15 replies to this topic

[Roots in Water]

Hello, my name's Roots in Water. I've written several stories on HPFF: 4 one-shots, 1 chaptered fic. Here's a link to my archive account: http://www.harrypott...?showuid=188649 (12+)

The stories are:
From Love to Hate (15+) -one-shot
Normal (12+) -one-shot
Family Pride (12+) -one-shot
Twist of Fate (12+) -novella (7 chapters so far)
The Man (12+) -one-shot

I'm open to any questions regarding any of my stories, or anything regarding Harry Potter. Ask away!

[TeamRon]

1. Who in the HP cast do you think is the most suited for their role?
2. If you could change one thing about the series, what would you change?
3. Would you attend Beauxbatons or Durmstrang if you had the choice?
4. Do you prefer Ravenclaw or Slytherin?

[Roots in Water]

1. I think that Maggie Smith (Minerva McGonagall) was best suited for their role. She's exactly how I pictured Professor McGonagall in both looks and tone. I think she carries out her role beautifully.

2. Hmmm... That one's a tuffy... I haven't thought much about that, but if I could change one thing, I would change Harry's speech in the final battle. I dislike it immensely- I feel that he was almost "bragging", recounting all his victories over Voldemort and stating, outloud, for everyone to hear, that he's the only person capable of killing Voldemort. He recounted Voldemort's big mistakes and then basically tells, no- demands, that Voldemort feel some remorse for all the damage and hurt he has caused the Wizarding World. I just think that it could have been written better. It almost feels like one of those villan monologues- but that's just my opinion.

3. I think I would attend Beauxbatons. From what we know about Durmstrang, they practice the dark arts and I don't think I could stomach that. As well, I can already speak French, while I can't speak Bulgarian (it is Bulgarian, right?), which would be to my advantage.

4. Hmmm... I think I'd prefer to be in Ravenclaw (don't think I have the ability nor talent to be a Slytherin), but I find the idea of Slytherin more appealing. I find that you can do so much more with a Slytherin character- that they can have such interesting back-stories and thought-processes.

Thanks for asking!

[fairytalelover3]

Hi! I wanted to say first I really like your stories, they are so well written!

1. Do you listen to music when you write? If so, what kind?

2. What is you favorite Harry Potter Book?

3. Favorite color?

[moondrifter]

Hello!

1. You've written some really original fics with interesting ideas. What inspires you?
2. What do you like reading other than HP?
3. Who is the toughest character that you've had to write?
4. If there much of a difference between what kind of fanfics that you like to write and what you like to read?
5. Do you like the movie adaptations?

[Roots in Water]

Whoops! I thought that I was "following" this topic... apparently not! Thanks so much for asking me questions and I'm so glad you like my stories!

1. Do you listen to music when you write? If so, what kind?

I don't usually listen to music when I write but if I do, it tends to be the kind of music that represents the emotions that I am trying to get across. For example, when I was writing -I believe it was- Broken Memories I listened to The Point of No Return from The Phantom of the Opera to help me find a general mood of torment and sadness.

2. What is you favorite Harry Potter Book?

I think that my favourite Harry Potter book would probably be the first book because it's the one where we're introduced to the magical world and all (or, well, most of them) of its characters. I still love to read the beginning when little clues about the hidden world are revealed- it always seems just as mysterious as the first time I read it.

3. Favorite color?

My favourite colour would be blue, though purple's a close second.

1. You've written some really original fics with interesting ideas. What inspires you?

First of all, I'm so glad that you think my stories are original- I try to insure that they are! Now, to answer your question. I think that a major factor in my inspiration is that I love reading off-the-wall and original stories myself, though I do love some of the classic tales. I also love to think about what ifs, which inspired Twist of Fate and characters' motivations, which inspired From Love to Hate. Often my ideas will come at the oddest of moments- picking weeds in the garden, while reading an article in the newspaper (inspired Broken Memories). If I wanted to be really general I could say that life inspires me- I'll see an interesting or tragic moment and think What if that happened to so-and-so? How would they react? and then the idea for a story is born.

