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[RokofAges75]

Do you ever find yourself wishing you were writing a screenplay instead of a novel?  I've never seriously considered writing a screenplay, but sometimes when I want to skip time in a story, I wish there was a way of showing a montage with words.  I guess we would call that a summary, but it comes across so much better on the screen, where you can show a bunch of clips of the characters doing things set to music to show what happened between actual scenes.  I can picture the perfect movie montage for my story.  But in a novel, it's just like, "Okay, before we skip ahead to the next interesting event, let me quickly summarize in a paragraph or two what not-so-interesting things happen in the meantime."

Or I could always use Stephenie Meyer's tactic from New Moon and just write "October... November... December... January..." across four otherwise blank pages to dramatically show the passing of time.

[nicksgal]

Stumbled on some fun questions to answer (and whittled it down from 50 to less than twenty!). I took out a few repetitive ones (and ones that didn't make sense), but if there's something you feel like we've already talked about, skip it.

1. Without looking at any numbers, what’s your most popular fic? Why do you think that is and is it the same one you would say is your best one?

2. Have you ever written a fanfic for a concept you know someone else has done before? How did it impact your writing process or feelings after posting?

3. Have you ever written a fanfic and decided never to publish it? Why?

4. What’s the biggest change between your style when you started in fandom and today? Could you stand to reread your first fanfic?

5. What’s the biggest change in your taste between when you started in fandom and today?

6. Have you ever purposefully written one fandom/fic idea over another because you knew it’d be more popular?

7. If you had to pick one scene to describe your entire portfolio to a stranger, which would you pick? Would you be willing to share it with us?

8. Have/would you ever rewrite a fanfic? If yes, would you take the original down?

9. What aspect of your writing do you most enjoy to see praised?

10. Who’s the one character you’ve just never managed to get perfectly right?

11. Who’s the one character who shines without you even trying?

12. Is there any particular character whose scenes always wind up being longer/more frequent than you expected? Does the quality hold up?

13. Was there any fanfic that you wrote that really surprised you in the fandom reaction? Was it just by the numbers or did they take it an entirely different way?

14. If you cross-post your fanfics on multiple sites, do you have a favorite? Are there certain fics you would only post on certain site?

15. If someone you know who isn’t involved in BSB fanfic fandom asked to read your work, would you let them? If yes, what would you recommend they read first?

16. Does anyone you know from outside of BSB fanfic know you write fanfic? Are they involved in the same BSB fandom too?

17. Has anyone in your life ever read your fanfic just because you wrote it?

18. What kind of impact has writing fanfic had on your life?

[nicksgal]

Do you ever find yourself wishing you were writing a screenplay instead of a novel?  I've never seriously considered writing a screenplay, but sometimes when I want to skip time in a story, I wish there was a way of showing a montage with words.  I guess we would call that a summary, but it comes across so much better on the screen, where you can show a bunch of clips of the characters doing things set to music to show what happened between actual scenes.  I can picture the perfect movie montage for my story.  But in a novel, it's just like, "Okay, before we skip ahead to the next interesting event, let me quickly summarize in a paragraph or two what not-so-interesting things happen in the meantime."

Or I could always use Stephenie Meyer's tactic from New Moon and just write "October... November... December... January..." across four otherwise blank pages to dramatically show the passing of time.

"Dramatically." lol

Having written in "script format," I think I prefer writing novels, but I feel you on the passage of time thing. I had one of those in a recent chapter where I just didn't want to go into in a preference to get a move on. I honestly just wrote the tiniest snippets of scenes to "peek" into it. Which felt kind of like a montage. I think there's probably a way to do a lot of "cinematography things" in a novel, it just all comes down to scene framing and word choice.

Maybe there's a way you can make it seem "montagey" without going too far into it, but something more than a couple paragraph summary?

[RokofAges75]

"Dramatically." lol

Having written in "script format," I think I prefer writing novels, but I feel you on the passage of time thing. I had one of those in a recent chapter where I just didn't want to go into in a preference to get a move on. I honestly just wrote the tiniest snippets of scenes to "peek" into it. Which felt kind of like a montage. I think there's probably a way to do a lot of "cinematography things" in a novel, it just all comes down to scene framing and word choice.

Maybe there's a way you can make it seem "montagey" without going too far into it, but something more than a couple paragraph summary?

I definitely prefer writing prose to script format, but it would be different if I were actually going to make a movie out of the script.

