Fic Talk > General Discussion
The Writing Thread: Orlando Passaggio (aka The Writing Thread 3)
nicksgal:
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on March 11, 2021, 09:16:48 PM ---The five-voice first person POV would be a good thing to try first with a short story, like one chapter from each perspective.
--- End quote ---
I was just thinking the same thing, it could be a fun challenge for everyone with a five or ten chapter story. One or two chapters per person seems doable with the right idea.
nicksgal:
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 mean... Probably PBox? It was the one I got the most feedback on while I was writing it, but it was also the only thing I worked on for a very long time. I don't really know. I've been gone a long time, but people (or several spam bots) have been reading it while I've been gone (I’ve cheated and do vaguely know it’s numbers off hand), but who knows if anyone who really read it way back when even remembers it much now, haha. It's probably the most popular simply because it's complete more than anything else, but I would say it's my best work, especially if you read it now.
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?
Uhhh... No? I don’t think so? It’s harder to tell with fantasy, I feel like, but I’m sure there’s stories out there that are similar, I just haven’t come across them myself. I mean Gobosei is the Backstreet Project with a fantasy flip instead of sci-fi. I'm sure plenty of people have done BSB in college stories at one point too. I guess the important thing is to make sure that you're putting your own spins and self into it. I’ll be honest, I came across so few BSB fantasies, that at one point, I just kind of stopped trying to look for them and decided to focus on writing them instead to keep our genres diverse. If there’s been a great one I missed, someone should probably tell me.
3. Have you ever written a fanfic and decided never to publish it? Why?
You know, I almost didn't come back and post PNecklace just because it had been so long and I figured it wouldn’t be even remotely the same. That and I really did just starting writing it for me and PBox Nick. I'm glad I ultimately decided to come back though and then decided to post it on top of that. It's been fun sharing it again, even if it's quiet on the main site. At least it's chatty here! :)
4. What’s the biggest change between your style when you started in fandom and today? Could you stand to reread your first fanfic?
I had the great gift of brevity when I started out in middle school, but that was only because the plots were so minimal and the characters were really underdeveloped . Once I got more practice with developing a narrative, I lost the gift of brevity. However, now my writing is more interesting and nuanced. I cannot read my early work; it is very cringey.
5. What’s the biggest change in your taste between when you started in fandom and today?
Writing-wise, I guess I've committed to my little fantastical corner of the BSB fanfic-verse; gotta keep it alive! Reading-wise, I've mostly sought out recommendation s. Going well so far!
6. Have you ever purposefully written one fandom/fic idea over another because you knew it’d be more popular?
Nope! I write what's interesting to me, which is definitely not what's popular here. It’s also been a long time since I’ve had more than one idea, so I guess when the time comes, it will probably be based on whatever goes better.
8. Have/would you ever rewrite a fanfic? If yes, would you take the original down?
Yes, and did. I guess I rewrote the edit over the original PBox, so technically I took it down? But as I mentioned, the plot of the whole story and each chapter is the same, so I don’t necessarily consider it a rewrite myself, even though, yes, some of the words are different. I think if I continued anything uncompleted, I would likely give it an edit before continuing it just so it aligned with whatever I was writing now.
nicksgal:
9. What aspect of your writing do you most enjoy to see praised?
The characters! They're what drive all my works, so I love when they're praised. But in the past, I also enjoyed when people said they were “sucked back into the story and world” of PBox after being away from it. It made me feel like all of my hard world world building was worthwhile for the readers. :)
10. Who’s the one character you’ve just never managed to get perfectly right?
I think they’ve all given me trouble at one point or another, but I generally find myself struggling with Kevin overall, because so much of how I see Kevin is in how he relates to the others and not just his Kevin-ness. I think I should maybe join this Kevin trend to challenge myself to focus on Kevin. I used to have more trouble with AJ (it’s part of why he ended up in PBox so late) and Howie (which I challenged myself to overcome in PBox and did mostly). Nick and Brian have always been easier for me.
11. Who’s the one character who shines without you even trying?
I guess Nick? He always ends up the strongest character in any of my works, but I don’t know that I would call him “perfectly right” either. Maybe someday, Nick can read PBox and let me know, lol.
12. Is there any particular character whose scenes always wind up being longer/more frequent than you expected? Does the quality hold up?
I mean, again Nick, but I wouldn’t say that I don’t expect it. I’ve fully given in to him doing what he wants when he wants for however long it takes. The chattyness of Brian when he’s given the proper lead did surprise me. So, basically I am warning all of you that the “Nick is Brian’s guardian angel” story might be the most verbose thing you’ve ever read.
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?
No? Thanks everyone who took the time to read anything I wrote. :)
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?
AC is my one true love for the community. I wish it were still popping, but these things happen.
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?
Does recruiting them to read it count? Haha I guess PBox? Not sure that letting people read my BSB fanfics as is on purpose if they’re not also BSB fans who read fanfic is a Pandora’s Box I’m ready to open (pun intended!).
16. Does anyone you know from outside of BSB fanfic know you write fanfic? Are they involved in the same BSB fandom too?
My mom did, though I assume she doesn’t think I picked it back up again here recently. Oh, I guess my best friend did and I did talk to her about this adventure as is and she basically said, “Inspiration is inspiration.” They’re not BSB fans.
17. Has anyone in your life ever read your fanfic just because you wrote it?
Uhhh… No idea.
18. What kind of impact has writing fanfic had on your life?
You know, it was a great place to practice and hone my writing skills. I loved being part of this community back in the day and leaving it may have been part of my journey as a lost twenty-something, so I’m happy I’m back (as I’ve mentioned many times).
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?
I initially started answering these yesterday and decided not to because I did not have an answer to this question! There’s a couple in PNecklace that I would feel comfortable representing my portfolio, but do not want to post yet (mainly because… they’re not posted yet at all). So, if we could go for a whole chapter, I feel inclined to recommend PBox’s “Chapter Forty-Four: Disciple” or possibly “Chapter Thirty-Two: Abyss.” If I had to limit it to a scene, I would probably toss out the last scene from “Chapter Thirty: To The Castle” that begins with the line "The storm was blinding, a furious blizzard of ice and snow." It was too long to post here in its entirety, but here's some descriptions of the titular castle from that scene for your enjoyment:
--- Quote ---It finally stood before them, the castle. It seemed old in appearance, desecrated, rotted, and decayed next to the palaces in the other countries, a beautiful and haunting ghost of bygone times. The moat surrounding it had frozen over and fused to the tall wall surrounding the compound. The keep and several towers could be seen looming over the outer wall. Despite the decay of time, the castle remained untouched by the blizzard that surrounded them.
The grounds of the castle compound were littered with the decayed and rotting remains of patches of pine trees and likely once lush gardens overgrown with weeds. These surrounded the scattered stone remains of the foundations of building compounds and gates. Several holes were nestled in the ground of the barren garden that once held tranquil ponds. Beyond the desolate gardens, a large, sloped stone foundation loomed above them, the only structure fully intact, though the stone was draped in ivy and moss. Towering above that, sat the five story castle’s keep -- the last sanctuary from impending infiltration. Nestled within the stone foundation was a final gate featuring a sloped stone roof and surrounded by four stone columns. Between the columns, listless half-open chipped and rotting wood doors barred the gate and weakly protected this bastion of refuge. Everywhere, the castle smelled of death and decay.
--- End quote ---
nicksgal:
It looked like it was going to stay busy and chatty there for a minute, so I was waiting to post my answers, haha.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version