2. What do you like reading other than HP?

Well, I love the traditional fairy tales and enjoy reading versions of them that an author has extended into novel-length. In general, I prefer the fantasy and science fiction genres, though biographies can be interesting.

3. Who is the toughest character that you've had to write?

Well, if you count the stories I'm currently writing, then it would have to be Professor Slughorn. I know what I want to do with the one-shot but I haven't yet been able to perfect writing him. It's frustrating, but I really want to understand him. I will, eventually.

4. If there much of a difference between what kind of fanfics that you like to write and what you like to read?

The major difference between the fanfics I read and the ones I write would have to be that the ones I read romance plays a larger factor. Other than that I enjoy reading and writing unusual and unique stories and love what if stories- AU is one of my favourite genres to read.

5. Do you like the movie adaptations?

They were good, but not great. However, I thought that I would think so, since I have the tendency to like whichever one I saw/read first better and since I read the Harry Potter books long before I watched the movies, they are the better versions for me.

I really enjoyed answering these questions and thanks for taking the time to visit my author's page!

Edited by Roots in Water, 21 October 2011 - 11:36 PM.

[free_rhapsodynz]

Well, since you wrote me such an amazingly helpful review this afternoon, I was persuaded to hop along to your Author's page and ask a few questions:

1) I you could meet one character from the HP Universe, who would it be, and why?
2) If you could eat/drink one thing from the HP Universe, what would it be? (Mine would be Butterbeer )
3) Do you find it hard to maintain the canon qualities of a HP character? (I know I definitely do; that's why I haven't written about a strictly canon character yet )
4) What's your favourite book outside Harry Potter?
5) If you could go on holiday anywhere in the world, where would you go and what would you do?
6) What's your favourite literary genre?

Reading your oneshot ' The Darkest Woman'; it's amazingly creepy! love it

I think I'd better stop asking questions now, else I'd get carried away *Off to read more of your stories now*

[Roots in Water]

Thanks so much for stopping by to ask questions!

1. Hmmm.... That's a difficult one to answer, because I'd love to meet so many of them. I guess I would have to say Luna Lovegood, because she has such a unique perspective on life. In the books she was so utterly convinced of her own thoughts and she wouldn't let anyone else's derogatory comments deter her from thinking them. She was just so confident and I'd love to meet a person so unaffected by other people's views.

2. I love chocolate so I'd probably chose chocolate frogs out of all the things J. K. Rowling invented. Butterbeer would be a close second though.

3. I don't find it easy to maintain the canon qualities of a HP character- when I have a thought/idea about how an action for them I first have to double check in my head that they would have done it in the books, Luckily though, it's rare that I come up with an idea that is completely AU for a character.

4. This one's another difficult question to answer, since I absolutely adore reading. I'd probably have to say either Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card or The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner. I love both books because they have stunning plots and interesting characters that are weaved together wonderfully.

5. If I could go anywhere in the world I would visit Australia so that I could see the animals that I've only seen in the zoos in their natural habitat.

6.My favourite literary genre would be a mix of Sci Fi and Fantasy. In both genres authors create their own worlds, which is something that I love to read about (and it's probably one of my favourite aspects of Harry Potter).

Thanks for stopping by my author's page!

[MissMuggle]

I read a couple of your stories today and they are fantastic! So I had to come right here and ask you a few questions.

1) What inspires you to write? Where do you get the ideas for your stories? Why do you write HPFF?
2) I noticed you are a Hufflepuff and I could not help but wonder why?
3) I know I left this in a review, but will you please write a Dobby death oneshot? Out of all the writers who have written things like that, I think you would be able to pull it off spectacularly.

[Roots in Water]

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'm so glad you liked my stories!