I think that's probably what I will end up doing.  My story takes place while Kevin was out of the group, so there's going to be a part where the Boys are on tour, and Kevin is somewhere else doing stuff that I don't necessarily want to write about in great detail, nor do I want to write a bunch of tour stuff... I just want to skip ahead to when Kevin and the Boys can be back together again, which is where the heart of the story will be.  I'm alternating first person POV between Kevin and Nick, so I'll probably give them each at least a chapter or two to cover that time period and then move on.  Or maybe I'll think of more ideas for specific scenes that are interesting when I actually get to that point in the story.  But right now it's just kind of a vague montage in my mind, and the ideas for specific scenes I have all come later.

[nicksgal]

I definitely prefer writing prose to script format, but it would be different if I were actually going to make a movie out of the script.

I think that's probably what I will end up doing.  My story takes place while Kevin was out of the group, so there's going to be a part where the Boys are on tour, and Kevin is somewhere else doing stuff that I don't necessarily want to write about in great detail, nor do I want to write a bunch of tour stuff... I just want to skip ahead to when Kevin and the Boys can be back together again, which is where the heart of the story will be.  I'm alternating first person POV between Kevin and Nick, so I'll probably give them each at least a chapter or two to cover that time period and then move on.  Or maybe I'll think of more ideas for specific scenes that are interesting when I actually get to that point in the story.  But right now it's just kind of a vague montage in my mind, and the ideas for specific scenes I have all come later.

I feel you on wanting to skip along to the heart of the story. That was a lot of my reason too, I didn't want to drag out what I felt like wasn't as important and Nick was getting impatient to move on as well, haha.

Maybe make a list of the montagey stuff you'd want to cover (even if you feel like there's not a whole scene you would want to write on any of the items), then see if there's a lyrical way you could describe or present it succinctly.

I'll ponder on this and see if the internet has suggestions. Tumblr might be a good place to check? I perused some things I'd saved because this sounded like something I read once and found a discussion about "slow motion montage backed by Gregorian choir," so I can't imagine there's not ideas for "upbeat pop montage" too. Repetition of similar words is likely the musicality piece? Anaphora (repeating the same words at the beginning of several phrases) or epizeuxis (repeating one word for emphasis) might help with that, but I don't know if they would slow the scene down too much.

[nicksgal]

On my first, not super detailed, pass of the internet, I mostly found a lot of "why would you put a montage in a novel when narrative bridge exists?" So... the repetition I initially suggested and short sentences would likely evoke a montage? 

[RokofAges75]

Yay, more questions!

1. Without looking at any numbers, what’s your most popular fic? Why do you think that is and is it the same one you would say is your best one?

On AC, it's definitely Curtain Call.  I can say that without looking at the numbers because I already know it has the most reviews and favorites of all my stories.  But if I include the pre-AC era, it may actually be Broken.  Broken and BMS are the stories I got the most email feedback for, by far, and they may still be the stories I'm best known for, at least around here.  They're probably comparable to the average number of reviews and tweets I got for Curtain Call.  I guess people like reading Nick cancer stories with romantic subplots?  I get it; I like reading stuff like that too.  I feel like I'm just repeating myself from the questions I posted over the weekend, but yeah, I would say Curtain Call is probably my best one, as was Broken at the time I wrote it.


2. Have you ever written a fanfic for a concept you know someone else has done before? How did it impact your writing process or feelings after posting?

Of course.  Broken was inspired by another Nick cancer story (Swollen Issues II).  I didn't want to completely copy, so I purposely picked a different type of cancer, which is how I came up with bone cancer and the choppage storyline to set it apart.  While there are certainly similarities between Broken and Swollen, the two stories and their sequels ended up going in very different directions, so I feel okay about that.  It also helped that the author of Swollen, Jenna, ended up reading Broken and loving it, just as I loved her stories.  We were very supportive of each other.


3. Have you ever written a fanfic and decided never to publish it? Why?

I've never finished a fanfic and decided not to publish it.  Of course I have stories I've started and not posted.  I just can't imagine putting the time and effort into writing an entire story and not posting it or sharing it somewhere, which I guess proves that I don't write just for myself... because if I did, then maybe I would keep more stories to myself.  But if I'm being honest, I like the reaction (and, if I'm lucky, the accolades) from fellow fanfic readers.  To me, that's a big part of the reward for putting in that time and effort.  I think the only reason I would write a whole story and not post it is if it was deeply personal, to the point that I felt uncomfortable sharing it with the world.  I'm curious to know if anyone else here has done that.


