not going to finish reading a story? Or if you didn't like it do you just not leave feedback at all?

194. Do you ever feel like you're done with writing Fanfics? What are some of the reasons you want to quit and some of the reasons you don't quit?

195. Am I the only one who thinks the fanfic section of the BSB site or even Nick's site is a little too close for comfort? I would feel super awkward posting stories on there. I'm sure none of them ever go in and read them, but to have it right there on the official site where if they did, that might be the first place they'd look... yeah, no thanks. But maybe readership on there is really high?

196. There's this mega popular One Direction fanfic called Room 317 that started all this drama in the fandom because MTV did a bit about it, and the boys are aware of it, and it even trended on twitter partly because of all that.  If we'd had twitter back in the day, what BSB fanfic do you think could have trended/caused an uproar like that?

197. If you could pick five fanfics to put in a time capsule that would best represent the BSB fanfic fandom what would you choose and why?

198. Why do you feel certain stories are talked about a lot/are popular? I mean we've all seen people come up with different theories. The "oh only people in a clique get noticed" or "people do nothing but brown nose when they mention stories instead of ones they like" or "it's because I write slash no one notices what else I write", etc. So what do you think?

199. All of us have that one or two stories that we are known for even if it's the only story you have written lol. You know like when someone says your name someone will answer "Oh the girl who wrote...." So, my question is, does it bother you when the particular story you are known for is what people think of when they see your name? Or would you rather it be something else? To answer you can do something like this:  "I am most well known for writing...but i'd prefer being known for writing..."
Unless you do agree with people. Either way, explain your answer lol

200. Do you tend to give your stories nicknames? And if so what are they?

[RokofAges75]

Questions of the Day (cont.)

201. How long do you actually spend writing before your mind starts to wander & you start browsing the net etc... And no, just having Word opened all day doesn't count lol

202. what is your biggest distraction?

203. When you see initials, do you read them as separate letters (i.e. "B. M. S.") or turn them into words ("Bums")?  Or a combination... i.e. "Woo, M.D." instead of "W. O. O. M. D."?

204. What is one thing you find intriguing about BSB and their relationship to one another that you have explored or would like to explore?

205. Have you ever read a story where you see more than one author playing out the same exact plot or idea and think wow they are completely different takes on the same thing? Or do you tend to think wow one is totally copying off of the other? Or think it's too similar even if it's not copying? If so, have you ever given up on one story and continued reading the other?

206. Have you ever stayed away from a topic just because you see someone else tackle it? Or on the other end of the spectrum do you try to use other people's ideas and just make them your own?

207. If you could get rid of one completely overused plot in the genre you feel most comfortable writing in, which one would it be? I say the genre you write in to avoid the easiest boy meets girl answer most of us would have lol, or you could name a plot for each genre if you write in multiple ones.

208. So does this ever happen to anyone else?  You plan out a story, you write the story, you get through the beginning and the middle while envisioning the epic ending in your head, and when you finally get to the climax of the story, which you've been waiting four years to write, the words just don't pour out the way you thought they would?

209. How do you guys feel about authors try to "punish" their readers if they don't review?

210. Does anyone find they're just less motivated to actually post chapters when there's hardly anyone reading them or begging for updates?

211. Is it me or are there less readers and reviewers lately?

212. How do you gauge your feelings about how well your story is doing? Do you go by reviews or read counts or any other way? 

213. Speaking as a reader & not a writer, what are some of your biggest pet peeves?

214. Has there ever been someone you wanted to collab with, but you never had the nerve to tell them? Has someone asked you to collab, but you declined because you thought your writing styles were different?

215. When you are writing and you become conflicted about a direction you want your story to go in, do you tend to go with your gut? Do you refuse to change your mind and stick with what you had originally planned or do you let your readers influence your decisions? Any or all of the above?

216. What if anything do you feel most guilty about when it comes to one of your stories or something you read? Give us one big confession about something concerning fanfic?

217. Are there any subjects or storylines you avoid writing?  If so, which ones and why?

218. Have you ever been nervous to see how readers will react to a certain chapter? Or information revealed in a chapter?

219. Have you ever been surprised by some of the reactions you have gotten on a chapter? Like something you werent expecting? And did it effect your motivation for continuing with the story?

220. When starting a brand new story, what do you find you have the most trouble with? Your first chapter, the summary, the title, the banner or anything else?

221. Has there ever been a story where you've read it and went "Damn, wish I'd thought of that one."?

222. What character of yours do you most identify with? It can be from any story you've written. And why were they so personal to you?

223. If the boys were to ever come out and say they hated the fact that people wrote about them and wished we would stop, would you?

224. Have you ever felt like one of your characters is your alter ego?

225. If you could have dinner with any five characters from anyone's stories. Who would you pick and why?

226. What is the craziest idea you've had for a fanfic? Did you write it or have you saved it for a rainy day because it was so different?

227. What has been your favorite story to write and why?  How about your least favorite to write?

228. Do your feelings about your own stories tend to match up to your readers' feelings (that is, the stories you're really into writing are the same ones your readers are really into reading and vice versa)?

229. Is there any instance when you go back and look at something you've read or written where you tend to be surprised at how good or bad it actually was in retrospect? Meaning the first time you read it, you thought it sucked but on the second reread, suddenly you found it awesome or vice versa?

230. If you did a BSB or any other group crossover and had to use a TV show, which one would you use and why? How would you fit the guys into it?

231. Have you ever posted under another name in a genre you wouldn't usually write in under your usual ID?

232. Here's a question for people who make banners with their female characters on them. When you write your female characters, do you tend to use a famous person in the banner and if you do, is that who you actually see when you write your character?  Are you afriad that someone will then only picture that person instead of your original character when placing them on the banner?  If you don't think people are going to look at the girl and see her in their head when they read the story, then why bother with the banner in the first place?

233. If the fanfic scene for BSB died out for whatever reason, would you stop writing, would you move to another fandom or would you move to original fiction?

234. How similar are you to your online persona? Is fanfic author you any different from real life you?

235. How do you feel about the cliches in romance? Are they too well known to get around them, or do you feel a lot of authors rely on them to tell the same story but with different people?

236. What is one fanfic you've read that surprised you? What made you click on it in the first place? Was it something you would normally read?

237. Which do you prefer to write/read, novels or short stories?

238. Have you ever challenged yourself to stay within a word count?

239. Do you enjopy writing challenge stories? If you do what has been your favorite challenge to compete in so far and do you have any ideas for upcoming challenges?

240. If you don't enjoy writing them, why not? What's wrong with you? Are you like a total doofus or something? lmao

241. Do you read other people's challenge stories? And how do you feel yours compares to the others you have read? If you've read these stories have you left reviews for them?

242. Anyways, what is the one story you have written that you're most proud of?

243. What is the fastest amount of time you've taken writing a story? The longest?

244. What do you consider the best form of feedback? Concrit, when readers guess what's really happening before you post the next chapter, when readers tell you they became over emotional when reading or relate to something you've written, when readers are totoally surprised by the outcome or just getting a review and knowing someone is reading in general? Of course feel free to use other examples, I just wanted to make sure everyone knew what I was trying to say lol

245. What story currently has you hooked?

246. What is your favorite genre to read? Has it changed since you joined AC, or has it always been the same one?

247. When you find glaring errors in someone's story, do you let the author know? What about if someone brings a mistake to your attention, would that bother you?

248. What would you do if you found a huge mistake in your story which could potentially change the entire thing? Would you ignore it & hope nobody notices or would you go ahead and change everything?

249. What are some of your biggest AU pet peeves? I'm sure we could do this with any genre so feel free to do this with any genre lol

250. Would you consider youself an emotional writer? Do you tend to let what people say affect how you write? Do you have to be in a certain frame of mind to write a chapter?

251. Do you tend to post a new story right away or do you wait until you have a few chapters to post?
252. What makes you decide to write a new story? Do you base it on what people like to read or what you feel like writing and then does it bother you if you don't get the feedback or attention after you post it?

253. As a reader, do you tend to get excited if one of your favorite authors says they are going to post a new story despite the fact that you don't know what it's going to be about? If after they post it, you see it's not something you'd like to read, do you find yourself still clicking and reading just because they are one of your favorite authors and you added to the "yes can't wait to read so please post it soon!!" bugging lol?

254. Do you find yourself more picky as a reader now then you were before? Or do you find yourself more willing to try new things? How have your tastes changed over the years? Or have they pretty much stayed the same?

