respoftw | Fandom Snowflake Challenge Day 11

Day 11

In your own space, talk about your creative process(es) — anything from the initial inspiration to how you feel after something’s done. Do you struggle with motivation or is it a smooth process? Do you have any tricks up your sleeve to pull out when a fanwork isn’t cooperating? What is your level of planning to pantsing/winging it?

Writing is my only creative outlet and it’s something that I used to do constantly as a child but then when I was around 14, I just stopped. And I didn’t pick it up again until I was 31.

Having gone so long without writing I thought getting the creative juices flowing again would be hard but I had underestimated how inspiring fandom can be! I started my writing again using prompts that people would leave me which was a really great way to get back into writing after so long and it really helped me figure out what I’m good at writing, what I enjoy writing (not always the same as what I’m good at) and what I can’t or don’t want to do.

My creative process is pretty simple. I jot down ideas as they come to me, sometimes in detail, sometimes a few words, and I try to carve out a brick of time at least once a week to look through these ideas and actually write them. Sometimes that works and the idea is right and the words flow, sometimes it doesn’t. I try not to sweat it when it doesn’t. This isn’t something I want to do for a living, it’s a hobby and it’s supposedto be fun but remembering that when you really WANT to write but can’t find the words is hard.

If I know a fic is going to be longer, I’ll generally do a brief outline summarising the beats and the plots, but I let myself divert from that if that’s where the words want to take me. Some of my favourite fics I’ve wrote were completely winged (cough, Encore, cough).

Feedback and Interaction is everything to me. I mean, yes, write for yourself, but I’m self aware enough to know that the nice feedback and the kudos and the friendships I’ve made through fanfic is the reason I’m still doing it.

It’s the reason I love it. It’s the reason I keep doing it.