1) Hmmm... You go right into the tough questions, don't you? I don't know if I can quite pinpoint the exact reason that I write, but I tend to do so when I have an idea that I just can't stop thinking about. It sort of develops in my mind until I can imagine whole scenes- and that's when I start to write. I usually have ideas about where I want the scene to go or what I want to happen in a scene before I write. But I think the thing that I love most about writing is that I can create whole worlds (or, in this case, borrow other worlds) and control the direction of a story. Each story is unique and I love the satisfaction I feel when I finish writing something.

As for where I get the ideas for my story from, well, would an acceptable answer be from everywhere? I often find that the majority of my ideas come as I'm working on other things or as I'm drifting off to sleep. They can also come from things that I've read, such as newspaper articles and other books. Some of the stories I've written have been inspired by (and written for) challenges, such as the Colin Creevey story you reviewed. I often find that I either I think of the ideas for a challenge right away or it takes forever for inspiration to come along.

I write HPFF for two main reasons. The first reason is that this was the first fandom that I was introduced to and the one I am most familiar with. The second reason is that I have the most ideas for stories placed within the Harry Potter universe and I see the most openings for stories in this universe. There are so many unexplained things, incidents that you can explore and characters that you can develop.

2) One of my best friends is also a Hufflepuff and she explains it very well. Hufflepuff is a place where (if we can stereotype) everyone is helpful, nice and generally optimistic people. I think that Hufflepuff is the house that I feel the strongest connection with, as I am not particularly sneaky/cunning or brave.

3) First of all, I'm so pleased that you think that I would be able to pull of Dobby's death well. It was such a touching moment in the books and I definitely wouldn't want to ruin it. However, I'll have to wait until inspiration strikes before I write it, so that I could write it in a unique fashion, or at least bring a lot of emotions to the story. I will definitely keep it in mind though!

[academica]

I love your work so much, and it's shameful that I haven't yet come by to question you about it.

1.) Name one thing that you wish you saw more of on the archive - can be a character, era, pairing, technique, whatever.
2.) Name one thing that you wish you saw less of on the archive - same as above.
3.) Are there any authors or stories that you're particularly fond of? (This can be fanfiction, RL, or both.)
4.) If you had to choose, which of your stories is your favorite and why?
5.) Lastly, if you could save one canon character from their death, who would you choose? How would his/her fate change as a result?

[Roots in Water]

1) Name one thing that you wish you saw more of on the archive - can be a character, era, pairing, technique, whatever

I would love to see more well-written AUs. I've read some very good ones that unfortunately aren't updated very regularly as well as many that follow the same plot lines without giving it an original twist. I love reading about What ifs, especially those that center around Harry, and it's too bad that I haven't been able to find more on the archive.

2) Name one thing that you wish you saw less of on the archive - same as above

I don't think that there's one that I dislike more than anything else in particula, but I guess I would say that I dislike it when writers jump into their plot within the first chapter (I think that this would fall under technique). It's most common with stories that focus on the beginnings of relationships- the characters somehow go from completely platonic feelings to absolutely, deeply in love within a few chapters (a few days/weeks) and there isn't much explanation behind it. I can understand the need for immediate action in some genres- it just needs to be well executed.

3) Are there any authors or stories that you're particularly fond of? (This can be fanfiction, RL, or both.)

In real life, I've enjoyed almost all the books written by Tamora Pierce and Cinda Williams Chima. I really enjoy the worlds that they've created for their characters and I think they do a great job of expanding on their characters throughout a series.

4) If you had to choose, which of your stories is your favorite and why?

I think that my favourite story would currently be a tie between Broken Memories (15+) and Cracks in the Pavement (15+). Both of these stories are focused more on the emotional aspect of the character and while I was writing them I had a destination point in mind (for BM, Ginny's death and for CitP, Fred II's birth) and the scenes between the start and end point flowed easily from my mind to paper. Especially in CitP, I feel that I did a good job of getting into the characters' minds to write a good story.