255. What if anything makes you stop reading a story? Have you ever stopped reading a story even after you had hit more than the halfway mark?

256. Does an author's personality ever spark you to read or not read a story? For instance, if you know they are just the sweetest thing ever but you know you won't enjoy the story, are you more willing to give it a try? Or the opposite, if the author is self involved and threatening not to update unless they get reviews does that ever influence whether to read their stuff or not?

257. When you go to start a new story, how do you choose which boys are lead characters or backup characters? Do you experiment or do you already have someone in mind when you form the idea?

258. Has anyone ever written a story about one boy and then later thought, "I wish I had written this same story about [different boy]?"

259. Do you ever delete your stories?

260. Something that's been bugging me is this acquaintance of mine who keeps rewriting her story every couple of months, even changing character names and the title of the story. I am guilty of doing a rewrite but I would not continue to read something that changes so frequently. How does everyone else feel about rewriting?

261. Which books if any would you think might be fun if they had been turned into a fanfic and which boy would you like to have been which character?

262. Have you ever watched a show, movie or read a book that reminded you of someone's fanfic or of one of your own?

263. When you get a new idea for a fanfic, do you like to share it with someone or save it as a big surprise?

264. Have you ever waited a little too long to post something that you thought was an incredibly original idea only to see that someone else suddenly posts an idea similar to yours before you get to? Would you scrap the idea or still go ahead and do it even if it meant people might think you were copying?

265. Despite the disclaimers on fanfic websites reminding readers that the stories are only fiction and were not written with the permission of the Backstreet Boys, have you ever had a reader tell you they thought one of your stories was real or was written by Backstreet Boy or someone who knew them?

266. What is the most outlandish piece of feedback you have ever gotten?

267. Has anyone else gotten feedback via twitter or another source?

268. What do you think your biggest flaw is when it comes to writing fanfic?

269. What is the one thing you feel like you have greatly improved on since you started writing?

270. Do you take things personally when people insult fanfic or put down fanfic writing in general? Do you tend to be overly sensitive when it comes to your own writing and get easily offended if someone says something negative or perhaps gives someone else's story more attention than yours?

271. What is your fanfic comfort food? Meaning, if you are down or need to laugh or get your mind off things, is there a story you always find yourself turning to? Do you reread something because you know it'll make you laugh, cry, scared...etc.. .?

272. What are some of your all time favorite scenes from fanfics that have stuck with you? Maybe not the entire story but just a part of it that you sometimes find yourself going to read because you feel like it?

273. Is there a story you instantly think of when you hear a particular song on the radio?

274. What are some scenes you've written that have really stuck with you, the ones you think of first when you think of a certain story or find yourself going back to read?

275. Have you ever lost motivation to write anything new? And if so, how long did it take you to get it back? What did you do to reawaken your muse?

276. What's the most cathartic writing experience you've had?

277. What's the most personal story (or scene) you've written?

278. Is there anything you've read that has helped you deal with real life experiences?

279. I tend to associate stories with whatever was going on in my real life when I was reading/writing them, though.  Does anyone else do that?

280. What happens when you feel an original  writing is better then the re-write? I try to go back and make it as close as possible to the original but what do the rest of you do?

281. What's the longest you've taken to finish a story? Why?

282. When you suddenly come up with a chapter for an old stories what inspires that?

283. Has anyone ever come back to an unfinished story after a long time and ended up finishing it?  What's the longest hiatus you've taken (from a single story or from writing fanfic in general)?

284. Have you ever written a story by request?

285. Do people ever ask you to include their names in your stories? If so, do you listen to them?

286. Have you ever made yourself the main female character in your stories?

287. Which character that you've written has come closest to you personality wise?

288. Which story of yours do you think would translate best as an OF or can be turned into a fic for a different fandom?

289. When writing a story, which boys do you tend to pair up as the main characters?

290. Do you find it boring or entertaining to write or read about only one boy as compared to the group?

291. Is there a story you wish you had written instead of someone else? Which one and why?

292. Have you ever written a story that you were pretty sure would make it to the awards nominations and didn't?

293. What do you think about awards in general? Do you think they really mean something or just a popularity contest?

294. What are your fanfic resolutions?  What would you like to accomplish in 2013?

295. When and where did you first post your fanfic (whether on a site of your own or hosted on someone else's)?  If you can remember the site, describe it for us or even hook us up with a link, if possible!

296. What were some of your favorite fanfic sites when you first started reading them?

297. In that interview the guys did with Perez, I guess they asked if the guys ever read fanfics and I think someone said Nick said they were weird or something similar to that. How would you feel if during that conversation  it was clear that Nick or any of the others were talking about YOUR fanfic? Like "I read this one where this crazy chick had Brian carve the word MINE into my skin. How freaking crazy do you have to be to come up with that?" Would it deter you from writing them again? Would you suddenly feel differently about writing about the guys in the first place? Would it change your opinion about them in general even?

298. If the guys seemed like they really wanted to read a good story and asked you for one recommendation, what story would you pick and why? It doesn't have to be one of yours, just something you might think would interest them and not make them think that BSB fanfics are either about them being into each other or naked running around all day long!

299. For those of you who are updating, have you noticed a decline or increase in readers and reviews? Or has it been the same?  If you are one of those people who are in a writing slump, are you also in a reading slump or losing your love of BSB in general?

300. When you think of awesome readers and reviewers of your stuff, who comes to mind and why?  You can name more than one person because we all know it varies from story to story.

[RokofAges75]

Questions of the Day (cont.)

301. How do the real life events affect your writing? When things like tours, babies and engagements pop up does it inspire you or detract you?

302. For people who write predominantly romance, how do you go about creating different couples in each story/series, using the same guy (Nick or whichever boy).  Is it a challenge to create the right chemistry with a new (and presumably different) female character and the same boy you've already used for a power couple in a different story/series?

303. Who is your favorite villain you've written and why?

304. What do you consider to be the biggest challenges in writing your favorite genre?

305.  Are there any genres you enjoy reading, but have a hard time writing?  What are they, and why?

306. What is your danger zone when it comes to writing?

307. Have your tastes in fanfic changed over the years? Do you find yourself more open to reading new things or more picky? Do you find yourself reading/writing something you wouldn't have five years ago?

308. What about the boys inspires you to write? For instance, is it when they do interviews and you get to see their relationship play out on screen or on air? Is it when one of them announces they are getting married or having a baby? The promise of new music? Or nothing at all to do with their personal lives?

309. And a follow up, if any of the above do inspire you to write, does it come across in your writing? For instance, If you get all warm and fuzzy about them being together in interviews but yet don't include them all in your stories? Why? And if your answer is nothing about their personal lives, what is it about them that makes you interested enough to make them a lead character?

310. If you ever became a successful, famous published author, what, if anything, would you be most embarrassed about people finding related to your fan fiction past?  Do you have anything online, like an old website or early stories, that embarrass you now?

311. What authors do you miss and why? Is there a story you wish you could reread, but know you never will?

312. What fanfic have you read (and re-read) the most?

313. Do you ever re-read your own stories, other than for the challenge we did here or for research purposes (like to refresh your memory to write something later in the story or in the sequel)?

314. Which if any of the boys do you feel will be completely different then how we thought they were when this documentary comes out? Will there be anything you feel might shock you? Do you think based on  what you see, it might detract you from being a fan or possibly switching your favorite boy?

315. How has the way you portray the guys in fanfic changed over the years?

316. How do you go about developing a story idea?

317. Name one or more of your stories and tell us what inspired you to write it/them.

318. 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?

319. 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?

320. 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?

321. Whether intentionally or inadvertently, has anyone else found themselves recycling old storylines to improve upon them?

322. 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?

323. Have you ever written something way out of your comfort zone and did it change the way you write in general?

324. Is there anyone you would like to see write something other than what they are usually known for?

325. 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?

326. How do you go about choosing names for characters?

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

328. 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?

329. Do you tend to incorporate real-life events, people, and places into your fanfics, or do you prefer to make most of it up?

330. What has been your biggest success and biggest failure, related to fanfic?

331. 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?

332. 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.

333. What "faux pas" are your favorites, either to use in your own writing or read in others'?

334. 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?

335. Have you ever written an AU? Would you ever consider it? If you did, what kind of story would you create?

336. Do you tend to enjoy reading AUs? If you don't, why do you skip them?

337. 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

338. Who is the person you have ever written the most out of character in one of your fics and why did you do it?

339. 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?

340. 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?

