You should totally question Taure about magical cores. If anything, it will give us hours-long podcasts.

 

We need questions for the interviews, so I hope you guys can help us out.

Here are my questions that I think would be interesting to hear for writers in general:

• What age were you when you started writing?
• What do you consider your greatest success?
• If you could go back and change one thing about your stories, what would it be?
• What got you into fanfiction?
• Do your friends or family know what you write?
• What would you say your greatest influences are?
• How much do you actually like the source material you write for?

 

What is it that leads them to write the fanfiction?

It's fascinating to talk with people regarding their motivation for writing the things they write. How do they choose what they're going to write? Is it completely spontaneous? Is it the result of endless thought banging? And if so, what kicked it off?

For example, I write fics that I know I'd like to read. When I have a premise that I'd be interested in reading about but can't find any fic that does it justice, the old 'do it yourself' takes over.

How do writers decide what they're going to write?

Another question: Have they been influenced by other fanfiction writers to write/continue writing, when perhaps they otherwise would not have? If so, who and what did they write as a result?
It's interesting because we see that happen all the time between us. We're pushing each other constantly to write stuff. Even if it's not actual encouragement, some people are inspired by interacting with other authors, whose enthusiasm is perhaps contagious.

I'm curious to see if something like this has happened to some of the big names.

Will post/edit with more ideas.

Edit:
We've all heard the argument 'write for self/write for others'. I think it'd be interesting to ask whoever is being interviewed exactly how much he values feedback and to what degree he writes for his own personal satisfaction instead of wanting to share this story that they have in their heads with other people.

 

Just out of curiosity I would like to know what authors other hobbies are.

 

If you really, really can't find anyone else I could throw my name in the hat.

As for questions...

* What is the coolest thing you've ever seen in the world of fanfiction?

 

This sounds fascinating.

Drome's questions are a good start, but I think what will probably interest me most are the answers to Republic's questions.

• Why do you write?
• Why do you write the stories you write? (two different questions)
• Do you read your own stories after completion?
• How many or your friends/family know about your writing?
• Why do you think fanfiction is such a large part of some fandoms, particularly Harry Potter?
• Do you feel you have a signature or style?
• Is there a part of writing fanfiction that you especially love doing?
• Is there a part of writing fanfiction that you especially hate?
• How much do you plan, how many ideas die on the vine? How do you limit yourself to the achievable?
• What is the most important thing a story must contain, if you are ever to write it? It's common to have an idea that is 'cool' but which will never be written. What is it that provides that x-factor for you?

I also would be particularly interested to hear how Shezza approaches action and fight scenes as these are notoriously hard, and Shezza is notoriously good at them.

I don't really feel like I'm established enough to be especially interesting as an interviewee, but if there's a dearth of takers, well, I have a mic.

 

The only question that matters:

Are you a boy or a girl?

 

Well you know, for a long time I thought Shezza was a girl and Cheddar was a dude. I bet this question actually blows quite a few minds.

 

Hold on... Cheddar is a girl? :facepalm

 

Well, the answer is obviously "yes".

 

Not in the post-Tumblr world it's not.

 

Something I very well would like to know (from someone better than me at writing) is this:

How do you write about stuff you don't know about? Do you just avoid them entirely?
Like, say, a system you've never been tangled with. A place you've never gone to. A profession you never practised and don't know much about, or procedures you don't know precisely how they work. Characters very, very different from you or anyone you actually know. A lifestyle you've never been part of.

Sure, google is a thing, but there must be more to it than that (or I'm googling wrong :/ )

How do you write about stuff outside of your knowledge?

 

Many did. That was the joke (plus Pokemon reference).

 

Authors' productivity habits and routines. Do they write every day? What if they don't feel like writing? What tools do they use to plan and organise their stories and writing? *Do* they plan their stories or just start writing? Etc etc.

 

What is the single most difficult to write chapter you have ever written?

 

Like Steelbadger, I'm not established enough as a writer (and there's all my incomplete fics lying around), but if you still want any takers, I'm willing to volunteer.

Questions for Shezza:

1. I write Dumbledore fairly well (or so I'm told), but even before I started writing him, your characterization of him in the Denarian series was the one I really looked up to (as I've recounted to you before), and for me is still the benchmark to aim for. How do you write him so well? Is it just a simple matter of writing chops being just that good, or do you feel some sort of connection to the character that makes him translate so fluently from your mind to paper?

2. I know you're now playing almost exclusively in the Naruto sandpit. Any plans to return to Harry Potter? I also believe you mention work on an original series a while back incorporating the Words of the Worlds magical concept but that unfortunately fell through. Any plans on picking it up again sometime in the future?

3. What sort of things inspire you to write? How do you write? Any writing quirks?

4. If it's not too personal, what does your life outside of fanfiction look like?

 

I'll put in my two cents on questions:

What is your guilty pleasure fic and does that influence your writing?

If given the chance to finish another DLP author's story that has either been abandoned or not updated in over a year, what would it be? Why? Do you think your personal writing style would fit the story?

What do you think elevates a good story (good grammar, solid plot, etc), into a great story?