13 replies to this topic

[Ravenclaw333]

Hey guys, I'm Ravenclaw333. I've been on HPFF for about six months and decided it's time to make an MTA. Please, feel free to ask me anything at all, I'll be more than happy to answer your questions!

[DoubleBee]

FIRST! Anywho, hello! I've recently read your Southern Cross story and have decided to ask you a few questions!
1. What caused you to write about a different magical school?
2. Your characters are so beautifully written! How do you keep them so they seem real?
3. When you struggle with writers block, what is the best remedy that works for you?

Thanks hun!!

[Ravenclaw333]

Ohmygosh! Someone posted in my MTA! *wipes tear* *hugs*

Anywho, onto the questions! (Ah this is so exciting! You've just made my day!)

1. Well, basically because I'm from New Zealand, and I wanted to write in a home setting. I've never seen a NZ-set fic before, and I thought it would be awesome fun to try it, and to include snippets of Kiwi history and culture. It means free rein for my imagination, and for that reason, it's by far the funnest story I've written.

2. Really? *blushes* Thank you! I'm not really sure, but Adelaide and Georgia are just characters that write themselves, really. Particularly Georgia. In my first outline of the plot/characters/school, Ella was meant to be Adelaide's best friend, and Georgia just another member of the group, but she just kinda pushed her way in I don't know if I can take credit for those two, because they honestly write themselves. I love it when that happens. I think they've taken on a lot of the characteristics of my friends and other people I know, so that's how they seem real. I've characterised Rose and Scorpius in similar ways to one of my other stories, Dragons Awakening, which I wrote last year, and they more or less wrote themselves back then as well. The other characters in the story (Ella, Corwin, Henry, Josh, Amanda etc) are just lifted straight from real life for me, a lot of the time I can pinpoint one person who inspires them. Phew, that was a long response

3. Oh, writer's block. I'm a fiend when it comes to writer's block. It actually hit worst with Southern Cross, to be honest. Most of my other stories have at least five chapters sitting on my computer waiting to be posted, but I finished the chapter I just posted only a couple of days before I sent it in, so there's a lot less of it than my other stories. I tend to focus on my other stories when the dreaded block hits for one of them, though for about a month or so I just didn't have inspiration for any. For me, at least, watching DH2 spurred my muse into action, and so did getting back to reading other stories on HPFF rather than just going on to trawl for new reviews

Once again, thank you for posting! You've no idea how happy this has made me

[WizardofPotterland]

Hello. I just wanted to add to what I commented about on your Harry Potter/Doctor Who crossover story.

The reason I don't really like your portrayal of Hogwarts is simply that it I don't like your characterization of the Next Generation characters. I like to idealize them, and you made them more human with faults. I think that you did that is good, but I must confess that I prefer stories that make these fictional beings just a bit larger and better than life. But do keep writing, I don't want you to change your ideas and characterization just because I like to romanticize Harry Potter characters. And once again, I really think you do a fantastic job writing Amy and the Doctor.

[Ravenclaw333]

Wow, that's definitely a new one. Erica and Lysander are possibly the most human, flawed characters I've written, and I see it as a result of me becoming more mature in my writing. Mary-Sue or perfect characters are so hated in writing that there's a real pressure to make characters as flawed as possible. The thing to remember though is that Bigger on the Inside is only in the first couple of chapters, and there will be a lot of character development in later chapters. It doesn't mean Erica and Lysander are suddenly going to become superhumans, but it will give them the opportunity to grow a bit and really showcase their strengths. All heroes come from incredibly humble beginnings, and just because my Hogwarts characters are spectacularly average at the moment doesn't mean they're going to remain that way after a few more encounters with the Doctor Thanks for the post!

[WizardofPotterland]

It's great, and I understand that. Even though I don't really interact with a writer or reader community, I can see how there would be pressure against perfect characters. I do like characters with depth, I just don't expect or like it in Harry Potter Fan Fiction stories. And I agree with you, making more rounded characters is definitely a sign of maturity as a writer, and I strongly encourage that. This was a nice chat.

~WizardofPotterland

[acrules]

Hi there! I hear you're in need of some christmas love?


1.) In your opinon, whats the best thing you've ever written?
2.) How did you stumble across fanfiction?
3.) Whats your favourite word in the english langage?
4.) Do you listen to music whilst you're writing?
5.) What are you most looking forward to about next year?

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

[Ravenclaw333]

Yay! Christmas love! Thank you!