341. How much research do you tend to do before posting a story?

342. 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)

343. 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.

344. 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?

345. 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?

346. What were/are some of your goals as a fanfic writer and have you been able to achieve them?

347. 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?

348. 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?

349. What is your one biggest pet peeve when it comes to fan fiction?

350. What is one thing you have learned from fan fiction?

351. For the slash writers: when you write your slash stories, do you actually bring sex into the equation or is it more the relationship they have with one another that draws you to writing/reading it? And if that's the case how come just the friendship and special bond they share isn't enough? What is it about making them partners that is so different from say just a story where they are best friends?

352. What is the worst thing someone has said to you in a review about one of your stories?

353. 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?

354. Have you ever deleted a review you disapproved of?

355. Was there ever a story or a chapter of a story you were afraid to post because of the reaction it might get?

356. 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...?

357. Were you ever disappointed with the reaction you got from your readers for a particular scene or character?

358. 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?

359. What's the most extreme, "Oh no you di-in't!" type part you've ever written?

360. What extreme scenes have shocked you in other people's stories?

361. On average, how many reviews do you get per update?

362. How has the amount of feedback you receive changed over the years you've been writing?

363. Which do you prefer when it comes to reviews, quality or quantity?

364. Do you remember the first piece of feedback you got for a fanfic?

365. What was the first story you posted that surprised you with the amount of feedback it got?

366. Do you do any writing in "real life" outside of fanfic?

367. How many reviews have you left on the site according to your statistics?

368. Here's a morbid question for my fellow medical drama lovers.  Which do you prefer, injury or disease?

369. Is there anything that is 'off limits' to you as a writer? Something you would NEVER do in one of your stories?

370. What's the most self-indulgent story you've written and why?

371. Has there ever been a scene you've written that has brought you to tears while writing it? What about laughter?

372. If you had to pick only one scene that you've written that feels best represents you as a writer, what would it be?

373. Do you prefer writing/reading a female centered fic or male centered and why?  Would you answer differently for original fiction?

374. 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?

375. Do you incorporate songs into your stories, and if you do, how so?  BSB songs or songs by other artists?  What's your opinion on doing this?  Is it corny?  Appropriate in some instances? Both?

376. Do you ever imagine songs while you're reading a fanfic, even if there isn't a mention of the song in the story itself?

377. What do you do in real life, and what impact does it have on your writing?  Do you tend to include things you know a lot about from your job and/or hobbies in your stories?  Are you an expert at anything that comes in handy when writing fiction?

378. If you are a sequel writer, how much of the previous story do you reveal in your sequel?  

379. How do you feel about sequels and series in general? Do you write them and or read them? Do you know ahead of time that you will be writing a bunch of stories or do you make that decision later on?

380. When you're trying to stick to writing one story, and you get an idea for another that you can't get out of your head, what do you do?  How do you stay focused on one project at a time?

381. What are some of your secrets when it comes to reading/writing fanfic? Or about the boys or any other fandom in general?

382. Do you tend to post your chapters right after you write them or do you sit on a few and then post sporadically so you stay ahead of yourself? Or do you wait until you are completely done with the story before you start to post?

383. For anyone else who waits to post:  Do you find that you're still as excited to post something you wrote awhile ago as you would be posting something you just finished, or does the excitement wear off?

384. How have your feelings about each boy changed over the years, from when you first became a fan until now?  Has your writing reflected any of these changes (like, do you find yourself writing more or less about certain boys than you used to)?

385. How do your writing preferences differ from your reading preferences?  Is there anything you like to include in your own stories that you don't like to see in other people's, or vice versa?

386. How did you come up with your usernames for this board and your pen name for AC if they are different?

387. What was the first username (or email address) you used for fanfic?

388. Do you ever feel like you are lumped into a group when it comes to your fanfics? Or maybe pigeonholed? And does it bother you?

389. What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about your work?

390. Describe the plot of the cheesiest story you've ever written (or cheesiest part, if you can't think of a whole story).

391. What is your favorite chapter you've written, and why?

392. What's the best beginning you've written, and why?  Ending?

393. What is it about a particular scene or story that makes it your favorite? Is it the subject matter itself of the accomplishment you feel while writing it? Can you name some examples?

394. At what point do you feel it's okay to give "spoilers" to your stories or talk about specific things that have happened in them in your answers to these questions, without worrying that you're ruining things for potential readers?

395. Is there any story of yours that if it was read, you'd be afraid to be judged solely by that story?

396. On AC, go into your Account Info and Reviews Received and look at your stats.  What is your highest-reviewed story?  How about your lowest-reviewed?  Why do you think these two stories got the amount of reviews they did?

397. Do you base the number of reviews a story has (yours or someone else's) on how good or bad it must be?

398. Do you let awards influence what you read? If you had a choice between reading something that had no awards and something that did would you choose based on that? How important is it for your stories to win awards or does it not matter one way or the other?

399. What are the first five stories that pop into your mind when you think of popular stories and have you read them and enjoyed them?

400. What's your process for planning a story?  Do you know what will happen in the beginning, middle, and end of the story before you start writing it?  How about in each chapter?  Do you do any kind of outlining or just fly by the seat of your pants?  If you do outline, what does that look like for you?  Do you ever write scenes in advance or visualize them in your mind?  Do you change your mind often, or do you usually stick to your plans?  Does the way you plan vary from story to story?  Lots of questions, but they all go together - just describe your process!

[RokofAges75]

401. Describe, step by step, your thought process when starting a new story.  You can use a specific story as an example if you'd like to or describe it more generally.

402. How do you feel about the warnings you can put on your stories on AC?  Do you always add every warning that applies to your story?  Do you ever worry that by posting warnings, you're giving away spoilers?  Do you look at the warnings in other people's stories before you decide whether or not to read them, and if so, do they affect your decision?  Is there anything, warning-wise, that you won't read?

403.  Answer with your OWN stories! lol

• Craziest storyline?
• The dumbest plot?
• The most unique?
• Weirdest name for a character?
• Biggest inaccuracy?
• Stupidest Title?
• Something you wish you could take back?
• Story you cringe when you find out someone has read it?
• Story you'd wish everyone would read already!
• Most impulsive story?

404. Has anyone (online) tried to make you feel embarrassed/ashamed of writing fanfic? Why did you feel that way if it worked?

405. What are some of your favorite funny stories or scenes from people's stories?

406. What is one thing/event in the boys actual lives that you would love to see someone write a story
about?

407. If you were to find out something you never knew about the boys would it alter your writing and or reading when it came to that subject matter? For instance, let's say you were to find out that during the Never Gone era the real reason Kevin left was because he HATED Howie or something like that. Would that change how you would go about writing them in that time period or would it not make a difference?

408. Along those lines, have you ever found yourself confusing real facts with things you have read in other people's stories?

409. So we all know what we like and don't like when it comes to reading, and we've talked a lot about our likes and dislikes on the forum.  My question is, are there any exceptions to that?  Have you ever tried a story that isn't something you'd normally enjoy reading and discovered that you loved it?  Or have you ever started a story that sounded right up your alley, only to find you didn't like it?  Why?  What is it that makes or breaks the deal in those cases?

410. For those of you who have read or written in other fandoms, do you find that the type of fanfics that are popular in the BSB fandom are also popular in other fandoms, or does it differ from fandom to fandom?

411.  Which genre is your least favorite to read and why?

412.  Just reading Saka's description of that 1D fic, in your mind how much drama is too much? Or do you enjoying reading things where it's packed with drama from start to finish?

413. Have you ever crossed that line in your own writing, either by taking it over the top or writing something you swore you would never write?

414.  Do you know something is going to be a one shot before you start to write it? Do you ever intend for your one shot to be a novel but then realize it works better as a shorter story? Or maybe it's the other way around. Have you ever written something you thought was only going to be one chapter and then decide to make a full blown novel out of it?

415. What are some of your inspirations when writing a one shot as opposed to a long novel? Which of the two do you prefer to write?

416. Do you ever set chapter limits on yourself when writing? What about reading? Do you tend to enjoy reading shorter stories or novels?

417. Looking back on your novels, go check and see how many chapters each one is.

• What is your longest novel?
• What is your shortest novel?
• Going along with that, is your longest one the one with the most reviews? And your shortest the one with the least?
• What about read counts?

418. If you go to View Your Statistics under Account Info and then click on your number of stories (next to "Author of"), you can click View Chapters at the top and see the stats for each individual chapter you've posted.

