Interview with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sara_holmes
Oct. 24th, 2012 06:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kitty_fic posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
hd_writersWe are back with another ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
hd_writers interview!
This time, we havesara_holmes. Some of her most notable H/D fanfic includes Mental and Room Four. She also has many other fabulous stories that you can find on her ff.net profile.
Come on in and see what she has to share!
Approximately how many stories would you say you've written for fandom? Original work? I’d say I’ve completed around thirty-five, but there are quite a few that have never been finished and so never got posted. I’m not sure they’ll ever see the light of day, it depends on what inspiration strikes and when.
How long on average are your stories? Do you prefer to write shorter fics or longer? Why? I tend to write longer stories these days, because I prefer to get more in depth with the characters and explore how they act and why they might be as they are, but I think I’m actually just incapable of writing a short story. I find writing anything under 3000 words impossible.
Where do you find your inspiration? Gosh, I have no idea. Human nature I guess – seeing some of the amazing and insane things people can do. From other authors as well, I love reading and often want to give something a go after seeing a style or use of words somewhere else.
What's the first thing you do when an idea comes to you? Flail around a bit, and then start writing a plan, which generally consists of notes, bullet points and quotes. It would probably just amount to indecipherable gibberish to anyone else.
Do you have to be in the zone to write or is it more about consistency and dicipline? I’m most productive when I’m in the zone, but I can ‘make’ myself write just to get the words down, and then edit to a standard I’m happy with when I’m back in the zone again.
How many fics do you typically work on at a time? Two, so I can have a break from one if I need it. Any more than that and I give up in a puddle of confusion.
How do you like to work? Quiet? Music? Where? As long as I’m left alone and have a proper seat at a desk or a table, I’m good to go.
Do you have a writing schedule or routine? Everyday? Certain time of day? Certain number of words? Number of minutes? Whenever I get a break and suddenly realise I’ve got nothing else to do, I grab my laptop and write until I remember something else that I was actually supposed to be doing.
What are your writing habits? Write manically for an hour, get a cup of tea, edit, repeat.
Do you force yourself to write even when you don't want to? Sometimes, because now I appreciate that some of my best work comes in the editing stage. If it’s a case of forcing myself just to get something down so I can be more productive next time around, I will.
Do you keep a handwritten journal? No, my handwriting is so bad that it would be pointless.
Do you plan or outline your stories in any way? Can you describe your process? I normally start by just typing everything that comes to mind, like a free flow of the story with key events and words and quotes that I can imagine. Then I convert that into a table to give it some structure, so it’s actually readable.
What motivates you to keep writing? Having so many ideas in my brain and not enough space to store them.
How do you stay excited about your writing? The love in fandom. Seriously, I get over-exited imaging that my writing may have made someone smile, or made them think about something for even a moment.
How do you stay focused while working on longer fics? Taking a break every so often, and giving myself time to go back and reread what has already happened. That really helps with consistency and motivates me to give the characters an ending instead of leaving them in limbo.
Do you find deadlines stressful or helpful? Depends how close they are! They used to help me prioritise what I wanted to work on, but now I have less free time I try to stay away from deadlines unless I’m absolutely sure I can get it done.
What is your biggest challenge in writing and how do you overcome it? Using commas properly. And writing short, succinct stories without overdoing the exposition. I’ve also found that sometimes I can get disillusioned with my writing, so I have to occasionally give myself time off from fandom and writing to give myself some perspective, and to tell myself to stop being an idiot.
Do you have a system for organizing your story ideas and notes? Honestly, no. I save them in separate documents somewhere in the depths of my computer and then just search for them when I need them.
Do you write in a linear form, from beginning to end, or do you jump around as the muse strikes? Linear – I learned the hard way that if I jump then the story doesn’t flow properly, as my plans can be quite fluid. But that’s where editing comes into its own for me – I can force myself to write the bit between the two parts that I actually really want to write, and then go back and make the middle bit pretty later on.
Do you have your story planned from start to finish or do you just start writing and let the rest work itself out? Depends on the length. With ‘Mental’ I had it planned to the wire because it was so long, but with other stories like ‘Within these walls’ (which was still pretty long!) I just started writing and kept going until I found an end.
What are your tips to overcoming writer's block/slump? Drinking tea and having a clear break away from my work space. And not feeling guilty about taking the break helps!