4. What’s the biggest change between your style when you started in fandom and today? Could you stand to reread your first fanfic?

Showing, not telling.  I'm a lot better at weaving together dialogue, description, action, etc. to create a scene instead of a summary.  I did use those elements to a certain degree when I first started writing, but it was much more simplistic, less detailed.  My first fanfic is super cheesy, so all I can do is skim through it and cringe.


5. What’s the biggest change in your taste between when you started in fandom and today?

I've gotten pickier as a reader.  I used to read just about anything featuring Brian as a main character, especially if it was dramatic - bonus points for featuring a hospital scene.  Quality didn't matter to me much.  Now I don't care as much about which boy it's about, but the storyline has to interest me, and it has to be at least decently written to get me to stick with it.


6. Have you ever purposefully written one fandom/fic idea over another because you knew it’d be more popular?

Not that I can remember.  If I choose one idea over another, it's because it's more interesting to me or because I've tried writing both, and that one is going better.  I don't worry as much about which one other people will like more.


7. If you had to pick one scene to describe your entire portfolio to a stranger, which would you pick? Would you be willing to share it with us?

Ooh, this is a good question and a tough one.  In thinking of types of scenes that would best embody my work, I decided it would have to involve some medical drama and feature Nick and/or Brian.  I'm going way back with this, but I thought of Chapter 102 of Broken, which is when distraught emo Broken Nick calls Brian after getting the news that he needs to have his leg amputated, and Brian comes over to comfort him.  It's the kind of angsty, overwrought, bromantic fanfic drama I adore and features some delightful examples of purple prose, such as my description of the sadness Nick saw in the "cerulean depths" of Brian's eyes LOL.  http://dreamers-sanctuary.com/stories/mystories/broken/broken102/


I'm gonna have to answer the rest of these tomorrow night; I've gotta get to bed! LOL

[RokofAges75]

8. Have/would you ever rewrite a fanfic? If yes, would you take the original down?

The only one I've rewritten was Code Blue.  I did take the original down to replace it with the rewritten version.  I regret rewriting it and will probably never do that again.


9. What aspect of your writing do you most enjoy to see praised?

Characterizati on.  I love when readers say they thought the Boys and their relationships with each other were portrayed realistically or that they liked one of my original characters.  That is something I value in other people's writing as well, and I know how hard it can be to create a great character (or, in our case, write the guys in a way that captures their essence in real life).


10. Who’s the one character you’ve just never managed to get perfectly right?

Wow, these next few questions are the perfect follow up to what I just wrote about.  I would say Howie has been the hardest character for me to get "right."  I think it's because he's just seems kind of quiet and mild-mannered in real life.  I feel like I have a sense of his general personality, but I also think there must be other sides to him that he hasn't shown us as much as maybe some of the other guys have.  This may be why people enjoy finding his hidden dark side in fiction and turning him into a villain - it makes him more interesting LOL.  I've only written one Howie novel, and it was definitely a challenge to write him in a way that felt realistic, but also fit the story I was trying to tell.  I think I did okay with it, but I don't feel as confident about Howie as a character as I do the other boys.


11. Who’s the one character who shines without you even trying?

I feel like Nick and AJ tend to give me the best material.  Their dialogue in particular usually comes easily to me.  I stayed up too late Sunday (or Monday?) night writing an argument between them that I hadn't planned; I kept trying to go to bed, but then I'd think of another line of dialogue, so I'd have to open the Chromebook again and add it before I forgot it.  They're also good for banter and comic relief.  I write Nick as a main character more than I do AJ, so I probably put more effort into him.  AJ is the one who tends to shine as more of a supporting character.  


12. Is there any particular character whose scenes always wind up being longer/more frequent than you expected? Does the quality hold up?

Probably Nick or Brian.  They're my favorites, so even in a group story where I'm trying my best to keep it balanced between all five, the focus tends to shift to Brian or Nick or both.  In my current story, I'm alternating between Kevin's and Nick's first person POV for each chapter.  The number of chapters per character will be the same, but the length may vary.  I just finished a monster Nick chapter that ended up being almost 5000 words, when the rest of the chapters are more like 2000-3000.  I think I'm at my best when I'm writing about Nick or Brian though because they're the ones I feel most passionate about.


13. Was there any fanfic that you wrote that really surprised you in the fandom reaction? Was it just by the numbers or did they take it an entirely different way?