• Which of your novels has the highest average read count per chapter?  Is this also your most read novel?  Most reviewed?
• How about the lowest average?  Is this your least read novel?  Least reviewed?
• Are there any stories where you notice a significant drop in read count from the beginning chapters to the end?  Why do you think that is?
• Do any individual chapters stand out as having an unusually high or low read count compared to the rest of the chapters in that story?  Why do you think that is?
• What is your most and least read one-shot?
• Were you surprised by any of these stats?

419. Do you ever question yourself and your abilities as a writer? What are some of the reasons why you think that happens?

420. What's the best plot you've come up with, one that's so good you can't even believe you came up with it yourself?  We've all got them - time to get past the insecurities and brag a little about what we do best!

421. What was the biggest obstacle you've ever encountered while writing a fanfic and how did you overcome it?

422. How many of you have put a story on hiatus for a long time and then eventually finished it?  How long was it on hiatus?  How were you able to get going on it again?

423. When a new album comes out, do ye find yerself getting inspired by the new music and developing story ideas based on the new songs or wanting to incorporate them into yer current ones?

424. So the drama whore in me couldn't help but notice there are at least three stories on the Most Recent page right now which have Backstreet Boys in wheelchairs (or who probably will be in wheelchairs once they wake up from their comas... and in that case, make it four!), and I wondered if this is the start of a new trend or something.  What do ye think?  Are ye on board for a disability fic trend?

425. What are some other trends ye remember from yer years of reading, and which were yer favorites?

426. Do you feel like you ever started your own trend? Or written something unique to the fandom that had never been done prior to yours?

427. If you could only use one word to describe yourself as a fanfic writer, what would it be?  What about one word to describe other fanfic writers?

428. What was your very first fanfic about?  Was it BSB or some other fandom?

429. Has anyone else ever stopped writing or refrained from posting a story because someone else beat you to it and posted a story that seemed too similar?  If you don't mind sharing, what was the idea, and what was the story that stopped you?  I wonder how often this happens!

430.  Have you ever worried that one of your stories was too similar to something that was posted before it, maybe even another story that helped inspire it?

431. I know a lot of us post as we write, but this question more applies to stories you're keeping to yourself. Have you ever gone back and restructured a story to change where the chapter breaks are?  I guess another question to ask is, how do you decide where to end and how to begin a chapter?

432. In honor of the new album! Which song do you think has the most potential to become a fanfic?

433. What if any are your token skip songs for each of the albums?

434. In the genre you feel most comfortable writing in (Can be more than one) offer five tips to what you consider makes a great story work in that particular style.

435. Have you ever had a crush on someone in your real life because they resembled a Backstreet Boy?

436. What do you think are the most important elements of a good suspense story? And as a reader what do you enjoy most about them?

437. How do you feel about cliff hangers? Do you enjoy reading stories with them or writing them? Or do you generally like things resolved at the end of chapters?

438. Do you associate any other BSB songs with some twisted underlying meaning, either because of a fanfic or because you, yourself, are twisted and deeply disturbed?

439. What do you find the most complicated thing to describe when writing?

440. When you decide to use song lyrics, quotes or anything else as a header for a chapter, do you tend to pick that first and then write the chapter around it or after the chapter is written do you go in search of the best lyrics, quotes etc... that would best fit what you just wrote?

441. When you read something new, do you review right away or wait until you're ready to commit to reading the entire thing before you review? If you do review right away, do you then feel an obligation to see the story through even if you don't enjoy it? Do you ever go into the story and in a review explain why you stopped reading?

442. As a writer, Do you prefer anyone who read your stuff reviewed even if they just suddenly disappear and if they do just suddenly disappear, do you ever find yourself wondering if they just stopped reviewing but are still reading? Would you like it if someone came into your story and explained why they stopped reading or do think that might hinder your writing and make you doubt yourself?

443. Do any real life events ever hinder your writing, or is it more of a release when you are not having a good day? When you're down, do  you write, read or just avoid fanfiction together?

444. Now that reviews are no longer an option, will you still continue to update your stories? Or do you plan on waiting until the review function is up and running again?

445. Have any of you written a female character who was hated by your readers?  (Villainesses don't count, since they're supposed to be hated.)  Do you think that hatred was justified, or were you surprised by it?  Have you ever felt like your readers' reaction towards one of your characters spilled over to affect their feelings about the overall story?  As a reader, have you ever felt that way about someone else's character, and did it affect your feelings toward the whole story?

446. How do you usually portray the guys you write about most?  Have you ever intentionally taken them "out of character" over the course of a story, and if so, what caused them to change?

447. Have you ever been surprised by a reader's interpretation of something in your story?  Maybe they read into something way more than you intended, or they just got a different vibe from the story than you were intending to give off?  Did you modify your story after that feedback (if you were still in the process of writing) to better explain said situation, or try to explain in your response to the review, or neither and just let them interpret it as they interpreted it?

448. When you write, do you tend to write more plot driven stories or character driven stories? Which do you prefer as a reader?

449. Have you ever found yourself using the same phrases over and over again or the same descriptions? What are some of the things you are notorious for overusing?

450. Which boy if any do you find the hardest to channel? For that one, do you find yourself just not writing them as much as the others? How do you get over that block?

451. If you were writing a sequal, but you didn't see it going anywhere and you suddenly had a new idea for it. Would you delete it and go with the new idea or would  you just leave it alone?

452. Do you think people would be able to tell who your favorite BSB is just based on your fanfic writing? Are people ever surprised when you tell them who your favorite BSB is? What about if there is one you aren't particularly fond of? Do you think your writing shows it or do you think you can mask your personal feelings about the guys well enough so people can't tell one way or another?

453. How do you feel about people translating your stories into other languages?

454. As a writer, when you leave feedback do you tend to leave it from the POV of how you usually write? For instance, if you are a suspense writer and leaving a review for a sci fi writer, do you tend to ask questions about something in the story that might seem unimportant for sci fi but you catch it from your suspense eye? When you read your reviews, do you ever notice that happening to you? Can you tell when someone outside of the genre you have written is reviewing just based on what they ask and say?

455. Stephen King was on The View today and they ran down a list asking him "where did you get the idea for..." So my question is this - what was your most unusual bit of inspiration, something that lead you to include it either as a major plot point or small addition to a story?

456. What would you think about a story that uses only text messages? Would you ever write one?

457. Of the guys (not their misc...), do you find you have a hard time torturing one of them but not some of the others? Are there things you refuse to do to one that you would have no problem doing to another?

458. What about reading? Do you enjoy reading one being hurt over the others? Is there someone you can't deal with being bodily harmed?

459. How long are you willing to wait to read an update before you give up on a story?  If the author tends to take a long time between updates, do you find you have to go back and reread the previous chapters before reading the new one?  If the author takes too much time to update, do you find yourself less excited to read when it is finally updated or hesitant to read something else by that author?

460. Does anyone else feel like they have lost their writing mojo? Not just for fan fiction in general?

461. For the people in a writing funk, what is something that would help get you out of it? Why do you think you ended up in a writing funk in the first place?

462. Have you ever held back on writing or posting something because you were worried about the reaction it would get?

463. How would you describe your writing style?

464. How do you tend to portray each of the boys?

465. If you do use a female lead or any other lead besides the boys, do they tend to follow a pattern? Do you tend to use the same characters?

466. What do you feel are the most overused things in fanfic?

467. What do you think are the biggest misconceptions in fanfic or maybe the specific genres you tend to write?

468. Use either the last story you worked on or the one you are currently working on to answer the following questions.

• Have you updated it regularly? If not, why?
  
• Is it something you normally write or is/was it out of your comfort zone?
• What made you decided to write it?
• How were the reviews? Did you get a lot of feedback?
• Do you plan on completing it?
• Are there plans for a sequel or was it a sequel?
• Overall were you/are you happy with the result?

469. What's your current status as far as fanfic goes?  Are you reading anything?  Writing anything?  Thinking about writing anything?  Just post an update!

470. What are some things you learned about yourself this year that you maybe didn't realize before? Obviously this doesn't have to be totally fanfic writing or reading related but maybe try to include at least one fanfic related thing if you can.

471. How much do you write for yourself, and how much do you write for other people?  When you're planning a story or writing a chapter, do you think about what your readers' reactions will be or how it will be received?  Do you care?  Does it ever influence your writing?

