Meet the Author: sparksearcher
| Interviews by Fans | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Meet the Author: sparksearcher |
| Interviewer: | |
| Interviewee: | sparksearcher |
| Date(s): | September 17, 2015 |
| Medium: | online |
| Fandom(s): | Doctor Who |
| External Links: | Meet the Author: sparksearcher, Archived version Meet the Author: sparksearcher, Archived version |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Meet the Author: sparksearcher was posted at The Doctor Who Fanfic Review on September 17, 2015.
Some Excerpts
What draws you to hurt/comfort as a genre? And are there any other genres you enjoy reading or writing?
I just love that there are so many ways to do hurt/comfort. Someone is emotionally distressed or someone is seriously injured or they have minor injuries or someone is sick and needs to be taken care of. It can be familial or best friends or romantic partners, as long as it’s two (or more) people that care about each other- or sometimes that don’t like each other but can put aside differences to help one another- you can make something realistic and believable out of a fandom where everything is made up.
As a reader I really enjoy humor, but as a writer that one can be a bit difficult for me. I try to put light-hearted moments in my stories, but I don’t really put a lot of effort into trying to be really funny. I’m a very sarcastic person by nature, and people that know me well get my sense of humor, but it doesn’t always come off the way I want it to in written form. Romance and fluff are always favorites for both reading and writing. Mostly I like feel-good stories, but reading a multi-chapter slow-burn that makes me want to throw my computer at a wall can be great too.
How long have you been writing fan fiction and for which fandoms/pairings?
I’ve been reading fanfiction for as long as I can remember, but I didn’t start writing it myself until I was in high school. I was probably 15 or 16. I wrote a lot for Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. I ended up deleting them all- I can’t remember why anymore- in my early twenties and even though I never stopped reading fanfiction, I didn’t start writing again until earlier this year when I took a shot at writing for Doctor Who.
I found that I really love writing for Twelve and Clara. I may try some of those other fandoms again, but for right now I’m really happy writing for these two.
It can be difficult to write for a fandom at the height of its popularity. What’s your best advice for other writers or artists, especially those who are nervous about posting their work or who are feeling burnt out or unappreciated?
Just keep doing what you love. If a project isn’t fun right now or if you’re stuck, set it aside for a while and either start something new or revisit something else you’ve already started working on. This is something I frequently do in any of my hobbies. If a knitting project isn’t working out, I stuff it in a bag and either take out a different project or begin something totally different. If I can’t get the wording on something right or if a scene is just not playing out the way I want it to, I flip to a blank page and work on something else.
I do these things for fun to help me unwind; the last thing I want is my hobbies getting my blood pressure up. When fun things aren’t fun anymore, then it starts to feel like work. So try something new or go back to something old, whatever it takes to reignite the spark of why you fell in love with something in the first place. And if you never go back to the thing you abandoned? So what? There are no hobby police- as long as you enjoy what you’re doing, that’s what’s important.
To the nervous new people, I recommend posting to tumblr or using AO3 versus FFNet. Tumblr has likes and AO3 has the kudos system, so people who are shy about leaving written feedback can just click a button to let you know they liked it. And getting an email saying someone left me kudos on a story I wrote months ago always makes me smile. I personally know I’m terrible about leaving reviews, and I know I should do better, but if I liked your story and there’s a tumblr post either containing it or a link to it, I will totally reblog it and sing your praises in the tags.