1) Ooh, this is a tricky one. It depends on so many factors - what I'm writing at the time, what I feel like writing at the time, what the reception of all my stories has been...but I would say my favourite is Blurring the Lines, and simply because of the plot and the issues and the fact that I know my character better than I know myself, it's *hopefully* going to be the best I've written. Second to that would be Southern Cross. It's very popular, and I surprise even myself with some of the things I come up with for it
2) I started writing fanfiction of sorts after I first read the books two years ago. It was the typical 'throw myself and my friends into Hogwarts' scenario but through that, and through talking to one of my friends who writes fanfiction (but not on this site) I started refining it, coming up with new ideas, creating OCs, and eventually creating an account on here
3) Ooh. I don't really use it that often, but my favourite word would be 'tranquility.' I just love it, for no discernible reason.
4) Yes and no. It depends what I'm writing and what music I have. If I listen to the same stuff too often, I just find it hurts my brain after a while.
5) Next year? Next year is going to be amazing. I'm going to university. End of.

Thanks for the questions!

[choufleur]

Helloooo there!
I have been stalking...um I mean reading lots of your stories recently so I thought I'd come and post here
I love reading Southern Cross as I went to NZ with my family a few years ago and it was such a fantastic trip. Seeing names put in your story makes me happy because I know where they are!

QUESTIONS

1. How do you come up with your scenarios? Do they pop into your head fully formed, or do you have to work at them? (I'm thinking of the Muggle liason one particularly)
2. Least favourite character to write, OC?
3. Most difficult canon character to write?
4. Genre that you think you will never write?
5. Why did you choose to post Train Wreck before finishing Blurring the Lines?
6. Football or rugby? (I'm pretty sure there's only one answer to this!)
7. Favourite book outside HP?
8. Favourite thing to cook?
9. Death Eater you'd most like to interview?

I was going to stop there, but to make it to a round number...
10. EXCITED FOR CHRISTMAS?!?!?!

TTFN
choufleur x

[Ravenclaw333]

I really am being spoilt for MTA at the moment! It's so exciting! And these look like real humdingers of questions so...*rubs hands*

1. I don't actually know. Most of the time one little idea will pop into my head, and then I have fun working out all the little details. A lot of the time I get inspired by other people's work - thinking that I want to try and tackle this genre or this era. I, Revolutionary was probably one of the more fully formed ones, I would say. I just had this picture in my head of an overenthusiastic young woman who wanted to change the world in terms of wizard-Muggle relations, so I figured out her name and started writing. Sometimes, though, all I'll have is a character, or a really vague idea, and I have to try and work out a plot from that. Southern Cross was the prime example of that.
2. Least favourite....hmm. That's a tough one, because I am pretty attached to my OCs. But if I had to pick one, it would be Leah Mulberry from Hogsmeade Co-Operating Parish. That story's in its infancy and doesn't really have any readers, but I'm struggling to write it at the moment because she's quite a bland character in my opinion. That, and it's another of those idea-pops-into-my-head-without-a-plot stories.
3. Canon characters...I don't use a lot of them. Or, if I do, they're mostly Next Gens which are more or less blank pages. But of the ones I do use, Fred and George are probably the most difficult. They're very iconic characters with a very particular sense of humour, and especially when I try and put them in situations different to the ones JK put them in, it's really had to keep them in character.
4. Probably really dark angst/horror etc, or really AU. I have a few angsty moments in my stories, but I always try and include a lot of humour to lighten things up a bit, I can't keep the dark stuff up. And I just don't really like AU - I don't read it or write it, and if an idea differs from canon I will usually explain it so that it could fit into canon, if that makes sense.
5. Impatience, I suppose? Train Wreck was for a challenge and I was feeling the muse, so I just started writing and posting. There's not a lot of crossover in terms of readership between Blurring the Lines and Train Wreck anyway - they're very different stories, so it's not too much of an issue. I was also intending to have Blurring the Lines finished a lot earlier, but I've hit a snag with the chapter I'm currently sitting on. Both are stand alone stories - there's twenty years between them, one's about the mother, one's about the daughter, so Train Wreck isn't really a sequel. I just used that family because I love them (You may have noticed Athena and Emilia make appearances in Southern Cross as well )
6. Rugby. I'm a Kiwi, I'm under obligation to say that
7. Oooh. I'm quite a fan of the novel I studied for English this year, God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. It's a very...different sort of book, and I hated it the first time I read it, but it just grew on me. A lot.
8. I make a mean spaghetti bolognaise
9. Hmm. That would be one Severus Snape, I believe.
10. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THE EXCITED CAPS LOCK YAY CHRISTMAS, but I'm actually away from home this year (seriously away from home, I'm in Japan) so it's not really going to be the same - it's too different to really feel like Christmas. I got my presents before I came here, and a lot of other Christmassy things have already been done, so Christmas Day itself probably won't be that special. But I do get a white Christmas this year, so that's very exciting and very pretty.

Thanks for the questions!

[choufleur]

Yay thank you for answering!

I read Train Wreck first, then decided to go read Blurring the Lines afterwards and I really like that too. I'm just miffed as I feel like I kind of know what is going to happen... but never mind, I'll still enjoy getting there!