472. Is there anyone who regularly posts on the forum that has a story with zero reviews? Which isn't as one shot?

473. Do you write better under pressure or when the pressure's off?

474. What's your weirdest writing habit?

475. Do you usually set your stories in a specific time/year (whether past or present) or try to be vague about when they take place?

476. Have you ever recycled one of your own storylines?  As in, written a story with a plot that was essentially the same or similar to another one of your stories?

477. Has anyone ever thought about taking one of their older stories and doing a completely different take on it? I don't mean just rewriting on it to make it better if it's something you had written a long time ago. I mean completely changing it plot wise? Using the same moment in time but taking a different story away from it?

478. What story or characters would you most like to read a sequel or spin-off about?  And if you were to write one of your own, which of your stories/characters would you do a spin-off/sequel about?

479. Have you ever looked back at one of your stories and regretted writing a major plot point?  If you were to go back and rewrite, what would you do differently?

480. Have you ever "jumped the shark" with one of your stories?  For anyone not familiar with the phrase, it comes from an episode of Happy Days where Fonzie literally jumps over a shark on water skis, a storyline so ridiculous that it marked the decline of the show.  So have you ever had something so ridiculous happen in one of your stories that it ruined the rest of the story?  Or have you ever changed your mind about writing something because you realized it would be jumping the shark?

481. Which do you enjoy more, the process of writing or the finished product/story that results from it?

482. If you were a celebrity, how do you think you'd be perceived? Would you be loved, hated etc...

483. What type of actor/actress would you say others would be?

484. What genre do you feel as a writer is the most challenging to write, and what genre is the easiest?

485. What has been your hardest story to write, what has been your easiest, and why?

486. What are your strengths as a writer? Weaknesses?

487. What would you say are the strengths of other writers?

488. If you could pick an era to put the guys in, which era would it be? Can't say 21st century because that's no fun! lol

489. If the boys were in your high school which one(s) if any would have been in your clique? And how would you have perceived the others?

490. What fics will you absolutely not read? Genre-wise or whatever.

491. What fanfic gets you all choked up, and what scene if you could choose one.

492. What fanfic makes you bust out laughing and what scene?

493. This one's going to take some searching, but what has been your most reviewed chapter, and why do you think that was?

494. What story of yours has the most reviews and which has the least?

495. What is it that makes a story truly interesting to you? For instance if you like one type of story will you read it no matter what? Suspense, angst, slash etc...

496. What is something you normally wouldn't read (a certain genre, storyline, lead character, etc.)?  Have you ever actually read that kind of story?  If so, what got you to read it?  If not, what would it take to get you to read it?

497. If you commit to reading something and just stop, do you bother to explain to the author why? Or do you just kind of shrug it off?

498. Have any of you ever gotten reviews like [the above question]?  If so, do you appreciate knowing the truth, even if the truth hurts?

499. Is it really that noticeable when someone stops reviewing?

500. Is there a way I can get my inspiration back, anyone have any suggestions? Cause I feel like I have tried everything. Have you ever gotten so stuck om a story you thought about a complete re do?

[RokofAges75]

501. Have you ever written a story that attracted a completely different groups of readers than your regulars?  Why do you think that was?  Have you ever gone outside of your box to try to attract different readers?

502. How do you feel about giving spoilers away in your summary? How do you decide what to give away and what to keep until it's actually revealed?

503. When it comes to writing stories, do you prefer typing or writing by hand?

504. If you could only pick one story to represent the writer you have become what would you choose and why?

505. As a reader, do you agree with the picks your favorite authors chose? Or would you pick something different by them?

506. On the opposite side of this - what is one the one story in your catalog that you feel is least like the writer you are today?

507. Is there a 'classic' story you have always wanted to read but never have gotten around to?

508. Is there a 'classic' story you have read because everyone recommended it but when you read it, you didn't like it?

509. Name five stories you consider 'classics' and why you think people should check them out.

510. What qualifies as a "classic" in your mind?  Does it have to be a story of a certain age?  If so, where do you draw the line?  If not, what constitutes a newer classic?

511. When you say a certain author's name, what's the first story that pops into your head?

512. What was it like for you, both as a reader and/or writer, to send/receive that first feedback?

513. When you write a chapter, how much emphasis do you put on page numbers and word counts? Do you feel like you need at least a certain amount of words to make a successful chapter? As a reader do you prefer longer or shorter chapters?

514. What is the longest chapter you've written, and how long was it?  One-shots don't count; it should be a chapter of a larger story.  If you want, you can also tell your shortest chapter that wasn't just a prologue, epilogue, or special interlude type chapter.

515. When you write about the boys, how do you lump them in terms of friendship? Do you tend to think back to the cliched days when it was Frick and Frack, AJ and Howie and Kevin left all alone or do you see it as some other way? Are they all equal relationship wise or are some closer than others?

516. Of the stories you've written, list how many are Group centric, Nick centric, Kevin centric, AJ centric so on and so forth. Not including one shots, only novels.

517. Have you ever made a conscience effort to try to write in one boy's point of view that you usually do not and how hard was that for you?

518. Do you find of those novels depending on the boy you center it around, is one more popular than the other reader wise?

519. How have your reading habits changed over the years, as far as which boys and what types of stories you like to read?

520. What would it take to make you read outside your comfort zone, as in a different boy/pairing or genre than you typically read?

521. What are some other things you guys see as immediate turn-offs or big no-nos if you want to keep an audience?

522. When you guys sit down to write, do you just literally sit down and start writing, or do you do anything to get yourself going first?

523. What makes something a BSB story for you? Have you ever started to read a story and then find yourself saying "This is good but it's not really a BSB fanfic?" What does there need to be to qualify being called a BSB fanfic?

524. When writing a scene or a chapter, what tends to make you stuck or give you the most problems? Is it descriptions, dialogue or something else?

525. Do you find it easier to write in first person or third person?

526. Have you guys ever written the start of a story in both POVs to see which you liked better?  If so, which did you pick?

527. Do you guys plan out chapters with outlines or just go with the flow of things?

528. What has been your best idea, but poorest execution?  Meaning, the idea itself was good, but it could have been written so much better.

529. How does everyone come up with scenarios?  Tv? Real life events? Things you see in the neighborhood?

530. What story took you the longest to write?

531. Do you ever feel like everything you write reminds you of something else you've already written?

532. What has been your most unique (for you) story and why?

533. What has been the most helpful piece of constructive criticism you've gotten, and what has been the most (for lack of a better word) hurtful?

534. How many of your real life friends/family know about your fanfic writing?

535. How different is your online fanfic/BSB obsessed author-self to the you who people see everyday? Do you keep your two worlds completely separated?

536. Have you guys met online/fanfic friends in real life?  If so, who was the first one you met, and what was it like?

537. What was your guys' favorite "old school fanfic" method/plot to read? Do you guys think there were more of those kind of plots back then versus now; if so, why do you think that is?

538. Have you ever found a scene that is just hard to write? Like no matter how much you try it just doesnt seem right?

539. What's the weirdest/craziest thing you've done for the sake of a story?

540. If you had to compare yourself to one real life "famous" writer or creator in terms of your style or ideas, who would it be?

541. What are your favorite scenes to write?

542. On the other side of things, what are your least favorite scenes to write?

543. How about characters? Who are some of your least favorite characters to write?

544. If you had to write about one boy who gave you the hardest time, who would it be?

545. If you had to write one genre that gave you the hardest time what would it be?

546. If you had to write a story about a duo, who would you have the hardest time pairing up? (Besides Howie and Brian because I think that's pretty much a given for everyone so let's just go ahead and say second hardest pairing. LOL)

547. What drew you to BSB? Was it their looks? Or their music? What came first for you and how did you end up wanting to know more about them?

548. Excluding AU or obvious plot related character shifts - Has there ever been a story you read where the author's view on how the boys act was so completely off from your own it made you say WTF? Are these the same BSB guys I like? lol

549. Do you think there's a difference in the way the Boys tend to be written now that we have social media and YouTube and can see more of what the guys are like in real life when they're not onstage, compared to how they were written back in the old days when all we really knew were their stage personas and the images that they put out there?

550. How much of you, the writer, goes into your stories? Like, as you're writing the boys, do you ever find yourself linking so much with a certain characteristic of one of the boys, that you write them doing something you had done, or saying something you would say, or creating a scene or situation that has happened in your life and just placing the guys in it?

551. Also, since we talked about most and least favorite character to read and write, do you think having commonalities with said member plays a role? Like Mare, you enjoy reading and writing Nick, is it because you find that you have more in common with him versus the other guys, or is it strictly because he's your fave?