5) Lastly, if you could save one canon character from their death, who would you choose? How would his/her fate change as a result?

I would love to see how saving Sirius' life would have influenced the rest of the series. Sirius was important to Harry and perhaps Harry's life would have been easier for him if his godfather had lived. Sirius might have been able to hunt for the Horcruxes (if Harry and Dumbledore had chosen to confide in him) because he wouldn't have had a job or family to protect. He wouldn't be expected to make regular trips into Wizarding society so he would have been free to roam the countryside in serach of the Horcruxes. Perhaps he might have succeeded and then the final confrontation would have arrived sooner than it did in the books. Then, because the confrontation happens differently, perhaps other characters may survive the Final Battle (or die, if you want to be morbid).

Of course, his fate could have been completely different if he had survived- that's the beauty of What if.

Thanks for dropping by with your questions- I really enjoyed answering them!

[CambAngst]

Hey, there! So I've been a big fan of your writing since I picked up Cracks in the Pavement. I had a couple of questions for you:

1) The thing I like most about your writing is your ability to capture a very fragile state of mind (all of the Weasleys, but especially George in Cracks; Pansy in Wilted Flower) and really draw the reader in and make them feel the pain and vulnerability. Without getting too personal, was there any particular experience or inspiration that helps you to find the words?

2) When do you do your writing? Do you set aside a particular time of the day or week, or is it more free-form?

Thanks and I can't wait for more of Pansy!

Shoot, forgot number 3: You mention Ender's Game in one of your earlier responses, which is one of my all-time favorite books. Did you reads any of the sequels/prequels/parallels? What did you think if you did?

Edited by Alopex, 26 March 2012 - 03:24 AM.

[Roots in Water]

Thanks for dropping by!

1) No, thankfully there hasn't been an experience yet in my life similar to that of George or Pansy. However, my friends haven't been so lucky and I've helped them through some tough times. I guess you could say that I draw on their actions and emotions to help me find the correct words to use. As well, the numerous books I've read and songs I've listened to have also helped me to find the correct emotions to portray.

2) I don't set aside a specific time period to write, exactly- instead, I set myself a target word count/scene for the week that I then complete. I usually write in the evenings- I find that the words flow more easily and sound better (to me, at least) the later it gets. When I try to write early in the day the words come across as stilted... But it's just as well, considering the fact that I rarely have a whole day to spare.

3) I love Ender's Game as well! I have read Ender in Exile and Ender's Shadow and I didn't like them nearly as much as the original book. With Ender's ShadowI didn't like the way Bean viewed himself as superior to Ender (even though he is, intellectually). I tend to get attached to the main characters of books and dislike it when other characters dislike them (if that makes sense). As for Ender in Exile, though I enjoyed the book, I didn't like the plot as much as the original story and felt that the story had started to drift away from Ender. He was becoming less and less important to the actual story and since he was my favourite character, I didn't like it when that happened.

Thanks for your questions and I'm so glad that you enjoy my writing!

[Gabriella Hunter]

Hello, I always leave you a review for the lovely piece of work known as Wilted Flower, and I thought I would bother you for a minute and leave you some questions to answer! You have been warned!

1) How was it writing for Pansy Parkinson for your story when we don't know much about her in the actual HP series?
2) How long did it take you to create the Aftermath of the War?
3) Do you have any other stories coming in the future that deal with Slytherins? I'm usually not a fan but I really love your work!
4) What inspires you to create such a complex character?
5) What is one thing that you wish you could write differently for Pansy now that the story has progressed so far?
6) What's your favorite magical animal?
7) Favorite Slytherin? I'm all for Blaise Zabini myself but that's just me.
8) Do you have any trouble keeping your flow for the story just so or do you just plow on writing?
9) What's one book that you're absolutely crazy over?
10) Favorite spell/class at Hogwarts?

That's all for now! I might come back and pester you some more so look forward to that!