Oh, and I love how your other characters all fit together in the different stories and we get glimpses of them. Why did you do that? Just because you could?! (Look, it's an actual question, so I'm not just spamming your MTA )

Oh and the caps lock Christmas - I'm the same as you, I'm away from home for the first time ever this Christmas, in Brazil. IT'S HOT IT SHOULDN'T BE HOT AT CHRISTMAS
OK, so I got the caps lock out that way instead. So I know what you mean - my mum sent out one little present to me, and I have some cards, but otherwise, it's not very Christmassy.
Trying to explain crackers to Brazilians... it doesn't work.

And it's my birthday here too, so I will spend it on a beach for the first time in my life

Have you got any more plans for new stories in the pipeline? (look, look another question!)

choufleur x

[Ravenclaw333]

I hope Train Wreck hasn't spoiled too much of Blurring the Lines for you I don't know how much I actually revealed of it, but come to think of it there's probably a lot. It wasn't all that necessary for the advancement of the plot of Train Wreck, but there is this tiny little subplot of "This is what happened to Athena after the war, and this is what she's like as an adult."

I just find it easier, I suppose, to include previous characterisations and things from other stories. A lot of it has become my canon, I suppose - particularly the existence of the Rutherford family. I love them too much to confine them to one or two stories, and I like the idea that they all coexist in some way. I plan to have Athena as an established teacher in most, if not all, of my Next Gen stories - the exception was Dragons Awakening, because at the time of writing that I actually planned to kill off Athena during the Battle of Hogwarts. :S Glad I didn't do that...But I also tend to use Astoria Malfoy as Charms teacher and Head of Slytherin, and will use Teddy Lupin as Transfiguration teacher again as well - both those ideas come from Dragons Awakening.

Haha I'm the opposite - Christmas is meant to be warm and sunny and summery!

Ooh, new stories...Yes, actually. I have a few in the pipeline - I'll probably start writing and posting them once Train Wreck and/or Southern Cross are finished. They are as follows:

The Wandmaker: About Emilia Rutherford, who becomes a wandmaker. She'd be in her twenties, I would say, and struggling with boredom when along comes a wizard who wants to collaborate with her to create the most powerful wand in existence. Cue corruption.
What Happened to Natalia: Follows on from Dragons Awakening and is about my villain Natalia Dolohov, who goes on the run from the Aurors/Ministry in Britain and ends up teaching in a tiny, private school of magic in northern Japan.
*yet to be titled*: A sequel to Southern Cross, but I won't reveal anything else about it because that will spoil the ending

Thanks for the questions!

[too_many_nargles]

HPFF apparently ate my post, so I shall post again!
I have a few questions about your works etc.

• How do you create your OCs? They are incredibly well rounded as characters and that's awfully hard to do.
• Do you have any tips for inspiration for writing multi-chapter fics?
• Where did the idea for Dragons Awakening come from?
• What inspired you to write about Moaning Myrtle?
• Why do you mainly write about Next-Gen characters?
• Is there anything specific you'd like for Christmas, darling?
• And perhaps the most important question of all; Snily or Jily?

[Ravenclaw333]

YAY QUESTIONS I LOVE THESE YES GOOD

1. I'm glad you think my OC's are well rounded! I know they tend to have a bad reputation amongst fandoms (but they're a lot more accepted here than in other places, I've noticed) so I really do put a lot of effort into making them as believable as possible. I love creating characters, it's my favourite part of writing, so that definitely helps. Often I'll get a character's name and a vague idea about them before I even start thinking about the rest of the story, and then I work on developing them further. They have to have a detailed family background, even if it never makes it into the story. I'm a big believer in having a backstory before I start writing the actual story. Family and the past is really important, as well as those little details that make up a person, like what their favourite subject is, whether they have a pet, do they drink tea, coffee or juice, that kind of thing.
2. For me, write quickly and have a plot. I need to have a definite sense of where I'm going, and it has to be interesting enough for me to want to get there. Often I'll start a story, leave it for a while and when I come back I've forgotten what I intended the plot twist or whatever to be, so I can't keep the story going. The best multi-chaptered fic I wrote, Dragon's Awakening, was for NaNo so it was the ultimate write-fast story.
3. Honestly, the shower. I can't really remember what it was like when it first popped into my head, but I knew it had something to do with the Statute of Secrecy and an almost vigilante group who would do anything to keep it in place. And it just grew really quickly from there. It's still my greatest example of when everything comes together and the plot reveals itself to you as you write it.
4. I think I was listening to a song, actually, and there was something in it about being forever young, and I just started thinking about her and how much of a curse it would be to be a ghost forever at that age. Because she's presented as immature and comic and overly dramatic, but that's because of her age and what she's been through. I think it's the worst fate ever, that she'll never be able to outgrow that bullying or get perspective.
5. I find Next Gen is a real clean slate - anything can happen and the characters are yours to mould. You can really bring in your own ideas and characters and headcanons, but keep the magic of the HP universe.
6. Crossovers? HP/Doctor Who? I love those. There aren't enough out there, so I have to write them myself
7. Jily.

Thank you for the questions!