552. Wouldn't it be funny to put one of the guys completely out of their element? Like plop one of them somewhere, where you wouldn't think they would ever want to go. Like for example AJ... I couldn't see him be on a farm, but it would be quite amusing to see lol.

553. Have you ever thought of a plot that you thought was going to be fantastic and then thought it just wasn't a good idea in the end?

554. Do you write the kind of stories you prefer to read?

555. Is there a type of story you like to read, but don't write?

556. Have you ever written a story that you would probably never read?

557. how do you go about editing your chapters before you post them?  Do you have someone else beta read them? Or do you do it yourself or do you not bother at all and just wing it?

558. Would it be okay to go back and add something into a story you are currently posting as long as it has no affect on the actual plot?  What about taking things out?  

559. How do you guys come up with your summaries? Is there a process? Like, do you normally take an excerpt from your story and have it be the summary or whatever?

560. Does anyone write fanfic for any other fandom? If so, which fandom do you favor writing fanfic for? Why?

561. Having that we discussed that most of us prefer to keep their significant other and families out of our stories, which couple/family do you guys find is the easiest to write? Which is the hardest for you?

562. Is there something you tend to do in every story as a symbol to show it's you? I guess I'm asking if you have a "thing" lol

563. If you were to take one of your stories (for the readers, a story that you've read) and make it into a movie, which story would it be and why?

564. One thing that annoys me, only because I'm so anal, is when the number of ~*~*~ or whatever changes every time because the writer just does it randomly instead of having a consistent way of doing it.  Anyone else have any random pet peeves like that?

565. What animal would a member be and why?

566. How flexible are you when it comes to plotting your stories?  I know some of us are planners, while others are more "go with the flow"/"fly by the seat of your pants" writers, so this might be more of a question for the planners, even if you just plan in your own head instead of in an actual outline.  But when you plan for something to happen in a story, do you tend to be rigid about sticking to your plan, or do you often change your mind?  What would it take to change your mind about something that was all but set in stone?

567. How do you feel about open endings? Do you like everything to be tied in a neat bow before you actually consider a story to be finished or do you enjoy leaving some of it out for interpretation?

568. How do you feel about sequels? (kind of in regards to the first question and open endings) When you write a sequel do you know you're going to do it at the beginning or it is something you don't realize until you are done with the first story? What's the motivation behind your writing a series or a sequel to a story and have you ever regretted your decision to do it?

569. Is there a story that has been incomplete forever that you would love to take over and finish for someone? Or is there a story you haven't finished that you wouldn't mind someone taking over for you?

570. What story has taken the most willpower and effort for you to finish writing?

571. Does anyone have any ideas brewing around in their heads for their next story to write?

572. How do you guys normally come up with your story ideas? Is it inspired, based off an experience? Do you normally like to take current events and just throw the boys in them? Do you stick with our "old school fanfic method" and just do twists on them?

573. If you have an idea, and notice a writer wrote/is currently writing a story similar to your idea, do you continue on with it?

574. How did you guys first feel about fanfic? Were you weirded out about the concept of creating/writing stories about real life people? How did you first stumble upon it? Being that we're older, what are your thoughts about writing fanfic now, has it changed from when you first discovered/wrote/read?

575. How much or little do reviews affect you and your writing? Do you find yourself excited to work on something after receiving a ton of feedback or not when it doesn't?

576. Have you ever gotten feedback from someone who didn't realize they were reading fanfic?

577. If at least one person is reviewing and seems to care does it make a difference? Or do you need more than that to feel motivated?

578. If you could Improve upon anything for yourself as a writer what would that be?  What are you doing to try to help yourself with that issue?

579. Name a story that is one of AC's "best kept secrets" - a story that you think a lot of people would love, if only they would click on it.  Maybe it's an older story or a story with a summary that doesn't reflect what it's really like or just a story that, for whatever reason, has gone undiscovered.  Don't give us one of your own, although that can be another question if you'd like.

580. For those of you who do write ahead of yourselves, when it comes to posting how do you choose to do it? Do you update regularly on a specific day of the week or every day or just whenever or all at once? How do you decide when to post and do you think it has affect on your readers?  If you tend to post a chapter as soon as you're done, how long do you wait for editing purposes?

581. Is there something you have to have or doing while writing like have snacks at your desk or listening to music?

582. Do you ever wonder if the boys have stumbled upon on the world of fan fiction? It makes you wonder what they would think lol

583. If you were famous and knew about fan fiction, how would you feel about knowing stories were being written about you? And would you want to read them?

584. Is there anything that just keeps you so distracted you just can't seem to write?

585. Has finding out about something in the boys real lives, ever affected your writing? Like as you are writing you found out something was totally contradictory to what you were actually writing? Or the opposite? Did it make you change things at all?

586. Has there ever been a story you wanted to write but just couldn't put the plot together? Or ever want to write about a certain member but just cant seem to get yourself motivated to do so?

587. Have you ever taken a creative writing class or something similar?  If so, what was it like?

588. Do you write original fiction or any other kind of writing (besides fanfic) for fun, and if so, do you share it with people in real life?

589. Have you ever gone on a hiatus from writing? Was it due to life getting in the way? Or just being uninspired?  How long was your writing break, and how did you get yourself the spark to write again?

590. Have any of you also experienced a lull in your reading as well while you're not writing? I know some of you aren't big readers but I am curious on this as well. If not, what stories have you been reading lately?

591. Beginnings are almost always hard for me, and I have probably used just about all of the ways they say NOT to start a novel at one point or another.  What are your thoughts on this list?  Bad Ways to Start a Novel: http://www.wattpad.com/4667955-bad-ways-to-start-a-novel

592. What would you consider the best and worst beginning you've ever written and why?

593. Has anyone here read a fanfiction more than once, and why did you find yourself reading it again?

594. Do you have any writing- or reading-related resolutions this year?

595. What does everyone's writing set-up look like?  Do you do your writing on a laptop, desktop, phone, on paper, or what?  Do you have a certain place where you do all your writing, or do you move around?  Do you do anything special to create an ambiance, like lighting candles or playing music?

596. Which do you guys think is harder, writing beginnings or endings?

597. When you finish a story, do you like to take a break before you start a new one or do you jump right into it?

598. When you write, do you tend to only wrote nice story at a time or do you like to multi task?

599. What's your favorite one-shot/short story you've written and read?

600. Has anyone written a story and then found a song that goes with it, or been inspired by a song in general?

[RokofAges75]

601. Does anyone make playlists for their stories?

602. Do you guys write down all the story ideas you get, and do you ever go back and look at the ones you don't end up actually writing?  Have you ever used an old idea to write a new story years later?

603. Anyone else ever thought of writing a story about the guys competing in a reality show?

604. Which albums do you think have held up best over the years, and which ones haven't - meaning you may have really liked them when they first came out, but not so much now?  On the flip side, are there any albums that have grown on you to the point where you like them better now than when they first came out?  You can include solo albums too if you want.

605. Knowing what we know now about the group and the issues they were having, what's everyone's opinions on Black and Blue?

606. Does anyone else have songs that they didn't love until they saw them live?

607. What's your favorite part that each boy sings in a BSB song?  For example, Nick's answering machine bridge in One Phone Call might be your favorite Nick solo.

608. Someone tweeted me this question:  "Seriously, why is Nick always the fanfic kick puppy?"  In other words, why do we like to torture Nick so much?

609. Do any of you guys have "head-canons" or portions of BSB history that are not necessarily real, but that you carry through all of your stories? For example, I always have Nick, to varying levels, have some kind of frustration that JT got with Britney instead of him LOL.

610. Do any of you feel like one of the boys is your throw away character? I know most people tend to answer Howie to this question, but it's always been AJ for me with Brian as a close second.

611. Was there any event in BSB history that sparked a ton of fic around it?

612. What's something you find challenging when it comes to writing?  Are there any challenges you used to have that you've overcome?

613. Do you prefer writing het sex scenes or slash ones?

614. Does anyone else get anal about ending their story on a nice "round" number of chapters, or is that just me?

615. Stephen King tweeted this, and I thought it fit well with BSB fanfic:  "The best stories, it seems to me, deal with friendship put under stress."  What are your thoughts on this?

616. Are there any BSB-centric stories that haven't been done yet that you wish existed?

617. For those of you who write slash and have a favorite pairing that you always write about, how do you keep it fresh from story to story?