What do you do if you lose interest in a fic? Especially if you are writing for a deadline? I leave it alone, then go back and reread it a while later, and can usually get back in the swing of things. Someone the other day suggested making a playlist that fits the mood of the story, and that sometimes helps as well.
Do you share your writing process along the way with a support group of friends, betas or cheerleaders? With longer fics I do, mostly to have some support wit consistency and pace. The chatzy writing rooms have introduced me to some wonderful people who are always willing to give advice and check things over.
Have you ever co-written a story with someone? No, but I would love to try! Even though I would probably find it insanely difficult, it’s a challenge I’m willing to take on.
How have you evolved as a writer over time? Oh my gosh, massively. I started thinking I had one ‘style’ and next to no knowledge of how to write properly, and have slowly gotten better (I would hope!). I’ve branched out into trying new styles and pushing my limits, and that has really helped me to find other things I’m good at.
What is your favorite fic you've written and why is it your favorite? OH MY GOSH THERE IS NO ANSWER. I love my longer fics, because of the effort I put into them, but I think my favourite fics are some of the angsty ones I’ve written, like ‘Hello’ and ‘Room Four’. They’re so different to what I originally pictured myself writing, and I’m quite proud of them because of that. Overall, the story I’m most proud of is ‘Within these walls.’ Seamus is a character that I’ve always liked but never really considered in depth, so I loved the opportunity to take the little we know of him and turn him into something real. I really like my Draco in that story as well – I think in Drarry fics I take certain liberties with him to make him fit with Harry, but here I felt I could keep him closer to the version I knew from the books, i.e. a wuss.
THANK YOU LOVELIES <3
I hope you enjoyed Sara's answers and found them helpful and motivating in your own writing! If you have additional questions, feel free to ask them in the comments!
Thanks,sara_holmes for taking the time to share with us about your writing techniques! <3
hd_writers interview! This time, we have
sara_holmes. Some of her most notable H/D fanfic includes Mental and Room Four. She also has many other fabulous stories that you can find on her ff.net profile.Come on in and see what she has to share!
Approximately how many stories would you say you've written for fandom? Original work? I’d say I’ve completed around thirty-five, but there are quite a few that have never been finished and so never got posted. I’m not sure they’ll ever see the light of day, it depends on what inspiration strikes and when.
How long on average are your stories? Do you prefer to write shorter fics or longer? Why? I tend to write longer stories these days, because I prefer to get more in depth with the characters and explore how they act and why they might be as they are, but I think I’m actually just incapable of writing a short story. I find writing anything under 3000 words impossible.
Where do you find your inspiration? Gosh, I have no idea. Human nature I guess – seeing some of the amazing and insane things people can do. From other authors as well, I love reading and often want to give something a go after seeing a style or use of words somewhere else.
What's the first thing you do when an idea comes to you? Flail around a bit, and then start writing a plan, which generally consists of notes, bullet points and quotes. It would probably just amount to indecipherable gibberish to anyone else.
Do you have to be in the zone to write or is it more about consistency and dicipline? I’m most productive when I’m in the zone, but I can ‘make’ myself write just to get the words down, and then edit to a standard I’m happy with when I’m back in the zone again.
How many fics do you typically work on at a time? Two, so I can have a break from one if I need it. Any more than that and I give up in a puddle of confusion.
How do you like to work? Quiet? Music? Where? As long as I’m left alone and have a proper seat at a desk or a table, I’m good to go.
Do you have a writing schedule or routine? Everyday? Certain time of day? Certain number of words? Number of minutes? Whenever I get a break and suddenly realise I’ve got nothing else to do, I grab my laptop and write until I remember something else that I was actually supposed to be doing.
What are your writing habits? Write manically for an hour, get a cup of tea, edit, repeat.
Do you force yourself to write even when you don't want to? Sometimes, because now I appreciate that some of my best work comes in the editing stage. If it’s a case of forcing myself just to get something down so I can be more productive next time around, I will.
Do you keep a handwritten journal? No, my handwriting is so bad that it would be pointless.
Do you plan or outline your stories in any way? Can you describe your process? I normally start by just typing everything that comes to mind, like a free flow of the story with key events and words and quotes that I can imagine. Then I convert that into a table to give it some structure, so it’s actually readable.