The fanfic that surprised me most with its reader reaction in terms of numbers is Broken.  Before Broken, I had a handful of faithful readers and would get maybe one or two pieces of feedback when I updated a story.  Once I started posting Broken, that number started going up.  At its peak, I was getting more like ten pieces of feedback for every chapter I posted, which was a lot for me.  That is the story that put me on the map within the BSB fanfic world and built up my base of readers.  A lot of my longtime online friends are people I started talking to because they emailed me about Broken.  That is one reason that story and era will always be so special to me.

I think the one that surprised me the most with how it was taken is A Heart That Isn't Mine.  I've never been more nervous to post a story than I was with that one, and the reaction I was expecting was "WTF is wrong with you?"  But that's not the reaction I got.  It seems like people who read that story actually really liked it, which made me feel more comfortable taking risks and writing about topics that may be taboo.


14. If you cross-post your fanfics on multiple sites, do you have a favorite? Are there certain fics you would only post on certain site?

I post my stories on my site Dreamer's Sanctuary, AC, and AO3.  Of course my own site is my favorite LOL.  After that, I'd still have to say AC because of the culture here - more so the forum than the actual site.  The writers here seem to be more diverse, more supportive of each other, and more interested in writing stories with a plot beyond sex.  The only things I like better about AO3 are that you can give and respond to feedback right on the story and that it's less glitchy.

The only place all my stories are posted is my site.  I didn't start posting on AC until like 2005, so I didn't post all of my old stories here.  I wish I had because it would have put me much higher on the Most Prolific Authors list LOL.  I just started posting my stuff on AO3 last year.  I started by posting all the short stories and novellas I've written since 2008, since those were quick and easy to put up.  The only novels I've posted there so far are Secrets of the Heart, Song for the Undead, Curtain Call, and The Road to Bethlehem.  I'm planning to eventually post Sick as My Secrets and A Heart That Isn't Mine there too.  I probably won't post Broken and BMS there because they're so long, and I definitely don't plan to post anything older than Broken because the quality is not up to my current standards.


15. If someone you know who isn’t involved in BSB fanfic fandom asked to read your work, would you let them? If yes, what would you recommend they read first?

Absolutely not, LOL.  But if I had to pick a story for them to read, it would probably be Song for the Undead.  I think it's a cool story, and it wouldn't cause anyone to question how many hours I had spent researching prosthetic legs and stuff like that LOL.  And because it's AU, it doesn't scream "Backstreet Boys fanfic!" like most of my other stories do.


16. Does anyone you know from outside of BSB fanfic know you write fanfic? Are they involved in the same BSB fandom too?

Only my parents and sister.  They knew I wrote fanfic back in the day when I lived with them.  I'm not sure they realize I still do.  I forbid them to read anything on my site, and as far as I know, they always respected that request (or just didn't care enough to bother reading a story about the Backstreet Boys LOL).  They're not involved in the fandom at all.


17. Has anyone in your life ever read your fanfic just because you wrote it?

Outside of the fandom, no, not that I'm aware of.  (I hope not!)  Within the fandom, I'm sure I have friends who have continued to read my fanfic just because we're friends.


18. What kind of impact has writing fanfic had on your life?

Fanfic has had a huge impact on my life.  It's given me a hobby I'm passionate about, even if I don't talk about it with people in my real life.  It's helped me develop my creative writing skills and given me a confidence I didn't have before.  It's also taught me technology skills such as web and graphic design.  It's introduced me to people I never would have met otherwise and fostered some of the best and longest-lasting friendships I have.  Because of those friendships, I've been to places and had experiences I probably never would have had otherwise, like meeting the Boys, going on cruises, traveling to different states for concerts and conventions, etc.

[RokofAges75]

I feel you on wanting to skip along to the heart of the story. That was a lot of my reason too, I didn't want to drag out what I felt like wasn't as important and Nick was getting impatient to move on as well, haha.

Maybe make a list of the montagey stuff you'd want to cover (even if you feel like there's not a whole scene you would want to write on any of the items), then see if there's a lyrical way you could describe or present it succinctly.

I'll ponder on this and see if the internet has suggestions. Tumblr might be a good place to check? I perused some things I'd saved because this sounded like something I read once and found a discussion about "slow motion montage backed by Gregorian choir," so I can't imagine there's not ideas for "upbeat pop montage" too. Repetition of similar words is likely the musicality piece? Anaphora (repeating the same words at the beginning of several phrases) or epizeuxis (repeating one word for emphasis) might help with that, but I don't know if they would slow the scene down too much.