618. Anyone have a genre they haven't tried yet that they'd like to one day?

619. What would be your dream BSB crossover?  It could be one you'd write yourself or something you'd like to see someone else write.

620. Do you read crossovers if you're only a fan of (or at least familiar with) one of the fandoms in the story, or do you only read them if you like both?

621. Tell us about a time when you went outside your comfort zone by reading a fanfic you normally wouldn't read and ended up enjoying it.  Did that experience open you up to reading more diverse types of stories or change your reading preferences at all?

622. What got everyone into writing fanfiction in the first place?

623. When you get inspiration from a movie, a book or even another fanfic, how do you go about twisting that idea to make it your own?

624. Does anyone else have an example of something that seems so basic now that you didn't know or struggled with when you first started writing?

625. Who else enjoys reading and/or writing parodies?  What's your favorite parody you've read and/or written?

626. Has fanfic influenced anyone else's life or career in some way?

627. When drama happens in the fandom, does that inspire you or hurt your inspiration?

628. Let's talk about killing people!  Characters, I mean.  Do you shy away from killing off characters, or are you cool with it?  If you're cool with killing, does that include killing Backstreet Boys (or the main characters in whatever fandom you're writing in)?

629. What factors in to your decision to let a character live or die?

630. Have you ever regretted killing (or not killing) a character?

631. What has been the hardest character death for you to write?

632. As a reader, what was most shocking or devastating death you've read in someone else's story?

633. What do you usually struggle with most in the early stages of planning/starting a new story?

634. What's the hardest decision you've had to make for a story?

635. Are there any real life events or topics that you consider off-limits or taboo to write about in your stories?

636. What album have you found most inspirational, in terms of inspiring story ideas?  Or, for those who don't get inspired by BSB music, which album cycle/era were you most inspired/prolific during?

637. Where do you currently stand with your BSB fandom?  Update us on where you are with the guys, the music, fanfic, whatever you wanna talk about.

638. What are some of your best and worst BSB memories from the last 25 years?

639. What's the craziest thing everyone's done for BSB?

640. What's your favorite of their first singles?

641. Is anyone else feeling inspired by the new music and BSB excitement, as far as writing goes?

642. What was your favorite BSB or fanfic-related memory from this year, and what are you most looking forward to in the new year?

643. JK Rowling posted a new blog on her website where she answers some questions about writing and gives some tips: https://www.jkrowling.com/opinions/on-writing/  It's not really anything new, but I do agree with her advice.  Is there anything that stands out to any of you?

644. Do you post your stories on any other sites, and if so, what has your experience been with those?

645. For those who aren't writing at all or have stopped writing BSB fanfic - do you miss it?  If so, what do you miss most?  What do you not miss about it?

646. What are you currently reading, or if you're like me and not reading anything new right now, what was the last great fanfic you read?

647. With reviews turned off on AC, do you find that readers just don't give feedback at all, or do they give it in a different way (tweet, email, etc.)?

648. Does anyone else feel more comfortable writing male characters than female?

649. How have your opinions of each of the Boys changed from when you first became a fan to now?

650. Tell us about your all-time favorite BSB song!  Do you remember the first time you heard it?  Was it your instant favorite, or did it grow on you the more you heard it?

651. What is your favorite and least favorite music video?

652. What would it take to make you suddenly stop being a BSB fan?

653. What do you think the rest of the guys would do if one of them was found guilty of something? Do you think they will go one without that member?

654. What are some of your story ideas that you ended up not following through on?

655. What's your biggest struggle with this fandom? What has changed for you? What do you wish were still the same?

656. What has been your favorite BSB era and why?

657. Are you influenced by other people's writing habits?  Do you get inspired or discouraged by what else is happening in the fanfic world or with BSB?

658. What story do you have the best memories of reading, and what story do you miss writing the most?

659. What does it usually take for you to start writing again after a slump?

660. If you could give the guys one of your stories to read, which story would it be and why?

661. Which of the boys would you like to see on a reality show? Which show and why?

662. How have you changed as a writer since you first got into fanfic?  Feel free to answer as a reader too if you'd like.

663. When describing male anatomy, do you think it's better to be direct or vague with the terminology?  Do you prefer to read the proper terms (i.e. penis, testicles), slang terms (dick, balls, package, etc.), or more subtle euphanisms (member, manhood, and so on)?

664. Do any of you do any other kind of writing in your life outside of fanfic, either for work or fun?

665. Have you ever thought about trying to turn one of your fanfics into a an original work?

666. What do you consider to be the darkest or worst era in BSB history?  And on the flip side, what has been your favorite era?  What era(s) do you like to read and write stories in the most?

667. Do you have preferences on songwriters or favorite songs written by the guys?

668. What are you writing right now, if anything?  What are you reading?  If you're not reading or writing, why not?  What would it take for you to start again?

669. Who is your favorite Backstreet wife?

670. Do any of you have any other favorite celebrities that you've gone that extra step to find out more about and follow their personal life, not just their career?

671. What has been your best/worst BSB concert/event experience?

672. What are your biggest concert pet peeves?

673. Would you consider yourself an introvert or extrovert?  What aspect(s) of your personality shows itself most through your writing and/or characters?

674. Which song do you wish the boys had recorded rather than someone else doing it?

675. What are your favorite and least favorite kind of scenes to write?

676. When you write simple scenes with just the guys having casual conversations about nothing, do you plan those and know what they're going to talk about ahead of time, or do they just evolve naturally?

677. What's a story idea that you've sat on/always wanted to write but haven't actually gotten around to writing?

678. What is everyone's process for deciding to start a new story?  Do you start one as soon as an idea comes to you, or do you wait until you're done with your current story(ies)?  If you're someone who tends to sit on story ideas, how you decide which one to write when you're ready to start something new?

679. What sparked the uptick of slash in this fandom?

680. Does anyone else have a certain subgenre or type of story they really like to write, but feel other people don't like to read?

681. What kind of endings do you prefer (happy, sad, bittersweet, wraps up nicely, leaves you hanging, etc.)?  You can answer as a reader and/or as a writer - it'll be interesting to see if you like to write the same kind of endings you like to read.

682. What's the story (or maybe part of a story) you've written that you're the least proud of, and what would you change to make yourself feel better about it?

683. Does anyone else divide their "fanfic-career" into different eras?

684. How would you divide BSB's career, chapter-wise?

685. What is your favorite version of each Boy (according to era... for example, Ghetto-Fab Nick from the "Cocaine Solo Tour"/The Hollow/Punk'd era, ca. 2003)?

686. Has the fact that Nick is now married with a kid changed anything about your writing?

687. Does anyone actually enjoy writing about the guys' real wives/children/family members?

688. These are questions for those of you who have stopped writing fanfic or taken a hiatus from it.   Why did you decide to stop?  Do you miss it?  Do you ever think you'll go back?  Have you taken up any new hobbies in place of writing?

689. What's a first line of one of your stories (and someone else's story, if you can think of one!) that you really like?

690. What are your favorite last lines from your own stories and/or other people's?

691. Has anyone else discovered any writing quirks or habits they have (or had), like the "eternal/eternity" thing I mentioned in one of my earlier posts?  Anything you do or did often in stories that you didn't even realize?

692. What other fanfic authors have inspired you or influenced your writing?  You can answer for published, non-fanfic authors too if you want.

693. Is there a story you might have skipped based on it's title? Or is there a story you read just because the title drew you in? For your own stories, what was your favorite title you came up with and why? Was there a certain meaning behind it?

694. If you still read, has your taste in story genre changed or stayed the same over the years and why?

695. Do you find that the perception you had of the boys when you first became a fan is still the way you write them, or has your portrayal of them changed over the years as maybe your perception of them has changed too?

696. Does anyone else read their old work once in a while or is it just me?

697. How has your writing changed over the years?

698. Is there something you wrote that you wish you hadn't? Is there something you never finished, but wished you had? Is there a genre you've always wanted to try?

699. What's most motivating for you? How do you keep the motivation going? What do you do when the motivation wanes (any particular rituals)? What does your inspiration station look like? (e.g., desk, location in your home, not your home at all, etcetera)

700. What are everyone else's rabbit holes? Either in general or a particularly memorable one from the past?

[RokofAges75]

701. So what do you do if you're feeling motivated to write and/or edit, but your brain is just spent on staring at your computer or red/green walls of edits. Do you keep going because you're feeling inspired? Do you take a short recess then come back? In general when you're inspired to write, do you keep going as long as inspiration strikes or do you set yourself time limits? Has that changed at all since quarantining and stay at home orders have happened (increased or decreased)?