What motivates you to keep writing? Having so many ideas in my brain and not enough space to store them.
How do you stay excited about your writing? The love in fandom. Seriously, I get over-exited imaging that my writing may have made someone smile, or made them think about something for even a moment.
How do you stay focused while working on longer fics? Taking a break every so often, and giving myself time to go back and reread what has already happened. That really helps with consistency and motivates me to give the characters an ending instead of leaving them in limbo.
Do you find deadlines stressful or helpful? Depends how close they are! They used to help me prioritise what I wanted to work on, but now I have less free time I try to stay away from deadlines unless I’m absolutely sure I can get it done.
What is your biggest challenge in writing and how do you overcome it? Using commas properly. And writing short, succinct stories without overdoing the exposition. I’ve also found that sometimes I can get disillusioned with my writing, so I have to occasionally give myself time off from fandom and writing to give myself some perspective, and to tell myself to stop being an idiot.
Do you have a system for organizing your story ideas and notes? Honestly, no. I save them in separate documents somewhere in the depths of my computer and then just search for them when I need them.
Do you write in a linear form, from beginning to end, or do you jump around as the muse strikes? Linear – I learned the hard way that if I jump then the story doesn’t flow properly, as my plans can be quite fluid. But that’s where editing comes into its own for me – I can force myself to write the bit between the two parts that I actually really want to write, and then go back and make the middle bit pretty later on.
Do you have your story planned from start to finish or do you just start writing and let the rest work itself out? Depends on the length. With ‘Mental’ I had it planned to the wire because it was so long, but with other stories like ‘Within these walls’ (which was still pretty long!) I just started writing and kept going until I found an end.
What are your tips to overcoming writer's block/slump? Drinking tea and having a clear break away from my work space. And not feeling guilty about taking the break helps!
What do you do if you lose interest in a fic? Especially if you are writing for a deadline? I leave it alone, then go back and reread it a while later, and can usually get back in the swing of things. Someone the other day suggested making a playlist that fits the mood of the story, and that sometimes helps as well.
Do you share your writing process along the way with a support group of friends, betas or cheerleaders? With longer fics I do, mostly to have some support wit consistency and pace. The chatzy writing rooms have introduced me to some wonderful people who are always willing to give advice and check things over.
Have you ever co-written a story with someone? No, but I would love to try! Even though I would probably find it insanely difficult, it’s a challenge I’m willing to take on.
How have you evolved as a writer over time? Oh my gosh, massively. I started thinking I had one ‘style’ and next to no knowledge of how to write properly, and have slowly gotten better (I would hope!). I’ve branched out into trying new styles and pushing my limits, and that has really helped me to find other things I’m good at.
What is your favorite fic you've written and why is it your favorite? OH MY GOSH THERE IS NO ANSWER. I love my longer fics, because of the effort I put into them, but I think my favourite fics are some of the angsty ones I’ve written, like ‘Hello’ and ‘Room Four’. They’re so different to what I originally pictured myself writing, and I’m quite proud of them because of that. Overall, the story I’m most proud of is ‘Within these walls.’ Seamus is a character that I’ve always liked but never really considered in depth, so I loved the opportunity to take the little we know of him and turn him into something real. I really like my Draco in that story as well – I think in Drarry fics I take certain liberties with him to make him fit with Harry, but here I felt I could keep him closer to the version I knew from the books, i.e. a wuss.
THANK YOU LOVELIES <3
I hope you enjoyed Sara's answers and found them helpful and motivating in your own writing! If you have additional questions, feel free to ask them in the comments!
Thanks,
sara_holmes for taking the time to share with us about your writing techniques! <3
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Lots of insight here.
Date: 2012-10-24 01:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-26 09:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-24 07:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-26 09:15 am (UTC)Are you a compulsive tea-drinker as well?! Or are we similar in other ways?
no subject
Date: 2012-10-26 09:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-26 05:53 pm (UTC)Mainly I wanted to comment to say yes! to tea. And thanks for some really interesting answers. :)
no subject
Date: 2014-02-26 08:12 pm (UTC)I've only started writing six months ago and find these interviews really interesting. They help me understand what writing is all about.
And you being the one author who
is responsible for my current obsessionintroduced me to the fandom, and whose stories are amongst my favourites, well, that was a treat! Thank you! :)