That's a good idea to make a list of what I want to include.  It doesn't even have to go together in a lyrical way; I just need to figure out what seems important to actually show and what I can just briefly tell about before moving on.  I have not done much research for that part of the story yet; I might get into it more and think of more scenes to show once I actually do.

On my first, not super detailed, pass of the internet, I mostly found a lot of "why would you put a montage in a novel when narrative bridge exists?" So... the repetition I initially suggested and short sentences would likely evoke a montage? 

Thanks for searching for me!  I'm sure I'll figure it out when I get there.  I have a ways to go yet.

[nicksgal]

That's a good idea to make a list of what I want to include.  It doesn't even have to go together in a lyrical way; I just need to figure out what seems important to actually show and what I can just briefly tell about before moving on.  I have not done much research for that part of the story yet; I might get into it more and think of more scenes to show once I actually do.


Thanks for searching for me!  I'm sure I'll figure it out when I get there.  I have a ways to go yet.

Yay, lists! lol I agree, you never know until you get there, but I figure it's always good to start prepping as soon as the thought crosses your mind.

Always happy to go on lengthy internet searches, as you know.

[nicksgal]

Yay, more questions!

1. Without looking at any numbers, what’s your most popular fic? Why do you think that is and is it the same one you would say is your best one?

I guess people like reading Nick cancer stories with romantic subplots?  I get it; I like reading stuff like that too.

Yay, questions!

After last weekend, I felt like those two might be the answers, but I laughed at this phrasing. It reminded me of the James Earl Jones guest appearance on BBT ("Let me guess, you like Star Wars? Well guess what... I like Star Wars too!" lol) While you have a breadth, Nick cancer stories are probably your bread and butter.

2. Have you ever written a fanfic for a concept you know someone else has done before? How did it impact your writing process or feelings after posting?

It also helped that the author of Swollen, Jenna, ended up reading Broken and loving it, just as I loved her stories.  We were very supportive of each other.

I love this. It's what makes our little BSB fanfic community so nice, all the support.

3. Have you ever written a fanfic and decided never to publish it? Why?

I think the only reason I would write a whole story and not post it is if it was deeply personal, to the point that I felt uncomfortable sharing it with the world.

Any ideas bopping around in your head for something like that? How often would you say life inspires you with plot ideas?

4. What’s the biggest change between your style when you started in fandom and today? Could you stand to reread your first fanfic?

Showing, not telling.  I'm a lot better at weaving together dialogue, description, action, etc. to create a scene instead of a summary.  I did use those elements to a certain degree when I first started writing, but it was much more simplistic, less detailed.  My first fanfic is super cheesy, so all I can do is skim through it and cringe.

Which of those areas (dialogue, description, action, etcetera) do you think improved the most in "showing instead of telling"?

5. What’s the biggest change in your taste between when you started in fandom and today?

I've gotten pickier as a reader.  I used to read just about anything featuring Brian as a main character, especially if it was dramatic - bonus points for featuring a hospital scene.  Quality didn't matter to me much.  Now I don't care as much about which boy it's about, but the storyline has to interest me, and it has to be at least decently written to get me to stick with it.

Okay, but I assume that if it was a decently written interesting and dramatic storyline with Brian as a main character and a hospital scene!... you would still be all over that, haha.

7. If you had to pick one scene to describe your entire portfolio to a stranger, which would you pick? Would you be willing to share it with us?

Ooh, this is a good question and a tough one.  In thinking of types of scenes that would best embody my work, I decided it would have to involve some medical drama and feature Nick and/or Brian.  I'm going way back with this, but I thought of Chapter 102 of Broken, which is when distraught emo Broken Nick calls Brian after getting the news that he needs to have his leg amputated, and Brian comes over to comfort him.  It's the kind of angsty, overwrought, bromantic fanfic drama I adore and features some delightful examples of purple prose, such as my description of the sadness Nick saw in the "cerulean depths" of Brian's eyes LOL.  http://dreamers-sanctuary.com/stories/mystories/broken/broken102/


I'm gonna have to answer the rest of these tomorrow night; I've gotta get to bed! LOL

Glad you went to bed, haha. I want to refresh myself on that one before commenting fully (as it represents your entire portfolio and all), but I also thought this question was great and have been agonizing over what to pick that I think is me since posting these questions.

I do love that Brian had so much sadness in the cerulean depths of his eyes over his buddy Frack having bone cancer and impending choppage. So perfectly purpley.