702. On the reverse, if you're in an "open/stare/close" mood, how long do you stare before you close? Do you leave it on in the background while you do something else or is a permanent close for the day? How many times a day would you open a document?

703. Where do you fall on the planning scale? Do you have everything planned before you write a single word? (planning) Do you just start writing and let the muses takes you? (pantsing) Are you some combination of the two? (plantsing)

704. If you're writing away perfectly contentedly and a great idea pops up for far down the line, what do you do to keep it at bay? Would you drop everything to write it? If you have an outline, do you ever go back and change it or are you very rigid about it? Same with characters?

705. What do you finalize first? Characters or plot?

706. Do you find it hard to keep perspectives balanced? And do they tend to lean toward anyone in particular in any of your writing?

707. What was your favorite challenge to yourself? What was your least favorite? Is there something you haven't tried yet that you wanted to try?

708. How do you un-BSB [a fanfic] enough [to publish without getting sued] but not too much that it's an entirely different story?

709. I wonder how many other things [The Boys have] done that are more fanfic of them? eg. renting the house in London while working on IAWLT.

710. Are any of the Boys your muse? Do any of them in particular lead you to new and great ideas? What kinds of ideas? (generalizing is fine!)

711. What has been the weirdest or most random/obscure/unexpected source of inspiration for one of your story ideas?

712. What kind of music do you listen to on Spotify?

713. Anyone else interested in reflecting on "7 Writing Lessons Learned in 2020" by K.M. Weiland?

714. What's THE story for you that you've written? Are you defined by it and how have you felt about that?

715. What do you usually have the hardest time writing - the beginning, the middle, or the end?  How about the easiest?

716. Anyone else have any writing-related mementos they hang on to?

717. Has anyone else had luck resurrecting really old ideas or unfinished stories?

718. What's the most random note you ever wrote about and/or for a story?

719. Challenge for everyone: Go find some old physical writing thing you saved that's worth sharing!

720. Anyone else have a writing-related silver lining from Covid?

721. What you feel you are good at (writing strengths) and where you think you could improve (writing weaknesses)? If you responded to the original post, have your answers changed?

722. What are your favorite pairings of Boys to write about and why?

723. When an idea strikes, what's the first thing you do?

724. Are there any things you consider integral to your planning process? For example, Julie mentioned earlier in the thread that she often makes a banner when she's in the planning stages.

725. If you use outlines, how faithful are you to outlines? How detailed are your outlines? If you write first and plan later, how do you keep track of your ideas? Anyone go between the two?

726. What's the easiest part of planning? The hardest?

727. How far into the planning process do you know that an idea is definitely something you'll finish writing? Or the opposite, when can you tell if it should be scrapped?

728. Are there any clear signs to you that you're fully invested in an idea, either early or late?

729. Do you have a specific point where you decide you'll post something or do you just post everything you write?

730. Does every idea you have get to the outline stage?

731. Do you have any sort of planning notes that help keep track of characters and their motivations throughout a story?

732. [Medical] research, how daunting is that? Do you look for accredited sources? Everyone else, feel free to replace [medical] with whatever you find yourself researching a lot!

733. How often do those bursts of inspiration happen?

734. Do you ever have a hard time going back and writing the beginning, which may not be as interesting as the heart of the story?

735. How often do [ideas] "just go away?"

736. How many docs are in the [outlines and ideas] folder right now?

737. What do you think it is about the Boys that stuck with you so much [to write about them] over other fandoms?

738. Did you find it nice or frustrating to have a "between projects" story?

739. On purple prose: What was wrong with just calling them "eyes"? How did calling them "orbs" make it any more descriptive?

740. Do you think the Boys would ever sign off on a biopic musical with their songs? If they did, would you see it? Or, do you think they would ever sign off on a musical with their songs as the plot? If they did, would you see it? Also what would be the plot of that musical?

741. How does whatever the Boys are up to affect your writing? Do you let it affect your writing?

742. Has anyone else either followed through with a story idea many years later, or had the same basic idea twice and didn't realize it until way after the fact?

743. Anyone else ever been like, "Okay, that ship has sailed.  I will never write that type of storyline/genre/whatever again"?

744. At what point is it better to give up and move on to a different project instead of persevering with one that's giving you all kinds of trouble?

755. Anyone else have a story they've struggled with and ultimately finished?  Or maybe one that's still a struggle?  What is it that tends to gives you the most trouble?

756. What's something you do in BSB fanfic that would never fly in an original novel? This can be something as big as a whole plot or something as small as "I often find myself not describing the Boys' appearances." Does anyone else do this or am I a lazy bum?

757. Does anyone feel like whatever you're listening to seeps into your writing? Do you ever pick specific things to listen to for that reason because you want it to seep into the feel of your writing?

758. If anyone watches the video I linked above ("Bad Fanfic Habits" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmbUAKi-ovY&t=8s&ab_channel=AlexaDonne), let us know your thoughts and if you're guilty of any of those "bad habits." Related: Anyone else watch any of her other videos?

759. What things does everyone think BSB fanfic writers are more guilty of and what things are they less guilty of? Like, I don't know that we have as many "monologue heavy villains," for instance.

760. Do songs ever remind you of your stories?

761. Related question, how long do you give a story [when you're reading it] before you go "nope"? Is the amount similar for fanfics and published works?

762. What decisions have you made to actively subvert a fanfic cliche [while writing]?

763. Who has a tendency to overwrite and who has a tendency to underwrite? Do you do one for certain things, but not others?

764. Does anyone feel like they're "known" for writing a certain genre and have you stepped out of your comfort zone? How was that for you?

765. What's everyone's fanfic guilty pleasure?  In other words, what kind of story will you always click on, even if you've read a dozen other stories like it?

766. Has the pandemic affected the plots of your current or future stories at all?  If it hasn't, do you see yourself writing something that takes place in this time period, or would you prefer to stick to the past or an unspecified time period for future projects?

767. Does this still happen to anyone [fighting with your characters, especially Nick]? Why is [Nick] so picky? Does this happen to anybody else? Do the boys ever make you second guess what you're working on? (If it does, there's a thread to complain about it now.)

768. Would you ever name a child after a character from one of your stories?  What about a character from someone else's story?  (This could also include published fiction.)  Would you name a kid after one of the Boys?

769. Anyone besides Julie and Dee have a long weekend that they're hoping to use for writing? Describe what you've got going on writing-wise in five words or less, but cryptically.

770. What are everyone's favorite tropes?

771. Do you all always know the exact end before you start writing or is it more vague ideas? If you write in order, what do you do when monumental things like that pop up? If you don't always write things in order, would you drop everything and write an end before you've finished a middle?

772. Did you ever accidentally Backstreet and lean into it or does your brain purposefully put the words in that order to intentionally Backstreet? Do you ever purposefully Backstreet? (Backstreet (v)- to add snips of song lyrics to your stories in the context of dialogue or action, but not as explicitly singing the song)

773. What's something small about writing that you love when it happens?

774. You also seem to like including music as an integral part of your writing. Do you think that comes from it being BSB fanfic and our "shared cannon" or is it more about the feeling of music compared to writing?

775. Re: Ebonics: Does everyone think it was an age thing or an early 00's thing? Do guys in their early twenties still do this?

776. I am guilty of making [Nick] sing made up songs in his head. Anyone else do this or only real songs?

777. Re: hurt/comfort trope: Any reason in particular? Other than the squees of the hurt one being comforted?

778. Do you ever have a hard time coming up with [chapter titles], or do they usually come easily to you?

[mare]

Wow! That’s a lot of questions. I’m impressed with how much time that must have taken you. We all used to practically live here lol

[nicksgal]

Gotta keep it productive here somehow! Julie, you're a compiling rockstar!

[RokofAges75]

LOL I worked on it for 3 or 4 hours last night.  Probably not the best use of my time, but it was a good distraction!

[nicksgal]

Hope everything's okay and you're not trying to distract yourself from something tough. *virtual hugs?*

[RokofAges75]

Oh no, just the Brian drama.  I feel privileged that there is nothing more troubling on my mind this weekend than that LOL.  Otherwise, everything is fine, and I even had a good writing day today!

[mare]

Jeez, there are so many questions up there that it took forever to just scroll down to see the replies lol

[RokofAges75]

I know!  I probably shouldn't have put so many in the same post.  I think my original thought was that making the posts as long as possible would prevent the questions from getting lost in people's replies.