[RokofAges75]

After last weekend, I felt like those two might be the answers, but I laughed at this phrasing. It reminded me of the James Earl Jones guest appearance on BBT ("Let me guess, you like Star Wars? Well guess what... I like Star Wars too!" lol) While you have a breadth, Nick cancer stories are probably your bread and butter.

LOL!  Yeah, Nick cancer stories are definitely my bread and butter.  But I guess I'm on a low-carb writing diet because I have cut myself off from writing any more of them. LOL

Any ideas bopping around in your head for something like that? How often would you say life inspires you with plot ideas?

Nope!  Very rarely.  My life is pretty boring!  But that's okay - I'm glad I haven't had to go through most of the crap I put my characters through LOL.  Just researching for this Kevin story I'm writing has made me so grateful for my mundane life.

Which of those areas (dialogue, description, action, etcetera) do you think improved the most in "showing instead of telling"?

Definitely description.  I always included dialogue and a basic amount of action, but not a lot of description.  By the time I wrote Broken, I had realized that and made an effort to be more descriptive, which led to my wordy purple prose phase.  Now I think I've found a happy medium where I describe what's important without bogging the story down with paragraphs upon paragraphs describing the sunset. LOL

Okay, but I assume that if it was a decently written interesting and dramatic storyline with Brian as a main character and a hospital scene!... you would still be all over that, haha.

Oh absolutely!  I think every story I've read on AO3 that isn't by an AC author whose work I was already reading has been a Brian medical drama.  I haven't found many, but I definitely click on the ones I do.

Glad you went to bed, haha. I want to refresh myself on that one before commenting fully (as it represents your entire portfolio and all), but I also thought this question was great and have been agonizing over what to pick that I think is me since posting these questions.

I do love that Brian had so much sadness in the cerulean depths of his eyes over his buddy Frack having bone cancer and impending choppage. So perfectly purpley.

LOL I am already rethinking that scene because it's so old.  Does it really represent me as a writer now?  It does represent what I like to write, but it's definitely more melodramatic and purpley than my stories these days.  A more recent example would be the gunshot scene from Road to Bethlehem - all the delicious Frick & Frack life or death drama without the purple prose (or maybe I'll call mine 'cerulean storytelling' LOL).  There's a scene in A Heart That Isn't Mine that came to mind too, but I'm not ready to post spoilers for that one.

[nicksgal]

8. Have/would you ever rewrite a fanfic? If yes, would you take the original down?

The only one I've rewritten was Code Blue.  I did take the original down to replace it with the rewritten version.  I regret rewriting it and will probably never do that again.

Other than the collaborative aspect, what other regrets do you have about rewriting it?

9. What aspect of your writing do you most enjoy to see praised?

Characterizati on.  I love when readers say they thought the Boys and their relationships with each other were portrayed realistically or that they liked one of my original characters.  That is something I value in other people's writing as well, and I know how hard it can be to create a great character (or, in our case, write the guys in a way that captures their essence in real life).

As a characters over plot person, I think this is essential. Great characters make great stories.

10. Who’s the one character you’ve just never managed to get perfectly right?

Wow, these next few questions are the perfect follow up to what I just wrote about.  I would say Howie has been the hardest character for me to get "right."  I think it's because he's just seems kind of quiet and mild-mannered in real life.  I feel like I have a sense of his general personality, but I also think there must be other sides to him that he hasn't shown us as much as maybe some of the other guys have.  This may be why people enjoy finding his hidden dark side in fiction and turning him into a villain - it makes him more interesting LOL.  I've only written one Howie novel, and it was definitely a challenge to write him in a way that felt realistic, but also fit the story I was trying to tell.  I think I did okay with it, but I don't feel as confident about Howie as a character as I do the other boys.

Howie is the most likely to have deep dark secrets! Since Howie is all of us, maybe we should just start picturing we have a friend group like the Boys and that we're the Howie. Maybe that would help unleash his hidden depths?

11. Who’s the one character who shines without you even trying?

I feel like Nick and AJ tend to give me the best material.  Their dialogue in particular usually comes easily to me.  I stayed up too late Sunday (or Monday?) night writing an argument between them that I hadn't planned; I kept trying to go to bed, but then I'd think of another line of dialogue, so I'd have to open the Chromebook again and add it before I forgot it.  They're also good for banter and comic relief.  I write Nick as a main character more than I do AJ, so I probably put more effort into him.  AJ is the one who tends to shine as more of a supporting character.

Oh man! Unplanned Nick and AJ arguments get me every time, and surprise Nick, lol. If they keep wanting to add things and I'm already in bed, that's when I pull my phone out to write, unless I felt like it was going to be another hour of me feeling ridiculously inspired.

12. Is there any particular character whose scenes always wind up being longer/more frequent than you expected? Does the quality hold up?

Probably Nick or Brian.  They're my favorites, so even in a group story where I'm trying my best to keep it balanced between all five, the focus tends to shift to Brian or Nick or both.  In my current story, I'm alternating between Kevin's and Nick's first person POV for each chapter.  The number of chapters per character will be the same, but the length may vary.  I just finished a monster Nick chapter that ended up being almost 5000 words, when the rest of the chapters are more like 2000-3000.  I think I'm at my best when I'm writing about Nick or Brian though because they're the ones I feel most passionate about.

How do you feel when your chapters are usually a certain length and then one just balloons to thousands and thousands of words? Would you try to give a Kevin chapter a similar word count? Split the monster one into two chapters? Let it ride?

13. Was there any fanfic that you wrote that really surprised you in the fandom reaction? Was it just by the numbers or did they take it an entirely different way?

I think the one that surprised me the most with how it was taken is A Heart That Isn't Mine.  I've never been more nervous to post a story than I was with that one, and the reaction I was expecting was "WTF is wrong with you?"  But that's not the reaction I got.  It seems like people who read that story actually really liked it, which made me feel more comfortable taking risks and writing about topics that may be taboo.

I just can't imagine anyone telling you "WTF is wrong with you?" after reading a story, even one that could be taboo.

14. If you cross-post your fanfics on multiple sites, do you have a favorite? Are there certain fics you would only post on certain site?

The only place all my stories are posted is my site.  I didn't start posting on AC until like 2005, so I didn't post all of my old stories here.  I wish I had because it would have put me much higher on the Most Prolific Authors list LOL.  I just started posting my stuff on AO3 last year.  I started by posting all the short stories and novellas I've written since 2008, since those were quick and easy to put up.  The only novels I've posted there so far are Secrets of the Heart, Song for the Undead, Curtain Call, and The Road to Bethlehem.  I'm planning to eventually post Sick as My Secrets and A Heart That Isn't Mine there too.  I probably won't post Broken and BMS there because they're so long, and I definitely don't plan to post anything older than Broken because the quality is not up to my current standards.

You gotta have the accolades! In my mind you're high up on the "most prolific" list, if my opinion counts for anything like that, lol!

15. If someone you know who isn’t involved in BSB fanfic fandom asked to read your work, would you let them? If yes, what would you recommend they read first?

Absolutely not, LOL.  But if I had to pick a story for them to read, it would probably be Song for the Undead.  I think it's a cool story, and it wouldn't cause anyone to question how many hours I had spent researching prosthetic legs and stuff like that LOL.  And because it's AU, it doesn't scream "Backstreet Boys fanfic!" like most of my other stories do.

That's how you get people interested in your BSB fanfics, AU! I'll sing the praises of an AU whenever; they're awesome.

16. Does anyone you know from outside of BSB fanfic know you write fanfic? Are they involved in the same BSB fandom too?

Only my parents and sister.  They knew I wrote fanfic back in the day when I lived with them.  I'm not sure they realize I still do.  I forbid them to read anything on my site, and as far as I know, they always respected that request (or just didn't care enough to bother reading a story about the Backstreet Boys LOL).  They're not involved in the fandom at all.


17. Has anyone in your life ever read your fanfic just because you wrote it?

Outside of the fandom, no, not that I'm aware of.  (I hope not!)  Within the fandom, I'm sure I have friends who have continued to read my fanfic just because we're friends.

If they had ignored the request, would they tell you? I feel like they would have to go through some serious hoops to find your stuff now that you no longer live together.

I always prefer to read the stories of people I know (especially these days), so I feel you on that last point.

18. What kind of impact has writing fanfic had on your life?

Fanfic has had a huge impact on my life.  It's given me a hobby I'm passionate about, even if I don't talk about it with people in my real life.  It's helped me develop my creative writing skills and given me a confidence I didn't have before.  It's also taught me technology skills such as web and graphic design.  It's introduced me to people I never would have met otherwise and fostered some of the best and longest-lasting friendships I have.  Because of those friendships, I've been to places and had experiences I probably never would have had otherwise, like meeting the Boys, going on cruises, traveling to different states for concerts and conventions, etc.

I was excited to read everyone's answers to this one! Let's sing some praise for fanfic!

[nicksgal]

LOL!  Yeah, Nick cancer stories are definitely my bread and butter.  But I guess I'm on a low-carb writing diet because I have cut myself off from writing any more of them. LOL

There's plenty of time to give Nick new illnesses. Perhaps you can expand to Nick potentially terminal illness stories... Is that the gluten free version?

Nope!  Very rarely.  My life is pretty boring!  But that's okay - I'm glad I haven't had to go through most of the crap I put my characters through LOL.  Just researching for this Kevin story I'm writing has made me so grateful for my mundane life.

I often find myself being grateful for my abundance of mundaneness, especially while I was reading Bethlehem!

Definitely description.  I always included dialogue and a basic amount of action, but not a lot of description.  By the time I wrote Broken, I had realized that and made an effort to be more descriptive, which led to my wordy purple prose phase.  Now I think I've found a happy medium where I describe what's important without bogging the story down with paragraphs upon paragraphs describing the sunset. LOL

I don't know, I've seen some pretty great sunsets in my life that beg to be described over and over again.

Oh absolutely!  I think every story I've read on AO3 that isn't by an AC author whose work I was already reading has been a Brian medical drama.  I haven't found many, but I definitely click on the ones I do.

I feel like there must still be people out there writing Brian medical dramas. It was such a defining part of early fanfic!

LOL I am already rethinking that scene because it's so old.  Does it really represent me as a writer now?  It does represent what I like to write, but it's definitely more melodramatic and purpley than my stories these days.  A more recent example would be the gunshot scene from Road to Bethlehem - all the delicious Frick & Frack life or death drama without the purple prose (or maybe I'll call mine 'cerulean storytelling' LOL).  There's a scene in A Heart That Isn't Mine that came to mind too, but I'm not ready to post spoilers for that one.

Hang on, hang on, I will go refresh myself on it.

The Frick and Frack piggyback still pops up in my mind sometimes and then I remember how tragic it was and I get so sad... You're a monster.

Can you please call it "Cerulean Compositions"?  I would love that alliteration, lol. 

[nicksgal]

7. If you had to pick one scene to describe your entire portfolio to a stranger, which would you pick? Would you be willing to share it with us?

Ooh, this is a good question and a tough one.  In thinking of types of scenes that would best embody my work, I decided it would have to involve some medical drama and feature Nick and/or Brian.  I'm going way back with this, but I thought of Chapter 102 of Broken, which is when distraught emo Broken Nick calls Brian after getting the news that he needs to have his leg amputated, and Brian comes over to comfort him.  It's the kind of angsty, overwrought, bromantic fanfic drama I adore and features some delightful examples of purple prose, such as my description of the sadness Nick saw in the "cerulean depths" of Brian's eyes LOL.  http://dreamers-sanctuary.com/stories/mystories/broken/broken102/

I do love that Brian had so much sadness in the cerulean depths of his eyes over his buddy Frack having bone cancer and impending choppage. So perfectly purpley.

LOL I am already rethinking that scene because it's so old.  Does it really represent me as a writer now?  It does represent what I like to write, but it's definitely more melodramatic and purpley than my stories these days.  A more recent example would be the gunshot scene from Road to Bethlehem - all the delicious Frick & Frack life or death drama without the purple prose (or maybe I'll call mine 'cerulean storytelling' LOL).  There's a scene in A Heart That Isn't Mine that came to mind too, but I'm not ready to post spoilers for that one.

Okay, I'm back! It was melodramatic, but that was emo Broken Nick, kind of melodramatic; it suits him. I mentally noted a couple of things you would have probably omitted if you were writing it now: like specifically mentioning that Brian was older when Nick sat next to him or you probably would have cleaned up the ordering on the bit about cold tiles and air conditioning in the beginning (these are meant as examples, but not as judgement). Overall, it's got the brotherly love and the angsty drama that you like while being from one of your more popular stories that also has a soft spot in your heart.

And as we all know that we all like to agonize over things before making decisions, if you agonized and chose it, then there's a reason it stuck out in your mind. You can always caveat it with "and then I kept writing for another decade."

I did laugh about Nick's diatribe about how no one would ever want to birth his children again if he only had one leg, lol. Now why would anyone say things like: "There's Nick Carter, the one-legged Backstreet Boy that hops around like a salmon. He must be so unloved." If anything, it would make me love him more, because he could pull it off if he tried.